Chapter 69

Unfortunately, Lin Yao can only feast her eyes on him right now. In the late evening, she clung to Gu Shi’an all the time.

Whenever he drank water, she was there clinging to him. When he read or handled documents from the bureau, she was still hanging on. From time to time, she would reach out and pinch Deputy Director Gu’s abs, which felt amazing, and she would do it again!

Gu Shi’an could only hold onto the restless expectant mother with one hand while flipping through documents with the other.

Once Lin Yao had her fill of touching, she let go and climbed into bed, contentedly hugging a pillow and falling into a deep sleep.

She sprawled out, taking up most of the bed, sleeping soundly while Gu Shi’an had a hard time. Earlier, she had snuggled up to him, whispering and flirting, which left him breathless and without any way to release his pent-up energy. After a while of silence, he could only go out to the yard to do exercises and then wash with cold water from a bucket.

In the middle of the night, Gu Shidong woke up thirsty and groggily grabbed a teacup to drink. After drinking, he was about to crawl back into bed when the bright moonlight outside cast a galaxy-like glow through the window. The little rascal squinted and vaguely saw shadows moving in the yard…

Oh no, there’s a thief in the house!

Gu Shidong instantly woke up, jumped out of bed, and, barefoot, grabbed a wooden gun from the bed to catch the thief.

He ran to the door and realized there was no thief in the yard. It was just his brother exercising.

In the dead of night, what was his brother doing exercising? What if he woke up his sister-in-law!

The little rascal tiptoed to peek through the door crack to see what his brother was doing.

As soon as his head was at the door crack, he met a pair of dark, cold eyes.

In the dead of night, the room was pitch black. When his brother suddenly looked over, the little rascal was startled and quickly pretended nothing happened, jumping back onto the bed, rubbing his feet, and covering his head to act like he was asleep.

When he woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky.

Gu Shi’an, even without a watch, knew it was late. Looking out the window, he saw his father sweeping the yard, fetching water, cleaning the rabbit hut, and airing out the vegetables from the cellar.

Zhang Cuilan was busy as usual. Even though there was no work in the city, she was occupied all day with the basics of life. Sometimes Lin Yao thought that no matter the era, surviving is never easy.

Otherwise, why would the evil capitalists never tire of teaching lessons?

Compare the lives of Americans at the same time with those in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

However, the revolutionary masses are full of spirit and determination, not afraid of hardship or fatigue, focused on building the country. In ten years or so, the sleeping Eastern dragon will gradually awaken, and it will surely make the whole world tremble!

Lin Yao, holding her belly, was excitedly daydreaming about the future. As spring arrived, wild peach blossoms on the mountain began to bloom brightly. Before heading to work, Gu Shi’an picked some flowers to put in a vase. Zhang Cuilan was making corn porridge in the kitchen, cleaned the shepherd’s purse picked the day before, beat eggs, and made a pot of wild vegetable dumplings. The large pot was steaming with white vapor.

Zhang Cuilan shouted, “Old man, stop messing around and come help! Yao Yao, it’s windy outside, come inside to eat! Dongzi, you little rascal, the sun is shining on your backside, and you’re still not out of bed. Do you want me to come and beat you with a broom?”

Zhang Cuilan’s shout revealed the family dynamics of the Gu household.

Gu Mancang obediently washed his hands and helped his wife, while Dongzi, fearing his mother’s broom, quickly dressed and went outside.

The family sat down to have breakfast. In these famine years, mountain families typically had only two meals a day: breakfast and dinner. If hungry at noon, they would just drink water and make it through the day.

Although the Gu family had some stored food, they couldn’t afford to be wasteful.

For a month, they mostly ate black cornmeal, reserving the finer grains for Lin Yao’s nourishment.

Recently, they didn’t know why, but the food bags at home weren’t getting emptier. Zhang Cuilan grumbled at the table, and Gu Mancang and his son looked puzzled. They had no idea. Perhaps it was because they were eating more frugally.

Lin Yao smiled as she ate the dumplings. The dough was made from two kinds of flour, with a shepherd’s purse and eggs inside. The dumplings were crispy, fragrant with shepherd’s purse and green onions, and really delicious!

Hmm, she should be more careful when secretly adding grain to the bags next time.

*

In the first half of 1959, it was still a period of scarce resources.

The people had hoped for good weather in the new year so that the sorghum, wheat, rice, and corn in the fields would have a bountiful harvest and they could enjoy a good meal.

Unexpectedly, a new round of the Great Leap Forward hit. The fields in Yunshui County, which should have been bustling, were quiet, as everyone in the village was called to participate in steel production.

By May, the heat was already intense. Every production team in the commune built tall earthen furnaces, with roaring fires below. The village men, shirtless, shouted slogans and poured collected scrap copper and iron into the furnaces. One man, wearing a red scarf on his head, tirelessly stirred the molten metal with a wooden pole…

The copper and iron were being melted down into molten iron, but it was uncertain when they would actually produce steel.

