Chapter 7

"Xiaojuan, be good at home, wait for Dad to come back with some treats."

The next morning, Lidong got up eagerly. Not having to go to work made him feel that the air was much fresher. Thinking about how he could probably make a little money with his decades of experience at the commune, and buy some candies to show off in front of Xiaojuan, made him even more excited.

As he thought about it, he might even be able to bring back some meat to satisfy his craving today. Lidong's mood improved even more. He instructed Xiaojuan to stay at home and be good, then eagerly left the house.

At the village entrance, Han Weiguo was already waiting. Lidong was a bit confused when he saw that it was only Han Weiguo and nothing else. "Brother Weiguo, are we just going like this?" That's not right, it's over ten miles, no tools, are we walking? You must be joking.

"What's wrong?"

Han Weiguo looked puzzled. What's wrong, is this kid causing trouble again? "Let's go early, come back early to work, let's go."

At this point, it was just past five, the air was still a bit cool. But over ten miles is no joke, and besides, it's not easy to get out of the village. "Brother Weiguo, our team doesn't have bicycles or anything, wouldn't it be faster if we rode bikes?"

"We're not a large team, where would we get bicycles? Besides, the commune is so close, why would we need bicycles?"

Han Weiguo thought Lidong was just lazy. It's just over ten miles, it's a breeze to get there. It's better to take advantage of the cool morning to finish the business and not delay the work.

Before leaving, Han Guofu had already instructed him to keep a close eye on Lidong and make sure he doesn't run away. He owes the team a lot of grain, and if he runs, what will they do? They need the grain back.

"Our production team isn't a large team?"

"Our production team only has about a hundred people, how can it be a large team?"

Han Weiguo walked and talked, urging Lidong to keep up. Lidong, who was at least half a head taller and had longer legs, could barely keep up, almost running. No wonder people used to run to cities dozens of miles away and back in a day. Lidong now believed it, this speed was almost a sprint.

Lidong quickened his pace and muttered about the team having over a hundred people, wondering if he was being lied to. He always thought there were more people. "Why haven't I seen people from other production teams?"

Usually, large teams work together, and according to Lidong's limited understanding, a large team usually has three or four production teams.

"The large teams have been merged into the commune."

Han Weiguo explained. There's a bit of a story here. Chicheng County is mostly mountainous, and Han's production team is in the mountains. Initially, the large teams managed three to five villages, but these villages were too far apart, with the farthest being over ten miles away.

You can imagine, a large team meeting, shouting for a long time and no one hears. So, the large teams were merged into the commune, and a deputy secretary of the commune oversees these production teams.

No wonder there are no bicycles. Large teams usually have at least one bicycle, and some even have their own retail stores, tractors, and processing plants.

A production team is a level lower than a large team, usually with a political instructor. Han's production team is simpler, with a team leader, a women's team leader, an accountant, and a warehouse manager.

Lidong chatted all the way, finally getting a good understanding of Han's production team. The team now has ten water buffalo and a small pig farm with only five or six pigs. It's not exactly poor, but it's not rich either. There is a cart, but Lidong hasn't earned the right to use it. The cart is only used for major events like childbirth in the village. As for tractors, the production team doesn't have any.

There are not many production teams in the entire Lishan commune that have tractors, especially not in the mountainous areas where the land is small and uneven, and tractors are not useful. Most importantly, there are no tractors to be allocated.

After over ten miles, Lidong was panting, but Han Weiguo didn't seem tired at all. By the time they reached the commune, the sun was just rising. Lidong felt like he had run the whole way, wiping sweat from his forehead, feeling hungry. He realized he was always hungry since coming here, eating a lot but getting hungry quickly. He wished he had gotten up earlier to roast a sweet potato.

Han Weiguo had to go do some business, and Lidong had no choice but to follow. Han Weiguo's words on the way scared Lidong: if you see a Red Guard you don't know, they'll grab you, and at the crossroads, they'll rob and kill without hesitation!

Scared, Lidong didn't dare to run around. Seeing Han Weiguo go in to do business, Lidong wanted to go get something to eat, but when he felt his pocket, it was empty. Moreover, the Lishan commune didn't have any state-owned restaurants or bun shops, so there was nowhere to buy food.

"No gatekeeper?"

The commune was just a black-socked gray-brick house with some slogans and banners, and no one at the entrance. Lidong muttered to himself. The walls outside the yard were covered with notices, and Lidong glanced at them, seeing slogans about studying Chairman Hua's report.

Han Weiguo went to do business, and Lidong waited outside. The problem was that Han Weiguo found an old gatekeeper to watch him. Lidong was speechless, wondering if the old man thought he would run away with an empty pocket. How could there be no trust between people?

Lidong was a bit sad but still tried to chat with the old man. He learned that the Lishan commune's office was small, but the area it managed was large, with the farthest production team over thirty miles away in the mountains, and the entire commune had four to five thousand people.

Lidong also learned that the Lishan commune had a tractor that went to the city on weekends, but it cost money and required an introduction letter. It was not easy to go to the county town. Lidong didn't know that in those days, people didn't take vehicles to the city; they would rather buy two pieces of rice candy for their children or a pound of soy sauce and vinegar. But it was only thirty to forty miles, and it was a breeze to get there.

