In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Chapter 33. The Way to Get Along with Neighbors
"Over seven pounds! Good heavens! All the meat coupons we've saved up all year round couldn't buy this much meat!"

"Look at the color, it's a dark red and shiny, with oil seeping out. It must be a top-quality 'fire ham' (the middle section of ham)!"
Back in the day, only the master chefs in big restaurants knew how to choose!

"Smell this aroma! It's the authentic Jinhua flavor! You can smell it even from several alleyways away! It smells amazing!"

"The Yang family is truly... incredibly lucky! To save someone and receive such immense wealth, the Yang family's ancestral graves must be emitting auspicious smoke!"

Zhang Xiuying and Li Guihua listened to these discussions, their backs straightened, their faces glowing, as if they had become ten years younger.

This ham is not just a big piece of meat, but also a symbol of the son's (brother-in-law's) ability, luck and character. It is the ironclad proof that the Yang family has finally made a name for themselves and established their status in this Shikumen!

But Zhang Xiuying is not someone who is short-sighted and only knows how to keep things to herself.

Having lived with her neighbors for many years, she understood the principle of "people helping each other out," especially when she had just become "successful" and was in the spotlight.

She directed Li Guihua to solemnly bring out the sharpest, thick-backed kitchen knife in the house, one that she usually couldn't bear to use, and to find an old cutting board that had been washed clean.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she personally took charge, with an almost solemn sense of ceremony, and began to cut this weighty "gift of gratitude".

The blade steadily sliced ​​into the dark red, firm ham meat, making a soft and pleasant "shh" sound, revealing the distinctly textured, ruby-red lean meat and the translucent, jade-like fat inside.

In an instant, an even richer and more domineering fragrance erupted violently, instantly sweeping across the entire courtyard and causing the onlookers to gasp.

"Grandma Chen".

Zhang Xiuying deftly sliced ​​off a thick piece, weighing about half a pound, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, its color enticing. She carefully wrapped it in clean straw paper and handed it to Granny Chen, who was watching eagerly with a hopeful expression.
"Take this, go back and steam it, or make some broth, it tastes amazing! It'll add some flavor to your house!"

Grandma Chen accepted the gift with delight, her withered hands trembling slightly. She repeatedly expressed her gratitude, saying, "Oh my! Xiuying, I can't accept this... It's too precious! It's too much trouble! Thank you so much!"

"Mrs. Feng".

Zhang Xiuying turned her gaze to Lin Fengjiao beside her, cut off another piece of lean meat of the same size and of excellent quality, carefully wrapped it up, and handed it over:
“Take this one too. Your husband, Mr. Feng, is a scholar, very knowledgeable. Our family is also blessed to be surrounded by his scholarly atmosphere.”

Mrs. Feng, Lin Fengjiao, quickly declined, her face showing genuine embarrassment: "Xiuying, don't be so polite, it's too much trouble! I appreciate it!"

"Take it, take it! It's just a small token of my appreciation!"

Without a word, Zhang Xiuying shoved it into her hand, her tone cheerful yet filled with an unyielding warmth:
“We’re all old neighbors, we see each other all the time, so let’s all try some good stuff! We’re lucky, but it’s all thanks to everyone’s good fortune!”

The two neighbors accepted the gift with heartfelt gratitude, their smiles genuine and their eyes filled with thanks.

In an era of extreme scarcity, this half-pound of top-quality Jinhua ham was a truly heartfelt gesture of goodwill.

Next, Zhang Xiuying cut off an even larger, more square piece, weighing over a pound, carefully wrapped it in a larger sheet of oil paper, and handed it to Li Guihua beside her, her voice softening:
"Guihua, keep this safe. When our eldest daughter (Yang Guangming's older sister) goes back to her parents' home next time, have her take it with her."

Her husband's family wasn't well-off either; they rarely had a proper meal, so this was meant to let them have a taste of meat. This was to give the married daughter face and support, and also a real bond to maintain family ties.

Li Guihua carefully took it, as if holding a precious treasure, nodding repeatedly, her voice filled with admiration for her mother-in-law's thoughtfulness: "I understand, Mom! I will definitely keep it safe and wait for my eldest sister to come back!"

Finally, Zhang Xiuying looked at the remaining ham on the cutting board, then glanced at the direction of the third-floor pavilion, a subtle, complex expression flashing across her face.

She hesitated for a moment, then picked up the knife and cut off a thin slice from the part of the trotter that was mostly skin and little meat, with a large bone. It weighed no more than two or three ounces and was obviously not as good as the ones she had sent out before.

"Osmanthus fragrans."

She handed the small piece to Li Guihua, her voice lowered, tinged with helplessness and a hint of admonition:

"This piece... take it to the third-floor pavilion. Although they usually... sigh, they still live in the same doorway and go in and out through the same gate, so they see each other all the time."

We're eating meat inside, and if we leave the others out, it won't sound good. So, let's say... Mingming brought it back, so everyone can share and have a taste."

Li Guihua's smile froze instantly. Looking at the "scrap" in her hand, she was very unhappy. Her brows furrowed, her lips pursed, and she muttered under her breath:
"Mom! Give it to them? Have you forgotten how they usually talk about Ala Mingming? They say such awful things! They wouldn't even feed it to the dogs..."

"Just send it!" Yang Yongkang's deep and authoritative voice came from inside the house, like a stone falling to the ground. "Just a little food, don't make it too ugly. Send it over, and be polite in your words."

Li Guihua dared not disobey her father-in-law, so she had to pinch her nose, pick up the small piece of ham, and reluctantly walk out the door, then trudged up the narrow and steep wooden stairs.

The door to the three-story pavilion was ajar, and hushed voices could be heard coming from inside. Li Guihua didn't bother knocking and simply pushed the door open.

He Caiyun and Zhao Tiemin were sitting at a rickety little table with only two bowls of watery vegetable noodles on it, with a few wilted yellow vegetable leaves floating on top.

He Caiyun looked up and her gaze was instantly drawn to Li Guihua's hand—to the small oil paper package that exuded a deadly alluring fragrance!
"Guihua? You... what's wrong?" He Caiyun's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible urgency and expectation, her eyes instantly brightening dramatically, and her body involuntarily leaning forward slightly.

Li Guihua placed the ham on her table, trying to make her voice sound calm and even slightly condescending and condescending:

“Here, the ham that Mingming brought back from our house. My parents said that neighbors in the same building share good things and have a taste. Take this.”

He Caiyun's reaction was astonishingly fast!

She sprang up from the stool with a "whoosh," her face instantly plastered with an unprecedented, almost fawning, radiant smile. The speed and magnitude of that change of expression stunned even Li Guihua, who was used to seeing the world.

"Oh my, thank you, thank you so much! Thank you, Master Yang! Thank you, Aunt Xiuying!"

He Caiyun thanked them in rapid succession, her voice sickeningly sweet, and held the small piece of ham in her hands as if it were a fragile treasure.

His face crinkled into a wide smile, as if he were holding not a small piece of meat, but a gold ingot:
"What did I say? The Yang family is known for its benevolence, generosity, and sharing of blessings! Unlike us, a small and insignificant family, we are narrow-minded and short-sighted!"

(End of this chapter)