Chapter 48

In front of Yu Wanqiu, Ming Xi and Ming Nan consciously put away the teasing attitude they had at home toward Ming Bei and sat properly, watching the movie seriously. Nowadays, the cinema mostly played patriotic and anti-Japanese war films, and Ming Xi had seen plenty of them at military school. Some of these films hadn’t even been released in Beicha yet, but he had already watched them several times at school.

Over the past year, Ming Nan had been diligently studying. As a growing teenage boy, he had a huge appetite, and most of the money and ration tickets his family sent were spent on food. Knowing that Li Muwu worked hard carrying sacks to earn money, Ming Nan was extremely frugal at school, stretching every penny as far as possible. Watching movies was out of the question—he hadn’t even been to the cinema entrance. Now, sitting in a long-missed movie theater, he was fully absorbed in the film, laughing out loud and slapping his thigh at the funny parts, completely forgetting about his silly younger brother.

Everyone was watching the movie attentively, whether they had seen it before or not. Only Ming Bei seemed a little distracted. Sitting in his chair, he snuck a glance at Yu Wanqiu, but she didn’t even look in his direction. Ming Bei felt it must be because he was dressed too poorly, so he hurriedly took off his leather coat and removed his hat, placing it on his lap.

Although the theater had heating, the space was large and open, making it much colder than the cozy 20-30 degrees at home. Most people watching the movie were still wrapped in their leather coats, while some stronger men who found it too hot had only unbuttoned them. But Ming Bei was the only one who dared to take his coat off completely.

Zhenzhen’s line of sight was interrupted by his movements. In the dim glow of the movie screen, she caught a glimpse of Ming Bei’s hair, which looked like it had been chewed on by a dog. She instinctively covered her face—his hairstyle was simply unbearable, an absolute eyesore.

Ming Bei was completely unaware and simply tugged at his Zhongshan suit before sitting up straighter in his chair. Worried that he might catch a cold, Zhenzhen leaned over and whispered in his ear, “It’s pitch dark in here, no one can even see you. Don’t you think you took it off a bit too early?”

Feeling the cold air seeping through his cotton coat and into his skin, Ming Bei nodded and whispered back, “Yeah, it’s a bit chilly.” However, since he had just taken off his coat, he felt too embarrassed to stand up and put it back on, so he quietly draped it over his neck, wrapping himself up tightly.

Glancing at Ming Bei’s messy hair, Zhenzhen finally couldn’t hold back anymore. “Fourth Brother, your hair already looks like it got chewed on by a dog. Washing it and then pressing it down with a hat just makes it look even worse.”

Ming Bei, confident in the hairstyle he had carefully styled that morning, reached out and pushed Zhenzhen’s chubby little face away, muttering, “What does a little kid like you know about good looks?”

Zhenzhen figured that when Ming Bei looked in the mirror, he must have been using a beauty filter, which was the only explanation for how he could think this was acceptable. She decided not to argue with him and let society teach him a lesson instead.

When the movie ended and the theater lights suddenly brightened, Ming Bei swiftly pulled his coat off his neck and patted down his sideburns with both hands. Seizing the moment when Yu Wanqiu turned her head, he quickly flashed a smile at Zhenzhen and softly asked, “Zhenzhen, are you cold? Do you want my coat?” As he spoke, he even tugged at his Zhongshan suit, as if afraid Yu Wanqiu wouldn’t notice him.

Zhenzhen looked at him like she had seen a ghost. If he weren’t her real brother, she would have pretended not to know him.

Yu Wanqiu picked up her water bottle and turned to talk to Zhenzhen, but her gaze was immediately drawn to Ming Bei’s messy hair. She tried to hold it in but couldn’t, and finally burst out laughing. “Li Ming Bei, did a rat nibble on your hair or what? Why is it all patchy? Look at the left side—it’s practically bald! Did it bite you?”

Ming Bei’s forced composure instantly crumbled. His face reddened as he grabbed his leather hat from the chair and stuffed it onto his head. Feeling embarrassed, he admitted honestly, “I accidentally cut it wrong myself.”

