"good"
My son is still young, and we won't be able to finish all this food next year, but we still need to store more.
"Mianmian, is there enough food? Why don't you buy some more when the food is distributed before the New Year?"
“Okay, although this year, with our son’s food rations and the food we’ll get from work points, it seems like a lot, but we both have big appetites, so let’s buy some more!”
"You can buy whatever you think is best. We're just buying it for ourselves, not selling it on the black market, so it's usually not a big problem."
Don't worry! I know what I'm doing.
"I'll be going back to my unit the day after tomorrow and won't be back for a while. Take good care of yourself at home. If you need anything, please ask your auntie for help. You can't go out until you're out of confinement, okay? It's incredibly cold outside right now, and you can't catch a postpartum illness."
"Don't worry! I know what I'm doing. When I go back to the unit, I'll bring a few bags of candy to share with everyone. Although we don't have that many red eggs to give away now, let's share the candy and let everyone share in the joy."
Okay, no problem.
"Oh, right, Third Brother, why don't you put the bad sweet potatoes in this room? We can steam them and eat them when Auntie comes."
"Okay, I'll grind the corn in the bag into flour first thing tomorrow morning."
So my third brother stayed at home for half a month before returning to his unit. Although it was just across a mountain, he couldn't come back every day.
Another thing is that he was able to have a two-week leave this time, which was a special favor from above. He won't be able to come back until the end of the year.
"Li Zhiqing, just tell me what you need me to do."
"Auntie, don't worry! I won't stand on ceremony with you."
"Don't be so polite, please don't be so polite. All this formality makes us feel distant."
"Who can argue with that!"
And so, my postpartum period was over. My third brother took care of me for the first half of the month, and my sister-in-law from the production team took care of me for the second half.
After finishing my postpartum confinement period, I could take a nice, long shower and wash my hair – it felt so good!
Seeing this, the auntie kept saying, "Don't you feel lighter now?"
"Yes! It feels so good after showering."
"That's right. But after you've finished bathing him this time, you can't bathe him too often in the future. After all, it's winter, and if he catches a cold or something, the child will catch a cold too. The child is still young, so try to keep him from getting sick, okay?"
"Don't worry, Auntie, I know what I'm doing."
"That's good, then Auntie won't be coming over tomorrow."
"Okay, Auntie, here's the agreed-upon three yuan for a packet of brown sugar."
"Auntie Brown Sugar, please take it; you don't need the money."
"No, Auntie, if you do this, we won't dare use you again if something happens in the future. Besides, what if the villagers find out? Won't they gossip about us behind our backs?"
"Alright! Then I won't be polite, but I'll only take one yuan; you can't take any more."
"Alright, Auntie, since that's the case, there are still a few notebooks and pencils at home. You can take this; it's for the children to use for studying."
"Then your aunt won't talk to you anymore."
"Don't mention it."
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it was early May 1970, and the child was already six months old.
Ever since the brigade started working, I've brought my child to the fields. Other families with children that age either carry them in baskets or lay them on mats on the ground.
He had already asked the carpenter in the village to make him a small cart. This cart could be used for sitting or lying down to sleep. And it wasn't small either; it could easily fit two of his children.
There's another one at home that's slightly bigger, big enough for three or four people to lie down in. This one is mainly kept in the yard so he can grow a bit bigger and play there without interfering with my chores.
There's another compartment underneath the stroller where you can put small blankets, clothes, diapers, and other small items.
My son is relatively quieter than other children, but he has a terrible temper. If things don't go his way, he'll wail loudly. I've already corrected him several times, and so far it's been working well, but I'll still need to correct him eventually.
"Li Zhiqing, why don't you go check on the steamed buns?"
"No need, he's done this several times already, he definitely wants me to play with him."
"This child has a really loud voice."
"It is indeed quite large."
When Mantou saw that his mother hadn't come over, he stopped crying. To him, the outside world was so big, with so many people, many of whom he didn't recognize, but they all seemed like fun.
And so, she started working while taking care of her child.
The Shen Bowen couple, who lived in the cowshed, had seen their eldest grandson from afar, and even though they wanted to go over and hug him, they never did.
For them, being able to catch a glimpse of their grandson from afar is better than anything else.
In the eyes of all the villagers in the brigade, the couple were the first to be sent down to their area, and they were the least noticeable. They never made a fuss like the other people who were sent down.
Until a few years ago, when the authorities were either arresting them and parading them through the streets or criticizing them, they finally calmed down. Now they are all working there obediently.
This year, my family also raised two pigs, one for the task and the other for our own use. Since we're not short of money, we won't do what other families do, like selling half of the other pig to the supply and marketing cooperative or secretly taking it to the black market.
Last year, we had to ask Uncle Team Leader to help us catch and slaughter the two pigs in our house.
Because it was inconvenient for a woman to have a child alone while her husband ate at home, even though the team leader's aunt and sister-in-law were there, she still gave the team leader's family five catties of meat so as not to leave out any empty promises.
At the same time, when Third Brother returns, have him take two bottles of wine to Captain Uncle's house to express his gratitude.
I found that I felt much more relaxed here than when I was in Fusong County. No matter what, I felt like a genuine country bumpkin, and no one cared about anything else.
Although I brought my child to work this year, I don't work as carefully as I did when I was pregnant. Now I can do whatever I want.
When my son can talk, not to mention the food rations, the work points I've earned this year will be enough to feed me for more than half a year.
Starting in 1968, a large number of educated youth went to the countryside. Almost every year, several educated youth would come to the production brigade. Some of them used their connections to return to the city, but the vast majority stayed in the countryside.
Leaving aside the older generation of educated youth, even the newer generation who came after the 1968 rural educated youth have now accepted reality and are working honestly. Although they don't earn much, it's more than enough for them to live on.
Some educated youth could still contribute a little to their families, but they worked honestly. However, whenever a group of educated youth came, even just one, some trouble would still arise.
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