Chapter 67: Chapter 66: Buying Grain

By the time it was Xue Yue’s turn, it was almost noon, and the line behind her was still very long.

Mr. He was the village accountant, so he sat to one side, reading out how many work points people had and how much grain they could exchange for.

When he saw Xue Yue, he told her that her work points could be exchanged for over five hundred and fifty pounds of coarse grains.

Since she was the only one in her household who earned work points, and she had taken over a month off before, getting over five hundred and fifty pounds of coarse grains was already a feat. This was only possible because this year’s harvest had been good.

But this amount of grain was nowhere near enough for her and He Lang to last until the next grain distribution.

“Dad, can I buy some grain from the production team?”

Mr. He nodded. “You can, but only after the distribution is finished. You can buy some of whatever is left over then.”

“Okay.”

Xue Yue didn’t ask for any fine grain, because she would get even less if she exchanged for it.

He Zhendong helped her carry the grain back home.

Da Liushu Village had a lot of people, so the grain distribution took the entire day.

By the time He Lang returned in the evening, the distribution was nearly finished.

When they arrived at the production team’s office, they found it wasn’t just them; several of the educated youths were also there to buy grain.

Liu Nana shook Wang Shumin’s arm, gesturing for her to look over.

Wang Shumin turned and saw the two of them enter, her gaze flickering slightly.

Gu Yuwei lowered her eyes as soon as she saw them come in.

Xue Yue and He Lang got in line behind the educated youths. He Lang casually glanced at the youths in front of them. When he saw Wang Shumin, he raised an eyebrow. ’She does look a bit like her.’

Liu Nana whispered to Wang Shumin, “A handsome man and a beautiful woman. They make a perfect couple.”

Wang Shumin nodded slightly in agreement. ’They really are a striking pair. So that’s her husband. They look good together.’

Mr. He asked them, “Third Son, how much are you buying?”

He Lang said, “Two hundred and twenty pounds of potatoes, two hundred and twenty pounds of corn, four hundred and forty pounds of wheat, twenty-two pounds of soybeans, and twenty-two pounds of mung beans.”

He Lang asked for the most wheat. Four hundred and forty pounds of wheat would yield less than three hundred and thirty pounds of flour when milled. Xue Yue was due to give birth early next year, so this amount would likely be just enough. ’If it’s not enough, we’ll figure it out then. With what Xue Yue already got, it should last us until the next grain distribution.’

Mr. He did the math. The grain cost one hundred and four yuan and eighty fen.

Mr. He asked He Lang, “Do you have enough money?”

He Lang nodded, counted out the money, and handed it to his father.

Mr. He counted it twice and then recorded it in the ledger.

He Lang went to the old family house to get a pushcart. He Nan came along to help, and the two of them pushed the grain back home together.

Back at the He Family’s old house, Mr. He returned to find Mrs. He sitting on the edge of the kang with a worried frown.

“What’s wrong now?”

Mrs. He’s face was scrunched up with worry. “Other families are pushing home cart after cart of grain. But what about Second Son’s family? The two of them barely worked any days this year and got less than one hundred and ten pounds of grain combined. I brought it back for them, but Second Son doesn’t care about his household. I thought they should buy more grain, but his wife said she can’t make that decision. What decision is there to make? There’s not enough to eat! If they don’t buy grain now while the production team has some, there won’t be any left to buy when they run out. It’s so frustrating.”

Mr. He took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled. “Let’s wait for Second Son to get back before we discuss it. There’s still grain available for now.” ’There just aren’t many varieties left, so they won’t be able to be picky.’

Mrs. He asked her husband, “How much grain did Third Son and his wife buy?”

“Over a hundred yuan worth.”

Mrs. He was surprised. “That much?”

Mr. He nodded. “Wheat is a bit more expensive. Third Son bought four hundred and forty pounds of it.”

Mrs. He sighed. “He doesn’t know how to manage a household either.”

Mr. He took another puff. “Don’t worry about it. Third Son is capable. Let them eat whatever they want.”

He Ze returned two days later and brought forty yuan with him.

“You’re only buying forty yuan worth of grain? That’s not enough for your family, is it?” Mr. He said, looking at the money He Ze handed him.

He Ze said, “Buying two hundred and twenty pounds of potatoes and three hundred and thirty pounds of corn should be about right. We still have leftover grain from last year at home, and I usually don’t eat there anyway.”

