The next morning.
Ye Hao got up early.
He took out a palm-long crucian carp and a palm-sized crab from his space for today's breakfast.
He would stew the crucian carp into a soup and roast the crab.
He took the fish to the stream and simply cleaned out its internal organs and gills.
He filled a "pot" with space spring water, put the cleaned fish in, and placed it directly on the fire to cook.
The crab was prepared the same way as yesterday: knocked unconscious and roasted on a stone slab.
A fragrant aroma wafted from the fish soup. Ye Hao was certain he had never smelled such a fragrant fish soup in either his past or present life.
By the time the crab was roasted, the fish soup was also ready.
Ye Hao eagerly grabbed the crab, not fearing the heat, broke open its shell, and began to bite. He wondered if it was his imagination, but Ye Hao felt today's roasted crab was ten times more delicious than yesterday's.
Although no salt was added, it still had a somewhat salty, sweet, and savory taste.
Ye Hao ate the roasted crab in a few bites, then picked up the fish soup nearby.
The fish soup was too hot, so Ye Hao didn't dare to drink it directly. After blowing on it for a long time, Ye Hao took a small sip. Immediately, the freshness, sweetness, and aroma of the fish filled his mouth.
As the fish soup entered his stomach, a warm current rushed from his lower abdomen straight to the top of his head, making him feel completely refreshed.
He didn't know if it was the efficacy of the spring water, or because the fish had lived in the spring water overnight, or perhaps both.
In any case, Ye Hao felt that this fish soup could no longer be described with ordinary words.
After drinking the fish soup, Ye Hao went to the stream to wash up and take care of his personal hygiene.
After tidying up, Ye Hao bid farewell to the dilapidated temple where he had lived for several years. There wasn't much to pack, after all, his predecessor hadn't left Ye Hao anything except the most precious jade token, a few tattered clothes, half a box of matches, a "pot," a broken bowl, and some miscellaneous junk.
Ye Hao stored all these items in his space. After all, in an era where everything required a ticket to buy, and he had no money or tickets, there was no other way to earn money except to engage in speculation at the Pigeon Market.
Lightly equipped, Ye Hao's body was much better than before, thanks to the nourishment from the spring water. After walking for about half an hour, Ye Hao arrived at his usual begging spot.
The Qianmen Street Office.
"Xiao Comrade, who are you looking for?" asked the Street Office doorman.
"I'm looking for the Street Office Director to handle my identity."
"The office at the very end inside is hers. The Director should be in her office now."
Ye Hao entered the Director's office and saw a woman in her forties sitting inside.
The woman saw someone enter and asked, "Xiao Comrade, what can I do for you?"
Ye Hao clearly explained his situation to the Director.
The Director was a bit skeptical. In this era of famine, many people in the countryside starved to death, and she feared he might be from a nearby rural area trying to defraud them for relief grain.
There were also many spies sent in by enemy countries.
Just then, a Street Office staff member came in to deliver documents to the Director. He stared at Ye Hao, looking him up and down for a long time before saying, "Aren't you that little beggar who's always been begging near Qianmen?"
The Director saw that this person recognized Ye Hao and asked, "You know him?"
The person didn't hesitate and told her everything he knew: "This little beggar has been begging around here for several years. Every time he gets some food, he leaves and doesn't stay long. Several times I wanted to ask him where he was from, but he'd run as soon as I asked. Why is he here at our Street Office today, and so clean? He used to be covered in dirt, I almost didn't recognize him."
The Director said, "He wants to register his household. Alright, you go back to your work. I'll help this young man with his household registration."
After she finished speaking, the Street Office person left the office.
The Director's face showed a hint of sympathy. She asked Ye Hao, "How old are you this year?"
"18 years old. This is calculated from the day my adoptive father found me. I don't know my actual birth date."
"18 years old, that's a bit troublesome. As you know, natural disasters are constant now, and no family has extra food. You also don't have a job or a salary."
"I heard that there's a movement now to encourage going to the countryside to contribute to national construction? I'd like to apply to go to the countryside. That way, I won't need grain in the City. I can earn work points in the countryside and support myself."
"That works too. I'll verify your identity first, and then apply for a quota for you to go to the countryside."
"Okay, thank you, Director."
"Don't call me Director, just call me Aunt Wang. My son is about your age, and all he does all day is walk dogs and fight crickets, never anything serious. If he had your awareness, I'd wake up laughing from a dream."
"Aunt Wang, please don't say that. I have no choice. You know my situation; if I didn't find a way myself, I would have starved to death long ago."
"Xiao Ye, have you had nowhere to stay recently? Why don't you come stay at my house, with my son? You can also help me keep an eye on him, so he doesn't cause trouble all day."
"That wouldn't be good. It would be inconvenient for an outsider like me to stay at your house. Anyway, it's only for a few days. Once the notice to go to the countryside comes down, I'll be leaving."
"Xiao Ye, it's settled then. Come back to my house with me today. There happens to be an extra room. It can be a temporary place for you to stay until the notice to go to the countryside comes down."
"Alright, then I'll impose."
