Fu Ya had never experienced a drought, and although she was worried, she was not as anxious as Aunt Ma. She didn't know how to persuade her, so she could only watch her leave in a hurry.
When Aunt Ma got home, she realized that she didn't know how to write letters. The only telephone in her hometown was at the brigade headquarters, and it wasn't convenient for her eldest son to answer the phone. Besides, she didn't have a phone number either.
She was so anxious that she paced back and forth. Then, a thought struck her, and she went to find someone to help her write a letter.
If anyone wanted to help, Fu Ya would have been the best choice, but she was sick, and Aunt Ma was too embarrassed to trouble her.
So she asked a military wife who had attended night school for help. She deliberately asked the military wife to exaggerate and make it more serious, hoping to get her eldest son's attention.
After writing it, I handed it to the soldiers on guard duty to check, and then asked them to help me deliver it to the postman.
Grandma Ma had no idea that this letter would cause a series of repercussions in the military region. After handing the letter to the young soldier, she went home worriedly.
The military wife who wrote the letter to Aunt Ma spread the contents of Aunt Ma's letter while chatting with other military wives.
I don't know how the rumor spread, but within a few days, everyone in the family compound was saying that there would be a drought this year and that there would be no harvest. The military wives who weren't working were going to the mountains and nearby villages every day, hoping to stock up on food.
Of course, Grandma Ma doesn't know any of this now. In the afternoon, when her two grandsons came home from school, she gave each of them a basket and told them to go dig for wild vegetables and pick mushrooms.
Her two grandsons are named Feng Zhong and Feng Yong, one is thirteen years old and the other is eleven years old, both of them are taller than Rongzhi.
The two families have been getting closer recently, and the children have become familiar with each other. Their grandmother assigned them a task, so they came to call Rong and Zhigao, and Fu Ya did not stop them and let them go along.
That evening, Rong Lianhu returned with a lunchbox of braised pork. Without Fu Ya asking, he explained, "The cafeteria had meat today, so I got some." He then asked, "Where are the sons?"
“They went to dig for wild vegetables with Grandma Ma’s grandson,” Fu Ya said, her tone tinged with helplessness. “Grandma Ma is worried about the drought, so she’s started stockpiling food.”
Rong Lianhu frowned after hearing this: "Isn't she worrying unnecessarily? Things are different now than in the past; the government will take care of things."
Fu Ya nodded: "I think so too, but I think we should also stock up on some food, so that if there is a drought, the children won't go hungry."
Rong Lianhu sighed and placed the lunchbox on the table: "That's fine then, it's reassuring to stock up. By the way, how are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"
Fu Ya smiled and said, "I'm much better. The doctor said I just need a few days of rest. You don't need to worry about me. But you, don't push yourself too hard in training."
Rong Lianhu patted her hair gently and said in a tender tone, "I know, I'll be careful. You should rest well and come back to work at the hospital when you're better."
As the two were talking, the door was pushed open, and Rong Zhigao and Rong Zhiyuan returned with Feng Zhong and Feng Yong.
The baskets were full of wild vegetables and mushrooms, and the children's faces were sweaty, but their smiles were radiant.
"Dad, Mom, look how much we dug up!" Rong Zhigao excitedly put the basket on the table, showing off their "trophies".
Looking at the contents of the basket, Rong Lianhu exclaimed sincerely, "Wow, you've dug quite a lot! Not bad, we'll have wild vegetable pies tonight."
Feng Yong grinned: "Grandma said there might be a drought this year, so she told us to dig up more wild vegetables, because we might not be able to eat them again later."
Rong Zhiyuan nodded in agreement: "I dug a lot too, and even saw a rabbit, but unfortunately we didn't catch it!"
Looking at the children's excited expressions, Fu Ya felt a little helpless, but she was also amused by their childlike innocence: "Alright, you little guys, wash the wild vegetables first, and I'll make you wild vegetable pies later."
Upon hearing that there was food, Rong Zhigao and Rong Zhiyuan cheered and ran to wash the vegetables.
Feng Zhong pulled Feng Yong away to say goodbye: "Uncle Rong, Aunt Fu, let's go back first, otherwise Grandma will worry."
Rong Lianhu didn't try to stop them, nodding and telling them to slow down.
Turning to look at her son's busy figure, she smiled and said to Fu Ya, "It's good to give the children something to do after school."
Fu Ya smiled and said, "I'll have them wash the wild vegetables and mushrooms themselves and hang them to dry. The sun is strong now, so they'll be dry in less than two days."
Rong Lianhu glanced at her sideways: "You really want to eat wild vegetables?"
Fu Ya nodded: "What if there really is a drought? Even if there isn't a drought, it's good to have some left over for when there are no vegetables in winter."
Rong Lianhu waved his hand dismissively: "How could that be? This isn't the old society anymore. Besides, we have a reservoir here, so the drought shouldn't be that severe."
Fu Ya did not refute further, but she felt a little uneasy.
She recalled the drought scene described by Aunt Ma. Although she knew that things were different now than in the past, the fear of the unknown still made her somewhat worried.
In the evening, the family sat together to eat wild vegetable pancakes. The children ate with great relish, and the house was filled with laughter.
The sky outside the window was exceptionally clear, without a single cloud, silently proclaiming that tomorrow would also be a good day.
The next day, after Fu Ya got up, she opened the window and a wave of heat hit her.
She frowned, thinking that the weather was indeed a bit abnormal.
The weather was still hot at noon, with the sun high in the sky, scorching the earth.
Fu Ya dropped Rong Jiaojiao off at the Feng family's house and then went to work. By the end of the day, everyone was complaining about how hot it was, as if it had gotten hot earlier than usual.
When they got home that evening, Fu Ya said to Rong Lianhu, "I think we should prepare some food, otherwise, I'll always feel uneasy."
Seeing his wife's anxious expression, Rong Lianhu agreed, "Okay, tomorrow is market day in town. I'll find someone to help me exchange some grain with the villagers."
Fu Ya said, "If possible, please change more. I always feel uneasy."
Rong Lianhu nodded. The next day, no one knew who he asked for help, but that evening he brought back a bag of flour, a bag of rice, and five bags of cornmeal, all in small bags, each weighing twenty jin.
Not only him, but many people in the family compound bought a lot of grain today during the market day.
Fu Ya calculated that if there were a real drought, this amount of grain would not be enough to last long.
Rong Lianhu said, "It's very difficult to exchange grain now. Farmers are on a collective system, and this grain is grown on their own private plots. Not much of it can be exchanged for money."
Fu Ya doesn't know much about these things. She returned to her homeland with the main force two years ago, and has been busy with work and taking care of her children ever since.
Last year's vigorous steelmaking campaign and the large-scale canteen policy also affected the military.
However, the military's supply system is an independent system based on militarized management, which differs in nature and operation from the communal meals in rural public canteens.
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