Chapter 99: Gaining Without Effort

At the marketplace, on the bustling street, Zhao Liang and Zhao Dongkui were struggling to carry a large, tightly bound fat pig using bamboo poles. Following closely behind them was a butcher carrying his tools and a middle-aged woman with a sallow, gaunt face.

“Zhao Liang, if you can’t carry it, just say so. We can rest a while before moving on,” the middle-aged woman asked with concern, noticing Zhao Liang’s back was already bent under the pig’s weight.

This woman was the widow Wang, the owner of the fat pig, whom Zhao Liang had mentioned earlier. Seeing the pig wailing loudly as it was carried along, she felt not only pity but also deep worry. She feared the pig might break free from its bindings and run off, which would mean no money to pay for her son’s medical treatment.

“Madam Wang, can I take a break now?” Zhao Liang replied irritably, just as Liu Xing stepped forward to lend a hand, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Soon, the group arrived at the gate of Liu Dongju’s house, where they set the fat pig down. Zhao Liang turned to the onlooking village chief, Zhao, and said, “Uncle, don’t just stand there watching. The pig hasn’t been weighed yet! Doesn’t your house have a big scale? Hurry and bring it over; otherwise, we won’t be able to slaughter the pig tonight.”

“Alright, alright, alright!” Zhao, the village chief, had many questions but stifled them and ran off to fetch the scale.

After a short while, he came back, not only carrying the large scale on his shoulder but also bringing his adorable granddaughter, Zhao Jing, to watch the excitement.

Curious about the commotion at her friend’s house, Zhao Jing hurried over, her short legs moving quickly. “Sister, what’s going on at Xiaobudian’s place?”

“We’re slaughtering the pig! Then we’ll have meat for dinner tonight,” Guazi replied happily.

“Really?” Zhao Jing was filled with envy. She still remembered the taste of meat from the last time she ate at Xiaobudian’s family. It hadn’t been long since then, and now they were slaughtering another pig. Xiaobudian’s family was really fortunate.

Guazi saw what was on Zhao Jing’s mind and smiled, taking her hand gently. “Don’t leave when it’s time for dinner later. I’ll pick some meat for you.”

“Okay, okay!” Zhao Jing’s mouth began to water.

Seeing several burly men, including Grandfather Zhao Ji, helping with weighing the pig, the girls hurried away to keep a safe distance.

“How much does it weigh?” Zhao Liang called to Widow Wang, who was overseeing the scale.

“One hundred sixty-nine jin,” she answered hesitantly.

Her hesitation arose from disbelief—she couldn’t believe her pig weighed so little. She had expected it to be over two hundred jin, so this scale measurement, thirty or forty jin less than expected, was difficult to accept. After all, she had fed this pig for over a year.

Noticing her thoughts, Village Chief Zhao sighed lightly. “Our scale is very fair. If you don’t trust it, you can go to the coal market in the square to weigh it again, but you’ll have to pay.”

“No need, no need,” Widow Wang quickly declined, mainly because she trusted Village Chief Zhao. Usually, no one would dare cheat a widow.

“Then let’s prepare to slaughter the pig,” Zhao Liang said, glancing toward the butcher.

The butcher nodded, and with the help of Zhao Hu, Zhao Biao, and others, quickly tied the pig onto a makeshift frame set between two benches.

At that moment, Widow Wang stepped in front of the pig. “Zhao Liang, where’s the money? You haven’t paid a single cent yet!”

“It’s not like that, Madam Wang... We agreed before that the pig price was 0.58 yuan per jin, and the payment would be made after the pig was sold. Why are you changing your mind now?” Zhao Liang looked embarrassed and a bit anxious. “If you wanted to back out, you should have said so earlier!”

If she had, he wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.

Of course, it was also because he had no money on him; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so embarrassed.

Village Chief Zhao saw through Zhao Liang’s attempt to get something for nothing and kicked him with a scowl. “You’ve fed that pig for a whole year, and you’re thinking of selling it first and paying later? Have you no shame?”

By custom, at least half the payment should be made upfront, unless otherwise agreed.

“Uncle...” Zhao Liang tried to explain but was chased away by Village Chief Zhao.

The scene then fell silent.

Feeling awkward, Zhao Dongkui looked at Liu Dongju. “Wife, why don’t we just buy the fat pig ourselves?”

Actually, Zhao Liang had mentioned the idea of paying after the pig was slaughtered. Since they were all family, he wouldn’t have run away without paying. If Widow Wang didn’t agree, they’d pay half first. But at the supply and marketing cooperative earlier, Xiao Yang was also interested in buying the pig, and the bidding got tangled, so the final agreement was never confirmed. Now, with the mess, both sides bore some responsibility.

“Fine, then you pay for it!” Liu Dongju smiled, unaware of the background.

