Courtyard House: After disbanding the Elderly Care Gang, I went to the countryside to cultivate immo

The joy of the grain being stored away hadn't even subsided when an even heavier pressure silently enveloped the entire Heisonggou Village—the delivery of grain to the state.

This is not as simple as just transporting the grain out.

For farmers of that era, delivering grain to the state was a top priority, a severe test, and even a source of considerable "pain." The standards for grain collection by state grain stations were notoriously stringent.

They only want the plumpest, driest, and finest "refined grains".

Rice grains should be round and plump with a golden color; soybeans should be round and glossy; corn kernels should be plump and meet the required hardness.

Moreover, the moisture content must be extremely low, and it must be thoroughly dried so that when you put it in your mouth and bite into it, it makes a crisp "crunch" sound, and it must be that dry that it can directly hurt your teeth.

Hu Guangming held the grain quota sheet issued by the township government, his brows furrowed in worry.

The numbers on the list are hard tasks that must be completed, and they must be completed with high quality and quantity.

"Don't rest, everyone!" Hu Guangming's hoarse voice rang out again in the village. "The grain quota has been released! We can't let anyone find fault with the grain from Heisonggou Village!"

Once the order was given, the members who had just breathed a sigh of relief had to brace themselves again.

As early as when the grain was stored, the grain for planting and the grain for delivering to the state had already been prepared. These grains were all selected from the best quality and stored together.

These were all good grains, grown by their own hands, harvested with painstaking effort. Now, having to select the best to send away, there was a touch of reluctance in their hearts, but no one hesitated. Everyone knew that failing to deliver qualified grain would not only mean failing to complete the task, but could also affect the evaluation of the entire commune and even the county, and might even lead to the withholding of the grain resale quota, resulting in even greater losses.

Lin Shengli, Li Kuiyong, and other educated youth also participated.

They carried heavy sacks of grain, moved the stored grain back to the sunniest and flattest spot on the threshing floor, and spread it out thinly on the cleanest reed mats.

The requirements for drying this time are much stricter than those before the product was put into storage.

The sun has become the most precious resource.

"Turn it over! Turn it over frequently! It's damp underneath!"

"The sun is setting over there, move the mat over there!"

"Keep an eye on the sparrows! Those thieving creatures only pick the best ones to eat!"

The children were also given a new task—chasing away sparrows.

They patrolled the threshing ground with bamboo poles tied with tattered rags or by banging on broken iron basins. When they saw birds landing, they would rush over and shoo them away, becoming veritable "little guardians of the grain."

Once the grains have been dried to a certain extent, Hu Guangming or the experienced farmers would casually grab a small handful of grains, put them in their mouths, and bite down hard with their molars.

"Crack!" The sound was crisp and clean, and the grain shattered instantly, with almost no softness or resilience.

"Hmm, that's about enough. Let it dry in the sun for another half day."

Sometimes when you bite into it, it feels a bit chewy or makes a dull sound, and then you have to shake your head: "No, it's still damp, keep drying it!"

To achieve this "unbreakable" standard, grains often need to be exposed to the almost cruel autumn sun for two or three days, and must be turned over constantly to ensure that every grain is heated and dried evenly.

The aroma of grain in the air seemed to have become even richer and purer from the sun, but everyone was on edge, fearing a sudden autumn rain.

Finally, after several days of careful selection and exposure to the scorching sun, the grain used for the public grain delivery met the almost demanding dryness standard.

The bulging, heavy burlap sacks were sewn shut again and neatly stacked at the warehouse entrance, awaiting their final journey.

The night before departure, Hu Guangming gathered all the people involved in transporting the grain—mainly the strongest laborers and the most reliable oxen and cart drivers in the team, as well as several educated youths, including Lin Shengli, who volunteered to go and help out and see what it was like.

"Tomorrow, load the carts before dawn!" Hu Guangming said solemnly. "Ox carts, horse carts, donkey carts—use whatever you can! Be careful when loading; tie the bags tightly and stack them securely. They can't be jostled apart on the road!"

"Our Heisonggou Village isn't the closest to the township, but we absolutely can't fall behind! You all know what the situation is like at the grain station. If you go late, the queue will stretch for miles! You might not be able to pay that day and end up spending the night in the township, which is a huge waste of time and energy!"

