The Game of Life

Chapter 683: Chapter 681 Meat (3)

“`

Tian Lin ultimately couldn’t find a cool spot to rest; too many workers and too few shades made her settle for a less crowded spot where she could stretch her legs and seize every minute for a break.

No one had a watch, so they all judged time by the sun. Jiang Feng was just sitting on the ground listening to Tian Lin and Xiujuan chat about everyday things when a sharp and clear whistle blew along with indistinct shouts, prompting everyone to stand up.

Work resumed.

Initially, when Jiang Feng heard Tian Lin talk about carrying loads, he thought their task was simply transporting sandbags, but only after witnessing it did he realize “carrying loads” was just a metaphor—they weren’t transporting sandbags at all. That was far easier than what they were actually doing.

Xiujuan carried loads of sand and soil, Tian Lin pulled a cart; the sand and soil were so heavy that Xiujuan couldn’t even straighten her back. She had to keep bent over, taking steps, trip after trip, non-stop.

The cart Tian Lin pulled was loaded with rocks of various sizes. The road was uneven, full of steep inclines and declines, making her journey with the cart wobbly and angled, always careful not to let the cart fall into a hole. When tired, she would stop to catch her breath, and if exhausted, she would drink a bowl of water after one trip.

Tian Lin and Xiujuan blended in with the crowd, unremarkable. Everywhere there were people, each one working hard, dust filling the air, sweat coating every face, and everyone’s clothes dirty and of one color. Different from extras in movies or TV shows who only pretend to work, here everyone was truly toiling—the scorching sun, sweat, staggering steps, and tracks left by carts and footsteps were all real.

For the first time, Jiang Feng felt the atmosphere of the working people.

It was indeed an atmosphere of labor, an atmosphere in which sitting by the side taking a rest would be out of place and fill one with guilt.

Far from being lifeless, this place was full of vitality. Jiang Feng saw many people like Xiujuan who never stopped or complained about being tired, racing against time, stumbling forward towards a barely discernible hope.

The crowd worked until the sun was about to set; the dam construction site was too vast, devoid of sufficient lighting, and the ground was littered with uneven sand and stones. It would be counterproductive to work overtime into the night due to the risk of injury.

Upon finishing work, Tian Lin quickly packed her things and headed to the Jiang Family’s house—actually, there wasn’t much to pack, just a palm-leaf fan, a handkerchief, and an empty bowl for drinking water in her cloth bag.

The Jiang Family’s home was some distance away from where Tian Lin worked. Jiang Feng thought Tian Lin was walking fast, but it still took more than an hour to reach the household, not arriving until it was nearly dark. Jiang Feng had never seen the old Jiang family house; by the time he was born, his family had already moved to another house.

As soon as Tian Lin pushed the door open, Jiang Feng was hit with an unprecedented visual shock.

Five boys of varying sizes, from big to small, sat neatly at the dining table waiting for dinner.

Jiang Feng could clearly recognize his father; at that time, his father was probably just in elementary school. Not tall and not particularly chubby, but in an era where everyone on the streets was skinny, he must have been considered quite chubby; his roundness even gave him a touch of cuteness.

Facing the door, Jiang Jiankang saw Tian Lin return and immediately yelled out, “Mom, our cousin-in-law is back, why haven’t we started dinner yet!”

“What’s all the yelling for? Your father hasn’t finished cooking the meat, so what dinner can we have? You’re the noisiest. Look at everyone else; they’re not making a peep. Just wait; once the meat is ready, we can eat,” Mrs. Jiang, who had grown plump in her middle age and became what she had wished to be when she was younger, came out from a room with a rag in her hand, apparently cleaning, “Tian Lin, there are two pots of boiling water in the restroom, mix some cold water and take a bath; we’ll start dinner shortly.”

“Alright, Auntie,” Tian Lin said, looking at her dusty self and not daring to linger in the living room. She dashed straight into the restroom.

“`

Jiang Feng looked around, the house was small with only two rooms, it had a balcony but it was very small. One of the rooms had two beds, and judging by how cluttered that room was, it must belong to Jiang Jiankang and his four brothers. Although the kids were chubby, they were still young; squeezing a bit, the two beds could fit them all.

The living room was divided into areas, with a dining table next to the kitchen, and another area with a simple small bed where Tian Lin had probably been sleeping these days. Mrs. Jiang was cleaning the room, while Jiang Jiankang, Jiang Jiandang, and Jiang Jianguo, the three older boys, were salivating over the smell of meat. Jiang Jianshe and Jiang Jianye, the younger two, were eating their fingers while being enticed by the aroma of the meat.

