My 1978 Hotel

When they arrived at the commune compound, they found that the commune leaders were away from home recently. Fortunately, Han Anjun came back early in the morning. He was a little surprised to see Li Feng with several strangers and six or seven children.

"An Jun, it's great that you're here."

Li Feng thought that it would be easier to get things done with acquaintances and it would save a lot of trouble.

"What are you doing?"

"That's what happened..."

Li Feng, following his previously agreed-upon confession, said these were children from relatives in the city who had recently come to the countryside to experience life during the National Day holiday. "Hey, what about these kids? An Jun, look at those two fat kids, my eldest cousin's. They've been eating like piglets. They heard our brigade was hit by a disaster, so he insisted I take them to the countryside for some exercise."

"exercise?"

Losing weight was not very popular these days, but being chubby was not a bad thing. However, when Han Anjun heard that Wu Xiaotian was only twelve or thirteen years old, he was shocked. He thought he was in his twenties. He was too tall and too fat.

"Yeah, exercise. My cousin's family is doing well."

Li Feng continued making up stories. "That's all for now. We'll have to provide our own money and food. And they said if we exercise well and lose weight, we'll even pay them money as a thank you. I thought, this is a great idea. Our team is looking for a few sisters-in-law, and life is getting tough. Let them go, and just eat and drink what they normally eat. Then we can earn some money and food to supplement our lives."

"When I told my cousins about it, they thought it was a good idea. They only made one request: they must not be treated specially. They must eat what others eat and do as much work as others do. It would be best if they could learn some farming skills so that they don't forget their roots."

Han Anjun thought that his cousin Li Feng was a very reasonable person. This was not a bad thing. His sister-in-law and her family suffered losses every year and were well-known "drain-drain households". It would definitely be good if they received subsidies.

"How many other children?"

"Oh, this matter."

Li Feng sighed and started making up stories again.

"It's about the same situation."

"When my relatives, who I had only been in touch with for a few days, heard that my cousin's child was going to the countryside for training, they came to me and said that although life is better now, the child has become more and more unruly. He doesn't want to eat anything and is very picky about food."

"You don't want to eat anything?"

Han Anjun didn't believe it and refused to eat even the most delicious food.

"That's right. They don't like pork or fish. My relatives are a bit capable and have some seafood, beef and mutton, but these kids don't like them either. They don't like milk, eggs or even cakes sold in department stores." Li Feng's words were not false at all. Li Ran's kids were just like that.

"Good guy."

Han Anjun thought that these children were fair and tender, and it was obvious that they did not come from an ordinary family. He heard that they did not want to eat big fish, meat, eggs, or milk, and were picky about seafood, beef, and mutton. What kind of family did this guy come from?

Really, no wonder the parents wanted to find Li Feng, but I'm afraid there will be trouble if he is brought to the countryside.

"Is this okay?"

Han Anjun said, "You're not eating all these good things. If you bring them back to Hanjiaba, I'm afraid there will be a big commotion."

"Oh, I thought so too."

Li Feng clapped his hands. "I said at the time that this wouldn't work. How could I, alone, manage such a group of young men and women? Look, the family has sent several adults to follow us."

Han Anjun thought that it was no wonder. He secretly looked at Wu Jing, Chen Long, and Liu Wen. They must have served in the military. Li Feng's relative must be from some big compound. Think about it, if he is a big cadre's family, how can they get fish, meat, milk, and eggs?

Seeing Han Anjun's expression shifting, Li Feng added another sliver. "I didn't want to agree at first, but they said they'd give us more money and food, and that everything would be up to us once we got to the brigade. So, I figured it was a good idea. We could settle a few families and each of us could keep one. Ten days or so, we could earn three to five pounds of rice and flour, plus a couple of dollars. Why not? In this drought year, earning more money and food would make this winter a little easier."

Han Anjun nodded. He had also been to the countryside in the past few days and had a general understanding of the autumn harvest situation of each brigade. It was a blessing if an acre of good crops could yield 70 to 80 kilograms. Thirty to fifty kilograms was normal, and some even had no harvest at all.

During the harvest, half of the more than one hundred laborers in the brigade were crying while harvesting, especially the women and children, who were crying like they were eating porridge. They had no food left for the winter and were really going to starve. They were not kidding.

Commune Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu had been discussing how to overcome this winter and spring famine. Relief grain was essential, but if the entire commune relied solely on it, the county government wouldn't approve. The two were terribly worried, and all they could do now was try to ensure no one starved to death this year.

As for having enough to eat, forget it. In some areas particularly affected by the drought, people are now eating three meals a day: one dry meal and two liquid meals. Dig up more tree roots in the mountains. If you can go hunting in the mountains, do so. If you can go digging trees, dig up roots and rhizomes.

