Chapter 22 Heavy rain.
He's father and mother were surprised when they saw their daughter taking out so many clothes. When they heard that their daughter bought clothes for herself and also bought one for each of them, they were happy and distressed.
He's father was the first to speak: "Susu, Dad has clothes to wear, so there's no need to buy me some. I work in the fields all day, and my clothes are covered in mud and have holes. It's a waste to wear new clothes."
He's mother nodded in agreement: "Yes, we don't need new clothes. Although these clothes don't require cloth coupons, they cost at least a few dollars. Your salary is not enough to buy things like this. Take them back and give them back to your classmates!"
He Susu smiled and said, "Don't worry about money. Have you forgotten that besides working at the cinema, I also write articles to earn royalties? Just wear these clothes after you buy them. It's a rare opportunity to get a cloth coupon for free. If you miss this opportunity, you won't have it again. What's wrong with working in the fields? If you work for so long and still don't have a new pair of clothes to wear, that would be the biggest loss."
She emphasized, "This is my gift as a daughter, please accept it, Dad and Mom."
He's father and mother looked at each other. They were touched by their daughter's words and softened their attitudes. They no longer refused.
He's mother took the clothes and touched them: "This cotton cloth feels comfortable. In the past, when babies were born, they were wrapped in cotton cloth if possible to avoid rubbing their delicate skin."
He Susu nodded: "I was thinking that cotton cloth is comfortable to wear. Don't you two need to wear comfortable clothes when working in the fields? I also bought clothes made of cotton cloth. Dad, this gray clothes is for you. Mom, this navy blue clothes is for you."
She divided the clothes she had given to her parents and gave them to the two of them.
Father He took the clothes, subconsciously tried them on his body, and grinned, "This clothes fits me well. My daughter, you know me well."
"We live together all day long, how could my daughter buy the wrong clothes?" He's mother looked at the new clothes and found they liked them. She couldn't help but say when she heard the old man say that.
He Susu was relieved to see that their clothes both fit them well, and said, "As long as the clothes fit, it's good. Wash and hang them up tonight, and you can wear them the day after tomorrow. Don't be reluctant to wear new clothes. It would be unfair to me if you bought these clothes and hid them in the closet."
If she hadn't said that, given her parents' personalities, they might really put the new clothes away and continue wearing the old clothes to work.
Although He's parents felt bad about wearing the new clothes to work in the fields right after buying them, as they would suffer a great loss if they got scratched or had to have patches sewn on, they had no choice but to agree after hearing what their daughter said.
They secretly reminded themselves that they had to be careful when wearing new clothes.
He Susu returned the seven-foot cloth coupons her mother had given her earlier: "Mom, you don't need the cloth coupons to buy clothes this time. I'll return these coupons to you. You can deal with them as you see fit."
"Okay." He's mother took it without hesitation. In previous years, cloth coupons were the most scarce, and the family used to save up all the cloth coupons for their daughter to buy cloth for clothes.
My daughter is lucky this year. She met a classmate with connections and was able to buy ready-made clothes without coupons. So she can save the unused coupons and use them next year.
Although she took care of her youngest daughter wholeheartedly, He's mother also remembered her three sons.
The third son's wife had a decent job in the city and received a regular amount of cloth coupons. The third son also sent back some cloth coupons from the army to support the three of them, so they didn't have to worry about anything. As for the two families of the eldest and second sons, they hadn't made new clothes for several years.
He's mother took the cloth coupons and simply called the eldest and second daughters-in-law out: "Here are seven feet of cloth coupons, all saved this year. Susu returned them to me if she didn't use them, and I'll give them to you. When you two have time, go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy cloth coupons and make clothes for Guifang and Kerou."
The seven-foot cloth coupons were only enough to make clothes for one adult. It was difficult to divide them between the eldest and second eldest families, so they were simply divided among the children of the two families to make clothes.
