Chapter 82
◎Brother Shunian, You’re Really My Real Brother◎
On the third day, Tangtang’s illness was gone. The hospitalization fee was fifty cents a day, the injection and medicine fee was two yuan, and the consultation fee was fifty cents a day. She stayed in the hospital for two days and spent a total of five yuan.
At the end of January, after Tangtang and the others finished their final exams, Capital University began its winter vacation. The sky was gray, and fine snowflakes were constantly falling. Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, the trees on the street were all hung with bright red lanterns, and new banners were hung everywhere. The words printed on them were things like, “Happily celebrate the New Year, write a new chapter of reform and opening up,” and “Study diligently, serve the motherland, and welcome the four modernizations.” The atmosphere of the New Year was very strong.
Zhou Shunian saw the brother and sister off at the train station. “These are two hard sleeper tickets that I asked someone to buy. You two be careful on your way home.”
“Sleeper tickets? Brother Shunian, you’re really my real brother! No, even closer than a real brother!” Su Juesheng hadn’t expected Zhou Shunian to actually get hard sleeper tickets. His eyes lit up with excitement. These hard sleeper tickets were so much more comfortable than hard seat tickets!
When they came to the capital at the beginning of the year, because of Tangtang’s bravery, they had been given a sleeper car as an exception. The sleeper car on the train was so much more comfortable than the hard seats. The hard seat carriage was crowded with people, noisy and crowded, with luggage piled everywhere. It was difficult to even walk through the aisle. The sleeper car was not only clean, bright, and quiet, but you could also lie down and rest, without having to be cooped up in a seat for more than twenty hours!
Zhou Shunian’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “Be careful on the road. Arrive home safely, you know?”
“Mhm, Brother Shunian, we know.”
There was still some time before the train departed. A vendor had set up a stall on the platform to sell food. A large pot of glutinous corn was in an aluminum pot, and the fragrance of the cooked corn kept wafting towards them. “Tangtang, Brother Shunian, there’s still some time before the train arrives. I’ll go and buy something to eat.”
After saying that, Su Juesheng walked towards the small stall, leaving Zhou Shunian and Tangtang alone.
There were many people at the station, and the two of them were too embarrassed to hold hands or hug in public. They just stood there and talked.
They had already confirmed their relationship and had become a couple. It was just that their current status was still students, so they had decided to keep it a secret for the time being.
Zhou Shunian looked at Tangtang. She was wearing a dark blue coat, with a cream-colored scarf around her neck and thick woolen gloves. Her eyes were filled with a sparkling smile. A few stray hairs were blown across her cheeks by the cold wind, and her lips were as red as cherries.
“Brother Shunian, when are you going home?” Tangtang asked. It was less than ten days until the New Year of 1979.
“In a few more days. After the New Year, I’ll go to your house to see you.”
“Alright.” Tangtang’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “Then I’ll wait for you at home.”
Taking advantage of the fact that Su Juesheng had not yet returned from a distance, Zhou Shunian stuffed a square gift box into her hand.
“What is this?” Tangtang asked. The box was still warm.
“A New Year’s gift.”
Hearing this, she curiously opened the box. Inside lay an exquisite and delicate Shanghai brand ladies’ mechanical watch. The watch face was light purple, inlaid with sparkling small diamonds. The case was made of a very thin stainless steel, looking very delicate and elegant, extremely beautiful.
Tangtang liked it very much in her heart, but she still couldn’t help but say, “This must be very, very expensive.”
Although it was also a tool for telling time, because of the portability and decorative nature of a watch, the price was much more expensive than a clock.
In the year the college entrance examination was restored, her parents had bought each of them an electronic watch at the county department store for their convenience in reviewing and taking the exam. But electronic watches were not as durable as mechanical watches. They were square and clunky, and the time was always half a minute slow. Once, she had almost missed the time for an experiment, so Tangtang had slowly put it aside.
Tangtang remembered that the electronic watch her parents had bought her had cost twenty yuan. The one Zhou Shunian had given her was probably several times more expensive.
“I asked a friend to get it from the Shanghai watch factory. I only paid the cost price.” Zhou Shunian coughed lightly and took out another box from his pocket. “I was afraid it would be inconvenient for you to wear it out, and that Uncle Su and Auntie Yu would ask about the origin of your watch, so I also bought one for Juesheng. If they ask, you can just say that I gave it to you.”
