Chapter 56: Let Myself Go

The restaurant closed later than the factory, so when Lin Xiangnan got home, Hu Meili and Lin Xiangxi had already eaten dinner.

Hu Meili was sitting outside, chatting with a neighbor, and when she saw Lin Xiangnan riding her bicycle back, she immediately came over with her fan.

“How was it? Did you have any problems at work today? Are your boss and colleagues easy to get along with?”

Thinking of the lunch box of braised meat in her bag, Lin Xiangnan sincerely said, “I really chose the right place to work!”

The work was easy and not tiring, and she could eat delicious food. It was more suitable for her than the administrative position at the factory.

“The job I picked for you, how could it be bad?” Hu Meili was quite proud of herself.

The job was clearly a lucky break, but Hu Meili was boasting. Lin Xiangnan wouldn’t flatter her. She parked her bicycle and went straight to the kitchen.

Hu Meili and Lin Xiangxi saw this and knew she must have brought back delicious food. They abandoned their playmates and slipped into the kitchen.

As soon as they lifted the lid of the lunch box, the aroma of braised meat filled their nostrils. The bright color made Lin Xiangxi’s mouth water.

“Such fragrant braised meat. Where did it come from?” Lin Xiangxi looked at Lin Xiangnan with pleading eyes, “Sister, can I have some?”

Lin Xiangnan nodded, “I traded it with the restaurant chef. Go ahead. This box of meat is for eating, no other purpose.”

She wasn’t like Hu Meili, who would hide a bag of biscuits in the cupboard for future visits to relatives.

“Then I’ll cut it.” Lin Xiangxi volunteered, cutting the meat while saying, “This meat would be delicious with rice or in a bun.”

Hu Meili pretended not to hear, “Don’t look at me. Our family’s monthly grain ration is almost gone. We really don’t have enough to eat.”

The monthly ration of 28 pounds of grain, including both coarse and fine grains, wasn’t enough to eat under normal circumstances, let alone Lin Xiangnan bringing back delicious dishes from time to time. With her appetite whetted, the family’s grain supply became even more insufficient.

It was impossible to steam a new pot of rice, so Hu Meili only took two mixed flour cakes from the cupboard, “This is Xiaonan’s dinner. We’ll share it among the three of us, make do.”

Lin Xiangnan had already eaten dinner. Chef Zhang’s dishes were shared among the five people in the restaurant, making it more cost-effective. Although it was like eating out every day, it was just as economical as eating at home.

The three of them shared the two mixed flour cakes, taking a bite of cake with a bite of braised meat. The pound of braised meat was quickly devoured, and by the end, all three were still a little unsatisfied.

They ate in silence, and only after finishing did Lin Xiangxi sigh, “This is definitely the best meat I’ve ever eaten in my life!”

Lin Xiangnan laughed, “You haven’t tasted anything good.”

She didn’t bring delicious food home every day.

During the summer vacation, Hu Meili didn’t cook. Lin Xiangxi would light the stove, Lin Xiangnan would chop vegetables, then they would put them in the pot, add water and salt, and cook them.

It was edible, but the taste was truly ordinary. It could only be used to sustain life. Lin Xiangnan considered it a diet meal.

“This braised meat is so fragrant. It’s worthy of a chef’s cooking.” Hu Meili rubbed her stomach in satisfaction and praised Lin Xiangnan, “Luckily you’re smart and brought back braising broth. It’s perfect for cooking vegetables tomorrow morning.”

Normally, that pound of braised meat should have been saved for breakfast the next morning.

But Hu Meili didn’t even mention it because she knew that Lin Xiangnan never kept any of the delicious food she brought back until the next day.

Even if Hu Meili didn’t allow it, Lin Xiangnan would sneak into the kitchen with Lin Xiangxi in the middle of the night if she got a craving.

Then, the next time she ate something good, Lin Xiangnan would directly take Lin Xiangxi out to eat it before coming back.

After doing it so many times, Hu Meili learned her lesson. She would eat and drink what she should, and not dwell on things.

Anyway, it wasn’t her money, and she didn’t need to worry. Even if Lin Xiangnan’s private money ran out, someone would support her in the future.

After finishing the braised meat, Lin Xiangxi went to wash the dishes.

Lin Xiangnan instructed, “Little brother, light the coal stove. I also brought back some fresh beef shank. Put it on the coal stove and braise it slowly over low heat.”

Lin Xiangxi lit the stove, and Lin Xiangnan washed the meat and put it in the pot. The two of them worked together in perfect harmony.

But Hu Meili found it annoying, and she muttered under her breath, “All day long, you treat your brother like a dog.”

“He likes it.” Lin Xiangnan raised her eyebrows proudly.

She knew Hu Meili had a slight preference for boys over girls. But Hu Meili wasn’t her real mother, and she was pretty good to her, so Lin Xiangnan didn’t care.

Seeing Lin Xiangnan’s smugness, Hu Meili was furious, “Alright, alright, you two go out and play. I’ll do it.”

“No way. Mom, don’t you have any sense of your own cooking skills?”

Hu Meili disagreed, “Your cooking skills are worse than mine!”

Lin Xiangnan flipped her bangs and declared, “Now I’m different from you. I have a master teaching me.”

Following Zhang Dapang’s instructions, she added the right amount of water and simmered it for the right amount of time. The final braised meat was so fragrant that Lin Xiangnan almost thought she was a reincarnation of a culinary god.

At breakfast, Lin Xiangnan complained, “I told you I have some talent. It’s all your fault, Mom, for holding me back.”

Hu Meili ate her meat silently, ignoring her.

After finishing, Hu Meili said, “Now that you’re working, you’ll be eating at the restaurant. From now on, Xiaoxi will eat lunch at Grandma’s house, and I’ll eat at the factory canteen. We’ll only cook for two people. It’ll be too much trouble for me to run back and forth at noon.”

“Okay, I have no objections.”

“Me neither.”

Before, when Lin Xiangnan was at home, she was generous and a leader among children. To get some candy from her, a bunch of kids would surround her.

Now that she was working, no one was watching over Lin Xiangxi, and he completely let loose. He went wild with the kids on the street.

In less than two days, he was taken to the police station.

“This is a serious matter. It’s called stealing, do you understand? This time the owner didn’t mind, and you paid for the things, so the matter is settled. But what about next time?” The police officer on duty criticized, “You’re so big, and you’re still doing this kind of thing. Are your parents teaching you this way?”

The children who had made mistakes stood in a row, and the parents who came to pick them up also stood in a row, listening obediently, not daring to refute.

The kids on summer vacation had nothing to do, so they would collect firewood for their families, and when they had nothing to do, they would wander around the streets, picking up glass bottles, waste paper, wire, nails, and aluminum toothpaste tubes, which they could sell at the scrap station for money to buy candy.

This time, they ‘picked’ a pile of old steel in a dilapidated shed. After selling it, they bought ice cream, and then the owner came looking for them.

Lin Xiangxi had been hanging out with Lin Xiangnan for a long time, so he didn’t lack ice cream. He joined in the mischief just to fit in.

Now that he was being criticized, he could only stand in the crowd with his head down, not daring to look up at his family.