This story is about my mother, a tale of her, my grandparents, and her childhood. In the 1970s, even though the Chinese economy was rising, the average salaries in different provinces were extremely different. My grandparents, during the 1970s, gave birth to my mom and my aunt. My grandma and grandpa were both teachers back in that time; however, due to the forest-surrounded province my grandparents lived in, their salary was low and barely enough for food and water. My grandparents' salary couldn't afford many spices like salt, soy sauce, and others; however, hot pepper was a common and well-known plant that grew in their province. Both my grandparents love chili peppers and are immune to the spiciness, and most of the time on our dining table, we would have a spicy, salty dip to dip water-boiled vegetables and the vegetables and meat in soups. This special add-on feels necessary on the dining table but most of the time, I won't dip something in; only my mom and my grandparents dip food in. This tradition was passed down from my grandparents because they could not afford to put salt in every dish; instead, they decided to boil the food without any taste, and then they made dips to add flavors to the food. This decreases the amount of spices they use for each meal; hence, decreasing the cost of each meal. Even now, my mom still makes dips every meal as a flavoring to foods.