Yu Wanqiu laughed so hard her eyes curved. She pointed outside and suggested, “There’s a barbershop next to the supply and marketing cooperative. Why don’t you go get it fixed? After the New Year, you won’t be able to get a haircut until the first month is over.”

Although Ming Bei was a bit embarrassed, he still felt secretly happy. If he hadn’t messed up his hair, where would he have gotten the chance to talk to her? Even though the conversation didn’t go quite as he had imagined, the outcome was still good.

After leaving the theater, Yu Wanqiu politely said goodbye to Zhenzhen and her brothers before heading home with her younger brother. Ming Bei stretched his neck, watching her walk away until she disappeared from sight.

Ming Xi stepped forward, draping an arm over Ming Bei’s shoulders, and said in a heartfelt tone, “Ming Bei, when we get home tonight, I’ll tell Mom to make some pig brains for you. We won’t eat any—it’s all yours.”

Still lost in his thoughts, Ming Bei instinctively responded, “You guys really won’t eat? Don’t end up fighting me for it later.”

Ming Nan crouched down, clutching his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably. Zhenzhen smacked his back in annoyance. “Enough laughing, hurry up and take my Fourth Brother to get his hair fixed before dinner.”

Boys Ming Bei’s age had the easiest haircuts—just a standard buzz cut. The barber could do it with his eyes closed. The clippers buzzed skillfully across Ming Bei’s head, and in less than ten minutes, the haircut was done. The barber used a sponge to brush away the tiny hairs on his face and neck while earnestly advising him, “Cutting hair isn’t something you can master in a day or two at home. Next time, don’t do it yourself—you might end up stabbing yourself with the scissors.”

Ming Bei looked at his head in the mirror, feeling a bit depressed as he rubbed the short, bristly stubble that was still prickly to the touch. With a serious expression, he said, “Honestly, I really didn’t think I was ugly before.”

The barber was immediately stumped. He widened his eyes at Ming Bei, then turned away and waved him aside. “Who’s getting a haircut next? Hurry up and come over.”

With just over half a month left until the New Year, Ming Xi and Ming Nan had also gotten their heads shaved. The three brothers stood together in front of the mirror for a long time, inspecting their reflections. Finally, Ming Xi, feeling quite satisfied, pulled his hat onto his head, shot a smug glance at his two younger brothers, and said, “You two just don’t have the looks. Compared to me, you’re way off.”

Ming Nan glanced at Ming Xi’s back, quickly got up, grabbed Zhenzhen’s hand, and followed him out. “I’m definitely better-looking than Ming Bei. His bald head is just too ugly.”

Ming Bei stared at his reflection in the mirror, where he could see his own scalp. No matter how he looked at it, he wasn’t satisfied. He complained to the barber, “This haircut is way too short. It doesn’t look as good as my second and third brother’s.”

The barber, still shaving another customer’s head, didn’t even lift his eyes as he replied, “You shaved a bald patch on the left side yourself. I had no choice but to go even shorter. Otherwise, if it was uneven, wouldn’t that ruin my reputation?” He flicked the cut hair onto the ground and glanced at Ming Bei. “Don’t worry. Just wear a hat when you go out—no one will notice. By the time the New Year comes around, your hair will have grown back. By then, your brothers’ hair will be longer, and you’ll look much sharper than them.”

Hearing this, Ming Bei finally cheered up. He happily put on his hat and went outside. The first thing he said when he saw Ming Xi was, “Brother, I’m hungry. What are we eating for lunch?”

The hydrolysis plant was large, but it only had one restaurant. Most of the factory workers either ate at the cafeteria or cooked at home, so the restaurant mainly catered to people from outside the factory.

Ming Xi led his younger siblings inside. There was only one server sitting at a table in the back reading a newspaper. When he saw someone enter, he immediately stood up and greeted them with a smile. “A few young comrades here for a meal?”

