Chapter 45
◎New Grain Seeds◎
When Yu Juanfang got up in the middle of the night to go to the latrine, she happened to see that the light in Tangtang’s room was still on.
Tangtang’s room had an oil lamp, but the child was usually very sensible. To save lamp oil, she would go to the main hall to read and do her homework, and she usually didn’t light her own lamp, or only for a little while.
“Tangtang, aren’t you going to sleep yet?” Yu Juanfang knocked on the door.
“Mom… hiss, I’m going to sleep now.” Tangtang pricked her finger with a needle. She sucked in a sharp breath, then quickly put away the messy things by her side and hurriedly lay down in her quilt, leaving only her head exposed.
“I’m coming in.” Yu Juanfang pushed the door open and walked in. The smell of burning kerosene in the room was very strong. “What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Why are you still up so late?”
“Mom…” Seeing that she couldn’t hide it, Tangtang could only take out the basket she had stuffed into her quilt. It was filled with a pile of messy shoe insoles and uppers, looking like semi-finished cloth shoes. “I heard that Auntie Wang used to make a living by selling cloth shoes to support Uncle Zhou’s studies when she was young. Last time, when Big Brother went to join the army and our family went to Brother Shunian’s house as guests, Auntie Wang gave Big Brother a dozen pairs of cloth shoes. I think that every time Brother Shunian goes on a long trip, he must have a pair of cloth shoes made by his mother in his luggage.”
“But Auntie Wang is gone, and there is no one who can make a pair of cloth shoes for him anymore.”
The death of a loved one is a lifetime of dampness. Brother Shunian might have to spend a very, very long time to get over the gloom of Auntie Wang’s passing, Tangtang thought.
Her hands were already pricked with several cuts. Making cloth shoes, it seemed simple, but she only realized how difficult it was when she started. Just using a hard steel needle to sew the cotton cloth, which had been brushed with paste, into a sole was laborious and always slippery. If she was not careful, the steel needle would prick her hand, and the pain was so sharp that tears would well up.
Yu Juanfang thought of the dozen pairs of cloth shoes that Wang Chunlan had given her eldest son, Juesheng, before he joined the army, and a regretful sigh sounded in her heart.
Her gaze fell on Tangtang’s hands, which were already covered with several cuts. “When is your Brother Shunian leaving?”
“Auntie Wang’s funeral has been taken care of. He’ll probably be leaving in a couple of days.”
Tangtang thought of something and looked at the woman in front of her with pleading eyes. “Mom, can you teach me how to make cloth shoes?”
She glanced at the shoe soles that Tangtang had cut to the right size but were sewn messily. If this continued, she probably wouldn’t be able to make anything even if she worked on it alone until dawn. “I’ll try.”
Tangtang’s eyes lit up. “Mom, you’re the best!”
…
Yuanlin County didn’t have a train station. To take a train, one had to take two buses to Xiangyang City train station. At seven or eight in the morning, the breakfast stalls at the state-run canteen were steaming, and the water droplets on the leaves had not yet completely dispersed.
On both sides were travelers who were going on a long journey, saying goodbye to their families on the platform. Zhou Shunian had refused his father’s offer to see him off and was standing alone on the platform. His only luggage was a yellow handbag, and his expression looked a little lonely.
“Brother Shunian!” A clear voice sounded in front of the bus station.
Zhou Shunian looked in the direction of the voice and saw Tangtang, with her two pigtails, struggling to squeeze through the crowd towards him. The bangs on her forehead were messy from the wind, but they couldn’t hide the sparkling smile in the young girl’s eyes.
“I finally made it!” Tangtang squeezed through the crowd at the bus station to Zhou Shunian’s side. She took out the pair of cloth shoes she had made from her schoolbag. “I was so worried I wouldn’t make it. I almost ran out of breath… Brother Shunian, these are the cloth shoes I made for you. I wish you a safe journey.”
