Colorful years

Just before mealtime, Shi Daya would stand in front of her house, facing the riverbank, and call out loudly:

"Dad—come home for dinner!" The voice traveled across the vast fields, breaking the surrounding tranquility, carrying the warmth and affection of home.

Upon hearing his daughter-in-law's call, Zhang Quan would drive the cattle down the embankment and stroll home along the familiar and welcoming path.

After Shi Daya carefully prepared breakfast, Zhang Cong would lean against the gate and gaze into the distance. The boundless fields stretched out before him, and the winding village road to the right of the gate, leading straight to the river, was also in his sight.

His heart was filled with boundless longing and eager anticipation for the future, until the figures of his grandfather and father gradually came into view...

At that moment, the warmth and happiness of home seemed to be frozen into eternity.

Grandpa and Dad finally returned home one after the other.

"Congcong, are you hungry?" Grandpa and Dad asked Congcong one after the other with concern, their words filled with the same warmth.

"A little. But as soon as I see Grandpa (Daddy), I'm not hungry anymore." Although Congcong is young, he is quite sensible and his words reveal his high emotional intelligence.

The family of seven, spanning three generations (including Zhang Ming, totaling eight), sat around the dining table and began to enjoy breakfast.

Although there were no delicacies on the table, the family members chatted and laughed, enjoying the meal and savoring this rare reunion and warmth.

To integrate into this family, this society, and this era, one must learn to observe more, ask more questions, and think more.

This was the first profound realization Congcong gained after learning to speak.

As time went on, Congcong gradually discovered that the living conditions of every household were almost the same, and there was almost no gap between the rich and the poor.

Everyone was living a very frugal and difficult life.

Surprisingly, the social security situation was exceptionally good.

"No one picks up lost items on the road, and doors are left unlocked at night"—these eight characters perfectly capture the state of the community at that time.

Although the farmers' lives were hard, their spirits were full and fulfilled.

The fields were filled with laughter and cheerful voices.

People's faces are always filled with happy smiles.

Most people's words and actions are full of positive energy; they understand and support the Party and the government.

"Listen to Chairman Mao and follow the Communist Party!" This is not only a slogan they often say, but also a true reflection of their actions.

You rarely hear people complaining or grumbling.

Commune cadres were not arrogant; during busy farming seasons, they would go deep into the front lines of production to participate in labor, and the relationship between cadres and the masses was as close and harmonious as fish and water.

anyway.

After everyone finished eating, the task of clearing the table and washing the dishes naturally fell to the second sister, Zhang Fang.

This has become an unspoken understanding, requiring no special instructions from parents.

In addition, Congcong also noticed that in this family of eight, only the father and mother were the main labor force, while the grandfather was responsible for raising cattle and could be considered as half a labor force.

Later, Congcong learned from his parents' casual conversation that able-bodied laborers earned 10 points for a day's work; women earned 7 points for a day's work, and if they did not work early in the morning but only worked for most of the day, they earned 5 points.

In reality, there are only two able-bodied people in the family. Excluding the off-season and the days when it is too cold to work, they can earn about 5000 work points a year.

The price per work point fluctuates between 1.5 and 1.7 yuan, depending on the circumstances.

Therefore, after a year of hard work, the parents and grandfather only earned about eighty yuan.

The basic food ration for a family of eight is about 3200 jin (1,150 catties), and the price is 1.5 yuan per 100 jin (50 kg), which means that the food ration expenditure is about 50 yuan.

In addition to rice, the production team would also distribute other things according to the number of people, such as rapeseed oil, corn, sweet potatoes, soybeans, potatoes, etc. All these foods together would cost about thirty yuan.

Therefore, when it came time for year-end distribution, there was basically no money left for the family.

If you want to make a new outfit for your family, you have to borrow money from the team to buy fabric, needles, thread, and other materials.

The family's salt supply was entirely provided by the eggs laid by the few hens they raised.

Under these economic conditions, there is still a considerable gap between the current situation and the goal of solving the problem of basic needs like food and clothing.

Therefore, they have to be frugal all year round just to barely maintain their basic living needs.

Later, my mother gave birth to two more younger sisters and a younger brother, making the family's burden heavier and life increasingly difficult.

Poverty meant not having enough to eat or wear, realities that Congcong had to face.

"Why did I end up in such a poor and backward mountain village?" Congcong wondered to himself.

At dawn, the first rays of sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window, scattering into the room like fine golden sand.

Shi Daya sat quietly on the kang (a heated brick bed), her figure appearing exceptionally gentle and serene in the sunlight.

She gently unbuttoned her clothes, her movements soft and careful, as if she were cautiously unveiling a precious treasure.

Her eyes were filled with love and tenderness, a deep affection that could not be described in words.

Her gaze was fixed on the child, as if the whole world consisted only of the two of them.

She called softly, "Congcong, come here, Mommy will feed you." Her voice was full of endless love and anticipation.

According to the husband and his parents, the child should be weaned after turning one year old.

But she couldn't bear it; she loved her son too much.

She thought to herself that as long as she still had breast milk, she would keep feeding him, no matter how hard it was, she would make sure her son was well-fed.

Seeing Congcong running towards her, her heart was filled with immense joy and satisfaction.