Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

After dinner, the children all left. Xu Huizhen chatted with Uncle Xu. She said, "Uncle, Jianmei and I went to the mountains today. Crescent Bay is a good place. I have an idea. Do you want to hear it?"

Uncle Xu: "Tell me about it."

Xu Huizhen: "You also know that the food and meat in our city are in limited supply. For example, if I want to eat meat, I have to buy it with meat coupons. Without meat coupons, I can't buy meat. And each of us has less than 8 taels of meat coupons per month. It's not enough to eat. I think we can raise pigs, chickens, and ducks in the valley near Yueya Bay. When they grow up, I can send a car to buy them, and I guarantee that the price will be higher than what you sell to the purchasing station. In addition, our village is all mountainous, with a lot of land dams and earth slopes, including some corners and wastelands that are not suitable for growing food. You can grow soybeans, mung beans, peanuts, etc. These don't need to pay public grain, and I can also collect them. This can also increase the income of the villagers."

Uncle Xu: "It's good, but if we raise these animals in the mountains, someone has to live there all year round. Who would be willing to do that?"

Xu Huizhen: "This is easy. Money talks. If you pay them a little more, some people will be willing to go. If that doesn't work, let those with bad family backgrounds go. Those people have been criticized for so many years that they can't stand up straight. It's much quieter in the mountains, and they don't have to be criticized."

Uncle Xu: "That's a good idea. I'll discuss it with the brigade secretary later."

Xu Huizhen: "We can also raise fish in Crescent Bay. Wild fish grow slowly. As long as we block the exit with a net to prevent the big fish from escaping, and put some fish food into the water regularly, we can harvest a lot of fish every year."

Uncle Xu: "Huizhen, is this against the law? We can't do anything against the law."

Xu Huizhen: "Of course we can't do it openly. We can just say we sold it to a state-owned purchasing station. As long as the village leaders keep their mouths shut, there won't be any problems. As long as the villagers can make money, who would want to go against money?"

Uncle Xu: "I need to ask the secretary about this matter first."

Xu Huizhen: "Well, you can tell him that we can try a little less this year, and let each family raise more chickens, ducks, and pigs. I will collect the rest except for those given to the state. After seeing the benefits, everyone will be motivated. You are better at handling such things than me. If you are not sure, I can pay a deposit to the village first, and you can use the money to build a few houses in the mountains, or build pig pens and duck houses."

At this point, Uncle Xu stood up and said, "I'm going to the secretary's house."

Only Xu Huizhen and Aunt Xu were left in the room. Aunt Xu sighed and said, "Huizhen, I want to ask you for a favor."

Xu Huizhen: "Tell me about it."

Second Aunt Xu: "Can you find a man for Jianmei in the city? This child has a miserable life."

It turned out that Jianmei had been raped last year. At the end of last summer, it suddenly rained heavily. Xu Jianmei ran home from the mountain. Because the rain was too heavy, when she passed the orchard at the foot of the mountain, she ran to the small house that looked after the orchards to avoid the rain. After entering the small house, she thought there was no one inside, so she took off her wet coat, wrung out the water, and was left wearing only a small vest.

Unexpectedly, in the dim corner, there was a man lying in the haystack, watching all this. This man was also from Xujiawan, with many brothers in his family, and his mother's reputation was not very good. He was the second child in the family and had no wife at the age of 26.

Xu Jianmei's looks were not the best in the village, but they were pretty good. The man was so excited that he lost his mind for a moment, rushed out from the corner, grabbed Jianmei, and pushed her into the haystack.

Xu Jianmei was terrified and shouted for help, but the only response she got was the sound of the rain. She fought back, but she was not as strong as the man. Tragedy ensued.

Later, by coincidence, two more villagers came into the house to take shelter from the rain. Seeing her dishevelled clothes and tear-stained face, Jianmei was confused. She wrapped herself in clothes and rushed out of the house.

After returning home, she told Aunt Xu about the crying incident. In those days, just a few years after the liberation, if a woman lost her virginity, she would be ashamed to face people. Everyone looked at her with strange eyes. It was even harder to find a husband. This reputation would make you unable to hold your head up for the rest of your life.

还有一条路，就是嫁给那个男人。但是徐家选择了另一条路。徐二叔带着两个儿子，把那人拳打脚踢，揍了一顿，送去了公安局。

Because someone saw it, the story spread throughout the village. The man was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and it became a big news in the surrounding area. Jianmei's reputation was also ruined.

Only then did Xu Huizhen understand why Jianmei had married far away in her previous life.

Aunt Xu said, "If I can marry into the capital, I can rest assured that you will take care of me. It doesn't matter if the conditions are not good, we don't want a dowry. We won't come to ask for money in the future."

Aunt Xu's attitude was very sincere, so Xu Huizhen couldn't refuse. She said, "Okay, I'll go back and ask around to see if there's anyone suitable."

At night, Xu Huizhen, Jianmei and Jianju slept on the same kang. Before going to bed, Xu Huizhen comforted Jianmei and said, "Jianmei, your mother told me about your problem. I will handle it when I get back. You don't have to think too much about it. It's not your fault. When you go to the capital, no one will know about this. You can hold your head high and live your life."

Xu Jianmei remained silent.

Jianju was also a smart girl. She said, "Cousin, in a few years, you should find me a partner in the city. I also want to be a city dweller."

Xu Huizhen: "You little girl, you want to get married at this age, aren't you ashamed?"

Jianju: "I just want to live in the city, what's there to be shy about?"

The next day, after breakfast, the village secretary Xu Shulin came over. Xu Huizhen brainwashed him: "Secretary, our country is a planned economy and it will last for many years. The disadvantage of this policy is that it is not flexible enough. Many people in the city can't buy things even if they have money. For example, if someone has a wedding or a patient needs to eat something good to replenish the body, they will spend a high price to buy meat and eggs. If you have these things, you can sell them at a higher price than the purchasing station. If necessary, we can exchange things. For example, you need cloth, farm tools, or even jobs. This is also a good thing for the village. And our village has a geographical advantage. We can do breeding and planting in the mountains. You are better at these than me."

It is 1956 now, and the capitalist tail has not yet been cut off, and there is no regulation that a family can only raise three chickens. Xu Hui really wants to let the villagers taste the sweetness now, so that when the wind is tight, there will be countermeasures. Since ancient times, money has moved people's hearts, and in the face of interests, there will be ways.

After some discussion, Xu Huizhen said: Anything edible, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, fish, meat, eggs, cereals, wild fruits from the mountains, mountain products, etc. are all fine.

Finally, Xu Huizhen left 200 yuan as their start-up capital. There was no other way. The village was too poor. If the villagers were asked to raise money, it would be very difficult. It was agreed that the payment for goods would be used to pay off the debt in the fall.

Even if she lost all this money, Xu Huizhen could still bear it. It was like doing something for her hometown people.