Zhou Shunian looked at the pair of cloth shoes Tangtang had stuffed into his hands. The stitches were crooked, and the edges were not cut neatly, but the soles were thick, and the dense stitches had been pressed several times. There were several dried blood scabs on Tangtang’s hands, clearly the marks left by being pricked by a steel needle while making the cloth shoes.
Zhou Shunian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He thought he would never receive another pair of cloth shoes again. He was very grateful for the warmth this little sister had given him before his departure. “Thank you, Tangtang.”
He accepted the shoes. Remembering something, he took out a palm-sized kraft paper bag from his handbag. “Here, a gift for you.”
“What is this?”
Tangtang’s eyes widened. She pinched the edge of the paper bag and shook it, but she couldn’t feel what was inside.
Zhou Shunian’s hand covered the back of her hand, stopping her from trying to open it. “This is a mysterious pouch I’m giving you. You can only open it when you encounter difficulties.”
…
Su Huimin had been working at the Hongqi Commune for a long time. Last year, his position was promoted from an ordinary cadre to the head of the education group, and his salary was raised from thirty yuan a month to forty-five yuan a month. After Su Juesheng joined the army, he received a monthly allowance and often sent money home. Tangtang and the others’ lives were much more comfortable than before.
Su Huimin had just returned from a meeting and study session in the city. In the ten minutes before getting on the bus, he went to the shops in the city and brought back gifts for everyone in the family. He brought a blue gauze scarf for his wife, Yu Juanfang, two thick-covered notebooks for Tangtang and Su Juesheng, and a Shanghai-made fountain pen for Juexiao and his niece, Wani. The pen’s ink flowed smoothly without getting stuck, and it felt very substantial in the hand. It was clearly not cheap.
Wani was not there, so Juexiao simply said, “I’ll take it to her now.”
“Alright.”
Su Juesheng couldn’t sit still at home. After receiving the notebook, he went out. Yu Juanfang was still stewing cured pork ribs on the stove, so she also went back to the kitchen to get busy.
Tangtang took out her homework from her schoolbag and started to write. Just then, she saw the production team leader walk in with a worried expression.
The production team leader of Yuhuai Village was surnamed Su, and his name was Su Baocai. He was a taciturn middle-aged man, but he was very methodical and hardworking, and he didn’t care too much about his own gains and losses. In the years he had been the production team leader, he had always kept a tight grip on their production team’s production, and the annual grain output was higher than that of other production teams. His son, Su Zitian, was Tangtang and Juesheng’s primary school classmate.
Tangtang looked up and called out, “Uncle Baocai.”
A smile appeared on Su Baocai’s wrinkled face. “It’s Tangtang. You’re doing your homework. I have something to talk to your dad about.”
“What’s wrong?” Su Huimin put down the newspaper in his hand.
“There’s something I really don’t know how to decide. You’re one of the few educated people in our village, and you also work outside. Maybe you have some insight on this matter.”
Su Baocai said, “A new batch of grain seeds has come out from another county. It’s said that the grain yield can be ten times higher than in previous years. Several communes have introduced this new grain seed, and their harvests have increased several times. This year, several of the surrounding production teams have already bought the new grain seeds and are preparing to go all out for a tenfold harvest next year. Many people in our team are clamoring to follow suit and plant this new grain seed. If the yield is really that high, our lives will definitely be much better. But I always feel that it’s a bit unreliable. I’m just afraid that this new grain seed is not as good as it’s advertised. If something goes wrong, the whole year’s harvest will be ruined.”
“A tenfold yield? Is there such a high-yield grain seed?” Su Huimin was also taken aback to hear this.
He was also a farmer and naturally knew the farmers’ desire for grain. With the promotion of a grain seed that could increase the yield tenfold, whether it was true or not, the villagers would probably not be able to sit still.
“Can it really increase the yield tenfold?” he asked with doubt.
“Not necessarily, but I’ve heard that a three- to five-fold increase is possible.”
