When Mom came home in the evening, she brought some back with her. They were all spoiled. Mom plans to cut them up raw and dry them in the sun every night so they can be preserved for longer.

While searching for food in the mountains, we heard that some villages were even raiding villagers' homes to steal grain from their private plots in order to deliver it to the authorities. We were all afraid that the grain we had hidden at home would be found, but this did not happen in the military compound.

The army's food rations were initially rationed according to quantity, but after seeing the situation in the nearby villages, the standard was lowered, and the unemployed women and children in the family compound were given tasks to do, which was to go up the mountain to find food, such as wild vegetables and wild fruits.

The mess hall was given enough food, and the rest went to one family. Meanwhile, the troops also arranged for officers and soldiers to go hunting in the mountains again. Everyone was very excited to see wild boars and the like, but the logistics director ordered that two be killed and eaten, and the rest be made into cured meat to be eaten slowly.

Soon, the Great Leap Forward in steel production ended, but the weather grew colder and colder, with overcast skies and no snow. Schools were closed early due to the cold, and our families had already gathered a large bundle of firewood. Even so, we still went into the mountains every day. Lately, there was little food left on the mountains, and even game had stopped appearing.

Nan Jie is also a first-year high school student this year. Now she and her older brother Shen Dong have to live at school, which means they have to pay for food, and food is currently the most expensive commodity. In order not to attract attention, her older brother and Nan Jie always bring mixed grains, dried vegetables, and pickled vegetables to school.

We're doing alright, but the food is getting worse and worse than before. We used to eat big white flour steamed buns and cornbread, but now it's vegetable dumplings with a bowl of watery porridge.

However, from 1959 to 1961, not only ordinary people but also soldiers were starving. It was very common for rice to be mixed with sand and for mixed flour to be mixed with tree leaves. Big-headed dolls were everywhere.

To avoid suspicion, the family hid grain, and apart from the high school students, everyone at home ate very thin porridge with some wild vegetables added. This was also to avoid being too different from the others; otherwise, if the two families ate well and became fat, what would happen if everyone else had enough to eat?

It was under these circumstances that in the summer of 1959, my eldest brother, Shen Dong, was admitted to a military academy. Fortunately, there were subsidies for attending university, including exemption from food and medical care, free tuition, and the distribution of uniforms to all students. Enrollment was considered part of military service, and the amount of monthly allowance was determined based on the length of military service.

II. Preferential Treatment for Travel: During winter and summer vacations when military academy students leave school to go home, the school will reimburse their travel expenses once, and they will enjoy the same rights as military personnel when using transportation.

III. Graduation and Rank Assignment: Military academy graduates will be assigned ranks based on their performance at the academy. Undergraduate graduates will be assigned the rank of deputy company commander and may be awarded the rank of lieutenant, while junior college graduates will be assigned the rank of platoon leader and may be awarded the rank of second lieutenant. However, those with outstanding performance may be awarded the rank of lieutenant.

IV. Job Assignment: After graduation, military academy graduates are assigned by the military. Some will serve as active-duty officers in grassroots units, some will take up civilian positions in the military, and others will be assigned to colleges, research institutions, and other units to engage in medical, scientific research, and teaching work.

When the women in the military compound heard about all the benefits of attending military academy, they were all envious. Some even wanted to introduce potential partners to Shen Dong, the eldest brother. Aunt Zhou quickly shut them down with a single sentence:

"What? How old is he this year? He's not even an adult yet, and you're already planning to introduce him to someone? What are you up to? Do you want my son to make a mistake?"

Besides, my son is a college student now. When he looks for a partner, she'll need to have a similar level of education. As for other aspects, they'll have to be decent too. As for you, I don't know a single relative in your family who went to high school. Who are you going to introduce me to? Who are you going to embarrass?"

"You, you, you! I'm happy to introduce your son to someone, and you're complaining that I'm unattractive? Fine, I'm being nosy. I'd like to see what kind of girl your son can find," Wang Xiu'e said.

"Everyone knows that you, Wang Xiue, never do anything without a profit. Do you think I don't know who you are and what you've done just because I don't hang around the residential area much?"

"You, you, you!" Wang Xiue never expected that Zhou Tao, who rarely appeared in the family area except for going to work, would know everything. The key point is that she had never seen Zhou Tao befriend anyone except Liu Linjuan, but those two were busy with work every day.

My goodness! Who is this? Who has such great abilities? Wang Xiue couldn't care less about arguing with Zhou Tao anymore and hurried off to find out more.

In 1958, when the Great Leap Forward began, three of the chickens in our family were eaten when the "People's Commune" was established. By the time of the Spring Festival in 1959, only one chicken was left. However, when spring came and it still didn't rain, the last chicken was also eaten.

Except when my mother was on night shift at the hospital, she always ate lunch at the hospital. After the New Year in 1958, I started cooking for the family myself, which gave me more control. For example, when I was making porridge in the morning, I would take some out of my storage space and mix it into the pot. When I was steaming cornbread or other noodles, I would secretly crack in a few eggs and add a handful of flour to make them.

Even during those three most difficult years, I would secretly take out the dried vegetables I had dried in the kitchen and put them in my porridge. I had no choice; I would add anything I had at home.

Before my older brother went to military school, we went to the place where we found yams. Luckily, no one else found us, and we secretly dug them up and took them home.

This time, instead of drying the yams, they were simply left to dry in the yard. They weren't worried about others seeing them because there was no one in the residential area at that time. Anyone who could walk had gone to the nearby mountains to find food.

After drying, they were placed directly in the cellar. No one dared to rummage through the house. The military was very strict about this, and there were patrols, so there was nothing to fear.

The leaders all know that everyone is struggling. As long as they pay enough to the restaurant, they can take the rest home and decide how to use it to support their children. That's their own business.

My dad and Uncle Shen have mentioned how expensive food is on the black market now; you can't buy it even if you have money. When I heard this, I thought about the dried sweet potatoes I had in my space and started grinding them into powder every night for two hours. I'll sell them when I can go to high school in the city in a couple of days. Even if I wanted to go now, it's impossible; I heard things are chaotic outside, so I'll pass.

Sweet potatoes have been grown on this land since 1957.