Qingshan County, Nianzishan Village!
After leaving the school construction site, Li Shankui couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you get the car?”
“I borrowed it—it belongs to Xiaoxue’s third older brother!” Li Yi replied.
Hearing this, Li Shankui frowned and said, “Did you drive this car all the way back from the capital?”
“Yeah!”
“Pull over!”
Hearing his father’s angry snort, Li Yi knew immediately that trouble was brewing—his father was definitely furious!
Familiar with his father’s temperament, he ignored the order and continued driving while saying, “Dad, if there’s something bothering you, just say it—I’m listening!”
Li Shankui understood his son’s temperament as well; the boy had rarely listened to him his whole life, so it made perfect sense that he wouldn’t respond.
“You’re no spring chicken anymore,” he snapped. “Why can’t you show a little more judgment in what you do?”
“Are you talking about me driving home?”
“Yes. Setting aside how dangerous it is to drive all this way back, just the fact that you borrowed a car from your brother-in-law is reckless—it makes you look foolish!”
Li Shankui continued, “Our Li family may not be wealthy, but we certainly don’t need to borrow things from my father-in-law’s household just to show off!”
“Dad, you’re overthinking it. I didn’t drive back this time to show off—I have something important to take care of!” Li Yi said.
“What kind of important business requires this thing? Can’t it be handled without it?”
“Heh, actually, it is!”
Li Yi then explained his plan to take his elderly parents to Beijing for their grandchildren’s full-moon banquet.
After a long silence, Li Shankui finally spoke up: “Is it really appropriate for your mother and me to go to Beijing? Besides, where would we stay? If we have to stay at your in-laws’ place, we’re not going!”
Li Yi knew his father had always been a man of principle with a strong sense of pride. He smiled and said, “If you don’t want to stay at the Jiang family’s place, I have a house in Beijing!”
“You’ve bought a house in the capital?”
“Yes, I’ve bought two courtyards—one large and one small. If you and Mom are willing, I’ll bring you both to live in the capital!” Li Yi said.
“No way. We’re just fine here in the village. What would we even do in Beijing?”
Then, before Li Yi could try to persuade him, he continued, “Besides, I heard from Nana that the streets in the capital are packed with people. If you can’t read, you won’t even be able to find a restroom once you step outside. The village is much better!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “We’ll talk about that later. This time, when you go there, you and Mom should stay for a few extra days to see if you can get used to it!”
“Alright…”
As they spoke, the car pulled up in front of the Li family’s old house.
Father and son entered the house one after the other. As soon as they walked in, they saw their eldest sister bustling about the stove, and the room was filled with an enticing aroma!
“Sis, what are you doing?”
“Mom said you might not have eaten, so she asked me to cook you something!” Li Mei said with a smile.
“I had a light snack on the way, so I’m not really that hungry!”
“Well, you must be a little hungry then. Just wait a moment—it’ll be ready soon!”
“Okay!”
In the main room, her young nephew was already asleep on the kang, while his mother sat nearby doing needlework.
Seeing her husband and son come in together, Zhang Yuehong set down the thimble she was holding and looked up. “Honey, Xiao Yi says he wants to take us to the capital. Should we go or not? You decide.”
“We’re going, of course!” Li Shankui replied.
Hearing her husband’s decision, Zhang Yuehong was overjoyed: “Alright, then let’s pack up and see what we need to bring!”
Li Yi quickly interjected, “Mom, we don’t need to bring anything—the capital has everything we need!”
“We can leave the other things behind, but we absolutely must take the little clothes I made for the baby. And we’ve saved a few old hens for Xiao Xue—we’ll slaughter one and take it with us, and then there’s…”
Listening to his mother rattle off a long list of essentials, Li Yi was instantly overwhelmed…
Since there were only two days left until the baby’s one-month celebration, and Li Yi also needed to return early to keep an eye on the shop, he had to set off tomorrow.
So, after dinner, Li Yi and his father began packing up all the various items they needed to take with them!
Although Li Yi really wanted them to travel to the capital light, the elderly couple insisted that this item was essential and that one thing couldn’t be left behind.
After his repeated attempts to persuade them proved futile, Li Yi had no choice but to go along with it!
By the time dusk was falling, the already compact jeep was packed to the brim with all sorts of items, leaving only the two reserved seats empty.