Mrs. He’s mouth twitched. “Not buying any wheat? Are you just going to eat coarse grains?”

He Ze was silent for a moment, then pulled another ten yuan from his pocket. “Then I’ll buy ten yuan worth of wheat.”

Ten yuan could buy about seventy-seven pounds of wheat, which would mill into just over fifty-five pounds of flour.

Mrs. He’s mouth fell open slightly, but in the end, she didn’t try to persuade him further.

He Ze went with Mr. He to buy the grain. Mrs. He was left muttering to herself at home, “Growing boys will eat you out of house and home! With three boys in the family, how can that little bit of grain last until next year? He goes to work and earns money every day, but when it’s time to buy grain, he’s so stingy.” But there was no one around to hear her.

The next morning, Xue Yue was at home alone, reading the newspapers. He Lang bought a wide variety of them, but the best were two publications tucked inside: *Red Guards* and *Children’s Story Magazine*. They were filled with charming, illustrated children’s stories that seemed to come alive, and Xue Yue especially liked them.

Ever since she was little, Xue Yue had loved listening to her mother tell stories and reading storybooks herself. She became so engrossed that she didn’t notice it was nearly noon until she heard a knock at the door.

It was Li Gaihua, and she was carrying a basket.

“Oh, it’s you, Sister Gaihua.”

Li Gaihua said with a smile, “Xue Yue, I came specially to thank you for yesterday.”

Xue Yue waved her hand dismissively. “Sister Gaihua, you and Brother Daqiang have helped me before too. Besides, we’re neighbors. It was just a small thing, no need for thanks.”

Li Gaihua opened her basket. “We didn’t really help much that time before. But yesterday, you were a huge help. This isn’t anything valuable, just some pickled cucumbers I made a few days ago. They’re very refreshing. I brought them for you two to try.”

Xue Yue smiled and nodded. “In that case, I’ll accept them. Sister Gaihua, come on, come inside and sit for a while. I’m home alone.”

“Okay.”

Entering the house, Li Gaihua saw the newspapers on the kang table. “Xue Yue, you read the newspaper?”

Xue Yue chuckled. “It’s just something to pass the time.”

Li Gaihua said enviously, “You must have gone to school then. Unlike me, I’ve never had a single day of schooling.”

Xue Yue folded the newspapers and put them away. “I only studied for a few years myself, just browsing. By the way, did your mother-in-law and the others cause any more trouble yesterday?”

Li Gaihua sneered. “My father-in-law came over last night. He told us to go back to how it was before, giving them eleven pounds of coarse grain every month.”

“And you agreed?” Xue Yue asked.

Li Gaihua sighed. “Yes. We had to. Last night, my father-in-law even brought Da Qiang’s uncle with him. They talked for ages, and everything they said was about being filial to one’s elders. We had no choice but to give it to them like before. I really don’t want to, but I’m afraid of people gossiping behind our backs and our children not being able to hold their heads high.”

Xue Yue pressed her lips together. ’It’s true. In this era, filial piety is a must. No matter how unreasonable the elders are, you can’t just ignore them, or the other villagers wouldn’t allow it.’

Li Gaihua looked around the room with an envious expression, then her gaze fell on Xue Yue’s belly. “When is the baby due?”

Xue Yue said with a smile, “End of January next year.”

“I’m going up the mountain tomorrow to gather pine nuts and hazelnuts. Do you want to come?”

Xue Yue’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”

In this era, rural people didn’t have many snacks. But since they were surrounded by mountains, people would go up to gather things to eat. It was partly to fill their stomachs, but also because in September and October, you could find pine nuts and hazelnuts in the mountains. They were one of the few snacks available, and Xue Yue had almost forgotten about it.

Li Gaihua nodded. “Alright, I’ll call for you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

The pickled cucumbers Li Gaihua brought were delicious—crisp, sour, and spicy. Xue Yue ate a lot of them with her lunch.

He Lang tried them at dinner and nodded repeatedly. “These are really good.”

Xue Yue agreed. “Right? Sister Gaihua brought them. I’ll ask her to teach me how to make them one of these days. We still have cucumbers in the garden, so we can pickle some too.”

He Lang nodded.

The next morning, Xue Yue slung a basket on her back and went up the mountain with Li Gaihua.

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