Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 843, Section 842: "Harvest"

June 28th, Saturday, sunny.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, there is very little wheat left to harvest, and everyone went to the threshing floor this afternoon.

In no time, the threshing ground was bustling with activity. Some people were pulling rollers to press the wheat, some were using pitchforks to pick up straw, and some were using wooden shovels or winnowing baskets to winnow the wheat. Even the children carried bamboo baskets and went to the fields for another round, trying to ensure that every grain was harvested.

Most people's faces beamed with the joy of their harvest, while only a few wore expressions of sorrow.

Because of the increased number of people at the wheat field today, Tang Zhitong, after consulting with Su Qingxiang, increased the amount of popsicles he purchased.

After buying and distributing the popsicles, Tang Zhitong noticed that Fang Yuan and Sister Chen were chatting by the wheat field, and neither of them had any popsicles in their hands.

As a qualified popsicle distributor, Tang Zhitong immediately took two red bean popsicles from the box and approached them: "Director Fang, Sister Chen, have a popsicle to cool off."

"Thank you." Sister Chen took it and didn't forget to thank Tang Zhitong.

"You're too kind." Tang Zhitong wiped his sweat with his sleeve. It was very hot, but he didn't take off his sleeve. There was a breeze today, and who knew which gust of wind might blow the wheat awns over. The feeling of those awns scraping against the skin was not pleasant.

"Xiao Yu, come here for a second." Sister Chen waved to Yu Ying, who was standing next to the millstone eating an ice pop.

Upon hearing Sister Chen's call, Yu Ying, forgetting even her popsicle, jogged over, the wheat husks and awns falling from her head and shoulders as she ran.

When Yu Ying arrived, she had short hair. Tang Zhitong heard from her colleagues at the escort office that she originally had long hair, but due to family difficulties, she cut it off and sold it for money back in her hometown.

"Sister Chen." After Yu Ying came over, she used her dark hands to brush the stray hairs that were scattered in front of her face behind her ears.

"How are you? Are you getting used to it?" Sister Chen asked with a smile.

"Yes, I'm used to it. It's better here than back home, and the wheat yield is higher too." Yu Ying answered earnestly. Everyone here was kind and friendly to her, and she was very satisfied with this place.

"That's high?" Sister Chen was a little surprised. She had just been talking to Fang Yuan about the yield. The production team leader gave a yield of about 110 jin per mu this year, which is about 35% lower than in a year with good weather.

Low production not only meant less for commune members, but also affected the postal and telecommunications sector, ultimately resulting in less for each employee.

“Yes. My hometown is arid, and wheat is scarce. At most, one mu of land can yield ninety jin of wheat.” Yu Ying nodded seriously.

Sister Chen and Fang Yuan were somewhat surprised upon hearing this, as this data was far less than the satellite data released over there. Tang Zhitong, however, remained relatively calm, knowing the situation over the past few years.

Before 59, the yield of wheat per mu in China was not high.

In 1957, my country's wheat yield per mu was about 129.7 jin. Even the higher-ups were well aware of this. In the First Five-Year Plan, the average grain yield per mu in 1957 was 100.7 kg. Of course, this figure included all grain output, including the yield of two crops a year.

In 1958, the grain yield per mu was about 150 kilograms. There was a sentence in the open letter that said, "Last year, the actual yield per mu was only 300 jin. If we can increase the yield by 100 or 200 jin this year, that would be very good."

This year, due to drought, wheat in many places has been harvested ahead of schedule, and a nationwide reduction in grain production is a foregone conclusion.

In major wheat-producing areas such as North China and Northwest China, the average yield per mu dropped to 50-80 kg, with some low-yield fields yielding less than 50 kg. In southwestern Shandong, the yield per mu was about 40 kg, and a yield of over 50 kg was considered a bumper harvest. The only province that performed relatively well was Hebei Province, where the yield per mu in some traditional wheat-producing areas was still maintained at 60-100 kg due to the adoption of the improved variety "Shijiazhuang 407".

As for Yu Ying's hometown, Tang Zhitong was not familiar with it, but he had previously watched a live stream of the wheat harvest in Yu Ying's hometown online.

In some areas where the land is not flat enough and water is not plentiful, the sparse wheat seedlings and weak ears of wheat are clearly visible, and it takes several sickles to cut a single bundle.

Regardless of the location, in order to achieve high yields, in addition to sufficient irrigation water, chemical fertilizers are also a necessary prerequisite.

Although China can now produce some phosphate fertilizers, there is still a long way to go before ammonia fertilizers can be produced domestically. Currently, Hou Debang, a big name in the chemical industry, is still working on scientific research to overcome this challenge.

"So, do you want to stay here?" Sister Chen temporarily put aside the shock of the yield per mu, exchanged a glance with Fang Yuan, and continued to press Yu Ying for answers.

With two men present, Yu Ying's face, already tanned from working in the fields for the past few days, turned even redder upon hearing the question. She lowered her head, looking at her toes, and let out a weak "hmm" through her nose.

