A century of poverty

Chapter 61 Celebrating the Spring Festival

As December arrived, the farm workers were shaking the rice stalks with pitchforks. Before finishing work, Team Leader Liu happily told everyone, "Tomorrow morning, every household has prepared bags of flour and oil jugs and delivered them to the stables. Tomorrow, the team's horse-drawn cart will go to Liuhe Farm to collect the oil and flour for the New Year!" Everyone immediately became excited, and they had a lot to talk about regarding the New Year, chattering about all sorts of things.

The next morning, Li Kongzhu's wife wore a floral cotton-padded jacket, her fluffy hair was braided into two small braids, and she carried an oil bottle in one hand and a flour bag in the other. Li Kongzhi also carried an oil bottle in one hand and a flour bag in the other. The two walked one after the other along the east wall of the rice mill to the front yard.

Both families lived behind the stable. There was also an older sister from their family who lived on the west side and had to enter the stable through the west gate.

Accountant Liu Zhenchang was sorting through oil jugs and flour bags while writing down names on them.

The carriage was surrounded by men, women, and children who came to hand over oil jugs and flour sacks. People were overjoyed. They hadn't seen white flour or soybean oil all year round, so it was a rare treat during the New Year. Each person could receive two catties of flour and a few ounces of oil. The children were especially happy, jumping around, either to watch the excitement or to deliver their flour sacks.

The third sister brought over the flour bag and oil bottle from her third cousin, Guo Linghua, to be handed over to the accountant.

We moved out of Secretary Liu's earthquake-damaged house, and she moved in immediately. She gave birth to a son, nicknamed "Ya Dan" (meaning "Little Egg"). Because her husband worked in another city, she asked her third sister to come and keep her company. Since it was inconvenient for her to take care of the child alone, she asked her third sister to bring her oil bottles and flour bags.

Liu Zhenchang calmly labeled the oil bottles and flour bags one by one.

Li Kongzhi was getting impatient: "Write your name down yourself, can't you hurry up and collect it?"

Liu Zhenchang glared at him with his bull-like eyes and roared, "What are you busy with! If you mess things up and create chaos, are you going to take responsibility?"

"Hehe, I just saw you were too busy," Li Kongzhi said with an awkward laugh.

"Whether you're busy or not, come over here and see. Who do you think you are?"

Li Kongzhu's wife took the oil bottle and flour bag from Kongzhi: "You go ahead and do your thing, Third Brother. I'll pay for you."

Li Kongzhi: "I'm not in a hurry."

Li Kongzhu's wife nudged him, saying, "Go on, go on!"

After Li Kongzhi left, Kongzhu's wife smiled and tried to please Liu Zhenchang: "He's just like that, don't take him seriously."

Liu Zhenchang said dismissively, "He's nothing, why bother arguing with him, you old codger!" His wife, who was staying at home, was left feeling awkward.

Li Kongzhi withdrew from the crowd and went into the east wing. His mother was tidying up in the outer room. When she saw her niece's husband come in, she greeted him, "His second sister's husband is here. Come in and sit down."

Kong Zhi agreed and came in, sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), facing his uncle who was sitting inside: "Uncle, are you going back to the interior last year? This place is so lacking in all kinds of food, there's nothing but rice. If we go to the interior, we can bring back some food from there!"

Dad replied, "Okay! I've been here for over half a year, and I was just thinking of going back to visit."

Actually, after such a long time, I guess apart from the eldest brother, no one in the family didn't want to go back, or even never come back after going back, but various restrictions prevented them from leaving.

The next day, Li Kongzhi came from the backyard early in the morning and called out to my window, "Uncle, let's go!" My father answered and came out, and we headed towards Jinhai together. After getting out of the car, Kongzhi said, "Let's go see my second brother. My eighth uncle is here and staying at his house. He said he's going back to his hometown for the New Year and will be traveling with us."

