It was true that although land had been contracted to individual households, each person usually received only eight fen of good farmland. In Zhu Yanyi’s family of four, they had a total of two mu and eight fen. This was because Xie Xinlian, though classified as a poor peasant, came from a non-farming background. Even after transferring her household registration, she was considered an outsider and received only four fen. Moreover, since she was a worker, her land allocation was limited to that amount.
Zhu Yanyi thought about her family’s land. She remembered novels from her past life where families with five or six mu still went hungry, which she found hard to understand. With nearly three mu, her family never lacked grain. She wondered if ancient measurement methods differed from modern ones.
Regardless of the measurement system, having five mu of good land per person at the Qi household was definitely a lot. After Qi Jizong married, the authorities allocated an additional eight fen per person. With three daughters, each receiving eight fen, the family now possessed eight mu and two fen in total. This made them one of the households with abundant land. Consequently, their living conditions were significantly better than others. At least, the Qi family was far better off than the Xie family. They lived in a high single-story house. While they didn’t eat meat every meal, they were certainly free from hunger and cold.
When the Zhu family visited, Qi Jizong treated them very well.
When Zhu Shunyao’s family arrived, Qi Jizong was washing sugarcane. Seeing them, he smiled. "I calculated that you should be here by now. A-Jing’s family has already arrived."
The "A-Jing" Qi Jizong mentioned was Xie Jingyu.
"Hello, Uncle. Brother-in-law arrived so early," Zhu Shunyao said.
"A-Nuan Jiejie, A-Ni Jiejie." A little girl came out. It was Xie Shiyun, the only daughter of Xie Jingyu.
"Shiyun." Zhu Yanyi ran over with a smile. After the New Year, the cousins were six and four years old, respectively—the cutest age.
"A-Ni, you haven’t greeted anyone yet," Zhu Shunyao reminded her helplessly.
Zhu Yanyi stuck out her tongue and called out to Qi Jizong, "Hello, Grandpa Uncle."
"Good, good." Qi Jizong smiled broadly. "Come, come. I’ve prepared sugarcane and oranges for you. Eat a little first, then we’ll have snacks later."
Zhu Yanyi quite liked visiting her Grandpa Uncle’s house. Qi Jizong doted on her and her sisters. Every time they visited, they got to eat delicious food. Although their own family’s conditions were slowly improving, there was still a gap compared to the Qi family.
"A-Nuan Jiejie, A-Ni Jiejie." A boy came out. It was Qi Guanghua, Qi Jizong’s grandson. Qi Jizong had only three daughters, but the eldest had taken a husband into the family. Therefore, her child took the mother’s surname, becoming Qi Jizong’s grandson.
Qi Guanghua was the same age as Xie Shiyun, turning four after the New Year.
"Guanghua Didi." Zhu Yanli and Zhu Yanyi went over. Zhu Yanli acted like a big sister, holding Qi Guanghua’s hand. "The ground is slippery. Don’t run around."
"Okay." Qi Guanghua said with a smile.
Zhu Yanli said, "I brought candy for you." She took two candies from her pocket, giving one to Qi Guanghua and one to Xie Shiyun.
"A-Nuan is truly a big sister now. She knows to give candy to her younger brother." Qi Yuandi, Qi Guanghua’s mother, walked out holding a plate of sunflower seeds. She invited everyone, "Come, come. Let’s eat sunflower seeds." She placed the seeds in front of everyone and then poured sugar water for each person, handing out a cup to everyone.