"Come on, let's go take a look over there." Fang Yuan patted Tang Zhitong and walked to the side on his own.

"Don't be nervous, eat your popsicle, it's all melted." Sister Chen took a bite of her popsicle and reminded Yu Ying.

"Oh." Upon hearing the reminder, Yu Ying quickly held up the popsicle in her hand. The popsicle contained red beans and sugar, and she felt heartbroken if even a single drop of it dripped onto the ground.

"This labor is almost over, now is not the time to be shy. Is there any young man you've taken a fancy to? I can help you vet him," Sister Chen asked patiently.

Fang Yuan, who had walked to the side, took a bite of an ice pop and said to Tang Zhitong as she chewed, "Sister Chen is planning to arrange a marriage for Xiao Yu in the next few days. We, as her family, will go and support her. With the two of us around, Xiao Yu will feel uncomfortable."

"Hehe, I get it. I even saw some commune members giving Xiao Yu popsicles yesterday." Tang Zhitong didn't call it matchmaking, but that didn't stop him from enjoying watching the spectacle.

"Oh? Tell me, which member?" Fang Yuan became interested upon hearing this.

"Look, the one leaning against the haystack eating an ice pop, with slanted eyes, buck teeth, uneven shoulders, and a slightly faded jacket." Tang Zhitong didn't point, but instead raised her chin to look at the male member and described his physical features to Fang Yuan.

"Your description... is spot on." Fang Yuan laughed when he heard Tang Zhitong's description, but then frowned. "I know him. He's the production team accountant's son. When I came to the production team a while ago, the team leader didn't mention him to me. Maybe he thinks Xiao Yu isn't good enough for him."

"Hey, he's definitely not good enough. He'll definitely be an accountant in the future, able to read the books with one eye and check them with the other. If he were a radar operator, he might even be able to lock onto two enemy planes at the same time! Hey, Yuan-ge, do you think he has such a unique talent that he could be specially recruited?" Tang Zhitong said, praising him while subtly criticizing him.

"When did you become so sharp-tongued? Radar soldier? Are you out of your mind? This idea is so outrageous, he won't even pass the physical exam." Fang Yuan disagreed with Tang Zhitong's opinion and shook his head.

"Hehe, I was just saying." Tang Zhitong chuckled, then continued, "Xiao Yu is quite pitiful. She's been very proactive these past few days, eagerly taking on all the chores. I'm really worried that she's too soft-hearted and won't be able to stand up for herself." "Sister Chen and I thought the same thing, which is why we discussed having her represent her family to meet the parents." Fang Yuan agreed with Tang Zhitong's assessment, secretly feeling sorry for the girl. She was good enough to marry a city man, but right now, they couldn't get a city residency permit, so they had to settle for second best.

"It might work at first, but who knows what will happen in the future. If we want Xiaoyu to be protected from being bullied, it would be best to find her a job. I wonder how difficult it is to get dental care." Tang Zhitong glanced at the stalls by the wheat field. The medical students had already returned from the wheat field and were now providing free medical care to the commune members.

Tang Zhitong felt that if an accountant could follow in his father's footsteps, a dentist could certainly do it too. Moreover, the golden age of dentistry was very long, and it was possible for the profession to continue for three generations. For ordinary people, this was a good choice.

“Xiao Yu’s literacy level is still lacking. Her priority now is to get rid of her illiteracy.” Fang Yuan shook his head again. He and Sister Chen had discussed this issue before.

Just then, Sister Chen waved to Fang Yuan, beckoning him over, but Tang Zhitong wisely didn't follow.

Before long, Fang Yuan and Sister Chen finished their conversation. He looked around the wheat field, as if he was looking for someone.

Seeing this, Tang Zhitong knew that Yu Ying had already told Sister Chen about her sweetheart and was looking for his parents to prepare for their upcoming meeting.

In this era, especially in rural areas, young men and women rarely met each other's parents, either before or after marriage, unless they were old acquaintances.

That's the situation, but Tang Zhitong couldn't explain why.

As for why the parents of both sides met later, it's probably because times are changing and etiquette is evolving. When parents meet, they have to talk about things like betrothal gifts.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that in rare cases, the meeting is to eliminate the possibility of having been honest with each other when they were young. If "lovers end up as siblings", then there will be a lot of fun.

After finishing cooking and making soup in the afternoon, Tang Zhitong quickly ate a bite, then carried two boxes of popsicles home.

I'll go back today, but the next time I'll have to wait until the work is finished.

Before going home, Tang Zhitong didn't forget to collect two bundles of small bamboo sticks for Fengzhi. There were enough for Fengzhi, and even if some were given to Fengzhen, Jingying, and Jingmin, it would be enough.

In addition, Tang Zhitong also bought a bag of cicada nymphs. For the next two weeks, he would be sitting obediently in the meeting hall, taking advantage of the fact that he was still on a "business trip" to give his family some extra nutrition. He certainly wouldn't let that opportunity pass.

