Chapter 63: Selling Fish, Pork Rong, and Huang Po

Chapter 63: Selling Fish, Pork Rong, and Huang Po

The men in the car were almost moved to tears by how adorable Chenchen was during the conversation between Fu Zhengtu and him.

How can someone be so perfect? I really want to take him home and raise him!

But as soon as they remembered that he was Fu (the engineer)'s child, reality set in.

Just admire from a distance. Just imagine, don’t get carried away.

Everyone thought Fu (the engineer) was a strict father, but no one expected him to be so patient and gentle with his child. But why does a kind and patient Fu seem even more overwhelming than a cold and strict one?

As for Su Taotao, she cleverly wrapped herself up like a mummy with a scarf.

This disguise didn’t draw any attention when she appeared at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Everyone knew the island’s ultraviolet rays were strong, and people would do whatever it took to avoid sunburn. Even if someone wore a cotton jacket in the middle of summer, people would just assume it was a new sun protection trend.

When they arrived at the market, Su Taotao immediately bought a straw hat to wear.

Since she needed a free hand to carry Chenchen, the hat was more practical than an umbrella.

This way, no one could recognize her.

Although called the supply and marketing cooperative, the place was more like a small farmers' market.

Inside, they sold various packaged daily necessities, canned goods, grains, seasonings, and so on, while melons, fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood were displayed at the outdoor stalls.

Su Taotao didn’t arrive much later than Auntie Zhong. When she got there, Auntie Zhong was waiting at a fish stall for several fish that had started to turn belly-up.

Auntie Zhong spotted Su Taotao from a distance and waved at her.

Su Taotao walked over. “Auntie Zhong, you recognized me?”

Auntie Zhong said, “Your hands are fair, and I saw this outfit of yours this morning, so I recognized you at a glance.”

Su Taotao: “……”

“What are you doing, Auntie Zhong?”

Auntie Zhong pointed to the fish and whispered in Su Taotao’s ear:

“I’ve been eyeing these fish for almost twenty minutes. Look, they’re starting to turn belly-up. In a few more minutes, they’ll be dead and half the price. Do you want some? I can give you two if you want.”

Su Taotao: “？？？”

“No need, Auntie Zhong. I don’t feel like eating fish today. I’ll take a look and see if there’s something else suitable.” With so much fresh seafood available, she didn’t feel like eating fish that had turned belly-up.

Auntie Zhong didn’t force her and began to educate her about each stall:

“This stall, run by Fish Sheng, is the most honest. You can’t go wrong buying fish here.”

Su Taotao: “……” The only fish stall around, there wasn’t exactly a choice, was there?

Auntie Zhong continued, “Pork Rong is the toughest to deal with. It’s not easy to get meat on this island. He often hides the good meat and saves it for people he’s close to. By the time it’s our turn to buy, there’s only lean meat and some offal left. I tried to bribe him with a handful of sunflower seeds, but it didn’t work, and I wasted a handful of seeds.”

Su Taotao: “……” Trying to bribe someone with a handful of sunflower seeds? No wonder it didn’t work.

Su Taotao felt that there was still a bit of a generation gap between her and this era. Isn't the lean meat, offal, and other trimmings the best parts of the pork?

Auntie Zhong pointed to the melon vendor in the farthest corner:

"Over there, selling winter melons, is Huang Po. She has a large family and a tough time making ends meet, so the organization gave her a big plot of land to grow her own food. Any extra she can sell for some extra cash."

"The other vegetable vendors next to her are in the same situation. The organization gave them land," Auntie Zhong sighed. "You wouldn’t believe how jealous I am. I’d give anything to have a plot of land to grow my own veggies."

Su Taotao asked, "Can't we clear the plot outside our yard for farming?"

Auntie Zhong said, "There is a lot of land, but not much of it is close to a freshwater source and fertile enough to grow vegetables."

Su Taotao nodded in agreement.

Su Taotao then asked, "What about planting something in the yard outside? The soil in front of my house looks pretty rich."