Jiang Feng went into the kitchen for a look; the kitchen wasn’t big, but it was well-equipped. In the corner were several plates of dishes, all meat, without a speck of green. There was braised pig’s trotters, Guo Bao meat, Mei Cai with pork, and crucian carp tofu soup. The pot also contained a portion of braised meat that was in the final stages of cooking—it was a veritable feast of meat.

Mrs. Jiang finished wiping the cabinet and came out of the room. Seeing her sons hanging around the dining table like they were starving ghosts, she said irritably, “You’re all like reincarnated starving ghosts. It’s not like you’ve had too little to eat on ordinary days. Didn’t you have braised meat a few days ago? Jianguo, wipe off Jianshe’s drool. You only care about yourself and don’t even look after your younger brother.”

Jiang Jianguo quickly used Jiang Jianshe’s sleeve to wipe Jianshe’s drool. Since it was his drool, of course, he used his own clothes to wipe it.

Mrs. Jiang didn’t see this scene as she went into the kitchen. The small kitchen felt a bit crowded with two people inside, and Sir also felt somewhat uncomfortable. He said, “What are you doing in here? I think I just heard Tian Lin come back.”

“She’s back, taking a bath right now. Her work on the dam is too exhausting; I reckon by the time the dam is finished, she won’t be able to wear her current clothes anymore,” Mrs. Jiang said.

Sir never cared about such trivial matters and didn’t pick up on Mrs. Jiang’s comment. “I heard today that the dam is expected to be completed next month.”

“That soon?” Mrs. Jiang was surprised and glanced outside, speaking softly, “Can you do something about what I mentioned last time? Zhuangshi doesn’t have good health, and Tian Lin’s family would have a much better life if she could stay in the city. You’ve seen how she’s been during this time. Although Tian Lin can be a bit lazy, she still works hard and is a good person. I let her stay at our place, and she even gave me the monthly ration of rice and extra subsidies to cover room and board. The leaders often specifically ask for you to cook, right? Just ask them, see if it’s possible.”

Sir glanced at the pot. “I’ve inquired about it. This time, the authorities want to set an example; they’ve repeatedly emphasized no using connections or predetermining positions, so stop thinking about it.”

Mrs. Jiang could only sigh, glancing at the pot again.

“By the way, did you add sugar to the braised meat today?”

Sir: ??

Jiang Feng could tell from Sir’s face that the topic had changed too quickly.

“Why add sugar?”

“Sugar makes it taste better!” Mrs. Jiang’s voice suddenly rose, “Today is Jiankang’s birthday; he likes sweet things. You definitely have to add sugar to the braised meat! From the time Jiankang was little, before he had many teeth and could only eat mushy stuff, he always clung to that what’s-it-called ‘force’ thing you brought back from FJ and wanted to eat, add sugar, hurry up, the meat is about to be finished cooking.”

Although Sir felt that Mrs. Jiang’s statement was nonsensical, he obediently added sugar to the nearly done braised meat and let it simmer a while longer, which delayed the serving time.

Mrs. Jiang happily brought out the dishes, five in total, all meat.

Tian Lin had already finished her bath and changed into clean clothes. Seeing Mrs. Jiang come out, she quickly stepped forward to lend a hand. While carrying the plates, Tian Lin couldn’t help but swallow her saliva as she looked at the meat in the plates.

She had been staying at the Jiang Family’s house these days, but she had not shared many meals with the Jiang Family Members. Since she had to rush to work every day, she always left early and returned late, never catching meal times. Usually, Sir would make a few steamed buns or pancakes for her the night before or early in the morning, which she would eat on the go, saving the leftovers for lunch. In the evening, Mrs. Jiang would leave some food for her: the rice was white rice, and there was some vegetables, but it was impossible to leave any meat—being able to save some meat soup was already pretty good.

The Jiangs had many children, with five big, hefty boys, three of whom were at the age where they could really eat. On a regular day, there was just one plate of Braised Meat to go around, and it would disappear in the blink of an eye once it was set on the table, not even leaving behind broth. As long as Sir wasn’t pounding on someone, the brothers could lick the plate cleaner than their own faces. Sir’s policy for raising children had always been that a good appetite was a blessing, and if one could eat, they should eat more. He never scrimped on food or fixed meal portions, which led to the situation where, despite his and Mrs. Jiang’s substantial income and his frequent side jobs to earn extra money, the Jiang family never really saved any money.

All was consumed.

This kind of advanced lifestyle was quite peculiar in an era where everyone else was pinching pennies and rationing food.