Ming Xi and his siblings found a table close to the stove and sat down. After taking off his fur-lined coat, Ming Xi asked, “What do you have to eat?”

“We’ve got steamed buns, mantou, and flatbreads. There’s also big pot dishes and stews,” the server quickly responded.

In winter, Beicha didn’t have many vegetables apart from cabbage, potatoes, and pickled vegetables. Although this was a restaurant, the stews here didn’t necessarily have as much oil as homemade ones. Since they rarely got the chance to eat out, Ming Xi didn’t want to settle for the same old three dishes again. He decided to splurge a little and treat his younger siblings to a good meal.

“What kind of filling do the steamed buns have?” Ming Xi asked.

The moment the server heard they wanted steamed buns, his face lit up with joy. “You’re in luck! Today’s buns have beef filling. The factory’s procurement team bought it from Anbei. Apparently, they happened to come across a particularly strong bull that fell into a pit and died. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible to get beef.”

Since coming back to the 1960s, Zhenzhen hadn’t had a single bite of beef. Thinking about the juicy beef buns she had in her past life, her mouth instantly watered. She swallowed her saliva and quickly asked, “How much are the buns?”

“Two yuan per bun, plus two of food coupons,” the server replied. Then, realizing that the group’s eldest, Ming Xi, was only in his early twenties, he hesitated for a moment before advising, “It’s a bit pricey, but that’s because it’s rare. These buns are packed entirely with beef—there are no vegetables at all. If you think it’s too expensive, we also have flatbreads and stews.”

Ming Xi hesitated upon hearing that. Although he received a relatively high stipend at school, the intense training also meant he had a huge appetite. After years of saving, he only had a few yuan left as personal savings. But looking at his younger siblings, whom he rarely saw, he figured there was no reason to be stingy. After all, when school started, he’d get another stipend and meal tickets—he wouldn’t starve.

He counted out the money and placed it on the table along with the province-wide food coupons. “Please bring us ten steamed buns.”

“Got it!” The server counted the money and tickets, then looked up and asked, “Just steamed buns? We also have freshly cooked coarse grain porridge. For four people, it’s just two yuan and four set of food coupons.”

Ming Xi nodded. “We’ll take that too. Make sure it’s hot.”

Soon, steaming hot, thin-skinned beef buns and rich, fragrant coarse grain porridge were placed on the table. The aroma was so enticing that Zhenzhen couldn’t help but drool. She immediately grabbed a bun, unable to wait any longer.

The flour of this era wasn’t as finely milled as in later generations, retaining the natural nutrients of wheat. Although the color was darker, it was rich with the scent of wheat. Taking a bite, the flavor of the dough and the juicy beef filled her mouth, creating an incredibly delicious taste.

She gently sipped the broth inside the bun before taking another bite of the meat filling. The beef, surprisingly tender and flavorful, was not tough or dry as she had expected. Instead, it was incredibly juicy and not greasy at all.

While Zhenzhen was savoring her bun, Ming Xi, Ming Nan, and Ming Bei had already finished off the entire plate of buns. Although they didn’t analyze the flavors as much as Zhenzhen, their satisfied expressions showed just how good the beef buns were.

After finishing the last bite, Zhenzhen took out more money and food tickets from her pocket. “Server, bring me twenty more buns.”

The server was stunned by her bold request and looked at Ming Xi in confusion.

Ming Xi knew that Grandma Li doted on Zhenzhen, giving her plenty of New Year’s money, and even slipping her extra pocket change for snacks during school. Seeing the small bills scattered on the table, he assumed that, like him, Zhenzhen had saved up her spending money. He quickly tried to dissuade her, “If you haven’t eaten enough, I’ll buy you one more, okay? Why order so many? Money is hard to save, and Grandma will scold you.”

“These beef buns are so delicious. Who knows when we’ll get to eat beef buns again? I figured we should get more so you guys can eat as much as you want, and we can bring some home for Grandma and Mom to try. That way, they’ll know what beef buns taste like.”

