The autumn harvest is about to begin, but it hasn’t been confiscated yet. The grain grows on the ground, and you can see whether you can eat it or not. The Construction Corps has transferred some of the grain and said it is diplomatic aid. This is a major national event. We have to tighten our belts and we all have to support it.
The Chinese people’s national sentiments are always so simple.
On this day, there was a meeting in the company, and several educated youths were asked to make a self-criticism in front of everyone.
It turned out that they were a few newly arrived educated youths this year, all of whom were fourteen or fifteen years old. They were so hungry that they couldn't stand it anymore, so they secretly dug up two nests of sweet potatoes at night and baked them. The adults in the company found out.
The company commander then called everyone together to see what should be done.
It is really rare to say that people's ideological awareness at this time was so difficult. Every household was provided with coarse grains, but the fine grains in the fields were rarely stolen. Everyone adhered to such a simple standard.
The crops in this land belong to the country first, then to the collective. In the end, they belong to oneself.
Now, someone suddenly breaks this norm, so to speak of it, this is not a small matter.
The roasted sweet potato was only half eaten. Now it was placed on the table as evidence of guilt.
Everyone was silent. It was just a few children. They were hungry and instinctively wanted to find something to eat.
"If you have any opinions, feel free to say them." The instructor looked at the crowd and asked.
No one wants to pursue it seriously, but there are some rules that cannot be broken.
"Otherwise..." Fourth Master stood up and said with a smile: "When the autumn harvest is over, part of the rations given to them will be deducted. If they steal one sweet potato, deduct ten sweet potatoes from them. Ten times the punishment is not too small.
"
The most harvested potatoes every year are sweet potatoes. The yield is very high. Deducting ten or twenty potatoes will not affect anything at all.
Everyone also said that ten times the punishment is enough.
The boys were quite clever and nodded quickly, "Company Commander, we are willing to accept the punishment."
The company commander and the instructor looked at each other and said, "Since you accept the punishment, the sweet potatoes on the table are yours, so go ahead and eat them."
Several children then lowered their heads and wiped away tears and bowed to the people below.
They are not children who don’t understand anything.
The instructor said: "I know that during this period, our food supply will not be able to continue. So... about thirty miles to the north of our station, there is a large riverbank. There is a field of wild beans growing there, with no end in sight. Those tender beans
When you pick them and cook them, they taste no worse than edamame. Before the crops mature, you can take the time to go over there and pick them. Whatever you pick is yours."
There was a buzz down there, and I wanted to go right away. But, no! There was still work to be done in the company. Several people discussed going there at night and coming back before dawn. Another person said that the place was unfamiliar and it was too late.
I have to take time to go there during the day to check out the environment and terrain. I'm afraid there might be some invisible mud hole suddenly, and if I step on it, I might never get up again.
Lin Yutong and Fourth Master are people who just follow the crowd. They can't be special. Others don't have anything to eat, so how can they not be short of food at home?
Unexpectedly, God seems to have heard everyone’s expectations. It’s raining!
It's good to rain. It's hard to live even if it rains. Everyone can finally work on their stomachs.
So the next day, amid Bai Xiaomei's shouts, Lin Yutong and Fourth Master went to pick wild beans. They were wearing rubber shoes, a straw hat on their head, and a plastic sheet covering their bodies.
Lin Yutong and Fourth Master were relatively luxurious. The plastic sheet was very large. They dug a hole in the middle and stuffed their heads in. Their bodies were covered.
As soon as he went out, he saw Bai Xiaomei carrying a basket, and Lin Yutong's face changed color. "Why don't you go?" Lin Yutong looked at her pregnant belly. Maybe she didn't eat enough, and she was thin, which made her belly look particularly big. "It's raining."
What should I do if the road is slippery and I fall? If I get wet or catch a cold, it will be difficult to take medicine."
Bai Xiaomei waved her hand, "It's okay! This scholar in our family can't do his job well."
Cheng Hao shouted: "If you don't ask her to go, she has to go. Please persuade her."
Fourth Master said to Lin Yutong: "How about you stay with her at home?"
Before Lin Yutong spoke, Bai Xiaomei waved her hand, "Forget it! Then I won't go. Don't delay you."
"Go back quickly. With so many people here, how can we watch you two starving to death?" Lin Yutong waved to Hei Ya who was helping in the clinic, "You stay with your sister Xiaomei, and you are not allowed to leave even a step. Don't call her.
Let's go out." He said and handed two fruit candies to her.
Hei Ya is thirteen and already sensible. She has many brothers at home, so she doesn't need to work hard. Now she is accompanying someone, so she immediately agreed.
Bai Xiaomei was helpless, "I won't run around blindly."
Lin Yutong didn't listen to her. When he saw her leaving, he took the fourth master's arm and walked forward.
Cheng Hao sighed, "Adults can survive this day, but what should children do?"
The fourth master patted him and said, "Think about it. The children of every family in this company have grown up. You guys won't just watch. We still have some cornmeal at home. I will get it for you when I go back today."