Lidong listened to the old man, who said it was a breeze to get there, and rolled his eyes. You guys are all fast runners, impressive, but I can't keep up.

"Old man, you're busy."

Seeing Han Weiguo finish his business and come out, Lidong quickly went to meet him.

Han Weiguo nodded at Lidong and prepared to take him to buy stamps to write a letter to his relatives in the city. Sending a telegram was a joke, it was too expensive. Stamps cost a few cents, and a letter with an envelope and paper cost only twelve cents.

After buying the stamps, envelope, and paper, Lidong glanced at the nearby supply cooperative.

"Brother Weiguo, can you lend me a yuan?"

"A yuan?"

"Brother Weiguo, I came to the commune to buy some things to take back, but I forgot to bring money."

Lidong was in a tough spot, living a poor life.

Han Weiguo hesitated for a long time, then bit his lip and took out a yuan to give to Lidong. A yuan was not a small amount; Han Weiguo usually had only a little more than a yuan in his pocket.

"Be careful with it."

"Don't worry, I'll pay you back soon."

Lidong eagerly ran to the supply cooperative, having already found out its location. Han Weiguo saw the direction Lidong was going and his face changed, regretting not reminding Lidong not to spend the money on food.

Han Weiguo quickly followed. Lidong walked into the supply cooperative and looked at the shelves full of items—food, daily necessities, clothing, tools—quite a variety.

"Comrade, what would you like to buy?"

"I'll look, I'll look."

Lidong, who was over 1.8 meters tall, well-built, and wearing a T-shirt and shorts from the 1980s, looked quite fashionable, and the salesperson was quite polite.

The supply cooperative salesperson had a good job, a stable position, and was highly respected in the village. If you had a relative in the supply cooperative, you were considered a big deal in the countryside. People usually treated them well because they needed their help for weddings and other important events.

At that time, resources were limited, and many things needed to be pre-ordered. New pots, hot water bottles, and other items needed to be reserved in advance, or they would be out of stock. This required the help of the salesperson, making them a highly sought-after profession in the commune.

Of course, the salespeople in the department stores were even more powerful, sometimes not even giving face to the commune secretary or county leaders.

"Cheaper than I thought."

Lidong looked around and asked about prices. Rice was 15.6 cents per pound, flour was 18.2 cents per pound, soy sauce was 12 cents per bottle, and eggs were 70 cents per pound...

A yuan was a lot. Lidong was about to buy something when Han Weiguo ran in.

"Brother Weiguo, what's up?"

Han Weiguo saw Lidong holding a yuan and forgot what to say. "Ah, do you need cloth coupons?"

"What do I need cloth coupons for?"

Lidong muttered. A pair of stockings cost 1.5 yuan, a shirt cost 6-7 yuan, and even shorts were too expensive. He didn't need cloth coupons. However, compared to food, cloth was quite expensive. The cheapest plain cloth cost 2-3 cents per foot, and Lidong needed at least 6-7 feet to make a shirt, costing over a yuan.

Lidong decided not to look at the expensive clothes and shoes, which cost 3-5 yuan, and focused on food. Food was healthy and tasty. "Brother Weiguo, I don't need cloth coupons. Do you have meat coupons?"

"No."

Han Weiguo thought, as expected, this kid is a glutton, dreaming of buying meat. Besides, there was no state-owned meat shop in the commune, and you had to go to the county town to buy meat. Han Weiguo thought his family didn't have many meat coupons, and Lidong would have to figure it out himself.

Lidong muttered, no meat, forget it, let's buy some snacks. "Hey, they sell chicks here?"

He bought a can of preserves, a chick, and a small bag of rice candy, leaving 20 cents for the bus fare. Satisfied, Lidong walked and ate, enjoying the rice candy, which was fragrant and sweet. "Brother Weiguo, try this, it's really sweet."

Han Weiguo's face turned pale. This was a yuan, enough to buy seven or eight pounds of salt, enough for a family for half a year. Now it was spent on preserves and rice candy. This was a waste.

Why was he so foolish? He had been instructed not to lend money, but he did. Han Weiguo regretted it all the way, his face turning green. Lidong ignored him and continued to eat happily.

When they got home, Lidong happily handed the chick to Xiaojuan, making her very happy. But when he took out the can of preserves and rice candy from behind his back, Xiaojuan burst into tears. She was worried about where the money came from and what her new father had done wrong.

Han Weiguo was now thinking about how to explain to Han Guofu. He shouldn't have lent the money. Now what would he say when they got back?

Lidong thought Xiaojuan was happy, but she was crying because she hadn't had rice candy for a long time. "Be good, don't cry. When Dad has money, I'll buy you some White Rabbit milk candies. They are soft, sweet, and have a fresh milk flavor, very delicious."

Lidong's words made Xiaojuan cry even louder. How much would such delicious milk candies cost? At least five cents each. She was worried about her new father's laziness and the lack of food. The thought of hunger made her even s