Chapter 44: One Meal a Day to Get Through

Wang Hongjie jumped off the donkey cart under the old pagoda tree at the village entrance.
Just as he was about to head to the broadcasting room to notify the villagers to collect supplies, he saw a dense crowd running toward him.

Seeing this, Wang Hongjie panicked and quickly stepped in front of everyone, shouting loudly:

“Stop running! Be careful not to spook the donkey!”

All the supplies were on that cart—if anything got ruined, he’d throw this whole bunch out of the village.

The crowd immediately hit the brakes upon hearing that.

Those running in the back hadn’t heard what he said and ended up crashing into the ones in front.

A few people stumbled and fell to the ground.

“What are you all doing? Can’t you be more stable?”
Wang Hongjie frowned at the scene before him.

Standing to the side, Shanya Zi couldn’t help but laugh quietly as he watched their village chief regain his usual authority.

If he hadn’t seen how pitiful their village chief looked during this trip, he might’ve been too intimidated to even speak up.

But of course, he wouldn’t expose him.

“Dad, we were just anxious! Did you sell all the herbs? How much money did we make?”
Wang Qingshan couldn’t hold back and was the first to ask.

“Useless brat. And you think you can take over my role one day?”
Wang Hongjie shot his son a glare.

Wang Qingshan scratched his head awkwardly.

Then Wang Hongjie turned his gaze toward the villagers. For once, his face softened into a warm smile as he stepped aside.

In that moment, all the villagers finally saw the donkey cart overflowing with supplies.

Their eyes widened in disbelief.

“Dad, is that…” Wang Qingshan was so stunned he couldn’t finish his sentence.

“On this trip to the city, we earned a total of 200 yuan. But we spent 5 yuan on transportation and lodging, so we ended up with 195 yuan,”
Wang Hongjie announced in a loud voice, making sure everyone heard.

“What? Two hundred yuan?! We really earned that much?”
The villagers couldn’t believe it.

“Village chief, are you sure you’re not lying to us? Are those sacks on the cart really full of supplies and not just rocks and weeds?”

The joy came too suddenly. Everyone started to doubt it was real.

They’d dreamed this kind of dream too many times—and feared it was just that, a dream.

But Wang Hongjie understood their worries and didn’t blame them. He continued calmly:

“I know everyone’s situation at home is difficult, so I used the rest of the money in the county to buy supplies.
Now, all of you line up in groups. Group leaders come forward to collect your group’s share, then go back and divide it.”

“It’s really supplies? The chief wasn’t lying to us?”
Once people realized they were going to receive the goods on the spot, they finally believed it wasn’t a dream.

“What are we still standing here for? Group leaders, go line up!” someone shouted in excitement.

The quickest to react was already first in line, and the others immediately followed.

“Where’s the scorekeeper? Bring me the work-point log for this period,” Wang Hongjie called out again.

Over the past month, every group had accumulated work points based on how much they completed.

The supplies would be distributed according to those points.

The scorekeeper quickly handed over the ledger to Wang Hongjie.

Right in front of all the villagers, Wang Hongjie and the scorekeeper began calculating the allocation of the supplies.

Since his main goal was to ensure everyone had food to eat, he had bought only items that could fill their stomachs.

Over half of the donkey cart was filled with brown rice—it was cheap and filling.

They also bought a bit of meat, but just enough for each household to have a taste of something savory.

Still, with Wang Hongjie’s careful planning, every household received quite a bit of supplies.

If they saved it carefully and ate only once a day, they could survive the winter.

That day, Wang Hongjie and the villagers distributed supplies until the middle of the night.

But not a single villager complained about being tired or sleepy—everyone’s face was lit up with joy.

It felt even happier than the annual grain distribution.

After all, during regular grain rations, they never got meat or so much food.

Wang Hongjie looked at the smiles on everyone’s faces, and for once, that face—weathered and aged far beyond his years—finally broke into a faint smile.

Usually, people said the village chief always looked worried, as if he were enemies with everyone.

But who really understood?
The fate of over 300 villagers rested entirely on his shoulders—how could he possibly smile?

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That day felt like a festival in Shimatou Village. Su Miaomiao, too, was affected by the villagers’ happiness, her face glowing with a soft smile.

Walking back home with the Huo family, everything felt a bit easier.

Although the Huo family had the fewest members of any team, they earned a good number of work points.

So they also received more supplies.

When they got home, Huo Jianguo handed all the supplies over to Su Miaomiao.

“What’s this for?” Su Miaomiao looked at him, puzzled.

“This is the first time we’ve ever received supplies since coming to Shimatou Village. Before, you always used your dowry to support us.
Now we can finally afford to support you.” Huo Jianguo said firmly.

Su Miaomiao froze.

“That’s right, little sister. This time we got quite a lot—it’s all yours!” Huo Xinyuan added cheerfully.

He could finally fulfill his promise to take care of his little sister.

The rest of the Huo family also looked at her with proud and tender eyes.

Su Miaomiao looked at the pile of supplies in her arms, and suddenly, she smiled.

That smile, under the moonlight, made her already beautiful face appear even more ethereal and otherworldly—

Like a fairy who had just stepped out from the woods.

Even her own family was stunned.

In their hearts, they all thought:

“My daughter is so beautiful.”
“My little sister is so beautiful.”
“My granddaughter is so beautiful.”

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The next day.

Su Miaomiao got up early to prepare breakfast for the Huo family.

Last night, she accepted the supplies they gave her, so today she wanted to properly reward them.

She cooked a pot of white rice porridge, and sliced in some lean meat and green vegetables.

Soon, a fragrant pot of lean meat and veggie congee was ready.

Thinking about how her father and brothers had big appetites and one bowl wouldn’t last long,
she scooped out some flour, cracked in a few eggs, and added diced vegetables.

She heated oil in the pan and made simple, delicious egg pancakes.

The rest of the Huo family were woken by the rich aroma.

Huo Xinyuan was the most eager—he came out of his room without even putting on his shoes.

Seeing Su Miaomiao placing a freshly cooked egg pancake on a plate, his mouth was practically watering.

“Third brother, fresh egg pancakes—want to try one?” Su Miaomiao asked, holding up the plate.

There was no way Huo Xinyuan could resist that temptation.
He rushed forward, grabbed a pancake, and stuffed it in his mouth—

Only to get burned and start hopping in place.

“Quick, spit it out!” Su Miaomiao urged anxiously.