Reborn in 1966

Chapter Forty-Eight News

Grandma prepared lunch for Peihua. The people at the mill didn't take a lunch break, but they had to have their meals delivered by their families. After eating, Grandma picked up a large porcelain bowl wrapped in a small cotton quilt. Inside were fried bean curd sheets and a cornbread. This was Peihua's lunch for today. He ate breakfast at home, and sometimes she had to deliver dinner to him, and sometimes she would eat at home after finishing her work.

Peiyin quickly wiped her mouth, got off the kang table, put on her shoes, and took her grandmother's hand. Her grandmother looked at her little granddaughter and said with a smile, "My little granddaughter has really become my little shadow. Come on, let's go with Grandma to deliver food to your older brother."

The midday sun was warm, and although it was the coldest time of winter, the sunshine made it feel less cold.

The grandfather and granddaughter walked slowly through the village hand in hand. The mill was not far from their home. The village had been cleared clean by the villagers after the snowfall some time ago. The alleys in the village were just dry, hard ground, without any mud. Because the Shen family's courtyard was at the entrance of the village, Pei Yin could see some areas that were not exposed to the sun still covered in snow from the front door.

The mill was still bustling with activity. Fourth Grandfather wasn't there today, and the team's accountant was weighing soybeans and tofu by himself. When he saw Grandma bringing Peiyin over to deliver lunch, he turned around and called out to the steaming workshop, "Peihua, come out quickly, your grandma has brought you lunch!"

Turning to his grandmother, he said, "Auntie, please wait here for a moment. Peihua will be right there."

Grandma smiled and greeted the accountant, then led Peiyin to stand aside.

It was lunchtime, and no one came to exchange the tofu. The accountant was eating at a table next to the mill. Peiyin looked at the accountant's meal, which was just tofu stewed with cabbage, with a cornbread bun in his hand.

Peihua came out wearing only a single layer of clothing. When her grandmother saw her, she said anxiously, "Don't come out, don't come out! It's cold outside, don't catch a cold."

Peihua said, "Grandma, come over here with Peiyin, it's warmer here."

Grandma pulled Peiyin to the front of the stove.

Soy milk was cooking in a large pot on the stove. When Pei Yin came over, the person who was cooking the soy milk saw her, scooped up a ladle of soy milk, and said to Pei Hua, "Go and drink some with your sister. It's freshly cooked and very delicious."

Peihua thanked her, handed the ladle to her grandmother, and whispered, "Grandma, you and Peiyin can rest warmly behind the stove for a while. You can leave after I finish eating."

Grandma took the ladle and led Peiyin to the back of the stove, where there was a low, long bench where everyone could sit and rest when they were tired from working. Peihua ate her meal while talking to Grandma, and Grandma ate with Peihua while carefully blowing on the ladle to cool the soy milk.

The ladle wasn't very big, and it only held a few hundred milliliters of soy milk. Grandma blew on it and gently shook it until it was no longer too hot to drink. She then held it to Pei-yin's lips and said, "Yin-yin, have a sip. It's delicious."

Pei-yin leaned closer, took a small sip, and the rich aroma of soybeans immediately filled her mouth. She looked up and smiled at her grandmother, saying, "Grandma, it's delicious."

These past two days, the three grandmothers, along with their two daughters-in-law, steamed a large pot of white flour buns. After letting them cool, they carefully placed them in a large grain vat in the backyard. They also steamed two more pots of mixed flour buns, one with cornmeal and the other with sorghum flour. The white flour buns were for entertaining guests during the New Year, while the mixed flour buns were for their own consumption.

Because of the good harvest this year, most families, except for the very lazy ones, were able to steam two pots of steamed buns at the end of the year, regardless of whether they were made of white flour or mixed flour. They could also buy two catties of pork and make a meal of dumplings with meat filling during the New Year. People were very particular about what they ate during the New Year, and they all felt that they had to bring out the best things in their homes to enjoy during the New Year. Even Yang Bailao, who had no money, bought two catties of bread and made dumplings to celebrate the New Year.

Tian Lingling goes to her parents' house to sleep at night, and after breakfast in the morning, she goes to her mother-in-law's house. Every time she goes to her mother-in-law's house, she secretly slips some snacks and candies into the hands of Pei Yin and the other children. Although the things are not much, the children remember their aunt's kindness and feel warm in their hearts in this cold and heartbreaking era.

Sometimes, Pei-Yin would follow her third brother, Pei-Tian, ​​and her sister, Pei-Zhi, to the street to watch the children play games. There weren't many kinds of games. In the cold winter, everyone was dressed in thick clothes, so the most common game was war. They would divide into two teams and decide who was the People's Liberation Army and who was the bandits by playing rock-paper-scissors. Then some would hide and some would run. After a chaotic battle, the People's Liberation Army would always win. This outcome was predetermined before the game even started, so the loser would be very frustrated.

There's another game called "Horse Racing City." It involves two teams, several dozen meters apart. One team shouts, "Jiji Ling, Horse Racing City, Horse Racing City open, come here!" and calls out the name of someone from the other team. That person has to run as fast as they can towards that team, find a spot where two people are holding hands, and try to break their grip. If they can break the grip, they win and can bring the two people back to their team. If they can't break the grip, they have to stay on their side. This continues until everyone from one team has come to the other.