"Let's go," Father replied. He knew that the second brother Kongzhi mentioned was Li Kongjue, a renowned figure in Jinhai County who had fought in the Korean War. He was influential in Jinhai County and Liuhe Farm, and was the most prominent figure in their family. Many of their cousins, uncles, and nephews came from all over to seek refuge with him in Jinhai. Their eighth uncle was Li Feng, who had served as the head of Zhuangtuo for a period before the land reform, but was later replaced by Shen Ziren from the same village due to a mistake. Now nearly seventy years old, he had no children, and his nephews and nieces who were well-off would stay with him for a while. It was only natural that they would come home together at the end of the year.

"Uncle, did you know? My second brother got your household registration at Liuhe Farm!"

"Really?" Dad asked, somewhat surprised. "Didn't Captain Liu Hongpei say they'd cover it up when I first came?"

"Let's listen to what he has to say!"

The father remained silent and followed his nephew-in-law to the front of Li Kongjue's house.

"Clang, clang, clang," Kong Zhi knocked on a subway door painted red.

"Hey! Coming." A woman's voice came from the door. It was Aunt Kongzhi who opened the door.

"Ninth Sister-in-law is here!" Father spoke first.

"Well, Kong Jue and his wife both work, and the children are at school, so there's no one to cook. I'm helping out here. Come on—go ahead and wait in the house—" Aunt Kong Zhijiu said calmly.

The woman my father called Ninth Sister-in-law was Li Xiao's wife from Lizhuangtuo. They had studied at the private school in the "Sanguan Temple" in Liuzhuangtuo when they were young.

Kongzhi was talking to his ninth aunt when the group entered the house. They went to the east room, where a large iron bed with floral patterns was placed against the east wall along the south window, covered with a pink and red floral sheet. North of the bedside table was a long wooden bench with a cushion on it. Li Feng, a plump man with a shiny bald head, was sitting on the bench wearing a shirt. When he saw his father and Kongzhi enter, he moved slightly and said, "You've come," as a greeting.

"You all stay here, I'll take this out." As she spoke, Aunt Kong Zhijiu gathered the pile of dirt into a scoop and took it out.

Kongzhi sat down next to his eighth uncle and said, "Uncle, sit there." His father looked at the clean sheets and said, "I'm not tired. How much more work do we have?"

Li Kong turned to look at his eighth uncle and asked, "Shall we get dressed and go?"

Li Feng said slowly, "Leave? I forgot to ask your second brother for the ticket money. I don't have any money on me, how am I going to get there? How much money do you have?"

Kong Zhi: "I have enough money on me to buy you a train ticket."

Li Feng: "That won't do. It's the New Year, and when I get home, your eighth aunt and I still have to prepare New Year's treats. We'll need two hundred to make it enough."

Li Kong blinked his big, double-lidded eyes hard and turned to his uncle: "Uncle, do you have any money with you? Lend me two hundred for my eighth uncle."

"I have it," Dad replied.

Li Kongzhi: "Lend it to my Eighth Uncle first, he'll return it to you when he comes back for the New Year."

"Okay." Without hesitation, Dad took out the money from his pocket, counted it, and handed it to Kongzhi: "Count it."

"What's the point of counting?" Kong handed the money directly to his eighth uncle.

Li Feng quickly got dressed, and the group headed to the train station.

The three entered the South Pass. Li Kongzhi looked up and saw the sun disappearing behind the western peaks. He said, "Finally home, before it gets too dark." His eighth uncle replied, "So what if it gets dark? Three grown men." As they spoke, they reached a fork in the road. Kongzhi looked at his eldest uncle and asked, "Going to Zhangzhuangtuo? Which way?"

Father: "Go to Liuzhuangtuo."

Kong Zhi said, "Then I'll go with you two, Uncle Ba. I'll go up to Zhangzhuangtuo from here." With that, he walked along the road leading to Zhangzhuangtuo.

Li Feng and his father walked along the path through the fields towards Lizhuangtuo. Upon reaching their doorstep, Li Feng said, "Wait inside for a bit?"

Father: "No, let's go while it's still light."

Father rested at Second Sister's house for one night. The next day, he came to his own courtyard in Zhangzhuangtuo and looked around for a while. Afterward, he went to the screen wall in the garden in the street and stood with his hands behind his back on the west edge, looking down and south. At that moment, Zhang Xiaoyong came out of the east gate of the north garden and saw Father standing in the garden at a glance. He called out in surprise, "Uncle, when did you come back? Come, come in and sit down."

