Without anyone familiar following beside her, Tang Tang completely let herself go.
The fiery movement was nearing its end, but it had not completely ended yet.
The Northeast, especially remote rural areas, had not been affected too deeply, but the farther south she traveled, the more obvious the impact became.
Rural communes falsely reported grain production, causing the farmers’ entire year of hard work to be handed over as public grain. They were left digging wild vegetables and even grass roots to fill their stomachs.
Reading about it was one thing.
Experiencing it personally was another.
The little girl couldn’t bear to watch.
If she couldn’t help everyone, then she would help as many as she could.
Fortunately, she had collected quite a lot of grain at the earlier stops. Whether old grain or new grain, once boiled into a pot of thin porridge, it became something that could save lives.
But that small amount was far from enough.
With no other choice, the little girl used a last resort and began planting grain inside her space.
Corn and sweet potatoes had high yields, and inside the space their yields were even higher. They could fill people’s stomachs without attracting much attention, so she mainly planted those two.
Thankfully, the space could now automatically sow and harvest according to her thoughts.
Otherwise, there was no way the little girl would have done it by hand.
Such a vast field would exhaust her small body to death before she finished planting it.
Time flowed quickly inside the space, and the crops matured overnight.
The little girl traveled along the way, distributing grain as she went.
Those unable to eat were all poor people.
It truly was food relief.
Some elderly people felt bad and gave the little girl things in return, mostly old objects.
It wasn’t that they hadn’t thought of using those items to exchange for money or grain.
The main problem was that no one wanted such things now.
People couldn’t even fill their stomachs. Who still had money to buy these?
The little girl accepted everything.
This way, the elderly people could feel a little better.
Traveling and stopping along the way, the little girl finally arrived in Fengcheng in mid-December.
A journey that should have taken five days and four nights had taken her a full month and a half.
During the day, she distributed grain everywhere.
Whenever she met people selling old objects or old books in exchange for grain, she accepted those too.
At night, she rested inside her space and constantly planted, harvested, planted, harvested.
She became extremely busy.
She knew she couldn’t help everyone.
So she did only what she could.
The little girl had kindness, but she was not blindly self-sacrificing.
She did not possess a grand heart that pitied the whole world, nor did she have ambitions to save all under heaven.
Perhaps because she came from an era where food and clothing were never worries, she simply wanted that, wherever her eyes could see, there would be no hunger or cold.
Behind her, visible to the naked eye, strands, wisps, and even clusters of golden light occasionally sank into the little girl’s body.
The little girl knew nothing of it.
December was winter in the Northeast, but this place still carried the warmth of spring and autumn.
The little girl carried her basket and followed the address Yuan Hongwei had given her.
The streets of Fengcheng were straight and orderly, laid out neatly.
They were also very clean.
The little girl’s first impression of this small city was quite good.
She should be able to stay here for a while.
When she had time, she could walk around and look.
Following the address, she entered an alley and found the house number, then raised her hand to knock.
This should be a small private courtyard home.
In an era where even tube-shaped apartment buildings were fiercely fought over, having one’s own small courtyard showed that her grandmother’s family was likely not ordinary.
Soon, footsteps sounded from inside.
They were not fast, probably belonging to an elderly person.
As the person removed the door bolt, they spoke:
“Why are you back so early? Did you receive the grain?”
When the door opened, however, the person discovered a fair and tender little girl standing outside.
The little girl still had some vague memories of the elderly woman.
While the old woman was still surprised, the little girl spoke crisply.
“Are you Grandmother? I’m Tang Tang.”
…
Calling me Grandmother?
Tang Tang?
Was this the little dumpling who had once looked carved from jade?
The old woman grabbed the little girl’s arm and looked her up and down.
“Tang Tang! Tang Tang! Come in quickly, come in!”
She closed the gate and pulled the little girl inside.
The courtyard wasn’t large, but it was very clean.
Against the left wall stood a small shed.
Inside were a little firewood, a not very tall stack of coal balls, and some other miscellaneous items.
There was a round stone table in the courtyard, quite large, with a solid base underneath.
Mm.
Basically no one could move it.
On the table were piles of pasted and unpasted matchboxes, probably work the old woman had brought home to do.
Entering the house led into the main room.
On the left side, entering through the door, there was a small kitchen on the right, and straight ahead was the room of her uncle and aunt.
On the right side was her grandparents’ room.
That room was slightly larger, with an inner chamber inside, probably used for storage.
Now it served as the children’s room.
The old woman pulled the little girl along and kept talking.
Yuan Hongwei had already sent a letter home, with his first month’s wages of forty yuan tucked inside.
The whole family felt both happy and heartbroken.
They were happy that the child had finally left that place.
But heartbroken that such a large family still needed to rely on the child for support.
Yuan Hongwei hadn’t explained the details.
He only said that his younger sister helped him find the job, which was already enough to shock the family.
“Tell Grandmother, did you find someone for that job, or did you ask your father?”
There was a stepmother at home, and the old woman feared the child had been wronged there.
“Grandmother, don’t worry. It was my friend. I helped him with something, and he helped me get the quota.”
Mm.
Correct.
That was the truth.
“Grandmother, don’t worry. After I went to the countryside, I stopped contacting them. I’m living very well on my own.”
Correct.
Most people could not compare with the life she was living.
“Where are Uncle and Aunt?”
“They went to work. Your Brother Hongxiang took the two younger ones out to pick things up.”
Pick what?
There was no need to ask.
Anything that could be exchanged for money.