Ming Nan felt warm inside hearing Zhenzhen’s words, but he still disagreed with buying so many. “You don’t manage a household, so you don’t understand how expensive things are. This much money could buy ten pounds of flour. We’ve already splurged once, we can’t spend more.” He pushed her money back and took out his own savings. “I’ll buy buns for Grandma and Mom. You keep your money. But I’ll need your food tickets—I ran out before the holidays.”

Zhenzhen looked helplessly at Ming Nan. “You two study away from home and don’t always get enough to eat. You need to save your money for meals. Honestly, Eldest Uncle gave me a lot of pocket money last time he was back. Just eat and don’t worry about it.” She moved Ming Nan’s hand away from the money, then stuffed her small bills and food tickets into the server’s hands. “Stop standing there and bring the buns!”

There had only been thirty buns in the whole batch, and they had expected them to sell over a few days. But now, these four siblings had bought them all at once. The server grinned and brought out several plates of buns.

Zhenzhen eagerly grabbed one and took a bite, but before she could swallow, she let out a small burp.

Ming Xi chuckled at her. “You’re already full, yet you still ordered twenty more buns? Typical case of your eyes being bigger than your stomach.”

Zhenzhen tried to take another bite but found her stomach too full. She reluctantly handed her half-eaten bun to Ming Xi.

Used to finishing her leftovers, Ming Xi and the others weren’t the least bit bothered. They each ate two more buns, finishing the remaining ones, then packed the last fourteen in oil paper. The server and the cook, feeling generous, gave them a small flour sack to carry them in.

Ming Xi thanked them and quickly led his siblings home.

When Mingbei arrived home and pushed open the door, the aroma of pickled cabbage, blood sausage, and bone broth filled the air. The five beef buns he had eaten at noon seemed to have vanished into a bottomless pit—he was instantly hungry again. “Mom, I’m starving,” he said.

Seeing that there were quite a few people in the west room, Mingxi quietly took the sack of flour to the east room and cautiously handed it to Grandma Li. “Grandma, we brought back some beef buns.”

It wasn’t surprising that Mingxi was nervous. Even though he was already in his twenties, he still felt like the mischievous child who often got into trouble whenever he was in front of Grandma Li. He was afraid she would scold him.

Grandma Li lifted the heavy flour sack and opened it for a look. Her expression changed instantly. She grabbed her tobacco pipe from the heated brick bed and knocked it against the edge. “Are you people just burning money for fun? Who bought this?”

Mingxi, Mingnan, Mingbei, and Zhenzhen all responded in unison, “I did!”

Grandma Li glanced at each of them and couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. “You little rascals, daring to lie to your grandma! You three boys, get over here and lie on the bed. Let’s see if I don’t whip you.”

Zhenzhen quickly ran over and wrapped her arms around Grandma Li’s arm, rubbing her little face against it as she coaxed her in a soft voice. “Grandma, I really bought them. Think about it—who else in this family besides me would have the guts?”

Feeling her granddaughter’s small, warm hands rubbing against her chest, Grandma Li’s anger dissipated considerably. “If you want to eat buns, just tell your mother. It’s not like we don’t have white flour at home. We can just make them ourselves.”

“It’s not the same,” Zhenzhen said eagerly, lifting the sack like a treasure and placing it in front of Grandma Li. “These are beef-filled buns, made by a master chef at the restaurant. The filling is especially delicious. One bite and your mouth is filled with juicy meat—it’s incredibly fragrant. I thought such tasty buns shouldn’t be enjoyed by us alone. Grandma, I wanted you, Dad, Mom, Big Brother, and Sister-in-law Meat Bun to all have a taste, so I bought a few more.” She hugged Grandma Li’s waist and blinked her big eyes. “I want Grandma to taste all the delicious foods in the world.”