The factories in Yunshui County, which were supposed to start in May, now faced indefinite delays as the workers were all sent to make steel.

The county’s Public Security Bureau only had a young girl left to sort documents, while the rest joined the militia and armed forces to go to the suburbs for steel production.

In the middle of the day, the air was thick with the mingling smells of burning firewood, molten iron, and gasoline. Once upon a time, a group of dashing young police officers, now dressed in white vests and rolled-up pants like rural farmers, were hauling water from the river and digging holes to plant trees.

— The production of steel required vast amounts of timber.

A directive from above mandated that, alongside cutting down trees, saplings also needed to be transported.

Xu Xiangqian complained to Gu Shi’an, “Isn’t this just a case of overdoing it?”

Gu Shi’an patted him on the shoulder. The county police were split into two groups: one, led by Gu Shi’an, planted saplings on the back mountain, while the other followed the old bureau chief to produce steel. By lunchtime, they had only managed to produce a small pile of reddish-brown “steel.”

The old bureau chief, wearing a straw hat, frowned and said, “What use is this junk?”

Father Xu wiped his face with a towel and replied, “It might just be good for scrap.”

The old bureau chief was visibly upset. “What’s the higher-ups doing? This is nonsense!”

Father Xu, more composed than the old bureau chief, was also frustrated but managed to keep his temper in check. “Old friend, don’t get too upset. The situation is what it is. Complaining won’t help. Let’s stay patient; things won’t be like this forever.”

The old bureau chief understood the wisdom of laying low. Several of his old colleagues had lost their jobs for speaking the truth and had been sent to labor camps.

He sighed deeply. “Enough of that. It’s getting late. Let’s call it a day and have everyone stop working for lunch.”

On the back mountain, the young men had managed to fill an entire slope with saplings. They were fortunate not to be involved in steel production like their other peers, which was seen as a waste of time.

Planting trees required compacting the soil in the holes, watering once, filling with dirt, and watering again. Gu Shi’an checked carefully and nodded at the tired young men. “You can stop for the day.”

“Great!”

“Lunchtime!”

“What are you having for lunch?”

“Not much, just some coarse porridge.”

“Really? Show me.”

The young men, gathered under the shade of trees, chatted and laughed, creating a lively scene.

Gu Shi’an, accustomed to being alone, chose a clean pile of straw to sit on. Just as he took out his lunchbox, Xu Xiangqian, grinning, came over.

“Hey, Old Gu, you’re here. Why didn’t you wait for me? Hey, what did Yao Yao make for you today? I want to try a bite too.”

With food scarce in the city and the police canteen closed, everyone working in the countryside had to bring their own meals. Typically, it was two pieces of coarse cornmeal bread, homemade pickles, and if fortunate, an extra egg.

The Xu family had food supplies. Mother Xu focused entirely on her daughter-in-law and neglected the needs of her son and his friend. She simply steamed a pot of cornmeal bread and added a few slices of spicy pickled vegetables to their lunchboxes.

Father Xu was quite content with this simple fare, which was also what his old friend ate.

The big head, on the other hand, had it tough. The Gu family, living in the countryside, would go out hunting for wild chickens that had wandered out from the mountain. Normally, people couldn’t catch them, but these chickens would fly away when someone approached.

Dongzi, tempted by the sight of so many wild chickens, visited his Second Uncle Zhang’s house to borrow a hunting dog. Brimming with confidence, he headed to the back mountain.

He managed to uncover the wild chickens’ nests, capturing a bunch of them along with some eggs. Gu Mancang quickly dealt with them, and Lin Yao personally prepared a spicy chicken stew that day and a red-braised chicken the next. The family enjoyed a hearty meal.

Deputy Director Gu also benefited from this. Last night, Gu Shidong whimsically wanted some chicken stewed with mushrooms. Zhang Cuilan gave a commanding wave, and Gu Mancang used the last wild chicken, added mountain mushrooms and vegetables, and cooked up a delicious pot of fragrant chicken.

The Gu family tightly closed their kitchen door and windows, savoring a sumptuous feast. Zhang Cuilan set aside a small jar for Gu Chunmei and her husband. Da Tou Brother, seeing this, made a fuss as if there were eight hundred ducks quacking.

Gu Shi’an’s eyebrows twitched. With so many people around, he couldn’t produce the jar, so he tossed over a boiled egg instead.

Xu Xiangqian was satisfied as well. The two old friends sat down together, enjoying a peaceful meal.

While the countryside was bustling with steel production, Lin Hongna, who was seven months pregnant, had her pulse checked by an old doctor in town. The doctor confirmed she was expecting a boy.

