activa-t Chapter 220 Begging for food!
Chapter 220 Begging for food!
Time passed quickly and it was the second half of the year. Ning Qun and Ning Wei went back to Beijing during that period, but neither of them came back later. Ning Qun wrote to say that his parents' case had been rehabilitated and the hospital had arranged a job for him to stay in Beijing. Little Ning Wei went to join the army. What's more, Ning Wei's unit was the same as Zhang Haiyang's, and they were assigned to the same class.
In northern Shaanxi, life is still the same. The grass carp raised by Wangjiagou Brigade are going well, with no dead fish, fish diseases or other problems. After a few autumn rains, the cold wind from Siberia blew from north to south, and the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi entered a cold winter. More and more farmers came to beg for food in the county town, not just one or two, but in groups.
In fact, this year is not a disaster year. There is a "good harvest" of grain in the autumn, but this good harvest can only ensure that the public grain is paid on time. There is not much left in the pockets of the members. Before winter, it has become a "custom" for the members to go out and beg for food, and everyone is used to it.
This is the case in several brigades under the Hongqi Commune, including Wangjiagou. To put it bluntly, it is all because of the barren land, which cannot grow crops, and human factors.
"Yuemin, we're coming over today, so you have to let us stay in the commune cafeteria for a meal. We haven't even had breakfast and have been walking for hours, so we're exhausted."
At this moment, Zheng Tong, Luo Jianguo, Ermao and others were all in his office, each holding a stick, a broken bowl, wearing a black jacket and cotton trousers full of patches, with their hands hidden in their sleeves, sitting or squatting, completely integrated into the lives of their fellow villagers in northern Shaanxi, without any trace of the Beijing bully's nature.
Zhong Yuemin said:
"Zheng Tong, Kui Yong, the conditions in Wangjiagou Brigade are pretty good compared to the other brigades. You won't have to beg for food, right?"
"Yuemin, you are now sitting in the position of director, but you don't know the suffering of the farmers below. What can you do? I originally wanted to raise grass carp, and wait for them to grow up and sell them to earn money to buy white bread. But the technician said that the temperature is low here in northern Shaanxi, and the growth cycle of grass carp is long. In addition, they are fed grass and bean cakes, not concentrated feed, so their growth is even slower. It's like a child. If you feed him porridge and pickles every day, do you think he can grow? It will take at least 2-3 years for him to grow to three or four pounds. Don't expect him to grow.
At the brigade meeting earlier, Captain Yang said we should uphold the tradition of respecting the elderly and loving the young. The elderly and children in the brigade shouldn't go out and suffer in the cold weather. The young ones should go out to beg for food, for the sake of the whole group, so as not to be ashamed. Jianguo and Kuiyong are both squad leaders, so we have to take the lead. We brothers are going all out. Look at how we're dressed, we're real beggars."
Zhong Yuemin smiled,
"Then why are you running to my place? You're all well-equipped, but you're starving. Go out and beg for food. I'm the director, but the canteen supplies are rationed. If you eat, others won't have any. If this loophole is opened, what do you want me to do if other teams come over?
Go ahead. If you can’t get it today and you’re still hungry, come back to me later and I’ll pay for it myself.”
"Do you have any braised pork? We haven't had meat in months!"
"I'll try my best. Go first, go first, hurry up!"
He asked the group of "beggars" to leave. There was plenty of food in his space. He could quietly provide the rations for Zheng Tong, Kui Yong and others. But if you wanted the rations for a brigade, it should be no problem. However, there was no reason. Food could not appear out of thin air. In addition, his current identity as the director was too eye-catching. In the era of destroying the four olds, he had to be careful to avoid getting into trouble.
As soon as they left, Li Yan came in. "Yuemin, Zheng Tong, Jianguo and the others came to see you about something?"
"What could possibly be the problem? They're all out begging for food, and they want me, the director, to provide them with a meal."
Li Yan came over and whispered:
"How about I take out some of the gold hidden under the stove at home and exchange it for some food for the folks in Wangjiagou. They should be able to survive this winter."
Zhong Yuemin looked at him and asked, "When did you become so kind-hearted?"
"What do you mean? What if I was mean in the past? It's all because of you. You're the commune director now. If the communes down there are starving and start trouble in the county, you won't be implicated."
"I didn't say you have a bad heart. This is useless. If someone asks you where the food comes from and how you have the money to buy it, can you explain it clearly? If you run into someone with a malicious mind, like Wang Long or Wang Hu, good things can turn into bad things. Even if we don't harm others, we still have to be on guard against others. This begging thing didn't just happen this year. It has always been like this in the past. The county knows it.
Don't worry about this. No one else can take care of it. I will take care of Zheng Tong and the others. By the way, have you asked for food?"
"Of course not!"
Li Yan said:
"The farthest I went was to the next county town. I remember one year it snowed heavily, the snow was so thick it was above my knees. It was difficult to walk, and I was gasping for breath after just a few steps. I walked 20 or 30 miles to the county town to beg for food, from morning till night, without a drop of water. I finally came across a family who opened the door and invited me in, saying they would give me white flour buns. I thought I had met a good person, but as soon as I entered the yard, the man hugged me from behind and tried to molest me. I was so hungry that I was dizzy and had no strength to break free. I could only shout for help. Fortunately, some fellow villagers heard the noise and came over, so I was saved. Otherwise..."
"And this matter, I've never heard you mention it before."
"It's not something glorious, why should I mention it?"
"So what happened next? Was the man taken to the police station?"
"No, we were going to kidnap him, but he kept begging for mercy and even promised to give us two white flour buns each. Just for this bite of food, we let him go. When it comes to life, dignity is not a concern. Being able to fill his stomach and not starve to death is the most important thing."
"Didn't your deceased ex-husband leave you a lot of money? You don't have a family to support. If one person eats well, the whole family will not be hungry. Why do you still need to beg for food?"
"It's good to live off the savings, right? You know that when that damn bastard Wang Long was still the Party Secretary of Wangjiagou, he targeted me everywhere to force me to submit. I can't do heavy work, so how could I get any work points? The only reason I've survived these years is the money my ex-husband left me. I have no income, only expenses, so I always have to save. But now it's good. With you, Yuemin, I have no worries about food and clothing."
"Aren't you afraid that I'll run away with the money? Then you'll be left with nothing!"
"Tsk, you only know how to talk. I, Li Yan, don't have any great abilities, but I'm pretty good at judging people. You're not that kind of person. Besides, I'm already yours."
"When did you become mine?"
"Really? Then next time your boyfriend comes over, I'll tell Xiaobai how you took advantage of me."