Zhenzhen’s heartfelt words made Grandma Li feel deeply touched. She pulled Zhenzhen into her embrace, grinning from ear to ear. “As expected of my precious girl! Grandma didn’t spoil you for nothing.” She kissed Zhenzhen on the forehead, then looked at her three grandsons standing in a row on the floor and scolded them sharply. “You’re all grown boys, yet none of you are as thoughtful as your little sister. Learn from her! No hogging food for yourselves, understand?”

Mingxi nodded repeatedly. “Grandma is right! From now on, whenever we come across something delicious, we’ll buy some for you too.”

Hearing this, Grandma Li finally felt at ease, but thinking about how money had to be spent to buy things, she became reluctant again. She quickly added, “It’s enough to think of the family; you don’t have to actually buy it. That costs too much money. Mingxi and Mingnan, you’re getting older. When you get married, you’ll need to buy things and give a dowry. You must learn to manage your expenses, understand?”

Mingxi and Mingnan blushed as red as ripe tomatoes and lowered their heads, mumbling in response. Grandma Li patted Zhenzhen’s chubby little hands and asked fondly, “Did your brothers trick you into spending money?”

“No, at first my second brother bought ten buns. I thought they were delicious, so I bought more. My second and third brothers wanted to chip in, but I stopped them. They have to study away from home and don’t have much money, sometimes even going hungry. But I eat and drink without worry at home, so I just spent the money.”

Grandma Li shook her head with a smile. “Still such a big spender.” She got off the heated brick bed, pulled out a keyring from her waistband, and opened a chest to take out a handkerchief filled with money. “Zhenzhen, how much did you spend? Grandma will reimburse you.”

“Oh, come on now,” Zhenzhen said with a laugh, helping to wrap up the money again and put it back in the chest. “I still have enough. When I run out, I’ll ask you. If I carry it around, I might lose it.”

Grandma Li’s hands froze. She glanced at her three grandsons standing to the side and nodded seriously. “Then it’s better to keep it with Grandma, so your brothers don’t trick you into spending it all.”

As the New Year approached, only Mingbei still flipped through his books daily, while the rest of the family stopped studying altogether. Mingxi was in military school, and though he was on break, he still woke up at five every morning to take Li Mingzhong and Tianhu for a run along the river. Mingnan, now free from the pressure of college entrance exams, was finally liberated from the intense study routine. He spent his days taking Mingbei and Zhenzhen to the river to sled and play ice spinning tops, acting like an overgrown child.

They played through the entire winter, and after eating yuanxiao on the fifteenth day of the new year, Mingdong, Mingxi, and Mingnan all took the train back to their respective schools. Mingbei locked himself in his room, repeatedly reviewing his lessons.

Having gotten used to the lively atmosphere at home, the house felt too quiet once the three young men left. The family struggled to adjust. Zhenzhen aimlessly wandered around the house every day or sat beside Mingbei, watching him study. This time, Mingbei was truly focused on preparing for the hydrolysis plant’s high school entrance exam. He no longer needed Zhenzhen to keep an eye on him—he was determined to practice questions and memorize texts on his own.

Fortunately, the dull days didn’t last long, and soon the new school term began. Upon returning to school, Zhenzhen immediately sensed a change in the atmosphere. The time spent singing revolutionary songs and studying the Little Red Book had noticeably increased, and the newspapers were filled with more and more critiques of capitalist decay.

Mingdong’s degree took four and a half years to complete. This time, when he returned to school, he finalized his graduation procedures and received a government-issued job assignment certificate. Once his employment was confirmed, he immediately sent a telegram home but couldn’t spare the time to visit. Instead, he bought a train ticket straight to Anbei.

Anbei Agricultural College highly valued Mingdong. The country had only been liberated for about a decade, and there was an extreme shortage of qualified educators—especially someone like Mingdong, who had graduated from a formal agricultural university. He was a rare asset.

The college assigned a teacher to help Mingdong register his household, transfer his grain ration, and take care of other formalities. He was busy from morning till night, barely touching the ground. It wasn’t until he finally lay down in his single-occupancy faculty dormitory at night that he fully processed it—starting today, he was officially a university lecturer.