Chapter 36: Grain Distribution

As the end of the workday approached, the village was about to distribute grain, and everyone needed to prepare.

Liu Yinyin was both excited and curious. She barely finished her dinner before pulling Gu Cheng along to the grain-drying yard, where the distribution would take place.

The drying yard was crowded. At this moment, no one was in the mood for dinner—they were all waiting anxiously.

After a year of hard work, the grain distribution was the most thrilling moment, and the entire yard was filled with laughter and chatter.

“Dad.” Liu Yinyin spotted Liu Laifu and quickly walked over to him.

Liu Laifu glanced at his daughter and son-in-law, nodding before asking, “Did you bring sacks?”

Once the grain was allocated, they had to pack it themselves and haul it home.

“We did,” Gu Cheng replied, having brought a cart as well.

Liu Changquan arrived early and wasted no time. He took out a ledger and began verifying each household’s work points before distributing both money and grain.

That’s right—villagers earned wages for their labor, though the pay was minimal. The majority of their earnings came in the form of grain.

The grain distribution process was simple. Rice, wheat, and other grains were handed out with their husks intact, and even corn was given out with the cobs.

After all, in times of food scarcity, nothing could go to waste—not even grain husks.

At first, Liu Yinyin was excited, but her enthusiasm soon waned.

She was more than eight months pregnant, and at this stage, she couldn’t sit or stand for too long without feeling uncomfortable.

After waiting for a long time without her family’s turn coming up, she decided to find a spot to sit, leaving Gu Cheng to handle the grain collection alone.

Coincidentally, another pregnant woman was seated nearby. Her belly looked about the same size as Liu Yinyin’s, and Liu Yinyin recognized her.

It was Yang Guizhi, the wife of Liu Ergou from the far end of the village. Their houses were relatively close, though Liu Yinyin didn’t interact much with the villagers, so they weren’t particularly familiar.

Yang Guizhi was pregnant with her second child and already had a three-year-old daughter, so she had some experience.

She glanced at Liu Yinyin’s belly and smiled. “Judging by the shape of your belly, I’d say it’s probably a boy.”

Jiang Cuihua had said the same thing before. Liu Yinyin simply responded, “A boy or a girl, it doesn’t matter.”

Yang Guizhi placed a hand on her own belly, a trace of worry flashing across her eyes. “That’s true. Since it’s your first child, it doesn’t matter. But for me…”

She already had a daughter, and if this child turned out to be another girl, she personally wouldn’t mind—after all, boys and girls were both her flesh and blood.

But her mother-in-law…

Yang Guizhi let out a bitter smile. If she had another girl, her mother-in-law would surely curse her endlessly.

In the countryside, a woman who couldn’t give birth to a son would be looked down upon wherever she went.

In more severe cases, she might even be kicked out by her husband’s family.

Liu Yinyin couldn’t understand the deep-rooted preference for sons over daughters in this era. Changing the subject, she asked, “Sister Guizhi, how much longer until your due date?”

Yang Guizhi snapped out of her thoughts and replied, “A little over two months.”

Liu Yinyin smiled. “Then we’re about the same.”

Perhaps because their due dates were close, Liu Yinyin felt a desire to befriend Yang Guizhi. Since their houses were near each other, their children might even grow up playing together.

Speaking from experience, Yang Guizhi advised, “Since this is your first pregnancy, you might give birth earlier than expected.”

“Really?” Liu Yinyin asked curiously. It was her first time having a child, so she didn’t know much.

“Yes,” Yang Guizhi confirmed. “When I had my eldest daughter, I delivered more than ten days early. Also, first births are usually more difficult. I was in labor for a whole day and night before she was finally born.”

She sighed at the memory.

Back then, the pain was unbearable, but because she had given birth to a daughter, her mother-in-law didn’t even give her a single egg to eat.

She hadn’t even finished her postpartum recovery before being forced back to work.

Being a daughter-in-law was truly not easy. Yang Guizhi herself didn’t even know how she managed to endure it back then.

Liu Yinyin found the whole thing quite terrifying. Medical technology was still underdeveloped at this time, and women in the countryside typically gave birth with the help of local midwives.

Coming from the modern era, Liu Yinyin couldn’t accept such a crude and outdated way of giving birth.

She definitely wanted to deliver her child in a hospital, but she didn’t openly express this thought.

After chatting for a while, Gu Cheng arrived, pulling a cart behind him.

Several sacks of grain were stacked on the cart.

To be honest, she felt a bit embarrassed. She had noticed that other households were hauling back fully loaded carts of grain.

Looking around the entire village, it seemed like her family had received the least amount of grain.

But… Liu Yinyin didn’t mind or care. Having received less grain had its benefits—after all, she had her golden finger system and the strong backing of Gu Cheng. Their family would never go hungry.

Besides, with next year’s harvest expected to be poor, she wasn’t too keen on sharing grain with the rest of the village anyway.

With that thought, Liu Yinyin stood up and asked, “Is everything sorted?”

Gu Cheng replied with a meaningful tone, “Yes, that’s all the grain there is.”

His tone sounded odd. Liu Yinyin shot him a sidelong glance and snorted, “What? Do you think it’s too little?”

So what if they had worked fewer shifts? Honestly, if she hadn’t unexpectedly gotten pregnant with his child, she could have earned way more work points.

Still, if it hadn’t been for Gu Cheng helping out during the autumn harvest, she would have received even less grain… That thought made her feel a little guilty.

“No, you did great,” Gu Cheng said, pressing his lips together to suppress a smile. The truth was, if he hadn’t returned, he had no idea how this mother and child would have survived on such a small amount of grain.

“Guizhi, I’ll head home now,” Liu Yinyin called out.

“…Alright,” Yang Guizhi responded softly.

She watched the young couple walk away together, side by side. The man was handsome, the woman beautiful. She had no idea what they were talking about, but they both had smiles on their faces. Liu Yinyin even reached out to hold onto Gu Cheng’s arm.

They looked like a perfect match.

Most rural couples were conservative, and it was rare to see such displays of affection.

Living as just the two of them, without in-laws meddling in their affairs… It was actually quite enviable.

Night had fallen, and Liu Yinyin, afraid of tripping in the dark, held onto Gu Cheng’s arm for support.

They chatted idly as they walked.

Perhaps influenced by her conversation with Yang Guizhi earlier, Liu Yinyin suddenly asked, “Do you prefer a boy or a girl?”

Gu Cheng had grown up in this era, so she wasn’t sure if he harbored the same old-fashioned beliefs as other men.

Things like… how a son was necessary to carry on the family name, to ensure the continuation of the bloodline—

As if they were some kind of royal family with a throne to inherit.

Gu Cheng glanced at her belly, his voice softening. “I like both boys and girls.”

“Really?” Liu Yinyin pressed.

Gu Cheng answered seriously, “Really. I swear on my honor as a soldier—whether you give birth to a boy or a girl, I will love them all the same.”

That was a weighty promise.

Liu Yinyin’s lips curled into a smile. “Alright, I believe you. I’m sure you’ll be a great father.”

Based on how he had been acting all this time, it was clear that Gu Cheng genuinely cared about this child.