Sir didn’t care if it was peculiar; he lived very comfortably.

Tian Lin was stunned.

At first, she thought that when Mrs. Jiang specifically asked her to come back early to eat that evening, saying they were making Braised Meat for Jiang Jiankang’s birthday, it meant one dish of meat.

In Tian Lin’s mind, making just one dish of meat for a child’s birthday when it wasn’t a holiday or special occasion was already quite extravagant. She remembered that before she got married, her family would only eat meat during the New Year and on the elders’ birthdays, and even then, she couldn’t eat much at a time. On New Year’s Eve, they made one dish of meat, and with many family members, Tian Lin would only get a piece or two, always the lean cuts, never managing to get the fatty parts that were rich in oil. The rest would be chopped into minced meat, mixed with cabbage to make dumplings, and if there were still leftovers, they’d make cured meat, which they’d only put a couple of slices into a dish to satiate their craving for meat.

Tian Lin suspected that she had worked so hard today she was hallucinating. What did she see? She saw five large dishes of meat!

Five large dishes, all meat!

Tian Lin was almost afraid to pick up her chopsticks.

She was hesitant, but Jiang Jiankang and the other four boys had no such qualms, heading straight for the braised pig’s trotters. Jiang Jianshe, the youngest, couldn’t speak very clearly and had trouble holding his chopsticks steady, but he knew how to point at the braised pig’s trotters and mumble something indecipherable, wanting Mrs. Jiang to help him get a pig’s trotter.

“Tian Lin, eat, if you don’t start soon, these five boys of mine will take all the good meat,” Mrs. Jiang called out, thinking Tian Lin was too shy to reach out with her chopsticks.

“Thank you, Auntie,” Tian Lin said, keeping her head down and picking up a small piece of lean meat from the pig’s trotter.

“Oh, you like lean meat too? My boys also like it. Every time the factory or your uncle’s workplace distributes meat, we both choose the lean cuts and the ribs; others always say we’re setting a good example,” Mrs. Jiang said with a laugh.

Tian Lin nodded; she too felt that Mrs. Jiang was setting a good example. Whenever there was a pig slaughter, everyone would fight over the large fatty cuts, which could be used to render oil and were also delicious, while the ribs, being less sought after, were often left until there was no choice but to take them. Wasn’t that setting a good example?

“Ribs are actually pretty good. I used to…” Sir began to say something else but then thought better of it and said no more.

Tian Lin stuffed the meat into her mouth and was so shocked she couldn’t speak.

Jiang Feng was all too familiar with this expression. It was the same one Jiang Shoucheng had after being forced by his second aunt to eat vegetarian and diet for two months; the moment Jiang Shoucheng ate meat, he had this expression. The first reaction was that this is actually meat, the meat has this flavor, followed by admiration for the chef’s skills.

If someone were starved for a long time, going one or two years without meat and having to do physical work every day, even the Zhao Family’s ancestral Braised Meat would taste delicious; they might even relish it excessively because the meat was fatty and rich in oil.

Tian Lin chewed twice, and the meat went down.

She felt like she hadn’t even tasted the flavor of meat; it was her stomach craving meat that urged her to swallow, and so she did.

“By the way, Tian Lin, did you get to eat Braised Meat when you married into the family?” Mrs. Jiang asked.

“No,” Tian Lin shook her head, “Mom said she’d make Braised Meat for me during New Year’s, a big pot of it, enough for everyone.”

“The Braised Meat Mom makes is so delicious. The cuts are big and rich, and she always cooks a large pot. We Zhao Family might not have much money, but we don’t skimp on Braised Meat during New Year’s! On the day I got married, Mom even made a special pot of Braised Meat, and your uncle said it was tasty,” Mrs. Jiang reminisced, her face alight with excitement.

Sir: …

Sir’s expression was somewhat indescribable.

“It’s a pity, Braised Meat is only made on New Year’s Eve, and we daughters who are married off can’t eat it. I haven’t had it for many years. Tian Lin, this is a heritage skill of our Zhao Family. You must learn it well from Mom during the New Year’s and make sure not to lose this skill,” Mrs. Jiang urged.

Jiang Feng: …

Grandma, do you even realize what you are saying?!!!

“Mhm!” Tian Lin nodded solemnly.

“Eat meat!” Mrs. Jiang declared heartily.

Tian Lin picked up a big chunk of fatty braised meat and bit down.

It was a bit sweet.

Tian Lin thought gleefully, is this what big meat tastes like?

Delicious!

Jiang Feng began to be shrouded in a mist, drifting away from memory.