On the third day of the new year, Ling Chengyan delivered goods to her second cousin Wang Lianfa and his spouse. On the fourth day, Wang Lianfa took the goods out.
Zheng Xiaotian spent half the afternoon making paper boxes. When she saw that it was nearing noon, she cooked lunch on the coal stove. Her husband had brought a lot of New Year's supplies from their home, including meatballs and fish fried by her mother-in-law, some fried chicken pieces, and black flour and cornmeal from home.
She cut a few meatballs, added some vermicelli, and stewed it with cabbage, while also sticking a few two-flour pancakes on the side of the pot. This is known in rural areas as "a one-pot meal" - it includes both dishes and staple food, convenient, quick, and most importantly, tasty.
However, when the meal was ready and the sun was already overhead, her husband still wasn't back, making Zheng Xiaotian a bit worried: could he have been caught as a profiteer while shopping?
