A century of poverty

Chapter 85 Spring Festival Gala, Spring Festival Gala!

The team was becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Team Seven was further divided into three groups, and incomes decreased year after year, with some even falling short of expectations. The more work points a family accumulated, the more they owed. The vast majority of households had a considerable negative balance in their accounts.

In the autumn, under the leadership of the production brigade, the land was distributed to individual households.

Because Team Seven had a large labor force but limited land, the brigade continued to allocate the marginal land of Xidawazi to Team Seven. However, due to its distance from home—a seventy-minute walk—no one was willing to go. The brigade then offered a lower land quality grade as a concession, persuading a few households to contract the land.

Finally, my eldest brother, on behalf of our whole family, discussed with Aunt Liu's sons about contracting that piece of land. There was also a family in the west who were willing to contract it with us.

Each laborer had seven mu of land, and my second brother, younger brother, and I, the three laborers, contracted twenty-one mu of land.

The non-labor force, Grandma and Dad each have one mu, plus one mu of reserve land, for a total of twenty-four mu of paddy fields.

The main house of the stable had already been sold. The two rooms on the east side were bought by the team leader, Liu Hongpei, and used as new houses for his fifth son, Liu Zhenwu, and Zhang Chunhong. The two rooms on the west side were bought by the eldest brother, and the family of four had already moved in.

The west side of the two side rooms is empty, while the east side is where Xiao Guishuang and her husband Xiao Hongping live; they have just had a daughter.

Jiang Hong, Feng Ming, and I were returning from watching "Popular Cinema" at Jiang Hong's house when we passed by the Ma Hao compound. I led the way towards my eldest brother's house. As soon as we entered, we saw my eldest brother and sister-in-law tidying up clothes by the cabinet. My eldest brother held up his striped polyester pants and said to my sister-in-law, "These pants are torn. Can you sew them up for me?"

Just then, I arrived beside them and noticed a tangled black thread on the knee of the older brother's pants. His sister-in-law snatched the pants away, her face contorted with anger: "Scratch! Keep scraping!"

I quickly withdrew, and Fengming and Jiang Hong followed suit.

Jiang Hong: "Let's go take a look at Chunhong's room." We walked over, only to find the door locked. Jiang Hong peered through the window, and Fengming and I followed suit. We saw white paper walls and a new sheet on the kang (a heated brick bed). Jiang Hong turned around and said, "A new life will begin here."

Fengming and I exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Now, together with the six or seven teams, Jiang Hong, Feng Ming, and me, along with Xiao Guishuang's younger sister Xiao Guiling, are considered "older women".

Fengming got engaged to a carpenter from Tai'an County who worked here.

Xiao Guiling got engaged to Xiao Hongping's cousin.

Jiang Hong awaited her return to the city. Her beautiful eyes sparkled, her red lips and white teeth shone through, and she had a slender figure. Her long, black hair was gathered behind her head with a floral handkerchief, making her look very fashionable.

Fengming and Chunhong were both short, with strong, muscular limbs, and wore their hair in small, neat styles. The difference was that Chunhong had a round face, double eyelids, and a cheerful disposition, while Fengming had a long face and single eyelids.

Xiao Guiling is of medium height, with a square face, thick lips, and deep-set eyes. She doesn't know how to dress herself up.

The most distinctive one was Xiao Cuirong. She was a year younger than us, and like us, she often carried straw under her arm and joined us in making rope. She was about 1.65 meters tall, with a dark purple face, and always wore her two braids high. She liked to wear cheap bell-bottoms that left horizontal lines on her thighs.

She already knows how to "dress up" herself; she washes her face and applies face powder after turning around, but she never cares about the stains on her neck.

We were often amused by the white, powdery residue that clung to her face from her sweaty pores.

On New Year's Eve, Jiang Hong, Feng Ming, and I continued our tradition of visiting relatives and friends on West Street to exchange New Year's greetings. Qu Hui and Zhang Chunhong were absent, but Xiao Cuirong and Xiao Guiling joined us.

Cui Rong left her house and stopped by my house first. After I washed and put away the dishes, she went to Feng Ming's house. The three of us went to West Street together, walking from east to west until we reached Xiao Guiling's house. The four of us then went to Chun Hong's house. Chun Hong wasn't home; she had gotten married. We wished her parents a Happy New Year. After leaving, we crossed a large ditch several dozen meters away and followed the ridges and bumps to Jiang Hong's house. Her house was always the liveliest. Her second sister was also unmarried and waiting to return to the city, as was her younger sister, Jiang Yan. If her second brother, Jiang Lang, was home, they would exchange a few witty remarks.

