Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

Liu Xiangyang stopped at an old man's stall selling roasted melon seeds, bought two jin (1 kg) of seeds, and while paying and getting change, asked a few questions in a low voice. The old man didn't even lift his eyelids, but nodded slightly with his chin in a direction deeper into the alley.

In a more secluded corner, he found his target. The man was a dark-skinned middle-aged man with shrewd eyes and few words.

Liu Xiangyang listed what he wanted to buy: as much pork as he could get, a ream of high-quality red paper, five catties of hard candy, ten catties each of loose sunflower seeds and peanuts, and to see if there was any good quality ribbonfish or other seafood at a reasonable price. He also wanted some loose cooked food that didn't require coupons, such as braised tofu and fried meatballs.

The man didn't even flinch after hearing this. He held up his hand, indicating fifty, and said, "I can't give you all the pork. This is the most I can give you."

Then, on the brick wall covered with a thin layer of frost, he quickly scribbled a few numbers with his fingernail; that was the total price.

Liu Xiangyang glanced at it and knew that the price was definitely more expensive than buying with coupons at the supply and marketing cooperative, but it was still within an acceptable range. The key point was that no coupons were required at all.

He nodded, didn't haggle, and directly took out the money he had prepared from his inner pocket, counted out the corresponding amount, and handed it over.

The man took the things, quickly ran his fingers through them, and then put them in his pocket before speaking: "There's a lot of stuff, it's hard to carry. Come with me, there's a cart at the alley entrance. I'll load it up for you, you ride your bike ahead, and the cart will follow at a distance. We'll get it to you when we get out of town and to a secluded spot."

Liu Xiangyang agreed. This is standard procedure in black market transactions, for security reasons.

Following the man to another alleyway, they found an old cart parked there, covered with a tattered straw mat. The man lifted a corner, and Liu Xiangyang quickly glanced at it: red paper, packets of candy and dried fruit, frozen pears covered in frost, and two bulging burlap sacks, with the tips of ribbonfish vaguely visible.

Beside the cart was an old bamboo basket containing several packets of cooked food wrapped in oil paper.

After the handover was completed, Liu Xiangyang got on his bicycle and slowly pedaled towards the outskirts of the city. The cart followed a hundred meters or so behind, pulled by a silent man with his head down, moving at a leisurely pace.

After leaving the county town, I rode for two or three miles along the snow-covered dirt road, surrounded by only snow-covered fields and bare forests.

Liu Xiangyang stopped the vehicle and looked back. The handcart also stopped.

He pushed the cart over, and the two of them worked together to transfer the New Year's goods from the cart to two willow baskets on the back of the bicycle and a canvas bag hanging in front of it in several trips.

The bicycle was packed full of things, making it suddenly much heavier.

Throughout the entire process, there was not a single unnecessary exchange between the two parties.

After loading the goods, Liu Xiangyang nodded to the man pulling the cart. The man, expressionless, turned the cart around and pulled the empty cart back, creaking and groaning.

Liu Xiangyang finally breathed a sigh of relief, patted the heavy willow basket, and the frozen pears and ribbonfish inside emitted a cold, sweet-smelling aroma.

By the time Liu Xiangyang got home, it was already past five o'clock, and it was completely dark. There were hardly any people out and about in the village anymore.

I took five catties of pork, as well as beef tongue, beef tripe, and two bull penises from my spatial storage and put them in a basket.

After unloading the items in Xue Bingbing's yard, I said, "Bingbing, go and call them over to see if this is enough."

"Today happens to be the Little New Year, let's all celebrate it together."

When Xue Bingbing called them over, they were all captivated by all the wonderful things. Each of them surrounded Liu Xiangyang to express their gratitude.

Jiang Xiaowen stared at the perfectly marbled pork belly in the basket, her eyes practically glued to it. She couldn't help but swallow hard. "My goodness... so much meat! Brother Liu, you're a true savior! We eat cornbread and pickled vegetables every day, our mouths are practically watering!"

He Xiaoqin also came over and carefully touched the tempting-looking beef tongue with her finger, exclaiming softly, "This, is this beef tongue? I've never eaten it before."

He Xiaoqin didn't speak, but stared at the thick bullwhip with a rare, extremely serious expression of confusion on her face, as if trying to identify what part of the meat it was.

Roland, being more worldly-wise, raised her eyebrows when she saw the tripe and bull penis. Her eyes swept over Liu Xiangyang's face, and a knowing yet mischievous smile appeared on her lips, but she quickly concealed it, helping to take the items out one by one: "Xiangyang, you've really gone all out with this. How much money and tickets did this cost?"

Xue Bingbing also came over. Seeing so many things, especially the two eye-catching bullwhips, a blush rose on her face. She glared at Liu Xiangyang reproachfully but didn't say anything. She just called to everyone, "Don't just look at them. Help carry them to the kitchen. It's cold, so the meat needs to be processed quickly."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Jiang Xiaowen was the first to respond, rolling up her sleeves to move the heavy piece of pork. "I'll do it, I'll do it! We can have meat tonight, right?"

"What's the rush?" Xue Bingbing laughed. "The meat needs to be thawed first, and then we need to prepare it. But with so much meat, we need to plan carefully which ones to save for the New Year's main dishes and which ones we can try in the next couple of days."

"These tripe and tongue, once cleaned thoroughly, are best braised." Roland picked up the tripe and weighed it in his hand. "It's just that cleaning them takes a lot of time; you have to scrub them repeatedly with alkali and vinegar."

"I'll wash them!" Zuo Qingqing volunteered. "I've helped my mom wash pig intestines at home before, so I'm not afraid of getting dirty."

He Xiaoqin also whispered, "I...I know how to start a fire and watch the heat."

Watching the girls instantly switch into "battle mode," excitedly discussing and arranging the New Year's goods, Liu Xiangyang felt a surge of satisfaction at having accomplished something. He waved his hand, "Just arrange it as you see fit. If you need me to do anything, just say so. Once the goods are bought, how to turn them into a delicious meal is up to your skills."

"Don't worry, Comrade Liu Xiangyang!" Jiang Xiaowen patted her chest, her face beaming with barely suppressed joy. "I guarantee we'll have a truly enjoyable New Year!"

Xue Bingbing smiled, looking at Liu Xiangyang with gentle eyes: "Thank you for your hard work, running all this way to bring it back. Go and rest for a while, have some hot water. We're here for you."

"Then I'll go back and lie down for a while. You guys prepare the meat first, and we'll have dinner together tonight." Liu Xiangyang said and walked towards his yard.

Liu Xiangyang turned on the radio. After a burst of static, lines from "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" entered his ears.

"Heavenly King covers the Earth Tiger".

"The pagoda suppresses the river demon."

"Yo-ha yo-ha"

Liu Xiangyang lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), his eyes closed, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knees.

"...This pork belly has just the right amount of fat and lean meat, with three distinct layers! We'll chop some into filling for dumplings, and save the rest for braised dishes during the New Year!" This was Jiang Xiaowen's clear voice.

"The tripe needs to be blanched first, then rubbed carefully with baking soda to remove the black membrane on top, otherwise it will have an unpleasant smell. When braising, add some orange peel and star anise to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma." Roland's voice carried a confident "head chef" feel.

Zuo Qingqing seemed to be asking something, her voice soft: "Sister Bingbing, this... bull penis, is it also edible? How do you eat it?"

Xue Bingbing paused for a moment before answering, her voice betraying a hint of embarrassment and feigned composure: "Yes, it's edible. Men usually eat it to nourish their bodies, either in soup or braised. It's a bit more troublesome to prepare."

A few low, ambiguous laughs came from outside, probably Roland's.