Chapter 32: Got Some Grains

Seeing Zhao Weiguo unexpectedly showing some favour towards her, Zhao Xiulan thought to herself that it’s not bad. Her father finally seemed to have some sense and didn’t foolishly side with Ma Yumei and her daughter.

Zhao Xiulan didn’t expect Zhao Weiguo to treat her and Zhao Xiu Zhu better. She just hoped that Zhao Weiguo would have some basic judgment and not blindly favour Ma Yumei and Li Lijuan as he did before.

Ma Yumei, seeing Zhao Weiguo’s displeased expression, pursed her lips and remained silent.

Zhao Weiguo looked at Zhao Xiulan and smiled, saying, “Xiulan, it’s okay, even if you couldn’t beg for food, it’s fine. Begging for food is indeed not easy. I’m sure your Aunt Mei understands your intentions!”

With that, Zhao Weiguo signalled to Ma Yumei with his eyes.

This time, Zhao Xiulan went to the county town mainly to beg for some grains for Ma Yumei, but Li Lijuan acted unreasonably and criticized Zhao Xiulan instead.

Zhao Weiguo was not a fool; he had his own judgment.

If Zhao Xiulan were really slacking off, she wouldn’t have gone to the county town. Compared to working to earn work points, it might not have been easier!

After all, even adults need to walk for two hours to get to the county town, let alone Zhao Xiulan, who probably spent even more time.

In the past, every time Zhao Weiguo went to the county town, he almost broke his legs from exhaustion.

Compared to going to the county town, Zhao Weiguo preferred staying at the production team to work.

Zhao Xiulan didn’t expect Ma Yumei to understand, after all, she pretended to be ignorant on purpose.

After Zhao Weiguo said this, Zhao Xiulan took out the corn and sorghum flour from her basket and smiled at Zhao Weiguo, “Dad, I managed to beg for some grains in the county town today. There was a kind person who took pity on my thin appearance and gave me some grains. Although not much, it’s enough for two days.”

Zhao Weiguo saw that there were about two catties of corn and two catties of sorghum flour.

Although they were coarse grains, they were excellent in this era.

Nowadays, every grain was precious, not to mention the three or four catties of corn and sorghum flour combined!

Originally, Zhao Weiguo didn’t expect anything, but he didn’t expect Zhao Xiulan to actually beg for some grains in the county town.

Li Lijuan was dumbfounded for a moment when she saw the precious grains that Zhao Xiulan had brought back, feeling quite uncomfortable.

Thinking about how she had just criticized Zhao Xiulan, she felt a sense of humiliation.

Seeing the precious grains, Zhao Weiguo’s eyes lit up with joy and he exclaimed, “Wow, it’s really grains! Xiulan, you actually managed to beg for some grains! Well done! With this sorghum flour, we can make noodles for dinner tonight!

“Since we don’t have much to eat at home, we can make something slightly better for your Aunt Mei.”

Sorghum flour was coarse grain, and the noodles made from it were a bit bitter, not particularly delicious, but they were better than plain cornmeal and easier to fill the stomach than watery rice gruel.

This stuff was a treasure in the countryside.

Ma Yumei had a sullen expression just now, feeling unhappy, but seeing that Zhao Xiulan had managed to beg for some grains and that she would have sorghum noodles to eat tonight, her mood eased slightly.

She hadn’t eaten well for a long time. Although she was taken care of after getting pregnant, the food at home was still scarce, and she hadn’t had a full meal in a day.

She only ate to about seventy or eighty percent full at each meal. Even so, many people in the production brigade couldn’t even dream of it, and many people were so hungry that they were thin as skeletons.

(End of Chapter 32)