Chapter 76: The Liu Family’s Debts and the Mischievous Zhou Sinian

Mingdai curved her eyes in a smile and replied, "Yes, you can. If you put them in a basket full of soil and keep the temperature and humidity right, you can grow them. I'll try first, and if it works, I'll teach you."

Aunt Huang clicked her tongue in amazement. "That's the first time I've heard of such a thing. If you can grow them, that'd be wonderful—we wouldn't have to gnaw on nothing but cabbage all winter."

After saying that, she called for Mingdai to come check out the cellar with her.

Mingdai glanced over at Zhou Sinian by the stables; he seemed to be getting along well with Liu Laifa, so she felt at ease and followed along.

Liu Laifa's hands trembled as he chopped hay, not daring to stop, his heart screaming: Mother! Save me!

Unfortunately, Aunt Huang was in high spirits, showing Mingdai around her cellar, and didn't notice her youngest son's eyes nearly popping out of his head from stress.

At that moment, Zhou Sinian was cheerfully moving the chopped hay into the stable. Liu Laifa chopped, and Zhou Sinian placed—an efficient team.

Even the horse was under his watchful eye. Whenever it paused in chewing, Zhou Sinian would glare at it, frightening it into grinding its teeth non-stop.

Zhou Sinian looked at the hardworking pair—man and horse—and grinned in satisfaction.

Down in the cellar, Aunt Huang lit an oil lamp, and Mingdai gaped at the cellar packed full of vegetables.

Aunt Huang, beaming with pride, pointed at the vegetables piled up like small hills. "Little Ming, see if there's anything you like to eat. Auntie will pack some up for you to take home."

Mingdai gave her a thumbs-up. "You really know how to run a household! When will you ever finish eating so many vegetables?"

Aunt Huang's face lit up with joy at the praise. "These have to last us until spring. We don't get fresh greens until then, so all winter and early spring, we live off these. It may look like a lot now, but our family is big, and we also send some to my family in the mountains—they don't have much land, not enough grain, and even less vegetables. So a share here, a share there, and it disappears fast.

Not to boast, but no other family has as many vegetables as we do. I dug up all the land behind the house just to plant them.

Good thing we don't keep chickens, or we'd never be able to keep them—those birds would have pecked them to death long ago."

Mingdai was just about to ask, "Auntie, I've always wondered—why don't we raise pigs here? There are a few chickens, but not many; you don't keep any, either."

Aunt Huang, busy pulling up chive roots, sighed. "If you'd come in earlier years, you'd have seen it. We used to raise both chickens and pigs. Every household could keep up to five chickens, and as for pigs, it was quite relaxed here. Big families could raise two or three pigs, as long as they sold one for the annual quota.

Our village even had a pig farm once, with twenty-three pigs of all sizes. I used to be in charge of cooking pig feed.

But then swine fever hit the commune, and even the surrounding villages' pigs caught it."

Her voice choked a little as she continued, "At first, two pigs died—diarrhea that wouldn't stop. The county veterinary station was so busy they couldn't send anyone. Your uncle and I hauled the pigs by cart to the county, but another died on the way. When we got there, we learned that several communes nearby were also suffering from swine fever—there was no cure.

The vet told us to take them back and quarantine them, save what we could.

But it was too late. In the end, all the pigs died. It broke our hearts! Officials from the county took away the sick pigs for burial, saying they couldn't be eaten—eating them could be fatal. Such a waste—all that meat!"

Mingdai nodded in agreement. "It's true, you can't eat them."

Aunt Huang sighed. "We were heartbroken. We raised those pigs on credit from the brigade and the commune. When the pigs died, the debt remained. Your uncle, the brigade leader, his hair turned much whiter from worry.

Fortunately, over the past two years, we've slowly paid some of it back, and the commune understands our situation. But now our village has to help build the reservoir every year, and our share of village income is less, so we're all living tight."

"As for chickens, well, after the swine fever, many chickens died too. People were afraid to waste grain on raising them, so now there are fewer. In my house, I avoid raising them because your uncle can't bear to think of pigs when he sees chickens."

