If the 6,000 catties of yam are divided equally, after drying, there will be 3,000 catties of dried yam. After dividing it equally between the two families, each family will have 1,500 catties.

Even though there were so many yams at home, Dad and Uncle Shen still went out during their rest time to buy two thousand catties of grain for each family and put them at the training ground.

They also harvested the sweet potatoes from the training ground and dried the bad ones into sweet potato chips. At the same time, they dug a cellar in the yard and stored the sweet potatoes there.

When they came back, they even brought a basket of sweet potatoes for their families. I secretly calculated that the grain stored by both families, plus dried vegetables, and the grain grown in the "training ground" of the West City courtyard next year, if eaten sparingly, would be enough for about three years.

For the past month, we've been eating yams at home either steamed, cooked into porridge, or stir-fried. We're almost sick of them.

Yam can be eaten or used as medicine.

Edible uses: The tubers are rich in starch and can be eaten as a vegetable. Yam is excellent for nourishing the lungs, strengthening the spleen, and tonifying the kidneys. The sticky juice of yam is mainly mucoprotein, which helps maintain blood vessel elasticity and also has lung-moistening and cough-relieving functions. Yam can be cooked into porridge with red dates, used in soups, or stir-fried with various ingredients.

Medicinal Uses: The tuber of Dioscorea opposita is a commonly used Chinese medicine called "Huai Shan Yao" (淮山药). The root can also be used medicinally; it is sweet, warm, and neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It is mainly used to treat internal injuries, replenish deficiencies, dispel cold and heat pathogens, strengthen the middle burner, boost energy, build muscle, and strengthen yin. Long-term use can improve hearing and vision, lighten the body, reduce hunger, and prolong life. *Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica*: Treats wind-related headaches and dizziness, lowers qi, and dispels toxins. *Zhen Heng*: Stops lower back pain, treats weakness and emaciation, replenishes the five internal organs, and eliminates vexation and heat. *Bie Lu*: Replenishes the five types of fatigue and seven types of injury, dispels cold wind, calms the mind, soothes the soul, replenishes insufficient heart qi, and improves memory. *Zhen Quan*: Strengthens muscles and bones, treats seminal emission and forgetfulness. *Da Ming*: Benefits kidney qi, strengthens the spleen and stomach, stops diarrhea, resolves phlegm, and moisturizes the skin and hair. *Shi Zhen*: Apply raw, pounded, to treat swelling and hardness.

In the blink of an eye, it was 1958. In May, the "Great Leap Forward" began, followed by the "People's Commune" and the practice of eating from the same pot.

These two decisions have relatively little impact on the military. Take the canteen for example; the military already has a canteen, and family members in the residential area can get meals with tickets.

The only difference is that in the past, people could collect their own grain from their own ration books and keep it at home, but now it is all stored in the army canteen.

When the "Great Steel Training Camp" began, people of all ages across the country actively participated. In family quarters, in order not to delay the troops' training, some women took the lead.

Coupled with recent newspaper reports of yields of 10,000 jin per mu, a frenzy was about to erupt.

So when we were gathering firewood, and we saw a secluded spot, I whispered, "Brother, everyone's busy with steelmaking right now, and the autumn harvest is almost here. Do you think anyone will be there to collect it?"

"No one will buy it. Have you seen the iron smelting in those nearby villages?" Fourth Brother said.

"What will we do when there's no food left?" I asked.

"How can there be no food? Didn't they say the yield per mu was over 10,000?" Fourth Brother said again.

"Brother, what's the yield per acre of sweet potatoes we planted in the courtyard in the west city?" I asked again.

"About four thousand catties, what's wrong?" the older brother said.

"Brother, is sweet potato the highest yield per acre of all grains?"

"Yes, Mianmian, what do you mean?"

"Isn't that right? Sweet potatoes only yield a maximum of 4,000 jin per mu, how could it possibly yield 10,000 jin, and that's for other crops. And most importantly, everyone's busy making iron now, who cares about the crops in the fields?"

"Mianmian is right, what should we do about our brother?" Sister Nan thought for a moment.

"There's nothing we can do about it, we can't really say for sure," the older brother said, looking worried.

"Brother, what will we eat after everyone has finished eating all the food?"

"Yes," everyone finally realized and said.

"Mianmian, what do you mean?"

"Either we disband the communal dining system, or we confiscate grain from the villagers' homes to solve everyone's food problem."

"That can't be right!" Sister Nan asked in surprise.

"Nothing is impossible, and even if it is, they are all individual cases," the older brother said.

"But what if we don't have a pot at home?" Fourth Brother asked.

"A clay pot or earthenware pot will do," Third Brother said.

"I think the most important thing right now is food."

"Oh, what about Mianmian?" my older brother asked after noticing my thoughts.

"First, we need to find a place to hide the grain at home in batches. Second, while everyone is busy smelting iron, let's hurry up and find food on the mountain."

“Why not go to the fields in the nearby villages? Look, everyone’s smelting iron there; they’re trading it for crops,” Fourth Brother said.

“That’s stealing, that’s not allowed. Besides, the food in the nearby villages won’t go to waste. If it really comes to that, the troops won’t just stand by and do nothing,” the older brother said.

"What does Big Brother mean?" Sister Nan asked.

"Yes, in that case, it will probably be given to the commune members, and the rest will go to the military. But we will definitely make it clear to the local government," the older brother said.

"What was Mianmian saying just now?" Third Brother asked.

"Let's do as Mianmian says? We won't be short of a few of us when we're smelting iron, but we still need to deliver the firewood, otherwise it will attract attention," the eldest brother said.

"Okay, let's do it this way?" Third Brother said.

"Where do you hide the grain at home, and how do you hide it?" Fourth Brother asked.

"That's easy!" I said.

"Oh, Mianmian, tell me how to hide it?"

"Recently, we had two empty pickling jars at home, so we put grain in them, wrapped them in oil paper, and buried them in the ground."

"This method is feasible," the older brother said after thinking for a moment.

"What else? You guys should think about it too."

"Put it in the cabinet," Sister Nan said.

"Sure, but you can't put any grain in it. You can put some dried vegetables in, so even if someone does search the house, they won't feel bad if they find anything."

"Big brother, could we dig another cellar under our existing cellar?" the third brother asked.

"You've watched too much 'tunnel warfare' stuff. Anyone knows to check the cellars."

"What should we do then?" Fourth Brother said.

"Fourth Brother, it's okay to be blind to what's right under your nose," I said.

"What does 'blind spot under the lamp' mean?" Fourth Brother asked.

"Mianmian, what do you mean?" the older brother asked.

"Fourth Brother will explain later. Since Eldest Brother can't dig a cellar under the cellar, he can dig a pit next to the cellar and bury him there."

"Mianmian, do you mean to hide the grain in a pit and then bury it with soil?" Sister Nan said.

"yes"

"Okay, when you take the firewood back later, go home and hide the grain first. Also, tell Mom and Aunt Liu to hide the grain in the house in Xicheng and the house near the hospital as well," the older brother said.

"Okay, we understand."

Actually, Liu Linjuan and Zhou Tao had already hidden the grain in the courtyard in Xicheng and the houses near the hospital. For the past few days, the two of them hadn't returned home, spending their evenings harvesting sweet potatoes in the yard after work. They harvested about 5,000 jin (2,500 kg) per mu (0.067 hectares), even after secretly changing some seeds during cultivation.