Chapter 19: An Egg

Early the next morning.

Just as dawn was breaking, Li Aiguo climbed out of bed.

Having arrived in this era, his palate had become so bland it was practically tasteless; he had to eat something good today.

He pried open the stove plug and set the black iron pot on top, as pale blue flames gently licked the blackened bottom of the pan.

In a short while, wisps of blue smoke rose from the iron pot.

He picked up the oil jug and poured in some vegetable oil.

Once the oil was hot, he cracked an egg into it.

Accompanied by a series of sizzling sounds, the rich aroma of eggs immediately began to spread.

Once the egg turned a bright yellow, Li Aiguo scooped it out and placed sliced steamed buns into the iron pot, sprinkling them with a bit of salt.

Then he tossed the fried eggs back in, and a large plate of steaming hot scrambled eggs with buns was ready.

By this time, all the oil at the bottom of the pot had been absorbed by the buns, leaving it clean without wasting a single drop.

He picked up a mouthful; the buns were soft and fluffy, and the eggs were fragrant—the taste was simply divine.

This was a method Li Aiguo had learned from a tall, leggy Russian model back when he was studying foreign languages in his previous life.

It was just that the Russian girl used *Lebas* (Russian rye bread), whereas Li Aiguo, adapting to local conditions, had swapped it for sliced buns.

The rich aroma of the eggs slipped through the cracks in the door, instantly permeating the entire courtyard.

Those who had just woken up were all famished.

That enticing scent was like an iron hand, clutching their intestines and twisting them tightly.

*Sigh... so hungry.*

***

Next door at Xu Daomao's house.

Smelling the aroma, Xu Daomao looked at the cornmeal porridge in front of him and said sarcastically, "What's the big deal? Once I marry Lou Xiaoe, I'll eat meat every day."

Xu Jixiang glared at Xu Daomao. "Daomao, your blind date with Lou Xiaoe is coming up soon. Pay attention lately; don't go fooling around with little girls. The Lou family might send someone to investigate you."

"Dad, don't you worry. I, Daomao, handle things very reliably!" Xu Daomao said triumphantly.

***

At Yi Zhonghai's house.

"Li Aiguo is eating eggs."

The First Aunt walked in from outside and complained to Yi Zhonghai, who was currently eating. "I told you back then not to target Li Aiguo. Now look—the house isn't yours, and instead, you've gotten Shazhu into trouble."

"Who would have thought someone who was practically dead could actually come back to life?"

Yi Zhonghai asked while sipping his cornmeal porridge, "Shazhu hasn't been released yet? Is the Deaf Old Lady not paying attention, or what?"

"Shazhu is like the Deaf Old Lady's own grandson. She'll definitely..."

The First Aunt sat in her chair, her brow furrowed.

"The Deaf Old Lady went to the Neighborhood Committee and the police station. The Neighborhood Committee is fine, but I heard that since Li Aiguo is the child of a railway worker, the police station said they need to look into it."

She asked worriedly, "Do you think Shazhu will be sentenced to a few years?"

"That won't happen! The Deaf Old Lady has a lot of influence; she'll definitely be able to save Shazhu," Yi Zhonghai said with great confidence.

Not long after the state-owned enterprises were merged, many old-timers still held leadership positions, and the Deaf Old Lady had deep connections with them.

Yi Zhonghai had been promoted to a Grade 7 fitter last year; it was the Deaf Old Lady who had used her connections because his technical skills weren't quite up to par.

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, the First Aunt fell silent.

However, she felt that this matter would not end peacefully.

***

At the Jia family's house.

Jia Xudong sniffed the air, and the white flour bun in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor.

"Mom, I want to eat eggs too."

"Go have your wife get some from her maternal home," Jia Zhangshi said, curling her lip and glaring at Qin Huairu.

In this era, the countryside had no production teams or communes yet, only temporary mutual aid groups.

