Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 801 800 Food Shortage
Tang Zhitong knew nothing about what was happening in Beijing. The trucks from the transfer station were heading west, swaying and breaking down halfway.

After Tian Genfu repaired the car, they set off again, and it was past noon when they arrived at their destination.

Tang Zhitong handed over the bicycle, left a pack of cigarettes for Tian Genfu without saying a word, and then rode off to his uncle's house.

Along the way, traveling to the countryside, Tang Zhitong saw a different kind of scenery compared to the nearby suburbs.

Perhaps because this place is relatively far from the city, neither the last natural rainfall nor the last artificial rainfall reached this area.

The wheat seedlings outside the Post and Telecommunications Institute are still lush and green, but some of them here have already started to turn yellow.

Currently, the water conservancy facilities are inadequate. Some farmland that can be irrigated is in a better situation, but farmland that cannot be irrigated is already showing signs of reduced yield. Not only are the wheat leaves lifeless, but the wheat is also short, with the shortest being less than 30 centimeters tall and the tallest not exceeding 50 centimeters.

Even the most layman would probably think of reduced production or even total crop failure upon seeing this scene.

Seeing this scene reminded Tang Zhitong of the bald man's "four bests": the best soil moisture, the best seedling emergence, the fewest missing seedlings, and the strongest plants.

Time marches on, society develops, yet everything always feels strangely familiar.

While riding his bicycle, Tang Zhitong could occasionally see drivers of animal-drawn carts.

Unlike usual, the cart drivers no longer sat on the carts waving small whips; instead, they led the animals slowly forward.

The animals pulling the carts were generally thin, some even emaciated with their ribs clearly visible.

It seems that the tender grass in spring cannot replenish the fat they lost earlier.

Besides these, you can occasionally see militiamen patrolling the fields with guns on their backs...

Tang Zhitong glanced at his watch; it was a little past one o'clock. Although he had only ridden his bicycle for a short while, he was already starting to feel hungry.

It was the time when the production teams were resting after their meals, and there weren't many people on the road. Tang Zhitong found a secluded corner, pulled out some cornbread and pig's head meat from his spatial storage, and began to feast.

Sympathy and sadness won't solve anything. We should first feed ourselves, conduct thorough investigations, and then submit a proposal to the Sijiu City People's Committee to address farmers' medical needs. That's the real way to help them.

When Tang Zhitong arrived at the entrance of the production team where his uncle lived after eating and drinking his fill, he glanced at the elm tree at the entrance and saw that the entire perimeter of it had been stripped of its bark.

Elm bark has a layer containing a small amount of starch, which can be dried, crushed, and used as a food source.

Looking at the bark-stripped elm tree, it seems as if the incident happened not long ago.

Looking up again, there wasn't a single elm seed on the tree, and even the leaves were sparse. I don't know if they were picked and eaten by someone, or if the tree was unable to grow due to malnutrition caused by the stripping of its bark.

There are also a few mulberry trees at the entrance of the village, whose branches are even more luxuriant than those of elm trees. They don't even have many leaves, let alone mulberries.

Without a doubt, these were all consumed by the commune members as substitute grain.

Tang Zhitong sighed and rode his bicycle into the village. The bumpy country road was quiet, and there were no barking dogs or crowing chickens in the farmhouses. Even the occasional cries of children sounded weak and feeble.

Tang Zhitong didn't know if the village was quiet because of hunger, or because it was lunchtime; perhaps it was both...

Even the rural areas a little further from Beijing are in this situation. Tang Zhitong doesn't dare to imagine what the situation is like in those places that made such big announcements two years ago, let alone in Sichuan and Chongqing. Sichuan and Chongqing are already in great difficulty, yet they still dare to send another batch of grain out...

Upon entering the Zhang family's courtyard, Tang Zhitong spoke only when he reached the door. He called out twice in a normal speaking volume, then entered the house after addressing the man as "Uncle."

"Anzi, what brings you here?" Zhang Yongxiang and his wife were resting in bed when they heard Tang Zhitong's noise and sat up.

"My mom was worried, so she asked me to come and check on things." Tang Zhitong entered the house and placed a small half-bag of cornmeal on the table.

"Tell your mother not to worry, we're all fine. You child, you came all this way, why did you bring anything?" Zhang Yongxiang said to Tang Zhitong, then instructed his wife, "Quick, cook a bowl of porridge for Anzi."

After saying that, feeling that making porridge was a bit of a hassle, he explained to Tang Zhitong apologetically, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Making porridge is quick."

"Uncle, Aunt, don't bother. I brought lunch and ate it on the way here." Tang Zhitong stopped them, knowing that there was no need to cause trouble for his uncle's family in the current situation.

“Your rations aren’t much either, and you’re taking grain from here repeatedly. You can’t keep up. Go back and tell your mother that we’re all fine here, and you can take the grain back with you,” Zhang Yongxiang said, pointing to the flour sacks on the table as Tang Zhitong pressed him down to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Uncle, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. We're doing alright." Tang Zhitong didn't mention that his family had any extra money, but his ambiguous words intentionally left the impression that it was money he had saved from his own mouth.

