Chapter 94: Might Be a Special Supply Item

Guo Li was originally cooking, but the child started fussing, so she had to go take care of the kid first.

Zhou Yimin took over. Since he’d been back in the village recently, he’d basically been the one doing the cooking, so he was quite used to it.

Not long after, Director Li came back. Seeing Zhou Yimin, a guest, cooking in her home, she immediately exploded. She could understand her daughter-in-law soothing the child, but where had her son run off to?

Wasn’t he supposed to be on leave, staying home to cook?

“Where’s Zhenguo? Where did he run off to? How could he let Yimin do this?” Director Li said angrily.

Zhou Yimin stepped in to smooth things over, smiling as he said, “Aunt Li, you’re treating me like an outsider again, aren’t you? My cousin-sister has to take care of the baby—I can’t do that. My cousin had something to handle and stepped out.”

Facing her mother-in-law’s anger, Guo Li gave a wry smile. “I’ve already told Yimin several times to just sit down and rest.”

As for why her husband had gone out, she had no clue either. Just earlier, he had been chatting just fine with Zhou Yimin, and then all of a sudden he dashed out without saying a word.

She was feeling frustrated too!

Director Li quickly put down what she was carrying and took over from Zhou Yimin, telling him to go sit and wait for the meal.

“What business could he possibly have?”

He was just a workshop director at a small instant noodle factory, with barely anything to do most of the time. It was precisely because of that she told her son to take a few days off to come home and cook.

Who would’ve thought—so unreliable.

Zhou Yimin didn’t say anything right away. He figured he’d wait until Zhao Zhenguo found something out.

Instant noodles had been invented two years ago. By now, they should be hot-selling. Asking around about that shouldn’t be too difficult, right? It’s not like it’s some military secret.

“Mom, Yimin also brought two watermelons and two bags of milk powder,” Guo Li informed her mother-in-law.

“Yimin, it’s enough just to have you here. Why bring gifts?”

Right now, even watermelons were rare. Anything edible was scarce.

In this era, there wasn’t enough grain to eat, so no one was planting watermelons.

In the future, we’d laugh at how South Koreans even ate watermelon rinds. But in this era, we weren’t much better. On one hand, watermelon was a rare commodity because it was scarcely planted. On the other, people were so hungry they ate bark and grass roots—how would they let watermelon rind go to waste?

Of course, South Korea is a developed country, and yet they eat watermelon rinds and corncobs. It’s genuinely baffling.

A developed country where people can’t afford to eat watermelon? That’s hilarious to even imagine.

Then again, in the future, when we can eat watermelon freely and without worry, we’ll have one person to thank—Wu Mingzhu.

Not only did she increase watermelon yields, she also developed many new varieties, improving the fruit’s quality to be redder and sweeter.

It’s no exaggeration to say the sweetest and cheapest watermelons in the world are found in China.

That said, Miss Wu is probably only a few years older than Zhou Yimin right now, likely still cultivating quality watermelon seeds somewhere in the northwest. Her work wouldn’t get national attention until the 1990s or even the 21st century.

“A friend gave them to me. I’ve got more at home! I brought two especially for you and Uncle Li to try,” Zhou Yimin stuck to his story. Whether or not they believed it, that was what he was going with.

Guo Li added, “I’ve never seen watermelons this big.”

Director Li was curious and leaned over to take a look, and was instantly stunned. She’d never seen such a large watermelon either—must be over twenty jin.

“Maybe it’s a new variety. I’m not really sure, my friend gave it to me.”

Such large watermelons were a dime a dozen in the future. They’d be considered normal. Slightly bigger ones could weigh thirty to forty jin, and champion melons could even top a hundred jin.

Director Li saw there were no other fruits at home to serve Zhou Yimin, so she simply picked up a watermelon, took a knife, and sliced it open for him.

As the blade sank in and revealed the red flesh inside, Director Li was once again surprised.

The melons they usually ate had thick rinds and the flesh wasn’t nearly this red.

One look at this one, and you could tell it was delicious without even tasting it.

She sliced three pieces. “Come on, everyone try a piece first.”

Zhou Yimin didn’t refuse. He took a slice and bit in.

Director Li and her daughter-in-law took small bites, and the sweet, refreshing flavor instantly hooked them. On such a hot day, it was a real treat.

Zhou Yimin, however, felt a little regretful.

Chilled watermelon tastes even better!

“This melon is very sweet. Might’ve been specially selected as a special supply item. Your friend must be impressive,” Director Li speculated.

This really might be a special supply item.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain.

People with access to special supply items were usually very capable—at the very least, well-connected.

Zhou Yimin shook his head. “I’m not sure. The milk powder was also from him.”

He simply credited the milk powder to the same mysterious friend to avoid having to make up another one later. As the saying goes: let one lie do all the work!

“Then that must be it.”

Director Li filled in the blanks herself, and suddenly everything seemed to make sense.

She moved to cut another slice for Zhou Yimin.

Zhou Yimin waved it off. “Aunt Li, don’t cut any more for me. I have some at home. Besides, I don’t like eating it like this. Watermelon tastes best after being chilled in a well.”

It wasn’t that refrigerators didn’t exist at this time—they just weren’t something average folks had.

Guo Li was speechless.

Wow. This guy’s even picky with such a delicious watermelon. Still, thinking about cool, chilled watermelon on a hot day—it really would be amazing.

Director Li couldn’t help but laugh and scold, “You’re so picky.”

Since Zhou Yimin said that, she didn’t cut any more.

Just as she was about to turn back to continue cooking, she saw two little kids peeking through the gate. Director Li sighed and cut up half the watermelon into small pieces.

She called out, “Xiaoxia, go call the kids in the yard over.”

Director Li kept an eye on Zhou Yimin’s reaction, since he was the one who brought the watermelon.

But Zhou Yimin showed no objection, so she was reassured.

Soon, a bunch of children gathered around, calling out “Granny Li,” their eyes glued to the watermelon as they drooled.

“One piece each. No pushing.”

In this courtyard, the neighbors generally got along. As for those who didn’t, they’d already been dealt with by the subdistrict office—no one wanted that trouble.

The children got their slices, said thanks, and dashed off to their homes. For many of them, it was their first time eating watermelon. One bite in, and they felt the sweetness straight to their hearts.

By the end, some even ate the pale flesh down to the rind, leaving only a thin green layer.

Guo Li gathered up Zhou Yimin’s discarded rind and seeds from the table.

Those were useful.

A little while later, Zhao Zhenguo and his father came back.

As soon as he stepped through the door, Zhao Zhenguo was scolded by his mother so harshly he was completely dazed.

Meanwhile, his father had already learned a bit about instant noodles. On the way back, his son had talked to him about it, and he also believed this was a great opportunity.

“Yimin gave your son a great opportunity, and you don’t even realize it?” Zhao Zhenguo’s father said.

A great opportunity?

Director Li was baffled, a face full of question marks.

(End of Chapter)

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—Wu Mingzhu is a renowned Chinese agronomist born in 1930, known as “Granny Melon.” She dedicated her life to improving melon and watermelon varieties, especially in Xinjiang. Her work helped save the Hami melon from extinction and led to the development of over 30 melon varieties, including the popular “8424” watermelon. She was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1999.