Chapter 34: Grain Distribution

The wedding banquet was completely cleared, leaving only a little soup at the bottom of the dishes.

He Daniu, the host, was so happy he could barely open his eyes. He had gained both face and fortune. In the past, no family in Dafeng Village had ever held such a lively wedding.

There were over twenty dishes per table. Due to the large number of people, Wang Shuning was only seven-tenths full.

On the way back, Zhang Meili still felt unsatisfied. “I didn’t expect so many people. Even at a wedding feast, I couldn’t eat my fill. I won’t go to another wedding feast next time.”

Wang Shuning laughed, “Ten cents for two pieces of meat isn’t a bad deal.”

That evening, Guo Jingyi entered with joy in her eyes. She kept her hands in her pockets, unconsciously rubbing the money inside.

Today’s wedding banquet was a great success. Everyone in the village knew her cooking skills were excellent, and they would definitely seek her out again in the future.

Zhang Meili, who was soaking her feet, heard footsteps and looked up at the door, only to see Guo Jingyi empty-handed. “Didn’t you bring any leftovers back?”

Guo Jingyi turned around and closed the door. “No, everything was eaten, not even a single green onion was left. So He Daniu gave me an extra 50 cents as compensation.”

Zhang Meili slumped back in disappointment. “There were too many guests at the wedding today, I didn’t even eat my fill.”

Guo Jingyi asked, “Did you have dinner?”

Zhang Meili nodded. “I ate the two leftover corn pancakes from this morning.”

“Okay, I had dinner at He Daniu’s, so I don’t need to cook,” Guo Jingyi said. She was tired after a busy day. With so many guests, He Daniu had to pick a lot more vegetables from the field, and he worked harder than usual.

The next morning, Wang Shuning was awakened by the familiar sound of gongs. She opened her eyes, full of sleepiness. “Didn’t they say we weren’t working today? Why is someone beating the gong?”

She got dressed, opened the door, and saw He Zhuzhu with Mingming and Goudan organizing sacks in the yard.

“Aunt Zhu, are we working today?” Wang Shuning asked.

He Zhuzhu turned around and smiled. “No, He Xianfeng just came to announce that we’re distributing grain today, and everyone should bring their things to the village square to queue up.”

Wang Shuning couldn’t help but yawn. “It’s grain distribution. Do we need to go so early? Our work points are there; they won’t run away. It’s okay to go later.”

She returned to her room, locked the door, and took a nap. When she woke up, the sunlight was shining through the gaps in the curtains onto the wall.

“Shuning, why are you just coming now?” Zhang Meili and Guo Jingyi were in the middle of the queue.

“It’s a holiday; I’d rather sleep in. We’ll get the grain sooner or later, and the village won’t cheat us,” Wang Shuning said as she joined the end of the line, wondering how long she would have to wait.

The five educated youths had only arrived in October. Their skills were not yet proficient, and they hadn’t earned many work points.

When it was Wang Shuning’s turn, He Mingliang pointed to the work points recorded in his notebook. “Take a look. If there are no problems, sign and leave your fingerprint in the box below.”

Wang Shuning glanced at it—all minus signs, representing deducted work points. The first few days were three or four points, then slightly better, five or six points. The highest was during the rainy days of the rice harvest, reaching eight points.

Wang Shuning surveyed the grain piled behind the table: rice, sweet potatoes, corn, and sorghum flour. “Uncle Mingliang, can I exchange it all for rice?”

He Haiming, who was standing nearby watching, frowned and reminded her, “You don’t have many work points to begin with. If you exchange it all for rice, you’ll have even less.”

The grain distributed by the village was basically half coarse grain and half fine grain. In reality, villagers rarely ate the rice they received; they usually sold it in town.

Most people sold to the government-run grain station. Although the price was lower than at the supply and marketing cooperative, there was no risk.

Not everyone was willing to risk arrest or confiscation of goods by trading on the black market.

Wang Shuning said, “The corn and sweet potatoes the village distributed when we arrived haven’t been finished yet. I prefer to eat white rice.”

He Haiming wanted to advise her but, considering the actual situation of the educated youths, he turned to He Huiliang and said, “Exchange it all for rice.”

She had been in Dafeng Village for a month, and among the three female educated youths, Wang Shuning looked the healthiest, suggesting she wasn’t short of money.

Wang Shuning carried half a bag of rice away—only forty-eight jin (approximately 29 kg). It would be less after husking.

There were two months left until the New Year. After the grain distribution, Dafeng Village began to announce the start of fieldwork.

Due to the season, the burned fields hadn’t started to grow grass yet. They needed to plant wheat before the New Year, which would be their main harvest in the first half of the following year.

After the seeds were sown, the villagers of Dafeng Village would rest for a while. Before the New Year, the village would slaughter pigs and distribute pork, allowing everyone to have a good year with meat.

The barren rice fields were burned down to only the rice roots. Wang Shuning held her hoe and dug hard, using her right foot on the hoe for leverage. By the end of the day, her arms ached.

Zhang Meili looked at He Chunxi, who was being pulled by a water buffalo on an iron plow. “If only we could do Uncle Chunxi’s work. He does in one morning what we do in three days.”

Aunt Ronghua passed by and overheard Zhang Meili daydreaming. She scoffed, “What are you thinking? The village’s two water buffaloes are treasures. They only work half a day. You can’t even use a hoe properly, and you want to use a buffalo? You’ll plow the embankment over.”

Wang Shuning’s eyes twitched. Aunt Ronghua and Aunt Dajiao had equally sharp tongues.

Zhang Meili retorted, “I don’t know how to plow, but I can learn. I had good grades in school. It’s just plowing; what’s so difficult? Besides, that embankment is so high and wide, it’s not that easy to plow over.”

The embankment near the river was used to defend against floods. Aunt Ronghua’s words were indeed a bit of an exaggeration.

After three days of continuous work, Wang Shuning felt her arms no longer belonged to her. They ached every night, and she didn’t even want to cook. Fortunately, the work was finished. The village officially announced a half-month holiday. After that, they would spend a few more days fertilizing, followed by the pig slaughter for the New Year.

Wang Shuning was carrying a basin of bathwater to pour it out when she bumped into He Zhuzhu, who was walking towards her room.

“Zhiqing Ning, will you be home tomorrow during the holiday?”

Wang Shuning nodded and asked, “Is something the matter?”

She had a half-month holiday and wasn’t in a hurry to go to the county. Her arms and legs ached, and she wanted to rest for a day.

He Zhuzhu said, “The village distributed rice, and many families want to transport it to the county to sell it. Several families have borrowed a cart and will leave tomorrow morning. I have to leave with them tomorrow morning and may not be back until midnight. If you’re not going out, could you watch my children? It’s fine during the day, but I’m worried the children will be scared if I come back late at night.”

Wang Shuning asked in confusion, “Isn’t there a grain station in town? Why go to the county?”

He Zhuzhu explained, “The price of rice per kilogram is one cent higher in the county than in town.”

“I see. Okay, don’t worry tomorrow. I’ll watch your children.”