Chapter 89: Sending Food

After staying at her grandmother’s house for three days and clamming for three days, Geng Lianhua arranged for someone to help take her granddaughter back to her daughter’s place today, as they had relatives coming over.

Before leaving, Wang Qian reminded her grandmother to continue clamming for sea cucumbers to eat during the winter. “Grandma, remember what I said. Come over when you have time.”

Upon arriving home, Zhao Xia came over to visit. Zhang Lan was picking vegetables and listening to the neighbor gossiping about various matters that had occurred recently. “Zhang Lan, haven’t you heard? Your mother-in-law is arranging a marriage for your younger brother. I heard it’s with the daughter of the director of the cooperative. But I don’t know if it will work out.”

This was the first time Zhang Lan had heard this news. Just as she was about to say something, she saw her daughter returning home with a basket by her feet, probably brought by her grandmother.

“Hey, Lan, your Qianqian is back. I should go back and cook.” Zhao Xia was about to climb through the back door when Zhang Lan stopped her. “Don’t rush. Let me see what my mom brought for me. Qianqian, did your grandma bring back any seaweed?”

Wang Qian didn’t dislike Zhao Xia and was happy to give her things. “Yes, she did. We gathered it last night, so it’s fresh.”

Zhang Lan grabbed a bunch of seaweed from the basket and handed it to Zhao Xia. “Sister-in-law, use this to make soup for lunch.”

Zhao Xia didn’t hesitate and thanked her with a smile before quickly jumping back into her house through the open back door. Soon, smoke rose from her kitchen.

“Mom, Grandma made crab paste for our family. Look, there’s a small jar in the basket. Grandma saw that I couldn’t carry so much, so she’ll bring more for us next time.”

Wang Qian sat down and began to chatter about her experiences at her grandmother’s house and who she came back with. Zhang Lan smiled and listened, occasionally interjecting a comment.

“Mom, I gathered quite a bit in my space these past few days. Shall we go and sell that iron piece when we go there next time?”

Wang Qian had been thinking about this for the past few days. The large piece in her space was taking up space, and she wanted to sell it as soon as possible.

Zhang Lan nodded. “Alright, I’ll go with you tomorrow. We’ll also check on grandmother Zuo. Oh, bring out some corn later. We’ll let your dad and the others taste it at lunch. Just say it’s early corn from your grandma’s place. And don’t mention anything about your space to anyone.”

Zhang Lan reiterated her instructions, worried that her young daughter might inadvertently let something slip, which could lead to trouble in the future.

Wang Qian understood the seriousness of the matter and reassured her mother while lying on her warm back. “Mom, don’t worry. I definitely won’t say anything.”

Lying on her mother’s warm back, smelling her unique scent, Wang Qian felt truly content. Having a mother of her own was wonderful. There was no need to fight for her love; it was a complete and unconditional love.

Zhang Lan, with her daughter lying on her back, hugged her and swayed a bit. “Qianqian, do you still have some small fish in your space? Bring a few for me. It’s our turn to send food today.”

Wang Qian didn’t understand the concept of “sending food.” After inquiring, she learned that according to regulations, government workers sent to the area were required to eat at the homes of local residents. During this era, there were no canteens in the production teams, so the practice of sending food was unique to this period. When government officials visited the village, the production team leaders would rotate the responsibility of providing meals to the households. After the meal, the officials were required to pay the households a certain amount of money and food coupons according to the standard regulations.

Determining which household was responsible for providing the meal was a political task that had to be unconditionally fulfilled, regardless of willingness or unwillingness, and no bargaining was allowed. The households chosen were typically those of poor or lower-middle-class farmers. If the household was owned by a landlord or a wealthier farmer, they would not have the opportunity to host such an event. Since the responsibility was rotated, everyone accepted it without complaint. Moreover, ssending food for the officials was not without compensation. The small amount of money and food coupons were considered valuable to rural residents who had no other sources of income.

“Mom, how much money and food coupons do they actually give?”

After understanding the concept of sending food, Wang Qian continued to inquire about the cost-effectiveness of the practice. If a large group of officials came and only received a small amount of money, wouldn’t the household be at a disadvantage?

Observing her daughter’s shrewd and calculating expression, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but smile. She gently tapped her daughter’s forehead. “Silly girl, this is how it is for everyone. It’s an honorable task to host the officials for a meal. Who would worry about such matters? But I heard that a meal is worth two cents and two taels of food coupons. It’s our team’s turn, and we’re the last ones, probably because the team leader considered our poor conditions.”

“Mom, that seems too little. If a lot of people come, it won’t be worth it for us.”

Wang Qian was clearly thinking about the practicalities. If a large group came and they were only given two cents each, she had something to say about that.

