Chapter 12: Someone Steals a Bite

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Standing in front of Ai Shi was Tang Da Hu, the grandson from the Tang family, and her distant relative. He was a year younger than Ai Shi and was used to being spoiled at home, often acting arrogantly both inside and outside the house.

Tang Da Hu currently held a pig's foot shell in his hand and wore a contemptuous expression as he said, "So what if you found it first? The pig's foot shell belongs to whoever finds it. If you're capable, come and take it from me!"

Ai Shi felt humiliated by being robbed of something by someone younger than herself. She was about to confront Da Hu, but she held back, as she was carrying her younger sister Ai Lian on her back. Nonetheless, she couldn't hide her frustration, and if it weren't for her sister, she might have resorted to physical confrontation.

The pig's foot shells, with their hard hooves, were often discarded when pigs were slaughtered. Dogs loved to eat them, and sometimes children would take them as toys. During this time of food scarcity, having a pig's foot shell as a treat for children was considered precious.

In this instance, Ai Shi had found a pig's foot shell but had it snatched away by Tang Da Hu. Not only did he take it, but he also pushed Ai Shi down, inadvertently causing discomfort to Ai Lian.

Thinking about the upcoming three years of disasters, Tang Ai Lian felt a sense of concern. She was just over four months old and couldn't communicate her concerns to the young village leader, Long Jiu Sheng. She wished she could somehow warn him of the impending difficulties.

As she was lost in thought, she forgot to cry, and her sister Ai Shi gradually stopped crying as well. It was only when their cousin Tang Xiao Yue appeared and returned the pig's foot shell to Ai Shi that they both realized what had happened. Tang Xiao Yue even warned Tang Da Hu not to bully the sisters in the future.

Tang Da Hu dared not challenge Tang Xiao Yue, as she was known for her formidable fighting skills, despite being younger than him. He had no choice but to back off.

Finally, it was time to distribute the pork. The rules were simple: each adult received one jin (approximately 0.5 kg) of pork, while each child received half a jin. Additionally, pork was distributed based on work points, with every 1,000 work points earning an extra jin of pork.

The Tang family received a total of six and a half jin of pork based on the number of family members. They had earned 7,520 work points, resulting in an additional seven and a half jin of pork. In total, they had 14 jin of pork and a portion of pig intestines.

Seeing the pork, Tang Lao Tai Tai was not entirely satisfied because most of it was lean meat with very little fat. During these times, fatty meat was considered more valuable and cost an extra nickel per jin.

The pork would be preserved for the New Year's celebration, but the pig intestines could be enjoyed that day.

The smell of cooking meat filled the air, a rare occurrence for the family. Tang Ai Lian's mouth watered at the aroma, but she had yet to start eating meat as her family was still adhering to a vegetarian diet. She longed for the day when she could taste meat again.

Despite her disappointment, she couldn't help but be captivated by the smell. Ai Shi and Ai Wen were equally entranced as they watched their grandmother prepare the pig intestines.

Tang Lao Tai Tai soon called for Ai Shi to fetch some chopped scallions from the garden, but Ai Shi was not present. She had gone to play with her cousin Tang Xiao Hua.

As Tang Lao Tai Tai proceeded to fetch the scallions herself, Tang Ai Lian continued to scan her surroundings using her psychic abilities. Suddenly, she detected someone entering the kitchen. The person glanced around and then hurriedly approached the stove, where they began using chopsticks to sample the pig intestines.

This individual continued to eat piece after piece until they heard footsteps approaching from outside. They saw that half of the pig intestines in the pot had been consumed and quickly put down their chopsticks before running away.

Unbeknownst to them, Tang Ai Lian had witnessed the entire scene through her psychic abilities, fully aware of who had stolen a bite.

(End of Chapter 12)