"Are you sure you're not bragging? It's less than three hours before work ends at noon." Hu Youlai said to Liang Qi, who looked confident.
"Then let's give it a try," Liang Qi smiled confidently, and the little boy Chen Zhenguo was stunned.
Sun Huimin looked at her confident friend and felt relieved. The only difference was that he had a problem of bragging. Okay, as long as he wasn't obsessed with men, it would be fine.
Liang Qi didn't say much. By noon, everyone else had already left work, and there wasn't much left for her.
The other three did not leave. Looking at the people who were still digging, they looked at each other in confusion.
"Okay, no need to dig anymore. I'll help you dig those out this afternoon. You can go home quickly." Sun Huimin looked at the person swinging the hoe.
It's okay to get slapped in the face! We've been friends for many years, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I dropped my hoe and walked over.
"Oh! Are you really done?" Although it was not on time, he had indeed finished it.
"I'm done. I'm so tired. I finished it while holding my breath. Give me some water quickly." Liang Qi finished digging in one go. Now that he had let go of the tension, his whole body began to ache.
"Here, this is your water bottle. You are such a fool. Why are you working so hard? The work points for this year are almost determined. The potatoes will be dug up in a few days, and the food you will get won't be much. I guess this year will be difficult again." Sun Huimin handed it to Shuiping and muttered to herself.
Sun Huimin and Liang Qi remembered that this was the time when the country was experiencing several years of drought, and it seemed that many people starved to death in many places during this time.
After traveling through time for so many days, I only remember the previous turbulent years and have forgotten the previous drought years.
These past few years have been a time of drought and famine, but this village has not yet experienced widespread famine. This year's harvest was poor, and after paying the public grain tax, the remaining flat grain and scraps were left to the village.
The food distributed to every household is of poor quality, which will exacerbate the famine and there will be no food at the beginning of next year.
The more I think about it, the more scared I become. Even if I have money, I may not be able to buy it. There are already signs of this happening in the village.
Liang Qi looked unhappy. He stood up, dragging his hoe, and Sun Huimin followed behind him.
"If you haven't finished digging, then you haven't finished digging. Go home and have dinner." Hu Youlai said to Liang Qi, who had a serious expression on his face.
Why do you look so upset just because you're digging a potato?
"Those of you who have food at home should not eat and drink too much. This day next year will not be better than this year. It's hard to say." Liang Qi said this as he walked by, and nothing else.
She was afraid that if she said too much, others would think she was a monster.
"Ah! How could it be that bad than this year? We're all hungry anyway. There's not much to eat at home this year. We're all tightening our belts."
"Why do you say the weather will be bad next year?" The kid only paid attention to the last sentence.
His grandfather had secretly asked someone to calculate before, and it was said that next year might not be better than this year. No one could tell him how bad it would be, as only he and his grandfather knew.
This concerns next year's crops, so it's no small matter.
“So we save as much as we can.”
"Do you know something?" Hu Youlai's sudden words made Liang Qi's heart skip a beat. Could it be that he was discovered?
"What do you know? Go home quickly. I won't be here this afternoon. Huimin, please tell the clerk that I will give them the compensation for the damage in the afternoon." Liang Qi said calmly.
Hu Youlai showed no sign of stopping. "I went to Zhuangwan County last year, and no one in the store believed what I said. They thought I was talking nonsense."
The incoherent sentence left everyone confused, and only Liang Qi roughly guessed what it meant.
Hu Youlai continued, "I went to Fengnan to visit relatives and saw people starving to death on the streets, skin and bones. There was even cannibalism at one point."
"No way! I heard from my grandfather that Fengnan is a very wealthy place and the members there eat and drink lavishly. It's impossible for something like what you said to happen." Sun Huimin retorted with some disbelief.
"It's true. People who went out all looked unhappy when they came back. There was even a point where the only road leading into our village was about to be blocked." The little boy said with a serious expression.
"Then why wasn't it closed in the end?" Liang Qi asked curiously.
"There is no doctor in our village. During that period, many people began to suffer from abdominal pain and nausea and had to seek medical treatment," the little boy explained.
"But... if that's true, then it's too scary. What should we do then?" Sun Huimin looked at Liang Qi and said.
"What Uncle Hu said is true. When I went to the city yesterday, some people from the capital said the same thing. They wouldn't lie." Liang Qi made an excuse.
Compared with other places, the potato production brigade in Zhuangwan County is relatively good. Located in a small basin, every household has reclaimed a lot of wasteland, which has not been reported to the state. The wasteland is not subject to public grain tax, and those who have some food at home do not eat it lavishly, but still live a hard life and store it.
But this was after the drought of 1959. Logically speaking, this place was already a drought and famine zone. However, although the harvest was not as good as in previous years, it was not to the point of total failure.
Judging from this year's harvest, it's not far away. This year is October 1960, and the drought in the north is at its most severe.
"Let's put aside our conversation for now and go home quickly. I have to collect compensation," Liang Qi repeated the rest of the words.
Everyone understood now that they were really leaving this time. They looked at Liang Qi with some amusement, and the serious atmosphere disappeared for a moment.
"Let's go home. I'm an old man and I have to cook for myself. I won't have time to rest in the afternoon."
"Let's go home. We've done almost a whole day's work this morning." Sun Huimin said as she swung her arms a few times.
"Go home." The little kid followed Liang Qi closely.
Several people walked together.
On the other hand, the things that the two families needed to pay were prepared in advance by the village party secretary Li Baogen. Liu Honghua refused to send them no matter what, and it was only after the village party secretary threatened him that he allowed them to be sent to his home.
Knowing the personalities of these two people, both of them are stingy, Li Baogen also has his own selfish motives.
"Dad, we just called her a thief. Is it necessary to give them things? Just apologize and that's it." After Liang Yuemei returned home, she acted like she was doing it for the good of her family.
It would be great if so many things were given to her parents' home. Last time her mother met her, she asked her to send some to her parents' home. Her nephews didn't have enough to eat, and she hadn't had time to send them yet.
"Shut up! If it weren't you, could these things be given to others? I haven't settled the score with you yet, but you ran into me yourself. It's just right." Although Li Baogen is old, he is not confused.
"Boss, after so many years, this family is almost bankrupt." When Li Baogen said this, the boss Li Youliang lowered his head even more.
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