Chapter 12 - 012 Covert Subsidies
Tian Sisi had made up her mind: given the chance, she would secretly supplement her family's grain and oil supply to ensure everyone could be well-fed. As for meat, they would have to find another solution since the family only received two yuan of meat supply each month for Mr. Tian and Granny Zhao. Additionally, there were the pig offal and other items that Liu Bogen, their son-in-law and head chef of the commune's canteen, occasionally brought home as he knew where to buy them.
Granny Zhao often mixed the two yuan of meat with vegetables or chives to make dumpling fillings, which she would then share with Tian Bajin's family. Although Tian Bajin was the village Party secretary, his household was registered as rural, without any grain or meat allowance. They only got to eat meat when they slaughtered the pig at the end of the year. Mr. Tian only had this one brother, so Granny Zhao didn't wait for him to ask; every time she made dumplings, she would have Tian Sisi take a bowl over to Bajin's house.
Life might seem comfortable to outsiders, but to Tian Sisi, it seemed a bit harsh. They could only eat meat three or four times a month, and usually the vegetables they had were either steamed or boiled (to save oil). No, it wouldn't do; she needed to find a way to legitimately take out supplies from the store without raising her family's suspicion. She had to come up with a good excuse, thought Tian Sisi, frowning.
"Ah Nan, a little girl like you shouldn't be frowning! Who made you unhappy?" Granny Zhao came out to pour the swill, which was collected from rice soup, dishwater and the like, and could be mixed into pig feed after boiling.
Tian Sisi quickly relaxed her brow, shaking her head, "No, I was just thinking about something!"
Granny Zhao chuckled, "What does a little girl like you have to think about, you're so funny!"
Having emptied the swill, she went to the vegetable patch to pick a few greens, planning to stir-fry them for lunch. Women in the countryside are constantly busy, from dawn till dusk. Granny Zhao took care of the household chores and kept everything in order.
Zhu Aiqing, as the leader of the village women, had other things to take care of besides laboring, so she usually didn't involve herself in household affairs. Of course, when she was home, she would certainly help Granny Zhao with chores. Zhu Aiqing was quite handy - versatile in fieldwork and housework, except for cooking. Perhaps because she never had much good food to eat as a child, the color, aroma, and flavor of her dishes were a mess and couldn't compare to Granny Zhao's cooking.
Lunch was simple: white rice, leftovers from yesterday's pig head meat, stir-fried leafy greens, shredded pork with bamboo shoots, a small dish of peanuts, and a bowl of steamed sweet potatoes. Tian Sisi only had a small bowl of rice and barely touched the bamboo shoots and greens but she did eat several pieces of sweet potato. The Tian family's sweet potatoes, with their yellow flesh, were very soft and sweet. Tian Sisi ate three pieces straight.