Su Huimin carefully recalled the recent newspaper news he had read, trying to find some information about this new grain seed. But he paid more attention to education-related information and less to agricultural information. He really had no impression of it at the moment.
Su Huimin thought for a moment. “Although the advertised yield of this new grain seed is scary, we can’t just listen to what others say. I’ve heard that some grain seeds have strict requirements for planting conditions. The soil, water, and climate here may not be suitable. Just like the new varieties of vegetables we planted in our team before, some of them didn’t grow as well as advertised. We put in a lot of effort, but the results were not satisfactory.”
“I’m not a professional agricultural technician and I haven’t done much research on agriculture, so I can’t be of much help. Or, you said that several of the surrounding production teams have bought this new batch of seeds. Can we wait a year before planting and see what the situation is with the other production teams that have planted it?”
“Uncle Baocai, can’t we divide the production team’s land into two parts, one for the new grain seed and one for the original grain seed?” Tangtang was originally doing her homework. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but look up with a puzzled expression.
Su Baocai sighed. “If only it were that simple.”
…
At seven in the evening, after dinner, Yu Juanfang, Su Huimin, and the others were all called to the village for a collective meeting.
Places with many people were always noisy. Yu Yahong pulled Yu Juanfang aside. “It’s probably about the new grain seed. Third Sister-in-law, what do you think?”
“Our ancestors were all farmers. Generations of people have bent their backs and worked in the fields for a lifetime, shedding so much blood and tears. How could there be such a good thing?” Yu Juanfang didn’t say that after Su Baocai left during the day, Su Huimin had gone through all the newspapers from the past six months and hadn’t found a single piece of news about this new grain seed.
“Hmph, I think you, Third Sister-in-law, are just too stubborn. People have to learn to be flexible in a changing society. All the surrounding production teams have bought the new seeds. If we don’t follow suit, next year we can only watch as they increase their yield and eat white flour buns until they burp, while we stick to this old grain seed and drink thin congee that you can see your reflection in every day!” Zhang Guixiang, who was listening to their conversation nearby, snorted. She couldn’t wait for this new grain seed to be planted. When the harvest was good next year, her family could build a new house, and Tiedan’s marriage would be settled.
Yu Juanfang frowned. “Eldest Sister-in-law, have you seen the grain yield double with your own eyes? What if these seeds are planted and don’t grow any grain?”
“Bad luck! Why are you saying such discouraging things for no reason!” Zhang Guixiang suddenly raised her voice, her saliva flying everywhere. “I think you’re just jealous that your own family is living a good life and you don’t want others to live a good life too! Everyone says this grain seed is a golden nugget, but you have to sing a different tune. What are you up to?!”
Thinking of the good life of the third branch’s family, Zhang Guixiang’s eyes turned red with jealousy. She also wanted to live a good life where she could eat white flour buns every day.
“Quiet, quiet.” Before Su Baocai could start speaking, he heard Zhang Guixiang howling here. He frowned impatiently. “I’ve called everyone here today mainly to talk about this new grain seed.”
“Everyone knows that this wheat is planted in the autumn of this year, survives a winter, and then a spring, and can only be harvested in the summer. During this period, sowing, irrigation, weeding, pest and disease control, and field management, each of these requires a lot of energy and effort from everyone. This crop is the lifeblood of us farmers. If something goes wrong with the grain seed, a whole year’s hard work will be wasted, and everyone will have to go hungry and drink the northwest wind for the next year.”
“I can understand everyone’s feelings about this new grain seed. Who doesn’t want to harvest more grain and live a better life? But this grain seed problem… although this new grain seed is said to be miraculous, none of us have seen with our own eyes what the harvest of the planted grain seed is like.”
“So my idea is, let’s wait a year. This year, we’ll still plant the old grain seed and see what the harvest of the other production teams that have planted the new grain seed is like next year before we make a decision.”
