Chapter 9

That night, after tossing and turning, Yao Yao finally drifted off to sleep.

Around midnight, a thunderclap shook the night, followed by a downpour. The rain beat on the bamboo leaves in the courtyard, making a soft rustling sound.

Fortunately, Lin Yao had the habit of closing the large window before bed, leaving only a small wooden window open for ventilation. The cool breeze that blew through made the room feel refreshingly cool.

Lin Yao slept soundly under her small quilt.

In the south wing, Gu Chunmei also slept well, but Dongzi, who slept in a small, cramped room, had it harder. Though it had good orientation and light, and was well-equipped with a wooden bed, desk, and wardrobe, the room was still quite small.

During the hot summer, Zhang Cuilan had hung a coarse cloth mosquito net in her youngest son’s room and placed a large palm-leaf fan on his wooden bed. She told him to use the fan before bed to chase away the mosquitoes so he could sleep peacefully.

However, Dongzi was too lazy. He never bothered to wash his feet before bed and didn’t even bother to shoo away the mosquitoes. As soon as it got dark, he would flop onto the bed and fall asleep.

Normally, Zhang Cuilan would help by fanning the mosquito net to keep the mosquitoes away, but lately, she had been too busy. She worked at the pig farm during the day and helped at the commune canteen in the afternoon. The women in the courtyard were all expected to pitch in, and not helping was considered not supporting the collective effort.

Of course, with that big hat hanging over her head, who would dare not help?

Lin Yao had to go help tomorrow as well.

With Zhang Cuilan busy, she couldn’t keep an eye on her youngest son’s room.

Yunshui County had a rainy season, and the courtyard was filled with lush greenery and flowers. If one wasn’t careful, it was easy to get bitten by the mosquitoes.

Last night, after the rain, the window in Gu Shidong’s room was left open, and the mosquito net was blown away by the wind and rain. The mosquitoes buzzed around the room all night.

Dongzi, this child, was the favorite of every mosquito in the house. He scratched and scratched, doing so the entire night.

The next morning, before dawn, the little rascal came crying to knock on his parents’ door.

The pig farm started work at 7:30 AM, and Zhang Cuilan got up at 6:30. She would wash up, cook, and head out in one smooth routine. Over the years, she had developed a strong biological clock.

At this hour, outside was still misty and dark. The sound of raindrops pattered on the roof tiles, while Zhang Cuilan snored away, sound asleep.

Suddenly, the youngest son was outside, howling like a wolf, banging on the door. Zhang Cuilan was woken up by the noise, her temper flaring instantly. She threw on her clothes, slipped on her cloth shoes, and stormed out of bed.

“Little brat, what’s this noise so early in the morning? Are you asking for a beating?

She rushed to the door, pulled open the latch, and swung the door open. Just as she was about to curse, “You little dog, what’s all this ruckus…”

But when she saw who it was, her words caught in her throat. She stared in shock. “Heavens! Where did this pig head come from?”

*

Lin Yao had a good night’s sleep. When she finally got up, the rain had stopped, and the bright sun was shining. The cicadas on the parasol tree outside were singing cheerfully.

The yard was cool after the rain, filled with the refreshing scent of grass.

Still feeling groggy from just waking up, Lin Yao slowly put on her clothes and went to the yard to wash her face and brush her teeth. She applied some snowflake cream and took a stroll around the yard.

It was quiet in the yard. Aunt Cuilan and Uncle Mancang were already gone, probably off to work.

Dongzi was not in his room either.

Lin Yao found it odd. Normally, lazy Dongzi didn’t wake up until late, so why was he up so early today?

Just as she was wondering, the door to the south room opened, and Gu Chunmei appeared with a basin of water. She yawned, crossing the threshold.

“Sister, aren’t you going to work today?”

Gu Chunmei shuffled over to the water tank and began fetching water.

Lin Yao went over to help, scooping water from the well with a ladle.

“I’m on vacation today, not going to work.” Gu Chunmei said while rolling up her sleeves and splashing water on her face.

In those days, there were no weekends, and workers in the county only had one day off a week. For someone like Gu Chunmei, a salesperson at the supply and marketing cooperative, work was done on a rotating schedule.

Lin Yao replied with an “Oh,” then added, “No wonder Aunt Cuilan and Uncle Mancang aren’t here. Dongzi’s also nowhere to be found this morning.”

