Traveling through time and space, wanting to lie down, but being forced to move forward

In a blink of an eye, Liu Jingxue had been working in the fields for more than ten days. She estimated that in another day or two, all the crops in the fields would be harvested, and all that would remain would be pulling out the corn stalks.

After finding a place to eat lunch at noon, Liu Jingxue ran to the group of aunts and ladies in the fourth production team and chatted with them.

"Aunt, our autumn harvest should be almost over," Liu Jingxue asked.

Aunt Hua said, “After the corn is harvested, the work in the field will be almost over, and the only thing left is to pull out the corn stalks.

There's no need for everyone to work there. Just send some skilled guys.

Those of us who want to work and earn more work points can go to the drying dam to thresh the grain.

Those who don’t want to go to work can stay at home and stock up on autumn vegetables and pickled cabbage.”

Aunt Qiuju next to her rolled her eyes and asked Liu Jingxue, "Liu Zhiqing, you don't live in the Zhiqing camp, you cook on your own, you must be stocking up on autumn vegetables.

You also need to prepare some sauerkraut.

The vegetable plot at the educated youth site is not enough for them to eat, and they have to exchange it with villagers every year. They definitely can’t share it with you.

I have extra food at home, you can exchange with me."

When Aunt Sufen heard this, she was afraid that her flower cloth had run away from home, so she hurriedly said, "Qiuju, you are too late, Xiaoxue has already come to my house to exchange vegetables.

Otherwise, where do you think the dishes she ate these days came from? I asked Guiying to send them to her.

I bought all the autumn vegetables and pickled cabbage for her."

Aunt Qiuju curled her lips and sighed that she was a little late, but she did not give up and said to Liu Jingxue,

"Liu Zhiqing, I have plenty of food at my house. If Sufen's food is not enough, you can also go to my house to exchange."

The aunts and grandmas next to her also spoke up, saying that they had extra vegetables and could exchange them for her.

Liu Jingxue didn't know how to deal with these enthusiastic aunts and aunts, but fortunately Aunt Sufen helped her out.

She put her hands on her hips and said, “Okay, don’t force me to criticize you guys. You dare to steal my business right in front of me.

Xiaoxue asked me to take care of stockpiling autumn vegetables and sauerkraut for her.

If there is not enough food at my house, I can still use Erhu's house. There is no need to look for you again.

You guys should go and ask other educated youth.

Don't even think about Xiaoxue."

Aunt Qiuju felt sour in her heart and said, "Sufen, you can't eat alone. If you eat the meat, you have to let us have some soup."

Aunt Sufen glanced at her and said, "When you were exchanging eggs, food and vegetables with the educated youths yesterday, you didn't even let us have any soup."

She glanced at the others and said, "There are only so many educated youth. If you act quickly, you will get what you want. It's your fault for being slow.

You can't count on Xiaoxue anymore, why don't you go find other educated youth?

The autumn harvest is almost over, so we have to start stockpiling autumn vegetables and sauerkraut. If we are any slower, you won’t get any of the educated youth’s food.”

After hearing this, several people looked at each other and without even taking a break, they hurried to find the educated youth they were familiar with.

Seeing that everyone around her had left, Liu Jingxue breathed a sigh of relief, "Aunt Sufen, thank you so much, otherwise, I really don't know how to refuse them."

Aunt Sufen sighed, "Don't blame them, they are just being poor.

As you can see, the people in our village have no other options throughout the year and rely on the harvest from the fields.

After working for several months, he paid his taxes and had enough to fill his stomach, but he didn't have much money left.

They just want to make more money.”

Liu Jingxue asked, "Aunt, do the villagers grow more vegetables than they eat themselves?"

“That’s for sure.

Our village is close to the mountains, and we produce a lot of dried mushrooms and wild vegetables from the mountains all year round.

A lot of dried vegetables are also dried in the sun every season.

How much can one eat just by chewing it by oneself?

In addition to the dried vegetables and pickled vegetables, there are quite a lot of vegetables that are left to rot every year because each family cannot finish eating them.”

"Can't you plant fewer vegetables so you can have more ease?" Liu Jingxue was a little puzzled.

Aunt Sufen laughed when she heard this, "I can tell from what you said that you are not a child who grew up in the village.

People in our village seem to have a natural obsession with farming and the harvest.

Although I knew there were too many vegetables to eat, I didn’t want to see the land go to waste.

Otherwise, I would feel uncomfortable and always want to plant something.”

“Now there is a rule that all land is public and you cannot grow crops secretly.

Families are not allowed to grow crops in their private plots, only vegetables.

So even though we knew we would have more vegetables than we could eat, we had no choice but to plant them in order to prevent the land from going to waste.”

“Then why not take the vegetables into the city and sell them.

City residents cannot grow their own vegetables and have to buy them.

I have lived in the city for many years, but I know very well that city dwellers are actually very short of vegetables.

There are only so many dishes served every day, and if you go too late you won’t be able to buy them.”

Aunt Sufen sighed, "You think we don't want to, but we don't dare.

Private transactions are not allowed now. If they are caught carrying vegetables into the city, they will be sent to labor camps.

We can't sacrifice our lives just for a few bucks."

Liu Jingxue thought of the novels she had read. Although individuals were not allowed to do business privately in that era, it was still allowed in the name of the collective.

She said to Aunt Sufen, "Why don't we go as a group instead of as individuals?

This wouldn’t be considered a private transaction.”

“There are quite a few factories in our town, and factory workers must have vegetables to eat.

They can't possibly grow their own vegetables, they must buy them from the countryside.

Our village sent people to contact various factories in the town in the name of the collective and discuss business with them.

Why not collect the leftover vegetables from the villagers and sell them to them?"

"It will snow here soon. When the vegetables are gone in the fields, the factory will have to stock up more vegetables.

If the door-to-door salespeople are good, we might be able to sell all the extra vegetables in our village."

Aunt Sufen couldn't believe it, "Will this work?

Will he be caught?"

Liu Jingxue was not really sure. "Why don't we ask the captain? We don't know, but he should know a lot about this."

The excess vegetables at home have been used up. Since they are all villagers, Wu Sufen also wants to exchange other people's vegetables to avoid waste.

"Okay, I'll go back tonight and ask my husband.

If this approach works, Xiaoxue, you have really helped our village a lot."

Liu Jingxue didn't dare to take credit for it. "It's still too early to talk about this now, since we haven't even started yet."

Aunt Sufen thought about the people in the village and said, "But if we want to negotiate business with those factories, the villagers in our village are all very tongue-tied and dare not open their mouths.

I’m afraid they don’t know who to turn to when the time comes.”

Liu Jingxue suggested, "We still have educated youth here, why not just let them go?

They were not allowed to work for free. The educated youth generally lacked food, so as long as they sold their crops, they would be given food.

With this bait in front of them, I'm afraid they won't be tempted."

Aunt Sufen looked at Liu Jingxue and said, "Xiaoxue, you are also an educated youth. Why don't you go?"

Liu Jingxue quickly shook her head. She was not short of food and did not want to take on this task.

And she knows herself that she is not cut out for sales.

"Aunt Sufen, forget it, I don't lack food.

Besides, I don’t know what to say in front of strangers.”