She hadn’t meant to make things difficult for Zhao Dongkui—after all, men must keep face—but she was a little upset. It was clear Zhao Liang had tricked them. If she had no money either, it would be a laughingstock.

“I... I...” Zhao Dongkui was at a loss for words.

Not wanting the situation to worsen, Liu Xing, who had promised to help his brother-in-law financially, shook his head in resignation and looked at Widow Wang. “This fat pig weighs 169 jin. At 0.58 yuan per jin, that comes to 98 yuan, right?”

“Um...” Widow Wang quickly did the math in her head.

After a moment, she blushed and said, “Yes, that’s the amount.”

“I’ll give you 100 yuan. Keep the change,” Liu Xing said, handing her ten ten-yuan bills.

This bold move surprised the onlookers, especially the three bricklayers—Zhao Hu, Zhao Biao, and Zhao Jianzhong. They realized that Liu Xing was not short of money at all. He bought the fat pig without hesitation—a luxury they could hardly afford.

“Thank you!” Widow Wang carefully checked the bills to ensure they were genuine, asking Zhao Hu to help confirm.

“They’re all real. Do you still doubt Liu Xing?” Zhao Hu smiled.

In fact, counterfeit money was rare in the early 1980s, especially in such large denominations.

Widow Wang sighed with relief but stayed to watch the scene unfold.

Liu Xing ignored her and turned to the butcher holding a knife. “Brother, it’s getting late. Let’s get on with slaughtering. Don’t worry, I won’t shy away from giving you your due.”

“Sis, don’t just stand there! Go get this brother a pack of cigarettes,” Liu Xing reminded Liu Dongju with a smile.

“All right, all right!” Liu Dongju hurried inside the mud-brick house with the little one.

After a moment, she came out with a pack of cigarettes and handed them to the butcher, who accepted them, slightly embarrassed. He said to Liu Xing, “Boy, when you kill the pig, there’ll be a lot of blood. You should get some basins to catch it.”

In the 1980s, pig’s blood was a valuable commodity. Because pork was expensive, ordinary households rarely ate it, so the butcher kindly warned them not to waste it.

Upon hearing this, Liu Dongju quickly told Guazi to take the little one away and went to fetch basins from the kitchen.

Village Chief Zhao, knowing that a single pig would produce more blood than the Dongju household could use, laughed and said to Liu Xing, “Please help watch Zhao Jing for a bit. I’d like to take some pig’s blood home to taste.”

“Sure,” Liu Xing nodded.

In his opinion, eating too much pig’s blood wasn’t good, so it was better if Chief Zhao took some.

Seeing the crowd of villagers eager to get some pig’s blood, the chief laughed and said, “Anyone who wants pig’s blood, hurry home and bring a basin. I’ll have the butcher wait ten minutes, but not longer.”

Slaughtering a pig after dark was troublesome, and the chief knew this well.

Upon hearing this, everyone except Zhao Jing dispersed quickly. Even Widow Wang dashed home to fetch basins.

Liu Xing was quite surprised by how many people wanted pig’s blood.

The butcher smiled, put away his knife, and lit a cigarette, waiting patiently.

Ten minutes passed—a time neither long nor short.

Meanwhile, a chased-away Zhao Liang returned. Seeing that Village Chief Zhao was gone, he quickly pulled Zhao Dongkui aside under a pomelo tree. “Brother, did you pay Madam Wang for the pork?”

“I didn’t pay; my brother-in-law did,” Zhao Dongkui replied truthfully.

“What?” Zhao Liang looked at Liu Xing in disbelief.

This young man was surprisingly wealthy—a reminder not to judge by appearances.

“Don’t bother. Our plan to sell pork for profit is off,” Zhao Dongkui laughed.

He knew Liu Xing’s character well. Once he bought the pig, he’d keep it for himself.

After all, the shoe shop needed renovations, and someone had to be hired to make shoes. They needed a steady supply of meat.

And Widow Wang’s pig weighed only 169 jin. After removing the head and innards, there wouldn’t be even 100 jin of meat left.

“That won’t do. I heard that the higher-ups plan to relax restrictions on trading agricultural products at the market, including pork. If we don’t seize this opportunity now, we might never get another chance,” Zhao Liang added urgently.

“You need capital first! If you don’t have money, rope me in. Tonight, my wife will surely scold me,” Zhao Dongkui said, unable to help but joke.

If Zhao Liang had said earlier he was broke, he wouldn’t have gotten carried away. After all, trading pork now was risky. If they made a profit, great; if not, they might not have enough for meals later.

Still, as longtime brothers, Zhao Dongkui knew Zhao Liang meant well—he just wanted to escape their current plight.

Seeing this, Zhao Liang scratched his head sheepishly.

“Enough talk. Stay and help out. When it’s time to eat, your seat won’t be missing,” Zhao Dongkui said as Liu Dongju came out of the kitchen carrying a large basin. He patted Zhao Liang on the shoulder and led him forward.