MAC’60s Chapter 22

Wang Ying tested Xie Yuejin a bit and got a good sense of things. When she walked into the back kitchen, she saw Xu Shuang mixing fillings. The state-owned restaurant’s most consumed items every day were dumplings and buns. Xu Shuang didn’t wrap them himself, but he controlled the key step—seasoning the filling.

Seeing Wang Ying come in, Xu Shuang immediately started making a bowl of dumplings for her. In town, the lunch rush was the busiest; by dinner, there were just a few tables. At this hour, there were only a few men outside drinking and chatting over small dishes.

Xu Shuang cooked her a big bowl of dumplings and also served a plate of boiled peanuts. He handed the money and ration tickets to the server.

The server didn’t recognize Wang Ying anymore—her appearance had changed a lot recently. The first time she came, she was skinny and poorly dressed. Now, she was wearing new clothes, her hair looked darker, her cheeks were fuller, and most notably, her skin was several shades lighter.

The server said with a bit of envy, “A bowl of dumplings costs 1.2 yuan, you didn’t need to pay this much.”

Xu Shuang had given 1.5 yuan.

He casually replied, “Added a few extra dumplings.”

The server didn’t know what to say. In fact, since Xu Shuang was in charge of the kitchen, if he added a few more dumplings, no one would really notice. But Xu Shuang always followed the rules—whatever it was supposed to be, it was.

Seeing the big white dumplings in her bowl, Wang Ying instantly forgot all her worries. Pork and cabbage dumplings—one bite and you got solid meat filling.

Xu Shuang sat beside her, watching her eat. He had already had dinner, but watching Wang Ying eat didn’t bother him. When she finished the large bowl of dumplings, he brought over half a bowl of noodle broth from the back kitchen.

Full and satisfied, Xu Shuang wrapped up the back kitchen work, and the two of them walked back to the brigade together under the beam of a flashlight.

On the way, Wang Ying told Xu Shuang what she had overheard.

“That Xie Yuejin was making all sorts of promises to the other guy—saying that in winter, when it gets cold, the restaurant would have a large stock of dried vegetables. He planned to swap some out, leave just a bit behind, and said that since you wouldn’t be around, he’d be in charge of the kitchen. He even talked about getting his hands on seasonings and oil…”

Xu Shuang held Wang Ying’s hand. After listening for a while, he gave a soft “Hmm.”

Wang Ying asked, “So what are you going to do?”

Xu Shuang kept his eyes on the road. The weather had turned cold, and the dirt road had frozen hard and uneven. They had to watch every step—anywhere could be a bump or a pit.

“Let him be.”

He had already sensed that Xie Yuejin had a lot of sneaky thoughts and had little patience dealing with him. Moreover, when Xu Shuang was managing the kitchen, he was strict, so Xie Yuejin didn’t dare to make a move. It wasn’t surprising he would want to act now that Xu Shuang would be gone for a while.

Wang Ying warned, “I’m just worried he might steal or swap things over the winter. When you come back, you might get blamed for the shortfall.”

Xu Shuang replied, “He wouldn’t dare.”

He then explained the inside story to Wang Ying. Actually, when he requested a two-month leave, the restaurant leadership wasn’t happy about it.

Xu Shuang had been working in town for a few years, and his cooking was genuinely good—sometimes even people from the county would come just to try his food, which showed how skilled he was.

Taking more than two months off like this was partly because Xu Shuang wasn’t happy with the leadership’s little schemes.

The leadership didn’t like that the restaurant relied so much on one chef—it didn’t look good. They had originally designated Xie Yuejin as Xu Shuang’s apprentice, but Xu Shuang wouldn’t play along. He agreed to teach him some basics but refused to formally take him as a disciple, saying it was an old tradition, and in the new society, that stuff didn’t matter—no need for Xie Yuejin to even call him master.

If he wouldn’t even call him master, would Xu Shuang teach him his core techniques?

The leadership wasn’t pleased with Xu Shuang’s disobedience, and Xu Shuang felt Xie Yuejin just didn’t have the talent to learn.

Now that Xu Shuang was taking leave, Xie Yuejin jumped at the opportunity to promise he could handle the work. The leadership, annoyed with Xu Shuang, thought, You’re just a cook. Even if you’re gone, can’t someone else still serve pork with hair?

Fine—leave if you want!

If Xie Yuejin could hold down the fort, the restaurant would have two chefs! That’d be great!

Xu Shuang said, “That’s why he wouldn’t pin it on me—he wants to perform well.”

The leadership already had it in mind to promote Xie Yuejin and sideline Xu Shuang. With Xu Shuang out, this was Xie Yuejin’s shot. If he did well—not necessarily better than Xu Shuang, but just decently enough to maintain business—he’d have earned himself a proper place in the kitchen, maybe even a raise and a better title.

But now that he’s thinking of pocketing goods—less oil and seasoning means worse food. Can he keep the customers coming?

If he can’t manage, when Xu Shuang returns, the leadership might find someone else to replace him entirely.

