Colorful years

The famine of 1970 was nothing short of a disaster! The culprit behind this situation was undoubtedly the frequent and devastating natural disasters that were rare in a century.

In late spring and early summer, the once peaceful and harmonious production team was suddenly struck by a massive flood, the worst in a century. That night, the sky seemed to have been torn open, and torrential rain poured down all night long.

In an instant, the mountain torrent roared and surged in, and the originally gentle river water suddenly swelled, even changing the course of the river.

The sturdy flood control dikes collapsed instantly under the impact of the flood, and dozens of acres of rice fields were washed away and left in a mess in the blink of an eye, and the hard-earned grain was completely lost.

However, this nightmare did not end there. Not long after, a devastating drought struck like a demon. More than forty days of scorching sun made the roads seem to be steaming, and the fields were cracked like spider webs.

Faced with such a severe drought, the government has taken a series of emergency measures, including artificial rainmaking, but these measures are ultimately just a drop in the ocean.

The so-called "raindrops" are far too small compared to the vast, arid land, and are far from sufficient to meet the water needs of crops for normal growth, resulting in a sharp decline in crop yields in the summer and autumn seasons.

Not to mention rice, even dryland crops like sweet potatoes and corn have seen significant yield reductions.

In this dire situation of repeated natural disasters and added hardship, the farmers are living in misery. As the cold winter months quietly approach, many farm households are already facing the predicament of having no rice to cook.

With no other options, the production team had to find ways to save itself by planting winter radishes on a large scale.

And so, after sweet potatoes and corn had been completely consumed, radishes, which had once been a side dish on the table, were transformed into a staple food to solve the problem of food and clothing.

However, in that same year, something unexpected happened—a large number of impoverished people suddenly appeared in the village, begging for rice and food.

These poor people endured countless hardships and traveled long distances, begging along the streets from the distant Guanzhong region and the vast Central Plains, eventually arriving at the Diaolan Village production team.

Congcong's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Zhong, have always been kind-hearted and compassionate people.

Even when their own food supply was already stretched thin and far from enough for daily consumption, as long as they hadn't completely run out of food, whenever they saw a beggar coming to their door asking for food, their parents would always lend a helping hand without hesitation.

Sometimes they would generously give someone a large bowl of steaming hot rice; other times they would give away their precious half a pound of rice to those who were starving.

Because of their frequent and generous acts of helping these beggars, the already meager food reserves at home became increasingly strained.

Normally, the Zhang family should have been able to barely survive this difficult year with their meager food supplies.

But who could have imagined that as the days went by, the family's food supplies dwindled, and even though they scrimped and saved and struggled to survive until the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, they inevitably faced the predicament of running out of food.

Thus, in the scenario described above, a father and son appeared. On the bitterly cold, snow-covered 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, they left their hometown and embarked on a journey to visit friends and relatives, hoping to borrow a few grains of rice to get through the upcoming New Year.

Such an absurd and unbelievable thing happened to Zhang Cong, who was only nine years old at the time.

You have to understand, for Xiao Congcong, who had been eating only radish rice for over a month, life was incredibly difficult. Having to fill his stomach with bland, tasteless radish every day was truly unbearable!

Now, with the added hardship of borrowing rice for the New Year, it's like adding insult to injury, putting immense pressure on his young heart.

One can imagine the anxiety and helplessness this father and son must have felt at that moment.

While other families were busily preparing to welcome the Spring Festival, their own home was empty, and they couldn't even guarantee a decent New Year's Eve dinner.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, they tirelessly pleaded for their families, hoping that their loved ones could enjoy a bowl of fragrant white rice on New Year's Eve.

However, fate always seems to like playing tricks on people. When they went to visit their godfather Liu Shiqing with great joy, they were met with a cold shoulder—their godfather refused to see them! This sudden blow was like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, instantly chilling the hearts of the father and son.

However, there's always a way out.

Despite suffering setback after setback, this resilient father and son did not give up easily.

Finally, they made their way to the county town and successfully borrowed a full twenty kilograms of rice from their aunt's house.

At that moment, the father and son were so moved that tears welled up in their eyes, and the huge weight that had been hanging over their hearts finally lifted.

And so, the family finally managed to gather all the ingredients before Lunar New Year's Eve, and could happily sit around the table to enjoy the hard-earned white rice!