Just then, a noise came from outside.
It was Niu Erdan who brought the grain.
The educated youth sent to the countryside relied on work points for food. Newcomers did not have work points at the moment, so they would first borrow grain from the team and then deduct it when they had work points.
Each male educated youth received 40 jin of grain, 30 jin of cornmeal, 5 jin of sorghum flour, and 5 jin of potatoes.
Each female educated youth received 30 jin of grain, 20 jin of cornmeal, and 10 jin of potatoes.
This grain should last at least a month.
In terms of quantity, it was more than the monthly supply for an adult in the city, but 70% of the supply in the city was refined grain.
Ma Chaoyang wailed, "There's not a single grain of fine food?!"
The other educated youths remained silent, but their emotions clearly aligned with Ma Chaoyang's.
Zhao Ru whispered, "Aren't potatoes a vegetable? Can they be used as a staple food?"
"You mean potatoes?" Zhang Yao explained, "This place grows a lot of potatoes, and some poor families rely on them to fill their stomachs."
Zhao Ru asked, "I see that a large area of millet has been planted in Haowan Village. Are we still going to rely on potatoes to fill our stomachs?"
Zhang Yao laughed and said, "Haowan Village is indeed a 'rice village,' but most of the fine grains are used to pay taxes to the state. A strong laborer can only get about a hundred catties of fine grains a year, and that's with the husks on. Moreover, no one is willing to eat this rice; it's all used to exchange for cornmeal."
Zhang Yao paused for a moment, then continued, "However, in general, the average standard of living in Haowan Village is among the highest in the entire commune. The staple food is cornmeal, which is enough to fill one's stomach. Only a very small number of extremely poor people cannot even afford cornmeal and have to rely on sorghum flour and potatoes to fill their stomachs."
Zhang Kangmei suddenly stood up and shouted, "It is shameful to indulge in pleasure, and it is glorious to live a simple and frugal life! Hard work and struggle are our political character! Potatoes are great, I love eating potatoes."
Ma Chaoyang nodded and said, "I love to eat them too. Hot and sour shredded potatoes, stir-fried potato slices, pan-fried potatoes, candied potatoes, I love them all."
Announcing the names of the dishes made everyone hungry.
Looking at the sky, Zhang Yao said, "I'll go cook. You guys take a rest."
The male educated youth named Xue Xinrui, who came with Zhang Yao, said, "I have a watermelon in my cave dwelling. I'll go cut it up for you to eat."
The neighboring village grows watermelons, so the watermelons here are much cheaper and better than in the capital.
Watermelons placed in a cave are even colder than those soaked in well water, and when cut open, they release wisps of cool air.
Although the sun was already setting, the scorching heat that had raged all day was unwilling to give up, and it made a final burst of energy at this moment, making the air both stuffy and hot.
After taking a bite of the sweet, cool watermelon, everyone let out a satisfied sigh.
Qin Hanshu took a slice of watermelon and delivered it to Zhang Yao, who was cooking.
Zhang Yao smiled in surprise and thanked Qin Hanshu.
After they finished eating the watermelon, Qin Hanshu helped her with the cooking, chatting as they worked and learning a lot about the local situation.
This includes local customs, the people's moral character, the personalities of the Party branch secretary and accountant, their attitudes towards educated youth, and even grain production and the methods the production brigade used to increase income.
In short, Zhang Yao told her everything she knew.
When Niu Erdan delivered the grain, he also brought a piece of fresh beef, about a pound. He said that a cow had fallen and died in Niuwang Village, and Secretary Zhou had gone to exchange it for some meat to welcome the new educated youth.
Every group of educated youth who arrived received this treatment. It wasn't necessarily meat, but they would always be given some good food.
With little meat and many people, it's not easy to cook.
After discussing it with Qin Hanshu, Zhang Yao decided to cook a big pot of stew.
The beef was probably from the belly, with a lot of marbling, but it still didn't render out much fat.
Looking at the already browned meat, Zhang Yao regretfully gave up on rendering the oil and threw in the chopped wild garlic and ginger slices.
With a sizzling sound, the hot oil released the aroma of wild garlic and ginger slices, mingling with the meaty smell, making one's stomach rumble. Finely chopped tomatoes were added to the pot and stir-fried with the beef for a while, then water was added and the pot was covered.
The ox is old; it needs to be stewed for a while longer.
While Zhang Yao steamed buns, Qin Hanshu picked the cowpeas and broad beans, and peeled and chopped the potatoes.
When the steamed buns are almost done, add the cowpeas, green beans, and potatoes to the beef stew.
The aroma has already wafted far and wide.
The others had already been peering out the door, drooling with anticipation.
A large bowl of beef was served, but most of it was potatoes; the meat was barely visible.
However, the aroma is still quite strong, even though the seasonings are only wild garlic and ginger.
There were too many people, so Zhang Yao had already divided the dishes beforehand, one bowl for each person, and plenty of steamed buns.
Although Zhang Yao and Xue Xinrui tried their best to restrain themselves, they still couldn't help but have their eyes light up when they saw meat.
Jin Bo asked Xue Xinrui, "Is it difficult for you guys to get meat?"
Xue Xinrui gasped for breath from the heat of the meat before he could reply, "It's not that it's hard to find, it's that it's impossible to find any. Zhang Yao and I have been here for a year, and this is the first time we've ever seen meat."
Zhang Yao said, "Going to the commune to buy meat costs money. We earn very little, and our work points are barely enough to eat. Not to mention we need meat coupons."
Qin Hanshu asked, "Doesn't the team raise pigs and sheep? There will always be some distributed at the end of the year, right?"
Zhang Yao shook her head weakly, "That also requires work points to exchange. Except for grain, which is distributed per capita and even newborn babies can receive it unconditionally, all other products have to be exchanged for work points."
Xue Xinrui said, "Those educated youth who lived with local families had it better, especially those who lived in well-off families. They could always get some meat and fish by following their families."
It was generally difficult for educated youth to earn work points. Those with family support could manage, but most of those who came to the countryside were from ordinary urban families.
Upon hearing Xue Xinrui's words, Zhang Yao quickly nodded and said, "Liao Yujie, who lives at Secretary Zhou's house, has a good life. She's even gained weight by staying with the secretary's family!"
After hearing what Zhang Yao and Xue Xinrui said, the new educated youth who arrived today had different expressions.
Some were indifferent, some looked as if they had lost their parents, and some had a thoughtful expression.
Qin Hanshu silently observed everyone's expressions and made a judgment in her mind.
Zhao Ru and Jin Bo were devastated, clearly feeling that they would also have to live like this in the future, not being able to eat meat even once a year.
Ma Chaoyang, Gao Ming, and Zhang Kangmei didn't care. The former looked like a young master, probably because he had a family backing him up, while the latter two were full of confidence in earning work points.
Lin Zhiheng has facial paralysis, so I won't analyze that.
Qin Hanshu guessed at everyone's family background and behavior, thinking they were looking for an ally.
It's probably not a problem for her to spend money to build a kiln, but she's new here, and it's not good for her to be so high-profile right away, attracting attention. Haowan Village has nearly a thousand residents; who can guarantee there aren't any bad people among them?
If you bring someone with you, your attention will be diverted, and you won't be as conspicuous.
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