Father replied, "I went to your second sister's place last night, and came to visit after breakfast this morning."

As he spoke, Zhang Xiaoyong, with his unsteady legs, stepped down the slope. His father hurriedly said, "What are you doing coming down?" He then walked out of the yard, down the steep slope, helped his old friend up, and took his hand to climb the western slope.

Zhang Xiaoyong: "Uncle, you're finally back! Don't leave today, let's have a good chat." The two embraced as they arrived at Xiaoyong's house, where Chunzi's mother greeted them warmly. Xiaoyong: "Uncle, please come in, have a seat." He kept asking how things were in the Northeast, how his second aunt was, and whether the family was getting used to staying there. His father answered each question. Finally, he told him, "We'll come back in two or three years. I'll come home to see you then. We have everything we need at this age; and your second aunt can't be left behind."

Zhang Xiaoyong: "That's right, Uncle. If you ask me, you shouldn't have left in the first place. You have plenty to eat and wear, why did you have to move? Don't worry, I can see your yard from where I'm going. I'll keep an eye out and wait for you to come back!"

Chunzi's mother was busy in the hallway, smoking and taking care of herself.

It was almost noon when his father tried to get off the kang (a heated brick bed), but Xiaoyong quickly grabbed his leg, saying, "I won't let you leave! I won't let you go no matter what! And you're still arguing with me!"

Chunzi's mother rushed into the house: "Uncle, you can't leave. It would be wrong of you to leave today."

Father could tell that Xiaoyong and his wife were sincere, and unable to refuse their hospitality, he stayed for lunch. As the sun began to set, Father got off the kang (a heated brick bed). Xiaoyong was still trying to persuade him to stay: "Uncle, don't go, we haven't had enough time together yet, please stay."

Father: "I can't stay here. Don't you think your second sister is worried if I don't go back by noon? And what about Hei Jie? Shouldn't I go back too?"

Xiaoyong: "You've come to my house. Do you still need to worry about my second sister? I'll let you stay."

Father: "I appreciate your kindness, but I have to leave in a few days. I'll come back another day." As he spoke, Father got out of bed and put on his shoes.

Xiaoyong: "You must come again."

As Dad walked out, Xiaoyong and his wife saw him off. After they exited through the East Gate, Dad stopped and said, "You should go back now." Chunzi's mother stopped as well. Xiaoyong was reluctant to part with him. He walked across North Street to the east end of the village and said, "Uncle, this is your home, my son and I." He stood on the ridge and watched his father's figure until it was blocked by the willow trees in Xiaoliu Lane.

Time flies, and a week has passed in the blink of an eye. Dad went to Diaoyutai and visited Shimen Market. He bought two bundles of sweet potato flour and twenty catties of noodles. Second Sister also brought him the walnuts and peanuts she had given him. The bags and packages were full. Second Sister's husband took Dad to Shimen Station. Li Kongzhi also arrived carrying a large bag. Second Sister's husband went back.

When we got home, Dad told us that he had visited Zhangzhuangtuo's house, and nothing in the house and yard had changed. The pepper tree in the garden in front of the street still had a few clusters of peppercorns on its branches. We listened with great interest, as if we could see the yard where we were born and raised, the street, and the mountains and rivers there.

Father instructed Mother, "Bring up the rice noodles and dried noodles, and open them."

Following Father's instructions, Mother brought up the rice flour and noodles, placed them on the kang (a heated brick bed), and opened them. Father said, "We've been staying at Liu Zhen's house for so long, causing them a lot of trouble. We don't have these here, so take a few bundles of rice flour and some noodles and deliver them to their house to express our gratitude."

Mom followed Dad's advice and tied the two items together, then wrapped them in a cloth.

Father added, "Send a copy to Captain Liu as well. Their two families live in the east and west courtyards, so it wouldn't look good if they found out we didn't give him one. Also, send a copy to Captain Liu Shiya from the east end of the village; he's the political captain."