This wasn't about expecting my uncle's family to be grateful, but rather about worrying that they might think they got the food too easily.

Once a month, each time consuming ten or twenty kilograms, with a large family, each person eating a little less at each meal, it's barely acceptable.

“You child, you mustn’t do that again. The summer grain will be ready in another half a month or twenty days. Once the grain is harvested, everything will be fine. I’ll return it to you after the harvest.” It had been almost a month since the Zhang family last brought back grain from their sister’s house. The four members of the Zhang family had eaten the grain as a supplement, and there was very little left. That’s why Zhang Yongxiang suggested cooking porridge for his nephew instead of steaming cornbread or anything like that.

"What can we possibly harvest this year? It might not even be enough to pay the grain tax," Zhang Yongxiang's wife muttered from the side.

"You don't know anything! I think you're just trying to take advantage of others!" Zhang Yongxiang glared at him and cursed angrily.

“Uncle, this isn’t about taking advantage. We’re relatives, after all, and we should help each other out. Besides, Auntie is right. I’ve seen the wheat seedlings all along the way, and they’re not doing very well.” Tang Zhitong quickly advised. Although he didn’t have a very good impression of Auntie, he couldn’t let the old couple argue in front of him.

“Sigh, what can ordinary people do if God doesn’t send rain?” Zhang Yongxiang shook his head and urged his wife, “Go and call Xiaoping, tell him to wake up and come over to talk to Anzi for a while.”

"I happen to have something to discuss with Brother Xiaoping, so I'm troubling you, Auntie." Tang Zhitong didn't forget the other important reason she came here.

“Thanks to you for Xiaoping’s situation, the commune is now giving him a subsidy, ten catties of grain every month. There’s a canteen in the team, and he can also dig some wild vegetables from the fields, which is basically enough for him. You don’t need to send grain here anymore.” After his wife left, Zhang Yongxiang gave her these instructions again.

"Oh, Uncle, you don't need to worry about these things." Tang Zhitong didn't agree. If he really did that, and Zhang Yongxiang got sick from hunger, even if Zhang Guifang didn't say anything, she would definitely feel bad. Tang Zhitong didn't want his mother to suffer because of this.

Zhang Chengping arrived quickly and apologized to Tang Zhitong as soon as he entered the house: "I went to another production team for a medical check-up yesterday and came back too late. I was working today and fell asleep just now. I didn't hear you."

"It's alright. You're not only in charge of this production team now?" Tang Zhitong waved his hand and asked. "We don't have many barefoot doctors here, so the commune has assigned each of us to manage several production teams, and we take turns running around every day," Zhang Chengping replied with a simple smile.

“It’s really not easy to get this ration.” Tang Zhitong shook his head. Although Zhang Chengping’s “running” wasn’t running, he really walked step by step, burning a lot of calories. Just considering the calories burned, the subsidy of ten kilograms of grain might not be enough.

“It’s already very good. This is much easier than earning work points in the fields. I’m able to become a doctor thanks to you. If it weren’t for you, I would be doing much heavier work now and wouldn’t even be able to get this ten-pound ration.” Zhang Chengping was quite content, and his eyes were full of gratitude as he looked at Tang Zhitong.

"We're all relatives, so don't be so formal. Just focus on treating the villagers well in the production team and don't embarrass them; that's what makes me proud," Tang Zhitong chuckled.

The environment after liberation was completely different from that before liberation. Before liberation, it was a case of "when one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs rise to heaven." After liberation, it was a case of "paying attention to influence" and "recommending virtuous people while avoiding relatives."

Zhang Chengping becoming a barefoot doctor was somewhat suspected of being a favor, but his own qualifications just happened to be suitable; otherwise, Tang Zhitong wouldn't have asked him to.

No sooner had Tang Zhitong finished speaking than someone outside shouted, "Dr. Zhang, look at my child, he just fainted."

Zhang Chengping got up and walked out, with Tang Zhitong following behind him. This trip was specifically to understand the grassroots level, so he naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

The woman who brought the child was panting heavily as she carried him. To conserve her energy, she was leaning against the wall, her arms trembling slightly from exhaustion.

Seeing that the woman looked like she couldn't hold the child, Tang Zhitong was afraid that she would drop the child, so he quickly stepped forward and took the child from her.

The child is young, about one or two years old.

Zhang Chengping first checked the child's breathing by touching below the nostrils. The child was still breathing, but the child's eyes were tightly closed, and the hands, arms, and head were drooping, indicating that the child could not exert any strength.

"Hungry? Didn't you feed the child lunch?" Zhang Chengping asked after examining the child's eyelids.

"The child can't eat," the woman said, her eyes darting away.

"Sigh." Zhang Chengping sighed and said nothing more.

