Bai Fumei in the 70’s

When Zhao Lanxiang was pacing back and forth waiting for He Songbai to come back, there was a knock at the door.

She opened the door happily, but was met with Jiang Li's happy smile. Zhao Lanxiang was about to blurt out, "You're back", but this greeting was choked back into her throat.

Jiang Li said excitedly, "Let's eat noodles today!"4

She couldn't hide the thick enthusiasm in her words. When she said 'noodles', her dark eyes seemed to light up in an instant.

After Jiang Li had eaten Zhao Lanxiang's noodles she had since gone to the state-run restaurant in the city to eat stir-fried noodles there, but she felt that the noodles were not delicious. Not only was it not as fragrant, but it also made her irritable. She wanted to find something just as delicious as Zhao Lanxiang's noodles, but she was disappointed with everything she ate. She ordered the most expensive noodles in the restaurant, but the meat was not tender nor delicious. The noodles were soft and mushy. It was a waste of food tickets!

After this strong contrast, Jiang Li missed the noodles made by Zhao Lanxiang more and more.

At night she thought carefully, tossing and turning, even eating those noodles in her dreams, until one day she woke up with drools on her pillow, and Jiang Li knew that she couldn't bear it any longer. As soon as the weekend came, she could not wait to find Zhao Lanxiang.

She already understood this fact that she didn't want to admit. Even if she went back to her house where nothing was missing, she still wouldn't be able to find such an amazing taste. If she wants to eat noodles, she has to go to Zhao Lanxiang.

Isn't it just food stamps and money? She wants to eat noodles, so she will give her meat!

Zhao Lanxiang flicked her forehead and said, "The noodles cannot just appear when you want them to. I didn't make the soup base last night so there is no fresh broth."

She patronized greed and got up early to make mung bean cake. Where would there be time to make bone broth? Besides, she had no interest in accommodating Missy's appetite.

Jiang Li, whose cheeks were flushed from the excitement of eating noodles, suddenly felt like she had been doused by a bucket of cold water. For the first time in her life, she had actually encountered a roadblock.

The blush on Jiang Li's cheeks faded instantly, and she pouted her cheeks. "I want to eat now."21

Doesn't Zhao Lanxiang still want to be her sister-in-law? Now she doesn't want such a good chance to please her. When had she ever needed to wait for anything?

It was a pity that Zhao Lanxiang did not care for her.

She spread her hands and said lightly, "If you want to eat noodles, first you have to go to the store to buy some pork bones. To travel back and forth it would take at least three hours. Then you will need to boil the soup for three hours after coming back. If we start now, it would be dark when you would finally be able to eat noodles."

"But... all of this is not very important. What is important is that there are a lot of people queuing up at the store every weekend. Waiting in line for at least one hour, yet there might not even be any bones left to buy."

Want to eat?

You want to be beautiful!

[T/N, "Want to be beautiful" is a common phrase that means like "you wish" or "in your dream."]8

After listening to these words, Jiang Li felt like a frosted eggplant. Based on Zhao Lanxiang's analysis, she also knows that it was impossible to eat noodles today. She bit her lip in disappointment, just like a big, poor dog abandoned by its owner.1

She reluctantly stepped back and said, "I want to eat tomorrow."

Zhao Lanxiang continued to say her heartbreaking words with a smile, "Didn't I say that we won't be able to buy pork bones on the weekend."

Jiang Li wants to stomp her feet. She had been thinking hard about pork belly noodles for the whole week, but she still couldn't eat it?

She burst into tears suddenly and threw out a sentence angrily, "Don't think I don't know, you just don't want to make them for me. This will not work, Zhao Lanxiang, don't you want to be with my brother?"7

Zhao Lanxiang smiled and said, "Next time, I will call you if I buy some pork bones. But... you know, I don't have many food stamps. As for meat tickets... the meat tickets are all gone."

As for whether there will be next time, only she would know.

Her pink cheeks warmed up suspiciously due to this lie. She was indeed "very poor." The tickets and money earned by taking risks in the black market were not enough for her to spend for herself. If it were anyone else, no one would be able to have that much meat in their meals.

And Jiang Li... even without her food, she will not get hungry, she can still eat beautifully. Such a fat sheep like this Missy still need her to "help"?1

She was already kind enough, not kicking her out right away.1

Jiang Li struggled for a long time and finally pulled out a string of food and meat tickets from her pocket.

"It's all for you. I will not eat in vain. You won't be able to reject me once you take my ticket."

Zhao Lanxiang put it in her pocket with a smile, very satisfied.

After receiving so many food stamps, she went into the kitchen and filled a bowl of green bean rice and braised pork for Jiang Li.

Zhao Lanxiang specially made it for He Songbai and calculated the portions carefully.

The white porcelain bowl was filled with green bean rice, the rice grains were coated in oil, the sauce bright and yellow, and the fat green beans were fried, fresh and dripping, with an attractive scent. Jiang Li inhaled deeply, her poor stomach roared immediately, and she groaned with embarrassment and exasperation.

She squatted down near the table, holding the bowl and enjoyed it with chopsticks.

The appearance of this bowl of rice looks acceptable, and it smells very fragrant.

It tastes so delicious!

Ao ao ao...

Green beans were crisp and firm, chewy and fragrant, and exceptionally smooth when eaten. The braised meat was sliced thin, fatty but not greasy, tender and alluring, rich and sweet, and it was full of flavor. When licking the oil flowing from the lips, people want to eat more and more. How can this braised meat be so delicious?

This bowl of rice was like a spring breeze, healing Jiang Li's psychological trauma.

Jiang Li's discouraged eyes suddenly regained their bright brilliance. She buried her head down for two or three minutes to finish most of the bowl of rice.

Jiang Li, whose stomach was now full, hummed and said, "Why didn't you bring this out earlier?"

Zhao Lanxiang covered the pot of green bean rice with a lid and wiped her hands with a clean rag next to the stove.

"I didn't expect you to come, so I didn't cook much. But since I received your food stamps, I'd be embarrassed to let you go back with an empty stomach. Just finish this bowl. You can't eat more. Your bowl was squeezed from other people's meals."