Guifang and Kerou are the oldest children in the first and second families, and they are still growing up. When they outgrow their clothes, they can be left to the younger ones in the family. She is not a son-in-law.
As for the seven feet of cloth, Guifang was older, so naturally the eldest daughter-in-law got more. Fortunately, the two daughters-in-law got along well, so she didn't care too much.
Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe were delighted to hear this. They had never thought that their daughters would have the good fortune of making new clothes this year. They all said, "Thank you, mother. Now that we know, we will go buy some cloth and make new clothes for them."
He's mother nodded and went to her room to get some money. "This money is for you to buy fabrics. If there is any left, just give it back to me."
She hadn't been to the county town to buy cloth for a long time. In the past, Susu had bought the cloth herself and only knew the approximate price, so she took a little more money and then explained it.
Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe naturally responded with a smile.
When Guifang and Kerou heard that they were going to have new clothes to wear, they were so happy that they ran to hug grandma and said, "Grandma, you are so kind to us."
Mother He touched her two granddaughters' hair and said with a smile, "No need to thank me, just thank your aunt."
The two girls also came up to He Susu and said in a crisp voice: "Thank you, aunt, you are so kind!"
They like such a girl and would buy meat for them from time to time. Now that they have saved up cloth coupons, grandma will ask mother to make clothes for them.
Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe were both efficient people. They were thinking about buying fabrics so that they could make new clothes for their daughter as soon as they got them.
Neither of them had been to the county town to buy fabric in all these years. In order to try something new, they both took a morning off and walked to the county town after breakfast.
There was no other way. They couldn't bear to spend the money on the ox cart, which was only four cents for two people. The girl could only carry one person on her bicycle, so the two of them might as well find a companion to walk to the county town, and they could even chat on the way.
The two of them left home early and walked quickly. When they arrived at the county town, the supply and marketing cooperative had just opened, so they went straight to the cloth counter to pick up some.
These days, fabrics in colors like khaki, gray, and navy blue are more popular, while fabrics in beautiful colors like bright red, yellow yellow, and peach red are in short supply and are sold out soon after they arrive.
They were lucky, as a piece of pink fabric had just arrived. Qian Chunhe immediately took out the fabric coupon and money and said, "Hello, comrade. I want seven feet of pink fabric."
The salesperson took the money and cloth coupons and started cutting the cloth immediately.
According to Zhao Miling, she wanted to buy darker colored fabric such as navy blue. Her daughter carries a bamboo basket to cut grass for pigs, and bright colored clothes will get dirty easily.
But at this moment, she couldn't take her eyes off the pink fabric. Her daughter was at a delicate age and should wear fabric of this beautiful color.
The two of them bought the fabric without delay, and did not even look at other counters. They were reluctant to spend money on it anyway, so they just went back. I took half a day off, so if I went back early, I could make lunch for my family.
After that, Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe started to work during the day and make clothes in the room by the light of the oil lamp after dinner. Guifang and Kerou were both sensible. They each went to their mother's side to help thread the needle and look forward to their own new clothes.
There is one thing that rural people value most in July, and that is the double harvest.
The first is to rush to harvest the early rice in the fields, dry the harvested rice and hand it over to the commune; the second is to rush to plant the late rice seedlings and then plant another round of rice to harvest a lot of grain, which is everyone's food ration for the whole year.
But this is also the most tiring time of the year. Basically, all the people in the production team go out to work in the fields under the scorching sun without stopping. Even the youngest and strongest laborers will lose a few pounds after surviving a round of double harvest.
He Susu remembered this incident and thought she had to prepare in advance. She exchanged more pork and took it back home to chill it in the well so that her family could have meat for every meal during the double harvest period.
If you have enough fat in your stomach, you won't lose weight easily even if you are busy and tired.
She opened the shopping system and looked at the balance in the diligence column. She could earn 2 points of diligence every day, so it should be no problem to exchange it for more pork to take home during the autumn harvest.
That night the wind suddenly blew, and then the rain began to fall. The rain gradually became heavier, and the sound of the raindrops hitting the ground seemed to wake up those who were sleeping.