The entire team, young and old, was mobilized. They went into the mountains to dig while they could still find some kudzu root, Polygonatum sibiricum, and tree roots. As for whether they would dig the mountain bare, they had no time to worry about it now. The only goal was to fill their stomachs.

Making every effort to prevent people from starving to death is the most important task of Maya Commune from this year to next spring. Although what Li Feng is doing now is a bit unconventional, it is ultimately to help the brigade's funnel households, which can be considered as solving part of his father's problem.

Han Anjun definitely supported it, and simply registered Wu Jing, Chen Long, and Liu Wen, and briefly mentioned the other children. After the registration was completed, Li Feng asked if the commune had any idle ox carts, horse carts, or donkey carts.
"Not now."

Han Anjun said, "Every brigade is busy with the autumn harvest right now, and Secretary Gao has already transferred the oxen and horse carts to the lower brigades."

"That's it."

That’s really troublesome. I’m afraid I really have to walk back to Hanjiaba.

"Wait, I remember."

Han Anjun slapped his forehead. "If there's any car left in the entire commune right now, I'm afraid it's only at the pig farm. They still have any."

"Pig farm?"

Li Feng was delighted. This was an easy matter. He was a great pig farming expert who had published a book. You know, the pig farm had invited him to give lectures many times. Except for the first time when he went because he wanted to get some meat tickets, he declined the other times.

Unexpectedly, the more he refused, the more attentive the pig farm became. They gave him meat coupons from time to time, which made Li Feng feel a little embarrassed. He was even considering whether he should go to give another lecture after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

"Then I'll go find Director Zhu."

Li Feng said to Li Muchen and the others, "Let's go to the pig farm. The commune doesn't have a car to take us back now."

"Pig farm?"

Liu Wen, Wu Jing, and Chen Long wondered if the commune had a car to take them there. The pig farm itself couldn't possibly send one. A few elementary school students, however, seemed quite interested in the farm and happily followed Li Feng and his group there.

"Expert Li?"

The gatekeeper saw Li Feng and quickly came over. "How did you find the time to come here? Please come in. I'll go call Technician Wang."

"Uncle Zhang, is Director Zhu here?"

"Director Zhu went to the county for a meeting early this morning."

As he spoke, Wang Yanjun quickly walked over and grabbed Li Feng's hand. "Expert Li, you're here! Come in and have some tea."

"Technician Wang, forget about the tea."

Li Feng couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he heard Zhu Xueqin. This Director Zhu was so enthusiastic that he was actually a little scared. "Technician Wang, I'm here to trouble you with something."

"You're so polite. Just tell me what you want to say."

Wang Yanjun is so impressed by Li Feng's skills that he even puts the books published by Li Feng under his pillow when he sleeps and studies whenever he has nothing to do.

"It's like this. I'm taking some people back to the commune, but I can't find a car. Is there any free horse-drawn carriage or ox-drawn cart at the pig farm that can give us a ride?"

"Yes, there was a big cart that had just delivered some pigs."

Wang Yanjun said. "It's just been cleaned, so there's a little bit of smell." "It's okay."

What’s a little smell of pig manure? It’s better than walking. In fact, Li Feng wanted to take these little kids for a run, but now, he should go back to the team first. After the task is completed, he will take these little kids for a good run.

They were let off today. Wang Yanjun quickly arranged for a driver. The large cart was comfortable enough for more than ten people, and Wang Yanjun even prepared a few meadows. "Expert Li, please come often when you have time."

"Will do."

Li Feng thought to himself, "Let's talk about it when I have time." He boarded the oxcart. The kids chattered, unable to get enough of the ride. "Cousin, the road back to the brigade is bumpy and dusty. Wrap yourself in a towel."

"Oh."

Liu Wen was now unsure whether she had been hypnotized or had truly traveled through time. Subconsciously, she followed Li Feng's advice and took out a towel to wrap her hair. "Li Ran, stop making such a fuss and quickly take out the towels and wrap your heads."

It hadn't rained in days, and the dust on the road was several inches thick. The oxcarts kicked up a lot of dust. If I didn't wrap myself properly, I might have white hair when I got home. Fortunately, Li Ran and the others were quite obedient, and wrapping my head with a towel was quite fun.

Li Feng thought to himself, thank goodness he didn't bring a white towel, otherwise if Li Ran had brought a white towel, he would have been in a dilemma. The road was so dusty that it was choking, and Li Feng had to yell at the driver to slow down.

Fortunately, it wasn't too far, and after a while, they finally reached Hanjiaba. After getting off the ox cart, Li Feng handed a pack of cigarettes worth 1.8 cents to the driver. "Master, thank you for the hard work."

"Expert Li, what are you talking about?"

The coachman was very happy. What a good cigarette! Normally, he wouldn't be willing to buy such a good one. After seeing him off, he waved to Li Ran and the others who were looking around curiously. "Stop looking and go inside."

As soon as we entered the yard, Daya and Erya ran over.

