Chapter 214: Grain

Chapter 214: Grain

By the end of June, Su Zhaozhao had received her diploma from the correspondence course.

Her studies through Sea City University were officially complete.

Her salary would also increase to fifty-six yuan a month starting next month.

Before, people would have demanded she treat them to a meal, but with food so scarce, even a higher salary doesn’t impress anyone anymore.

No matter how much you earn, it won’t get you any extra food.

The supply for a scholar is not as good as that for a manual laborer.

The only thing people still admired about Su Zhaozhao was that her husband was an army officer.

Others might not have cared much, but Gu Heng was quite pleased for her, looking at her diploma for several days.

"This is the first college graduate in our family, worthy of a celebration."

Su Zhaozhao lay on his chest. "How should we celebrate?"

Gu Heng paused, then rolled on top of her and said, "I’ll take care of you."

Su Zhaozhao kicked him with her foot, wondering who was rewarding whom.

"Guess you’ve been eating too well, Captain Gu."

...

With the summer heat intensifying, the drought worsened, and water became increasingly scarce.

The bathhouse used to be open twice a week, but this spring it dropped to once a week, and now it’s down to just twice a month—only on alternate months.

The tap water in the family housing area was also restricted to certain time periods; throughout the day, it was only turned on during cooking hours, and at other times, the main valve was kept closed, making it impossible to use even if you wanted to.

After two weeks of scorching sun, the river near the family quarters dried up completely, revealing its rocky bed. Once the river dried up, the fish and shrimp became visible. The kids, all on summer break, rushed to the river every day, hoping to catch fish, eels, or loaches to add some variety to their meals.

These days, you can’t even find meat at the market. After all, when people can’t feed themselves, how can there be grain for the livestock?

Gu Xiang and Gu Nian led the kids from the family housing area to run around in the mountains and rivers every day. One day they brought back some wild peaches, and the next day they brought back a couple of loaches.

Su Zhaozhao and Gu Heng let the kids run free, as long as they stayed out of the villagers’ fields. They couldn’t go into areas that had owners. Even if there was grain on the ground, they couldn’t pick it up.

But there wasn’t any grain left. The nearby fields had almost nothing growing besides sweet potatoes.

The ordinary people were so hungry they were wobbling, thin to the bone, and on the verge of begging.

And this was in the rural areas around a big city; other places were probably worse.

Su Zhaozhao sent some grain to Teacher Bai, not daring to send fine grains. The farm would inspect packages, especially at this time, and sending fine grains would attract too much attention, so she could only send some cornmeal and sweet potato flour to help fill his stomach.

Not just Teacher Bai, Su Zhaozhao and Gu Heng discussed and also sent some coarse grains to their hometown.

She didn’t want to deal with Su Laibao and his wife, but remembering how the original Su Zhaozhao had such strong feelings for her younger brother, and recalling how he had offered eggs to Gu Nian when she first arrived in this world, even though the eggs were never given in the end...

After thinking about this, she dreamed about the original owner for several nights in a row, making her feel on edge, wondering if the original Su Zhaozhao was still around.

Gu Heng thought she was ill.

After much deliberation, Su Zhaozhao decided to show some kindness, but not too much. She didn’t plan to send the food directly to Su Laibao; she was mainly afraid he might track her down using the address. Instead, she sent it to Aunt Guo, asking her to pass some of it to him.

Once the food was sent, the weight on Su Zhaozhao’s mind for over half a month was finally lifted.

……

Hongxing Farm.

On the threshing ground, several emaciated men squatted under the sun, turning and drying soybean stalks. They were particularly meticulous; if they were lucky, they might find a few leftover soybeans.

Teacher Bai was among them. He hunched over, picked up a shriveled bean, and placed it in his pocket.

“Bai Shuan.”

“Present!” Teacher Bai instinctively stood up straight.

“Someone’s here to see you. Head to the entrance.”

“Yes.”

The men working on the threshing ground looked up. The man closest to him, wearing glasses, asked, “Old Bai, is it a family member visiting you?”

Teacher Bai shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

He didn’t really want them to come. If they saw him like this, it would only cause them unnecessary grief.

It was better for them to forget about him completely and live their lives well.

He had wanted to wash his face, but due to the water shortage, he could only use his clothes to wipe away the sweat and smooth his hair to look somewhat neater.

When he arrived at the entrance and saw the person outside, he wasn’t sure whether he felt more disappointed or happy.

Fan Wenxia had been sitting on a stone near the door. Seeing Teacher Bai approach, she quickly stood up and waved.

There was a small thatched hut by the farm entrance, built specifically for visiting relatives to talk.

“Why are you here again?” This was the second time Fan Wenxia had come since he was sent to the farm.

The first time she came, Teacher Bai had told her not to come again.

Seeing Teacher Bai in this state, Fan Wenxia’s eyes welled up with tears.

Teacher Bai was even thinner than the last time she had seen him.

Fan Wenxia handed the package to him. “Teacher Bai, there’s some food inside, not much. Please take it. When you’re really hungry, it might help a little.”

Teacher Bai sighed. “It’s hard for everyone now. You don’t have much food either; take it back. The farm can still provide two meals a day, enough to be seven or eight parts full.”

Fan Wenxia didn’t believe him. She had heard that prisoners here were grinding soy stalks into powder to eat, so she had gathered these few pounds of food and come over.

“Teacher Bai, please take it. If you don’t, it’ll make me feel terrible.”

Teacher Bai looked at her, then lowered his head. “Student Fan Wenxia, don’t come again.”

After saying that, he turned and walked inside.

Fan Wenxia was startled and chased after him, shoving the package into his arms. “If you won’t eat it, just toss it.”

After saying that, she turned around and ran off.

Teacher Bai clutched the package, looked at her retreating figure, and sighed.

At that moment, a postal worker rode up on a bicycle.

Teacher Bai turned away, continuing on his path, but before he had gone far, he was called back.

"Bai Shuan, don't leave yet, there's a package for you."

The package wasn't handed directly to Teacher Bai. The guard at the gate inspected the contents to ensure they were safe before handing it over.

"You must be pretty popular. Just after someone brought you food, now there's a package of supplies for you. Your life here is better than ours."

Teacher Bai felt a pang of anxiety and offered a small bag of peanuts from the package to the guard.

The guard waved him off, "I don't need your life-saving food. Go inside and get back to work quickly."

Teacher Bai took the package and his belongings, first returning to his dormitory to hide the items, and then headed to the courtyard.

Seeing him return, someone asked, "Was it your family?"

Teacher Bai shook his head.

The person who asked sighed. They were all in the same situation—wanting their families to visit but also fearing it.

They couldn't see the point of living like this.