Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 126 Things are different now
No. 14 Guangqumen Inner Street

The Chen family lives on the second floor of the tenement building.

After finishing his homework, chubby Li Huijing came out of his bedroom and said to the old lady sitting on the sofa knitting, "Grandma, I'm hungry. What should we eat for dinner?"

The old lady glanced at her chubby grandson and said with a smile, "Your favorite Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste)."

The chubby boy stared at the table in the middle of the living room, on which sat a bowl of steaming fried sauce and a plate of Qianlong cabbage. "Grandma, I want to eat meat. Is there no meat tonight?"

"Of course there is! There's meat in the fried sauce, isn't there?"

The chubby boy looked disgusted: "That little bit of meat isn't even enough to fill my teeth, I can't even taste it."

Seemingly sensing her grandson's thoughts, the old lady said, "There's also a dish of scrambled eggs with scallions. I just told your dad to put in a couple more eggs, just in case you don't have enough to eat."

The chubby boy wouldn't have it: "Grandma, no matter how delicious these eggs are, they don't taste the same as meat. I still want to eat meat!"

The old lady put down her knitting needles: "Heh, you're complaining about eggs now? Do you know how hard it was to get an egg back in our day? Even now, many rural people raise chickens and don't even want to eat the eggs they lay; they have to save them to trade for other things."

Hearing the old lady's words, the chubby boy became unhappy and pouted.

Chen Shuping, who was rolling out noodles on the cutting board, glared at her son: "Mom, ignore him! Look how fat he's become, all he does is eat all day long. Why don't you care about your studies? If you could put that energy into your studies, you could easily be in the top three of the whole grade, let alone the top three in your class!"

"Go ahead and roll your dough. Don't talk about the child before meals." The old lady would sometimes say a few words to her grandson, but she just couldn't stand others saying anything to him.

Just then, the door opened from the outside, and Li Zhenguo walked in carrying a steaming wok, filling the room with the fragrant aroma of scrambled eggs.

The chubby boy swallowed hard. "Mom, are your noodles ready yet? I'm starving, hurry up and cook them!"

Chen Shuping retorted, "Now you know how to rush me? I told you to dawdle on your way to school this morning, why couldn't you have been a little quicker?"

Li Zhenguo scrambled the eggs into a bowl and said to Chen Shuping, "I'll roll out the noodles. You sit down and eat first."

“No need for that! It’s your birthday today. How can I let you cook noodles by yourself? Just sit and wait to eat. I’ll roll out the noodles soon and cook them in a bit,” Chen Shuping said.

The old lady also spoke up: "Yes, Zhenguo, sit down and eat some vegetables first, and let your wife cook noodles."

The chubby boy suddenly realized, "Oh dear, it's my dad's birthday today! How could I have forgotten about that? There should be meat then!"

Li Zhenguo chuckled and teased, "What do you remember? All you remember is eating meat. You can't eat anymore, your belly is almost bigger than mine, it's time to lose some weight."

"Knock knock knock..." Just then, a knocking sound came from outside the door.

Chen Shuping dusted the flour off her hands and opened the door. A young man stood there, wearing a gray wool coat, a scarf around his neck, and carrying two bags. She paused, staring at his face for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Second Brother? What brings you here?"

"Isn't it Uncle's birthday today? We used to live far away, so I couldn't come even if I wanted to. Now that we live closer, it's convenient, so I have to come over and have a bowl of noodles."

"Why are you dressed like this? I almost didn't recognize you! Come in, come in!" Chen Shuping stepped aside and invited Li Zhe into the house.

Hearing the commotion, Li Zhenguo got up to greet him: "Second brother is here? You've come at the right time! Your aunt's hand-pulled noodles are amazing, you'll have to eat a few more bowls today!"

Li Zhe handed over the bag in his hand: "Second Uncle, happy birthday!"

"Oh dear, you're here, why did you buy things again?"

"It's not worth much money, it's just a small token of my appreciation," Li Zhe said with a smile.