That little rascal must have gone out to play.

Gu Chunmei, brushing her teeth, heard this and chuckled. “Yao Yao, didn’t you know?”

Lin Yao blinked in confusion. “Know what?”

Seeing her sister’s puzzled expression, Gu Chunmei finished brushing her teeth quickly, grabbed a clean towel, wiped her mouth, and began telling Lin Yao what had happened. This morning, when she woke up and went to drink some water, she saw that Dongzi’s face was covered in bites from mosquitoes, his face looking like a pig’s head.

“He was bitten all over by mosquitoes! His mouth was swollen like a sausage. That lazy boy sleeps with the window open. The mosquitoes in the yard are vicious. They bite and it hurts and itches. It drove him crazy, and he cried out loud. What did he do? What else? He caused such a ruckus that no one could sleep. He must have gone to the clinic. By now, he’s probably at the clinic, crying while getting an IV drip.”

Lin Yao: “…”

What a poor kid.

Gu Chunmei usually had a lot of little spats with her younger brother, giving him a hard time.

But deep down, he was her little brother, so despite her teasing, she still worried about him.

After breakfast, the two sisters decided to visit the clinic to check on Dongzi.

On the way, Zhang Cuilan hurried back home. When Lin Yao asked, she confirmed that Dongzi was indeed at the clinic, receiving an IV drip. The poor kid had been badly bitten by the mosquitoes. His mouth was swollen, and even his hands and feet had swollen up. The doctor at the clinic had given him an allergy medicine IV drip and prescribed some ointment and cooling oil to help with the swelling.

The clinic didn’t have cooling oil, so Zhang Cuilan had come home to grab money to buy some from the supply and marketing cooperative.

In those days, there was no such thing as floral water, and the supply and marketing cooperative in Yunshui County only sold Lao Hu brand cooling oil. Lao Hu cooling oil was an old brand passed down from the Republic era. The founder’s last name was Wan, and the locals referred to it as “Wan Lao Hu oil.”

The formula for Wan Lao Hu oil included mint, cloves, and camphor oil, which helped to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and stop itching. If the kids in the yard had rashes or mosquito bites, applying this oil would work wonders.

Zhang Cuilan grabbed the money and hurried out to buy it.

Lin Yao suddenly remembered. She had a jar of cooling oil in her space supermarket that hadn’t been used. She quickly made an excuse, went inside, and returned with a small jar of cooling oil.

Zhang Cuilan was thrilled. “This is great! No need to go all the way to the street to buy it now.”

The Lao Hu oil was only sold at the supply and marketing cooperative in the county. It would take over half an hour to go back and forth from the yard to the old street.

It was a hassle, but the main thing was that her youngest son was suffering!

Zhang Cuilan praised Lin Yao, hopped on her bicycle, and rushed out again.

Before leaving, she even expressed concern, “Yao Yao has had a rough summer lately. Look at your little face, it’s gotten so thin. When I come back tonight, I’ll make you a pancake with pig lard to help you regain some strength.”

Gu Chunmei, standing beside her, nodded. “That’s right, Yao Yao has lost weight. Mom, one pancake won’t be enough, you should make a few.”

The two of them would each have one, along with their parents. It would be a nice treat.

Zhang Cuilan gave her a sidelong glance but didn’t respond.

The two sisters finished breakfast, tidied up the house, locked the doors, and put on their military green bags before heading to the clinic by bus.

In the 1950s, gas supply was tight, and the buses in major cities were converted into gas-powered vehicles. A black gas bag was placed on the roof of each bus.

Yunshui County only had one bus route, and the buses were cramped. During peak hours, the buses would be packed with people.

Since it was not rush hour, Lin Yao bought the bus tickets, which cost two cents each. She and Gu Chunmei found two window seats, one in front of the other. They opened the windows, letting the breeze in and enjoying the sunshine. It wasn’t too bad after all.

The bus bumped along the road for half an hour before finally reaching the street where the county health clinic was located.

The county health clinic stood right by the roadside, a four-story red brick building that was said to have been built before the liberation. With its white gate and walls covered in big red slogans, the pungent smell of disinfectant, and crowds of people dressed in gray-blue uniforms, it all felt like a sign of the times.