"Brother Xiaoping, go back inside and bring me a small bowl of water." Tang Zhitong noticed that the child's condition resembled that of the metallurgical institute's warehouse keeper, who had low blood sugar, so he spoke up.

Zhang Chengping did not doubt his cousin's medical skills. After all, his cousin was one of the compilers and reviewers of the "Handbook," so he must have seen something. However, he still opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end, he did not say anything and instead went into the house to fetch water as instructed.

Coma is already one of the symptoms of severe hypoglycemia. The most effective way is to administer a bottle of glucose, but Tang Zhitong has never stored glucose and can only use white sugar as a substitute.

With a small bowl of water and a little sugar, Zhang Chengping stirred it with his fingers until it dissolved. The two brothers worked together to feed it to the child little by little.

Within minutes, the child improved, opened his eyes, and cried out a couple of times as a token gesture.

"When we get back, we can't fight with the children for food anymore. If we keep causing this trouble, they'll lose their lives," Zhang Chengping instructed, gesturing for Tang Zhitong to return the child to the woman.

After watching the mother and son leave, Zhang Chengping finally spoke up: "She came once before, and I gave her half a bowl of porridge. My dad said I shouldn't have started this, because she might come back again."

"Sigh, this time it's my fault." This time it was Tang Zhitong's turn to sigh. She just felt that the child was in such a state that it was inconvenient to take over, otherwise she would have gone into the house to prepare and take it out herself. Fortunately, she let Zhang Chengping into the house, which showed that the Zhang family did not have white sugar, and thus she was able to get Zhang Chengping out of the predicament.

“No, that’s not what I meant…” Zhang Chengping waved his hands repeatedly after hearing this.

“I know, I know. Is this a common situation for her?” Tang Zhitong smiled, knowing that her cousin wasn’t blaming her for meddling, and changed the subject to understanding the basic situation in rural areas now.

“Not many, most of them are still taking care of the children. She was forced into this situation. I heard from the team cadres that her mother-in-law made sure that everyone in the family ate as much as possible for her son. It wasn't just her; her mother-in-law did the same.” Zhang Chengping’s expression was complicated. The man is the pillar of the family. As long as the man is still alive, the family can continue, and even the family line can continue. If the man is gone, the family is finished.

"Isn't the team going to do anything about it?" Tang Zhitong frowned. It's not wrong to prioritize the men's care, but it depends on the situation. When food is plentiful, it's better for the men to eat more and the women and children to eat less, but they can't be allowed to starve to death, can they?
"I tried to manage it, but I didn't. Last time she came over, I told the team leader, and he criticized her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law said that they couldn't afford to raise her and asked the team leader if they would take care of the child if she gave her to them. The team leader was so angry that he turned around and left." Zhang Chengping shook his head. It was after hearing about this incident that Zhang Yongxiang told him to stop using his own things to subsidize other people's families.

"Sigh, it's all because of the food shortage." Tang Zhitong sighed, unsure how to judge the situation.

The team leader's approach seems correct. The child is too young. If the team really takes him in, it's questionable whether he can even survive. And whether they should take him in is also a question. If they raise him well, they worry that others will follow suit. If they raise him poorly, they'll be drowned in criticism.

The woman's mother-in-law didn't seem to be wrong either. Although a child is a human life, she had her own considerations when faced with the choice between saving the mother and the child.

The child did nothing wrong. What could he do in this situation? No one even asked him if he wanted to be born.

On the contrary, is this woman's husband really so at ease and silent?

After a moment of silence, Tang Zhitong revealed the purpose of his visit: to accompany Zhang Chengping on a house call for a day to learn about the work of barefoot doctors, the common illnesses of the villagers, and the costs of treatment.

Zhang Chengping readily agreed, packed up, slung his first-aid kit over his shoulder, and took Tang Zhitong to the team headquarters.

After the implementation of collectivization, the means of production were collectively owned, production tools were concentrated in the team headquarters, and the daily work assignments were arranged by the team leader.

The team members work two shifts a day. They go to the fields early in the morning when it is still cool, and lunch is their rest time. When the sun starts to set, the team members pick up their tools from the team headquarters and go to work in the fields. The whole process is signaled by the ringing of a bell.

The production team leader has been replaced, and Zhang Yongming has not returned since he was taken away.

The new production team leader welcomed Tang Zhitong's arrival.

Zhang Chengping's role was not simply to see patients; he also had the responsibility of assessing the health conditions of the commune members.

Some commune members who wanted to avoid work by feigning illness had to get past Zhang Chengping first.

Some came on their own despite being ill, while others asked others to deliver messages.

For those who could come on their own, Zhang Chengping would use observation, listening, questioning, and palpation to determine if they were truly ill. For those who could not come to the team headquarters, Zhang Chengping would have to visit them at their homes.

Those who were sick received treatment, while those who were not sick were accused of feigning illness to avoid production work. The production team had the right not to distribute the daily rations to those who evaded production work.

Although it may seem a bit heartless, if we don't do this, people's hearts will probably fall apart...

(End of this chapter)