Chapter 5

Li Dong was stunned. Xiao Juan was crying so sadly, and it was just two eggs. Why was she crying like this? "Xiao Juan, don't cry. Dad will earn you ten, no, twenty eggs. Be a good girl, don't cry. Your face is all smudged now."

Her little face was like a flower cat, already dirty from going to cut pig grass and feed the pigs. Now, with tears streaming down her face, it looked like she had drawn a ghost face.

Xiao Hua pouted and sobbed, her eyes fixed on the stir-fried eggs and leeks on the cutting board. Li Dong smiled; children were children. They could cry one moment and then be distracted by food the next. "Smells good, doesn't it? Stir-fried eggs with leeks. Wow, it really does smell good. Eat more later."

To be honest, the eggs now tasted much better than they would forty years later. The hens ate worms and grasshoppers, and no one had extra grain to feed them. It was the children, who were too young to work and earn points, who would catch grasshoppers and dig for worms to feed the chickens.

Eggs were still a luxury. One egg could sell for three to five cents, and sometimes even seven to eight cents. A pound of salt cost only two eggs, and a large bottle of soy sauce could be exchanged for four or five eggs. Ten eggs could get you a pound of cooking oil.

In those days, eggs were like nuclear weapons for the women of the household. They relied on them to buy salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. No one could afford to eat such a precious thing.

The women of the household treasured the eggs. If a child touched them, they would get a few slaps on the bottom, or even a severe beating. On a child's birthday, if the grandparents or the father didn't see, they might secretly boil an egg for the child, who would be happy for days.

But Li Dong had stir-fried a bowl of eggs with leeks. Xiao Juan cried even harder. Her little chicks, this new father was so greedy, he had eaten the chicks' capital. She thought about not having salt or oil to eat in the future and being hungry, and she cried even more sadly.

Han Guofu and Han Guobing looked at Xiao Juan and sighed. They exchanged a glance; they had to say something.

"Xiao Juan, be a good girl, don't cry. Dad has made turtle soup for you. Drink more, it will help you grow tall."

Li Dong called out to Han Guofu and Han Guobing. "Captain, Accountant, don't just stand there. Come and sit. There's not much food at home, but eat what you can. When I have time, I'll get some good wine and invite you to drink."

The two men chuckled. This guy was already thinking about wine. He was going to be in trouble. A drunkard, a drunkard, once he started drinking, he would become a ghost.

They regretted it. How could they have been so foolish as to let such a good-for-nothing get a household registration? Now they had a big problem. They sighed, regretting it. If they encountered someone drowning again, they would stay far away and not save them.

They exchanged a glance and sat down. They had to talk to this guy. He couldn't keep doing this. "Come, come, eat."

Han Guofu and Han Guobing originally wanted to talk to Li Dong about being frugal, but the fish was so delicious, and the oil was so rich. They decided to eat first and talk later.

Stir-fried eggs with leeks were a treat. They hadn't had it in half a year, and Li Dong's cooking was even better. He had used a lot of cooking oil.

Xiao Juan watched with tears in her eyes as Captain and Accountant ate the eggs she had saved for her chicks. She couldn't help but cry again. "Dad, I'll eat stir-fried eggs every day."

Xiao Juan cried even harder. If she could eat eggs every day, it would be like eating a month's worth of food in a day.

Han Guofu and Han Guobing were enjoying their meal. The fish was delicious, and Li Dong was a good cook, but he used too much oil. The turtle soup was too fishy, and the fish had too many bones.

People in the mountains didn't eat fish, especially in those days. No one would use so much oil to fry fish. It was too wasteful. If a woman did that, her husband would beat her three times a day.

"Try the braised fish."

"The seasoning is a bit light."

But there were wild onions, wild garlic, and some wild herbs to reduce the fishy smell. The braised fish was still quite good. Han Guofu and Han Guobing tried a bite and found it very fragrant. They were about to tell Li Dong not to be so wasteful, but the fish was really good.

Rice soaked in fish soup, full of oil, was incredibly fragrant. The two men each ate three bowls of rice. Fortunately, Li Dong had made a lot of rice. This meal scared Xiao Juan. The little girl watched as the pot of rice was finished.

The eggs and cooking oil at home were all gone. She couldn't help but cry out loud. This new father was too wasteful. She felt so pitiful, thinking she might have to beg for food soon.

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Despite her young age, she had experienced a lot. Her mother had left her, and her father had drowned himself looking for her mother. She had become an orphan. She had finally gotten a new father, but he was wasteful.