Xu Shuang dismissed it, “Trying to steal and show off? He doesn’t even know what he wants. Or maybe he just wants everything.”

He wasn’t worried about being framed. He had the habit of keeping regular records—every two weeks he’d reconcile inventory with purchase orders, and hadn’t made a mistake in years.

Xie Yuejin had watched him sneakily many times, never catching anything.

So, if the guy had even a bit of sense, he wouldn’t try to frame Xu Shuang.

Wang Ying had done her part by giving a heads-up. Seeing that Xu Shuang was confident, she didn’t press further.

It made sense—Xu Shuang had plenty of his own ways and means. He wouldn’t mess around with work over a bit of petty profit. He was above that.

Xie Yuejin might be scheming, but whether he could maintain customer satisfaction or sneak supplies out of the restaurant’s stock over the next two months—that remained to be seen.

Although they didn’t take Xie Yuejin too seriously, after Wang Ying’s warning, Xu Shuang decided to push back harder. He was originally supposed to stop working in December, but now he decided to wrap things up and finish all handovers before the wedding so he could focus entirely on getting married.

As for Xie Yuejin?

Xu Shuang gave him a week’s time to adapt. Once the mountains closed off for winter, whatever happened wouldn’t be Xu Shuang’s responsibility.

By the 24th, Xu Shuang had wrapped up everything at the restaurant. He tallied every type of dried vegetable in storage, listing the quantity and variety in writing. Wang Ying suggested that during the handover, it was best to list and count everything, then have the recipient sign for it. Xu Shuang thought it was a great idea.

They ended up writing seven or eight slips of paper, clearly stating that the kitchen was handed over to Xie Yuejin under the watchful eyes of the leadership.

The leader felt uneasy. “Is all this really necessary? It’s not like you’re not coming back.”

Xu Shuang put the slips away. “These are all public property. It’s better to have everything clearly accounted for.”

He firmly avoided mentioning whether he planned to return or not.

The leader’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that he really plans to leave for good?

Regret began to creep in. Xu Shuang’s culinary skills were top-notch. Back when a restaurant in Shengli Commune wanted to recruit him, the leader had managed to hold on to him. After all, Xu Shuang was originally from Shengli Commune, so it would’ve made sense for him to go back.

But Xu Shuang had considered the distance—it was over an hour each way—so he chose to stay closer at Hongqi Commune.

At the time, the leader had thought it was a good deal. Xu Shuang was a junior high school graduate, educated, and ever since he arrived, the kitchen had been running like clockwork, rarely requiring the leader’s involvement.

With his skills and experience, he could’ve moved up the ranks in a few years and brought prestige to the restaurant.

If he really left, it would be a huge loss to the restaurant.

But Xu Shuang didn’t concern himself with the leader’s inner turmoil. Once everything was handed over, he decisively returned to the production brigade. Anyway, there hadn’t been snow yet, so if something urgent came up at the restaurant, they could still call on him.

Xu Shuang was in a hurry because the team that had gone into the mountains had returned today!

They had gone with over twenty people and returned carrying two wild boars and a basket full of wild rabbits and foxes.

The whole brigade was overjoyed. After distributing the boars, each household got a few pounds. For big families, it was just enough for a taste. Wild boar meat hunted in the mountains felt like free meat, and getting a few pounds for free made every household happy.

Xu Shuang took the ten or so pounds of wild boar meat allocated to him, traded with some familiar families, and ended up with thirty pounds total. He also had a few wind-dried rabbits from earlier. Between these meats and the grains he had bartered for, there was enough to host the wedding banquet.

Xu Shuang borrowed the brigade’s meeting room—tables were already available—and borrowed stools and tableware as well.

Old Lady Xu had completely abandoned her earlier “keep it low-key” approach and was determined to host a grand celebration.

Xu Shuang’s aunt’s family alone would bring over twenty guests. There were also a few close families in the brigade, meaning at least ten banquet tables would be needed.

Wang Ying couldn’t be much help—she hadn’t even fully recognized everyone in the village yet.

As for her side of the family, the only relatives were Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan, and Wang Ying hadn’t even mentioned inviting them.

Wang Yongshun was puffing on a dry tobacco pipe. He hadn’t used to smoke, but a series of recent troubles had left him overwhelmed. Li Chunjuan kept stirring up drama, and under the pressure, he had picked up smoking.

Li Chunjuan was in the kitchen cutting pork, and with every slice, she cursed Wang Ying.

“That little whore, completely cutting ties with her family! Didn’t even bother to invite us!”

“Raised her for two years, and she turns out to be an ungrateful wretch!”

Even though they’d received four or five pounds of wild boar meat, the couple couldn’t enjoy it. Wang Ying and Xu Shuang were getting married tomorrow, and today Old Lady Xu was already handing out wedding candy. Every kid in the brigade had gotten a handful, even those with distant ties could get a couple pieces of pear syrup candy.

Except for them.

Not only candy—they hadn’t even been invited to the wedding banquet. Wang Yongshun had thought, surely for appearance’s sake, Xu Shuang would at least invite them for a meal. After all, it wouldn’t be right to get married without inviting the bride’s family.