“Tangtang, don’t feel burdened. We are a couple now. You are a girl, and I am older than you. You have to bear much more than me by being with me. It’s only right that I’m good to you.” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but ruffle Tangtang’s head with his hand.
Tangtang looked at the heavy watch. She hadn’t expected Zhou Shunian to say such a thing to her. In that case, what was there for her to be burdened about? She accepted the watch. “Alright.”
The snowflakes from outside blew into the platform. The stray hairs on her forehead were blown by the wind, making his heart itch. After a moment, he couldn’t help but let out a low laugh. “Happy New Year.”
Tangtang buried her head in her scarf, her ears a little red. She said in a low voice, “Brother Shunian, Happy New Year.”
Su Juesheng had bought two ears of corn, five tea eggs, and a bag of steamed buns. He came over with a large pile of hot food.
Seeing the watch that Zhou Shunian had given him, Su Juesheng quickly pushed it away. “Bro… Brother Shunian, this is too valuable!”
“Take it. I also gave one to Tangtang. She’s already accepted hers.”
“Brother Juesheng, this is a New Year’s gift from Brother Shunian to us. You should just accept it,” Tangtang also said.
After some back and forth, Su Juesheng still accepted the watch. Before getting on the train, he was almost moved to tears. “Brother Shunian, you’re really my real brother!”
…
Tangtang and her brother returned to Yuhuai Village before the Spring Festival.
As soon as they returned, they ran into the most chaotic time in the production team—the countryside was going to implement the production responsibility system! In an instant, the entire Yuhuai Village was in a state of excited chaos. The document issued by the county originally stated that it was up to the production brigade to decide whether to implement the responsibility system. But except for a small number of groups, like Zhang Guixiang and Zhao Goudan, who opposed it, the majority of people unanimously decided to implement the production responsibility system!
“Let’s do it! Our village will implement the production responsibility system!”
Everyone was too eager to get rid of the root of poverty of “eating from the big pot”! They were tired of being poor and hungry. Last year, during the flood, the strong laborers had worked themselves to death to clear the mud, while the lazy ones had squatted on the field ridges smoking their pipes. At the end of the year, when the dividends were distributed, the numbers on the work point books were all about the same!
To hold the land in their own hands, after paying the state’s share and leaving enough for the collective, the rest was their own. Wasn’t that better than slacking off in the production team and having the whole family go hungry all year round?! Which family didn’t want to go all out on their own allocated land?!
The slogan “household responsibility system, self-sufficiency” was shouted to the heavens. The commune specially sent cadres down to divide the production team’s land, livestock, and farm tools into three grades: upper, middle, and lower, and to distribute them according to the number of households, labor, and population, implementing a household-based accounting system.
While the cadres who were helping to implement the production responsibility system were calculating the land, the villagers were watching eagerly on the side. After a few busy days, they finally classified and graded the production team’s land, livestock, and farm tools. The next morning, everyone went to the brigade committee to draw paper lots. Whichever piece of land they drew was theirs.
Logically, the area was the same, but everyone was an old farmer for generations. They had been working the land for decades, and everyone knew in their hearts that some wheat fields were more fertile. They didn’t need much fertilizer and care to produce a high yield, and the ears of wheat that grew were large and full. Some wheat fields were more barren. They might have put in a lot of effort all year round and not spared any fertilizer, but the yield just wouldn’t increase.
On this night, basically every household was praying to their ancestors, hoping to draw a good piece of land the next day.
When Tangtang was at school, she had already known that many places were implementing the production responsibility system. The production responsibility system was indeed the correct policy for the current environment. But she hadn’t expected the spring breeze of the production responsibility system to blow to Yuhuai Village so quickly. She heard that the strong promoter of the responsibility system this time was Uncle Zhou Tingchang, who had already been promoted to the commissioner of the Xiangyang Municipal Party Committee Administrative Office.
The next morning, at the crack of dawn, the air was very cold. Tangtang was wearing a cotton coat and brushing her teeth in the courtyard. Her mother, Yu Juanfang, had already gotten up, and the clattering sound of cooking came from the kitchen.
“Thump, thump, thump—” a knock came from the door.
Tangtang spat out the toothpaste foam in her mouth, wiped her face, and got up to open the door.
The person who had come was Yu Yahong. Tangtang’s eyes widened. “Second Aunt, so early. Are you looking for my mom?”
