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The next day, the family rose early. The husband and wife went to work, leaving the four children at home. Fortunately, the children were all grown up, and the older ones could take care of the younger ones. Zhang Lan was quite reassured about this.
Wang Qian planned to go pick something, but she didn’t know when the land would be measured. She considered measuring the land as a significant matter because the quantity of land affected the yield. So, she found her younger brother to discuss. After whispering for a long time, Mingyuan reluctantly agreed to stay at home.
Mingcheng took both younger sisters out, carrying baskets and hoes. Collecting grass was one aspect, and preparing to hide things at the bottom of the basket if found was another. After going up the mountain, the three siblings searched the remaining field. When they finished picking everything, the cloth bag in Wang Xuan’s hand was already full.
“Brother, we’ve picked so much,” not only Wang Xuan but also Wang Qian felt an excitement they had never experienced before. Having these items meant the family could have more to eat.
Mingcheng placed the bag in the wicker basket and pulled some dry grass from the field. The wild grass in this area was good for gathering because it wasn’t in large patches. To gather a basketful, it would take some time. So, Mingcheng and the others divided tasks: one pulled grass, one weeded, and Wang Qian filled the basket with grass. Soon, the soft grass covered the items in the basket. Without delay, the two older siblings carried it back.
Wang Qian followed, looking around, and saw that the tractor for plowing the land was approaching their area. “Brother, in the afternoon, why don’t we go check the place where they plant sweet potatoes and see if we can find something.”
Mingcheng now dared not say that there was no hope for harvest. He had said before that no one expected them to find so much.
When they returned home, Wang Xuan and her younger sister quickly sorted the beans in the bag. They separated the good ones from the sprouted ones. Mingyuan wasn’t at home; he probably went to check the land.
“You two stay at home. I’ll go pull another basket of grass. Otherwise, we might not have enough for lunch.” Mingcheng also left, and when the two were halfway through sorting the beans, Mingyuan ran back.
“Sister, little sister, our family’s land has been measured. We exchanged it with another family, closer to the river. It’ll be easier for irrigation in the future,” Mingyuan said.
Wang Qian turned and asked, “Brother, what if the river floods? Won’t it submerge our land?”
Mingyuan blinked his round eyes and replied, “No, I’ve checked. Our land is separated by a ridge; the water won’t reach it.”
After confirming the safety of their land, Wang Qian cast a questioning glance at Mingyuan. Seeing his confident nod, she smiled with satisfaction.
“Brother, look at what we picked today. Let’s check other places in the afternoon and see if we can find more things,” she suggested.
What the Wang family urgently needed now was food and money. Solving the money issue was currently challenging, but they could at least try to address the food problem.
The Wang family didn’t have a clock; they could only estimate the time by observing the sun. Wang Xuan looked at the sun’s position in the sky and estimated that their parents would be finishing work soon. She hurried to cook, and Mingcheng returned home. The two brothers continued picking on the kang, while Wang Qian helped her older sister with the cooking.
Soon, smoke rose from the chimney of the Wang family’s small house. Zhang Lan, returning from work with a group of women, saw the smoke from afar, and others noticed it too.
Wang Juan, the sister-in-law, expressed some envy, saying, “Zhang Lan, you see, someone is already cooking for you at home. It wouldn’t be Zhenhe, would it? You’re really lucky.”
Others in the group chimed in, “Indeed, despite the temporary difficulties in Zhang Lan’s family, her husband is capable. Look at Zhenhe, a real man outside, and a good husband at home. Why haven’t we encountered a man like him?”
Rural women spoke without many reservations, and Zhang Lan didn’t mind. She just smiled with happiness and said, “You guessed wrong this time. It’s our eldest daughter cooking. I guess the little one is helping her sister with the fire.”
“Really? Such a young girl can already cook? Oh, Zhang Lan, you’re the luckiest. A good man and sensible children. Your future days will only get better,” the women chattered as they walked. Soon, they arrived at the Wang family’s house.
Zhang Lan pushed open the door and saw two girls busy on the floor. She asked, “Kids, Mom’s back. Where are the other two?”
“Mom, we’re working on the kang, come and take a look,” Mingyuan shouted upon hearing his mother’s voice.
The sisters had already prepared lunch and were cleaning up dried grass and leaves on the floor. “Mom, the food is ready. Once Dad comes back, we can eat,” Wang Qian said.
When Zhang Lan and the children entered the house, they saw the kang covered in soybeans. Even Zhang Lan was astonished – there must be around twenty or thirty pounds of soybeans.
“Good kids, you’ve worked hard. You didn’t let anyone see, did you?” Zhang Lan praised.
Mingcheng shook his head. “Mom, as Dad said last night, we brought them back using baskets, and we covered them with a layer of grass. No one saw us.”
“Mom, are these beans enough for making oil and tofu?” Mingyuan asked, boasting proudly.
Zhang Lan hugged each of her four children. “You’re all good. Mom is very happy.”
While the family was picking soybean sprouts on the kang, they heard a commotion coming from a nearby street. It sounded like someone was yelling like a slaughtered pig, followed by the cries of both adults and children.
“What’s happening? Let’s go and see.”
Leading her four children, Zhang Lan walked out of the house and saw that the Teng family on the same street was surrounded by people, some trying to mediate, others just watching.
“What happened? Why are they hitting the child?” Zhang Lan, unaware of the situation, asked the people nearby.
“Oh, it’s all because of the pancakes. The child was hungry, so he took down the basket hanging from the rafters, and they ate all the pancakes inside. When Old Teng’s wife came back to prepare lunch, she found that today’s dry rations were gone. That’s why it has become like this now.”
At this time, every household was not rich in grains and could only consume a fixed amount. Eating too much at one meal meant going hungry at the next, and nobody could endure that.
“Ah,” though Zhang Lan felt reluctant, someone had already pulled Old Teng’s wife away from the crowd in the yard, so she said nothing and took her children back home.
The days were tough for every family, and it was understandable if children ate something when hungry. However, for mothers, it was also challenging. If the rationed grains were not enough, what would happen next month? Even a clever woman couldn’t cook without rice.
“Mom, don’t worry. We won’t steal pancakes,” Mingyuan, seeing his mother’s troubled expression, cautiously reassured.
His son’s words comforted Zhang Lan, but at the same time, it also brought a sense of bitterness. Every family had its hardships.
“Children, let’s go. We’ll have dinner at home; your dad should be back soon.” Zhang Lan rallied herself and invited the children to return home together.
Today’s scene had the most significant impact on Wang Qian. In her previous life, she had never witnessed such situations. Parents pleading with their children to eat a little more was the norm. Now, it was reversed. However, this kind of life wouldn’t last long. A happy future awaited everyone, and perhaps this scene today would become a topic for the Teng family’s children to recall, a story left for future generations.