In 1959, what's wrong with me pedaling a tricycle?

"Grandpa Wang, I've come to visit you!"

"You little rascal, you've finally arrived, otherwise all those chicken and duck eggs would have been sold to someone else."

Wang Xingguo smiled and lit a cigarette for Wang Changshun. He only learned the name of Captain Wang today. He knew that they were the eldest sons, but he did not know his specific name.

Today, someone of Captain Wang's generation happened to call him Changshun, and that's how he learned his name.

Wang Changshun asked in a low voice, "Are you still going to deal with that eel thing? The harvest of crops and fruits isn't very good this year, and I need to find a way to help the clansmen increase their income."

Wang Xingguo thought for a moment, then whispered, "Grandpa Wang, I don't have time to collect eels here, but let our clansmen do it! You can buy them for one cent per pound, and I'll give you three cents per pound. But let me make this clear first, eels are likely to become more valuable soon. I've been promoting how to eat them all over the city lately, and quite a few people are starting to eat them now."

Wang Changshun hurriedly asked, "Is this thing really edible? But we've tried it before when we were short of food, and it's true that this thing has a very strong earthy taste. It's hard to swallow after cooking, so it's inedible."

Wang Xingguo quickly explained to him how to process the eel and how to cook it to remove most of the muddy taste.

Wang Changshun was skeptical, so he gathered a few people and sent them to dig up some eels, intending to have Wang Xingguo demonstrate how to make them.

Rural areas also lack protein. If it's really edible, even if it's not sold for money, everyone will have more food to eat, right?

Wang Xingguo didn't care; he was just there to collect chicken and duck eggs and had nothing else to do.

Passing by a crabapple tree, Wang Xingguo saw several ripe crabapples hanging on it, so he quickly got out of the car, climbed up, and picked them.

The crabapple season is almost over by early September, and these are the fruits that were missed during the harvest.

Wang Changshun said irritably, "What's so good about a few crabapple blossoms? They don't taste good."

Wang Xingguo said with a grin, "I don't like eating this stuff, but my sister does. Bringing it back for her makes her happy all night."

Wang Changshun waved his hand and said, "This stuff isn't as good as fragrant pears. I'll have someone pick a few for you to take back later; those are the real good stuff."

Wang Xingguo asked, "Grandpa Wang, how are the pears growing here? They'll be ripe soon, right?"

Wang Changshun sighed, "This year there's been a lack of rain, so the pear harvest has decreased. We noticed it when the trees were in bloom. The drought was so severe that many of the pear trees lost their blossoms, so there won't be a good pear harvest this year."

Wang Xingguo looked regretful, because if the harvest wasn't good, he wouldn't be able to buy these pears.

If there are fewer pears, he won't be able to meet the quantity required for the purchase, and naturally no one will sell him pears privately.

When they arrived at the brigade headquarters, which was actually just a few tiled houses next to the large threshing ground, Wang Xingguo started counting the chicken and duck eggs. He finished counting them in no time and then paid the brigade accountant.

Half an hour later, the eels were caught. Wang Xingguo asked for a pair of scissors, a cutting board, and a kitchen knife. He started explaining to Grandpa Wang and his group while killing the eels, and then let them try it themselves.

He not only taught them how to remove the slime with salt, but also told them that if they didn't mind a slightly stronger earthy smell, they could use boiling water to remove the slime.

Actually, scalding with boiling water is not as effective as killing the fishy smell as this method, so Wang Xingguo never teaches this method.

However, things are different in the countryside. A production team has five or six hundred people. It would be very time-consuming to kill and rub each eel with salt to remove the slime. Blanching them in boiling water would remove the slime much faster.

Because blanching it briefly removes the slime with a single stroke.

Everyone found it quite novel and tried to learn how to make it, but the salt consumption made them feel a little sorry for themselves.

City dwellers have jobs and earn money, so they don't worry about using salt. But rural people are reluctant to use salt carelessly, since they have to work hard to earn every penny.

After Wang Xingguo finished braising the eel in sauce, everyone eagerly picked up a piece with their chopsticks to taste it. Their eyes lit up as they all felt that the earthy taste was even milder than that of boiled fish, and that the eel prepared this way was a very good cut of meat.

Wang Changshun said happily, "Tomorrow I'll arrange for people to dig for eels. Once we've dug up enough, I'll make this braised eel dish to improve everyone's lives."

Everyone agrees on this; we ate too much meat in the first half of the year, which is why we haven't been able to eat meat for the past few months.

September to early November is the busiest time. Everyone works hard but doesn't have enough meat to replenish their energy, so everyone is suffering.

Gaobeidian was relatively better off, at least Wang Xingguo kept instilling in Wang Changshun the concept that "other production teams were starving due to lack of food," so he strictly controlled the problem of wasting food, which prevented this place from suffering from a severe food shortage like other production teams.

Some production teams are now working on empty stomachs, eating more vegetables than grains every day. Eating too many vegetables really makes their faces look pale.

Wang Xingguo then pulled Wang Changshun aside and asked, "Grandpa Wang, can you tell me, if everything goes smoothly in our production brigade, besides the pigs kept for our own consumption, how many pigs are not included in the ration?"

Wang Changshun glared at Wang Xingguo, but considering that this grandson had done a good job today, he didn't dwell on it.

He scoffed, "Hmph, if everything goes smoothly, we should have twenty pigs ready for market. Do you have that much money?"

Wang Xingguo clicked his tongue in astonishment: "Twenty heads?"

Wang Changshun said irritably, "We're a large production brigade with over three thousand people, not those small production brigades with only one or two thousand. Are you comparing us to them? Do you think all of us members are just sitting around doing nothing?"

Wang Xingguo chuckled awkwardly, "No way, how could I possibly think that? Grandpa Wang, what do you think about me helping to facilitate the sale of the pigs on the black market?"

Wang Changshun said with some surprise, "You have such connections? I'm telling you, you brat, you're not allowed to do anything reckless. Our Wang family is all about being honest and upright people, doing things in a down-to-earth manner. We're not allowed to take shortcuts or resort to crooked methods."

Wang Xingguo quietly explained his thoughts and plans, as well as why he knew these people.

Upon hearing about the changes in Wang Xingguo's family, coupled with his inability to save money and his hopelessness in finding work, Wang Xingguo took the risk of turning to reselling goods.

Hearing that he had gradually developed a good relationship with the neighborhood committee and the police station, and that they were now taking care of him while he was selling chicken and duck eggs, Wang Changshun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter what, Wang Xingguo is also a descendant of the Wang family. They don't want this child to go astray and take a path of no return. In fact, they have been protecting this descendant of the Wang family behind the scenes, and they know about the black market he mentioned, but the child just doesn't know it.

After thinking for a moment, he whispered, "We can probably take out ten pigs. We'll keep the other ten for the First Textile Factory. They'll exchange them for cloth. Of course, if there are any problems with the pigs later, then we won't have that many unplanned pigs."