"Xiao Ye, please sit here for a while. When it's time for lunch break, I'll take you home."
"Aunt Wang, I'd like to go for a walk and come back before noon."
"Alright, then be careful outside."
With that, Ye Hao bid farewell to Aunt Wang.
He walked straight out of the Street Office.
Using his memory, he turned this way and that, walking for ten minutes, until Ye Hao arrived at a Pigeon Market. He went in, looked at the current prices, then turned and walked into an empty alley.
He took out several crucian carp, weighing about half a catty each, from his space.
Wrapping the fish in old clothes, Ye Hao re-entered the Pigeon Market and exchanged a few fish for one catty of potatoes, one catty of sweet potatoes, and one corn.
He then exchanged a few more fish for two small chicks, and the remaining few for one yuan. In times of famine, it was often impossible to buy food even with money.
Ye Hao took the items he had exchanged at the Pigeon Market into an empty alley and put them all into his space.
From his earlier tour, Ye Hao had understood the current situation: the entire country was suffering from famine. Fine grains were nowhere to be seen at the Pigeon Market; only potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn were available, and their prices were not cheap. Meat was even scarcer.
He only saw an Uncle selling rabbits; these were probably caught by the Uncle himself in the suburbs.
Also, at the place where Ye Hao exchanged for chicks, the Auntie said the chicks were hatched from eggs laid by her own hens, but in these times, people couldn't even feed themselves, let alone have extra food to feed chickens. So, she brought the chicks to the City to sell them for some food.
Ye Hao walked out of the Pigeon Market, looked at the sky, and seeing that it was almost noon, he walked towards the Street Office.
As he arrived at the Street Office entrance, he saw the staff member he had met in the Director's office that morning.
Zhao Hong greeted Ye Hao, "Xiao Ye, the Director has told us all about your situation. My name is Zhao Hong, you can call me Sister Hong from now on. There's no obstacle you can't overcome; we brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunties will help you from now on. If you encounter any problems, come to the Street Office and find me. Sister Hong will definitely resolve it beautifully for you."
"Thank you, Sister Hong. Then I'll trouble Sister Hong from now on."
"Trouble? Not at all! Everyone at our Street Office has a good heart."
"Thank you, Sister Hong. I'll go find Director Wang now; she's still waiting for me."
"Okay, we'll talk later. I need to go home for lunch too."
After bidding farewell to Sister Hong.
He walked directly to Aunt Wang's office and saw Aunt Wang still organizing documents. He said, "Aunt Wang, still busy? Then I'll sit and wait for you."
"Not busy, not busy. I was just seeing that you hadn't come back yet, and since I was idle anyway, I was organizing some documents. Since you're back, follow me."
With that, Aunt Wang led the way out.
Ye Hao followed Aunt Wang step by step.
Aunt Wang said as they walked, "There are four people in our family. Your Uncle Sun Youde works at the police station in our area. There's also Sun Chaoshu and Sun Chaoyue. Chao Shu is the same age as you, 18, but he's younger since you don't know your own birthday. Chao Shu has been staying at home since graduating junior high school. Your Uncle Sun told him to work at the police station, but he won't go; he just loafs around all day. Chaoyue is only 12 and is still in sixth grade; she'll start junior high in the second half of the year."
Walking and chatting, the two soon arrived at a Four-sided Courtyard, a large three-section compound. Entering the courtyard, they found various sheds and cooking stoves set up, making the already not-so-spacious Four-sided Courtyard appear even more crowded.
Aunt Wang's family lived in the middle courtyard, occupying the main house and the two side rooms. One side room was converted into a storage room, and the other was Sun Chaoshu's bedroom. The middle of the main house served as the living room and kitchen, the east side was Aunt Wang and Uncle Sun's room, and the west side was Sun Chaoyue's room.
When Aunt Wang arrived home, no one else was there.
Uncle Sun had a lot of work at the police station and usually didn't come home for lunch; he ate at the station.
Chaoyue ate lunch at school, always bringing her own rice and dishes.
According to Aunt Wang, Sun Chaoshu was probably out loafing with his shady friends and wouldn't show up until dark.
"Xiao Ye, you must be hungry. Aunt Wang will make food right away. You sit and wait, it'll be ready soon."
With that, Aunt Wang went to the kitchen to start cooking. Ye Hao didn't stay idle; he went to help Aunt Wang start the fire.
"It's just the two of us for lunch, so I'll make a noodle soup. It's quicker, and I didn't buy any vegetables today. When Aunt Wang gets off work tonight, I'll buy some meat to make dumplings for you."
"Aunt Wang, there's no need to go to such trouble. I've been begging for a living since I was young; being able to eat my fill is already a luxury. Aunt Wang can just make anything."
"No, that won't do. Today is, in a way, your new beginning, so you should eat something good. Don't worry about it, I'll go buy it this afternoon."
Seeing Aunt Wang's insistence, Ye Hao no longer acted coy and let Aunt Wang have her way.
Soon, Aunt Wang finished cooking and even added a fried egg to Ye Hao's bowl, while she herself had none.
Seeing this, Ye Hao felt very uneasy...