After the beginning of spring, the weather was still cold and the ice on the ground had not melted at all. Lu Shiyi led the team into the mountains for training and had not returned for several days. Su Jin had breakfast and prepared to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy seeds.
"Xiao Jin, the seeds provided by the supply and marketing cooperative do not require tickets. You can buy more. These will not go bad." Liu Yunshan took her two younger siblings to buy seeds and told them in advance.
Su Jin and Yun Feng nodded. Political Commissar Lin's family had all three meals a day in the cafeteria, and the yard was empty.
"Yunfeng, do you want to learn how to grow vegetables this year?" Liu Yunshan was curious about Yunfeng's transformation.
"Old Lin said things are not going well lately. Going to the cafeteria all the time might make people gossip." Yunfeng's cooking skills are not good, so she thought about growing vegetables at home and sending them to Su Jin's place to share meals. "I thought about eating at my sister-in-law and Xiao Jin's house."
"It would be better if sister-in-law could bring some food over." Su Jin was of course happy. "Ayi went to the mountains for training, and I was alone at home. If sister-in-law and the two children came over, the house would be lively."
Su Jin prepared a lot of snacks at home, and the brothers Lin Lei and Lin Yan often ran over to get some.
"You haven't given them enough snacks. The two brothers have gained weight recently." Yun Feng listened to Lin Zitao's muttering, feeling a little uneasy. When the three of them went out alone, she reminded them, "Old Lin said that the Imperial Capital Compound has been interfered with by the Pigeon Committee. Moreover, the children in the compound have become their vulnerability. Any child with new clothes and good food will become a target of attack."
Su Jin was shocked. She thought that this fictional China was the same as the real era, and the early 1960s was even more tense.
"Xiao Jin is newlywed, so it's okay to make some new clothes for her. As for the clothes for your two children in the future, try to modify your and your own clothes." Liu Yunshan experienced the natural disasters in the 1950s and knew the censors above very well.
Yunfeng and Su Jin listened to Liu Yunshan's reminder and kept it in mind. Su Jin wanted to buy more things at the market while the inspectors from above were not here.
"Since the roads leading out of the county town are blocked, we'll hold a grand fair outside the courtyard every three days." This was the result of a joint consultation between the military region, the pigeon committee, and the captains of the nearby villages. When Liu Yunshan heard about it, she hurriedly informed the two, "In addition to the normal cellar, have the political commissar and Ayi dig another one during the night. It must be a well-hidden location."
Yunfeng and Su Jin looked at each other and nodded obediently.
"Buy three more years' worth of rapeseed. When Zuo Mei returned home, she heard from the old masters in the village that the rainfall in the next two years probably won't be very good." Liu Yunshan summarized the information and told them.
Yunfeng and Su Jin are city kids and don’t understand much about these things. What’s more, Wu Jun wants to hand over the work to Lu Shiyi and Lin Zitao.
The three of them walked to the door talking and laughing, and found that many family members were gathered in front of the bulletin board at the entrance of the courtyard.
"What notice was posted?" Su Jin became curious. Many of the family members were illiterate, yet they gathered there.
When the three of them approached, they heard Zuo Mei standing in front of the bulletin board, reading the announcement on the board in a loud voice.
It turned out that Liu Chuchang personally sent the traitor and the human traffickers into the imperial capital. After interrogation, it was discovered that the traitor was the mastermind behind the scenes, and Aunt Hu and her daughter were involved. The mother and daughter were sentenced to 20 years in prison and sent to the Northwest Farm for forced labor.
"They deserve it. These people should have been punished." The military families recalled the situation at the fair and were glad that they rushed over to protect Xiao Ya. Otherwise, Hu Teng and Ruan Tao's family would have been broken up.
The notice board listed the final punishments of the people involved in the case one by one, and Liu Yunshan said that the sentences were too light.
"Now that the matter has been resolved, I feel relieved," Yunfeng sighed. "The children in the orphanage have been staying home lately, fearing that more human traffickers will be brought in."
After Wu Jun and Lu Shiyi discussed it, for the safety of their families and children, they ordered the sentries in the compound to strictly check every stranger entering the compound.
"Shi Yi came up with the idea, and the political commissar took the lead to protect the yard at all levels." Liu Yunshan marveled at the two's intelligence.
After greeting the family members, the three of them walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative together.
Because the spring plowing started late in the village, the villagers had some free time and went to the county town to find odd jobs.
At the gate of the county town, villagers from nearby brigades were squatting on both sides. Occasionally, one or two citizens from the city would carry people away. This was the first time Su Jin had seen such a scene in his two lives.
Yun Feng looked at Su Jin standing there blankly, walked up to her and patted her right shoulder.
"The villagers all have skills in building houses or making kangs. They take advantage of the winter break to come here to find work." Yunfeng was also surprised when she first arrived in Songjiang Commune.
After hearing this, Su Jin nodded and entered the county town gate. The streets were no longer as lively as they were during the Spring Festival. Except for the stalls that were set up all year round, all other stalls had been cleared out.
"Sister-in-law, I'm going to the post office to send some food to my parents." Su Jin came out carrying a bamboo basket. When Liu Yunshan mentioned that the harvest was not good, she was worried that the Lu family in the imperial capital would not have enough food.
"The old commander will definitely be happy to have you as his daughter-in-law." Wu Jun used to be a squadron leader under Lu Shicheng, but later left the imperial capital due to a job transfer. "It's better to send something inconspicuous."
Following Liu Yunshan's suggestion, Su Jin hid two cured ducks wrapped in oil paper and a 5-jin piece of bacon in the rice and prepared to send them back together.
"Ayi also reminded me. I will go to the supply and marketing cooperative to find my sisters-in-law later." Su Jin replied with a smile. She wanted to take the opportunity to buy some more stamps and envelopes so that she could write letters to her family in the capital every week.
After the three of them separated, Su Jin moved the things from the space into the backpack, and took out a small piece of 2 kilograms of bacon as cover.
"Serve the people, comrade, what are you mailing?" The post office staff watched Su Jin open the backpack and put a piece of bacon and a large bag of grains together.
"Power comes from the barrel of a gun! Comrade, I want to send it to this address." Su Jin took out the address given by Lu Shiyi. The registrar at the counter took a look at the address and looked at her vigilantly.
"Practice makes perfect! Comrade, who are you sending it to?" the registrar asked vigilantly.
"All reactionaries are paper tigers! Comrade, this is sent to my father-in-law and mother-in-law." Su Jin remembered Lu Shiyi's reminder to answer the counter staff truthfully.
The mailing address is a military compound, and the post office staff will check it.
"A single spark can start a prairie fire! Comrade, please register and weigh yourself." The counter staff handed Su Jin a mailing slip.
Su Jin took a pen from the counter and started writing. The counter staff looked at her strong and powerful thin gold script and sighed that her handwriting was beautiful.
"If there is any problem, please correct it! Comrade, how much is the total amount?" Su Jin handed the mailing list to the staff and put the grain and bacon on the scale.
The staff skillfully wrapped the bacon and took out an outer sack to put it in.
"You have no right to speak without investigation! Comrade, the total is 1.2 cents!" The staff member looked at Su Jin and said.
Su Jin handed over the money and bought stamps and envelopes. She saw the most expensive stamps in modern times, "The Mountains and Rivers of the Motherland Are Red," on the counter. She bought the entire sheet and also bought a lot of new stamps.
The staff looked at her in surprise, and Su Jin told the team members that she wanted to contact her parents-in-law more often.
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