On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Xu family went to bed too late last night and didn't wake up until after nine o'clock when someone knocked on the door.
"Who is this so early in the morning?" Xu Guangtian complained, then put on his cotton-padded coat and walked outside.
Xu Xiangyang opened his eyes. He hadn't heard the knocking, but Xu Guangtian's voice woke him up.
He got up, put on his clothes, then washed his face and brushed his teeth before going to the main room.
The person had already entered from outside the door; it was Captain Liu Hai from our hometown.
"Xiangyang, you're up?" he greeted.
Xu Xiangyang smiled and nodded, "Happy New Year, Uncle Liu."
"Happy Chinese New Year!" Liu Hai nodded with a smile.
Seeing how well other people are doing, it's really enviable.
"Captain, why are you coming to wish us a Happy New Year?" Xu Guangtian, who had always worked under him, was quite unaccustomed to this.
Actually, it's only right that Liu Hai brings gifts to pay New Year's greetings. Not to mention that his whole family has settled here, Xu Xiangyang's job has also brought them a lot of convenience.
Just like Liu Hai, if he wants to buy something but doesn't have the coupons, and his son in the city isn't as successful as Xu Xiangyang, who can he turn to?
They still had to come to Xu Xiangyang and ask him for help.
So, not everyone is as you think.
I wouldn't visit the temple without a reason!
"It's just some food. Besides, Uncle Wang has been staying here with you all, so I should come and see for myself." Liu Hai was referring to Wang Zhongshan.
They're all elders, so saying it like that seems reasonable.
In other words, Xu Guangtian and his wife believed it, while Wang Zhongshan and his wife, as well as Xu Xiangyang, did not.
They're all shrewd people; who are they trying to impress with?
After chatting for a while, Grandma Wang went to prepare lunch, while Wang Xiumin took care of the children, who were already quite burdened.
As we chatted, the conversation somehow drifted to Old Xu's family.
Liu Hai glanced at Xu Guangtian and said, "Xiangmin is working at the commune now, selling vegetables at the grocery store. But I heard that this job cost a lot of money, and Xu Lao Er's family is not happy about it."
"Now Xu Lao Er has also divided the family property, but they didn't get much grain, and not a penny of money. They all went to Xu Xiangmin to pull strings."
It was clearly Zhang Xiufen's fault, but Xu Lao Er's family had finally stood up for themselves and dared to split up the family property.
A lot has happened during this period, and Liu Hai explained it all clearly in a short time.
Xu Guangtian's expression was somewhat complicated. "My second brother is a coward too, even more of a wimp than me. He has three daughters in the family, why is he afraid of people? So what if they're girls? He can't just watch his own children starve to death, can he?"
He had actually heard about his family's situation. The second Xu family worked themselves to the bone every day, yet they still couldn't get enough to eat, while the eldest Xu family ate their fill.
Of course, he didn't pity Xu Lao Er; it was all his own choice. If they hadn't separated the family back then, he would have had to do the same.
Now things are so much better. After the family separated, the three of them became city dwellers. He got a job, and his wife gave birth to two big, healthy sons.
Of course, all of this was brought about by Xu Xiangyang, and he remembered it.
Liu Hai thought Xu Guangtian was right. If he wasn't a real coward, how could he have been a laborer for so many years?
In fact, they should have followed Xu Guangtian when he divided the family property, so that at least they wouldn't have to share a hundred catties of grain in the dead of winter.
With more than three months until spring, how can a family of five eat 100 jin (50 kg) of corn?
Liu Hai patted Xu Guangtian on the shoulder and said, "Guangtian, you're doing well now. Stay in the city from now on. Don't worry about the old lady. I won't give her a letter of introduction, so she won't be able to leave."
Now you have to carry a letter of introduction when you go out. Of course, it's fine if others don't check, but people from rural areas can tell, so most of them will be checked.
If you don't obey and leave the city immediately, we'll arrest you as a vagrant.
Regardless of age, there are far too many shameless people these days.
Xu Guangtian nodded, feeling much more at ease after hearing this. It wasn't that he was afraid, but rather that if someone really came and caused trouble while he was at work, wouldn't his wife and children be the ones who suffered?
Seeing that the conversation had gone on long enough, Xu Xiangyang said, "Uncle Liu, is there any difficulty in the team that I can help with? You know, I'm always traveling around and don't have time to go back and see my fellow villagers."
He knew that this person had come to offer New Year's greetings with gifts, so there must be something on their mind, especially given all the assurances they had made.
He can't just pretend he didn't see the vote.
Besides, with Liu Hai there keeping an eye on things, he saves a lot of trouble.
Upon hearing this, Liu Hai smiled and then said, "Xiangyang, there was nothing wrong before, but now that you mention it, it seems there really is something going on."
"It's like this, our brigade has never received any subsidies, right? Everyone's having a tough time during the Spring Festival. Besides, we didn't even slaughter a pig this year, so it's really tough for me as the brigade leader!"
Their brigade's harvest this year was mediocre, and neither of the two pigs they raised survived. More distressing than not having pigs to deliver for their quota was that no one could eat meat.
Don't be fooled by the fact that this place is near the mountains; you can't just hunt there. In this freezing weather, you can only catch birds.
Xu Xiangyang raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Liu Hai continued, "I wanted to ask you if you could bring back a few dozen kilograms of meat? Money is not a problem, but we don't have any ration coupons."
He wanted to ask for 100 jin (50 kg), but after thinking about it, he didn't dare to say it, in case the other party was unwilling to help.
These few dozen kilograms aren't enough to go around, so we can set up a pot at the brigade headquarters, stew the vegetables, and distribute them.
Otherwise, a family only has a few ounces of meat, not even enough to fill a tooth gap. Even if you make dumplings, if you put too much vegetables in, they won't taste very good.
Xu Xiangyang frowned, then asked, "Uncle Liu, isn't there more than a hundred households in the brigade? How much of a few dozen kilograms of meat can each family share?"
This is clearly not enough. Each family only gets a few ounces of meat; it's better not to divide it at all.
Liu Hai sighed helplessly. It was only a little over a hundred households, but he also knew that meat wasn't like cabbage; how could he just casually take out over a hundred catties?
"Xiangyang, I know this isn't something you can just ask for. Get as much as you can, thank you, sir."
The helplessness in his tone was also a sense of having no other choice.
Every family is starving. This year, his family bought a pound of meat for the Lunar New Year, but they didn't cook it.
After all, everyone else is eating other things, but their house is wafting out the aroma of meat. Isn't that like robbing everyone of their hearts?
Seeing that he understood, Xu Xiangyang said, "How about this, you wait here for a while, I'll go out for a bit."
Anyway, it's all about making money, and Liu Hai is a tight-lipped person, so helping him is no problem at all.
They did help him, at least in resolving the messy relationships within the Xu family, which was a huge help.
Moreover, Xu Xiangyang is also looking to the long term. With this favor, he won't be refused help in the future.
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