Chapter 4: The Era of Material Shortage

Zhao Xiulan noticed her little sister, Zhao Xiuzhu.

At six years old, Zhao Xiuzhu, a child from a poor family, was very responsible and capable, as children from poor families often had to grow up quickly. Just like the original owner, she was malnourished, thin and frail, with dry and yellow hair, sunken eyes, and a skinny, monkey-like appearance.

She was wearing an oversized coat with several patches and a few holes, and it had turned somewhat white from washing. The family was extremely poor, as resources were scarce in those times.

Seeing the concern in Zhao Xiuzhu's eyes, Zhao Xiulan forced a smile and said, "It's okay, Xiuzhu, I'm much better now."

Hearing this, Zhao Xiuzhu breathed a sigh of relief. Then, making sure no one was around, she secretly took out a piece of steamed bun from her pocket and handed it to Zhao Xiulan.

"Sister, you haven't eaten for a long time. Take this steamed bun. I hid it when the team leader distributed them today," Zhao Xiuzhu whispered.

Every day, the team leader would distribute some food to the workers. Some would eat it right away, while others, especially parents, would save it to bring home to their children.

The steamed bun was made of coarse grains, wild vegetable leaves, and straw stems, and it was a bit rough to eat. But in a time of food scarcity, anything that could fill one's stomach was considered good.

Some families didn't have enough grain, so they would even eat tree bark, grass, and even boiled leather belts just to survive.

Zhao Xiulan had learned about the hardships of the 1960s and truly felt the difficulties of that era. She was touched by Zhao Xiuzhu's thoughtfulness in saving the steamed bun for her.

"Xiuzhu, you should eat it yourself. You're hungry too, there's no need to give it to me," Zhao Xiulan said. One steamed bun was not enough for even one person.

Looking at her emaciated sister, Zhao Xiulan thought about how to help her gain weight. There were supplies in the space, so there was no need to worry about food. However, explaining where the food came from would be troublesome.

"Sister, you are even hungrier and sicker. You should eat it," Zhao Xiuzhu insisted, pushing the steamed bun back to Zhao Xiulan.

"Sister has something to eat!" Zhao Xiulan pretended to put her hand in her pocket, and with a thought, she had two boiled eggs in her hand. They were still warm. She then took them out of her pocket.

"Sister has two eggs. Here, Xiuzhu, you eat one, and I'll eat the other."

Zhao Xiuzhu was surprised and then whispered to Zhao Xiulan, "Sister, where did you get the eggs?"

In this era of food shortages, eggs were considered a precious commodity. Zhao Xiuzhu's eyes sparkled at the sight of them.

Zhao Xiulan smiled faintly and made up a random excuse, "I found them in the haystack and secretly boiled them without telling Aunt Mei. Xiuzhu, let's each have one, but you mustn't tell Aunt Mei!"

Although Zhao Xiuzhu was young, she was very clever and knew that if Aunt May found out about the eggs, they wouldn't end up in their hands.

She nodded vigorously and said, "Sister, I won't tell Aunt Mei. This is great! I've never had eggs before. At home, the eggs are either exchanged for grain or eaten by Aunt Mei and Sister Lijuan. I heard that eggs are delicious..."