Chapter 102: Each Family Has Its Own Hardships

The situation in Zhao Xia’s family was similar to Zhang Lan’s. They both lived in houses they built themselves, but there were some differences. Zhao Xia’s husband, Liu Tiancheng, had been adopted by his eldest uncle after his biological parents passed away. Unexpectedly, his eldest uncle also passed away, and his grandmother remarried, taking her daughter with her.

After Liu Tiancheng finished his education, his grandmother was no longer able to support him. Helpless and alone, he returned to his biological parents, but in their eyes, the son they had given away was now someone else’s child. They wanted to help, but they had no means to do so, especially with seven other sons waiting to get married. This led to their current situation.

“Ah, Zhao Xia, I’ll give you ten pounds of grain later. You can use it to get through this tough time. Children can’t keep eating this. The harvest season is approaching, so when you have enough grain, you can return it to me,” Zhang Lan said.

Zhang Lan weighed the grain and sent it over to them. The three children were overjoyed to have food to eat.

At that moment, Zhang Lan felt extremely grateful. She felt that fate had blessed her with a precious daughter. Without this child, her family’s situation would have been no better than Zhao Xia’s. Each family had its own hardships.

Zhang Lan returned to the house and shared Zhao Xia’s situation with her husband and children. They couldn’t help but sigh. They considered themselves fortunate to have a good sister who could provide them with food. Otherwise, they would have gone hungry too.

As time passed, autumn arrived, and the fields were covered in a golden hue. With a good year ahead, everyone hoped for a bountiful harvest. This would not only increase the amount of grain each family received, but also raise the bonus money from the commune.

The members of the commune wore joyful smiles on their faces. Even Zhang Lan herself felt a sense of optimism, and Wang Qian hoped for a good harvest this year, not wanting to disappoint the other members of the commune.

In the autumn, everyone gathered on the mountain to start the harvest. If there was another heavy rain, all the crops in the fields would rot. As you looked around, the fields were filled with people, all busy wielding sickles and working in the fields. Ox carts and horse-drawn carts were constantly transporting the harvested crops to the courtyard for drying. Meanwhile, some women used two-pronged forks to toss and turn the grains and wheat.

Zhang Lan’s assigned task was to help dry the grains in the courtyard. Harvesting was physically demanding, and Liu Changlin was concerned about her health, so he assigned her a lighter task.

Once the grains were dried, a mule would drag a stone roller to the courtyard to thresh the grains. Zhang Lan and others used forks to lift the straw, and the clean straw was stored in another place.

After threshing the grains, the rice, sorghum, wheat, and millet would be harvested and brought to the courtyard to repeat the same process over the next few days.

Once the grains were dried, male comrades would come to winnow the grains, using a shovel to toss the grains into the air, allowing the wind to blow away the chaff.

On the mountain, the corn was being harvested, and Zhang Lan and the others finished their work in the courtyard. Everyone had to go to the mountain to help with the corn harvest, and it was a race against time. At this time, it was not easy to leave, and the commune members would generally not leave the mountain until dark.

In the past few days, Wang Qian had been responsible for preparing meals at home. Although she was capable, she is still young, Zhang Lan still reminded her to be careful.

The students from the school were also on break to help with the autumn harvest. The older children helped with the corn harvest, while the younger ones carried small baskets to the fields to pick wheat and grains, ensuring that every grain was collected.

However, children are not always disciplined, and they often got distracted while picking. The adults were used to this behavior. Nevertheless, the children’s joy infected the adults, and the commune members chatted happily about this year’s harvest as they harvested the corn.

The men started harvesting sweet potatoes, potatoes, and taro. The adults pulled out the vines, and the oxen plowed the ridges. The older women led a group of children to pick up the produce, occasionally sneaking a bite of taro. At this time, no one would say anything, as they couldn’t eat much anyway. The children who followed behind were even more daring, openly sneaking bites of the produce.

Eating the fresh and juicy taro was incredibly delicious. Mingcheng, Mingyuan, and Zuo He secretly stuffed some taro into their pockets and ran to the area where Zhang Lan and Wang Xuan were working during the break.

Wang Xuan and Zhang Lan were squatting in front of a pile of corn husks, peeling the corn. “Mom, sis, look what we brought for you.”

The three brothers took out the taro they had hidden in their pockets and handed them to the mother and daughter. Seeing the children’s filial piety, Zhang Lan was pleased and accepted the taro. “Mmm, it’s delicious and crispy. You should have some too.”

Zhang Lan didn’t eat much herself, but she made her eldest daughter sit on the corn husks and eat. She used a handkerchief to wipe the children’s sweat. From a distance, Mingyuan saw his sister carrying a basket and said, “Mom, look, sister is here.”

Wang Qian was worried that her siblings might get hungry on the mountain, so she cooked some potatoes and brought them over, along with a gourd filled with water.