The infusion room was on the second floor, and when Lin Yao and the others arrived, it was packed with people. Gu Shidong was sitting in the hallway with his IV drip still hanging.

The little rascal had gotten an injection, had medicine applied, and was feeling much better. As soon as he saw Lin Yao, he called out, “Sister-in-law, you came to see me!”

Lin Yao walked over and was taken aback. How did this poor kid’s mouth get so swollen?

Gu Chunmei wasn’t happy and said, “You little rascal, didn’t you see me, your sister?”

Gu Shidong snorted, “Who told you to make fun of me?”

Well, he was already holding a grudge.

Seeing the siblings about to start bickering, Lin Yao quickly took out the white sugar rice cakes she had bought on the way to distract him.

White sugar rice cakes were one of the specialties of Yunshui County. They were sold at state-run restaurants and supply and marketing cooperatives along the road. The rice cakes were wrapped in white sugar, red bean paste, and green bean paste. When eaten warm, they were soft, chewy, and sweet.

Gu Shidong loved them. His eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled, and when he got excited, he eagerly reached for the rice cakes.

Gu Chunmei slapped his hand, “Are your hands clean? Wash them before eating!”

He was already sick, and still didn’t wash his hands before eating? He was asking for trouble.

Gu Shidong whined, “I’m getting an IV drip, how can I wash my hands?”

He was starving, and women were so troublesome!

Lin Yao handed him a piece of brown paper to wrap the rice cakes in, so he could hold it while eating.

It was already lunchtime, and the clinic was bustling. Most people had too much of a sense of propriety to eat in the hallway.

But Gu Shidong wasn’t like most people. His face was thick-skinned, and he grabbed the rice cakes, eating with loud munching sounds, just like a squirrel nibbling on watermelon, completely at ease.

He ate so happily that even the doctors passing by stopped to look.

The brat was so familiar with people that he greeted the doctors.

Gu Chunmei covered her face, feeling embarrassed to admit this was her younger brother.

Once the rice cakes were gone, Gu Shidong’s stomach still wasn’t full. He didn’t say anything but looked at them with sad eyes, clutching his stomach.

Lin Yao’s heart softened. She turned to Gu Chunmei and suggested, “Sister, should we get him a bowl of noodles?”

Gu Shidong continued to look at them with pleading eyes.

Gu Chunmei took a deep breath, her face full of frustration, and went to the canteen to get noodles for her brother.

The canteen had good food, and the chef’s skills were top-notch. Even a bowl of noodles came with both vegetables and meat. The vegetarian noodles had only bean sprouts and cost seven cents a bowl with a ration ticket.

The meat noodles were much more luxurious, with shredded meat, bean sprouts, some greens, and a fried egg. It looked delicious and was more expensive, costing twelve cents a bowl, along with three liang of meat tickets and other ration tickets.

In the Gu family, they only received half a jin of meat tickets a month.

Gu Chunmei tightly clenched the meat tickets in her hand but finally decided to buy a bowl of meat noodles for her brother.

She placed a large bowl of noodles in front of him.

Even Lin Yao was stunned. Gu Shidong was about to cry when he was halfway through eating. He really wanted to put down his chopsticks and stop eating, but he didn’t dare.

— His second sister was glaring at him.

If he dared to stop eating, she would definitely deal with him.

In the end, Gu Mancang helped by finishing the leftover noodles. For the older generation of the Gu family, food was precious. Not a grain of rice or noodle could be wasted. Gu Mancang drank all the soup, leaving nothing behind.

After eating, Gu Mancang returned to the steel factory.

Gu Chunmei’s wedding was approaching, and after finally managing to get a break, she went to prepare wedding supplies with Da Tou Brother in the afternoon, along with a sweet date.

At noon, Zhang Cuilan came to visit her youngest son and took Lin Yao along as they returned to the courtyard.

In the afternoon, the street still needed some help.

Lin Yao left half a pound of peach crisps for the brat, two children’s books, and refilled the water bottle she brought from home with boiled water. With food, drink, and books, Gu Shidong wasn’t lonely at all.

Zhang Cuilan glanced back and saw the boy still hooked up to an IV drip, grinning with his mouth wide open.

In the courtyard, the commune’s Director Ge had been busy for several days with the commune members, and the commune canteen was about to open.

