"There really is one?"
"How are they staying?"
"Why do you ask that? Don't they always make them do the hardest work and suffer the most?" Uncle Gu asked.
"But we can't let them die here!"
"Mianmian, just say what you want to say."
"Grandpa Gu, Captain Mianmian, let's be frank. These people who have been sent down to the countryside are either high-ranking officials or highly educated individuals. They are all rare talents in our country and should be put to good use. Also, I've heard that many of them have been wronged."
"This, this..." Uncle Gu was at a loss for words.
"Mianmian, what do you suggest we do? To be honest, we're worried about this too."
"Grandpa Gu, this is easy. Let them write self-criticisms and submit them. Every few days, the brigade will hold a meeting and have them write self-criticisms. But we can't let the children in the brigade bully them. We can't do that. They are all very capable people. When they have a chance to go back to the city, we can't let them resent our brigade. Instead, we can make them grateful to our brigade. When the children in the brigade go to the city, who knows, they might be able to help the children in the brigade?"
“You’re right, but we can’t be too obvious, boss. When you’re making the mud bricks later, make a lot more. Then we can build a woodshed and a warehouse next to the pigsty, and have them move in.”
"Don't worry, Father!"
"Grandpa Gu, please build a few more houses."
"Mianmian..." Grandpa Gu didn't ask the question aloud, but he understood what he meant. There was likely to be many more people being sent down to the countryside in the future. It seemed the world was indeed heading into chaos. No wonder this child had been sent to the countryside.
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhengrong realized what was happening and said, "Don't worry, I'll arrange it right away. The policies these past two years have encouraged raising more pigs, and we're even planning to build a few more pigsties in and around our brigade so we can raise even more next year."
Hearing that Uncle Gu wanted to raise more pigs, she suddenly remembered that there would be changes to poultry farming next year, so she quickly said, "Oh right, Uncle, there's something I almost forgot about."
"What's wrong, Mianmian?" Gu Zhengrong rarely saw this childish side of him and asked.
"Yes, Mianmian, if something's wrong, tell me slowly, there's no rush," Grandpa Gu said.
"Grandpa Gu, Uncle Gu, how many pigs, chickens, ducks, and other animals does every household in our brigade raise now?"
"Everything is done according to policy: no more than four pigs and no more than ten chickens, so what?"
"Next year, let's go back to the old policy. If you want to raise more pigs, you can do it at the village's pig farm."
"Why?" Uncle Gu asked.
"Mianmian, is what you said true?" Grandpa Gu asked.
"It really is Grandpa Gu, but Mianmian can't say where this information comes from."
"Even if you don't say anything, the old man won't ask. Don't worry, it's enough that the old man and your Uncle Gu know. We'll talk about this next spring."
"But Dad, how are we going to explain this to everyone? It takes at least a month or two for the newspapers to reach us. Otherwise, everyone can raise pigs for another year."
"Who can argue with that?"
Seeing Grandpa Gu and Uncle Gu looking troubled, I said, "Grandpa Gu, you could buy a radio!"
"Girl, we know about this, but even if we had money, we didn't have the ration coupons."
"You mean tickets? We actually have them!"
"Mianmian, how could you possibly have this? Don't joke around," Uncle Gu said.
"It really is! You can see for yourself!" he said, taking it out of his pocket (actually, from his spatial storage).
Uncle Gu didn't believe it, so he actually picked it up and took a look, saying, "Dad, this ticket really is real!"
"Let me see," she said, taking the ticket from Uncle Gu's hand and looking at it. "Mianmian, how much is this ticket? You tell me, Grandpa Gu wants it."
"Grandpa Gu, what are you saying? This ticket is useless to me. If you need it, you can use it."
"That won't do, you have to keep this money."
"Yes, Mianmian, listen to your Grandpa Gu."
"Grandpa Gu, Uncle Gu, we really can't accept this money. But how about this? We need to build a house, and we'll need a lot of wood, as well as wood to make furniture. With this coupon, you can buy a radio for the brigade. It'll be considered part of the brigade's budget. When we have free time, it can help the brigade members learn more about the outside world and understand more about policies. Otherwise, if they go to the city and make a mistake, they won't know what they did wrong, and people will look down on us country folk."
Grandpa Gu and Uncle Gu thought about it and agreed with the child. A few years ago, some people from their village went to the city to buy things but didn't know where the supply and marketing cooperative was. They were almost arrested as human traffickers. If they hadn't met kind people, who knows what would have happened. So they said, "Okay, this is a good idea."
Seeing that Grandpa Gu and Uncle Gu had both agreed, I felt relieved. The brigade has a radio, and the one I have in my own space won't be too conspicuous when I take it out. But I'll pass on it during the week; it's not too late to come out in winter after the heavy snow closes the mountains. Living in this small place, I need to keep up with the policies from above.
"It's getting late, Mianmian, you should go back and rest too. None of you need to work tomorrow. See if you need anything; you can buy it at the commune or the county supply and marketing cooperative," Grandpa Gu said.
"Okay, Grandpa Gu. You should get some rest, Grandpa Gu. Mianmian will go back to her room now."
Let's go back.
The adults in the Gu family didn't get much rest that night. I was staying in the big house, close to Grandpa and Grandma Gu's room, so I heard...
"Old man, do you think Mianmian is telling the truth? What will happen to our Cuicui? She's graduating this summer."
"It should be true. Let's see after Cuicui finishes her exams. If it doesn't work out, we'll ask around to see if there are any jobs for sale. We'll spend some money to get the child a job."
"My worry is that if my child doesn't have a job and comes back to our hometown, everyone will laugh at our family."
"Don't worry, there's still more than a month until the child's exam. When I have free time, I can go to the city more often, visit my old friends, and ask around."
Okay.
I haven't met Cui Cui yet. If she's a good person, I might be able to help her out and offer some advice. I just don't know what kind of person she is. But I can tell Grandpa and Grandma Gu about my idea later and see if they're willing to sacrifice their beloved daughter, and if she can endure hardship. She's a high school student; I don't know how her grades are. She could become a performing arts soldier or a medic, but I don't know what kind of person she is, or if it's worth it. But to have someone to protect me in the village, I have to stay closely connected to the Gu family. Well, I'll write to Uncle Shen and ask. Uncle Shen's position hasn't changed yet...
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