"What's going on?" Jiang Lan asked.
"I heard the road's frozen, and a big truck slid and overturned. They say the truck was carrying chickens, and a lot of them ran out, so everyone was scrambling to catch them!" Bai Ye relayed the gossip he overheard.
"Ah, that sounds miserable, especially in this cold weather," Jiang Lan clicked her tongue.
"What's with your car?" Bai Lao Di asked stiffly.
Suddenly, all three of them turned their eyes to Bai Ye.
"This car belongs to my boss. Dad, Mom, my little boss ran off after losing a lot of money…" Bai Ye explained how his small boss had run off, leaving him with no salary for half a year, and how the other employees had taken everything from the shop. The only things he was left with were the car and some kitchen equipment.
"You're not taking advantage of the situation, are you?" Bai Lao Di frowned.
"The little boss gave it to me, or the creditors would have taken it all away," Bai Ye explained. "The car is mine now, but it's not for sale. I can only use it. And… the money is gone."
"If the money is gone, then it's gone. The old owner was good to you, but sometimes things happen beyond our control," Bai Lao Di sighed.
Jiang Lan nodded in agreement, "No money is fine. At least we have a car. We can use it to transport grain and sell it."
"Dad, you can't sell the grain," Bai Ye protested anxiously.
His parents were hardworking but had no special skills. His mother had never worked a day outside the home and had spent her life tending to the land and raising him and his sister. His father was a farmer, helping others with construction during the off-season to earn extra money.
The family had only a few acres of land—enough to grow some corn, beans, and cabbage. The produce was just enough to feed the family, and they occasionally traded with others for necessities.
If they sold the grain, how much money could they possibly get?
"Don't worry about the money. I can earn it," Bai Ye said firmly.
"Actually, we still have some money. Remember when you weren't working away from home? We managed just fine," Jiang Lan quickly tried to smooth things over. "Now we only need to support your sister, and you still send money now and then. We have enough."
Bai Ye silently continued making dumpling wrappers.
Farming didn't bring in much money, and not only had he not been able to send money home for the past six months, but he hadn't been able to help with any expenses for the past few months either. His previous wages had been used for living expenses. Essentially, he hadn't sent anything home all year.
He had hoped that by the end of the year, he would be able to send a few thousand back. But who could have known…
"Don't worry, I have a plan. Don't forget, I'm a chef," Bai Ye said after a moment, raising his head. He had already come up with a plan.
"A plan?"
"Well, with the New Year coming soon, a lot of people will be buying meat and such. I'll make some braised meat and sell it at the market!"
"Hmm, I think my brother's idea is pretty good. I'll help you, brother!" Bai Anan's eyes widened with excitement.
"What are you going to do?" Jiang Lan asked.
"I'll help my brother, right, brother?"
"Yep, tomorrow we'll go check out who's slaughtering pigs and buy some meat to braise!"
"Great!"
"Dad?" Jiang Lan looked to her husband, waiting for his decision.
Bai Lao Di glanced at Bai Ye. "Do you still have money?"
"I do. Buying meat is no problem!" Bai Ye smiled, knowing that his father had agreed.
"Li Cun next door is slaughtering pigs tomorrow. I'll take you to check it out," Bai Lao Di said, tossing out the information. "Now hurry up and make dumplings. Aren't you all hungry?"
The siblings replied in unison and sped up their movements.
Soon they had wrapped enough dumplings to fill a cover, about forty to fifty dumplings, and with the dumplings already wrapped and set aside in the courtyard, they had more than enough.
Jiang Lan went out to boil water. Even though they now had a gas stove at home, they still preferred to use the big stove. Especially for making pancakes, the flavor just wasn't the same when cooked on the gas stove.
The big stove connected to the heated kang (a traditional bed-stove), and since her son had come back, Jiang Lan decided to fire up both stoves so they'd be warm when they went to bed.
The dumplings were filled with sauerkraut, which was made fresh this fall—Bai Ye's favorite flavor.
As the dumplings cooked, a bamboo basket was brought in, and inside was a plastic bag containing the pig head meat they had bought a few days ago.
Bai Lao Di had bought half of a pig head and had cut off a small portion. The rest was tucked away by his wife.
Jiang Lan knew this was her husband's way of saving it for their son's return.
With a quick knife, Bai Lao Di sliced a plate of pig head meat, just as the siblings had already finished cleaning the work surface and were now peeling garlic.
"Peel a bit more," Jiang Lan instructed.
They peeled more than a head of garlic, then smashed it into a paste and mixed it with vinegar and a few drops of sesame oil.
A perfect dipping sauce, beloved by the Bai family, was now ready.
Bai Anan set the kang table, and Bai Ye placed four servings of dipping sauce on each corner.
"We have pig head meat, brother. This is your and dad's favorite," Bai Anan placed the meat on the table. Though it was cold outside, the kang was warm, and the pig head meat gradually softened.
Bai Anan was so tempted to steal a piece but heard Jiang Lan call from the other room, "Anan, bring the dumplings!"
Both siblings went to serve the dumplings. Bai Lao Di, somehow pulling out a bottle of white liquor, grabbed three small cups and poured nearly a full glass for each.
The dumplings were soon arranged on the kang table. Jiang Lan had cooked some earlier to make sure they wouldn't get cold before everyone could eat.
"Come, come, sit down and eat. Bai Ye's home, so let's have a drink. Dumplings and liquor, the more you eat, the better!" Bai Lao Di called out.
"Dad, where's mine?" Bai Anan pouted, looking at her empty space in front of her.
Bai Ye chuckled, "The stuff I brought in earlier? It has orange juice!"
It was from the shop, and he had brought a whole box of it.
Bai Anan's eyes lit up, and she quickly jumped off the kang to find it. She soon returned with a big smile, holding a 1.5L bottle of orange juice.
The juice from the shop came in large bottles, six to a box, plenty for the little girl.
"Mom, let me pour you a glass," Bai Anan said, showing her thoughtfulness as she poured two cups. As for her father, he never drank sweet drinks.
"Brother, do you want one?"
"Give me one, I'm afraid I'll get drunk later!"
With a sip of liquor and a dumpling, and a couple of slices of pig head meat here and there, Bai Ye felt completely satisfied.
It was just the simplest home-cooked meal, but to Bai Ye, it tasted better than anything.
Bai Ye hadn't drunk much before—when he was in school, he was too young, and his parents didn't let him. Later, when he worked, his old boss didn't allow too much drinking either. As a chef, maintaining a good sense of taste and smell was essential.
It wasn't that he couldn't drink, just that he couldn't drink too much.
So, with half a cup of white liquor, Bai Ye was soon feeling fuzzy. He didn't even remember what his dad said afterward, just that it felt like he was walking on cotton. Everything was spinning, and before he knew it, he was tucked into bed and lost consciousness.
That night, Bai Ye dreamt constantly. In one dream, he suddenly became incredibly wealthy, climbed to the top of the roof, and laughed loudly, with even the village chief listening to him lecture.