The old woman sighed again.
“Your Brother Hongxiang will soon have to go to the countryside too. We don’t know where he’ll be assigned. We only hope he won’t be sent somewhere like Hongwei was.”
Hm?
There was another one who had to go to the countryside?
The provincial capital factories allowed reporting after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month next year, so she had not been in a hurry to give the remaining three quotas to the village chief.
“Grandmother, can he go anywhere?”
The old woman smiled.
“Silly child. Wherever he’s assigned is where he goes. How could he choose?”
After thinking about it, Tang Tang decided to ask later.
She still didn’t know whether Brother Hongxiang had any thoughts of his own.
It was almost noon, so the old woman hurried to cook. The workers would soon return home for lunch.
Tang Tang quickly took things out from her basket while thinking about what to bring out for this family.
She followed the old woman to the kitchen and looked around.
There was only a thin layer of rice left at the bottom of the rice jar, probably saved for the elderly.
Beside it was a little cornmeal.
In the corner were a few potatoes and three cabbages.
The oil pot was also almost empty.
Seeing the little girl’s expression, the old woman comforted her.
“There are vegetables being supplied at the cooperative today. Your grandfather went to collect them. It would be good if he managed to grab some meat. Grandmother will make you something delicious.”
As she spoke, the old man returned outside.
“Old woman, open the door.”
The old woman hurried out.
“Your grandfather is back.”
Tang Tang followed her out.
The elderly man who entered was hunched over, holding things in his hands.
“I only managed to grab cabbage and tofu. There was very little of everything else, and it was gone quickly. My legs are slow, so I couldn’t snatch any. Tonight, make tofu soup for the children to satisfy their cravings. Add a little dried shrimp. I also managed to get some dried shrimp. It doesn’t require tickets.”
This old man, who felt satisfied after carefully managing to grab a little food, who considered tofu soup a treat, no longer resembled the person from her memories.
Tang Tang’s heart felt sour.
“Alright, I’ll make tofu soup. I was thinking that if I managed to grab meat, I could make something good for Tang Tang.”
Tang Tang?
His granddaughter?
“Grandfather.”
The old man looked at the little girl before him.
The child who once only reached his waist had already grown up.
“Ah. Ah.”
Tang Tang supported the old man into the house.
“Why did you come all by yourself? Your uncle said if the New Year holiday was long enough, he would go visit you. It’s dangerous for a little girl to travel alone!”
Such warm nagging.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, I brought you some food. I’m doing very well in the village. The villagers all treat me very well. Look at my face.”
It was still plump and fleshy.
Mm.
She probably really was doing well.
The two elders watched their granddaughter take things out of the basket.
Rice.
White flour.
Fish balls.
Braised meat.
Salted fish.
Pieces of meat.
Apples.
Milk powder.
Soon, the table was covered.
None of the portions were too large.
After all, the basket was only so big, and taking out too much would be unrealistic.
She planned to visit the post office in a few days and find a chance to bring out more things, then say they had been mailed.
No problem there.
The elderly couple were stunned.
The little girl used the same explanation again.
She had helped others, and they had given these to her. She couldn’t finish them by herself.
Thinking of their eldest grandson’s letter, which vaguely suggested that his younger sister was very capable, the old man decided not to ask.
It was normal for children to have their own secrets.
“Good. Then we’ll enjoy our granddaughter’s blessings too!”
Once the old man said that, the old woman stopped hesitating.
She stored away what could be kept and prepared the items that couldn’t be stored, planning to cook them for the two working adults and the children so they could satisfy their cravings.
How long had it been since they had tasted oil or meat?
The two old people could manage somehow, but the others couldn’t.
Without oil, thin porridge didn’t keep them full, they had no strength for work, and the children couldn’t grow properly.
The more the old woman thought about it, the more her heart ached.
Before long, the workers and children returned home after smelling the aroma.
A full table of meat dishes and pure rice made the children eat until their bellies were round.
The two adults were not far behind.
After putting down their chopsticks, they even felt embarrassed.
One meal instantly brought relatives who hadn’t seen each other in years closer together.
Especially the children.
This younger sister, or older sister, was truly amazing.
Eldest Brother had been right!
Yuan Hongxiang was an eighteen-year-old young man.
Unlike Yuan Hongwei’s steadiness, he was clever, lively, and cheerful.
He was similar to Jiang Tao in type, though he had not yet been polished by society.
He had already graduated high school but had not found work.
The next batch to go to the countryside would likely include him.
Tang Tang wasn’t sure what he wanted, so she deliberately found a chance to ask.
Yuan Hongwei was very casual about it.
“Then I’ll go. Anywhere is fine.”
“Do you want to work?”
“I’ve asked everywhere. There’s no recruitment.”
“Then, if there’s recruitment on Brother Hongwei’s side, would you go?”
“Of course I’d go. Anything is better than going to the countryside.”
It wasn’t that he couldn’t work.
He simply wasn’t someone who could endure being wronged.
If he were assigned to a place like his older brother had been, he definitely wouldn’t tolerate it.
Tang Tang understood.
Then that was enough.
“Then after the New Year, let’s leave together.”
…
“Go where?”
“To Brother Hongwei’s place.”
…
Successfully abducted one.
After Tang Tang arrived, the Yuan family’s living standard improved by more than one level.
Everyone’s complexion improved quite a lot, and even the old woman’s face gained a little flesh.
Whenever she had nothing to do, Tang Tang wandered all over the streets.
After more than a month, she had practically walked through every corner of Fengcheng.