This news delighted Mother Sun who was eager for a grandson. After all, the Sun family had been single-sons for three generations, with only Sun Jialiang as the heir. Mother Sun instructed Lin Hongna to have at least three to five children.

The Sun family prided itself on its traditions, believing that a few sons were necessary to uphold the family’s status.

Lin Hongna, while outwardly agreeing, showed her impatience once Mother Sun left.

“Three to five children?”

She felt the old woman was treating her like a breeding sow, cranking out offspring one after another!

Relying on her unborn child and her accomplishments in caring for Father Sun, Lin Hongna’s status in the Sun family had risen rapidly. With her growing belly, she took over all the household chores, leaving Mother Sun no choice but to comply.

Day in and day out, Mother Sun was either suffering from a sore arm or a painful back, and her once delicate hands had become rough and calloused.

Mother Sun, thinking of her future grandson, reluctantly decided to invite Li Aifeng over to visit her daughter.

— In reality, she hoped to get Li Aifeng to come and work as a nanny.

This was simply a stroke of good fortune.

Li Aifeng never imagined she would one day be visiting the home of a high-ranking official in town!

After Father Sun’s recovery, he returned to the light bulb factory to take charge. With the former factory director retiring and the new leadership team being assembled, Father Sun was now acting factory director!

To Li Aifeng, a country woman, her son-in-law’s family had become the factory’s leader!

Lin Hongna hadn’t seen her family for half a year, and she could not hide her longing.

Although Li Aifeng was indeed a difficult character, she was still Lin Hongna’s mother, and they shared some warm and loving memories.

So, with the village busy with steel production, Lin Hongna stood tall and went to the brigade leader to get a visiting certificate.

Don’t ask, just know that my daughter married into a high-ranking family, and the in-laws invited me for a meal!

With the certificate in hand, Li Aifeng packed a small bundle and took the village’s old ox cart to the town.

The Sun family’s living conditions were impressive: clean wooden floors, tastefully matched furniture, a comfortable black leather sofa, a five-drawer dresser with floral covers, and even the cups used for drinking water were patterned tea cups!

Li Aifeng, dressed in her finest clothes, felt like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden. As soon as she stepped into the Sun home, she didn’t know where to put her hands and feet.

Oh my, Mother Sun invited her to sit on the sofa!

Li Aifeng sipped the brown sugar water made by Mother Sun, sitting half on the sofa, and spoke with a smile.

“Sister, you must be tired from the trip.”

“Not tired at all. We country folks are used to walking. This is just a short distance!”

When facing someone of Mother Sun’s rank, Li Aifeng became very understanding.

Mother Sun smiled warmly and subtly mentioned that recent street work had been very busy. As the street director, she was overwhelmed and needed help taking care of her daughter-in-law, so she wanted Li Aifeng to assist at home.

Li Aifeng was eager to stay at the Sun house as long as possible and quickly promised.

“Sister, you’re too polite. Since Hongna is my own daughter, don’t worry. I’ll take care of all the household chores!”

Mother Sun showed a satisfied smile and suggested that Li Aifeng shouldn’t work for free. She gave Li Aifeng a piece of fragrant bacon and promised her two yuan a month as a token of appreciation.

Li Aifeng clutched the bacon tightly, reluctant to let go, and showered Mother Sun with praise.

“Oh, Sister, you’re too kind. This bacon is really fragrant and must have cost a lot. We’re all family, so there’s no need for formalities. I’m not doing anything anyway, so I’ll start cleaning right away!”

Mother Sun mentioned that the lunch dishes hadn’t been washed yet.

Li Aifeng rolled up her sleeves and went to wash the dishes, then started mopping the floor, watering the flowers, and sweeping the yard.

Mother Sun was pleased. This country bumpkin was so simple-minded. She was overjoyed with just two yuan a month.

Father Sun earned seventy-five yuan a month, plus various factory benefits and gifts from subordinates during festivals. All of it was handled by Mother Sun.

Mother Sun was shrewd with her own salary and allowances, saving them all, while all household expenses were covered by Father Sun.

Father Sun’s family had some assets, including a pair of ruby dragon and phoenix bracelets and a jade pendant, all of which were tightly hidden by Mother Sun. Not a word had been leaked to their three children.

Lin Hongna was considered an outsider in Mother Sun’s eyes, and she made sure that no one could touch those treasures until she was gone!

Mother Sun felt a sense of pride, while Lin Hongna was furious.

This old woman was treating her mother like a maid!

After Li Aifeng finished her chores, she went to her daughter’s room to chat.

Lin Hongna couldn’t suppress her anger and explained the situation, but Li Aifeng was unfazed. “A nanny is a nanny. If she looks down on me, I look down on her too. Daughter, just wait. Tonight, I’ll give that old hag some laxative powder and make her suffer!”