Even if it was to draw paper lots, that wouldn’t start until eight o’clock. It was only six in the morning now. Even if she was anxious, this was too early.
“No, Tangtang, Second Aunt is looking for you!”
“Looking for me?”
“Tangtang, these are the eggs Second Aunt boiled this morning. You can have them!” A warm smile appeared on Yu Yahong’s face. She stuffed the two freshly boiled eggs into Tangtang’s hands and said eagerly, “Second Aunt thought about it all night and felt that it was not appropriate for anyone to draw this paper lot! When we draw the paper lots this morning, can you help Second Aunt draw this paper lot? Second Aunt thinks that you’ve been lucky since you were a child, and you’re the first in our whole commune to get into Capital University. Your luck must be extraordinary!”
Yu Yahong had figured it out. Since the third branch’s family had adopted Tangtang, their life had been getting better and better. The third brother had gone from a primary school teacher to a commune education specialist, a new house had been built, Juesheng had joined the army and had now been selected for further studies at a military academy, Juexiao had been recruited by the propaganda department of the mine and worked in an office, not exposed to the sun in the summer or the cold in the winter. The two children, Juesheng and Tangtang, were also promising. One had gotten into Capital University, and the other had gotten into Capital University of Transportation. The only family in the whole commune that could produce two university students was the third branch’s family!
For an ordinary family, to have even one such good thing was already a great stroke of luck. But how could the third branch’s family be so lucky as to have all of them?
What was the reason for all this? It must be because of Tangtang. Tangtang was a good child blessed with good fortune. Whoever was good to her would be blessed with good fortune. Wasn’t it because her daughter Wani was close to the third branch that she had gotten into Capital Medical University?
Tangtang was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. “Second Aunt, drawing paper lots is a matter of probability. It’s the same no matter who draws. And the area of land everyone gets is the same.”
Yu Yahong said, “But I just don’t trust my own luck. My heart is in a turmoil, and I haven’t slept all night. Tangtang, just do Second Aunt a favor and draw that paper lot for me. No matter if it’s good or bad, Second Aunt will be grateful to you in her heart.”
Hearing the commotion, Yu Juanfang came out of the kitchen. The mother and daughter looked at each other and couldn’t help but smile.
“Since you’ve said so, then I’ll help you draw this paper lot.”
…
At seven in the morning, the entrance of the brigade committee was already crowded with people. Each household sent one person to draw a paper lot.
Wu Fangmei had obviously not slept well either. Her eyes were dark underneath. She yawned and asked Yu Yahong which person in her family was going to draw the paper lot.
Yu Yahong was not very willing to talk to Wu Fangmei. It was Wu Fangmei who had introduced Song Xiaojun to her, and she was still angry about it. But then she thought that Wu Fangmei probably didn’t know about the dirty business of the old Song family at that time, so she still said faintly, “I’ve already discussed it with Tangtang. I’ll have her draw this paper lot for me.”
“What?” Wu Fangmei’s eyes widened.
Hearing this, Zhang Guixiang couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Second Sister-in-law, what’s wrong with your head? To have Tangtang draw this paper lot for you, don’t you forget what that Su Yandi said? That Tangtang is a reincarnated jinx. If you have her draw the paper lot for you, you’d better be careful that she draws the worst piece of land for you!”
“Eldest Sister-in-law, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m happy to have Tangtang draw the paper lot for me. Even if I get the worst piece of land, I’m still happy!” Yu Yahong said with a fake smile. These sisters-in-law lived in the same courtyard and knew each other’s character. Yu Yahong was too lazy to put on a show for her.
Zhang Guixiang snorted coldly. “Good intentions are treated as donkey’s liver and lungs!”
At eight o’clock, the queue for drawing paper lots began. The paper lots were all in a wooden box covered with a red cloth. There were already many people in front of Tangtang and the others. Some of the people who had drawn a paper lot cheered in surprise, wishing they could jump up on the spot. Others who had drawn a piece of wheat land with poor fertility hung their heads and sighed.
The cripple Li, who was in front of Tangtang, took out a paper lot with a trembling hand. When he opened it, he suddenly grinned, his gapped teeth showing. “It’s the sunny side of the west slope!”
The cripple Li was in tears. His crippled leg jumped on the frozen ground, and he almost fell into a snowdrift. He clutched the paper and stuffed it into his wife’s arms. “We’ll go and turn the soil tomorrow!”
