The next day, Bai Xiaoyue, with the certificate in her pocket, went to the city to discuss the grain sale with Li Mingyue and her husband.
It was noon when she arrived at the courtyard. Li Mingyue and her child chatted with her while Wang Weiguo quickly cooked two dishes.
The three chatted as they ate, and Bai Xiaoyue asked Wang Weiguo:
"Brother-in-law, our village is short of food right now, and there's no food to sell anywhere. What are you going to do with your grain?"
Wang Weiguo examined the evidence that Bai Xiaoyue had brought:
"Grain prices are high outside right now, but I'm afraid of something going wrong, so I haven't dared to trade."
Now that I have this proof, the grain has been properly transported, and I can finally relax.
Bai Xiaoyue nodded: "That's what I thought too, that's why I went to my uncle to get this certificate."
You should keep enough food for two years. Now that Ping'er is here, keep a little more food for emergencies.
Then, you guys take another look and see how much more you can sell?
Bai Xiaoyue thought for a moment and then said:
"I plan to sell all 3,000 jin of grain to the village."
I figured the purchase price was cheap back then, so I planned to sell it to the village for one yuan per jin (0.5 kg). You guys should set a price too.
Wang Weiguo held Li Mingyue's hand and stroked it a few times:
"We have enough refined grains to eat, so we've disposed of the 2,000 jin of coarse grains."
The price will be one yuan per jin, as you mentioned. Mingyue is also from the village, and she has relatives there too.
Bai Xiaoyue was overjoyed:
"Brother-in-law, on behalf of the Hongxing Production Brigade, thank you. It's settled then!"
I'll go talk to the village officials in a couple of days; I expect to hear back soon.
Li Mingyue and Wang Weiguo had to go to work in the afternoon, so Bai Xiaoyue didn't stay any longer and went home in a good mood.
Two days later, Bai Xiaoyue brought a few kilograms of corn and sorghum to the village officials.
Seeing that her uncle and several village officials were all there, she greeted them with a smile:
"Uncle, there's news about the thing you asked me to do."
Uncle Bai was very happy to hear that there was grain.
He sat up straight, staring intently at Bai Xiaoyue: "Xiaoyue, tell me quickly, what's going on?"
Bai Xiaoyue cleared her throat and slowly said:
Wang Weiguo knew someone who had 2,000 jin of corn, 2,000 jin of sorghum, and 1,000 jin of millet.
Our family is facing difficulties and urgently needs money, so we're planning to sell our grain at a low price.
He originally wanted to sell each pound of grain for 1.2 yuan, but because he needed the money urgently, he finally agreed to sell it for 1 yuan per pound, but the money had to be paid in full at once.
"These 5,000 jin (2,500 kg) will cost 5,000 yuan. Does the village want to buy them?"
After she finished speaking, she put the bag in her hand on the table and asked them to check the quality of the grain.
Accountant Wang jumped up and exclaimed:
“It’s one yuan per kilogram. The neighboring village wanted to buy our grain, saying they were willing to pay one yuan and eighty cents. Of course, we didn’t sell it. Grain is so precious now. I agreed to buy it.”
Uncle Bai and Ye Jianhua were also very pleased when they saw the grain, and in the end, the village officials unanimously agreed to buy it.
The village didn't have enough money, so Uncle Bai had to borrow some from the commune.
Uncle Bai was worried that things might change, so he borrowed the money back the next day and urged Bai Xiaoyue to buy grain.
Fearing being seen by people from other villages, Uncle Bai and his family would sneak out in the middle of the night and carefully bring the grain back.
After the grain was put into the warehouse, Uncle Bai sighed and said to Ye Jianguo:
"With this grain, although each person only gets three ounces a day, we can at least make it to the autumn harvest."
Ye Jianguo suggested: "Secretary, we should also distribute more vegetables and less grain, just like other villages."
That way it won't attract attention and will avoid trouble. Leaving more grain for the autumn harvest will give everyone more energy to work.
Uncle Bai thought it was feasible, patted Ye Jianguo on the shoulder, and praised him:
"Great idea, Jianguo! It's just that you'll inevitably have to step in and appease people again. There's bound to be some troublemakers!"
A few days later, Bai Xiaoyue asked her uncle to give her a letter of introduction to go to the city.
She first went to Li Mingyue to get three thousand yuan from selling grain, and Li Mingyue and her husband invited her to stay for a meal.
Then Bai Xiaoyue leisurely went to the bank to deposit money.
With three thousand yuan tucked in her bag, Bai Xiaoyue was almost disoriented, unsure of what day it was.
With this money, I won't go hungry even if I don't work a single day.
When she went to the People's Bank of China in the county to deposit money, she was shocked to find that depositing 2,000 yuan would yield an interest of 122 yuan per year.
The interest is an average of 10 yuan per month, and Chang Le also receives 10 yuan per month. With 20 yuan, the mother and son can eat white rice every day, even if they don't eat well.
However, that will have to wait until the difficult period is over; she can't afford rice right now.
Bai Xiaoyue felt even better after saving the money and going home.
She put the remaining thousand yuan in a small box and hid it in a small cellar, leaving only a few dozen yuan in loose change outside.
We have money and food in hand now, and apart from the current troubles, the future is still bright.
In June, Bai Wen'an took the college entrance examination. Although he didn't seem nervous at all, Bai Xiaoyue was secretly worried.
She didn't dare put too much pressure on her younger brother, and she didn't even dare to cook him delicious food.
She was afraid that changing Bai Wen'an's eating habits would cause him to feel unwell during the exam, which would be counterproductive.
Bai Wen'an filled out his college application along with his classmates and teachers. After a long month of waiting, he was admitted to a top university in Beijing.
Bai Xiaoyue was the happiest of all, as she felt her wish to "leech off" her younger brother was about to come true, though she would have to wait another four years.
When Bai Wen'an received his acceptance letter, the whole village was in an uproar.
A college student? In a village where there are hardly any high school students, it's so rare to have a college student come out of there!
You can get a job and a government job as soon as you graduate from university.
Mr. and Mrs. Bai instantly felt their backs straighten, and they were radiant all day long.
The villagers praised the couple whenever they saw them, saying that they had raised their child well and that they would enjoy the benefits of raising a child in the future.
Some people say that Bai Wen'an looks like a promising person and will be extraordinary in the future.
The two elderly people were very happy to hear someone praising their son, and their eyes and brows were full of smiles.
Old people are like that; they are happier when someone praises their children than when they praise themselves.
From time to time, villagers would bring their children to the Bai family home, asking Bai Wen'an to share his learning experience.
They also hope that their children can go to university and make something of themselves in the future.
Uncle Bai also made a special trip to praise and encourage his nephew.
Bai Wen'an told his sister that he had to thank his teachers for getting into a top university.
At the time, he lacked confidence and only wanted to apply to a junior college. It was his teacher who helped him analyze his grades and gave him confidence.
After hearing this, Bai Xiaoyue picked some vegetables from the field and took out 20 jin of cornmeal, which she gave to him to thank the teacher.
In these difficult times, nothing is worse than food.
Wen'an came back and said that the teacher's family is large and food is very difficult to buy now. The teacher was very happy to receive the cornmeal he sent.
The teacher insisted on giving him money, but he refused and returned home.
During dinner, Bai Wen'an talked to his parents and sister about his ideals and his future, his eyes sparkling with longing for the future.
The boy's youthful vigor and potential brought comfort to his family; the child had grown up and was ready to soar in the vast sky.
Mr. and Mrs. Bai were very happy!
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