Chapter 4: Trip to the County Town

It was quite normal, considering the times. Things were really scarce; a pound of meat could last several meals, with only a few thin slices per serving.

They soon arrived at the spot where Mi Xia had buried the wild boar. Mi Qiu and his wife only believed Mi Xia after seeing the boar. Ordinary people didn’t have such luck finding such a large wild boar; their younger sister was truly a lucky star.

The three of them worked together to dig up the boar, loaded it onto a cart, and headed home. They didn’t meet anyone along the way. Once home, Mi Qiu and his wife still looked like they were dreaming, their eyes shining at Mi Xia, scaring her.

“Big brother, sister-in-law, quickly get the boar down and clean it up.” The couple finally reacted upon hearing this.

After getting the boar down, Zhang Hongxia looked at Mi Xia: “Little sister, you’ve been up the mountain all afternoon, go eat first. And check on Xia Xia; she was looking for you just now.”

Mi Xia didn’t refuse, agreeing and going to see her child. After Mi Xia left, Zhang Hongxia still looked incredulous: “Husband, how is it that our little sister is so lucky? You’ve been to the mountains so many times and never encountered such good fortune. She came to our house at noon and found a wild boar in the mountains.”

“Maybe little sister’s luck has turned,” Mi Qiu replied. “She’s escaped that family, and now good fortune has arrived. Alright, let’s clean the pig. Tomorrow, you take a leg of pork back to your mother’s house.”

“I’ve suffered these past years. Life at home has been hard. I couldn’t bring anything good back to your mother’s house, and I always had to endure your mother’s displeasure. Your sisters also mocked you. I’m useless, letting you be ridiculed.” Mi Qiu felt full of guilt.

Zhang Hongxia was deeply moved by Mi Qiu’s words. She hadn’t married the wrong man. “My dear, don’t say that. Although life at home has been hard these years, you’ve always been good to me and the children. Even if you didn’t eat, you made sure we mothers and children did.”

“Can little sister let me take a leg of pork back to my mother’s house? After all, she found the pig,” Zhang Hongxia asked nervously.

“Don’t worry,” Mi Qiu said while cleaning the pig. “Since little sister brought it back, it proves she doesn’t treat us as outsiders. Take it back with peace of mind. I’ll tell little sister later.”

Mi Xia had just finished eating when the couple came in with smiles on their faces. “Big brother, sister-in-law, please sit down and eat. The children and I have finished.”

“Okay, then your sister-in-law and I will eat and then talk.” They immediately sat down and ate heartily; cleaning such a large pig wasn’t easy, and they must have been very hungry.

Mi Xia responded and took the children out for a walk. They walked around the yard a few times and then took their daughter and nephews to wash their faces and brush their teeth. After washing, she asked Mi Aiguo to take his younger siblings back to bed, while she took Mo Zhixia back to sleep.

As she was telling her daughter her third story, she fell asleep. She quietly got up and went to the yard, where her brother and sister-in-law were waiting for her. Mi Qiu greeted her when he saw her: “Little sister, come sit. Tell me and your sister-in-law how you found this wild boar.”

Mi Xia had already thought about her explanation. “Big brother, sister-in-law, I went up the mountain this afternoon, hoping to find some wild mushrooms or wild eggs. As I was walking, I saw a wild boar lying there. At first, my legs were shaking with fear.”

“But after a while, I noticed the boar wasn’t moving. I went closer to take a look and saw blood on its head. I found a stick and tapped it. The boar was dead, so I decided to take it home.”

“But it was still early, and I was afraid that if I went back then, the villagers would see it and take the boar away, and our family wouldn’t get much. I was also afraid that if I went home to call you, someone would find the boar. So I used grass to cover the boar and sat not far from it, waiting for dark.”

“I waited all afternoon, and no one came. So as soon as it got a little dark, I dragged the boar down the mountain and buried it. Then I hurried home to call you.”

In this era, things in the mountains belonged to the village. Of course, if someone went to the mountains and caught some wild chickens or rabbits, no one would care, as everyone tacitly understood this.

However, a wild boar this large, if seen by the villagers, would definitely be divided up. In this era, eating enough was a luxury, let alone meat. The person who killed the boar would get a larger share, as it wasn’t easy to kill a wild boar. The rest would be divided among the villagers, with each household receiving at most 30 kilograms (approximately 66 pounds). It was much better to keep it all for themselves.

“It’s so dangerous for a girl like you to go into the mountains. Don’t go again. This time it was a dead pig. What if you encounter a live wild boar next time!” Mi Qiu angrily looked at Mi Xia, and Zhang Hongxia echoed his words.

