Last year, we finally saved a rooster and a hen. Soon after the spring began this year, the hens started laying eggs.
We have eggs, so how far is it from having chickens?
Recently, Qiu Yuling has been taking a detour to pick alfalfa near Yancao Lake after school. The tender alfalfa in the early spring cannot withstand the large number of people, and soon the grass becomes bare like a swarm of locusts.
It's okay, we can still pick locust flowers. Little Radish Head does whatever Sister Ling does. Only the locust flowers on the high parts are left. Qiu Yuling then turns to picking elm seeds. Since everyone is so enthusiastic, she won't be lazy and let's do it together.
The letter from Second Brother Qiu finally arrived after the whole family had been eagerly waiting. Along with it came a small package containing a porcelain military kettle with a corner chipped off, which was specifically for my younger sister, as well as a few cloth coupons, brown sugar coupons, and strangely, match coupons.
The letter only said that he was fine and not to worry. The tickets were exchanged with his comrades and were all used at home. It was not very long. Mother Qiu read it over and over again.
Qiu's mother never went to school, but she knew a lot of words. She only asked Qiu Yuling to read it to her once, and then she held the book in her hands and read it endlessly.
Qiu Yuling stroked the kettle that her second brother had specially sent back. Look, this is her family in this life, how can she not love them!
It is said that spring rain is as precious as oil. The continuous rain has moistened the dry crops. Father Qiu happily sighed that this year's harvest will definitely be good.
Qiu's mother had no time to appreciate the spring scenery. Qiu Dashan was already 21 years old, and it was time for him to be arranged a marriage. Qiu Yuling was convinced by the calculation of the older generation. They simply added two years to his age, and her eldest brother was only 19!
Although there is still a year left, it never hurts to look for it in advance. Also, building an additional house should be put on the agenda. Now with these two rooms, it will be difficult to marry a daughter-in-law, and even for the children to live separately when they grow up.
This is a rare major event in the family, and Mr. Qiu also has a say, so let's build it.
In those days, people couldn't afford to build brick houses, so they had to make mud houses. Father Qiu had to prepare in advance. Every day after work, he would take a mold and pour mud in the backyard. This stuff also had to be dried in the sun, so it was necessary to prepare in advance.
The backyard of Qiu Yuling's house is actually a piece of land surrounded by camel thorn and dry red willow. Because they were afraid of further rain, Qiu's father and his two sons found some poplar wood to build a pergola.
The bottom was also raised, and the soil blocks were moved in and stacked up as soon as they dried. As usual, Qiu Yuling didn't have to get involved, but she didn't really "spoil" her, so she still had to help with tea and meals.
The tender alfalfa in spring can be cooked by boiling water, sprinkling some salt and vinegar on it, and it becomes a delicious dish. In fact, it will be more fragrant if you add some oil and chili peppers. Mother Qiu did not allow her to waste her oil, so Qiu Yuling gave up. However, she could eat a deluxe version of cold-mixed alfalfa in her space, so she did not disobey her mother.
There are also locust flowers and elm seeds, mixed with some corn flour, put in a pot and steamed, add some chopped garlic and green onions, stir-fry, or drizzle with hot oil, it is also very delicious.
These are all gifts from nature. As long as her seasoning is not too strong, Qiu's mother generally does not restrict Qiu Yuling's performance.
While the masters did the heavy work, Qiu's mother had endless needlework to do. The clothes were torn and the children's pants were too short. In short, no one was idle.
Qiu Yuling had grown taller, and the sleeves and trouser legs of last year's spring clothes were no longer long enough. Qiu's mother rummaged through her own tattered clothes and found something usable, and added a layer of fashionable hem to Qiu Yuling's clothes.
That is, two halves of clothes. Although Qiu Yuling is "picky", she never picks and chooses clothes. She will wear whatever is given to her.
This spring, farmers received another good news.
The "Regulations on the Work of Rural People's Communes (Draft Revised)" issued by the state stipulates that village collectives across the country will reallocate a portion of farmland to farmers at a ratio of 5%-7% of the production team's cultivated land area.
The crops grown on private plots belong to the farmers themselves and are not subject to agricultural tax. Private livestock also belong to the breeders themselves. No taxes or purchases are levied within the exemption points. The business scope of private plots, private mountains, and private grasslands is protected by the state and cannot be violated at will.
To put it simply, each household can get three mu of land per person. One mu of land is equal to ten cents, and one cent is equal to ten cents. The Qiu family has a total of two mu of land, which is enough for growing vegetables.
The land here is vast. Although each household has built few houses, the yards they have are not small. The Qiu family also expanded the backyard a bit, and it is safer to have the vegetable garden next to the house.
Qiu's mother also went to the brigade to exchange her work points for vegetable seeds, which was basically beyond Qiu Yuling's knowledge.
Whether it was vegetable seeds or plant seedlings, most of them were the kind that it might have seen her before, but she couldn't recognize it.
Although she knew that the quality of seeds at that time was not as good as that in later generations, Qiu Yuling did not dare to rashly replace the seeds in the space. She was afraid that something that was not in this place would grow, unless the vegetable seeds brought back by every household could grow that thing.
Actually, it is also an idea.
Qiu Yuling was not trying to show off or stand out, she simply felt that this era was too difficult. Besides, the black technology of later generations was not entirely bad. Many of them had high production and tasted better.
She didn't intend to help the whole world, but she still wanted to do her bit for the simple folks within her ability.
The seeds are not packaged in bags now, but in paper or dustpans. Under the guidance of her friends, Qiu Yuling is no longer the lonely girl she was when she first came here. Occasionally, she will follow the little kids to visit other people.
The brigade headquarters is usually locked. Recently, it was spring planting time, and because of the decentralized policy, villagers came and went to exchange seeds and chicks, so the door was opened.
Of course, the children were more curious about where they were not allowed to go. In any case, it was convenient for Qiu Yuling. The brigade secretary angrily chased them away, and the little ones scattered like birds and beasts.
Qiu Yuling mixed in beans, corn, eggplants, beans, tomatoes, cabbages, some grain seeds and chicken seedlings from later generations. She lost 100 points, but it was worth it!
Mother Qiu is a person of action, and she works in a hurry. She was one of the first batch to receive the seeds, so Qiu Yuling took over the job of watering the plants one bucket at a time from Mother Qiu. Since she could do this job well, Mother Qiu said no more and went to help Father Qiu.
Perhaps she was misled, or perhaps she had never seriously understood the culture of this era before, but Qiu Yuling always subconsciously believed that farmers were not allowed to raise livestock here.
It was not until now that she learned that the great man had been vigorously advocating the slogan "A pig is a small organic fertilizer factory" in his "A Letter on Pig Farming" in October 1959.
It was even a political task of that era. Otherwise, why would the public society issue quotas to the brigade? If farmers wanted to support themselves and not occupy arable land and collective property, the policy would also be strongly advocated.
However, in order not to affect the collective, the policy was further refined after being delegated to the local level. For example, Qiu Yuling's family cannot raise pigs and sheep at the same time, pigs cannot raise sows, and there are no more than three sheep, and both the pig and the sheep must be male.
The great man is always thinking about his fellow farmers. Food is the first necessity of the people. The working-class brothers are the military and industrial shovels of the country, and the peasant brothers are the foundation of the country.
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