"dad."

Li Ran was stunned by the two calls of "Dad". Who are these two little girls? Why are they calling my dad "Dad"? Could it be that dad gave birth to them while mom was carrying them on his back? Li Feng saw his son staring at him and slapped his forehead. This guy had forgotten.

This matter caused a stir, so he quickly gave Li Muchen a look. It was difficult for him to explain at this time, but Li Muchen immediately understood. "Li Ran, I want to tell you something." He pulled Li Ran to the side.

Liu Wen, Wu Jing and Chen Long didn't understand what was going on, and they didn't know anything about Li Feng's family situation.

"what?"

Wu Xiaotian and the others knew a little bit about it. Li Feng glared at the little brats and told them to let Li Ran explain why he forgot about this when signing the contract. "Da Ya, Er Ya, have you eaten yet?"

"not yet."

Erya said to Li Feng happily, "Dad, Sister Susu caught a big rabbit today and stewed it. It's delicious."

"rabbit?"

Li Feng was a little surprised at how lucky she was. You know, there are not many rabbits in the mountains now, and it is not easy to catch rabbits when hunting. How did this girl catch one? When he went into the house and asked, he found out that she was lucky enough to dig up a rabbit nest while digging. She was really lucky.

"Hey, why are there so many left?"

"I stewed half of it."

Zhang Susu whispered, you know, in the past at her brother and sister-in-law's house, at most one-third or even less was stewed, this was already a lot.

"It's all stewed. There are a lot of people here today."

Li Feng put away the supplies he brought back and invited Liu Wen and the others to come in and sit down. Li Ran also came in with Li Muchen. Wu Xiaotian and the others ran to Li Ran's side when they saw him. Li Ran glanced at his father helplessly and whispered something to them.

Li Ran was actually quite speechless. He suddenly had two younger sisters. Really, his father was so capable. He recognized so many daughters at random.

"Everyone, wash your faces first."

Li Feng asked Daya and Erya to get some water for everyone to wash their faces. It was really dusty all the way, and everyone's face was covered in dust. However, he never thought these little brats were quite particular. After each person washed, he had to pour out the clean water.

"No, there's a drought here right now, and we don't have that much water for you to waste. Wash it all."

Just kidding, these boys and girls need to adapt to the current life in Hanjiaba and can’t be spoiled anymore.

"In the afternoon, I'll take you to each house to identify the door."

Li Feng looked at Li Ran. "You go too."

"understood."

Li Ran replied indifferently. Li Feng didn't take it seriously. He thought the boy would behave after a few days of training. "Then you two can rest for a while. Brother, you can stay with me for a while. I'll go to the team."

These words were said to Li Muchen, Liu Wen and others.

As for the little brats, Li Feng ignored them and went to the brigade to find Han Fuguo and talked to him.

"Can these children endure this hardship?"

"Uncle Fuguo, they came here to endure hardships, and the more hardships the better. If they don't change their bad habits, I won't let them return to the city. I've already made this clear with their parents," Li Feng said firmly. "Whoever disobeys will be beaten. Uncle Fuguo, my suggestion is to have An Bing lead them for a few nights and train them according to the militia. A little hardship is actually good for them. Otherwise, look at what they've become."

"Either you are picky or you become fat."

Although Li Feng felt that going through all the activities in the countryside was a bit excessive, some students really should be allowed to come down and experience it.

"Okay, you brought it, so you have the final say."

Han Fuguo said, "As for the amount of money and grain, please discuss it with your Uncle Futian."

"Row."

After finding Han Futian, Li Feng told him the story again. Han Futian was quite pleased. "That's a good thing. Okay, I'll do the math for you and give you the specific amount of money and grain when the time comes."

"You need to pay a deposit of 20 yuan first."

"Row."

A 20-yuan deposit and 20 kilograms of cornmeal per person were required for food. Li Feng nodded, agreeing that it was okay. "I won't talk about pickles for now; it will be converted into vegetable money later."

"Okay, Uncle Tomita, you have the final say."

Li Feng said with a smile. "But we've agreed that everyone's meals must be normal. These kids are here to experience life and need more exercise. They can't eat too well or too full."

"Just rest assured."

Han Futian thought to himself, look at the families you have arranged for, families calling you sister-in-law, An Dun, An Chun, An You, An Yu, An Cheng, they are in deficit every year and rely on relief every year, it is difficult for you to have enough to eat well.

"What are you going to do with those young men?"

"Arrange them to work. They can't eat and drink for free." Li Feng said as a matter of course. Liu Wen is not mentioned. Wu Jing and Chen Long are in good health and must do the twelve-centimeter heavy physical work. Liu Wen, a nutritionist, has no problem with her physical fitness and ten-centimeter physical work will not be a problem.

"A-choo." Liu Wen rubbed her nose. The dust was too thick and choking. (End of this chapter)