Girls don't play many of these intense games. At the end of the year, girls have to help their families with the preparations for the New Year. Even if they are only five or six years old, they don't play them much on the street.

After going with her twice, Pei-yin stopped going and became her grandmother's little shadow again. She was better off following her grandmother and watching the simple games outside, trembling all over, than watching the three grandmothers prepare for the New Year.

All three grandmothers were quick-witted and skillful, especially the third grandmother. On the 29th, she even made some dough and some delicate little things. She would roll a piece of dough into a ball, roll it into a strip, flatten it, use her thimble to press out fish scales, and use scissors to cut out the fish mouth and tail. After a few movements, a lifelike dough fish appeared.

Seeing Pei Yin staring intently, Third Grandma smiled and said, "Does Yin Yin like it? Third Grandma will make you something else." So, the bamboo tray was filled with all kinds of pastries, small animals, flower baskets, and flowers. Although they were not dyed, they were very beautiful in Pei Yin's eyes.

Seeing that her third aunt was working so hard, Grandma said, "Yinyin, your third aunt is famous for being skillful. You should learn from her in the future."

Pei Yin nodded and said, "Okay!"

The two grandmothers laughed and said, "Oh my, this little girl, she understood!"

Uncle Shen didn't return until noon on the 30th of the lunar year. He said he had to go back to work on the second day of the new year. He didn't have to go on the first day of the new year because he swapped shifts with someone else. The shift leader thought that Uncle Shen's wife was pregnant and was taking special care of her.

No one in the family complained about not having annual leave. Building socialism requires sacrificing the small family for the greater good. Look at those high-ranking leaders in the central government; they all stay at their posts during the Spring Festival. What does it matter if we, ordinary people, don't get a holiday for the Spring Festival? But Pei Yin felt it was extremely inhumane. It violated people's most basic rights. Why didn't anyone protest or say anything? Moreover, there was no double or triple daily wage for working during the Spring Festival. Pei Yin could only say that people nowadays are too obedient and too honest.

Considering the current situation, Pei Yin was speechless. She decided to persevere a little longer, as things would get better in the future.

On the morning of the 30th, Grandpa led the men of the family to clean the yard and put up Spring Festival couplets. Peiyin and Peizhi followed behind Grandma, Mom, and their second aunt, watching them chop the filling and knead the dough to prepare dumplings for dinner.

Just as we were busy, my fourth grandfather came into the house.

Grandpa rushed forward to greet him and asked, "Fourth brother, what's wrong?" Fourth Grandpa's face was gloomy.

Fourth Grandfather said, "Let's talk inside."

Grandpa led Fourth Grandpa into the house. Peiyin was small, and when she saw Fourth Grandpa enter, she knew something must be going on. She quickly took off her shoes and got onto the kang (a heated brick bed). Grandpa then asked Peijun and Peihua, who were standing on the kang putting up portraits of Chairman Mao in Anyuan on the wall, to go to the yard to help their father put up Spring Festival couplets.

Seeing her great-uncle's expression, Grandma brought out a bowl of hot water and left the room.

Fourth Grandfather saw a toddler sitting on the kang (heated brick bed) in the room, and then looked at Grandfather's inquiring expression. He sighed and said, "Brother, my husband Shenghuai is back. He said that the cadre school in our province escorted a group of people to the local area, including Shengyu and his wife. They are said to have gone to the mountains near Qinghe."

Grandpa's face turned pale instantly. After these years of political movements, he was never sure when he would die. His eldest daughter was his most beloved child. She had always been a person with her own ideas since she was a child. In fact, during the war, if he hadn't been worried that his daughter would have no food or water on the other side of Qingshan, Grandpa would not have risked his life to send food, water and medicine there in the first place.

Thinking of the fate of those who were taken to other villages, Grandpa felt as if his heart had been boiled in oil several times over. He was anxious, bewildered, and desperately wanted to see his children, but reality did not allow him to do so. Grandpa could only grit his teeth and suppress the sadness and pain that permeated his bones.

Seeing his grandfather's expression, Fourth Grandfather quickly said, "Brother, don't worry, let's ask around slowly. Look at those people who were sent down to the countryside in our village, maybe Sheng Yu and his wife are even luckier than them."

Grandpa said, "Fourth brother, I understand. Don't tell your sister-in-law and the others about this yet. Let's see how things go first."

Fourth Grandfather agreed. Grandfather calmed himself down and said, "It's almost New Year's, we should be happy. Maybe everything will be alright after the New Year."

Fourth Grandfather said, "That's right, maybe everything will be fine then."

Sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), holding a sandbag sewn by her grandmother, Pei Yin looked at her grandfather, who was over sixty years old and still forced a smile, with a pang of heartache.

Thinking of her eldest aunt with her bright eyes, Pei Yin felt a pang of heartache. Having gone through so much bloodshed and turmoil, her aunt's gentle nature made Pei Yin feel even more sorry for her.

She hated this era, yet was powerless to change it. These were her own blood relatives, now missing and their fate unknown. In this absurd era, she thought of those who raised their questions, and the fate of those who resisted. With nowhere to vent her helplessness and grief, Pei Yin could only turn her head and stare at the picture of "Chairman Mao Goes to Anyuan" on the wall. The vivid colors seemed to be a mockery of the family's plight. Pei Yin had an urge to tear the picture down, but thinking of the consequences, she could only grit her teeth, lower her head, and blink away the tears in her eyes.