But Xu Shuang and Wang Ying were of one mind. Neither said a word, and Old Lady Xu didn’t even try to save face.

By conventional standards, it wasn’t good to neglect the bride’s side, but not a single person in the brigade seemed to think so.

“Wow, how many things did Xu family’s boy prepare? One after another, it all looks top-notch.”

“This must be that ‘36 legs’ dowry thing they talk about in the city, right? First time seeing it in our brigade.”

“Isn’t the bride’s family usually responsible for making the new quilts? Why is Xu Shuang the one preparing them?”

“Is he marrying in, or marrying out? I’m getting confused now.”

All these admiring comments made Li Chunjuan furious.

That girl—used to be the “bad luck” star blamed for her parents’ deaths—and now she was everyone’s darling?

Wang Yongshun got a headache hearing her curse. It had always been like this: even a minor issue would send her off on a rant, yelling at Wang Ying for hours, sometimes even hitting her. That’s what eventually drove the girl away.

Now she was at it again.

“Enough already. Fry the pork and save the lard—Yaozong loves rice with pork lard. Make it tomorrow and send it to him.”

If there was anything left to care about, it was their son, Wang Yaozong.

Wang Yongshun had named him “Yaozong” hoping the boy would bring honor to the family. With graduation in sight, he was counting on his son to bring them into the city for a better life.

Li Chunjuan slammed the knife down, furious. “Spineless! She’s your niece! And you’re not even invited to sit at the main table?”

Wang Yongshun slammed his tobacco pipe on the floor. “If you’ve got guts, you go! Don’t say I didn’t warn you—the girl doesn’t recognize anyone as family anymore.”

Li Chunjuan was fuming but helpless. What he said was true—Wang Ying didn’t acknowledge family ties at all anymore.

If she still considered them her elders, how could she not invite them to her wedding banquet?

Especially when Xu Shuang listened to her in everything.

“That little whore, that cursed jinx!” Li Chunjuan started ranting again.

Wang Yongshun walked into the house—he didn’t want to hear any more of it. He went over to the stack of wooden slats in the corner, planning to check on his savings.

But when he looked, he was dumbfounded.

The 180 yuan he had hidden there was now only 100!

His legs gave out. That money was meant to help Yaozong get set up in the city!

He jumped up like a whirlwind, stormed into the kitchen, and slapped Li Chunjuan hard across the face.

“Was it you?! Did you take the money?! You damned woman, I must’ve had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to marry a jinx like you!”

Li Chunjuan didn’t expect to get slapped, and her face swelled up. When she realized what happened, she went crazy.

She started clawing and fighting with Wang Yongshun, the two of them attacking each other like enemies, continuously pulling and hitting. At this point, money didn’t matter anymore; both of them were in full rage. Li Chunjuan had a big handful of her hair yanked out, while Wang Yongshun’s eyes turned dark with bruises.

After the fight, Li Chunjuan refused to admit she took the money. “Who knows how much you’ve hidden! Don’t blame me!”

Wang Yongshun, his eyes red, shouted, “Who else could it be?! There’s only you and me in the house! It can’t be Yaodong!”

Li Chunjuan definitely didn’t want to put the blame on their son. “Pah! Who knows if a mouse ate it. Don’t blame others!”

Wang Yongshun collapsed on the floor. “That was eighty yuan!”

Li Chunjuan almost lost her balance. There was money in the house, but it irritated her that Wang Yongshun hadn’t told her. But now, eighty yuan was gone. That was like having her heart torn out!

Li Chunjuan was panicking. “Then let’s look for it! Maybe it’s just misplaced!”

Eighty yuan! How long would she have to work to earn that back?

Wang Yongshun covered his eyes, feeling both frustrated and heavy-hearted. If Li Chunjuan didn’t take it, who could have?

It couldn’t be Yaodong. The money would inevitably be spent on him, so he definitely couldn’t have taken it.

So, it must be… Wang Ying?

Li Chunjuan firmly believed it was Wang Ying.

“I said that little bitch was always buying this and that. Turns out she stole our money!”

Li Chunjuan struggled to go out and find Wang Ying to vent her anger.

Wang Yongshun also became determined. He thought the money must have been taken by someone outside the family, but he couldn’t be sure it was Wang Ying. Even if he were sure, did he have any evidence to catch her?

There were no marks on the money!

The way he took money from Wang Ying’s mother was easy. He was sure Wang Ying couldn’t find anything to hold over him.

But now, if Wang Ying took his money, he had no proof!

Wang Yongshun sat on the floor, for the first time feeling his life was unbearably difficult.

Li Chunjuan was making a scene, and Wang Yongshun didn’t stop her.

He was just as angry inside.

Since they had already made a mess of things, let it be!

Wang Yongshun instructed Li Chunjuan, “Let’s make a scene tomorrow when Xu Shuang comes to pick us up!”

No matter if they got the money back or not, at least they could ruin Wang Ying’s wedding!

Their own life was so hard; why should she get to have such a grand marriage?

How dare she think it would go smoothly?

I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.