In the main house, He's father heard the sound of rain and got up to close the wooden windows. The first and second wives also got up and closed the wooden windows to prevent the heavy rain from pouring in and getting the house wet.
He Susu also heard the sound of rain. She opened her eyes and took a rest for a while. Then, remembering that she always closed the door and door when she slept, she turned over and continued to sleep.
The next day, she got up earlier than usual because the sound of rain outside disturbed her sweet dreams.
He Susu changed her clothes and went out of the room to wash up. The He family had not gone to work yet. It was raining so heavily today that if it didn't stop, they would probably have to take a break.
He's mother muttered, "It's been raining all night, and it's been quite heavy. It's really delaying things."
After her daughter finished washing up, she asked, "Susu, it's not easy to ride a bicycle on a rainy day, why don't you not go to work today?"
He Susu was in a dilemma. It was difficult to go out on a rainy day, let alone ride a bicycle. But she was the only staff member at the cinema, and she had not asked Sister Chen, who lived in the county town, to cover for her. So she had to go to work even if she didn't want to.
She said, "It's okay. I'll put on a straw hat and a raincoat later and be more careful when riding my bike."
The straw raincoat is made of wheat straw. If it rains heavily, the wind will blow it diagonally on your body. Even if you go out wearing a straw raincoat, you will probably be wet by the time you get to the cinema.
There are raincoats in the shopping system, but her mother knows what she usually brings back, so it is not easy for He Susu to take out a raincoat out of thin air.
At this time, the village radio sounded, informing everyone that it would rain continuously today and all villagers should rest at home for a day.
The He family relaxed after listening to the broadcast and ate their breakfast leisurely, sighing: "It's a good thing that it rained. It allows us to rest for a day before the double harvest. It will probably be cooler after the rain, and it won't be so hot to work in the fields."
He Susu ate breakfast with them and agreed. The cool weather, even for just a day or two, was good for the workers in the fields.
While eating, He's mother was still thinking about her daughter going to work in the rain. After the meal, she suddenly remembered something and hurried back to the room, opened the wooden box and searched through it.
After a while, she came out happily, holding a set of clothes in her hands: "Susu, I remember your third brother left your father an old-style raincoat of the People's Liberation Army, saying that it was for him to wear when he worked in the rain. This old-style raincoat of the People's Liberation Army is of the best quality and is very rainproof. You won't be afraid of getting wet after wearing it. It's better than the straw raincoat. You can wear this when you go out later."
He Susu took it with surprise: "It's great to have this old-fashioned raincoat from the People's Liberation Army. This way I don't have to worry about getting soaked in my clothes when I get to the cinema."
The things used by the army these days are of the best quality. Although this old-style raincoat of the People's Liberation Army is for people as tall as the Third Brother, He Susu compared it with her own body and felt that she could accept it. If it was longer, it could cover the whole body and she would not have to worry about getting her shoes wet.
But just in case, she changed into a pair of straw sandals and put her usual cloth shoes in her package, waiting to change into them when she got to the cinema.
It was almost time to go to work as usual. He Susu put on an old-fashioned People's Liberation Army raincoat and pushed her bicycle out.
He's mother stood at the door and watched, not forgetting to say: "Susu, ride slowly on the road, be careful."
"I know, mother, don't worry."
He Susu said goodbye to her family and set off on her bicycle.
Perhaps it was because it rained all night, the long muddy road leading to the county town after leaving the village, which usually became hard due to frequent foot traffic, was now wet and soft, and the mud pits were filled with water.
He Susu rode her bike carefully, stirring up mud and sand on both wheels as she passed by, making a rustling sound. If you were not careful when passing through puddles, your shoes would easily get wet.
The sky was dark, which somewhat affected the vision. Fortunately, there were not many pedestrians on the road that rainy day. He Susu slowed down her bike and arrived at the cinema safely.