Only now did Mingdai understand why this place was even poorer than she had imagined—so the village was still in debt.

Aunt Huang soon had a basket of chive roots, all wrapped in rice straw to prevent freezing.

"That's why folks in the countryside all want to move to the city. If a family has a relative in town, their status is that much higher.

Why?

Because they have an iron rice bowl—no need to depend on the weather for food.

Old Lady Qing at the back of the village married her youngest daughter off to the county, and even found her eldest grandson a temporary job there. Girls from miles around are eager to meet him, just because he has a job in town. Even if it's just temporary, it's better than a farm boy who only earns work points."

Mingdai nodded. "It's the same in the city—those with jobs are more sought after for marriage."

"People like us don't dare hope for that. Can't read a single word; I hear city jobs require exams. Maybe next year I'll send Tiedan to the commune school for two years, see if there's any chance he can find a job in town. Then we'd finally have some luck for once. Your uncle always complains that I gave him three useless sons and not a single one worth anything, hahaha."

Mingdai looked at the laughing Aunt Huang and thought she was truly optimistic.

She'd always liked people like this, little suns radiating warmth, and especially disliked those who wallowed in self-pity and complained endlessly.

"Tiedan and Goudan are both clever—they'll do fine in school."

Aunt Huang, scooping potatoes into a sack, laughed, "Ha! I hope so. Just don't let them turn out like their father, who couldn't squeeze a peep out of himself if you hit him with a stick—so slow!"

They chatted as they picked vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, shepherd's purse roots, old pumpkins, and some dried greens. Two large sacks, heavy and covered in mud, but Zhou Sinian carried them without complaint.

Mingdai thanked her repeatedly, but in the end, she was still forced to take a big winter melon before leaving the brigade leader's yard.

Once they left, Liu Laifa finally breathed a sigh of relief, shaking his aching hands. Being stared down by that madman while chopping grass had drenched his back in sweat.

The horse: They're finally gone! I was about to burst!

Mingdai, caught up in conversation, had no idea that Zhou Sinian had been up to mischief again.

Zhou Sinian, wearing a cold expression, was displeased with the sack on his shoulder. Mingdai described all sorts of delicious dishes to coax him as he carried the load home. Passing by the educated youth's quarters, they saw Chen Erhong and Fang Mingyang coming out to fetch water. Seeing them carrying and holding so much, the two looked on in envy.

Mingdai nodded in greeting and hurried off, chasing Zhou Sinian's long strides.

Chen Erhong smoothed her hair and whispered, "Ming the Educated Youth is pretty close with the brigade leader's family."

Fang Mingyang, hearing this, gradually furrowed his brow.

Rumor had it that in the neighboring Sanlishan Commune, an educated youth got a job in town, with the brigade leader's stamp of approval.

Once home, Mingdai first had Zhou Sinian help sweep the snow off the roof.

After explaining what needed to be done, Zhou Sinian leaped onto the wall, pulled out a long tree branch from outside the yard, and jabbed at the eaves. Instantly, a cascade of snow fell from the roof, landing right on Mingdai's unsuspecting head and face.

Mingdai quickly jumped out from under the eaves, pointed up at Zhou Sinian's innocent face, and threatened, "If you mess with me again, you won't get anything tasty for lunch!"

Last time, when Zhou Sinian put her up in the locust tree, she realized he'd grown mischievous, always playing tricks on her. He'd definitely dropped the snow on her on purpose!

Thinking of the silly venison in her space, Zhou Sinian immediately straightened up and warned in a deep voice, "Move aside."

Once Mingdai was safely inside, he continued clearing the snow off the roof, right where Mingdai had just been standing.

Mingdai: Hmph, he definitely knew the snow would fall on me. No licorice in his medicine tonight—let him suffer the bitterness!

Zhou Sinian, happy as could be playing in the snow, had no idea he’d be drinking bitter soup again tonight.