Chapter 48
◎Grain Crisis◎
Tangtang’s face turned pale with shock. If she had known there was so much money and grain coupons inside, she definitely wouldn’t have accepted it.
Yu Juanfang looked at the large sum of money, which was probably several hundred yuan, and was also at a loss. “This…”
In the end, it was Su Juesheng who made the decision. “Since Shunian gave this money to Tangtang, there must be a reason for it. Let’s not think about it too much for now. The most urgent thing is to buy grain! Dad, while it’s still dark, you take Juesheng to the county town. Juexiao and I will go to the communes around the county town. We’ll split up and collect grain. Regardless of the price, coarse grain or fine grain, if there’s grain, we’ll buy it. We’ll buy as much as we can! If we’re any later, we won’t be able to buy any grain even if we have money and grain coupons!”
“After we’ve collected the grain, we’ll find a hidden place to store it first, and then find a way to transport it back when it’s dark! If anyone asks what we’re doing, just say we’re visiting relatives in another county.”
“Mom, Tangtang, you stay at home. When it’s light tomorrow, you should first go and inform Grandma and Grandma’s family, tell them to go and buy grain immediately. Then, after half an hour, go to the brigade committee to find Uncle Baocai and ask him to inform the villagers to prepare in advance! In any case, our production team only planted half of the new grain seeds, so the situation is not the worst…”
“The grain station opens at eight in the morning. Among the stack of coupons Shunian left, there are a hundred catties of national grain coupons, plus our family’s fifty catties of grain coupons. After you come back from the brigade committee, Mom, you and Tangtang will go and queue up to exchange all these grain coupons for grain. One hundred and fifty catties, this amount is not too conspicuous!”
“Do you all remember?” In dealing with the grain crisis, Su Juesheng had completely become the backbone of this family.
Su Huimin quickly said, “We’ll all listen to your big brother!”
“We remember!”
“We remember!”
The four Su family father and sons left home under the cover of night, leaving only Yu Juanfang and Tangtang, the mother and daughter, at home.
Yu Juanfang counted the grain at home. It was probably enough for a month. Her heart felt as if it were being pressed by a large stone. She comfortingly stroked Tangtang’s braid. “Let’s eat first.”
Before the father and sons left, Yu Juanfang had packed all the dry rations at home for them. She was in no mood to cook. There were still two leftover cornmeal buns from the morning on the table. She heated them up a little, took out the pickled vegetables she had made a few days ago, and ate them just like that.
It was past mealtime, and they were already starving. Tangtang took a bite of the bun, and her chopsticks stopped moving. She was clearly distracted.
“Is it not to your liking? I’ll make something delicious for you tomorrow…”
Tangtang came back to her senses. “I was thinking, if Dad and my brothers buy back the grain, where will they put it?”
This question of Tangtang’s hit the key point. That’s right, they couldn’t just pile it up in the house, right? Wouldn’t everyone know that their family had grain then? Yu Juanfang paused. She looked around the room, looking for a place to store the grain.
“Mom, let’s dismantle the kang in our house. We can make an opening, fill it with grain, and then put the bricks back. That way, even if guests come, no one will notice.”
“Gently, don’t make any noise and attract attention.”
The mother and daughter found a hoe from the small shed where the farm tools were stored. They wedged the hoe into the crack of the kang‘s edge. The smell of rust mixed with the old wheat straw ash rushed into their nasal passages. With a click, half a green brick began to loosen. Tangtang used an iron spoon to scrape the mud from the crack of the brick.
They didn’t dare to make too much noise and could only dismantle it slowly. By the time the mother and daughter had made an opening large enough to stuff the grain in, it was already past ten at night.
Yu Juanfang was worried about Su Huimin and her sons. She didn’t know if they could buy any grain. What if they were caught? What if the money was stolen by robbers? Her heart was in a turmoil, but she still didn’t forget to tell Tangtang to go to sleep.
Tangtang pursed her lips and looked at the burnt-black lamp wick. Her mother was probably planning to stay up all night. “Mom, I can’t sleep. Can you sleep with me?”
“Mom… I’ve never slept with you before.” Although their family had slept on the same kang before the family was divided, Tangtang had always slept alone at the end of the kang. When she first came to the Su family, her relationship with Yu Juanfang was not very close.
Yu Juanfang thought for a moment. “Alright.”
She took off her outer clothes and lay down on the small bed with Tangtang.
Yu Juanfang had a pleasant fragrance, like that of soap beans. Tangtang was not asleep. She lay with her eyes open, looking at the unburnt lamp wick. “Mom, Dad and my brothers will definitely be able to buy back the grain smoothly.”
Yu Juanfang didn’t speak for a long time. She was already in her forties. Since she was young, she had experienced countless famines. She knew how painful it was to go hungry in a year of famine. She didn’t want her own children to suffer from hunger and cold. She hoped that everything would go smoothly this time.
After a long while, she reached out and patted the child’s shoulder, saying softly, “Go to sleep.”
…
“Cock-a-doodle-doo—” Yu Juanfang was woken up by the crowing of the big rooster in the courtyard. She woke up from a deep sleep, feeling a little top-heavy. She didn’t have time to sit down and rest for a while. She got up, put on her outer shirt, and also woke up Tangtang on the bed.
As Su Juesheng had said last night, one of them went to Wangxiang Village to inform the Yu family, and the other went back to the old Su family’s house to inform Old Madam Zhu and the others.
The morning mist was still thick. The Yu family were basically all still asleep. Yu Yahong took an old pumpkin from the vegetable basket and was about to cut it up to make congee. After eating, she would go to work. Just then, she saw Yu Juanfang walk in with an anxious expression.