Li Zhenguo put the things on the table and said to the chubby boy next to him, "Didn't you see your brother is here? Hurry up and call him!"

A smile spread across the chubby boy's face as he called out, "Second Brother."

Li Zhe nodded and greeted the old lady of the Chen family, "Grandma, it's been a while. How have you been lately?"

"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine." Old Mrs. Chen glanced at Li Zhe's attire, feeling a little uneasy and wondering: Last time he came, he looked so plain, why is he dressed so nicely this time? The old lady only knew Li Zhe sold vegetables, but she didn't know that he grew those vegetables himself—after all, no one would imagine that a young farmer dressed in such rustic clothes could grow cucumbers in winter. She simply assumed Li Zhe was helping someone sell vegetables. Even if the cucumbers sold for a high price, he was just earning a meager living; how much could he possibly make?

Li Zhenguo poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to Li Zhe: "Second brother, have a cup of tea. We'll cook some noodles in a bit, and then we can have a meal."

Li Zhe took the teacup and glanced at the table: a plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of Qianlong cabbage, and a bowl of fried sauce. The meal was decent for this era, but today was Li Zhenguo's birthday. Li Zhe remembered that the last time he came, the chubby boy even had meat; this time there were only a few diced meats in the fried sauce, hardly enough to fill a tooth gap.

Li Zhe, a meat lover, lost his appetite at the sight of the Qianlong cabbage. The chubby boy beside him also showed little interest.

Under normal circumstances, Li Zhe would simply go along with whatever the host offered and eat whatever they provided. But today, he came with a mission.

Old Li ostensibly invited him to celebrate his uncle's birthday, but in reality, he wanted him to support his uncle. He didn't expect him to bring honor to his uncle; he just hoped that the Li family's rural background wouldn't cause his uncle to be looked down upon.

No one likes being seen as a poor relative coming to freeload, and Li Zhe was no exception. Of course, some things couldn't be said directly; they had to be said indirectly. He looked at the chubby boy beside him: "Hui Jing, you seem to have lost weight lately. Is school too tiring?"

The other three were taken aback: "Really?"

The chubby boy touched his face: "Have I lost weight...?"

"You've lost weight," Li Zhe said confidently. "You need to eat more good food to replenish your strength. What do you want to eat? It's your second brother's treat!"

"I want to eat meat!" the chubby boy said without hesitation.

Li Zhe laughed and said, "What a coincidence, I also want to eat meat."

Upon hearing this, the chubby boy deflated. What was the use of just thinking about it? He had no money, and his second brother from the countryside probably had none either—if he did, he'd probably spend it on clothes. But then again, the clothes were actually quite stylish; he wouldn't even recognize himself in public.

Li Zhe, unaware of what the chubby boy was thinking, said to his uncle beside him, "Second Uncle, since Huijing wants to eat meat, why don't we go out to eat? It's on me."

The old lady, being shrewd and experienced, could easily see that Li Zhe's intentions were ill-intentioned. However, she didn't object. The young man was arrogant and didn't know his place; he thought he could act rich just because he had a few coins. Could he afford to eat at a restaurant in Beijing? A single meal there would cost almost half a month's salary!
Li Zhenguo waved his hand: "No need, no need, your second aunt has already rolled out the noodles, they're ready to eat as soon as they're cooked."

“It’s cold now, the noodles can be eaten tomorrow.” Li Zhe then asked the chubby boy beside him, “Huijing, what do you want to eat?”

"Second brother, let's go to Donglaishun! Last time my uncle celebrated his birthday, we ate at Donglaishun. The sesame sauce wrapped around the mutton was so delicious!" The chubby boy's face lit up with excitement at the mention of food, his round face turning red.

Chen Shuping glared at him: "You're all slurping your words as soon as you mention food, it's mutton covered in sesame sauce." She then looked at Li Zhe, "Second brother, don't listen to him. At this time, you can't even get a table at Donglaishun. Besides, that place is too expensive, we ordinary folks can't afford it."

