Chapter 3: The real sense of the times brought about by the lack of supplies...
The old branch secretary casually put his pipe into his waist, rubbed his hands, and looked at the three fox cubs with loving eyes.
Kindness? Lin Xinghuo felt something was wrong.
"Oh, so fat! What can you do?" The old Party Secretary smiled. "I heard that the old fairy lady saved Da Huang before and can catch rabbits to repay her kindness?"
The fox cubs seemed very tired, and they huddled together on Lin Xinghuo's new cloth shoes.
"He eats a lot and is strong." Lin Xinghuo could only say this honestly, feeling a little confused. The respected old branch secretary might not be what she thought?
"Old branch secretary, look at you! These are still little foxes! Besides, such spiritual little things are amazing." Wei Chunfeng smiled, "It's getting late, everyone go home, we will settle Xiaolin down tomorrow." She was afraid that the little Taoist nun Miaofa would be scared, so she called a few more aunts to accompany her. Now there was smoke coming out of every house, and every family had a big family of old and young, so there was still a lot of work to do.
The aunts chatted for a few minutes and then dispersed, leaving the old branch secretary and three others to lead Lin Xinghuo to the home of the five-guarantee household where she was temporarily accommodated.
Perhaps it's because women are naturally unable to resist cute little furry animals. Seeing the three fur balls exhausted, Wei Chunfeng picked them up one by one and put them into the small backpack that the team leader Huang Dazhuang was helping to carry. Huang Dazhuang smiled innocently, not caring about the weight.
As they walked, the old branch secretary said, "Grandma Wei is not only a five-guarantee household, but also a martyr's family member: her three sons all died, and her only granddaughter got married last year. Now she is all alone at home. Grandma Wei is a generous person, and she loves a daughter like you the most. You can stay at her house first, and we can discuss it later if the need arises."
Wei Chunfeng had already mentioned this to Lin Xinghuo on the road. There were indeed some empty houses in the village, but they were very dilapidated and uninhabitable.
"Third Auntie might be able to do it. When she heard you were staying at her house, she was so happy that she cleaned up the west room so neatly the other day." Wei Chunfeng was the director of the Women's Affairs Department. She had also arranged for the village to accept the first female educated youth. She asked, "Are you scared to be alone? Would you like me to accompany you tonight?"
Lin Xinghuo was not afraid. She was a cultivator and had been used to being alone for many years.
"Your gifts have all been delivered, and only the food has not been taken away. I'll have someone deliver it for you tomorrow. There are two unoccupied rooms in Grandma Wei's house, and the old lady said she'd vacate one to store your things." said the old branch secretary.
Where did the gifts and food come from? Before Lin Xinghuo could ask, Wei Chunfeng shook her hand tightly, and Lin Xinghuo swallowed her words back: A young girl in a green military uniform was walking towards them. She was fair and energetic, but her hair was a little thin. It was a thin layer of short hair that barely covered her scalp - maybe because she had just washed her hair, it was particularly obvious at a glance.
"Chang Zhiqing, you're still out after washing your hair. It gets cold here as soon as autumn comes." Wei Chunfeng greeted with a smile.
Chang Qing smiled brightly, greeted the branch secretary and the other two, and then said, "Aren't there some female comrades being repatriated today? I came to ask if they were accommodated in our educated youth home." Then he greeted Lin Xinghuo, "Hello, my name is Chang Qing, and I'm the leader of our village educated youth team."
As she spoke, she pulled at her hair, as if trying to get it evenly covered. Seeing how busy she was, Lin Xinghuo simply nodded, "Hello, I'm Lin Xinghuo."
Wei Chunfeng smiled and said, "Xiao Lin will be staying at Grandma Wei's house for the time being. Don't worry, Chang Zhiqing. Go back quickly. If you get caught in the wind, it's no joke."
Chang Qing smiled, looked at Lin Xinghuo carefully again, waved his hand and ran away.
After everyone had gone far away, Wei Chunfeng advised Lin Xinghuo: "This Chang Zhiqing is a bit cunning. When she came to our village to work in the countryside, she heard that the previous leader of the educated youth team was recommended by our team leader to be a driver in the Production and Construction Corps, so she was determined to become the leader, but she went through a lot of trouble, changing her name and age. Her original name was Chang Qingqing, but she insisted on following the instruction that 'women can hold up half the sky' and changed the name 'Chang Qingqing', which was too weak, to Chang Qing, which means 'leader Changqing'! She also said that she was the oldest and should care more about everyone. As a result, Yang Zhiqing, who was originally elected by vote, said that 'she, the half of the sky, should lead the educated youth to progress' and gave her the position of leader."
The team leader, Huang Dazhuang, was straightforward. Upon hearing this, he immediately reminded Lin Xinghuo, "Be careful around those educated youths. Don't let them catch you."