Observing her daughter’s shrewd and calculating expression, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but smile. She gently tapped her daughter’s forehead. “Silly girl, it’s two cents per person for one meal. Otherwise, we, the members of the cooperative, wouldn’t be foolish. It’s acceptable for one or two meals, but over time, it becomes unbearable for everyone.”

She nodded in agreement, feeling that it was fair. Otherwise, it would have been a silent loss. “Mom, I’ll go get the fish for you now.”

Wang Qian retrieved a few smaller fish from her space, just enough to make a dish. Zhang Lan also prepared a plate of cold noodles with shredded cucumber and cooked a pot of seaweed soup with some vermicelli. She also fried a batch of pancakes. Lunch was ready.

Wang Zhenhe went to pick up the two comrades from the work team. They had interacted with them before, so they were quite familiar with each other. The three of them chatted and laughed as they entered the Wang family’s home.

Earlier in the morning, the team leader, Liu Changlin, had specifically asked them to be considerate, as the conditions of this household were not particularly good. The two visitors had also learned about the Wang family’s situation from the side, so they felt a bit embarrassed about the wine and cigarettes that Wang Zhenhe had given them last time.

“Comrades, this is my home. The house was just completed recently.”

Upon seeing the guests, Zhang Lan quickly welcomed them. “Comrades, please come in. I have the meal ready.”

Seeing the rural woman in front of them and recalling the team leader’s words, the visitors couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity. It wasn’t easy for someone like her to endure such hardships.

One of the visitors, surnamed Guo, smiled and said, “Sister, we’re really sorry to trouble you today. Please don’t go to any trouble. Something simple will do.”

“No trouble at all. I’m more than happy to have you over for a meal. Please come inside. I’ll get the food ready for you,” Zhang Lan replied.

Wang Zhenhe led the guests into the house, and the two visitors truly understood the meaning behind the team leader’s words. There was only one cabinet and a bench in the house, and no other decent furniture could be seen. The house was simply furnished but very clean, indicating that the hostess was a woman who valued cleanliness.

When the two visitors tasted the meal prepared by Zhang Lan, they were almost speechless with admiration for her cooking skills. “Brother Zhenhe, we feel really embarrassed about what happened last time. Considering the conditions in your home, it’s hard for us to accept the wine you gave us. We feel really bad about it.”

Wang Zhenhe smiled and replied, “Comrades, what are you saying? I can afford to treat you to a couple of bottles of wine. Besides, it’s rare for you to come to our place. Let’s consider it as making friends. When you return to the city, you’ll remember that there’s someone like me here.”

His words greatly pleased the two members of the work team. “Brother Wang, you’re right. Even after we leave, we won’t forget that there’s someone like you here.”

After school, Zhang Lan and her daughters ate at the stove. After the meal, the two visitors offered money and food coupons, but Wang Zhenhe only accepted half the amount. “Brothers, I shouldn’t be taking your money, but to prevent you from making a mistake, I’ll accept half. It’s just a gesture. We’ll be spending a lot of time together in the future. When I catch a wild rabbit, I’ll call you over to share it.”

The two visitors hadn’t eaten meat in a long time, so they were delighted with Wang Zhenhe’s suggestion.

After seeing off the two visitors, Wang Zhenhe handed the money for the meal to Zhang Lan. “Wife, please don’t be angry with me for doing this. I want to build a good relationship with them, so that my father can feel more at ease. Then, we can also prepare some delicious food to send over. There are many skilled individuals there. If we establish good relations, our children can learn some skills from these talented people, which will help them earn a living in the future.”

Wang Qian was surprised by her father’s far-sightedness, but she agreed with his plan. “Mom, Dad is right. Those old folks are all knowledgeable. Whenever my brother and I have free time, we’ll go and spend time with them. We’ll try to get to know them better and learn from them. Having a skill will ensure that we can support ourselves in the future.”

Zhang Lan agreed with her husband’s words. Skilled individuals never have to worry about finding work, so she didn’t oppose her husband’s decision. “Zhenhe, you can make the decisions. As long as you treat the children well, we’ll do our best to support them. We’re living for the sake of our children.”

With the wholehearted support of his wife and children, Wang Zhenhe felt reassured. “Wife, when we catch a rabbit one day, I’ll invite them over for a drink and discuss this matter. Qianqian, go and catch some fish. They cook their own meals at the old master’s place. Improving their meal with some fish will be a good gesture. We need to be prepared on both ends to ensure everyone is happy.”

With everyone on the same page, Wang Qian went out in the afternoon to hunt for rabbits and wild chickens. She found two wild rabbits in the woods by the river. They were quite elusive, but she managed to catch them with the help of her space.