The life of Lao Liu since 1944

In September 1945, a month had passed since that historic moment. The news of the unconditional surrender of the Japanese invaders was like a bolt from the blue, completely shocking this land that had been tormented by war. Beijing, the ancient and solemn city of 9, gradually restored its former prosperity and order under the control of the National Government. The streets and alleys were completely different from before, bustling with people, as if every place was filled with the joy of victory and the fragrance of freedom.

Even after a month, whenever people passing by talk about this, they still can't hide their excitement and pride. They have personally experienced the transformation from humiliation to dignity. The pain and struggle that was deeply engraved in the national memory has now been transformed into cheers of victory and firm belief.

The people are more confident than ever before, no longer having to live in fear or fear, or face all kinds of injustices in a timid manner. They know that they are Chinese, descendants of the Yellow Emperor with a long history and tenacious spirit, and no longer have to endure the bullying and oppression of foreign enemies.

Although the quality of the Nationalist government's governance needs to be improved, social order has not been fully restored, and hooligans and gangs still exist in the streets, it is an improvement compared to the war period. Although people have reservations about the Nationalist government's ability to govern, they are more expectant and hopeful in their hearts.

After all, in this broken country, there is still a long way to go to rebuild homes and restore production and living order. However, no matter who is in power, as long as it is conducive to the country's progress and development, the people will fully support it.

More importantly, although the Nationalist government had some shortcomings, it was, after all, a family of the Chinese nation. Its bottom line was that it would not do such immoral things as blatant looting and killing.

Therefore, in such an environment, people have reason to believe that a new order will gradually be established in the chaos. Although the road ahead will be tortuous and bumpy, it will definitely be full of sunshine and hope.

Ordinary people are smiling more. Having experienced hardships and struggles, they understand the value of peace and freedom. Whenever they recall the days of humiliation and arbitrary oppression in the past, they sigh deeply, knowing that those days are gone forever. Instead, a new era is quietly rising, and a China full of confidence and courage is moving to the center of the world stage.

In the past year, Hou Jie has successfully blocked the Japanese from illegally looting and transporting valuable strategic materials, effectively preventing the outflow of a large number of key materials, and preserving precious resources for the country and the nation. His actions not only frustrated the greedy ambitions of the Japanese invaders, but also greatly hit their arrogance in frantically plundering wealth during the war.

As a result of Hou Jie's resolute actions against the Japanese, he harvested a large amount of illegally obtained materials, which were later used to support the Eighth Route Army, greatly enhancing the army's combat effectiveness. This assistance made the Japanese invaders have to pay a heavier price to win in every battle, and even forced to retreat at some critical moments. At the same time, Hou Jie's actions also increased the confidence of the Eighth Route Army in the war. With more resources and support, they can better deal with challenges from Japan and other domestic forces.

However, Hou Jie chose to help the Eighth Route Army instead of the National Government, mainly because of his deep understanding and dissatisfaction with the corruption of the National Government. He believed that the National Government was not only unable to effectively resist foreign enemies, but might also become the source of harm to the people.

From this position, it can be seen that the Nationalist government had already shown some signs of decline at that time, and the country under its rule might face greater crises and challenges.

In Peking, at the beginning of the liberation, the people of Peking were undoubtedly very happy. They celebrated the recovery of their homes and were grateful for the heroic struggle of their ancestors.

However, as the reconstruction work after the war began, the lives of ordinary people did not improve immediately. On the contrary, due to the post-war economic decline, damaged facilities, and lack of manpower and material resources, social development in Beiping fell into a difficult situation. Soaring prices, increased taxes, labor shortages and other problems followed one after another, making the lives of ordinary people increasingly difficult.

Due to the inaction of officials, the Nationalist government frantically printed legal tender and plundered the people, causing a depression in Peking. Soaring prices and food shortages led to the people's miserable lives. People tried every possible way to make a living. Some even committed crimes deliberately to avoid starvation by going to jail.

By the end of the year, prices had risen four to five times in two months, and the working class in Beijing was busy all day long for firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea. At this time, there were many colleges and universities in Beijing, but the students had to endure hunger.

Being able to eat whole grains and steamed bread was a joy. The students were not dressed as they used to be, and more than half of them requested part-time work. There was even a group of five college students who openly robbed and were eventually caught while skating.

Students were generally malnourished. As prices rose, students' living expenses soared, but the food they received became less and less. Take Peking University as an example. In early 1946, the boys had to spend million French francs on rice balls. Even if they ate steamed bread every day, it would cost . Girls with small appetites, who ate millet porridge, rice, and silk cakes, would still cost a month.

The lives of faculty and staff were relatively better, because most of them at that time implemented "double salary", that is, in addition to the issuance of legal currency, they were also allocated a quota of flour. Although it was much less than before, it was better than nothing, and the most basic life could be guaranteed. However, in terms of nutrition, it was probably not up to standard.

Ordinary people were even worse off. Not only were they not eligible for flour distribution, but the legal tender they received was often not enough to feed their families. In order to save money, ordinary citizens had to think of various ways. The garbage in Beijing was piled up like a mountain, not because no one cleaned it up, but because there were no cars or oil to transport it. The deeper reason was that it was a guarantee for the survival of ordinary citizens.

Hou Jie also took the opportunity to drop out of school. He already knew everything anyway, and he would not miss this excuse.

Dongdan Vegetable Market, this is the outer city of Sijiu, where grain, meat and vegetables are sold in bulk. There are many such places in Sijiu City, and the reason why we come here is just because it is close and convenient.