Li Zhe stood up: "It's alright. If Huijing wants to eat, let's go. I have foreign exchange certificates, so we can eat as soon as we get there, it won't delay anything."

The old lady remained silent, thinking to herself: "Good lad, quite the boast. I'll see if you can really afford Donglaishun, or if you're just bragging."

Chen Shuping turned to look at Li Zhenguo beside her. She knew Li Zhe made money, but she didn't know exactly how much. She hadn't been back to Daying Village for many years, and every time she asked, her husband would give a vague answer.

Li Zhenguo knew Li Zhe was wealthy, and from their recent interactions, Li Zhe seemed more mature and composed than before. He could guess Li Zhe's thoughts, so he didn't refuse again: "Okay, let's change our clothes and go eat at Donglaishun!"

"Great! We can have hot pot!" The chubby boy jumped up excitedly, stomping his feet on the floor with a loud thud.

Li Zhe said, "What's so great about hot pot? Let's have grilled meat today!"

The chubby boy thought for a moment, swallowed hard, and asked, "Is it like a few people standing on a big iron plate, grilling meat with extra-long chopsticks?"

Li Zhe joked with a laugh, "We can't stand on that big iron plate, or we'll cook ourselves first. We can stand next to the plate and grill while we eat. Freshly grilled food tastes the best!"

"Alright, alright! Let's have grilled meat then. I've never had it before! Second brother, wait for me, I'm getting dressed!" The chubby boy grabbed a piece of clothing and pulled it over his head without even looking at the front or back.

Actually, it wasn't just the chubby boy who was craving it; Li Zhe was craving it too. He'd seen grilled meat on a hot plate in his past life while scrolling through short videos, and he'd thought it looked really authentic back then. Of course, he could only look at it longingly; being able to eat it today was a small wish fulfilled.

……

The group of five rode bicycles to Donglaishun, where a long queue was indeed waiting in front of the restaurant.

As Li Zhe led his men to the restaurant entrance, the welcoming waiter recognized him: "Mr. Li, you've arrived!"

Li Zhe asked, "Are there any empty tables?"

"Yes. We've already reserved a private room for you. Please come with me."

A waiter in a white uniform led the group into a private room, where a round iron plate sat on the table in the center. After Li Zhe and his group of five sat down, they ordered sesame seed cakes, smashed cucumber, hand-cut lamb leg, beef ribs, premium fatty lamb, and a plate of braised pork strips.

Li Zhe also ordered beer and Arctic Ocean soda.

After the waiter left, the chubby boy couldn't help but ask, "Second Brother, did you reserve a private room in advance?"

"No, that's just for outsiders. Otherwise, the people in line won't be happy. We've always supplied Donglaishun with dishes, so the waiters know me."

The old lady had also been keeping an eye on Li Zhe. In her opinion, you could tell whether someone was truly generous by how they treated others to meals.

This wasn't her first time at Donglaishun; the meat prices there were notoriously high. She definitely wouldn't be willing to come here alone to eat.

If Li Zhe saw the menu and was too intimidated to order, hesitant and timid, he probably didn't have the money. However, Li Zhe was very calm when ordering, not at all intimidated by the prices. The old lady was now a little unsure: Had the Li family suddenly become rich? That shouldn't be the case. How much could a young man from the countryside be capable of? Could he really have made a fortune selling vegetables?
Soon, plates of meat dishes were laid out on the table. Chen Shuping sat there looking rather awkward. Compared to the feast, the birthday meal she had prepared for her husband was indeed simple. She hadn't expected Li Zhe to come, had she? Her husband's birthdays had always been celebrated like this… It was her oversight.

Li Zhe opened a beer and poured a glass for his uncle, then poured one for himself: "Second Uncle, happy birthday, and may all your wishes come true!"

"Good, good!" Li Zhenguo downed a glass of wine, a blush creeping onto his face. He never imagined he'd be celebrating his birthday at Donglaishun, and his slightly hunched back straightened up.

(End of this chapter)