Chapter 16: Brother, the Fried Flatbread Smells Divine

As he mulled over what to cook first for his family—braised pork or braised ribs—he imagined steaming the ribs in the iron pot and lining the rim with rounds of cornbread; the aroma wafting out would be simply irresistible.

He hurried along, and by the time he reached home, noon was already upon him. This was despite having stowed everything in his spatial storage ahead of time to travel light.

Clearly, there was no time to cook lunch today; it would have to wait until evening.

On the way, he happened to run into his second sister, Lianxin, carrying a basket of pigweed home on her back.

Remembering the fried dough cakes in his storage, he quickly said to her, “Lianxin, have Weijun head over to Grandpa’s place later, tell him I’m looking for him.”

He hadn’t asked for his eldest sister; he knew she was busy cooking lunch at the moment.

“Okay, big brother.” Lianxin replied shyly, then darted off toward home.

From a distance, it looked like a basket was floating along the ground, possessed by a spirit. Lianxin herself was barely any taller than the basket she carried.

With a sigh, Weiguo continued home.

On the way, he took out some eggs, fried dough cakes, and tangerine-flavored soft candy—these would be the things he’d present openly.

“Grandma, I’m home!” he called out loudly.

“My dear boy, are you tired? Lunch is almost ready. Go wash up and come eat,” his grandmother said to him gently.

“Look what I’ve brought back for you.” He lifted the items in his hands for her to see.

“You’re spending money again, aren’t you? You should be saving it for the New Year. It’s not right to spend money like this on ordinary days,” Grandma scolded, but her tone was fond.

“It wasn’t much, really. These are fried dough cakes, one for each of us to try. The soft candy is cheap, just like sorghum taffy. And here are some eggs—Grandma, make sure you and Grandpa eat them to build up your strength,” Weiguo explained patiently.

“What’d you buy eggs for? Wait a while, those two chicks are almost grown, and soon we’ll have our own eggs,” Grandma said, taking the bag of eggs from him and examining them.

“We need more eggs for nourishment. Besides, the two eggs you gave me when I first arrived were borrowed, weren’t they? I should pay them back right away,” Weiguo replied.

“They’re just from our neighbors. We can return them at New Year’s, don’t worry so much, my dear boy,” Grandma said, her words reproachful but her eyes full of affection. She added, “You should be saving up to get married. Our Weiguo is no longer a child.”

“Sure, as soon as I meet someone I like, I’ll get married and let you hold your great-grandchild,” Weiguo teased her.

Despite the scarcity of the times, Weiguo felt an unmistakable warmth in this moment.

In his old life, everything revolved around money and mortgage payments, weighing people down and filling every conversation with bitterness, even among family; everyone was caught up in calculations and comparisons.

But here, with everyone equally poor, it seemed no one was truly poor after all.

What’s more, with his spatial storage at hand, Weiguo felt immense confidence in the future.

That inner strength shone in his eyes.

All he wanted now was to ensure that his loved ones and those who were good to him could live better lives in this era—nothing more.

And, along the way, to truly experience the nuances of this grand era firsthand.

That was enough.

“Big brother, I’m here!” Weijun came running over and threw himself onto Weiguo’s lap.

“These are the fried dough cakes and soft candy I bought in town today. Take them back and divide them up, just like last time, so everyone gets some,” Weiguo said, pulling out three cakes for himself and handing the remaining seven, along with a small handful of soft candy, to Weijun.

“Wow, fried dough cakes! I haven’t had them since the last time. My absolute favorite!” Weijun exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, big brother, I’ll call everyone to the base, and we’ll eat together before going home. No one will find out,” Weijun promised.

“Wait until after lunch, then go. Leave the food here for now, don’t let it interfere with your meal. Come get it after you’ve eaten,” Weiguo reminded him.

“Okay, big brother. I’ll have lunch first, then come back. I’ll go tell them now,” Weijun replied.

Weiguo handed three fried dough cakes to Grandma. “Grandma, these three are for us—one each.”

“You eat them, dear boy. Your grandpa and I don’t need any,” Grandma said, eyeing the cakes.

Who didn’t love fried dough cakes? She just couldn’t bear to eat them herself, wanting the younger generation to have more.

“It’s fine, Grandma, you see, there’s enough for everyone,” Weiguo reassured her.

For lunch, Weiguo had cornmeal porridge, a fried dough cake, and some pickled vegetables—enough to get by.

Grandma and Grandpa, meanwhile, chewed each mouthful of fried dough cake very slowly, perhaps wanting to savor the taste just a bit longer.

As soon as they finished, Weijun came running back. “Big brother, I’ve secretly told everyone to head to the base. Let’s go too.”

“Alright,” Weiguo agreed, genuinely curious about the base, as he hadn’t visited in the past couple of days.

They made their way to the entrance, where only a third of the cave’s opening remained unobstructed—the rest was blocked with rocks and earth, with wild vines creeping across, stretching wherever they pleased.

Once inside, Weiguo found the cave surprisingly spacious. Sunlight poured in through a hole in the ceiling, bathing the interior and dispelling any sense of dampness or gloom.

The four sisters—Hongmei, Lianxin, and Zhaodi among them—were already waiting.

“Hongmei, come divide these up for everyone,” Weiguo said, handing the bag to her.

“Why not let me do it, big brother? I want to help!” Weijun protested, tugging on Weiguo’s arm.

“You’re too careless—can you really divide them fairly?” Weiguo shot him a look.

“I can, big brother, just watch me,” Weijun insisted earnestly.

“Alright then, let your sister rest and you do it,” Weiguo relented.

“Here goes!” Weijun declared, bringing the food over to a large stone.

“Everyone sit down, I’ll hand them out one by one.”

“One for you, one for you…” In no time, the cakes and candies were distributed.

Each person got one fried dough cake and five pieces of soft candy, except for Weiguo, who didn’t take any for himself.

“Eat up, everyone. Remember to drink water after so the scent stays in your stomach and doesn’t give us away,” Weiguo reminded them.

People’s noses were sharp in these times; just a whiff would reveal exactly what you’d eaten at your last meal, especially if it was something rich or oily.

Some people even went so far as to inspect what others left in the latrine, then drop by their houses and say, “You ate such-and-such yesterday, didn’t you?”

“Don’t worry, big brother, all the adults are out this afternoon. By evening, the smell will be long gone.”

“These fried cakes are so good, so tasty!” Weijun exclaimed, lively as ever.

The others ate slowly and quietly.

“Big brother, these cakes are delicious. Can I eat them all the time from now on?” the youngest of the twins, Yingdi, looked up at Weiguo with wide, hopeful eyes.