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After the pollen was pollinated, the elderly men had the opportunity to participate in the labor in the production team. After cleaning the yard during the day, they could go directly to the mountains to help. However, the team also gave them some work points.
In August, the weather became increasingly hot. Mingcheng occasionally took his two younger brothers and the local kids to the river to play in the water. Zuo He, who no longer had the fair skin he once did, had been tanned by the sun and was now indistinguishable from the rural children. All three boys wore the same blue shorts and white short-sleeved shirts made by Zhang Lan. He attended school with the local children and played with them after school. His body had become stronger due to their rural lifestyle.
During dinner, Zhang Lan mentioned to her husband about the idea of going to the city to visit the Aunt Zuo. She was concerned about how things were in the city and didn’t want the elderly lady to be alone there.
Wang Zhenhe agreed, “Alright, you can take some food to Aunt Zuo, so she doesn’t have to spend money buying it. If the management there isn’t strict, let her come and stay with us for a couple of days. Comrade Guo mentioned today that family members are now allowed to visit. Those elderly gentlemen will probably be thrilled to hear this news.”
After dinner, the siblings went out to study as usual. Zhang Lan stayed at home, cutting paper by the light of an oil lamp. The children’s notebooks were running out, and to save money, she bought some blank paper from the supply and marketing cooperative, cut it, and sewed it together with needle and thread to make new notebooks. Since the children used many notebooks for their studies, she prepared several spare ones for each of them.
When the children returned home from their studies, Zhang Lan distributed the sewn notebooks to each of them. They were different from the usual ones, but were filled with a mother’s love. The children were overjoyed and hugged Zhang Lan tightly.
Today, they had used up all their notebooks, and there was no space left to write on. Coming home to find new notebooks, how could they not be happy?
“Auntie, thank you. This is the most extraordinary notebook I’ve ever seen. It holds all your expectations for us.”
Zuo He was not one to easily express touching words, but when he did, it was truly moving. Zhang Lan was so moved by his words that tears welled up in her eyes.
“Good child, when Auntie has money in the future, I’ll buy you good notebooks and pens so you can take more notes and learn more. Remember, studying is not for others, but for yourselves. By the way, tomorrow, Auntie and your sister are going to the city to visit your grandmother. Do you have any message for her?”
“Yes, I do. I’ve already written it. You can take it to my grandmother tomorrow. Please tell her to take care and to come visit when she has time.” Zuo He took out a letter he had written in advance and handed it to Zhang Lan. After carefully accepting Zuo He’s letter, Zhang Lan began to send the children off to bathe and sleep, as they had to get up early for school the next day.
After everyone had left, Zhang Lan and her daughter began to prepare for their trip to the city. This time, they had a specific purpose: to have the wheat in the space ground into flour. There were processing machines in the city, so they needed to prepare bags to hold the flour in advance.
After picking some homegrown vegetables for the elderly lady, the mother and daughter boarded the bus to the city. This time, the city had returned to calm.
They first found a grain processing facility and had their wheat processed. To their surprise, the yield from their one-acre field was over 1,200 pounds of wheat. This number greatly exceeded Zhang Lan’s expectations. After paying the processing fee, they moved the processed flour and bran outside. Wang Qian, who was outside, discreetly moved everything into the space when no one was looking. They had ground nearly 900 pounds of flour that day. With so much flour, the mother and daughter decided to sell some of it on the sly to earn some money and prepare for any future food shortages.
Wang Qian and Zhang Lan then went to the home of Shan Shuzhen and found her at home. “Auntie Shan, I’d like to discuss something with you. Some families in our area have asked us to bring some white flour to sell. It would be good to have some extra money on hand. Do you know if any of the neighbors are interested in buying?”
Wang Qian wasn’t sure if they could sell the flour, but Zhang Lan was confident. The city residents were also short of grain, and everyone relied on grain and oil supply certificates to purchase the amount of grain and oil they needed for the month. If they had more, they could use it later, and if they had less, they would have to find another solution.
Shan Shuzhen was surprised by the unexpected visit from the mother and daughter. Her family also didn’t have enough food, and everyone was being frugal with their meals. This was a great opportunity to buy grain without the need for supply certificates and grain tickets, and she didn’t want to miss out.
“Young lady, you two wait at my house. I’ll go find some people. I’m sure many will come to buy,” Shan Shuzhen said hurriedly before running out. The mother and daughter brought out the white flour they were planning to sell and waited in the yard. Before long, their old customers began to arrive with bags to buy grain. Each family bought ten to twenty pounds. Wang Qian and Shan Shuzhen discussed the pricing, setting it slightly higher than the grain supply station’s price at two mao per pound. The Wang family sold six hundred pounds, and everyone got a good deal, buying some grain.