“Sister, over here,” Mingyuan and Zuo He waved to show her their location. Wang Qian quickened her pace and walked over with the basket.

“Brother, are you hungry? I brought some cooked potatoes for you, and they’re still warm. Hurry up and eat,” she said.

The siblings weren’t very hungry after eating the taro, but they were really thirsty at the moment. The large water tank in the field was already empty, as the commune members had drunk all the water. Seeing the gourd brought by their younger sister, the children gathered around to drink the water.

Zhang Lan peeled and ate the potatoes brought by her daughter. They were  delicious, as Wang Xuan had added some seasoning to them.

Feeling hungry herself, Zhang Lan began to eat the warm potatoes. Seeing her enjoying the food, Wang Xuan and the others couldn’t resist and joined in. Onlookers were envious of the family. Zhao Xia and Liu Hui came over, and Zhang Lan invited them to sit down and eat together.

“Third Aunt, I envy your children. Our Xiao Li is only a year older than your daughter, but she’s not as considerate as your children,” Zhao Xia complained while munching on a potato.

Liu Hui chuckled and said, “Sister-in-law, how many children in our family can compare to Aunt’s? I just hope our children don’t cause trouble. We can’t rely on them to help us, so it’s better to save some food. Otherwise, if they accidentally start a fire at home, you’ll be in big trouble.”

“Guys, come over here. We have something delicious,” Xiao Xiang and Xiao Hu waved to them from a distance.

Wang Qian noticed smoke rising behind them and suspected that the children were up to no good.

Zhang Lan let the brothers and sisters  go and play, while she and Zhao Xia continued working after finishing their food.

When Mingcheng and his siblings ran over, they found that Xiao Xiang and the others had started a fire to roast sweet potatoes. Fortunately, it was in a ditch, so not many people could see it, but the smoke was a concern.

“Mingcheng, come over quickly. The sweet potatoes are ready. We saved some for you all,” Xiao Xiang called out to them, eager to share the food before they were discovered, especially by the stern old team leader.

Mingcheng pulled out a few charred sweet potatoes from the fire. Although they didn’t look appealing on the outside, the yellow flesh inside made Wang Xuan’s mouth water. Mingyuan held the hot sweet potato in his hands, reluctant to let go. Once it cooled down a bit, he peeled off the charred skin and took a bite. “It’s delicious and sweet, but it’s a bit hot.”

Seeing her brother’s reaction, Wang Xuan exchanged her cooled sweet potato with his.

“Mingyuan, eat this, sister will cool it for you” Is it hot?”

   She then handed her cooled sweet potato to Zuo He.”Brother Zuo He, you eat this and give me that.”

After finishing the roasted sweet potatoes, Xiao Xiang  and the others covered the fire with soil to prevent any open flames from causing a fire, which would have been dangerous.

After eating, Wang Qian and Mingcheng went to pick taro. When she saw the taro in the field, she felt a strong urge to take some for herself. She reminded herself that it was commune property and she couldn’t take it without permission, but the desire to collect the taro was hard to resist.

Mingcheng and Mingyuan picked some black berries from the field. “Sister, these blackberries are very sweet,” Mingcheng said.

Wang Qian recognized the fruit in her brother’s hand. Her grandmother had given it to her when she was young. Blackberries, also known as Solanum nigrum, were edible but should not be consumed in large quantities.

She and Zuo He each had a little, but she reminded her siblings that the fruit contained toxins and should not be eaten in large amounts. Although they didn’t fully understand what toxins were, they knew from a young age that this fruit should not be eaten in excess.

At lunchtime, the children each filled a cloth bag with taro. As they passed the production team, they took a detour and gave the bags to the elderly members.

Meanwhile, Zuo Zhanshan and the others were cooking. When they saw their grandchildren approaching, they thought something was wrong.

“Grandpa, have some,” Zuo He took out the taro from his pocket and handed it to Zuo Zhanshan.

To be honest, Zuo Zhanshan had been through a lot in his life, and life and death were nothing to him. However, the fact that his grandson had brought him the taro, still warm and moist with sweat, touched him deeply. Although the gift was unassuming, it was a gesture from the heart.

“Mmm, the taro brought by our Zuo He is really delicious and fragrant,” the old man said, looking delighted.

Old Wu, standing nearby, said sourly, “Ah, how come us lonely old folks are being ignored? I’m so unlucky.”

Seeing the reaction, Wang Qian couldn’t help but smile. “Grandpa Wu, don’t worry. We brought the taro specifically for you. Look.”

The four siblings took out the taro from their pockets and gave some to each of the elderly men in the house. Even Old Wu couldn’t help but feel the weight of his years. In the past, he wouldn’t shed a tear even if he shed blood, but today was different. His eyes were moist, and he discreetly wiped them. He cherished the taro given by the children and put it carefully in his pocket.