The butcher shop owner was already familiar with Lin Chuxia, and he had packed up the meat she needed early.
The streaky pork with fat and lean layers, along with the meat from the pig’s buttock tip, were both good cuts for fillings.
Lin Chuxia paid the shop owner and noticed a large basin of pork offal next to her, “How much for this set?”
The shop owner glanced at it and said with a chuckle, “This isn’t worth much without the pig’s head, but if you want it, take it for one yuan.”
A whole set of offal usually includes a pig’s head, 4 pig trotters, and the entire pig’s internal organs.
Although the pig’s head is considered offal, like the internal organs, and is lower-grade meat not presented at formal occasions, the pig’s head also has an important function.
In places like Lin Chuxia’s hometown, the most important offering is the pig’s head with a pig tail in its mouth, symbolizing the entirety of the pig.
Without the pig’s head, this set of offal loses much of its value. If not handled properly, those internal organs might exude a fishy smell, and no one is willing to deal with them.
Lin Chuxia gave the shop owner one yuan, asked him to pack the offal properly, and carried it away feeling around five or six jin heavy, thinking she got a good deal.
After shopping and returning home, Lin Chuxia first went to Mrs. Qin’s room and took out 30 yuan for her.
During the family division, the famine debts were also divided: they took 60, the eldest brother 80, Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin 20. Lin Chuxia couldn’t bear to see the elders saddled with debt, so 20 yuan was for paying their debt, and the other 10 was for their support.
Mrs. Qin was reluctant to accept the money and kept refusing. In the end, Lin Chuxia had to invoke Qin Yang’s name, saying it was Qin Yang’s intention, and if she did not accept it, Qin Yang might misunderstand. Reluctantly, Mrs. Qin stopped refusing and took out a banknote from the three she had and gave it back to Lin Chuxia, “Your dad and I can still work; we don’t need you kids to support us. You gave us the harvest from the tomatoes, we don’t need the money. When we need money, you can give it to us then.”
Lin Chuxia knew that if she continued to refuse, Mrs. Qin would not take the 20 yuan, so she had no choice but to keep the money.
After lunch, the weather outside turned cloudy again, and it looked like rain would come soon. Lin Chuxia made only half the usual number of buns, cooked them early, and headed for the train station.
She thought she was early today, but to her surprise, the old granny who sold buns and whom she had met yesterday was already there, setting up at her usual spot.
Seeing Lin Chuxia come so early as well, she first widened her eyes in disbelief, then puffed up in anger, not even sparing her a glance.
Lin Chuxia didn’t mind her and pushed her cart to the opposite side to set up her stand.
Sister Liu came over to Lin Chuxia, a handful of sunflower seeds in her hand, cracking them while speaking softly to Lin Chuxia.
“See that? After you left yesterday, she barely sold any. She came over after midday today, probably hoping to sell more before you arrived. Who would have thought you’d come so early and see how mad she is…”
Lin Chuxia watched Sister Liu laugh without any inhibitions and couldn’t help but join in, “I saw the weather wasn’t looking good, so I came out earlier to get it over with.”
“That’s true. I heard from the opera radio yesterday that it would rain today.”
Once the bun stand was set up and the windbreak opened on the coal stove, Lin Chuxia also placed a small table out with a thermos and bowls.
After all this, she looked up and saw an old man sitting in the corner, gazing at the train station.
The old man was very thin, with greying hair and a mostly white beard, his eyes indifferently gazing into the distance, as if looking at something, yet as if not seeing anything at all.
This old man was no stranger to her; he was there almost every day, sitting for the better part of the day.
Sister Liu and the others were used to his presence, saying he was a lonely old man with nobody left at home and somewhat mentally unstable.
Lin Chuxia looked at the old man and remembered something from her past life.
Back then, she and Li Guangyuan were no longer selling vegetables, but had opened a snack shop in the county. While people were eating and chatting in their shop, she only caught the gist of it…
The story is about an old man at the train station who suffered a family tragedy; his spouse died, his daughter cut off relations with them, and his only son was taken to a farm for rehabilitation and never heard from again. Later, the old man returned to the city, but his son did not come back.
It was at the train station that the old man’s son had taken the train. Day after day, the old man waited at the entrance of the station for his son’s return. In the end, probably having lost all hope, he laid himself on the tracks.
It was mealtime, and there were quite a few people eating at the snack bar. Right after the man finished speaking, he immediately encountered disapproval from the table next door. It was Lin Chuxia who stepped forward to mediate and pacify the situation, which is why the incident stayed deeply in her memory.
What she didn’t expect was that not long after, she heard what followed in the man’s story; the old man’s son came back.
Because of his good behavior and the relaxation of policies, he joined the military service and was caught up in the war against Y, so that’s why there had been no news.
If the old man from the legend and this one were one and the same…
Lin Chuxia took two pork buns from the steamer and wrapped them in wax paper before walking over.
Old Man He was gazing absent-mindedly at the entrance of the train station when the scent of meat suddenly filled his nostrils. Looking down, he saw two plump pork buns, and when he looked up again, he was met with a beautiful face.
He recognized this girl; she sold pork buns at the entrance of the train station, and people said they were delicious.
Lin Chuxia gave the old man a smile, then raised the buns in her hands a little. Old Man He, his face expressionless, simply turned around and said, “I’m not begging, and I don’t need anyone’s pity.”
Lin Chuxia squatted down, “It’s not pity, I just thought you looked agreeable and wanted you to try my pork buns.”
“I’m not someone who just tastes others’ food willy-nilly.”
Lin Chuxia wanted to laugh; the old man looked so haughty, not like someone with mental problems at all.
“Well, I’ll leave the pork buns here for you to decide.”
Seeing customers in front of her stall, she set the wax-paper-wrapped pork buns next to the elderly man and jogged back to her bun stand.
Before she reached her stall, she heard Granny Sun mumbling softly from the opposite side, “Why are you so stubborn? My stand also sells pork buns, you can buy from me just the same, we’re all family here…”
“I’m not family with you,” Lin Chuxia interrupted Granny Sun, “I don’t even know you.”
Caught red-handed trying to poach business, Granny Sun’s face reddened with embarrassment, followed by a cold snort.
Lin Chuxia had already put on a smile and was serving customers buns.
A train came into the station shortly after, and she sold several steamer trays of buns before finally taking a break.
Looking back, the pork buns had disappeared from beside the old man, who was now wiping his mouth.
Lin Chuxia let out another soft chuckle.
Sister Liu, having a spare moment from her own busy stall, came over full of gossip, “Why bother with him? Honestly, does he have some mental problems?”
“He’s alright,” Lin Chuxia replied tactfully before getting back to business.
She had brought fewer buns today and sold out quickly. Still, when she packed up her stall, the sky had started to drizzle.
The weather forecast was indeed accurate this time.
Lin Chuxia hastened her actions, collected her things, and rode the handcart home.
When going down a slope, the rainy weather made the road slippery, the wheels skidded, the handle twisted, and the stacked steamer baskets fell from the cart.
The handcart couldn’t be left on the slope, and the fallen steamers had to be picked up. At that moment, a figure appeared, propped the cart with one hand, picked up the baskets from the ground with the other, placed them back on the cart, and helped push the cart along.