In the autumn of 1960, the new semester began and there were some new changes.
Zhou Jiao still remembers the day she first went to school. The cafeteria served solid white flour buns, and she choked on the first bite and had to drink a big mouthful of vegetable soup.
At this time, she hit the muddy water with green leaves floating in it and grabbed two black balls. She winked at Zhang Guoqing and went out with the food first.
This autumn was exceptionally bleak, with continuous floods and droughts across the country, and crop yields declining. So, just because Zhou Jiao had no objection to the food in her hand didn't mean she had to swallow it.
In the dormitory, Zhang Guoqing left two black balls and whispered to the surprised Zhou Jiao: "Let me taste it, so that others won't be confused when they ask about it."
Zhou Jiao thought what he said made sense, but she didn't need to be so foolish as to chew two at a time. She broke a black ball in half and put the rest into her space.
These foods may still be useful, so we can’t waste any of them.
"We share the good times and the bad times together."
She took a bite and found it bitter and astringent, something mixed in with it. She quickly picked up the egg soup and took a sip. Finally, she swallowed it.
"It's even weirder than my mother's corn-slag steamed buns."
Zhang Guoqing took it, put it to his lips, took a big bite, and said with a smile: "It's all good stuff. High blood fat and high cholesterol will definitely not appear."
Zhou Jiao picked up the soup and fed it to him with concern.
After taking two large gulps, Zhang Guoqing stuck out his tongue and said softly, "I'm going to have to eat this stuff while I'm doing farm work in the next few days. I have to go home and think of a way to prepare more vegetable dumplings and steamed buns of similar color. It would be best if I could make the bread a little uglier. That way, when more people come and eat it, it won't attract attention."
Zhou Jiao nodded in understanding.
"I'll give this half to my son to try, so he can know what people eat outside."
Zhou Jiao smiled when she heard this. Seeing that he could say it, she would be reluctant to actually do it.
After dinner, Zhou Jiao asked him to brush his teeth quickly. Ever since Yi Jiefang said that his second brother could smell the smell of meat even when he burped, Zhou Jiao was extremely cautious.
Thinking of the afternoon counselor's announcement that there would be a class meeting in the evening and that they would notify her if anything happened, Zhou Jiao subconsciously frowned slightly. She didn't know what would happen at the beginning of the school year.
"What's wrong? Do you want to take a leave tonight?" Zhang Guoqing was surprised that she was not feeling well, so he touched her forehead, trying to smooth out the wrinkle.
"Thinking about the meeting tonight, it's probably bad news again."
"When the enemy comes, we will fight him; when the water comes, we will block it with earth. No matter what he does, it's either farm work or education class."
Unfortunately, Zhang Guoqing guessed wrong this time.
Counselor Xiao Wu stood in front of the blackboard and first spoke passionately about the current good situation. He then spoke earnestly about the difficulties they were facing in the short term, hoping to overcome the difficulties together with their compatriots.
Finally, he mentioned that in order to support the disaster area, the school has reduced the daily allowance from one catty per student to eight ounces, with girls receiving six ounces. He hoped that everyone would work together to create a better society.
"Difficulties are temporary. Our motherland has nurtured us. I hope students will extend their loving hands and actively participate in this activity."
Zhou Jiao secretly scoffed at the notion that difficulties were temporary. But there's a saying: "When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head." She consoled herself by thinking, after living off the food for so long, it was a good thing she could still save some. Especially since in her previous life, she had to work to earn tuition and living expenses.
Zhou Jiao felt a bit better about herself, but the other students didn't share the same sentiment. For those young people who couldn't even fill a pound of food, this was undoubtedly a drain on their income, adding insult to injury for those who often supported their families.
The dishes are no longer greasy, and the daily soup is clear and leafy. The staple food is also supplemented with various wild vegetables, and the rice grains in the porridge can be counted. This difficulty is extremely great. Nowadays, no one dares to exercise in the morning. If they urinate, their stomachs are empty again, and they don't even have the energy to run.
But what could be done? Raise a complaint to the university? Even the senior professors were being asked to reduce the dosage. Raise a complaint to higher-ups? No one had the courage to protest.
After a few days, the school asked all teachers and students to go to the farm to support agriculture.
With the experience of being able to eat their fill last time, everyone was very active this time. No matter how tired they were, they were happy as long as they could eat their fill.
I hiked to my destination with great enthusiasm that day, but when I saw the sparse crops, the malnourished cabbages, and the radishes infested with insects, I felt a chill in my heart.
Harvest time is in a month. Will these grow well?
Zhou Jiao gnawed on a modified black dumpling, looking into the distance with a sad look in her eyes. She had finally planted some cabbage, but it was probably just like here, with the ground turning yellow.
If it wasn't the wrong timing, she really wanted to sing a song - Little cabbage, yellow in the field.
Zhang Guoqing murmured to himself, "I don't know what my hometown is like."
How about it?
"Just endure it. Third Grandpa has suffered."
For a moment, the couple fell silent.
While doing farm work, Zhou Jiao looked at the rice bran in the space. It looked really precious.
After two days of farm work, which was even shorter than expected, everyone returned to school dejected.
It’s not that people don’t want to do it, but there is nothing to do. In addition, the input and output are too disproportionate, and the big-bellied young men have scared a group of honest people.
From the day I returned to school, many things had changed. The atmosphere in the classroom had become gloomy and lifeless, the teacher lectured listlessly, and the students slumped over their desks, lost in thought.
Zhang Guoqing couldn't do anything about these situations. Even so, he'd already achieved perfect attendance, setting a good example. I heard that some students at neighboring universities simply skipped classes and stayed in their dormitories, and the Academic Affairs Office couldn't do anything about it.
He is not Ultraman, and he can't save the earth.
The couple didn't dare to go home whenever they had free time. They maintained the schedule of going home twice a week with Yi Jiefang and others. Only when they got home could they have some space to breathe freely.
Not long after, a letter from Zhao Yuanyuan hit Zhou Jiao like a bolt from the blue - a farm near the provincial capital was robbed by a group of disaster victims, and many casualties occurred.
"Brother, quickly send a telegram to Mom and Dad and tell them to stay at my second brother's house. Don't live alone anymore. It's too dangerous."
Zhou Jiao thought of the doomsday farming stories she had read in the past, and goosebumps all over her body stood up.
Seeing her pale face, Zhang Guoqing didn't bother to read the letter first, and quickly hugged her in his arms, "Don't be afraid, even if the sky falls, I'm still here."
After saying that, he picked up the letter and quickly read it, secretly cursing Zhao Yuanyuan, this troublemaker, for being so bold as to add all kinds of words to it.
"Look at the time. The date on the end of the letter differs by several days from the stamp date. Second Brother must have known about this. He didn't tell us because he was afraid we'd worry. He must have made preparations."
"Let's send the telegram first."
"I've burned this letter. I have to write another letter to warn Uncle Dashan. If Zhao Yuanyuan keeps acting so rashly, something bad will happen sooner or later. She dared to say anything in the letter. If the letter falls into the hands of outsiders, she will be in danger."
Zhou Jiao frowned as she regained consciousness. It seemed she would have to keep an eye on Zhao Yuanyuan from now on. This world had no room for naiveté.
"No need. I'll secretly write a letter to my godfather and ask him to find time to talk to Uncle Dashan in person. That way, Uncle Dashan will take it seriously."
Zhang Guoqing knew that Zhou Jiao was more thoughtful than he was, so he nodded and said, "Then I'll go send the telegram first. But I'm sure my parents won't agree."
"It's okay. I'll ask my godfather to help me persuade my parents. What are worldly possessions worth?"
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