Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 994 Solving the Trouble
Xiao Si's somewhat sorrowful plea for help made Wang Zhan feel a sense of desolation. Xiao Wu, standing beside him, also lowered his head and shed tears, remaining silent.

Wang Zhan handed each of them a cigarette, lit it for them, and said, "Don't worry, what happened? What's wrong?"

"Sigh, it's a long story. You have no idea, my grandfather's family is facing a food shortage. Now there's no food at all, and we're relying on wild vegetables from the back mountain to fill our stomachs. If this continues, what will become of us?" Xiao Si said.

"You two went to Changping. Is it like this there? Is there a food shortage outside?" Wang Zhan wanted to slap himself as soon as he asked the question. He and Wang Li hadn't gone out to buy groceries for a long time. It was only because Grandpa Liu was the only one in the yard that no one said anything.

Xiao Wu, smoking a cigarette, stared wide-eyed at Wang Zhan and asked, "How long has it been since you last bought grain? How long has it been since you last visited the supply and marketing cooperative?"

"Well, you two don't know, Lili and I haven't been out for over a month. What's wrong with the food?" Wang Zhan tried to change the subject.

Xiao Wu jumped up and said, "Xiao Si, let's go check his cellar."

The two of them stood up and went to the basement in the southwest corner. When they went in, they found a room and a half full of grain piled up inside, just like when they last came here.

Xiao Si turned and ran outside. Back in the main room, he grabbed Wang Zhan's hand and said, "Brother Zhan, I don't usually ask you for favors, but you have to help me this time. Please, please help my grandfather."

"Don't rush, tell me slowly. What's our relationship? If you can help me, I definitely will," Wang Zhan quickly said.

Xiao Si then recounted everything that had happened since the start of the holiday, and only then did Wang Zhan realize that by 1959, the situation outside had taken a sharp turn for the worse.

First, the news about reducing the quota had been circulating since the beginning of the month. Then, a notice was issued from above, reducing the quota for each person by 20%. There was no other way, as last year's grain yield was low and many places experienced drought.

Right now, each household outside has just enough food to eat. It's impossible to say they can eat their fill, but they're not starving either. Plus, there's some food circulating in the pigeon market and the black market, so they're barely managing to stay afloat.

As soon as the holiday started, Xiao Si's father, Li Guanghua, was worried about the situation back home. However, everyone in the family except Xiao Si had to go to work, so he wanted Xiao Si to go home and bring 20 jin of cornmeal to Xiao Si's grandparents. He even saved up 2 jin of meat coupons by eating frugally and bought 2 jin of meat to take with him.

Xiao Wu was bored at home with his younger sister, listening to his mother's nagging. It was because his grades weren't very good, and Xiao Wu was also very annoyed at home. As soon as he heard that Xiao Si was going back to Changping, he jumped up and wanted to go with him.

Unexpectedly, when they arrived in Changping, they saw that Xiao Si's grandfather was so thin that he was just skin and bones. Xiao Si was heartbroken and knelt down in the yard and cried. Xiao Wu was also stunned. Later, Xiao Si's grandmother told them that they hadn't eaten anything dry for more than two months. It wasn't just them; every household in the village was in the same situation.

Some people were forced to take their hunting rifles into the mountains, but more than a month has passed and none of them have returned. Later, Xiao Si's grandfather went into the mountains and came back sighing.

The villagers came to inquire, and Xiao Si's grandfather said that there was nothing on the mountain, not even an egg. It was probably wiped out by wolves. There was no food here, so the large animals went deep into the mountains. It was very dangerous there now; going there would be certain death. Not only were they lacking food, but the animals were too. When they were hungry, they would eat anything.

Xiao Si's grandmother immediately hid the things Xiao Si had brought, not daring to let the villagers see them. If they did, something might happen. The five chickens Wang Zhan brought last time were proof of that. When people are starving, they don't care about laying eggs.

Even the village's cow has mysteriously disappeared. Now, only people are breathing in the village; there are no livestock at all. When Xiao Wu and Xiao Si heard this, they were a little skeptical. They had always thought they were quite capable, since they could fish, and they didn't believe their grandfather's words. They were sure there were some fish that had escaped the net on the mountain.

The two agreed to make a big splash and improve their grandparents' meals, so they started messing around every day. Grandpa Si never went out and just sighed and didn't interfere as he watched the two teenagers causing trouble.

Half a month has passed, and the meat and grain that Xiao Si brought have all gone into their stomachs. Only Grandpa drank a small half bowl of corn porridge, while Grandma didn't get a single bite.

Then it was just wild vegetable porridge for one meal, wild vegetable porridge for the next, and only two meals a day. It wasn't that my grandparents did this on purpose; the wild vegetables they picked in a day were only enough for four people to have two meals.

A month later, both Xiao Si and Xiao Wu started to show signs of being in a daze. Xiao Si's grandfather realized this was bad and that something bad would happen if they stayed any longer. So he quickly found the militia company commander, borrowed two yuan, and sent the two back.

When the two arrived at Dongcheng and got off the carriage, they looked at each other, feeling embarrassed. They both thought of Wang Zhan at the same time, and without going back home, they went straight to Wang Zhan's place.

After listening, Wang Zhan tapped his fingers on the table, thought for a moment, and said, "What do you think we should do? You saw that I still have some grain. What do you think we should do?"

Xiao Wu said directly, "There's no need to think about it. Just get a hundred catties and send it to Grandpa. Grandpa has suffered so much."

Xiao Si suddenly calmed down when he saw Wang Zhan ask this question, and said, "No, if we take this to the village, it will cause trouble for Grandpa. Let me think about it."

Wang Zhan lit a cigarette and said, "Xiao Si, you're in high school now. You need to be more careful about some things. I think you should go back and talk to your parents before deciding what to do. This isn't something you can decide on your own."

Xiao Si frowned and lit a cigarette. Wang Zhan saw this and thought, "Well, this kid's stuck in a rut." He wasn't in a hurry and just smoked with Xiao Si. When Xiao Wu saw that the two brothers weren't saying anything, he simply kept quiet as well.

After finishing a cigarette, Xiao Si said, "I'll go back and talk to my parents about bringing my grandparents to the city. When that happens, Zhan-ge, could you lend me some grain so I don't have to go to Pigeon Market again? Is that okay?"

“Sure, no problem at all. Come and pick it up anytime,” Wang Zhan said.

Xiao Si didn't linger. After saying that, he stood up to go home. Xiao Wu also stood up and said, "Then I'll go back too. It's not good to keep eating at your house. But you still have eggs. They're really fresh."

After Xiao Si and Xiao Wu left, Wang Zhan fell into deep thought. He rarely went out or visited others during this period. He provided food for Aunt Sun and Uncle Liu, so he was really clueless about the situation outside.

It seems he needs to take his younger sister out more often; he has a feeling trouble is on its way again.

(End of this chapter)