Li Mingyue continued to instruct Wang Weiguo:
"Xiaoyue also said that now that it's almost Chinese New Year, there are many places where money is needed, and many people are taking out their stored grain to sell."
Let's buy more to stock up, and if possible, buy more for her too.
Wang Weiguo asked in confusion:
"Now that everyone is eating from the same pot, why bother buying grain? We eat well and are full every day, who would be willing to spend money to buy grain?"
"I don't know, but I trust Xiaoyue. Anyway, food is cheap now, so it's not a bad thing to buy some and stock up. You can buy some for her too. She said coarse grains are fine."
The couple whispered to each other late at night.
The next day, Bai Xiaoyue pulled Bai Wen'an aside and confessed:
"Wen'an, you're an adult now. I have something for you to do."
"Sis, what's up?"
"Two things. First, tell your parents not to sell their stored grain. It would be best if they bought some more to stock up on. If they could buy more, they should buy as much as possible."
Secondly, go and talk to my older brother and uncle, and tell them to quickly find a way to get farm tools, otherwise what will we use for spring planting?
"Okay, I'll go right away."
"Don't say it was me who said it. Just say that the school teachers are worried that without farm tools, they will be at a loss for what to do next year's spring planting."
"I know, I know," Bai Wen'an replied repeatedly and hurried out to find his uncle.
The weather grew colder day by day, and the first snow of 1958 arrived as scheduled.
For two days and two nights, heavy snow fell like goose feathers, transforming the entire world.
Everything in sight was white, with no weeds or dust in sight; it was incredibly beautiful.
Bai Xiaoyue was overjoyed; she had never seen such a beautiful snow scene before.
I was so excited to see such a beautiful snow scene without spending any money!
The crunching sound of her footsteps on the snow was pleasant to her, and she kept walking around on it.
Later, he even rolled around in the snow a few times before finally returning home satisfied.
The more beautiful the snow scene, the harder the snow removal work.
Of course, this job was Bai Wenan's; he swept the snow in the yard and in front of the door clean every day.
It was too cold, and no matter how the outside world changed, Bai Xiaoyue would stay on the kang (a heated brick bed) with her daughter all day to prolong their lives.
She learned to make little clothes for her daughter, while Chang Le learned to write numbers beside her.
Bai Wen'an also came here to do his homework, and Bai Xiaoyue would occasionally explain math problems to him.
Bai Wen'an was quite amazed:
"Sis, you can even solve high school math problems! Brother-in-law is really amazing, what a pity!"
Seeing her younger brother's embarrassment, Bai Xiaoyue quickly chimed in:
"Yes, he's amazing!"
Bai Xiaoyue felt fortunate to have a dead husband who could take the blame; otherwise, she wouldn't know how to explain herself.
On New Year's Eve of 1958, the canteen cooked pork and cabbage dumplings.
The atmosphere was lively, and everyone ate heartily and with satisfaction, but Bai Xiaoyue felt empty and lonely inside.
Before we knew it, it was January of 1959.
Bai Xiaoyue prepared to brave the wind and snow to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to find Li Mingyue.
Apart from the sales clerks, there are hardly any people at the supply and marketing cooperative; everyone is staying home for the winter now.
Li Mingyue was pleasantly surprised to see Bai Xiaoyue arrive:
"Why did you come out in this cold weather? Is there anything you need at home?"
"Can't I come to see you if I don't need anything?" Bai Xiaoyue said with a smile.
Since no one was buying anything, Li Mingyue pulled her to a corner of the warehouse and whispered to her.
“Xiaoyue, I asked around for you last time when you wanted to buy farm tools. There was only one small hoe available, and it cost 2 yuan.”
"Small ones are fine too. There's nothing at home, and I can't even turn over the ground in the yard. I also need a kitchen knife and a wood-chopping knife. Could you keep an eye out for them for me?"
"I know, don't worry."
"Mingyue, did you use the method I taught you last time?" Bai Xiaoyue asked, glancing at Li Mingyue's stomach.
"I used it, I used it." Li Mingyue thought about how her husband had endured so much and finally the day had arrived. That passionate night was unexpectedly harmonious, and she couldn't help but blush.
She coughed lightly: "My period is 3 days late, and I haven't gone to the hospital for a check-up yet. I'm afraid I'll be disappointed."
"Mingyue, in a few days, I'll have Wang Weiguo take you to the hospital for a check-up. Be careful these next few days."
"Be happy if you get it, and if you don't, keep trying and keep working hard," Bai Xiaoyue said, still a little worried.
Li Mingyue nodded: "I know, it's been several years, a little more time won't matter."
She slapped her forehead:
"Oh right, I almost forgot, didn't you say you wanted to buy grain last time?"
I asked Weiguo to handle it for you. There were many people selling their stored grain before the New Year, and he bought some.
Is 400 jin of corn, 200 jin of millet, and 400 jin of sorghum enough?
The price was slightly higher than usual; it cost 70 yuan.
"Have you bought any? Can we leave the grain with you first?" Bai Xiaoyue was very happy.
I only managed to stock up on a few hundred kilograms by myself, but Wang Weiguo got a thousand kilograms in one go. Impressive!
“We bought some fine grains, and Weiguo and I rented a separate place in the courtyard outside, so we have a place to store them,” Li Mingyue said casually.
Bai Xiaoyue repeatedly urged:
"Tell Weiguo to buy as much as possible. If you can't take it all, give me the extra. Buy it quietly and don't make a big fuss."
After Bai Xiaoyue finished speaking, she took out 70 yuan and gave it to Li Mingyue.
Carrying a small hoe for planting flowers and daily necessities, and also buying several feet of fine cotton cloth and pastries for Chang Le, Bai Xiaoyue returned home laden with her purchases.
I ran into my older cousin, Bai Wenli, at my doorstep:
"Brother, it's so cold outside, why are you standing at the door? Come inside and warm up."
"I just arrived and wanted to chat with Wen'an," Bai Wenli said as he followed Bai Xiaoyue into the house.
Bai Wen'an was still doing his homework on the kang table, while Chang Le was making a fuss next to him.
When he saw his older cousin arrive, he put away his books and took out the hazelnuts he had roasted for the New Year and placed them on the table.
Bai Wenli told him not to bother: "Wen'an, when you mentioned buying farm tools last time, your uncle and I immediately used our connections to buy them."
But we couldn't find any anywhere; we only managed to get a few old hoes. Our production team has over 40 households, more than 200 people, and we only have a few hoes.
"Oh, it's so hard to buy? What should we do?" Bai Wen'an rubbed his hands in surprise.
"I'm also very worried and upset, so I came out for a walk." Bai Wenli's brows were furrowed.
Bai Xiaoyue sat quietly to the side, listening to the two brothers chat, and occasionally peeling a hazelnut for Chang Le.
Seeing that Bai Wenli was truly at his wit's end, she finally spoke:
"Brother, why don't we go to the villagers' homes and try to buy it at a higher price? Let's go a little further away and ask."
Farm tools are so hard to buy these days, not just in our brigade, but everywhere else is difficult to find them.
Spring planting will definitely be delayed, and the autumn harvest is uncertain.
How long can our production team's grain last? If it's not much, should we buy some first?
To avoid a situation where food is as scarce as farm tools.
There's always leftover food in the cafeteria, which is a lot of waste. You're the head of our team.
You need to find a way to make reasonable arrangements so that everyone always has food to eat.
Bai Wenli stared blankly at Bai Xiaoyue, as if he didn't recognize her, and after a long while he said:
"Xiaoyue, Big Brother knows what to do, thank you!"
He finished speaking and then hurriedly ran away.
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