Land reform was carried out in 1951.
Since the original landlords of Sihe Village had long since fled, the remaining ones were eight generations of poor peasants, so there was nothing to fight for. The Lin family was also a small family, so the land they were allocated remained similar to before. Zhang Xiaonv and Lin Wenxuan were a bit tired, but they could still work.
Lin Yulan was sent to a newly built village primary school. Although her clothes were full of patches, her hairband was new. Zhang Xiaonv braided two straight pigtails for her and said as she tied the red hairband.
"My daughter Yulan must study hard and become more successful than your mother and grandmother in the future. Don't be lazy like your mother after you learn culture..."
Liang Shengdi sat on the side with her hands on her face, not saying a word to interrupt her mother-in-law who was saying bad things about her. She was just thinking about how much less she had to eat to make up for Yulan's tuition.
Lin Guoqing, who is less than two years old, also sat obediently on the side with a red face. He kept asking his grandmother when he could go to school like his sister.
Zhang Xiaonu glanced at Liang Shengdi and replied unhappily,
"When your mom earns enough money to pay for your tuition, you can go to school!"
The innocent little Guoqing immediately turned his head to look at Liang Shengdi, "Mom..."
If you keep being naughty for a long time, your skin will become thicker. Liang Shengdi did not feel ashamed at all when she was called out for not working. Instead, she smiled and said shamelessly that she would just eat one less bite.
"I'll eat half an ounce less rice every day, and that's just to save up for your and your sister's tuition."
Little Guoqing cried out, then turned around and patted his chest to look for his grandmother, "Auntie...baby...eat less..."
This meant that he could eat less and save up for his tuition. Furious, Zhang Xiaonv couldn't help but reach out and slap Liang Shengdi on the shoulder, "Stop leading my eldest grandson astray!"
In 1955, the government called for the formation of cooperatives, emphasizing that strength lies in numbers. Initially, each family owned its own land, which later evolved into mutual aid groups.
This model was good at first, helping each other and benefiting each other. But the premise is that everyone works hard, otherwise it will seem unfair when the profits are divided at the end of the year.
Liang Shengdi continued to work for a year, but she discovered that some people were even more lazy than her. Although she would report problems to Lin Youliang, who would always "judge cases impartially," he couldn't stand the fact that people would say one thing to her face and another behind her back, and he wouldn't change despite repeated warnings.
Then Liang Shengdi also started to slack off, squatting on the ground every day to count ants with her son. She also said that if someone in every family had to take advantage of this, then it would definitely be her in their family.
Zhang Xiaonu herself was a hard worker, and she was reluctant to give up when she could work, but she also agreed with Liang Shengdi for the first time, otherwise she would feel that her family was at a disadvantage. Lin Wenxuan could only laugh and cry and try to take on her share of the work.
But probably because more and more people were slacking off, the village's grain production was not as good as it had been in previous years. Every household in the village was having less and less to eat.
In 1958, the people's communes were established, and Lin Youliang was immediately promoted to the position of team leader.
At that time, everyone had to donate their own pots, pans, and utensils, and the village also held a month-long big pot meal. That was definitely the month when Liang Shengdi ate the most. Unfortunately, since everyone brought their families with them, young and old, to eat, the village canteen soon went "bankrupt".
Lin Youliang said that those who did not work could go to the village canteen to eat. The food was not as good as at the beginning, but it was a little more convenient than at home because they did not have to cook.
Except for the month when they ate from the same pot, Liang Shengdi actively went to the fields, but she was still not very willing to work afterwards. She felt that this was all empty work, like working for her mother-in-law. Even if she worked hard, she would not be able to eat what she wanted.
As it turned out, although she had little education, she was naturally sensitive to labor remuneration and her evaluation was pretty much the same.
At the time, a "flamboyant" style prevailed. All sorts of bizarre slogans emerged endlessly. To demonstrate their enthusiasm for work, the neighboring village of Xiahe even organized a "burning the midnight oil" campaign, organizing villagers to harvest rice in the paddy fields in the middle of the night. It was as if the rice had a shelf life and had to be harvested within a few days.
As a result, it was pitch black at night, and even with the lights on, efficiency was extremely low, affecting daytime productivity. Someone in Sihe Village, eager to compete, suggested this to Lin Youliang, but he scolded them and they went back to their old ways.
These are things he can control, but there are some things he cannot control.
For example, the young commune cadres who came down from above, though educated, had never worked in the fields, yet they insisted on directing everyone to plant the seeds. When planting the seeds, they dug trenches in the ground and then used baskets to pour the seeds into the fields one basket at a time.
People simply think that if one seed sprouts, the yield will be high if more are planted. But in the end, the seeds are crowded together, and there is no food to harvest.
Lin Youliang didn't want to be scolded for disobeying orders, nor did he want to lose his position as village chief for generations, and now he was the production team leader. He could only sigh and squat under a tree, smoking and watching them mess around.
Occasionally Liang Shengdi would come over to the big tree to enjoy the cool air, and the two of them would chat for a while.
"Wenxuan, wife, why don't you go earn work points?"
"Village chief, look at the grain in the fields. How much can I get if I work there?"
"...If you don't work, won't you get even less?"
"The little I got wasn't worth all the work! It's easier than just catching a couple of fish in the river!"
Lin Youliang was so worried that smoke came out of his mouth.
It was from this year that the grain production in the village and the entire county began to plummet, becoming lower each year. The members of the cooperative had no food to eat. Just as Liang Shengdi said, those who worked had no food to eat, and those who didn't work still had no food to eat. It would be better not to work!
In addition, there was also the false reporting of production, which increased the task of grain procurement, and most of the grain was requisitioned by the higher authorities.
Lin Youliang didn't lie about his grain output; he reported exactly how much the village produced. As he put it, how could face be more important than food?
However, when reporting to the county, production team leaders and brigade cadres who didn't falsely report low production would be detained until they reported a higher output. The higher the output, the more grain they had to pay, and there wouldn't be enough food the following year.
Every time Lin Youliang came back from the county, there would be a groove on his forehead.
When they passed by the big tree again, they would run into Liang Shengdi and Lin Guoqing watching the ants moving. Liang Shengdi would wave and say hello, "Village Chief, have the posters been received yet?"
"Hai" means "flattering at war", and "bao" means report, which means bragging about the production meeting.
Lin Youliang: "...Stop talking to those seven or eight people. Can't you go work in the fields and increase the yield? Aren't you tired of eating the six-grain porridge?"
"My family is eating duckweed today." Liang Shengdi spread her hands. "Do you mean that if we dry it, we won't have to eat it?"
Lin Youliang had no way to refute and could only turn around and leave.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