Auntie Zhong took a deep breath, let it out, and slapped her thigh:

"Absolutely! The open space in front of your place is big enough. It’s not as big as some other plots, but it’s perfect for growing some scallions and greens for yourself. Unlike us in the back row, where it’s all rocks and impossible to plant."

Su Taotao said, "I have no clue how to grow veggies. How about you take care of it? Just leave a little space for me to plant a couple of flowers."

Auntie Zhong looked at her in disbelief. "Of course, you can really let me plant it," but thinking about such precious land being used for flowers, she still found it a pity.

"The land for growing vegetables on the island is so precious. It would be much better to grow vegetables on it. Wildflowers are everywhere. If you like them, you can walk to the back of the mountain and pick them casually. In my opinion, it would be most suitable to plant scallions, ginger, garlic, and leeks near the door. When cooking and finding something missing, you can just get it at the door!"

The more Auntie Zhong thought about it, the more excited she got. She couldn’t wait to get started!

Uncertain, she asked again, "You really won't plant it and let me do it?"

Su Taotao nodded with a smile. "Really, I really don't know how to grow vegetables, but I want to plant a couple of flowers. Plus, my mother-in-law will be here soon. She’s a gardening enthusiast, so she can handle the planting when she gets here."

Auntie Zhong beamed with joy. "Alright, alright, I'll plant more so we can eat together. Let me tell you, I'm also good at growing flowers... Hey, they’re flipping over! Fish Sheng, I’ll take these four!"

……

In the end, under Auntie Zhong's guidance, Su Taotao bought fresh and inexpensive vegetables.

She also bought a small winter melon from Huang Po to see if it was as delicious as Auntie Zhong had said.

Su Taotao thought Auntie Zhong would be a natural fit for the Women's Federation—if only they could snag her! She’d be an asset anywhere, even in a company’s admin department. What a waste of talent.

There were fewer types of seafood on the island than Su Taotao had expected. However, Auntie Zhong said that most of the seafood caught by the fishing boats was handed over to the organization for unified distribution. Only a small portion could be kept for personal use. It was already good that they could keep this much on the island.

Back then, the city was chaotic and people were on edge because of the planned economy and the movement. But life here was peaceful and simple, away from all the noise—like a hidden paradise.

She really liked it here.

Auntie Zhong was quite the chatterbox and could talk for a long time with every stall owner. In such a small place, if Su Taotao were alone, she might have finished shopping in ten minutes.

Following Auntie Zhong, it took her over an hour to buy these few things!

Walking back leisurely with her, it was already almost 11 o'clock!

Su Taotao groaned inwardly. Auntie Zhong was a real time-sucker! Next time, she’d have to shop solo if she wanted to save time.

At the supply and marketing cooperative, Su Taotao bought seaweed and dried shrimp to make a simple seaweed, shrimp, and egg soup.

She also picked up two jin of clams for a savory black bean stir-fry. Surprisingly, the clams were even cheaper than half a jin of meat, leaving Su Taotao shaking her head in disbelief.

In addition, stir-fry some greens and cook some multigrain rice, and lunch will be complete.

The island doesn’t have many trees, and most of them are made of valuable wood that can’t be used for firewood, so folks use charcoal or coal.

Xiao Lu had reminded Su Taotao to buy coal and charcoal before they came to the island, so they picked up a basket of charcoal and a basket of coal.

Once everything was ready, Su Taotao realized that she had no idea how to light the coal stove—this was her first time seeing one, and she felt totally lost.

Fu Zhengtu and Fu Yuanhang had been boiling the water for drinking and bathing. She had finally managed to get the charcoal stove going, and now it was simmering the rice.

There’s no internet here, and she didn’t feel like spending half an hour chatting with Auntie Zhong just to figure out how to light the coal.

Checking the time, Fu Yuanhang and Fu Zhengtu should be back any minute now. She grabbed a little stool and sat by the door to wait for them.