After taking out the key to open the door of the cinema and parking her bicycle, He Susu took off her old-fashioned People's Liberation Army raincoat, found a broom, propped it up and hung it against the wall to drain water so as not to affect the arrival of customers.
I looked at the sky outside. It was still dark and the rain seemed to have gotten heavier. The raindrops splashed on the ground. It was estimated that it would continue to rain for a long time.
As usual, He Susu went to the three screening rooms for a quick inspection, then returned to the ticket counter and sat down waiting for customers to buy tickets.
During this time, she changed her straw sandals into cloth shoes, and took out the iced soy milk stored in the storage compartment of the shopping system and started drinking it.
As she waited, she suddenly discovered that this rainy day had brought benefits.
Although the way to work was a little difficult and embarrassing, she was the only staff member at the cinema. The director did not come on rainy days and there were no customers. It was like she had a new place to sit and do nothing, without having to work and still getting paid.
In such bad weather, unless there is something absolutely necessary to do, everyone will stay at home, let alone go to the cinema to watch a movie.
In this way, He Susu sat idle for the whole day, and was only busy for a while when she heated up her lunch and washed the lunch box and pot after lunch. When it was time to get off work, Sister Chen came over with an umbrella to hand over the shift.
She waved her umbrella to shake off the rain, and stamped her feet to leave the mud, sand and leaves on her shoes outside the cinema before walking in.
Seeing He Susu, Sister Chen shook her head and said, "It's the most troublesome on rainy days. Susu, you must have suffered a lot coming to work this morning, right?"
He Susu nodded: "It was raining heavily that morning, and the dirt road from the village to the county town was all wet. I rode my bike carefully so nothing happened. Fortunately, I had the raincoat my third brother left at home, so I didn't get my clothes wet when I got to the cinema."
Sister Chen saw the raincoat held up by a broom and said, "It's good to have a raincoat. Otherwise, you would be soaked to the skin all the way from the village to the county town. Are there many people coming to watch the movie today?"
He Susu shook her head: "There's no one here. I've been free all day."
Sister Chen smiled and said, "That's right. Who would come to watch a movie on a rainy day? Let's just take a break and stay here to kill time."
He Susu smiled and said yes. She changed into straw sandals, put her cloth shoes back into the bag, put on her raincoat which had already dried, said hello to Sister Chen, and rode her bicycle home.
Just like when she came here, He Susu rode her bike carefully on the way back and arrived home later than usual.
When He's mother didn't have to go to work, she was thinking about her daughter who was working in the county town. She moved a wooden chair to the door and watched her daughter riding a bicycle gradually become clearer. She felt relieved and said happily, "Susu is back. I'm glad she got home safely."
"Mom." He Susu called, rode her bicycle to the yard and parked it, then walked to the hall and took off her raincoat. He's mother stood by and took the raincoat and hung it up to drain the water off.
The family stayed at home all day. Zhao Miling had already cooked the meat and vegetables and was waiting for her sister-in-law to come back for dinner.
The rain continued to fall until He Susu went to bed.
It rained for several days in a row, and He Susu felt both pain and happiness.
The pain was because it was troublesome to wear a raincoat on the way to and from work, and one had to be extremely alert when riding a bicycle; the happiness was because the rain seriously affected the cinema's business and basically no one came to watch movies. In line with the principle of saving resources, the originally scheduled screenings did not need to be shown if no one bought tickets. He Susu really sat idle in the cinema for a few days.
Sister Chen was a little anxious. Her long-time colleague He Susu also knew that she was making some money by selling melon seeds during the night shift, so when she handed over her shift, she talked about her worries: "It has been raining these days and no customers have come. I didn't dare to fry the melon seeds and bring them here to sell."
Naturally, there will be less income.
He Susu understood what she meant, but no one could do anything about the weather, so she could only comfort her, "There must be a lot of customers who couldn't come to the movies because of the rain. When the weather clears up, they will come to the movies, and you will definitely be able to sell more melon seeds, and the balance will be restored."