It wasn't like there had been no educated youth writing anonymous letters of denunciation before, but thanks to the Old Fairy's reputation, the commune investigation team came to the village, went through the motions, and then dropped the ball. Similar incidents had occurred in nearby towns and villages, but this time, the most serious incident occurred in Jinjiayao, a neighboring township, attracting the county's most rebellious group of Red Guards.
As they were talking, they soon arrived at Grandma Wei's house. Lin Xinghuo had just felt his ears warm from the warm old lady's kiss when he was startled by five large baskets placed on the floor of the west room.
At this time, Wang Huzi and Cen Dazhu were still waiting at Grandma Wei's house. They had just helped the old lady clean the kang hole and came in from the backyard while dusting off the dirt.
Cen Dazhu pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her: "When you went to Jinjiayao, the old fairy asked us to carry these gifts back to you from her room. She also wrote you a note."
Lin Xinghuo took it and looked at it, but saw the words "Infinite Life and Blessings" written on the yellow talisman paper.
Lin Xinghuo could imagine how her grandmaster had quietly sorted out her things last night. She couldn't help herself and tears suddenly fell down, unable to stop.
At the educated youth center, Chang Qing stood combing her hair in front of the mirror on the washbasin stand in the main hall, and replied nonchalantly: "I saw her. Her name is Lin Xinghuo. I saw she was carrying a small bag, and the team leader helped her carry a basket. He was afraid she didn't have any bedding, so he asked her to come and sleep with me in our courtyard. Director Wei said she was placed in Grandma Wei's house. I saw that the old branch secretary was there, so I didn't say anything more."
Xiao Lanqin, the youngest of the female educated youth, curled her lips and said, "Why ask her to come and live here? Our female educated youth's room is small to begin with, and now it's so crowded."
Wei Bushun, who was watching the fire at the stove, picked at a new pimple on his face and said in dissatisfaction, "The Labor Party Secretary, the Team Leader, and the Women's Director are picking her up? This is a resurgence of feudal superstition!"
Chang Qing secretly rolled her eyes. These two idiots, the key point is to relocate Lin Xinghuo to Grandma Wei's house! Grandma Wei is a martyr's family member and a five-guarantee household. Her house is a large blue brick and tile house built by the commune! It's spacious and bright! Several people among the educated youth had thought about it, and Chang Qing was no exception. She had previously wanted to live there under the pretext of taking care of the martyr's family, and helped with housework for several days for free, but the old lady just wouldn't give in.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to think about Lin Xinghuo's meager luggage, and soon calmed down. Who had extra bedding and clothes these days? The village was not like the city. It was so hard for farmers to get cloth coupons. If she tried that in winter, she would definitely be frozen and unable to leave the house.
"We are all progressive young people. If she wants to make progress as a newly-dismissed feudalist, she still needs our guidance." Chang Qing said, "I think we should let her work with us first. Then we can teach her more and urge her to do her best to earn more work points so that she doesn't hold back the collective."
Wei Bu Shun accidentally scratched his pimple and ran over to look in the mirror with a hissing sound and a grin on his face. Chang Qing glanced at his long nails with disgust and quickly stepped back.
Wei Bu Shun wiped the blood off his hands on his sweater. "That's right! I volunteered for the job of supervising the backward elements."
Xiao Lanqin giggled and said, "Go! She's a woman, so as long as she's willing to work, it's all fine." Xiao Lanqin was only fifteen years old, and her family lived in Beijing, where things were quite comfortable. The work points she earned barely covered half of her food rations, which she bought with money sent from home. It was said that her brother had originally wanted to go to the countryside in her place, but she got carried away and insisted on repairing the earth in the vast rural areas herself. She was also the only educated youth whose family had come to visit relatives in Xue Province against her will.
The young educated youth had been spoiled and was too innocent. All he cared about was, "What does Lin Xinghuo look like? Is she pretty?"
Chang Qing never contradicted Xiao Lanqin and always answered her every question: "She looks okay, pretty."
"How beautiful is it?" The other educated youth were also curious.
Chang Qing was a little impatient, but he managed to suppress his anger: "It's quite white, with big eyes. It was already dark just now, so I can't tell clearly."
"If you stay in the house and chant sutras all day, you'll be pretty white."
"A white complexion hides three flaws. I'll have to go and have a look tomorrow..."
Yang Weibo interrupted the conversation: "The meal is ready, everyone come and get your own."
Cui Xia, Yang Weibo's girlfriend, took her rice bowl, rolled her eyes at him, and muttered softly, "You're so kind!"
At Grandma Wei's house, just a few yards away from the Youth League compound, the old Party Secretary, Grandma Wei, Wei Chunfeng, and Lin Xinghuo were also having dinner. Cen Dazhu and Wang Huzi had just finished their business with Lin Xinghuo and returned home. Wei Chunfeng, fearing that Lin Xinghuo would feel uncomfortable with such a large man like Wang Dazhuang around, sent the team leader home as well.
Wang Dazhuang glanced at the little fairy's thin arms and said, "Don't move heavy objects by yourself. I'll send two of my sons to help tomorrow." Before leaving, he also warned Grandma Wei, "Don't try to help me. Don't hurt your back."
