MAC’60s Chapter 98

Scarface was caught in a dilemma. The places they had originally planned to go were no longer suitable, and the informants had all stopped passing on information. He didn’t know whether they had been arrested or were simply too frightened by the tense situation to make contact.

Under these circumstances, Scarface had far fewer options.

He asked around and gathered news from the brothers who hadn’t been taken in. Finally, he confirmed that only Nanshao still hadn’t shown any movement.

So his only choice was to bring his men here to seek refuge with Xu Lei.

Scarface hurriedly passed on the message, then quickly wrapped a scarf around his face and left.

This area was full of long-time residents; as an unfamiliar face, he would inevitably attract suspicion.

After Scarface left, the little boy with candy in his mouth went to look for Xu Dabao.

Unfortunately, Xu Dabao wasn’t home, and Xu Dabao’s father wasn’t home either.

Xu Dabao’s grandmother and mother were there, but the little boy felt a bit scared. The surrounding courtyards all knew that Xu Dabao’s mother was a teacher. When she wasn’t speaking, she always looked especially intimidating. Xu Dabao’s grandmother wasn’t that bad, but…

“Dabao’s not home. Hurry up and go back home.”

Perhaps because no adult was accompanying him, the irritation Xu Auntie felt toward children showed plainly on her face.

The little boy, who had originally planned to pass the message directly to Xu Dabao’s grandmother, no longer dared to speak. He dashed back to his own courtyard in a flash.

Xu Auntie muttered, “Where did this dirty little kid come from? Snot all over his face—what a mess! His parents must be no good either. And he’s even eating candy. What does a brat need candy for? No consideration at all. Coming to see Dabao and not even bringing an extra piece…”

Wang Ying, who had sharp hearing and happened to be entering the doorway: …

Honestly, she had seen many oddballs before, but someone like Xu Auntie—who lashed out indiscriminately and found fault with everything—was a first for her. It was as if the woman had grievances against everyone and could curse out the strangest things.

Wang Ying shook her head and entered carrying two fish.

Although it had been agreed in advance that the fish were snatched up for her by Liu Auntie, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. The fish she bought weren’t as big as those from the Seventh Brigade’s small fish pond, but they were a rare variety.

Large yellow croakers!

Wang Ying was overjoyed the moment she saw the fish. In later years, wild large yellow croakers could sell for five figures each. Because of reckless overfishing in the decades to come, the value of wild croakers would skyrocket. Eventually, they would basically only be seen in high-end business dining.

The moment she saw these were wild large yellow croakers, Wang Ying perked up immediately. Although her household quota was already used up, wasn’t there still the black market?

During the New Year period, black market controls were quite lax. Mainly because at this time it wasn’t just villagers bringing goods into the city—some families struggling to make ends meet would also sell their own fish.

Wang Ying seized this opportunity. On the outskirts of the crowd squeezing to buy fish, she found several people intending to sell theirs and successfully got two large yellow croakers.

With such fresh big fish brought home, the best dish was braised yellow croaker.

There were countless ways to braise yellow croaker and many possible seasonings, but the key was to cook it in lard.

Lard went into the wok, aromatics were fried until fragrant, then the fresh fish was added to simmer and braise. The lard was best freshly rendered. The finished dish had a golden, gleaming broth. With a gentle nudge of chopsticks, a clove-like chunk of fish meat would come off—savory and fresh. Spoon the fish sauce over rice, and the rich aroma was irresistibly appetizing.

A theory-oriented talent, Wang Ying directed Xu Shuang—who had slipped home from work to cook—the whole process. Xu Shuang had cooked plenty of fish for Wang Ying over the past few years, so her hands were anything but rusty.

Cooking fish with lard? No problem at all.

Xu Shuang carefully controlled the heat and finished the dish. This time, the fragrance was simply incredible.

“Fragrance drifting for miles” wasn’t an exaggeration. Several households in the courtyard could hardly sit still.