With 120 yuan in hand, Zhang Lan felt more confident. As long as she had some money, she wouldn’t hesitate to spend it on her children. She wanted to buy some good food for them, even if it was a bit more expensive, as it would benefit their health.
“By the way, Qianqian, let’s set aside some white flour for your grandmother. It’s not easy for an elderly person to live in the city, and it’s different from your grandfather’s situation. She doesn’t have anyone to take care of her. It’s not easy,” Zhang Lan said.
Thinking about setting aside some white flour for her grandmother, Wang Qian also remembered her maternal grandmother. “Mom, let’s save some for Grandma’s family. We’ve benefited a lot from her family’s help, so we shouldn’t forget them.”
Zhang Lan smiled at her daughter, who was becoming more and more like a little old lady with her caring heart. “I understand. She’s my biological mother. How could I forget her?”
When they arrived at the Zuo family’s small courtyard, the elderly lady was still busy making paper boxes. The mother and daughter brought the items they had brought into the kitchen before coming out to chat with the elderly lady and help with making the paper boxes. “Grandma Zuo, how are things here? Do you want to visit Grandpa Zuo? Do you want to come back with us and stay for a couple of days?”
The elderly lady replied while busy, “Qianqian, not today. I have to submit a report tomorrow. I’ll come to see you on Sunday. My dear niece, has Zuo He caused you any trouble?”
Zhang Lan shook her head and took out the letters Zuo He had written for the elderly lady. After reading the letters, the elderly lady was moved to tears. It had been a long time since she had seen her grandson. “This child has grown up and knows how to care for others. His handwriting has also improved a lot.”
Zhang Lan then shared some details about Zuo He’s time at home with the elderly lady, allowing her to understand more and alleviate her longing for her grandson.
As the conversation turned to interesting matters, the elderly lady became cheerful. “It seems that Zuo He has been impressed by life in the countryside. By the way, I’ve saved some coupons here. Take them back and buy some clothes and food for the children.”
The elderly lady knew that the Wang family was short of coupons, so she tried to save as much as possible. She, as an elderly lady, didn’t need new clothes, and she didn’t eat much either. She saved the coupons for the Wang family, as they had many children and couldn’t do without the coupons. Besides, her husband and Grandchild were still living in someone else’s home.
Zhang Lan saw that there were cloth coupons, grain coupons, oil coupons, meat coupons, and even cotton coupons, all of which were needed at home. However, she didn’t take them all.
“Auntie, I’ll take some first, and you keep some for your own use. If it’s not enough, I’ll ask you for more later. Take care of yourself in the city. By the way, I’ve brought some things. I’ll go and cook first. Qianqian, you can help Grandma with the paper boxes.”
The elderly lady couldn’t let Zhang Lan do all the work herself and quickly got up to join her in the kitchen. When she saw the items on the floor, her eyes welled up. There was a small bag of white flour, some vegetables, and some dried salted fish. “You silly child, your family isn’t wealthy. Where did you get these fine grains?”
Zhang Lan smiled and said, “Auntie, I got these from the neighbors. You’re getting older, so eat more fine grains and take care of your health. When your husband and children come back, you’ll have each other. We’re worried about you being alone in the city, but you don’t have to worry about Zuo He. He’s like our child, and when I left, your grandson asked me to tell you to take care. I can see that he’ll have a bright future.”
In the kitchen, they cooked, while Wang Qian helped with making the paper boxes outside. Despite her young age, she worked quickly, and soon a large pile of paper boxes had been stacked up. She hoped that by working more, the elderly lady would have to work less.
Through the kitchen window, the elderly lady watched the little girl in the yard, her small hands moving quickly. She was so focused that the elderly lady found her endearing. “My dear niece, look at your little girl. She’s so adorable. You don’t know, the first time I saw Zuo He bring her home, she was so lively and spirited, even more so than the city children.”
Hearing the praise for her child, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but smile. “Auntie, despite her young age, our girl has the heart of an old person. She’s not like other children who love to play. She’s always thinking about the family’s livelihood. It’s fortunate to have her. Otherwise, our family would be in a difficult situation.”
Zhang Lan then shared recent events with the elderly lady, who felt heartbroken. “Your mother-in-law is really out of line. She’s even willing to harm such a young child. This is inhumane. Fortunately, you’ve separated from her. Otherwise, you’d be struggling under her control, and it would be even more difficult in the future. My dear niece, don’t worry. As the old saying goes, heaven sees all. Good and evil will be rewarded accordingly. You and your husband take good care of the children. Things will get better when they grow up.”