Land Distribution

Zhang Changyao placed his hand under Yang Wuni's armpit and tickled her until she giggled.

The two embraced tenderly under the moonlight.

As the weather gets warmer, it's time to start planning for farming.

Zhang Changyao took Yang Wuni to the town to register.

Back at the brigade headquarters, he gave the marriage certificate to the village chief, Hu Xianfa.

Hu Xianfa is of medium build, with a large head, a pig-belly face, a bulbous nose, and dead fish eyes.

Before speaking, she looked the two of them up and down and asked, "You're already pregnant, why are you only now thinking about registering?"

"Captain Hu, the baby hasn't been born yet, right? How about we divide the land for the baby along with the land?"

Zhang Changyao took out a pack of Ercan cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to Hu Xianfa.

"Zhang Changyao, I've noticed that you've really gotten smarter since you got married."

"Alright, we'll have to allocate land to them sooner or later, so let's do it all at once. You should start planning ahead."

Zhangzhuang is mostly barren mountains, but there is no shortage of land; each person has seven and a half mu of farmland for grain production.

Yang Wuni and her belly count as two people, and they were allocated one hectare and five mu of land.

Adding Zhang Changyao's seven and a half mu of land, that makes two hectares and two and a half mu of land.

Because Zhang Changyao was good at handling things, the land that Hu Xianfa allocated to Zhang Changyao's family was much flatter.

Other families, lacking social skills, were allocated land near the mountains.

Not only could it not hold water, but the stones and tiles made it impossible to even use a hoe.

"Zhang Changyao, let's go take a look at the land our family was allocated."

I heard that in addition to growing corn, they also grow hemp seeds.

If soybeans aren't plentiful, we'll plant less of them; corn kernels are a quick way to make money, so we'll only plant them for a short time.

Millet and sorghum must be planted; two acres of land are enough for both.

Yang Wuni followed behind Zhang Changyao, chattering on and on about her thoughts.

"Slow down..."

If you ask me, we should plant more corn, millet, and sorghum.

Putting aside whether or not to pay, filling our stomachs is the most important thing.

I've noticed you haven't been eating much lately. Are you worried about not having enough food?

Zhang Changyao held Yang Wuni's hand and told her to be careful when crossing the mountain stream.

"Zhang Changyao, we don't have any livestock for farming."

"You can't possibly dig up more than two hectares of land one hoe at a time, can you?"

Yang Wuni didn't want to talk about food; what she was most worried about was how to farm without livestock.

"When I went to town today, I ran into Wang Jianjie and bought him a pack of cigarettes."

He told me there was a batch of grain to carry, and I could start working tomorrow morning.

I don't know how much I earn, but it's better than staying at home with no money to spend.

I inquired and found out that a good horse costs over two hundred yuan, while a donkey costs one hundred yuan.

We'll decide what to buy based on how much we can earn; we also need to buy seeds and fertilizer.

After careful consideration, it seems the only options are to face famine or seek a loan from a credit union.

Zhang Changyao's previous smiling expression vanished, and he took a deep breath.

"Zhang Changyao, I know how to catch fish. Once the river thaws, I'll go catch fish and sell them in town."

I see that all the people in the town who have jobs make money every month.

I reckon they're willing to spend money on novel gadgets.

Yang Wuni tugged at Zhang Changyao's sleeve to reassure him.

The newly allocated land was indeed flat, except for a ditch running through the middle of the land.

Logically speaking, flat land not close to the foot of a mountain should not have any mountain streams passing by.

Yang Wuni followed the mountain stream and found the source of the water.

It turned out to be a spring about the size of a fist, from which water was gushing out.

"Zhang Changyao, our land is close to water, so we can get irrigation when there's a drought."

Yang Wuni squatted by the spring, scooping up the sand next to her.

Forgot that it was early spring and the land was still thawed, so they put their hands inside Zhang Changyao's sleeves to warm them from the cold.

"Wu Ni, to be honest with you, I've never farmed before. Do you know how to farm?"

Zhang Changyao pulled Yang Wuni's hand out and stuffed it into his clothes.

Let her place her hands on your stomach; that will warm you up faster.

"How many people who start their own business know how to farm? If they don't, they can just ask!"

For the older folks, we can just ask them; at worst, we can buy them some treats to curry favor.

Yang Wuni has her own ideas. She is full of confidence in farming, even though she has never farmed before.

"Let's go back! It'll get cold soon and all the warmth I've been feeling will be gone."

Zhang Changyao pulled Yang Wuni's hand away and led her home.

Before even entering the courtyard, I saw Zhao Xiulan leaning against the gatepost, muttering to herself.

"Oh no, Zhang Changyao, I bet your stepmother wants to sleep on your arm again."

Yang Wuni pressed her face against Zhang Changyao's back, teasing him with a grin.

"Wu Ni, just lie there and don't move. I'll tell you your stomach hurts."

Zhang Changyao was truly terrified that the old woman was asking him to go to her room again.

With his head down and his hands behind his back, he pretended to drag Yang Wuni into the yard.

"Changyao, aren't you two tired after walking around all day?"

I had your dad make a really delicious pot of soup. Do you two want some?

Zhao Xiulan saw the young couple pass by her without saying a word.

He put the remaining half of the barley flour in his pocket and followed.

"Aunt Xiulan, my stomach hurts. I need Zhang Changyao to rub it for me."

"I guess the wontons I ate in town weren't clean."

Yang Wuni pretended to be in pain, pinching her nose and eyes together to make a painful expression.

They also said that the two of them ate wontons so that Zhao Xiulan wouldn't pull Zhang Changyao into the house.

This trick worked perfectly, and Zhao Xiulan was speechless.

He glared at Yang Wuni sideways before returning to his room.

"Zhang Changyao, your stepmother has her eye on you. From now on, you'll have to sneak out of the garden and jump over the wall to come back."

After Yang Wuni went inside and closed the door, she became furtive.

"Yang Wuni, what are you doing? I think Aunt Xiulan is quite nice."

After she came into our lives, you see how obedient my dad is, how much he listens to her.

They'll never ask us for money again, they won't care how we sleep at night, and they won't care how much food we use for cooking.

Without Aunt Xiulan, you would still be the one being bullied.

We need to keep a close eye on Aunt Xiulan and make sure she doesn't leave.

As long as Aunt Xiulan is still alive, our family can live in peace.

Otherwise, even my sister-in-law wouldn't be a match for you.

They come to our house every few days asking Dad for money. How can I support three families without breaking my back?

Zhang Changyao patted Yang Wuni's bottom and grabbed her arm, urging her to hurry up and cook.

"Zhang Changyao, now that you mention it, I think it makes a lot of sense."

"Then you should go back to being Aunt Xiulan's pillow, that way she'll always be good to us."

Yang Wuni put on her apron, said a few words, and went outside to gather firewood.

"That tiger-like woman can't tell right from wrong. She doesn't even realize it's for her own good."

"Let my dad and sister-in-law bully her for a while longer, and she'll behave."

Zhang Changyao squatted on the ground, digging at the ashes, so angry that he shoved the hole loudly.

"Changyao, are you trying to tear down the kang (heated brick bed), or did your father scold you?"

If your skin is too tight, I happen to have some prickling hands right now, so I can help you rub it off, okay?