Su Baocai’s words were sincere, and many people were moved.
But some people didn’t buy it and sneered twice. “Wait? Wait until the neighboring village builds brick and tile houses, while we still live in these drafty adobe houses and drink thin soup? Why should we not live a good life of eating white flour buns now, but stick to those cold and hard black sorghum lumps? This golden nugget of a new grain seed that has finally been sent to us, some people are afraid of dropping it, afraid of breaking it. What are they afraid of? Afraid that a good life will burn their mouths?”
“It’s been said in Mao’s selected works that ten thousand years is too short, we must seize the day! By sticking to this old grain seed, we’re like a snail crawling slowly with its shell on its back. When can we catch up with the express train of socialist construction? Be resolute, fear no sacrifice, and surmount every difficulty to win victory! The new grain seed is the fruit of victory right in front of us!”
“Last year, our team ate relief grain. Wasn’t it because the yield couldn’t keep up? Now with this ‘golden seed’ that can yield a thousand catties per mu, it’s a good opportunity to respond to the call to grasp revolution and promote production!”
The person who spoke was named Zhao Goudan, a gaunt and ugly man. Speaking of which, he was somewhat related to Tangtang’s biological father, Wang Shijin. His mother was the cousin of Wang Shijin’s old mother. By seniority, he could even call Wang Shijin “cousin.”
Zhao Goudan had long been dissatisfied with Su Baocai. He felt that he was old and too conservative in his work, with no drive to move forward. How could such a pedantic production team leader lead them to a new life of progress?
As soon as Zhao Goudan said this, several young team members were already incited and their blood was boiling. A clamor of agreement rose in the primary school.
Su Baocai also knew that things had come to this. Tangtang’s words flashed in his mind again. “Perhaps we can try to divide the production team’s land into two parts, half for the new grain seed and half for the new grain seed. No matter what, the risk of the new grain seed exists.”
“Half for the new grain seed and half for the old grain seed?”
Su Baocai’s proposal was supported by some of the relatively conservative old people and women in the village. That way, even if the new seeds didn’t yield any grain, there would still be half of the grain from the old seeds.
Some villagers were still reluctant and complained with dissatisfaction, “Then wouldn’t half of the land in the village be wasted? How much less grain would be harvested…”
Zhao Goudan suddenly sneered, his scrawny chest heaving violently. “Mao’s selected works say not to fight an unprepared battle. Now is the time to concentrate our forces to fight a tough battle. This kind of compromise is clearly the work of old-fashioned thinking! If you’re afraid of taking risks, then don’t be this production team leader!”
“Baocai, let’s just vote. The minority should obey the majority!” Zhang Guixiang could no longer hold back.
“Captain, the production team is not a one-man show. The voice of the masses is the most important!”
The atmosphere in the primary school was tense. Su Baocai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sighed. “Alright then, let’s vote. We’ll vote by a show of hands. Those who agree to plant the new seeds, stand on the left. Those who agree to wait a year and plant the old grain seeds, stand on the right. Those who agree to plant half new grain seeds and half old grain seeds, stand in the middle.”
After considering it, Yu Juanfang still stood in the middle.
She had originally thought that there would be very few people who would choose the middle, but in the end, she found that the group was larger than she had imagined. Some of the middle-aged farmers, old people, and women who hadn’t spoken much all stood in the middle, and they even won over the group that wanted to plant the new grain seeds by a narrow margin—this was the caution and expectation that the farmers had accumulated over half a lifetime of experience.
Zhao Goudan was not satisfied with this result, but the minority had to obey the majority. He couldn’t force the people standing in the middle to stand on the left.
Zhang Guixiang couldn’t do anything either. After all, she was the one who had proposed the idea of voting.
Su Baocai felt as if the rock that had been pressing on his heart had been moved away. A relaxed smile appeared on his face. He immediately made a decision to divide the money for buying grain seeds into two parts, one for the new grain seeds and one for the old grain seeds.