Grandma Wei thought he was too noisy and chased him out with a broom.
The old Party Secretary had stayed behind specifically to inquire about Lin Xinghuo's situation. What had happened? Did the old fairy have any instructions?
Before Lin Xinghuo could think of how to answer, Grandma Wei said, "My daughter, can you recite the scriptures?" She was illiterate, but wanted to recite along to pray for her son's reincarnation and for her granddaughter.
The old Party Secretary waved his hand and said, "Don't mess with those useless things!"
"As the old saying goes, 'Frost before frost, rice is like chaff; frost after frost, the granary is full.' Last year the frost came early, so this year's rice is not as good as in previous years. As a result, this year it came two days earlier, and the frost is not until the day after tomorrow, but it frost this morning! I'm thinking, is there any way to solve this problem?" The old branch secretary's eyes were burning: "Do we need to set up a ritual table? I have the five offerings and incense burners at home!" When the old branch secretary was a child, he had seen an old fairy perform rituals, which were said to be very effective. He only hoped that Lin Xinghuo could learn a little bit.
Lin Xinghuo fell silent. So the old Party Secretary was a pragmatist, and he was not afraid to distinguish between useful and useless superstitions. No wonder he'd just asked the fox cub what he could do.
"I can perform rituals, but they're probably useless." Lin Xinghuo said honestly.
The old branch secretary was a little disappointed, but still said, "We'll see whether it's useful or not after we do it." What if it is useful?
"Maybe it's a problem with the soil, fertilizer or water?" Farming is really a blind spot in Lin Xinghuo's knowledge. There is a huge gap between her knowledge of growing flowers and grass and farming.
Sing the sutras according to the place. Lin Xinghuo silently put farming on the list of things to learn.
After the meal, the old branch secretary was obviously worried, and Lin Xinghuo was too embarrassed to say that her medical skills were not bad. Medicine is one of the five arts of Taoism, and her medical skills were verified in practice.
The old branch secretary didn't stay for long. He had something on his mind, so he drank a bowl of tea from Grandma Wei and hurried off to discuss something with someone.
Wei Chunfeng helped her take the bedding out of the two baskets and spread it out, then told her to go to bed early before going home. Grandma Wei went to bed early, and after a few words, she couldn't open her eyes and went to sleep in the east room as well.
Lin Xinghuo unpacked the contents of the basket one by one and discovered that her master had not only prepared clothes for her for all four seasons, but also hidden a piece of woolen cloth and two rolls of fine cloth. There was also a bamboo kettle, a washbasin, a spittoon, a mirror, kerosene, a comb, scissors, bowls, chopsticks, enamel cups, and even an almanac, all brand new.
In addition to daily necessities, there were also two bags of brown sugar, a jar of honey, two boxes of biscuits, a can of malted milk, and a few two-piece bread buns as food.
At the bottom of the basket were two boxes each for brushes and inkstones, but they had carefully left out the scriptures and yellow paper, lest anyone should catch Lin Xinghuo in the act.
Lin Xinghuo hadn't really thought about bedding or clothing. She'd only carried a change of clothes from the past two days in her small backpack. She knew supplies were scarce, but she hadn't grasped the concept, let alone taken it to heart. It was simply that her waking hours were short in this life, and the mountain temple, though dilapidated, was fully functional. The layout and buildings were familiar to Lin Xinghuo.
Sitting cross-legged on the kang, looking at the house full of a sense of the times, Lin Xinghuo suddenly felt that it was indeed 1972 - more real than when she was sewing the quilt a few days ago.
She was in a daze when the three little foxes who were snoring on the kang woke up. They sniffed around with their pointed little noses and pushed open the small bundle that Lin Xinghuo had placed next to her pillow.
The three fur balls whimpered and started fighting. They were pushing and bumping into each other, and the little balls were quite aggressive. I don't know what they were fighting for.
Lin Xinghuo came back to her senses and quickly separated the three little ones. She pulled out a small, pale green wooden sign, half the size of a palm, from under her furry belly. Even after taking the sign away, the fox cubs were still unhappy and scrambled to rub against her hand.
Lin Xinghuo forcibly hugged the three of them with one arm and carefully examined the wooden sign. The front and back were smooth, but on the narrow ridge on the side, the three words "Lin Miaofa" were engraved in relief.
I don't know what kind of wood it is, and it doesn't look like green sandalwood. Lin Xinghuo had many valuable prayer beads in the past, and the finest green sandalwood was not rare, but none of them looked like this.
What’s strange is that the color of this wood doesn’t look like it’s dyed, and it also emits a faint fragrance that seems to have the effect of calming the mind.
The author has something to say:
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Frost before frost, rice is like chaff; frost after frost, the granary is full: a proverb, which means that if frost occurs before the Frost Descent solar term, the rice grains will not be easy to become full, and of course the harvest will not be very good.
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