The Liu family was relatively fine. They occasionally improved their meals with pork offal and weren’t too deprived, but the two children stared eagerly, clearly dissatisfied with the lard-braised napa cabbage on their own table.

Fairly speaking, lard-braised napa cabbage was already a good dish—but who could blame them when the neighbor’s food smelled that amazing!

Liu Auntie felt a bit mentally exhausted. Chen Dong used to cook when he lived in the back courtyard, but it had never been like this. Ever since Xu Shuang moved in, that household bought and ate meat more often than before.

It was simply because the temptation was too hard to resist.

Not just children—adults were the same.

Even with the same ingredients, they somehow made everything smell so good that the entire courtyard ended up eating an extra half bowl of rice just from the aroma.

Liu Auntie worried, wondering whether she should tactfully ask Wang Ying about it. Asking them to accommodate her was impossible, but maybe asking how a few dishes were made could work?

Just as the whole family was fretting, Wang Ying’s voice suddenly came from outside.

“Auntie Liu?”

Liu Auntie quickly responded and went to lift the door curtain. “Coming!”

Wang Ying stood outside holding a bowl of fish. “We braised yellow croaker at home. Sharing some with you.”

After all, the croaker had been bought thanks to them lining up in the middle of the night. Wang Ying certainly wouldn’t be stingy over this little bit.

Liu Auntie immediately felt embarrassed. “We have food at home too, no need. You’re pregnant—you should eat more fish.”

As she said this, Yangyang and Yueyue’s eyes, which had just lit up with excitement, instantly dimmed.

Wuwuwu… want fish… want the neighbor’s braised fish…

Wang Ying didn’t give her a chance to refuse and stuffed the bowl into Liu Auntie’s hands. “Please try some. I still have more at home.”

Seeing Wang Ying turn away right after handing over the dish, Liu Auntie didn’t dare decline anymore. Wang Ying was pregnant—what if something happened while they kept pushing it back and forth?

She called out, inviting Wang Ying to come in the afternoon. Her family would be making sweet potato balls then.

The two little ones at home could no longer wait.

“Grandma, I’ll carry it! I’ll carry it!”

The fish smelled amazing!

The broth wasn’t the usual reddish braised color but a yellow-white golden hue.

Liu Auntie took a bite and found the fish tender and fresh, the broth thick and flavorful. The adults each had a taste, while the two children practically wanted to lick the bowl clean.

“So delicious! I’m going to learn cooking in the future too!”

Yueyue made a grand declaration.

Yangyang said, “You can’t. You can’t even lift a wok. I can!”

Yueyue was unconvinced, but she also knew her brother was right. After sulking for a while, she said, “Then I’ll marry someone who knows how to cook fish!”

She used to think her dad was pretty good, but now she felt that if Dad also knew how to cook, wouldn’t she be able to eat fish every day?

Just like the baby in Auntie Wang Ying’s belly—eating good food every day. And Auntie Wang Ying’s husband, Uncle Xu Shuang, was so good-looking too…

Sigh, forget it. Mom wasn’t as smart as she was, and Dad couldn’t be changed. She could only find someone who could cook when the time came.

The children’s conversation made everyone in the house laugh. Tang Min teased her husband with a glance.

The eldest of the Liu family, Liu Zhigao, rubbed his nose and said guiltily, “Then… I’ll go ask about it in the next few days?”

He couldn’t really let his daughter be won over by some other family’s man, could he?

The Liu family was full of joy, while the Ma family next door was also talking about the fish.

Ma Dalian called out to her third son, “Go ask them how they made the fish in the next few days. And when you go, remember to bring some of the fried dough twists we made.”

Ma Yongjun protested, “Mom, isn’t having me enough? I’m at least a chef!”

After the incident with Chen Dong, Ma Dalian had grown somewhat displeased with her eldest son.

You brat—others might not know, but don’t you? You made your old mother lose so much face, and you still dare to talk?

“You’re a chef my foot! It took you years just to barely pass a Level Three certificate.”