Xiao Juan's eyes were red from crying. The fish soup was really fragrant, and the stir-fried eggs were delicious. She cried while eating. Li Dong looked at Xiao Juan and sighed. What a good child, crying over a few eggs. His own daughter wouldn't even eat the yolk.

At home, if the food wasn't to her liking, she would run to KFC. He sighed. Xiao Juan was a good child, easy to satisfy. Just a sip of fish soup and a bite of eggs made her so happy.

If Xiao Juan knew what Li Dong was thinking, she would cry even louder. She was doomed. Her new father was a super wasteful person. She would have to beg for food soon.

Han Guofu and Han Guobing finished eating, drank a bowl of water to rinse the oil from their bowls, and burped. "Ah."

They exchanged a glance. Now that they were full, it was time to talk about serious matters. They couldn't let Li Dong be so wasteful. There was a drought this year, and the late rice harvest would be affected. It was uncertain whether there would be enough food.

Li Dong waited for them to finish eating and clean up the dishes. Xiao Juan took them to wash. What a good child. "Don't cry. When Dad earns money, I'll let you eat stir-fried eggs and drink fish soup every day."

Xiao Juan shuddered. She couldn't survive. Her new father was a big wastrel. Thinking about begging for food, her tears flowed like a broken dam.

"This child, she's so emotional."

Li Dong was pleased. What a caring and easily satisfied child. She was so happy just to eat eggs every day. Li Dong secretly encouraged himself. He was from forty years in the future. He could surely earn some eggs.

Li Dong planned to ask Han Guofu and Han Guobing about the situation in the city. If it was good, he would get an introduction letter and go to the city to look for ways to earn money, of course, with safety in mind.

Li Dong was too cautious. He had no big ambitions and was afraid of trouble, which was why he became a teacher. Because of his cautious nature and dislike of socializing, he remained an ordinary high school teacher for many years.

In contrast, his ex-wife was now the director of the district office and might get a promotion by the end of the year, becoming a deputy section chief, which was rare for someone in her thirties.

Han Guofu and Han Guobing saw Li Dong coming and decided to give him a lesson on revolutionary struggle and frugality.

Li Dong was stunned to learn that thirty pounds of rice and a bit of coarse grain were his three-month food supply. "You're kidding. This is enough for three months? Don't joke. Half a pound of cooking oil for three months? That's barely enough for three meals."

Xiao Juan, listening outside, started crying. This new father was too wasteful. Three meals, she wiped her tears. She had to be strong and take care of the family. She couldn't let this new father ruin everything.

Xiao Juan, you can do it. You have to take charge, manage the family, and manage this new father. After being lectured by Han Guofu and Han Guobing, Li Dong was stunned. It was only enough for twenty days at most.

What about the seventy days? Starving, borrowing food? No, that wouldn't work. He had to go to the city and find a way to earn money. "Borrow money?"

"No money."

These two had eaten and drunk, wiped their mouths, and said they had no money. Li Dong got angry. "The meal money, you have to pay, right?"

"You...?"

Han Guofu and Han Guobing wanted to splash water on Li Dong's face. He had boasted about treating them, and now he was asking for money.

"Uncle Guofu, I just remembered I have relatives in the city. I plan to borrow some food."

Li Dong thought, no, he had to come up with a reason.

Han Guofu and Han Guobing exchanged a glance. They weren't highly educated, but they had a lot of experience. Was this guy planning to run away? They couldn't let that happen. They couldn't let him waste so much food and then run away.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do. You know the team has no money."

"At least the bus fare?"

Li Dong thought, in those days, without an introduction letter, you couldn't even ride a bus. As for walking to the city, it was a joke. It was over ten miles to the commune, and the commune was another forty to fifty miles from the city. Walking, Li Dong thought, would be like killing himself.

"Okay, I'll ask my relatives to lend you some in a few days."

Han Guofu waved his hand. "Work hard these few days, and be frugal with the food."

The two men left. They weren't giving him any money. They couldn't let him run away. The next day, Li Dong found his job had changed. Han Guofu arranged for his eldest son to take Li Dong to operate a water wheel to irrigate some low-lying fields.

This job looked easy, but after a day of work, Li Dong's legs were swollen and aching. "I can't do this. If I keep working like this, I'll die."

He had to go to the city and find a way to earn money. Otherwise, he would be working like this every day, eating coarse grain, and having no oil in his food. It would be the end of him.

"Hey, 85?"

"What's the use of this?"

The number on the screen changed. The first line read, "85:25:56."