059
The winter of 1959 seemed to be particularly cold. It was freezing cold and the hungry people had a particularly hard time. Normally, when there was food at home, people would only go up the mountain occasionally to try their luck and change the food for their families. But this year, no one stayed at home for the winter. Except for the elderly and children, everyone else in the family went up the mountain to try their luck.
Some people even prayed that the animals in the mountains would come down to find food like they used to, so that everyone could kill the prey together and share some meat, which was better than taking risks in the mountains.
During natural disasters, both humans and animals were affected. Hungry humans and animals also starved because they couldn't find food. Hungry animals were particularly ferocious. Many members lost their lives when their hungry commune members challenged hungry beasts without knowing their own limitations. As the death toll mounted, nearby production team leaders sought help from the army.
"Xiao Tuan, the relief food from above isn't much, and each household only has that much. Now that every household has so many people, that little food is not enough. Could you please help us out?"
The production team leader opposite Xiao Li had a bitter and worried look on his face. They really couldn't bear to see the members going into the mountains to die in order to find some food. They had no choice but to think of Xiao Li and the others, wanting them to help, at least to prepare some food to get through the winter and wait for the spring wheat to come in next year.
People are all made of flesh and blood. Xiao Li wasn't so cruel as to watch his fellow villagers die without doing anything. "Let's have a meeting to discuss this."
"Thank you, thank you!" Even though Xiao Li did not agree immediately, the production team leader still nodded and bowed to Xiao Li and the others with gratitude.
Xiao Li didn't just call the military leaders to a meeting this time. He gathered all the soldiers on the training ground and said, "I'm going to take up a little of your training time. I wonder how much you know about the current situation outside. I believe the situation in everyone's hometown is not very good right now!"
"Somehow, seeing the current situation outside, I've recently started to reminisce about the past. I've remembered some things from the past, big and small, trivial things." Xiao Li spoke calmly about the things he didn't want to recall. "Since I came here, I've never thought about the past, because when I think about it, my heart is uncomfortable and it's so tight that I can't even sleep at night. I remember my grandfather once told me about his military journeys. He said that the fighting was fierce, but the food was very good. It was all rice, flour, pork stewed with vermicelli, and you could eat whatever you wanted. I thought it was wrong. When we participated in the Korean War, the logistics were difficult to reach the high ground, and the supplies were not very good. So I casually asked, how could it be possible? How can the food be so good in a war? Is the logistics support work so good?"
"The old man's eyes moistened as he said: 'The logistics support there was excellent. It was all sent from thousands of miles away by us ordinary people to the PLA. It was pushed here by more than one million migrant workers on wheelbarrows.' I haven't seen the scene with my own eyes, but I can feel the scene from the old man's expression. More than one million migrant workers must have been an endless team, sending food in all directions, raising clouds of dust, pushing creaking wheelbarrows, and on the carts were bags of food, bundles of military shoes, and boxes of ammunition pushed to the front line. I haven't seen that kind of scene, but my heart aches when I think about it!"
Xiao Li felt his entire body heat up as he spoke. He exhaled sharply, trying to calm himself down before continuing, "Last time, the regiment arrested a few fellow villagers who came looking for food. I regretted sending them to the police for education, so I've been thinking a lot lately and have started to suffer from insomnia."
"Today, several production team leaders came to the regiment, hoping our regiment could help them. I hesitated. Sometimes I feel like I'm such a worthless person, so selfish! Isn't socialism all about ensuring that the people have enough food and clothing to live a good life? Isn't the People's Liberation Army all about defending the country and the people? If we can only watch them die in the mountains, how can we even talk about defending the people and ensuring they live a good life?"
"We all know that it's dangerous in the mountains, so I want to help them!" After a lot of explanation, Xiao Li finally stated his purpose and saluted solemnly to the soldiers on the training ground. In fact, he could have made the decision directly without telling everyone, but the mountains were really dangerous, so Xiao Li still said it based on the humane concept.
"help!"
Most of the soldiers in the army come from rural areas. They have been exposed to the weather since childhood and know the impact of weather on food.
For urban residents, food was rationed at 27.5 kilograms per person per month. Side dishes were also rationed, including oil, salt, meat, eggs, coal, and vegetables, all of which required tickets to buy. Maybe there wasn't enough fine grain at home and they had to eat bran or vegetables. Maybe they hadn't smelled any meat for months. Maybe they felt dizzy, their eyes were blurry, and their whole body was weak from hunger, but at least they could get food every month.
But for farmers, they have to give more grain to the country after working hard for a year. The grain in their families is only as much as they are allocated. They cannot collect grain every month. If the stored grain is gone, it is gone. The family may not even have enough to eat coarse grain or vegetables. What should they do if they have no grain?
What should I do if I still can’t find anything to eat from Guanyin soil, tree bark, and tree roots?
Waiting to die!
This is also the main reason why so many people are trying so hard to become city dwellers.
There wasn't much Xiao Li and the others could do. Helping to hunt in the mountains this time could only provide temporary relief. Once the food and prey were eaten, everyone would still face endless hunger. However, no one cared about these things. They still held a glimmer of hope in their hearts. As long as they could find a way to survive until the spring wheat was ripe, they would have food.