It was finally Tangtang’s turn. She took a deep breath. She was representing their family to draw this paper lot first. She took out a ball of paper from the wooden box. The moment she opened the paper, the surrounding people let out a sound of envy.
“My goodness!”
“This is one of the two best pieces of land in our village!”
“The sunny side of the west slope, a full three mu of irrigated land. The corn cobs planted last year were as thick as a small arm!”
Su Huimin and his wife hadn’t expected Tangtang to be able to draw such a good piece of land. They didn’t react for a long while. They took the paper with trembling hands. After confirming that it was the best piece of land, their eyes burst with great joy. Yu Juanfang’s rough fingers repeatedly caressed the paper, smiling and repeatedly saying, “That’s great, that’s great.”
Seeing her mother happy, Tangtang’s heart was as sweet as if she had eaten candy.
“It’s the second son Su’s family’s turn to draw!” The brigade leader’s tin loudspeaker shook even the snow on the eaves.
After Tangtang had drawn her family’s paper lot, she helped her second aunt, Yu Yahong, draw again.
Everyone couldn’t help but gasp. This luck was too good. The two most fertile pieces of land in the village were both drawn by Tangtang!
Yu Yahong held the paper lot, her grinning mouth almost reaching her ears. “I said it this morning. Our Tangtang has been lucky since she was a child, and she’s the first in our whole commune to get into Capital University. Her luck must be extraordinary!”
Yu Yahong was beaming. “Tangtang, tomorrow, Second Aunt will use the wheat that was just distributed this year to steam a pot of snow-white steamed buns for you, and wrap them in brown sugar. I guarantee they’ll be sweeter than the pastries sold at the commune’s supply and marketing cooperative. I have to reward you well!”
Wu Fangmei was a little regretful. If she had known that Tangtang’s luck was so good, she should have had Tangtang help her draw too. But she had been in front of them in the queue and had already finished drawing. The one she had drawn was a mediocre piece of wheat land—most of the land was like this, with only a few pieces being relatively barren.
Seeing that both the third and second branches had drawn good land, Zhang Guixiang’s heart was filled with a sour taste.
After everyone had drawn their paper lots, they dispersed. Tangtang’s family and the second branch’s family had both drawn good land. They were humming a song as they walked home. Zhang Guixiang was almost at the front of the queue to draw a paper lot. Seeing this, she stomped her foot and chased after them.
Zhang Guixiang came up with a fawning smile. “Tangtang, can you also help Eldest Aunt’s family draw a paper lot?”
Yu Yahong was in a good mood after getting a good piece of land. Remembering what Zhang Guixiang had said in the morning about her being confused, she sneered, “Didn’t Eldest Sister-in-law dislike Tangtang’s luck? You even said she was a jinx just now.”
The smile on Zhang Guixiang’s face froze. The wrinkles at the corners of her mouth looked like a cracked red sweet potato skin in the wind. “Wasn’t that just some nonsense I said in the morning when I wasn’t clear-headed…”
Yu Yahong sneered. “Then who can know if you’re clear-headed or confused now?”
Yu Juanfang sneered. “Eldest Sister-in-law, you should go back and queue up. You said that Tangtang is a reincarnated jinx. It would be bad if she drew the most barren piece of land for you!”
Tangtang also said, “Eldest Aunt, I won’t draw for you.”
Tangtang was unwilling to draw a paper lot for Zhang Guixiang. She could only go back to the queue in embarrassment. But because she had walked away just now, the people in front had all finished drawing. She had to queue up again. By the time it was her turn, there were only a few paper lots left in the wooden box. Zhang Guixiang picked and chose, constantly muttering “Bodhisattva, bless me” in her mouth.
After drawing a paper lot, Zhang Guixiang took a deep breath. She opened the paper lot and saw that the mark on it was clearly one of the worst pieces of land in the production team. Zhang Guixiang felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her head, and she almost fainted from anger!
…
Besides dividing the land among the households, a notice was also issued from above, removing all the class labels. From now on, their children’s school enrollment and recruitment would no longer be affected in any way. The black market was also legalized, and many new and strange goods flooded the market overnight.
On the last day of the lunar year, all the excited chaos finally settled down. Although everyone’s heart was warm and full of energy, wishing they could rush to the newly allocated fields to turn over a few shovels, the most important thing now was still the New Year. In the Chinese dictionary, there was nothing more important than the New Year.