Colorful years

It was 1970. The sky seemed to have been torn apart, and torrential rain poured down. This massive flood, occurring between spring and summer, roared like a ferocious beast, breaking through the riverbank and wantonly destroying a rice paddy.

Following the flood, a prolonged drought ensued, with no rain falling for over forty days. The land cracked, and rice and other dryland crops were on the verge of death in this natural disaster, with a harvest of less than 20%.

The people in the production team faced unprecedented difficulties. They shared limited grain reserves and government relief while struggling to plant radishes in the fall to survive. However, this grain was far from enough for many families, and could not possibly ensure that everyone could have enough to eat.

Especially for families with many members but few able-bodied workers, food supplies quickly run out after winter sets in, and the crisis of food shortage looms large. They have no choice but to rely on radishes as their only food source.

Congcong, a child who was pampered and breastfed from birth until the age of three, developed an exceptionally delicate stomach. Every bite of grain would cause his stomach to churn violently, resulting in persistent diarrhea, let alone eating cold, hard radishes every meal. To survive and fill his stomach, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and eat radishes as his main meal, along with his family.

Although the radishes were swallowed with great difficulty, they were all excreted from the body within half an hour, with almost no nutrients absorbed. A month passed, and Congcong's weight dropped drastically. His once round face became sallow and thin, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

His eyes revealed endless exhaustion and a longing for food; it was a struggle for survival and a helpless sigh at the hardships of life.

The family struggled to survive until the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Looking at the empty rice bucket, where not a single grain of rice could be seen, Zhang Zhong and his wife slowly shifted their gaze to the children beside them, whose faces were sallow and whose bodies were so thin that they looked as if a gust of wind could blow them over.

Their hearts felt as if they were being slashed by a thousand sharp knives, the pain almost unbearable.

No matter what, we must find a way to borrow a few dozen kilograms of rice! Only then can these poor children enjoy a delicious meal of white rice on New Year's Eve and have a happy reunion.

Zhang Zhong frowned, racking his brains for someone he could ask for help. Suddenly, two figures flashed into his mind.

One of them was Zhang Cong's godfather—Mr. Liu Shiqing, who made a living by telling fortunes.

Because he has spent years telling fortunes and divinations, he is naturally much wealthier than the average person, and his life is presumably comfortable. If one were to personally visit him and ask to borrow twenty catties of rice to take home for an emergency, there might still be some hope of success.

The other person is my cousin, Li Yun, who works at the Yonghong Grain Store in the county town. Asking her to lend me twenty jin of rice should be a piece of cake.

Having decided who to ask for help, I'm willing to risk losing face and go to borrow rice to go home for the New Year, all for the sake of my child.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhong turned his head, his gaze fixed on his son Zhang Cong, and asked softly with anticipation, "Congcong, would you like to come with your father on a long trip to borrow some rice from others to celebrate the New Year?"

Zhang Cong's clear, bright eyes didn't blink, and without hesitation, he nodded and loudly replied, "I do!"

This sensible and well-behaved child has known the hardships and difficulties her parents have faced since she was a child, so she never goes against her parents' wishes and always tries her best to share the burden and relieve their worries.

In the early morning, when the sky was still somewhat dark, a biting wind howled through the air, as if trying to freeze the whole world.

The mother got up early, knowing that the father and son would be embarking on a long and arduous journey today. Because the journey was long and walking would consume a lot of energy and time, they needed to be well-fed.

A warm atmosphere filled the kitchen as Mom skillfully lit the stove and began preparing breakfast.

She picked out a fresh, large radish from the basket, washed it, peeled it, cut it into small pieces, and put it in a pot to simmer slowly. Soon, an enticing aroma wafted from the pot.

Next, Mom took out a few more eggs, carefully cracked them into the pan, and slowly fried them over low heat until they were golden brown on both sides.

Soon, a simple yet hearty breakfast was ready. Mom brought two steaming bowls of radish soup and four fragrant poached eggs to the table, gently calling to the father and son, who were still fast asleep, to get up and eat.

"Get up, honey, Congcong! Eat something while it's hot, we have a long way to go today!" Shi Daya called out softly.

The father rubbed his sleepy eyes, sat up, and looked at the food on the table, a warm feeling welling up in his heart. Congcong also jumped up and eagerly sat down at the table.

"Wow, there's a fried egg! Thank you, Mom!" Congcong exclaimed excitedly.

The mother smiled and patted her son's head: "Eat up, you need to eat more to have the strength to travel. These are all the eggs we have left. We were planning to save up ten eggs to exchange for salt, but you can't go hungry today while you're out and about."

The family of three sat around the table, enjoying this warm moment. Although it was freezing cold outside and the air was filled with a biting chill, the room was cozy and inviting.

It was the dead of winter, and the weather was exceptionally cold and dry. Every breath felt heavy, as if adding to the chill of the season. People's exhaled breath quickly condensed into wisps of white smoke, slowly dissipating from their mouths.