Ever since failing to obtain the Level Three certificate that year, Ma Yongjun had taken the exam year after year and failed each time. He had only barely passed this year. He couldn’t even be called a head chef now—just a junior cook at a state-owned restaurant.

After being scolded by his mother, Ma Yongjun immediately shrank back.

He muttered, “Isn’t it still your fault? If you had managed to win over Master Chen, forget Level Three—I’d probably already have Level Two by now.”

They all lived in the same courtyard. Ever since Xu Shuang moved in, Ma Yongjun always avoided him, because seeing Xu Shuang stung his pride.

If his mother had been a bit more capable, maybe he’d be just like Xu Shuang now.

Don’t be fooled that he wasn’t working at the biggest restaurant anymore—he knew very well that the New Year gifts Xu Shuang received this time were more than double his. Just thinking about it made him envious.

Ma Dalian sneered, “You think you’re like him? Like hell you are! Go cook fish right now! That fish at home—if you can make it taste like theirs, I’ll admit it. I’ll even throw away my pride and pave the way for you! Can you do it?”

Ma Yongjun instantly fell silent. How could he possibly do it?

He had no idea how that fish was stewed—the aroma that drifted out didn’t smell fishy at all. It was unbelievable. This wasn’t even a place near rivers or the sea, so why was Xu Shuang so good at cooking fish?

After shutting down her eldest son, Ma Dalian turned and instructed her second daughter-in-law, Ding Zhaodi, “Take the third one to learn how to cook fish. Whether he learns it or not, be polite when you go. Last time they helped reduce Lüdan’s fever—this relationship needs to be maintained.”

Having suffered a big loss with Chen Dong, Ma Dalian now understood.

When dealing with capable people, it was better not to confront them head-on. What good came from going hard against them? You still gained nothing.

It was better to build good relations—maybe something good would come of it in the future.

Ma Dalian wasn’t very smart, but she wasn’t vicious either. Although Wang Ying never let her take advantage, she didn’t seem petty. Sometimes when her kids ran into Wang Ying, she’d even give them a couple of candies.

That was enough!

Ma Dalian looked at her somewhat slow-witted third son and sighed inwardly.

The biggest matter in her family now was finding a wife for the third son.

But saying it was easy—doing it wasn’t.

The third son wasn’t young anymore, already in his mid-to-late twenties, and he was only a temporary worker. He had gone to the countryside for several years, then returned to the city on medical leave, and still hadn’t secured a permanent job.

Ma Dalian worried endlessly.

Wang Ying happily finished more than half of the yellow croaker, even pouring the remaining sauce over her rice and eating it all. The few fish fillets left were deliberately saved for Xu Shuang—she was waiting for him to come back later to make him a small special portion.

She had already started her holiday these days. With nothing to do, she just stayed home listening to the radio and eating—living an easy, laid-back life.

Xu Shuang, on the other hand, couldn’t take a full break. He only got three days off for the New Year, and after that he’d probably be even busier.

Fortunately, he was only responsible for cooking. Recently he just went in briefly in the morning, two hours at noon, and two hours in the evening—getting by like that.

While Wang Ying was relaxed, the neighboring courtyard wasn’t so at ease.

The aroma of fish drifted over, making everyone lose their appetite.

The little boy who had been given candy by Scarface in the morning poked at his steamed bun during dinner, not wanting to eat. Coincidentally, the two newly moved-in families in the courtyard were also cooking fish today, so the boy’s mother gave him two sesame flatbreads and a few walnut pastries and sent him off to tag along for a meal.

That was how things worked in the courtyard—kids sharing a few meals with each other was normal. Of course, no one went overboard. If you went to eat at someone else’s place, you’d bring some food along too.

The little boy went to Tiantian’s home—the girl with pigtails.

Ding Sitian was holding her rice bowl and eating fish. When she saw her little friend arrive, she naturally made space for him. Ding Sitian’s father, Ding Yan, was a retired soldier. Though tall and strongly built, he was very generous with children. Seeing a child come over, he also served him a bowl of rice.

