Chapter 112: "Salt and Pepper Grain Bugs":

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Jing Lai quietly took out a large bowl of rice and started eating. She couldn’t help but think of what Jing Shu had said earlier: “Third Aunt, the food hasn’t been great lately. Grandma made a portion for my mom, and she can’t finish it, so I packed some for you too. Otherwise, it’d just go to waste.”

Jing Lai’s eyes moistened a little. Jing Shu, that clever child, had said it that way to protect her dignity, knowing she had a strong sense of pride. Instead of openly giving her food and making her feel embarrassed, she mixed it all together so no one could tell what she was eating, even though Jing Lai knew the meal had been prepared just for her. It was a gesture of true familial care—blood ties always mattered in the end.

“Jing Lai, your family prepared food for you again? You’re so lucky. You get meals provided at work, and you still bring extra from home. Not like me—I have to save half of mine to take home, and my whole paycheck goes toward buying food for my kids,” said someone nearby.

Jing Lai had thought she’d hidden well in the corner, but a few people had still noticed.

“Why does it smell so good? I swear I smell ribs! Let me have a look!” One person with a sharp nose came closer.

“Nothing to see here, just some moldy brown rice,” Jing Lai said calmly, passing her bowl over. In the dim light, it just looked like a clump of dark, unappetizing food.

“It smells too good. I even smell potatoes!”

“You’re probably hallucinating. Even poop smells good when you’re starving.”

Jing Lai quietly swallowed a piece of rib meat, making sure to hide the sesame-topped potatoes under her rice as she ate them all up. “Come on, let’s finish eating. We still have to deal with the grain bugs later.”

Working in the cafeteria was a lucky break—at least you could occasionally eat some white rice. The government strictly controlled grain distribution, and ordinary citizens could only trade work points for meager meals.

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That afternoon, when Jing Shu’s father drove to pick up her mother from work, they decided to stop by Ai Jia Supermarket to collect their water ration.

The 5 tons of water they had traded for earlier had mostly been used for watering plants and feeding the livestock. With the extreme heat, they were down to just 3 tons, and maintaining a cool temperature in the villa required constant ice-making to keep the yard from turning into a suffocating trap. Even the fish in the pond were struggling with the heat. So, no matter how small the ration, they had to collect the government-issued water.

When they arrived at the supermarket, the area was packed with S-shaped lines of people waiting to enter the cafeteria. Everyone’s lips were dry and cracked, but they were excited. The Dragon Boat Festival was being celebrated with a three-day buffet—an all-you-can-eat event, and it had thrilled countless people.

The line for water collection was also long, but additional water stations had been set up, allowing the queue to move faster. After receiving their rations, most people rushed to join the line for the buffet.

A tall wire fence separated the areas, and under the faint light, they could see the cafeteria packed with people.

The government had spared no expense this time, using up all the collected seasonings, and the aroma from the cafeteria was enticing.

From a distance, Jing Shu could see two rows of steaming pots lined up neatly on tables, with someone standing behind each one, shouting:

“Try my Kung Pao grain bugs! Delicious and savory!”

“Stir-fried grain bugs—take as much as you want!”

“Specialty deep-fried grain bugs from Guangdong—come on, take a spoonful. No, wait, two spoonfuls! Eat more!”

The cafeteria staff, known for their stingy servings, were now enthusiastically piling food onto plates.

People who had come excited, expecting at least mushrooms, were dumbfounded when they saw the various maggot dishes. Some pots still had maggots wriggling around, clearly not fully cooked.

In other pots, the maggots had been minced into a paste, looking utterly revolting. Most of the maggots were dirty, uncleaned, and in their natural color, making them appear even more unappetizing.

“This isn’t what I imagined...”

“They call this a buffet? They expect us to eat *this*? Did they pull this out of a toilet?”

“This is disgusting!”

However, some people who hadn’t eaten in days didn’t care. Drawn in by the aroma, they chose a few of the less offensive-looking dishes and began eating.

At that moment, the cafeteria’s loudspeaker came on: “Take only what you can eat. Each person is limited to 30 minutes. If anyone is caught wasting food, report them to receive 2 virtual currency points. The offender will lose 5 virtual currency points, and those with negative balances of -10 or more will be sent for labor reform!”

“To celebrate Dragon Boat Festival, Ai Jia Supermarket will host a three-day grain bug buffet for just 0.5 virtual currency per person. Each day, 10 citizens who eat the most will be awarded 10 virtual currency points.”

“In addition, Ai Jia Supermarket has added a new grain bug recycling station. We will buy grain bugs at 0.5 virtual currency per kilogram. There is no daily limit, so go out and catch as many as you can. Exchange them for water or white rice in this hot weather.”

The days of rejecting muddy water and getting tired of white rice were long gone. After a month or two of starvation, even the thought of eating maggots was becoming acceptable. After hesitating for a few minutes, most people decided to eat.

What choice did they have?

Hungry and thirsty, they couldn’t afford both rice and water. Choosing 2 points for rice meant no water, and choosing more water meant no rice. At this point, 0.5 points were precious. Clothes and bedding had already been traded for food, and even dead people’s belongings had run out. It was either eat or starve to death.

They had to eat to survive.

Some of the cooks, seeing that no one was eating their dishes, took matters into their own hands. One woman grabbed a handful of maggots from her pot and stuffed them into her mouth. “Look! My dish is delicious! Come and try it!” she urged, knowing she’d have to finish it all herself if no one else did.

With the cooks passionately promoting their dishes and serving generous portions, more and more people began to accept the food. But before they could fill up, their 30 minutes were up.

A bald man overseeing the event, watching the chaos and the long lines outside, shouted into the loudspeaker, “Time’s up! Next group, come in!”

“This salt and pepper flavor is actually pretty good!”

Perhaps it was the quality of the ingredients, the aroma of the seasonings, or the skill of the cooking, but the salt and pepper grain bugs became a hit at Ai Jia Supermarket, establishing a good reputation.

Jing Lai’s station had a long line. While other cooks were struggling to finish their first pot, Jing Lai had already emptied seven or eight pots, with people coming back for more.

“I’m out for today. Come back tomorrow!” Jing Lai said, wiping sweat from her forehead, satisfied.

The bald man patted her on the back. “You did great. You’re promoted to group leader. Keep it up!”

...

Jing Shu watched the familiar scene unfold, seeing the same expressions of hesitation, fear, and eventual acceptance in the crowd—expressions she had worn herself in her previous life. But this time, her fate had changed. She would never have to eat maggots again, and that was a great relief.

“Let’s collect our water and head home to make *zongzi*,” Grandma Jing sighed, shaking her head. “Back in the famine years, we went through the same thing. You eat whatever you can to survive.”

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*Author’s note*: Thanks to Jiuliuzi and Wan’an for the tips!