“Third Sister-in-law, why are you here so early? Have you had breakfast?”
Yu Juanfang’s heart was pounding. She had no time for extra pleasantries. “Second Sister-in-law, I have something very important to tell you. Go and wake up Second Brother and Shuanfu and the others right now. Take all the money you have at home and go to the county town to buy grain. That new grain seed with a tenfold yield is fake! It’s all empty wheat husks, with no wheat kernels inside! In a little while, everyone will know. If you’re any later, it will be too late!”
Yu Yahong’s kitchen knife fell onto the cutting board with a clang, and the blade made a white mark on the wood. After so many years as sisters-in-law, she knew that Yu Juanfang would not joke about such an important matter. She gritted her teeth, went into the room to wake up the second son, Su, and then rummaged through the chests and cabinets to gather all the money at home. “Don’t sleep anymore!”
The second son, Su, and his sons quickly realized the seriousness of the matter.
Hearing this news, Old Madam Zhu took out a portion of her private savings and had the fourth son, Su, and Chaisheng go to buy grain. “Try to buy coarse grain! Buy as much as you can!”
“What? Empty wheat husks?!” Zhang Guixiang, who was up early, heard this clearly. She sneered. “Who doesn’t know that the new grain seed is good? The wheat seedlings are thick and tall, and the ears of wheat are large and full. It’s almost time to harvest the wheat. When the tenfold yield of grain is harvested, everyone will be eating white flour buns until they burp. I think you don’t want everyone to live a good life and are deliberately making up these lies to fool everyone!”
“You were unwilling to plant the new grain seed when we had the meeting. You eat white flour buns yourselves, but you can’t bear to see others build new houses and eat white flour buns like you! I think you’re just full and have nothing better to do! The whole village has been looking forward to a good harvest, but you, you come here to spread bad luck! How did our old Yu family produce a troublemaker like your third branch, trying to ruin everyone’s good life!”
“Make yourself clear!” Zhang Guixiang was making a scene.
“Believe it or not!” Yu Juanfang sneered and squeezed out these words through gritted teeth. She had no time to deal with her now.
How could there be such a foolish person in this world.
Yu Juanfang left the old Su family’s courtyard. Tiedan saw his mother’s dark face. “Mom, Second Uncle and Fourth Uncle have all gone to buy grain. Should we go and buy grain too?”
“Buy what!” Zhang Guixiang felt a tightness in her chest. This third sister-in-law had come early in the morning to find trouble. She would not fall for this trick. “The wheat is about to ripen. We’ll be able to eat white flour buns made from the new grain soon. Whoever wants to buy high-priced grain can go and buy it!”
…
“Uncle Baocai!” Tangtang had run to Wangxiang Village in the morning. After returning from the old Yu family’s house, she ran all the way to the brigade leader Su Baocai’s house, almost out of breath. Seeing this, Su Baocai had a kind smile on his face. “It’s Tangtang. What’s the matter? Have you had breakfast? Sit down and have a bowl of water and tell me slowly.”
As he spoke, he poured a bowl of water and handed it to Tangtang.
“You… you have to find a way to inform everyone to go and buy grain! That grain seed that can increase the yield tenfold is fake… It’s all empty husks inside, with no wheat kernels at all!” Tangtang said everything she had to say in one breath.
With a clang, the water bowl in Su Baocai’s hand fell heavily on the floor. The porcelain pieces scattered, and the clear water splashed onto his trouser legs. Su Baocai’s calloused hands gripped the edge of the table tightly, his eyes bloodshot, his nails turning white as if they were about to be embedded in the wooden table.
Su Baocai’s hands and feet trembled as he walked towards the wheat field. He hunched over, feeling as if his heart was in his throat. A villager who was going to work was carrying a hoe on his shoulder and greeted him enthusiastically, “Captain, have you eaten?”
Su Baocai was in no mood for pleasantries and just mumbled an “mhm,” his steps becoming more and more hurried.
The villager carrying the hoe looked at his hastily departing back and couldn’t help but scratch his head, muttering, “What’s wrong with him today? His face is uglier than the bottom of a pot.”
“Baocai, have you had breakfast?” A few old men were sitting under the shade of the elm tree at the village entrance. This place was the village’s gossip center. This group of old men and women were no longer able to work. They were usually bored at home, so they would gather at the village entrance to rub hemp ropes and chat to pass the time.
Perhaps because it was only a few days before the wheat harvest, and everyone would be able to eat white flour buns made from the new grain, the village was filled with a festive atmosphere.
Su Baocai’s smile was uglier than a cry. “I’ve eaten!”
The dirt road to the wheat field was bumpy. Su Baocai almost tripped over a stone several times.
In the distance, the waves of wheat rose and fell with the wind. From a distance, the ears of wheat were plump and full, a very pleasing sight. If he hadn’t seen with his own eyes the empty wheat husks in Tangtang’s palm, he would never have believed that there was no grain in such good ears of wheat!
Su Baocai stumbled into the wheat field, grabbed a handful of wheat ears with trembling hands, rubbed them, and then opened his palm. The wheat husks fell, and it was empty inside.
He didn’t believe it and grabbed another handful. It was still empty. He went to another place and grabbed another handful of wheat ears. It was also empty!
“Damn it…” Su Baocai collapsed on the field ridge, his hands clutching his hair tightly. The cloudy sweat flowed into his mouth, salty and bitter.
Even if there was still half of the wheat, after paying the public grain, the rest would probably not even be enough for seeds! How much could be distributed to the commune members? A terrible famine was about to come…
“It’s over, it’s all over…”