After finishing the food in her bowl in one go, Ding Sitian asked, “Dayuan, why didn’t you come play with us this morning? We were playing war games and were short one person.”

Dayuan had fish stuffed in his mouth and spoke unclearly, “I wanted to come find you… but there was an uncle… an uncle with a scar on his face. He told me to find Xu Dabao’s dad. I went to the next courtyard to look for Xu Dabao’s dad but couldn’t find him, and then… then I forgot…”

Ding Sitian looked serious. “Dayuan, if you can’t come next time, you have to tell us. Otherwise we’ll keep saving a spot for you! Our ‘capturing the special agents’ game hasn’t even reached the later part yet. If you don’t come, the soldier who captures the special agents will have to be played by someone else.”

Dayuan: “Mm… got it!”

At this moment, Ding Sitian’s father, Ding Yan, suddenly cut in, “Dayuan, you said a man with a scar on his face asked you to pass a message to Xu Dabao’s dad? What did he say?”

Dayuan blinked his big eyes. “He told me to tell Xu Dabao’s dad that something happened at his uncle’s place, and that several relatives from his family were coming to stay.”

Ding Yan pulled his stool closer. “Oh? He didn’t say what happened exactly?”

Dayuan tilted his head. “No… Then I went to find Dabao’s dad, but he wasn’t home. His grandma was really fierce, so I didn’t say anything and came back.”

Ding Yan’s expression suddenly turned strange. “Did he say anything else? Did he give you anything?”

Dayuan: “He gave me a piece of candy. Didn’t say anything else.”

Ding Yan’s eyes immediately lit up. “Tiantian, stay home and look after things properly. Dad has something to do this afternoon and needs to go out.”

That afternoon, Ding Yan rushed to his superior’s home. The superior was none other than the old policeman.

The old policeman was surprised. “Why have you come at this time?”

Ever since deciding that Xu Lei was suspicious, the old policeman had passed the information upward. The higher-ups specially approved sending two unfamiliar faces—newly transferred veterans.

Originally, the two were supposed to be assigned to the police station. But the old policeman felt there was no rush to do that. He arranged temporary worker positions for them and had them live in the courtyard next to Xu Lei’s, all to keep an eye on him.

It hadn’t even been a month—could there already be news?

Ding Yan quickly told everything he knew. “The kid wasn’t paying attention when he spoke, but I think it’s almost certain. If that man wasn’t Xu Lei’s accomplice, why would he be so cautious? And if he were Xu Lei’s relative, why not go inside when he was already at the door?”

The old policeman was also extremely excited, but he was more composed than the newcomer. “Go back first. Don’t alert the enemy. I’ll go ask around immediately. That man turned back less than a month after leaving—there must be a reason.”

Ding Yan left full of confidence. The old policeman made several phone calls up the chain.

Before long, he learned the reason.

It turned out to be the document formed from the joint case-file investigation he had done with brother units last time. After his report was submitted, police stations in several neighboring counties also got wind of the matter.

The moment they thought Nanshao County might claim merit from this, none of them were happy.

The case belonged to everyone. If you really swept the whole net in one go, wouldn’t that make us look incompetent?

So the surrounding counties didn’t follow the old policeman’s suggestion to wait for the traffickers to make a move. Instead, they prepared to conduct preliminary inspections first. If they uncovered something, the credit would be theirs and wouldn’t fall into someone else’s hands.

And once they started checking, they actually did find something.

The gambling den was the first to be uncovered. There were never a shortage of gamblers, no matter the era. Life might be hard for everyone, but some people simply couldn’t control their hands—so poor their homes couldn’t even cook meals, yet they still went gambling.

The local police station thought it over and launched a special operation before the New Year, following leads and arresting a batch of people.

Once they made a move, the surrounding areas followed suit. By now, only Nanshao County had deliberately held back in order to wait for the traffickers.

Old policeman: …

No wonder this group ran over here—everywhere else had become unsafe.

Fine then. No need to wait anymore.

Since they’ve come, they can stay here and enjoy free prison meals for the New Year.