Come over here, tight-bellied child."
Cheng Hao wasn't polite either. It's already this time, why should you be polite?
I rode a carriage and walked for more than thirty miles before I saw the so-called wild beans.
Wild beans are also divided into wild soybeans and wild mung beans. The beans of wild soybeans are short and wide, and there are only two or three small beans in a pod. Only two or three wild soybeans are worth one soybean. But wild mung beans are different, the pods are particularly long.
Slender and slender, hanging down. Wild mung beans are naturally smaller than mung beans.
In fact, speaking of it, this is truly green and pollution-free food.
These things are rarely seen in later generations. It is only in the memories of the elders that they have heard about them.
Wild beans are delicious when they are young, but they are difficult to handle when they are old.
Wild mung beans are also called ‘thief beans’. If you find these beans that cannot be cooked in the red beans and mung beans you buy at home, they should be wild mung beans.
In fact, if you grind it into flour with great effort, you can still eat it. Even soaking the bean sprouts is also possible. It just takes a little longer.
Such a large area is simply a natural treasure house.
Lin Yutong felt that the fourth master's eyes were surprised. It was probably the first time he knew that there was such a species.
When the two of them were stunned, everyone had already started. Each person occupied a piece of land, and no one was trying to compete with the other. Let's see who's quick.
Lin Yutong also hurriedly made it, and after it was done, he went back to deliver it to Bai Xiaomei. If it was really too much food, she would not dare to ask for it. But Nodouzi just took a little effort no matter what. He could afford it, and he accepted it without any worries.
burden.
There is an oversized bag tied around the waist. In many places in the north, this thing is called a baggage. When picking things, tie it around the waist to free up your hands. Then stuff the picked things into the bag.
The baggage can be made from dismantled old clothes, or it can be sewn by mending a broken sack. A baggage can hold about forty or fifty kilograms of things. Hanging on the waist, this thing is very heavy.
When the baggage is full, carry it to the end of the field and pour the contents into the sack. Then you go back and continue with the empty baggage.
The autumn rain is very cold. Even if it is separated by a plastic sheet, it is still cold. What's more, the plastic sheet can block the upper body, but the lower body can't be helped. Wild beans grow into vines, densely packed, and are all wet by the rain. People here
As we shuttled back and forth, my pants were already wet and wrapped around my body. Even the plastic sheeting on my body was stretched out of shape.
He worked non-stop for most of the day, and before nightfall, he put his trophies on the carriage. Then he walked on two legs.
"You are riding on horseback." Fourth Master raised his voice and said to Lin Yutong.
Everyone couldn't help but laugh. The fourth master was telling a joke. Not many people in this regiment can ride a horse.
Lin Yutong quickly got on his horse, which shocked people. Even if it was a cart-pulling horse, as long as it was calmed down, it would still be possible for a person to hump on top of it.
She and Fourth Master collected a total of four sacks, which probably weighed several hundred kilograms. But there were not many that were actually edible. The beans were too small. But Uncle Geng must like these pods. They are all good ingredients. Horses like to eat them.
.Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to pull out the horse so neatly for everyone to use today.
I left one sack at home and gave three sacks to Bai Xiaomei's family. In addition, I gave more than ten kilograms of cornmeal. "Let's take care of the children first. I have a family subsidy over there. I won't be hungry."
Bai Xiaomei touched her belly, sniffed, and responded with difficulty.
What we eat in the evening is boiled beans. You can’t leave these things out. You have to eat them that day. If there are any leftovers, you have to cook them first, peel them out, and then dry them in a pot. They can be stored for a few more days.
The smell of cooking beans wafted from every house.
Lin Yutong and Fourth Master were no exception. They washed and started cooking the beans, cooking them with the young pods together. Lin Yutong put a lot of seasonings into it, such as salt, pepper, fennel, etc. The taste was also very fragrant.
But it can only be eaten as a snack. After eating this, it feels like my stomach is not full.
After most of them went to sleep, Lin Yutong cooked two more bowls of dragon beard noodles and mixed them with beef sauce. He was full.
She was afraid that she would have to pick wild beans in the future, but she didn't expect Wu Chunlai to come and bring two baskets of sweet potatoes.
"This is from the dry land in our village. It is ripening the fastest now. My father said that you are probably a little tight here, so I will send you two baskets first in case of emergency."
That's great. A reason not to pick wild beans.
Lin Yutong was very generous and gave him two fish. They weighed one or two kilograms each, not big, but still rare.
Others also made baskets, but few knew how to make scented bait, but Fourth Master did. The scented bait had to be made with white rice, which they didn’t have. So, they relied on luck. Lin Yutong always got something. She wanted to give Bai Xiaomei something
It was given as a gift to a pregnant woman when she needed nutrition the most. Now, I gave Wu Chunlai two large ones, and there were still two days worth of half a catty left, which was enough to make soup for Bai Xiaomei for two days.
In difficult times, it is not easy for any family. It is not like this to pull each other and make it all the way... (. )