Mi Xia couldn’t stand the idea of not being allowed to go to the mountains. How else would she improve her brother’s family’s diet and earn money? Besides, her daughter also needed good food. “Big brother, sister-in-law, don’t worry. When I first got married, Xia Xia’s father taught me some martial arts. If I encounter danger, I can run away.”

“But you must tell the family if you’re going to the mountains. And about the boar, I’ll let your sister-in-law take a leg of pork back to her mother’s house tomorrow,” Mi Qiu said, blushing. Although he had spoken so confidently in front of his wife, Mi Qiu wasn’t entirely sure. Zhang Hongxia sat beside him, looking embarrassedly at Mi Xia.

“What are you saying, big brother? Xia Xia and I are still living in your house. There’s no need to separate things. I brought the boar back, and you can do whatever you want with it. You can sell it or give it away.” Mi Xia smiled faintly.

Hearing her little sister say this, Mi Qiu’s heart settled. Zhang Hongxia thought that such a large leg of pork would give her face back at her mother’s house. It represented her in-laws’ respect for her; otherwise, how could they let her take it home?

“Let’s go to bed. Tomorrow I’ll go to work, and your sister-in-law will take the children back to her mother’s house. You can make something to eat tomorrow.” Mi Qiu instructed.

“Oh, there’s hot water in the kitchen. Prepare some for Xia Xia and yourself to bathe,” Mi Qiu added.

Mi Xia smiled at Mi Qiu. “Okay, big brother. Tomorrow I plan to take Xia Xia to the county town. Don’t worry, Xia Xia and I will eat in the county town.”

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Mi Xia woke up early. Seeing Mo Zhixia still asleep, she got up to wash. Everyone else had already left.

After washing, she saw the little one rubbing her eyes sleepily. So cute! Her heart melted.

“Xia Xia, wake up and let’s wash your face,” she said. Breakfast was two boxes of milk and two meat buns from her space. She gave one to Xia Xia, and they ate happily.

After locking the courtyard gate, she took Mo Zhixia out. A cold wind blew as soon as they stepped out. Fortunately, she had taken clothes from her space for herself and her daughter. She carefully instructed Mo Zhixia.

Mi Xia carried her daughter towards the village head where the ox carts stopped. Her brother’s family was poor and didn’t have a bicycle. Probably only the village chief’s family had one in the entire village. To go to the county town, there would be ox carts at the village head in the morning. They would leave when they were full. So Mi Xia planned to take the ox cart. If they walked, she would have to carry her daughter, and she would probably be exhausted.

As soon as she got on the ox cart, an aunt greeted her: “You didn’t go back yesterday. Didn’t your mother-in-law say anything to you?” Many people in the village knew about the original owner’s situation at her in-laws’ house.

Mi Xia didn’t want to talk to them much, so she simply replied: “I’m planning to stay at my brother’s house for a while. The child misses her uncle.” Then she stopped talking.

Two cents took them to the county town entrance. The ox cart would return at 4 pm. As long as they arrived before 4 pm, they could catch it.

After getting off the ox cart, Mi Xia saw the surroundings. The houses on the street were like her grandmother’s house when she was a child.

There weren’t many brick and tile houses, and even fewer two-story buildings. The roads were uneven, and the walls were covered with slogans from the era.

Mi Xia was still curious about the county town of this era. It was a good opportunity to experience a different county town of this era. There were no cars on the road; the most common vehicles were ox carts and donkey carts. There were many people coming and going, making it quite lively.

Mi Xia held her daughter, watching the people coming and going. It was better than the countryside. Although they were thin, their complexions were rosy, and their clothes were better than those in the village.

Seeing this era with her own eyes, she understood that what her elders said was true. Putting aside her complex emotions, Mi Xia held her daughter and walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative.

The inside was bustling, with tiled floors that were clean. There were stalls selling various goods everywhere, and each counter was surrounded by people. The people in the county were willing to spend money; one group would leave, and another would come in.

The counters here were all glass. The first counter she saw sold skincare products, like snow cream. Although Mi Xia didn’t need them, she bought a box.

She had spiritual spring water, so she didn’t need these things. She could give a box to her sister-in-law. The tickets were given to her by Old Lady Mo because the other rooms didn’t need them.

The next counters sold candies, pastries, kettles, and various other items. These things required coupons, which Mi Xia didn’t have.

After browsing for a while, Mi Xia left with her child. Around the corner, she saw many people queuing. She asked an old lady and learned that this was where they sold non-staple foods, which also required coupons. Mi Xia learned about the prices and left.

A 50-jin bag of flour cost 8 yuan, rice was 30 cents a jin, a jin of rapeseed oil was 60 cents, the fattest meat was 80 cents a jin, and the leanest meat was 40 cents a jin. No one wanted pig intestines or bones, but Mi Xia bought them anyway.