In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Chapter 55. Solution
"The third one, and the most difficult one..."

Zhang Xiuying frowned again. "It's grain coupons. Yaoyao said there wasn't enough food and he was going hungry. Meimei said in her letter that she was used to it, but how could cornmeal and sorghum rice every day be enough?"

I thought, I should save some national grain coupons from our monthly ration and send them to them..."

"Mom! This can't be done!"

Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, Li Guihua's voice suddenly rose, and she no longer cared about hiding it:

"You can do the math yourself! There are six mouths to feed: Dad, you, me, Ah Hui, Zhuangzhuang, and Mingming! We only have that little bit of rice, flour, and grains each month. Even if we're careful with our money, we're still struggling at the end of the month!"
Zhuangzhuang is at a crucial stage of growth; he can't afford to go hungry even for a single meal! Are you trying to save money? Save on what? Save on what we adults eat? Or save on what Zhuangzhuang eats?

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, and stood up, her face flushed red: "If we save a few pounds of grain coupons to send over, our whole family will go hungry!"
Tell me, who should go hungry? Zhuangzhuang? Or should we let Dad and Ahui, who can do the physical labor, go hungry?
They're suffering in Northeast China, and we're not exactly enjoying ourselves at home either! We have to work too! How can we work if we don't have the strength? How will we cover our household expenses?
This isn't just robbing Peter to pay Paul, it's causing the house to collapse! Mom!

Li Guihua, usually shrewd and calculating, suddenly erupted with every word reasonable and piercingly insightful.

Zhang Xiuying was speechless at her daughter-in-law's intense reaction and blunt questioning.

She knew all too well that the family was facing a food shortage. But when she thought of the words in her son's letter, such as "so hungry that he could barely walk" and "his stomach felt empty," her heart as a mother felt as if it were being stabbed.

Her lips trembled; she wanted to get angry, but couldn't find a strong reason to refute him, and her face turned extremely ugly.

Yang Yongkang sighed heavily and remained silent.

Yang Guanghui scratched his hair in frustration, looked at his mother, then at his wife, and finally lowered his head.

Zhuangzhuang was startled by the sudden tension and burst into tears.

Just when things were at a stalemate and the air was almost frozen, Yang Guangming, who had been listening silently with a furrowed brow, finally spoke.

His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally steady, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

“Mother, brother, sister-in-law.” He looked at the emotional Li Guihua with a sincere gaze, “Sister-in-law is right. With the ration in the house, there really can’t be any more saved. If we save any more, everyone will go hungry, which will affect their health and their work. This path won’t work.”

Li Guihua was taken aback when her brother-in-law took her side. Her tense expression eased slightly, but she still looked at him warily.

Yang Guangming changed the subject, his tone carrying a thoughtful certainty: "I'll figure out a way to handle the grain coupon issue."

"You?" Zhang Xiuying and Li Guihua looked at him at the same time, one with doubt and hope, the other with scrutiny.

"Yes." Yang Guangming nodded, explaining clearly, "I work in the factory administration office now, and the people I meet are different from before. There are cadres, clerks, and even some well-connected workers..."

Some of them had lighter family burdens or other means of livelihood, so they had surplus food coupons and needed to buy other things.

I can use this opportunity to help them make connections and also help my own family get some national food coupons.

He paused, then spoke with even greater certainty: "There is a way, it just takes some time to test it out. I'm young, I keep my mouth shut, and I'm cautious in my actions. Entrusting this kind of matter to me is much more reliable and safer than leaving it to the government."

Once I'm familiar with the water, not only will I be able to solve my second brother and sister's food ration problem, but I might even be able to bring back a few kilograms each month to improve their meals.

His words, though partly true and partly false, were extremely convincing. The two kilograms of rice noodles and other common supplies that were replenished daily in the Golden Finger refrigerator were his greatest source of confidence at that moment.

Whether you take it out directly for your family to use or send it away, or use it as an equivalent to exchange for food coupons, all of these are feasible options.

But at this moment, all he needs to do is give his family a reasonable and achievable expectation.

Zhang Xiuying's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had seen a glimmer of light in the darkness: "Mingming, you...you really have a way? Won't it be difficult? Won't...make a mistake?" She was both delighted and worried.

"Don't worry, Mom." Yang Guangming gave his mother a reassuring look. "It's just helping people make connections and adjust surpluses and shortages. I won't go too far or leave any evidence against me. I know what I'm doing."

Li Guihua's tense face completely relaxed, and even showed a hint of joy.

Without touching the household's rations, it can solve problems and even potentially "give back" to the family? This is simply a windfall!
She immediately replied, "If you have this ability, that would be wonderful! I would absolutely support you! Just let me know if you need any help!"

As long as it doesn't harm the interests of her own family, she's happy to see it happen.

Yang Yongkang exhaled a long puff of smoke and finally spoke, his voice low but resolute: "Mingming makes sense. In this kind of matter, his current position is more advantageous than ours staying cooped up in the house. Let Mingming handle it. But... safety first."

"Great!" Zhang Xiuying slapped her thigh, as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and her face regained its radiance. "It's settled then!"

She looked at Yang Guangming, her eyes filled with trust and a newfound reliance:

“Mingming, you’re a paid employee now. Our family rules state that if you work, you have to contribute to your living expenses. Like this…”

After a moment's thought, she made a decision: "You will give five yuan to your family every month to help with household expenses. The rest of your salary can be kept by your family."

However, the task of helping your older brother and sister manage their food rations is entirely up to you!

Do what you can, don't overwork yourself, and don't put too much pressure on your family. Make sure your family eats well too; going to work is mentally taxing!

This is both an acknowledgment of and delegation of authority to their son, and a heavy family responsibility handed over to him.

He only needs to pay five yuan a month, and he can spend the remaining eighteen yuan as he pleases. However, he also has to shoulder the burden of solving the problem of his older siblings going hungry in a cold and harsh place.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yang Guangming nodded solemnly: "I understand, Mom. I will definitely find a way to handle it."

He already had a plan in mind: the two jin of rice noodles that were refreshed daily in the refrigerator would be the first cornerstone to break the food rationing predicament.

A family crisis shrouded in gloom and despair, a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dispute that nearly erupted due to a lack of resources, was temporarily resolved thanks to Yang Guangming's initiative in taking responsibility and the potential solutions brought about by the refrigerator's "golden touch".

The heavy weight on everyone's hearts seemed to loosen a bit, and the heavy air in the front building began to flow slowly after Zhang Xiuying said "It's settled."

That important family matter concerning food and warmth was settled, and what remained was for everyone to work hard and wait silently.

(End of this chapter)