Sister Chen sighed: "That's all I can think of."
When He Susu returned home, she found that her family members also had something to worry about.
When it started raining, the He family thought they could take a day off. When the rain stopped, the weather wouldn’t be so hot, which would be more convenient for them to work. That was good.
When it continued to rain the next day, they thought it was another day of rest. But after several days of continuous rain, the He family began to worry.
Those who often work in the fields know that if there is too much rain before the autumn harvest, it will easily flood the grown rice ears.
The rice grains on the rice ears will easily become moldy if soaked in water for a long time, and will be difficult to handle when harvested later, so they are basically wasted.
This will have a huge impact on the harvest. If the harvest is less, there will be less food distributed at the end of the year, and we will have to tighten our belts and eat less next year.
He's father was worried about the rice in the field. He put on a straw hat and a raincoat and went to the field to check on it in the heavy rain. When he returned home, he sighed, "There is a lot of water in the field. It has submerged half of the rice ears. I see that many of the rice grains on the rice ears are soaked in water. If it soaks for too long, I'm afraid it will fail."
After hearing this, the He family became depressed. Even the five children knew that the rain would affect their next year's meals. Their original happiness of not having to go to school or cut grass for pigs because of the rain disappeared, and they were no longer in the mood to play hide-and-seek at home.
Perhaps they were really worried about the poor harvest this year and less food to be distributed, so the He family became visibly frugal with their meals, eating mostly sweet potato and corn steamed buns. Only He Susu was not affected and still had white rice to eat.
He Susu kept this in mind and carefully recalled the plot of the original novel in her room in private.
At this point in time, there was indeed a continuous heavy rain that lasted for about half a month, which somewhat affected the harvest in the fields, resulting in less grain to be distributed at the end of the year.
Not to mention the countryside, even the county town had a food shortage for a while. Su Yu knew about this, so he bought up the monthly food supply in advance, and also bought some rice and flour from the black market, so his life was not affected much.
Although rice and flour can be exchanged in the shopping system, even if the amount of food distributed at the end of the year is less, He Susu can find an opportunity to exchange it for rice and then find an excuse to bring it back home, so as not to affect the family's original life.
But everyone in the family must be worried about the impact of the rain on the harvest. She could do nothing to change the weather, so she could only comfort her parents and ask them to be more positive.
After it rained for a whole week, He's father couldn't bear it any longer. He told his family and ran to find his brother to ask if the brigade and the commune had any countermeasures for the current situation.
It would be enough for someone to go and ask on behalf of the family, so the He family had to wait anxiously at home for He's father to bring back news.
Many villagers had the same idea as He's father. They were all worried about the harvest and ran to the brigade office to ask.
□□ and other brigade cadres, including the village party secretary and accountant, were helpless in the face of this situation. Who wouldn't worry about next year's food rations? They had no choice but to appease the villagers.
"We all know what you want to ask. We don't have any specific response measures yet. The commune has notified us of a meeting. When the meeting is over, we will notify you of the details and response measures. It's raining so hard, don't stand here, go home, we still have to go to the commune for a meeting."
The villagers had no choice but to disperse.
After hearing what He's father said, the He family knew that the commune would organize cadres from each production team to attend a meeting, and they thought they would discuss countermeasures, so they felt relieved.
At night, He's mother came to her daughter's room to discuss something with her: "Susu, last time you asked your classmate to help you buy refined rice, the price was normal and no food coupons were required. Can you see if you can ask her to help buy some more? I think the harvest this year is not likely to be good, and I don't know how much food we can get by the end of the year. It would be better for our family to use the money to buy some rice and keep it for peace of mind."
She still remembers the famine more than ten years ago very clearly. She was so hungry that her hands and feet were floating like crabs. The villagers dug up all the wild vegetables in the mountains and even ate pig grass just to save their lives.
Although this time it won't be as serious as those years, He's mother is still worried and thinks it's a good idea to be more prepared.
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