However, there were no popsicles this time. With more and more commune members participating in labor at the threshing ground, it would be good enough if the two boxes of popsicles could be divided among them, and there was no way that Tang Zhitong could take any home with them.

When Tang Zhitong got home, he was surprised to find that Fengzhen had returned!
"Huh? You finished early, it hasn't even been a week yet?" Tang Zhitong handed the small bamboo stick to Fengzhi and let her have her fun. He looked Fengzhen up and down. She was much darker, but her body was clean. She probably took a bath after going home.

"Yes, they let us come back after the harvest. They don't need us for threshing. I heard that the production team felt they had too many people and were worried about wasting grain, so they thought it would be faster if we did more work." Fengzhen nodded. She had already said the same thing to her mother and sister-in-law once.

"Hey, that's stingy. Fine, tomorrow's Sunday, come back and rest at home for a day, take a break." The yield on the farm is 110 jin per mu, and other places where wheat was harvested at the same time are not much better. As the saying goes, "a half-grown boy can eat his father to death." Even if there is only one class of students, they can eat up the yield of an acre of land in a day. No one would feel good about that.

"The teacher said we have to write an essay on the theme of 'harvest' and incorporate this labor experience into our writing," Fengzhen said with a worried look.

"I'm having a real problem. Fengzhen doesn't know whether to write what she actually saw or to lie," Xiao Wang added, putting down the cicada nymphs her husband had brought back.

"This doesn't conflict; just write it ambiguously." After the bullets separated, Tang Zhitong stood the Type 56 semi-automatic bullets upright against the wall, intending to take them to the side room later.

"You've been to the farm and seen the real situation, so tell Fengzhen what it's like," Xiao Wang urged with a smile. Actually, she could do this job too, but she felt it was a bit inappropriate to teach her sister-in-law to lie in front of her mother-in-law.

"The beginning describes how excited you were when you learned you were going to the countryside to work, and then you see thousands of wheat fields when you arrive. It briefly describes how pleasing the scenery is to the eye, as if you can see a bountiful harvest."

Then write about the labor scenes, how hard the villagers work, their sweat, smiles, and joy, and highlight the performance of the elderly and children in the labor.

"Write about your personal experiences of working. This time, are you sleeping on the floor? Use the first person to highlight how hard and tiring the wheat harvest is, echoing the beginning of the essay, and also showcasing the hard work and resilience of the commune members." Tang Zhitong brainstormed ideas while giving suggestions to her younger sister.

"What about the harvest? Aren't you going to mention it?" Fengzhen thought the essay was over and pressed on.

"Don't rush, what kind of work do you do in the production team? Picking up wheat ears?"

“No, the production team told us to transport bundles of wheat to the wheat field.” Fengzhi shook her head, this was different from what the teacher had told her before they set off.

"Then write about what you saw and heard on the way to transport the wheat bundles, about how, after work, the young commune members, who were not even as tall as the bamboo baskets, were still picking up ears of wheat in the fields, and how, on the last way to the threshing ground, the young commune members chased away the poultry that were stealing wheat grains from behind, highlighting that every grain belongs to the public."

"You help the young commune members transport the wheat ears to the threshing ground. Looking at the piles of wheat on the threshing ground, you can express your feelings and elevate the theme by saying that the harvest is inseparable from the young commune members' maintenance of collective property. The main point is the idea that every little bit helps, every grain of sand makes a hill, every drop of water makes a river, and every little bit adds up. Finally, call on everyone to cherish food. That's it."

"Don't be too honest, or you'll easily suffer losses. You need to learn to skillfully avoid the important issues and focus on the trivial ones," Tang Zhitong said, adding a word of advice after helping her sister come up with her ideas.

Truly excellent essays are rare, especially those that touch people's hearts with sincere emotions, such as "The grass on the grave turns green and then yellow, yellow and then green again, just like my thoughts, which never cease year after year."

Most essays written during the student years are written in order to get a high score from the examiner. However, students are at an age where their knowledge is limited, so trying to get a high score is almost synonymous with making things up.

This model isn't good, but what can we do?

"Okay! I'll go write it right away!" After listening to her brother's outline, Fengzhen's thoughts flowed like a spring. She immediately returned to the table, took out her composition book and pen, and prepared to write furiously.

"Anzi, tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, but the grain store is out of glutinous rice this year, so we won't be able to make zongzi." After her son finished speaking about the important matter, Zhang Guifang interjected. Last year, her son was still trying to make zongzi, but this year, without glutinous rice, he couldn't even try.

"It's alright, Mom. If there are no zongzi, we won't eat them. We'll just stir-fry some cicada nymphs and eat them as a way to commemorate Qu Yuan." Glutinous rice isn't produced in the north, so Tang Zhitong didn't have any in his space. Besides, he wasn't particularly attached to zongzi, so he didn't think much of it.

I had just finished explaining to my younger sister how to write "harvest," but my own family couldn't afford zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) for the Dragon Boat Festival due to supply issues, which was quite a contrast...

(End of this chapter)