The canteen was located in a courtyard at the street office. It was an old-style courtyard house that used to belong to capitalists. With carved beams and painted rafters and a full set of golden nanmu furniture, it was much more impressive than the courtyard they lived in.

The canteen’s kitchen was also an old kitchen, spacious with a new brick stove. There was a big steamer on top, used for steaming buns, and a newly forged iron wok for stir-frying. A small stove with a big clay pot was used for stewing meat and making soup. There was also a long table against the wall with all the necessary utensils like knives, spoons, and chopping boards, plus plenty of firewood stacked up high.

Everything was ready, except for the final push.

Director Ge began mobilizing the commune members to send rice and flour to the canteen.

This was a rule from above: no one was allowed to cook at home, and everyone had to eat at the big canteen.

Each household had to send ten jin of rice or five jin of flour to the canteen. If there was no white rice or white flour, they could use sorghum rice, cornmeal, or sweet potato flour as a substitute.

In the second production team of the courtyard, there were over a hundred people. If they all ate three meals a day in the canteen, the rice and flour brought by the members wouldn’t be enough. The rest would be supplemented by the state.

It seemed like the national policy was acceptable.

In these times, with large families, young boys could eat up their father’s wages.

Director Ge assured them that the big canteen would have plenty of food, not only enough but also tasty, and the commune members didn’t have to worry.

Some savvy women calculated the cost in their minds. Each household was sending ten jin of rice to the canteen every month, and the rest of the food and drink wouldn’t be a problem. The cost of rice and flour for a three-person family was already around twenty jin of white rice a month, and that was with some coarse grains. If they ate a bit more, the cost would increase, especially for families with seven or eight people. If they didn’t get enough to eat, they’d have to fill their stomachs with water.

Everyone quickly figured out the math and smiled, carrying sacks of rice in groups of three or five toward the canteen.

The accountant of the commune, holding a ledger in one hand and an abacus in the other, was busy, sweat dripping from his forehead.

However, some people were reluctant to deliver their grain, like Wang Shengcai’s family from the front yard. Wang Shengcai’s wife, along with the old lady from the Wang family, were grumbling about how poor they were, with no white rice or flour, only cornmeal and sorghum. They asked the accountant of the commune, “Can we use wheat bran to pay for the grain?”

The accountant couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“You two are joking, right? Wheat bran is for feeding pigs and chickens. You can’t expect to feed people with it. Ask yourself, if you use wheat bran to steam cornmeal buns, could you eat them?”

“If you two can eat it, then we can use wheat bran as payment for grain in the canteen.”

The surrounding members of the commune burst into laughter.

The old lady from the Wang family could only mutter angrily and head home to fetch the proper grain.

Wang Shengcai’s wife, thinking quickly, turned around and went to knock on the door of the Gu family.

Zhang Cuilan had gone to the canteen to deliver grain, so only Lin Yao was left at home, taking a nap.

She slept so soundly that even the thunder outside couldn’t wake her.

Wang Shengcai’s wife knocked on the door of the Gu family’s side rooms, one by one, until her hand ached, but no one came to answer.

Disappointed, Wang Shengcai’s wife shook her sore arm and returned home in frustration.

“Darn it,” she muttered. She had hoped to “borrow” a few pounds of grain from the Gu family, but the whole family had so many tricks up their sleeves that they refused to open the door. She had wasted a trip!

The canteens in the city were thriving, and those in the countryside were bustling as well.

Linjia Village… no, it should be called Dongfanghong Production Team now.

The Dongfanghong Production Team’s large canteen was also booming, with the team leader overseeing a stove built under a wooden roof, one pot for soup and one for rice.

Like in Yunshui County, the team leader held a loudspeaker, calling out to the villagers, urging them to deliver grain to the canteen.

Lin Daguo and his wife, eager to take advantage, hurried to the leader faster than anyone.

Anyway, the Lin family ate mixed grain buns and porridge two out of every three days.

The village canteen served steamed buns with white flour and braised pork!

The couple quickly went to show their faces to the team leader.

Lin Hongna, disinterested in the whole thing, ignored the mess next door and walked straight to the kitchen, where she drank a large bowl of brown sugar water.

She put down her enamel cup, her eyes fixed on the empty flour bin in her home, lost in thought.

If she remembered correctly, Gu Shi’an was demobilized and returned at this time in his previous life.