However, just as Li Yi and his parents were packing, they saw the village Party branch secretary, Feng Kai, and the production team leader, Zhang Tongfu, push open the door and walk in.
As the two approached, Li Yi noticed that each was carrying a basket covered with a cloth, and he had no idea what was inside.
“Uncle Feng, Uncle Zhang, you’re here?”
Feng Kai said, puffing on his pipe, “We came to talk to you about something. We hope we’re not disturbing you!”
With that, Feng Kai and Zhang Tongfu set the baskets they were holding on the large red cabinet in the room.
“Uncle Feng, Uncle Zhang, what’s this?”
“Nothing much—just some eggs, brown sugar, and the like. To help your wife regain her strength!”
Li Yi knew this was a local custom: whenever a woman in the village gave birth, relatives and friends would bring gifts—mostly eggs, brown sugar, and white sugar, though some also brought honey and pastries.
“Uncles, you’re too kind. Besides, my wife isn’t even in the village!”
“It doesn’t matter if she’s here or not—it’s the thought that counts!”
Then, Feng Kai turned to Zhang Yuehong standing nearby and said, “Sister Yuehong, clear out some space in the basket for us—we’ll need to take it back with us when we leave!”
Zhang Yuehong glanced at Li Yi; seeing that he had no objection, she nodded in agreement.
She then picked up the basket and headed toward the west room…
After his mother left, Li Yi said, “Uncle Feng, Uncle Zhang, if you have something to discuss with me, please go ahead!”
“We came over to talk to you about that batch of cattle and sheep!” Feng Kai said.
“What’s up with the cattle and sheep? If I do the math, they shouldn’t be ready for market yet, right?”
Feng Kai nodded and said, “The calves aren’t ready yet, but the lambs have grown quite a bit. We estimate they’ll be ready in another two or three months!”
“There are still several months left. Let’s just keep raising them for now,” Li Yi said.
“That’s not it. We’d like to discuss something with you. Once this batch of cattle and sheep is fully grown, could we keep a few ‘mothers and offspring’ for breeding instead of selling them all off?” Feng Kai said.
“Sure, but that means the village will have to adjust its crop structure!” Li Yi replied.
“Why’s that?” Zhang Tongfu asked, a bit puzzled.
“When developing livestock farming on a large scale, the most critical issue is feed. Especially for cattle and sheep—they need not only grass but also sufficient grain. Relying solely on wheat and barley straw definitely won’t be enough!” Li Yi explained.
“So how should we adjust it?”
“Plant more corn and sugar beets. Not only is corn a high-yield crop, but its stalks are tall and substantial, making them ideal for feeding cattle and sheep.”
Li Yi continued, “And the yield of sugar beets is equally impressive—the green leaves can be used as forage, while the beets themselves can serve as feed.”
“Alright, let’s go back and discuss it!” Feng Kai said.
“Alright!”
At that moment, Feng Kai spoke up again: “There’s one more thing I need to discuss with you—it concerns you, Dongzi, Qiangzi, and the other educated youth.”
“Uncle Feng, are you referring to their per capita grain rations?”
“Right. Their grain entitlements are still registered in the village. According to the regulations, regardless of whether they participate in the labor, the village has to allocate their per capita grain rations during the autumn harvest!”
Feng Kai continued, “Last year, at least they were still in the village, so the villagers didn’t have any complaints. But this year, they’ve all gone to Beijing with you. If we keep giving them their per capita grain rations, it’s bound to cause some complaints!”
“Then don’t give it to them!” Li Yi said.
To be honest, neither Li Yi nor Dongzi and the others really cared much for the meager rations and money the village distributed each year.
It wasn’t that they were getting big-headed; it was simply that the village’s rations were truly pitiful.
Take the past two years, for example: the per-capita grain ration the village distributed to each person was a paltry 270-odd catties.
The cash was even less—less than fifty yuan per person.
With such a meager amount of money and grain, it didn’t really matter whether they received it or not.
“As long as you have no objections, we’ll put out a notice in the village later to avoid any complaints from the villagers!” Feng Kai said.
“Alright!”
Just as Li Yi thought they were in the clear, Zhang Tongfu spoke up again!
PS: “Muzi” — the local term for a female sheep; a male sheep is called a “Jiezi.”