Chapter 17: Changing Meat Tickets

“You actually dared to hit me? I didn’t say anything wrong! What gives you the right to hit me?”  

Liu Lan, holding her sore face, shouted with jealousy and anger. She had been working all day, completely exhausted, and still had to cook dinner. Her mood was already sour when she saw the two male intellectual youths helping Li Lin carry firewood. Unable to hold back, she lashed out at Li Lin.  

“Trash talk deserves a smack,” Li Lin said lightly, rubbing her aching hand. She turned and walked toward the backyard.  

“Li Lin, this isn’t over!” Liu Lan yelled in frustration as Li Lin walked away.  

“Stop yelling. Everyone’s waiting for dinner. Hurry up and get moving,” Li Di said from the side, washing clothes while urging her. She had worked all day and was starving, yet Liu Lan still hadn’t started cooking. She found it incredibly inconsiderate.  

Liu Lan, hearing that, swallowed her complaints and went off to pick vegetables and cook.  

Meanwhile, Li Lin, looking at the firewood by the door, noticed Fang Mingyi washing his face not far away. She went inside to start the fire and cook.  

“Linlin, it’s just pigskin. I bought it specially for you. Use it to wipe the pot when you cook, then you can stew the meat, or it’ll spoil by tomorrow,” Hu Yingying said, bringing a small piece of pigskin to Li Lin as she began to cook.  

“Put in a couple more potatoes, please. I want to give a bowl to the people who helped us. They’ve done us a favor.”  

Li Lin spoke while taking out four potatoes from a sack and handing them to Hu Yingying.  

“How much did you spend on the meat? We should split it.”  

“It wasn’t much, don’t worry about it. I’ll go cook now,” Hu Yingying waved her hand, and quickly turned to leave.  

Li Lin pretended to rummage through the cupboard and brought a dollar and the potatoes to Hu Yingying.  

“You’re really something. I told you not to worry about it, but here you are sending money and potatoes,” Hu Yingying said, frowning slightly at the gesture.  

“Even with close friends, things like money need to be clear. If we don’t settle things like this, it could cause issues later,” Li Lin explained calmly. She had always known that even when it came to family or close friends, it was best to be clear about finances. Otherwise, conflicts could arise, and things could become difficult to untangle.  

“Alright, fine. But you can keep the potatoes. We’ll settle the money part, but since you’re cooking the rice, I’ll skip the grain part.”  

Hu Yingying said as she gently pushed Li Lin out of the room, then began peeling potatoes and cutting the meat.  

Li Lin went back to her room and started the fire. When the pot was hot enough, she used the pigskin to wipe it down.  

In an instant, the delicious aroma of meat wafted through the air.  

“Wow, it smells amazing,” Zhu Li Yan, who was cooking in Fang Mingyi’s room, couldn’t help but swallow.  

“You look pathetic, as if you’ve never had meat before,” Fang Mingyi said, his tone full of disdain. But even as he complained, he couldn’t help but feel the temptation of the scent. He was used to his childhood friend’s antics, so he didn’t say much more.  

“Hey, Mingyi, should we go up the mountain tomorrow?”  

Even though Zhu Li Yan had just devoured a whole roasted wild rabbit a few days ago, the scent of meat still made him hungry.  

“Sure,” Fang Mingyi replied. Although he wasn’t someone who cared much for food, the aroma had made his stomach grumble too. They both agreed that they would go to the mountains to gather some wild game the next day.  

In the backyard, it was a different story. It was mealtime, and while the smell of meat filled the air, the bland food on the table seemed unappetizing.  

“Zhao Jie, how about we improve our meals some day?” Liu Lan said, looking at the unappetizing stir-fried greens, the porridge made from sorghum, and feeling her stomach growl loudly. The delicious scent of meat was making her more and more aware of how dull the meal was.  

“You just came from the city and you’re already craving meat? Can’t you hold back a little?”  

Li Di, who had been salivating at the smell of meat herself, immediately exploded when she heard Liu Lan’s words.  

You see, once the money was in her pocket, it was impossible to get her to spend it on anything.  

Now Liu Lan wanted to improve the meals? That meant she’d have to contribute money, right?  

So that idea was a non-starter.

Liu Lan’s face immediately darkened, and she opened her mouth, about to argue back, but Zhao Li quickly stepped in.  

“Lan Lan, don’t be angry. Li Di means that it’s still the beginning of the month. We just need to hold out a little longer, and we can improve the meals by mid-month.”  

Zhao Li sighed helplessly and added, “Improving meals once can last us for a whole month, but we can’t just eat meat whenever we want like other people.”  

“I understand, Zhao Jie.”  

Liu Lan wanted to say something more, but seeing Zhao Li’s worried expression, she held back her thoughts and lowered her head, silently eating her meal.  

Meanwhile, Sun Xiaogang, who was sitting nearby, sniffing the delicious aroma of the meat, was eating a roasted potato and drinking cool water.  

After hearing Zhao Li’s words, he gave her a strange glance.  

In his heart, he decided that tomorrow, he’d rent a house from the village chief and move out. He didn’t trust these cunning people and feared that one day, they’d set him up.  

On the other side, Li Lin and Hu Yingying were unaware of everyone’s schemes. They were instead frowning at the unexpected visitor, Han Xue, who had come knocking.  

“Li Zhiqing, you’re here too?” Han Xue greeted Li Lin with a smile at the door of Hu Yingying’s room.  

“Mm, Han Zhiqing, just taking a stroll?” Li Lin nodded and asked.  

“No, I smelled Hu Zhiqing’s stew and thought I’d ask if I could have a bowl.”  

Han Xue said this, sounding a bit embarrassed. “I don’t have any meat tickets, and I usually eat eggs when I get cravings, but now that I smell the meat, I can’t resist.”  

“Han Zhiqing, I don’t have much stew left. How about I exchange two liang of meat tickets with you? You can go to the commune and buy some meat to stew yourself?”  

Hu Yingying didn’t want to part with her stew, so she came out and suggested.  

“Thank you so much.”  

Han Xue didn’t expect Hu Yingying to be willing to exchange meat tickets with her. She was so grateful that she hurried off to get something in exchange.  

“Should I also exchange two liang of meat tickets with her?” Li Lin asked Hu Yingying after Han Xue left.  

Hu Yingying nodded. “Go ahead. We live in the same commune, so it’s better to keep good relations with everyone.”  

“Alright, I’ll go get my ticket.” Li Lin said, then went inside to fetch her ticket.  

When she came out, she saw Han Xue returning with a bundle of dried vegetables. Li Lin quickly called out:  

“Han Zhiqing, are you still interested in exchanging meat tickets? I can offer two liang.”  

“Of course, of course!” Han Xue hadn’t expected the two new intellectual youths to be so kind to her. She eagerly agreed, nodding repeatedly.  

“These are all dried vegetables I sun-dried last summer, and I also have wild mushrooms and black fungus I picked from the mountain. Just soak them in warm water when you want to eat them.”  

As Han Xue handed over the items, she also added: “I’ll leave you the money too.”  

“No need, no need. These will be enough. You don’t need to give us money.”  

Hu Yingying and Li Lin hurriedly rejected the money Han Xue was offering. They assured her that the dried goods alone were more than enough.  

“Alright, then. When the mushrooms come out in another month, I’ll take you to pick some.”  

Since they wouldn’t accept her money, Han Xue smiled and put the money back in her pocket. She promised to take them mushroom-picking soon.