After learning that the soldiers in the army helped with hunting, many elderly people took their children directly to the army base and asked them to kneel down and kowtow at the gate of the army to thank the People's Liberation Army for their help.
When he saw the dark and thin faces and a pair of hungry eyes, kowtowed to the troops with tears in their eyes, Xiao Li could not help but shed tears, because he could not give them any help and he felt unworthy.
He even called his old man who was far away in Beijing. The old man told him that the disaster was now nationwide, and as long as they could survive this winter, they might be able to recover next year. Relief food had already been distributed, and everyone was waiting, hoping that there would be good weather and good harvests next year.
Upon learning that Xiao Li wanted to sell grain, the old man sternly warned him: First, grain is a commodity subject to state monopoly, and individual sales are illegal. Second, grain is not available at the market, only on the black market, which is also illegal. Third, the military has clear regulations prohibiting active-duty service members from buying up grain, non-staple foods, and daily necessities at local markets.
Before hanging up, the old man's aged voice came from the receiver: "I know you are sad, but natural disasters are unpredictable. There is nothing we can do about it. Xiaoli, you have done very well. Grandpa is proud of you."
1960 arrived as everyone expected, but unlike the good weather and harvest that everyone had imagined, the disaster that hit the Chinese people in 1960 really came.
The spring wheat harvest failed, and countless people sat on the fields crying while holding the wheat. The sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production led to an extremely tight supply of grain and non-staple food.
The government urgently dispatched food from national reserves to aid the most vulnerable areas. It also implemented a variety of emergency measures, including reducing the average cloth ration for civilians, lowering food rations and cooking oil rations for urban residents, and promoting the production of food substitutes. Despite this, reports of deaths from starvation continued to arrive from various regions, and hunger hung over the country like a dark cloud.
The troops gradually began to feel the threat of hunger, and new regulations were issued. The officers' ration standard was reduced to 27 kilograms per month. 5 kilograms were deducted from the 27 kilograms to support the national treasury, and another kilogram was deducted to support the disaster area, so only 21 kilograms were left.
Xiao Li had stored a lot of food, and the outside disputes didn't actually have much impact on their family. But when you saw everyone starting to become swollen, pale and thin, the food became hard to swallow.
As an orphan, he attached great importance to food. Food was like his lifeblood. Just when Xiao Li was wavering, a soldier who was training fainted.
Xiao Li rushed over and looked at the emaciated soldier, not believing his eyes. "Is there no food in our cafeteria?"
Since the food shortage, in order to save some food for the regiment, he has not eaten in the regiment canteen for a long time. There has been no news of food shortage in the canteen, but today it can be seen from this soldier Xiaoli that he was obviously fainted from hunger.
Everyone in the regiment has a fixed amount of food. Even if it is reduced now, it will not make any soldier faint from hunger.
"We still have food in our regiment, but it's his hometown that has none." Dong Shiyi had the unconscious man carried to the side. He looked at him and said, "His family wrote a letter a few days ago saying they had no food and couldn't survive. His mother couldn't bear to eat, so she saved food for her children and died of starvation. After he received the letter, he went to the canteen every day to collect his share of food, saved it and sent it back to his hometown. Many people in our regiment are frugal like him."
"I...I..." This scene made Xiao Li feel very touched. He even felt his face burning with shame. Xiao Li closed his eyes slightly, made up his mind and said fiercely: "I still have some food over there. If anyone is in trouble, let them go to me to borrow food."
"Are you willing to give it up?" Dong Shiyi knew that Xiao Li had food, and he also got some at that time. However, after the food became scarce, he gave all his food to the elderly in both families. Now he was unable to help even if he wanted to.
"What can I do if I'm reluctant?" Xiao Li looked at the people who had slowly woken up and smiled bitterly. "Do you think I'm going to watch them starve to death?"
They acted immediately. That night, Xiao Li went back and discussed with Wang Xuemei, then issued a notice directly to the regiment: the quantity was limited, and grain could be borrowed depending on the degree of difficulty.
Yes, Xiao Li’s food was not given for free. He asked everyone who came to borrow food from him to write an IOU, and they could pay him back with money or food later.
Xiao Li claimed this time that the food he and Wang Xuemei had saved over the years was not much. Their family was both working, with Xiao Nuo as their only child. Xiao Li and Wang Xuemei mostly ate in the cafeteria. Their families were well-off and didn't need to send food for retirement, so they suggested they share some of the food with everyone, and no one thought it was a problem.
On the contrary, everyone was full of gratitude and admiration for Xiao Li and his wife. After all, everyone knew how important food was now, not to mention that they could provide food to help those in need at this time.
In their hearts, what Xiao Li gave them was not food, but life!
After sending off the soldiers who were crying and thanking him again, Xiao Li said to Wang Xuemei, "I did a good thing, didn't I?"
Wang Xuemei's eyes sparkled as she nodded firmly, "Yes! Xiaoli, you did a great job! We are all so proud of you!"
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