These groups were organized by several households during busy farming seasons to solve the problem of insufficient labor, draft animals, and farm tools through labor exchange.

They would disband once the busy season passed.

Farmers had private plots, livestock, and fruit trees; as long as they didn't sell them on the market, it wasn't considered a violation of the unified purchase and marketing system or speculation.

However, in these times, people could barely fill their own bellies, let alone raise livestock.

The few old hens left in the Qin family had long since ended up in Jia Zhangshi's stomach; there were no eggs left.

Qin Huairu had only been married for a short time and didn't have the courage to argue with Jia Zhangshi, so she could only offer an awkward smile.

Jia Zhangshi knew the Qin family's situation well; she had said that just to remind Qin Huairu of her place.

A little girl from the countryside had to show respect to her mother-in-law.

Seeing Qin Huairu lowering her head in silence, Jia Zhangshi lost interest in scolding her and shifted the topic to Li Aiguo.

"Dongxu, after you finish eating, go to the Neighborhood Committee and report Li Aiguo. The money he used to buy those eggs must have come from an improper source."

"Right, right, right. If Li Aiguo bought eggs, he should have sent a few pounds to our Jia family first. That kid deserves to be taught a lesson," Jia Dongxu said with a malicious look. "Let the comrades from the Neighborhood Committee arrest him."

"Sentence him to eight or ten years! Let him be a bachelor for the rest of his life! A bachelor forever!" Jia Zhangshi said, unable to close her mouth from excitement.

The room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Just then, a voice came from the side, and the laughter came to an abrupt halt.

Qin Huairu said timidly, "What reason would we use to report Li Aiguo? The money he used to buy eggs should be our family's."

Jia Zhangshi:... Jia Dongxu:...

After a moment of silence, Jia Zhangshi gripped the table, stood up, and walked toward the inner room.

"My chest seems to hurt a bit. I need to lie down for a while. Huairu, remember to wash the dishes later, sweep the floor, and wash the dirty clothes we changed out of yesterday."

Looking at the pile of dirty clothes in the basin, Qin Huairu felt like crying.

***

At the Yan family's house.

The Yan family members sat upright around a square table.

In front of each person was a bowl of cornmeal porridge. In the middle of the table sat a plate containing a single salted egg.

Yan Jiecheng glanced at the salted egg, following it with his eyes, and then slurped two mouthfuls of porridge.

Just after finishing a mouthful, he raised his head again, wanting to take another look at the salted egg.

But he was stopped by Yan Bugui. "Jiecheng, according to our family rules, you can only look at an egg five times per meal. You've exceeded your limit."

"Dad is right. I was counting too; brother broke the rules," the class cadre Yan Jiefang said, raising his hand.

"Dad, if I just look a few more times, is the egg going to disappear?" Yan Jiecheng felt like crying.

"That's hard to say!" Yan Bugui said with a stern face. "We'll know when we eat the egg tomorrow."

Hearing about eating the egg, Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiedi immediately became interested and leaned toward Yan Bugui.

Even the Third Aunt put down her chopsticks.

Only the class cadre Yan Jiefang continued to sit properly at the table.

"We've been looking at this egg for over half a year. I didn't expect there would actually be a day we get to eat it," the Third Aunt said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Of course. Do you think I'm that stingy?"

Yan Bugui turned his head and instructed, "Old woman, find a needle today."

"A needle?"

"Yes. Every time we use the tip of the needle to pierce the egg, we lick the tip. That way, this egg will last us another six months." Yan Bugui's small eyes behind his tortoiseshell glasses blinked.

Third Aunt:... Yan Jiecheng:... Yan Jiedi:... Yan Jiefang: *Hiccup...*

After a moment of silence, they all reached a state of acceptance.

Licking a needle tip was better than just staring at it; at least they could taste the flavor of the egg.

They were content.

Just then, Yan Bugui's expression changed drastically, and he cried out, "Children! There's the smell of eggs! Everyone, hurry and crouch by the door and take deep breaths!"