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墨書 Inktalez
Before dawn, a crowd had already gathered at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative. Everyone was bundled in thick cotton coats, exhaling white puffs of breath, their eyes filled with eager anticipation for fresh pork, hoping to add some meat to their family meals. However, for several consecutive days, the butcher's counter had remained empty, and each day they came with hope only to return home disappointed.
The Lin family, the Wu Family, and Zhuang Xiaoting's three children refused to be discouraged. They made a pact to wake up early every day to queue up and try their luck. As the first light of dawn broke, they rubbed their sleepy eyes and hurried through the cold wind, lining up obediently at the end of the queue.
Lin Dongzhe was particularly dedicated, standing vigil at the cooperative's entrance like a dutiful little sentinel. As soon as the door opened just a crack, he eagerly peeked inside, his eyes wide with excitement. Finally, luck was on his side that day; he saw the butcher pushing out a cart filled with pork. His little face flushed bright red as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "There’s meat! Adults, come buy some meat!" His clear and loud voice cut through the noisy crowd.
The adults, who had been whispering anxiously to one another, were momentarily stunned by his shout before rushing forward in a frenzy. In an instant, the cooperative was bustling with activity; smiles broke out on everyone’s faces as they thought about finally being able to treat their families to some meat.
Everyone in front of the cooperative was filled with joy at the long-awaited day when they could buy meat. The Lin family and the Wu Family were both excitedly discussing how to prepare a hearty meat dish to satisfy their cravings. Ling Jie hummed a cheerful tune all the way, her smile unwavering. Song Ying leaned close to Ling Jie, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she looked forward to learning how to make that tempting braised pork.
However, this joyous mood didn’t last long before it soured. Teacher Zhuang spoke up: "Now that we’ve finally bought some meat today, don’t forget to invite Grandma Zhuang and A Die over to eat with us." As soon as those words were spoken, Ling Jie’s expression darkened instantly; all her earlier joy evaporated in an instant, replaced by anger. She angrily threw her basket of vegetables onto the ground and huffed, "Hmph! Every time we have meat, they come running over—how shameless! Fine! If we’re inviting them over, then I won’t cook these ribs; I’ll just make shredded carrots instead! They can eat or not!"
Song Ying nodded along in agreement and quickly asked about how to prepare the shredded carrots. It seemed she had completely sided with Ling Jie on this matter and shared her discontent.
The dim light illuminated the table inside as A Die and Grandma Zhuang sat nearby, surveying their surroundings while commenting on the house. "Oh, this place is really nice," A Die remarked approvingly. "It’s spacious and bright; it must be very comfortable to live in." Grandma Zhuang eagerly chimed in: "Yes indeed! It’s quite good! When winter break comes around, we should let Zhen Dong and Zhen Bei come over to play at their uncle's house so that the kids can enjoy themselves."
Once A Die and Grandma Zhuang left, the atmosphere in the house turned tense. Teacher Zhuang frowned deeply and directed his frustration at Huang Ling: "Look at you! Every time Zhen Dong and Zhen Bei come over, you immediately sulk with a long face; your expression is so unpleasant! But when Lin’s kids come over, you smile so brightly that your eyes nearly squint shut—why is there such a huge difference?"
Huang Ling felt a surge of grievance and dissatisfaction rise within her as she raised her voice: "Hmph! The Lin kids eat their own rice at home, but your nephews are eating your son’s food! You don’t even think about your own son!"
Just then, they heard loud arguing from next door between the Wu couple; their voices rose higher than ever as if they might tear down the roof. Song Ying frowned slightly and sighed before turning to Suzhou: "Lin Xiao Yu, go call Xiao Ting and Zhuang Tunan over here for sweet potatoes; we shouldn’t let the kids suffer listening to that argument next door." After speaking, she couldn’t help but glance toward the neighboring house with a look of helplessness on her face.
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