When the two found Aunt Haiying and asked her, they learned that the team had not distributed any grain; the last time grain was distributed was before the autumn harvest.

The team usually stores some grain, which is then distributed before spring planting and autumn harvest. This is mainly to prevent some families from running out of grain or selling it early, which would make it impossible to guarantee the autumn harvest.

Upon hearing this, the two realized that the team was quite considerate, having even thought of these issues.

Only Aunt Haiying waved her hand dismissively.

"Hey, what kind of thoughtfulness is this? They were forced into it."

You're new here, so you don't know that in previous years, some villagers had enough grain distributed to their families, but they still took it to exchange for money!

When spring planting or autumn harvest requires physical strength, they'll all be working on empty stomachs, and one after another they'll faint. What kind of situation is that?

Tian Haiying still gets quite angry when she talks about these things now, so it must have been quite difficult for her back then.

"In the end, the team had no choice but to borrow grain from others. But it was okay to borrow from one or two families. If ten or eight families did the same, how could they possibly borrow enough?"

"We had no other choice but to come up with this method to ensure everyone has enough to eat during spring planting and autumn harvest."

"Oh, I see. That's great. The brigade leader and the brigade officers have really gone to great lengths."

"Auntie, when the team distributes the grain, can we go and buy some?"

Tian Haiying nodded without hesitation.

"Of course you can, and it's cheaper to buy it in the team, and you don't need a ticket. I was just about to tell you about this."

"At that time, we might not be able to buy too much refined grain, but everything else will be fine. Go ahead and buy as much as you want. How much can you two girls eat?"

After she finished speaking, she thought for a moment and added something else.

"Some of the grain in the team was originally intended to be sold, which was tacitly approved by the higher-ups. So, it's all going to be sold anyway, so don't worry, just buy as much as you want."

It's not that I'm praising your team leader uncle, but when you buy grain at the supply and marketing cooperative, isn't it also collected from below?

Once you get there, the price skyrockets, and you need tickets, plus there's a limit to how many you can buy. It's better to just buy them from the team.

Zhu Qinghao and Si Tian did not have the same idea that she was using her position for personal gain, so they quickly denied it.

"No, no, no, Auntie, we didn't have any strange ideas. We were planning to buy it from the team from the beginning."

Going to the supply and marketing cooperative is too far. I'll have to carry it back myself, and the roads are difficult to walk in winter. It will be a real ordeal to carry it myself.

Auntie, we're not ungrateful people. We know you're doing this for our own good.

Hearing this, Tian Haiying felt relieved.

"Yes, that's exactly the point. Auntie knows you two are good kids, but I still have to explain this to you, otherwise there might be some misunderstanding."

Tian Haiying didn't mean to go to unnecessary trouble. She had introduced the idea to the older educated youth before, but they didn't appreciate it at all. They even thought she was helping their men take shortcuts, which made her very angry.

Since then, Tian Haiying has stopped talking in front of the educated youth. She was willing to talk about Zhu Qinghao and the other two because she had always had a good impression of them and knew their character well.