Chapter 19: An Egg

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Aiguo climbed out of bed. Having traveled to this era, his mouth was nearly starved of flavor—today, he resolved to eat something good.

He lifted the coal stove’s cover and placed a black iron pot atop it. Pale blue flames gently licked the dark bottom of the pot. After a short while, wisps of pale smoke began to rise. He grabbed the oil bottle and poured in some refined oil.

Once the oil was hot, he cracked an egg into the pot. The sizzling sound immediately filled the air, accompanied by a rich aroma of eggs. When the eggs turned a fresh yellow, Li Aiguo scooped them out, placed slices of steamed bread into the pot, sprinkled a pinch of salt, then added the scrambled eggs back in. A steaming hot plate of fried eggs with steamed bread was ready.

The oil at the bottom of the pan was completely absorbed by the bread, leaving the pot spotless—no waste at all. He picked up a chopstick, took a bite. The bread was soft and tender; the eggs fragrant and pure. The taste was simply exquisite.

This recipe was something Li Aiguo had learned in his previous life while studying foreign languages, from a tall, long-legged Russian model. However, while she used large rye bread, Li Aiguo adapted it to local conditions, substituting with steamed bread slices.

The rich aroma of eggs slipped out from under the door, instantly filling the entire courtyard. Those who had just risen were now ravenously hungry. That enticing smell was like an iron hand, gripping their intestines and twisting them mercilessly.

So hungry...

Next door at Xu Damao’s house, Xu Damao sniffed the air, glanced at the bowl of millet porridge before him, and sneered sarcastically, “What’s the big deal? Once I marry Lou Xiao’er, I’ll eat meat every day.”

Xu Jixiang glared at him. “Damao, you’re about to meet Lou Xiao’er’s family soon. Be careful lately—don’t get mixed up with those young girls. The Lou family might send someone to investigate you.”

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’m steady when it comes to handling things!” Xu Damao replied smugly.

Over at the Yi family’s home, a matron entered and complained to Yi Zhonghai, who was eating. “Li Aiguo is eating eggs now. I never agreed with you going after him. Look where it’s gotten us—the house isn’t ours yet, and now we’ve dragged Shazhu into this mess.”

“Who would have thought someone who was near death could come back to life?” Yi Zhonghai asked, sipping his millet porridge. “Shazhu still hasn’t been released. Is the deaf old lady neglecting things or what?”

“Shazhu is like the deaf old lady’s own grandson, she definitely cares!” the matron said, sitting down with a worried frown.

“The deaf old lady has contacted the street office and the police station. The street office is fine, but the police said they need to study the matter since Li Aiguo is the son of a railway worker.”

She anxiously asked, “Do you think Shazhu will be sentenced for years?”

“That can’t happen! The deaf old lady is powerful; she’ll definitely get Shazhu out,” Yi Zhonghai said confidently.

Shortly after the steel plant’s privatization, many old officials still held leadership positions, and the deaf old lady had good relations with them. Yi Zhonghai was promoted last year to a seventh-grade fitter, not entirely on skill but thanks to the deaf old lady’s influence.

Hearing this, the matron fell silent but still felt the matter wouldn’t end well.

At the Jia household, Jia Xudong sniffled, losing his appetite for the plain white steamed bread.

“Mom, I want to eat eggs too.”

“Tell your wife to go back to her parents’ home and get some,” Jia Zhangshi said, pouting and glaring at Qin Huairu.

In this era, rural areas had not yet established production teams or communes, only temporary mutual aid groups. These groups formed during busy farming seasons to share labor, livestock, and tools among several families, then disbanded afterward.

Farmers had private plots, livestock, and fruit trees, but as long as they didn’t sell these at the market, they didn’t violate unified procurement and sales policies or engage in speculation.

But in these times, people barely had enough to eat, let alone raise livestock.

The few old hens left in the Qin family had long since been eaten by Jia Zhangshi—no eggs remained.

Qin Huairu, newly married and timid, dared not argue with her mother-in-law, only managing an awkward smile.

Jia Zhangshi knew the Qin family’s situation well. Her earlier words were meant to remind Qin Huairu of her place—a young girl from the countryside must show due respect to her in-laws.

Seeing Qin Huairu keep her head down in silence, Jia Zhangshi lost interest in scolding and shifted the topic to Li Aiguo.

“Xudong, after breakfast, go report Li Aiguo to the street office. The money he spent on eggs must have come from somewhere suspicious.”

“Right, right. Li Aiguo bought eggs but didn’t even bring a few pounds to our Jia family. That kid deserves to be punished,” Jia Xudong said venomously. “Tell the street office to have him arrested.”

“Sentence him for ten years or eight—he’ll be a lifelong bachelor!” Jia Zhangshi said with glee.

The room was filled with a jubilant atmosphere until a timid voice interrupted, halting the laughter.

Qin Huairu shyly said, “What reason do we have to report Li Aiguo? The money he spent on eggs should have been ours.”

Jia Zhangshi: ...

Jia Xudong: ...

After a moment of silence, Jia Zhangshi steadied herself on the table and stood up.

“My chest feels a bit tight. I need to lie down for a while. Huairu, remember to wash the dishes, sweep the floor, and clean the dirty clothes from yesterday.”

Looking at the pile of dirty laundry in the basin, Qin Huairu felt like crying.

At the Yan household, the family sat around a square table. Each had a bowl of millet porridge, and in the center was a plate holding a single salted egg.

Yan Jiecheng glanced at the egg, then quickly slurped some porridge. After finishing, he looked up to sneak another glance at the egg but was stopped by Yan Bugui.

“Jiecheng, according to our rules, you can only look at the egg five times per meal. You’ve already exceeded that.”

“Dad’s right. I was counting too—brother’s breaking the rules,” class monitor Yan Jiefang raised his hand.

“Dad, what harm is there in looking a few more times? The egg won’t get any smaller,” Yan Jiecheng protested miserably.

“That’s not certain!” Yan Bugui said sternly. “Wait until tomorrow when we eat the egg; you’ll understand.”

Hearing the promise of eggs, Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiedi immediately perked up, drawing close to Yan Bugui. Even the third aunt put down her chopsticks.

Only class monitor Yan Jiefang remained sitting properly at the table.

“We’ve been eyeing this egg for over half a year; who would have thought we’d ever get to eat it,” the third aunt wept with emotion.

“Of course! Do you think I’m that stingy?” Yan Bugui turned to instruct, “Old lady, bring a needle today.”

“A needle?”

“Yes. Each time, we jab the needle into the egg and lick the tip. That way, this egg will last another six months,” Yan Bugui said, his small eyes behind tortoiseshell frames blinking mischievously.

The third aunt: ...

Yan Jiecheng: ...

Yan Jiedi: ...

Yan Jiefang: *hiccup*

After a moment of silence, they all relaxed. Being able to lick the needle’s tip was better than just staring longingly—it meant at least they could taste the egg.

Contentment.

Just then, Yan Bugui’s face changed dramatically. He exclaimed, “Children, there’s an egg aroma! Everyone, hurry to the door and take deep breaths.”

...