Chapter 47 You Have to Give Up This Yard

Aunt Sun seemed to have remembered something terrible, with a look of fear on her face: "We are in the army here, and we must stick to the socialist path! We can only open up some wasteland to grow vegetables for self-sufficiency, that is to respond to the call and improve our lives! 'Contract' the mountain? And want to grow tea? Don't even think about it!

If this gets out, even your status as a "military dependent" won't protect you! Even the leaders who spoke up for you will be in trouble!"

Aunt Sun's series of warnings were like a basin of cold water poured over Shen Lingning's heart.

She looked at Aunt Sun's wrinkled face, which was now filled with fear and seriousness, and her heart sank. No matter how good the tea seedlings in her space were, rashly proposing to "plant tea on a mountain" would not only not work, but would immediately put herself in a dangerous situation and might even implicate the network of relationships she had just established.

For example, Zhou Weiguo, the grandmother of the family compound, might even implicate his godfather who was far away in Chang'an...

Shen Lingning quickly suppressed the fluctuations in her eyes, and her face showed just the right amount of "being frightened" and "being late to realize" annoyance. She held Aunt Sun's rough hand with her backhand, and her voice trembled with fear:

"Auntie... I'm so sorry, I really didn't realize it was so serious! I was back home... I just heard some random things and thought it was all the same... Thank goodness you reminded me! Otherwise, I would have gotten into big trouble! I'll keep this to myself and never mention it to anyone again!"

She was sincere and admitted her mistakes straightforwardly.

Seeing that she was frightened and admitted her fault in a good manner, Aunt Sun's expression softened a little, but she still patted her chest with lingering fear: "Oh, you scared me to death! Remember, little girl, here, there are some words and some thoughts that you must never say out loud!

Honestly growing the vegetables in the yard and raising the children well is better than anything else! "

She repeatedly warned him before pulling Shen Lingning and hurriedly walking towards the family compound, as if the place where they had just had the conversation had become unsafe.

Shen Lingning held Fubao in his arms and followed Aunt Sun silently.

The mountain breeze blows on my face, bringing a cool feeling.

She looked at the winding dirt road beneath her feet, and at the figures on the distant terrace working hard on the limited land. She had to suppress the eagerness in her heart to utilize spatial resources, improve her life by growing tea, and even inspire others.

But Shen Lingning is not someone who gives up easily.

Her mind raced, eliminating impossible options.

Large-scale mountain tea planting?

——It’s a dead end, it will never work.

Plant secretly in space?

——Tea needs sunlight and rain, but the space is limited and the source cannot be explained, so the risk is extremely high.

Use the small vegetable garden in the yard?

——It’s just a drop in the bucket and can only support ourselves.

Is it really that I can only guard this palm-sized piece of land, rely on the meager monthly supplies, and endure hardship with Fubao in this mountain valley?

Waiting for Zhou Weiguo who may come back at any time?

Or perhaps he could rely on occasional financial support from his newly-acknowledged godfather, Mr. Zhao?

No, this is definitely not her, Shen Lingning's, path.

She needed an opportunity, a way to reasonably and legally bring out the value of the special tea seedlings in her space without crossing the "contracting" red line.

Maybe……

Not in the name of "private"?

Maybe……

Need to find a bigger "hat" that complies with current policies?

When Shen Lingning brought Fubao into the compound, there were seven or eight women gathered there, each with a sad face, whispering to each other.

As the sun climbed above the locust tree, seven or eight women gathered around the stone millstone in the center of the family compound.

The air was filled with the bland smell of cheap soap and vegetable stems.

Aunt Wang clutched a nearly empty oil bottle, her knuckles white from squeezing. "My son, Erzhu, went to the back hill yesterday to pick some red fruits, thinking they'd sweeten the pot...but he ended up getting diarrhea in the middle of the night and lost his shape! His face is pale and still drooping!"

Her voice trembled and turbid tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Sister Zhang, who was sewing shoe soles nearby, sighed heavily, her finger nearly pierced by a needle tip. "Whose child isn't greedy? My little boy can eat three steamed breads mixed with bran in one meal! This month's food allowance..."

She lowered her voice, almost shoving it through her teeth, "Another relative from back home forced to 'borrow' ten kilograms of food coupons! These days... the hole is getting bigger and bigger!"

"That's right!"

Another skinny sister-in-law slapped her thigh, a lingering fear in her heart: "My husband brought back two taels of meat coupons from a visit last month, but before he could even warm them up, his uncle coaxed and snatched them away! He said he was giving it to his cousin to find a wife to show off... What a lie!"

As soon as Shen Lingning walked into this gloomy fog with Fubao in his arms, he ran into the sound of complaints.

She paused slightly, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

Is life in the military compound really so tight?

The child was so hungry that he went to try wild fruits, but his food coupons were forced to be "borrowed"...

This didn't seem much better than what she had expected in the countryside of southern Shanxi.

Shen Lingning shook her head gently, and Fubao twisted uneasily in her arms, his little mouth pouting.

When several women saw her, they all looked at her with mixed sympathy.

Li Hongmei is the sister-in-law whose family of eight lives in two rooms.

She spoke first, her voice high and clear: "Hey, isn't this Captain Zhou's house? Sister Lingning, have you received this month's supplies? Come on, Captain Zhou... have you received any news?"

There was more inquiry than concern in her eyes.

Shen Lingning suppressed the bitterness in his heart, and only a faint and appropriate smile appeared on his face. His voice was calm and unwavering: "The army will make its own arrangements for defending the country. I... am also waiting for news."

She avoided the important point, but her eyes were firm: "I must find him."

The women exchanged glances. Li Hongmei curled her lips and slid off the topic. "Well, the weather's getting warmer. Sister Lingning, what vegetables are you planning to plant in the yard this year? Eggplant or beans? You'd better get started!"

Shen Lingning responded to the conversation with a few words, then carried Fubao to the yard assigned to her - it was a two-room brick house with a small courtyard, which was considered an "expert courtyard" in the generally crowded courtyard.

Seeing that Shen Lingning didn't pay much attention to her, Li Hongmei clenched her fists in anger, her eyes rolled, and when she saw Shen Lingning about to enter the yard, she stood up suddenly.

As Shen Lingning pushed open the creaking courtyard door, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

Li Hongmei rushed in like a gust of wind, followed by a few onlookers.

She put her hands on her hips, her voice raised high, her saliva almost spraying on Shen Lingning's face: "Defend the country! Stop! You have to give up this house!"

Shen Lingning turned around and looked at her with cold eyes.