We played a card game called "Upgrading" at her house for a while, and her mother kept putting handfuls of dates and melon seeds around us, saying, "Eat, eat, don't be shy!"

After playing for a while, Xiao Cuirong called to Xiao Guiling, "Fourth Aunt, let's stop playing and go for a walk."

Xiao Guiling: "Where to?"

Xiao Cuirong: "Anyway, let's go out for a walk!"

Jiang Hong: "Let's go! I know where we're going." She said, getting off the kang (a heated brick bed) and putting on her shoes. We all put down our cards and rushed to the edge of the kang to put on our shoes.

After leaving, we went south onto the main road and followed the road that turned towards the horse stable, and arrived at the horse stable.

Jiang Hong: "Let's go visit Xiao Guishuang's family."

Xiao Guishuang's husband, Xiao Hongping, is from Jiangsu. After serving in the army and being discharged, he took advantage of the reform and opening up policy and brought his relatives from his hometown to Northeast China. He also recruited more than a dozen people from Northeast China and formed a contracting team of more than 20 people. They contracted some small projects, made some money, and were more knowledgeable than the local farmers.

She introduced her sister-in-law, Xiao Guiling, to her cousin, Cui Hongya.

When we arrived at their home, the couple greeted us warmly. We exchanged greetings: "Happy New Year! Happy New Year!"

I was immediately drawn to the Spring Festival Gala being broadcast on his colorful television set, which was set up at various heights.

Singers, actors, and movie stars such as Li Guyi, Jiang Dawei, Jiang Kun, and Liu Xiaoqing were all present, and the performances were all wonderful. People who used to watch movies and listen to theme songs saw the familiar singers in person. A worker dressed as a cigarette vendor, played by Ma Ji, brought the show to a climax, eliciting continuous laughter.

It was truly a feast for the eyes and ears. It left a deep impression on us.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the second sister-in-law and second brother went back to their parents' home for a visit.

After the New Year, labor begins, and every household watches and learns how to carry out production.

The fear of difficulty was only in their hearts. As the seasons changed, there wasn't enough manpower for seedling cultivation, so several families teamed up and quickly started cultivating the seedlings.

Harrowing and leveling the land, with those having animal power and those without helping each other, ensured that the farming season was not missed.

Transplanting rice seedlings is a tough task, and the most tiring work is done by the women. We are the main force in transplanting, while the men carry the seedlings. This year is different from previous years. My younger brother and I work together, but he can't keep up with my transplanting speed. I carry a few meters for him, and my second brother carries the seedlings to help him. We work hard from dawn till dusk, putting our slogans and spirit into action, and we managed to transplant the seedlings without missing the planting season.

The subsequent weeding and tending of the seedlings is traditionally the work of the women, so naturally I was the main force in my family. Although my heels hurt, I persevered by using medication, and the seedlings grew well.

The rice has headed out and can no longer be planted in the field. As in the past, we would twist ropes and make straw bags. Fengming and I were often together twisting ropes, and sometimes Xiao Cuirong and Xiao Guiling would join us. We would line up the two large kang beds in our house from one end to the other, and we would chat and laugh, making it a lively scene.

One afternoon, my little niece came to call me: "Auntie, my dad said he needs you to come over."

I put on my new white lace-trimmed short-sleeved shirt that I had bought this summer, my two long braids cascading down my waist, and led my niece to her house. As soon as we entered, we saw Yao Hexi, the militia company commander, sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed). Before I could even greet him, I heard him say, "Such a beautiful young lady, it would be a shame if I didn't act as the matchmaker." (He was Liu Shulian's husband, so I would call him her fourth brother-in-law.) I replied, "You can't be the matchmaker. I don't want to stay in the paddy fields. Everyone knows my legs aren't good."

Yao Hexi: "I'll introduce you to this family. They're well-off. The young man is 1.8 meters tall and handsome."

I said, "That won't work either. My legs hurt and I'm afraid I can't work in the paddy fields for long periods of time."

Yao Hexi: "I promise, you won't have to work in the fields after we get married."

I said, "If farmers don't work in the fields, how will they make a living? You can't guarantee that. Thank you for your kindness, I appreciate it, but no matter how good the conditions are, it won't work. This isn't their problem, it's ours."

My older brother chimed in, explaining that my legs, which had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for many years, were really not suited for walking in paddy fields.