It was 1959.
“Little sister, can you tell me how to pronounce this character?” Gu Meng asked seriously, holding Gu Yihan’s first-grade elementary school textbook.
Gu Yihan glanced at it and said, “That character is pronounced ‘tián.’ It’s the ‘tián’ in ‘zhòngtián,’ which means to farm the fields.”
Watching Gu Meng’s earnest expression, Gu Yihan knew that she had changed.
Ever since the day her cheap parents had argued, she had sensed a change in Gu Meng, who had hidden the jealousy and resentment in her eyes.
Gu Meng had taken the initiative to ask for the elementary school textbooks Gu Yihan no longer used, asking if she could teach her to read. She said her parents would never let her go to school.
Gu Yihan had agreed. She was the beneficiary of this family; it was only normal for Gu Meng to feel envious and jealous.
She herself could only help Gu Meng in ways that didn’t harm her own interests. As for the path Gu Meng would take in the future, that was her own choice.
The drought was becoming more and more apparent. It hadn’t rained once since the beginning of the year.
Every day, Grandpa Gu, Gu Lao Da, and Gu Lao Er shuttled between the river and the fields to water the crops, hoping to salvage a larger harvest.
At noon, the whole family returned home to rest.
Grandma Gu said, “Lao Da’s wife, go make lunch. Make some Sweet Potato Dry Porridge and Wild Vegetable Corn Wotou.”
Wang Ni answered, “I know, Mother.”
Gu Yihan was genuinely worried that their family eating their fill every day would be too conspicuous.
“Grandma, we eat our fill every day while other families don’t. Will people try to borrow grain from us?”
Grandma Gu let out a chuckle and said, “Most of the people in our Gu Jia Village share the same surname. Back when the Commune wanted our village to set up a Great Canteen, the brigade leader, your Uncle Baoqing, ignored them. That’s why our village has surplus grain. Under normal circumstances, no one will starve to death.”
“Besides, when the country was first founded, the land was distributed to individual families. The harvests were good in those years, and no one in our village sold their grain,” Grandma Gu said slowly.
Gu Yihan was dumbfounded. No wonder, she thought. She remembered that the Great Canteen affair was supposed to have happened in ’58.
There seemed to be no sign of it in Gu Jia Village, and she had assumed it was because the course of events was different in this parallel world.
“Then why did you make the family dig for wild vegetables every day at the beginning?” Gu Yihan asked, puzzled.
Grandma Gu whispered into Gu Yihan’s ear, “One reason was to guard against your Eldest Aunt and your mother. The other was that I was truly scared of starvation and worried we wouldn’t have enough grain. Even though our family eats its fill now, we still mix dried wild vegetables into our steamed wotou every day, so we don’t consume that much grain.”
Seeing her granddaughter’s big eyes gazing at her with admiration, Grandma Gu felt extremely pleased. Everyone said she was biased.
But among all the people in the family, only this little granddaughter listened so attentively to whatever she said, never just humoring her.
“Big Brother, you head home first. I’m going to the river to take a bath,” said Gu Aidang.
“Alright,” Gu Aiguo replied. “If you’re back late, I’ll have Mother save you some food.”
On his way to bathe, Gu Aidang ran into Widow Zhao. The two exchanged a suggestive glance.
Widow Zhao followed him from a distance to a secluded spot behind a hill, out of sight.
Gu Aidang threw his arms around Widow Zhao. “Quick, let me kiss you. I haven’t seen you in so long, I’ve missed you to death.”
Widow Zhao also hugged Gu Aidang tightly. “What are you in such a rush for? Be careful, someone might see us.”
“Everyone’s gone home to eat at this hour. There’s no one around. Quick, give it to me. I’ve missed you like crazy,” Gu Aidang said, eagerly kissing Widow Zhao’s neck.
“Don’t be so hasty, don’t be so hasty,” Widow Zhao cooed deliberately.
Soon, a chorus of moans rose and fell from behind the hill. After the storm had passed.
“Aidang, when are you going to marry me?” Widow Zhao was anxious too. Her mother-in-law, accusing her of being a jinx who caused her husband’s death, had kicked her out. She was all alone and couldn’t earn many work points. She needed to find a man who could support her.
Gu Aidang said as he straightened his clothes, “What’s the rush? I’ll marry you whenever you give me a big, fat son.”
What Gu Aidang was actually thinking was: She was married to that man who died early for several years and never got pregnant. She’s been with me for two years now and still hasn’t gotten pregnant. How could she possibly conceive?