Chapter 29: It Was All the Fish’s Fault

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After seeing off Mrs. Zhang and her daughter, Su Qiao noticed the eager looks cast her way by passersby and discussed matters with Fang Xiaoying.

“Xiaoying, I’ll take you back to the ward first, then take these fish home.”

“Mom, if you’re concerned about keeping the fish safe, you’d better take them home first!”

“Why?”

“Mom, I can guarantee that if you carry these fish back to the ward, half of them will be gone by the time you come out.”

“It can’t be that bad!”

“Didn’t you see the way Mrs. Zhang was eyeing those little fish just now? If Zhang Xiaoyu hadn’t acted so quickly and dragged her away, you’d definitely be short a pound of fish by now.”

“What? Then I’ll take them home right away.”

Su Qiao had no intention of letting people force her to sell the things she had gone to such trouble to bring out of the supermarket.

“Mom, I want fried fish tonight—the kind that’s crisp and crunchy.”

“All right. But I’ll be back late. Can you manage on your own?”

“I can.”

…

While waiting for the bus, Su Qiao wondered whether they should buy a bicycle for the family. It would certainly make getting around more convenient.

But then she remembered that whenever she went to work through the west gate, she could reach the main cafeteria in twenty minutes, and so she gave up the idea.

Lost in thought, she failed to notice that from the moment she began waiting for the bus until she boarded it, people kept asking where she had bought the little sea fish she was carrying.

By the time she was about to lose patience, she finally reached her stop. The moment she got off, she hurried away, afraid someone behind her would call out, “Comrade, could you spare me a pound? I’ll pay you two cents extra.”

Did she look like someone who was short of two cents?

Muttering to herself, Su Qiao finally reached her front door. After hesitating for a long while, she took one mackerel out of the supermarket.

“Dad, Mom, I’m home.”

“You’re back. Where’s Xiaoying?”

“She’s still at the hospital.”

“Then why did you come back?”

“To deliver the fish. I went to the supply cooperative to buy something for Xiaoying and happened to see them selling fish. The greenbacks were twenty-five cents a pound, while the oilfish and little flatfish were twenty-eight cents. They didn’t require ration coupons, so I bought two pounds of each.”

Su’s father was crouching beside the patch of bok choy in the courtyard, picking off bugs. When he saw his daughter come in, his eyes immediately fell on the mackerel in her hand.

“Oh, what a fine big mackerel! Even with coupons, you might not have been able to buy one.”

“Yes, I just happened to arrive at the right time. They were unloading the shipment, so I grabbed one first.”

“Our little Qiao certainly has good luck.”

“Wife, come quickly and clean the fish.”

“Coming.”

“Qiao, should we clean this mackerel and salt it, or…”

“Dad, it’s very fresh. We might as well cook it tonight.”

“All right. Would you like it stewed with wide noodles, or braised?”

“You decide, Dad. We love everything you make. Oh, and Xiaoying said she wants fried little fish tonight—the kind that’s crisp and crunchy. You’ll have to take care of it; mine never tastes as good as yours.”

“Ha! Frying little fish until they’re crisp with only a little oil is an art in itself. Let’s clean some now, dear, and salt enough for tonight’s meal.”

“All right.”

“I can’t remember how long it’s been since I last saw mackerel this big.”

“You’ve been retired for years. Where would you have seen fish this large? Only a state-run cafeteria can get such good stock. Even a government restaurant might not be able to secure fish of this quality.”

“That’s true.”

“I reckon our little Qiao was simply quicker than everyone else. The people behind her probably didn’t get any. The rest of the fish must have been set aside for those with connections.”

“Exactly.”

…

Mrs. Guo had asked her supervisor for leave a little early that day. Her eldest son was coming home soon, and she needed to prepare a good meal for him.

Unfortunately, there was only half a pound of meat coupons left in the house, so she couldn’t buy much more.

Just as Mrs. Guo was fretting over it, she caught the smell of the sea. Her eyes lit up at once, and she called over the wall to her neighbor.

“Su Qiao, are you home?”

“I am. What is it, Sister-in-law?”

“Did you buy fish?”

“I bought four pounds of little sea fish. Would you like me to spare you some?”

“Yes. Give me… just one pound.” Mrs. Guo did not have the nerve to ask for two. “Su Qiao, how much is it per pound?”

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“Twenty-eight cents a pound, and no coupon required.”

“These fish are really good.”

Mrs. Guo came over to collect the oilfish, praising them repeatedly as she examined their size.

“You bought too little, girl. Just look at these oilfish—they’re not only large, they’re fresh too. If you happen to come across them again, you must bring your sister-in-law several pounds. Once they’re cleaned and salted, you can fry a few whenever you get a craving. They make an excellent dish to go with rice.”

“Yes, I think I bought too little as well. If I run into them again, I’ll buy more.”

Su’s parents agreed.

“It’s meat, after all. Especially in this season, when the weather is hot and no one feels like eating.”

“That’s right. Fry up a few little fish, and people won’t make a peep until they’ve finished them.”

“You should have bought more today, Qiao.”

“Xiaoying kept urging me to bring the fish home. On the way here, I was thinking that if I’d been even a little slower, there probably wouldn’t have been anything left by the time I arrived.”

“Hahaha, quite possibly. If you don’t believe me, go take a look at the supply cooperative now. I guarantee there won’t even be a fish bone left.”

“Dad, you’re absolutely right. When I left, the line was already two hundred yards long. And people were still rushing over one after another. They were moving so fast that I nearly thought they were competing in a running race, all hoping to win a good place.”

“That’s for sure. It’s too late for me to go now. If there had still been time, your father and I would have run over there too.”

Hearing her mother say that, Su Qiao felt a pang of bitterness. It was all because supplies were so scarce.

It seemed that from now on, she would have to find ways to bring more food and daily necessities out of the supermarket for her family.

…

On a summer afternoon, a breeze was a rare thing.

Su’s father looked up at the sky and told Su Qiao to return to the hospital first.

“The weather looks unsettled again. As the saying goes, a June sky is like a child’s face—it changes without warning. You’d better go back to the hospital, Qiao. Once dinner is ready, I’ll have Xiaofeng or Xiaomu take it over to you.”

“All right. I’ll go to the hospital now.”

Afraid of being caught in the rain, Su Qiao hurried toward the bus stop.

After she left, the aroma of fish drifted from the courtyards of both the Su and Guo families.

The fragrance wafting from the Su family’s courtyard was especially enticing. Passersby could not help stopping in their tracks to take several deep breaths before the aroma spread too far, trying to satisfy their cravings.

Uncle Su came over, drawn by the smell. Sitting on the doorstep, he smacked his lips as though savoring the flavor—or perhaps taking pride in it.

“Back in the day, Big Brother held the position of best chef at the machinery plant, and he certainly didn’t earn it by reputation alone.”

“Heh heh.”

Su’s father laughed modestly.

If time could turn back twenty years, he absolutely would not have found his daughter that short-lived husband.

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