Most of the things Dad brought back were divided up, with the rest going to the whole family for the New Year. A few pounds of noodles were used to make noodle soup on New Year's Eve, and whatever was left went to Grandma and Dad for their special meals.

Grandma's eyesight wasn't good, but her mind was sharp. She was filled with regret; the New Year's goods her son had brought back had been mostly given away before they were even eaten—it was unavoidable. Back in their hometown, things would get lively after the Laba Festival, with guests coming and going throughout the first month of the lunar year, food and drink plentiful, and relatives crowding around. At Diaoyutai, there was an older brother and three younger brothers, living in close proximity, and they felt incredibly content. Coming to the Northeast, however, there wasn't a single relative; the New Year was cold and quiet, and all she brought back were some things from her hometown…

"Sigh—" she sighed.

The mother immediately asked with concern, "Mom, what's wrong?"

Grandma: "Nothing much, my head is throbbing really badly again. Find the needle, I'll prick it myself when I get back, it's just a flare-up of centipede infection."

Mother knew in her heart that after she finished unpacking, it was getting late. Grandma got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "Third sister, come with me outside." Third sister said "Yes" and stepped forward to help Grandma out to relieve herself.

Mom quickly reminded us, "You all need to be careful, no one should upset your grandma, she's been getting on her nerves lately."

Not just Grandma, but which of us is truly clear-headed?

The following evening, my third sister went to keep Linghua company. She accompanied my mother to the main house first, where my mother gave her things. Aunt Liu, the head of the village committee, was very polite. My mother put down the things, stayed a little while, and then went home. The following evening, after dinner, my mother packed her things again, this time accompanied by my third sister, and went to Captain Liu's house. My father told my mother, "While you're at it, ask Captain Liu if our household registration has been completed yet."

Mom: "It's been so long, why are you asking this?"

Dad: "Just ask, I'll tell you when we get back."

When Mom came back from Captain Liu's house, she told Dad, "I asked, and Captain Liu said that everyone had been registered a long time ago. He registered our family, Wang Fa, Wang Tie from Lingyuan, and Qu Huaxin's family together."

Father: "Oh—Li Kongzhi said that our household registration was done by his second brother, Li Kongjue. He borrowed two hundred yuan from me to give to his eighth uncle, and I got one hundred yuan from my eldest daughter to buy these things."

Mom: "Is that so? I don't think Liu Hongpei's words are fake." Mom also spoke to Dad with doubt.

On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the postman delivered a delivery slip. Dad quickly put on his shoes and got off the kang (a heated brick bed): "Is the meat here?" He took a look and said, "I'll go to Jinhai to get the meat!" He then walked out of the horse stable compound, crossed the bridge, and headed west along the county road.

At home, it felt just like back in our hometown. Mom was making fried cakes with my third sister, and we were watching. It felt like Chinese New Year. Finally, things had quieted down. These past few days, we hadn't been working, and there were no outsiders or noise. Just our family, quiet and relaxed.

Suddenly a voice called out, "Auntie, are you making fried cakes?" It was Wang Fa who had entered and was standing at the door.

"Hmm! When did Wang Fa arrive?"

Wang Fa: "I just arrived, I was just standing here."

Mother said "Oh!" and saw Wang Fa leaning against the door frame with his right shoulder, looking at the kang (a heated brick bed). Mother told Fourth Sister to start the fire. She filled a winnowing basket and two bamboo mats, tidied up the dough basin and filling basin, and went to the ground to start frying.

Wang Fa turned around and changed his position, facing the stove, still standing at the doorway, his right shoulder leaning against the door frame.

Mom woke up Fourth Sister: "Get up, tell your Third Sister to cook." Fourth Sister got up, and soon Mom and Third Sister fried a whole pot of food. Mom knew Wang Fa's purpose, so she picked out a bowl and handed it to him: "Try it, see if Auntie's frying is good?" Wang Fa's face lit up with a smile: "Try it? I'll try it then." He reached out and took it, praising as he ate, "Auntie, you fried it so well, better than my sister's." After finishing, he put the bowl and chopsticks on the stove and quietly left.