"So, no dawdling on the road tomorrow! Drivers, stay alert and go as fast as you can! When we get to the grain station, read my signals and be quick!"

Everyone nodded, the atmosphere somewhat heavy, as if they were not going to deliver grain, but to complete an important military mission.

The next day, while the morning star was still hanging in the sky, Heisonggou Village had already woken up.

In the light of torches and oil lamps, shadowy figures could be seen.

The men shouted work chants as they carried heavy sacks of grain on their shoulders and carefully loaded them onto various vehicles.

There were the most oxcarts, with old oxen snorting and standing there obediently; there were only two or three horse-drawn carts, which looked more impressive; and a few donkey carts, with the ears of the little donkeys perked up.

The vehicle was loaded to the brim, with sacks stacked high and tightly bound together with thick hemp ropes to prevent them from scattering during the bumpy ride.

Hu Guangming personally inspected each vehicle, shaking the ropes vigorously to ensure they were secure, before waving his hand and shouting, "Let's go!"

A somewhat disorganized but hopeful grain transport team, consisting of oxen, horses, and donkey carts, creaked and groaned out of Heisonggou Village in the hazy morning light and embarked on the dirt road leading to the township grain station.

At first, the procession remained quiet, with only the creaking of wheels on the dirt road, the snorting and hoofbeats of the livestock, and the occasional shouts from the driver.

But as the sky brightened and the sunlight dispelled the chill, the atmosphere gradually became more lively.

The road conditions were poor, full of potholes and dusty.

Ox-carts are slow and steady, horse-drawn carts are slightly faster but bumpy, and donkey carts are agile but have less endurance.

Lin Shengli and Li Kuiyong were seated on grain sacks in a horse-drawn carriage. As they bounced up and down, they felt their internal organs shaking.

"My God, this road is fucking awful." Li Kuiyong gripped the rope binding the grain tightly, his face pale.

"Just bear with it, consider it a free sedan chair ride, the kind with really stiff springs." Lin Shengli found humor in the hardship; he was physically fit and adapted quickly.

The oxcart in front was overloaded, and one of its wheels got stuck in a deep rut. The oxen were pulling hard but couldn't get it out. The carts behind it immediately got stuck in a traffic jam.

"Quick! Give us a push!"

Several men jumped off the cart and ran to the back of the oxcart, shouting, "One, two, three—heave-ho!" With a burst of effort, the oxcart jerked violently, its wheels rolling out of the mud pit, splashing mud all over the pushers and eliciting a burst of laughter.

As I passed through a grove of trees, I startled the birds in the trees, and they fluttered away in a flurry.

A sharp-eyed young man pointed to the roadside bushes: "Look! A pheasant!"

Sure enough, a brightly colored wild rooster was startled by the convoy, darted out of the bushes, and ran frantically along the roadside.

"Catch it! It'll be an extra dish tonight!" someone shouted, and several teenagers jumped out of the car and gave chase. The pheasant ran incredibly fast, sometimes darting into the bushes, sometimes flying a few steps, causing the chasers to shout and tumble several times. In the end, they could only watch helplessly as it disappeared into the deeper forest, leaving behind only regret and laughter.

"It's lucky it survived!"

"At your speed, you couldn't even catch a chicken feather!"

This little incident made the team atmosphere more relaxed.

The cart drivers started joking with each other, talking about the funny things that happened in which village when they handed over grain last year.

The warm sunshine shone on my body, and the air was filled with the unique smell of soil, livestock, and grain.

Although the journey was bumpy and arduous, everyone's mood was not gloomy due to the group activities and occasional amusing incidents.

However, as the sun rose higher and they got closer to the village, the number of grain transport convoys on the road gradually increased.

Teams from other villages and communes converged on the main road from different directions.

Ox carts, horse carts, and donkey carts formed a slow, crawling dragon, with dust billowing, animals neighing, and people making a cacophony of voices.

Everyone had the same goal—the township grain station.

Seeing this, Hu Guangming's expression turned serious again, and he kept urging the convoy from his village, "Faster! Faster! Don't let them overtake us!"

Despite their hurried pace, when the convoy from Heisonggou Village finally saw the gray buildings and fluttering red flags of the township grain station, the sight before them still made everyone's hearts sink.

Outside the grain depot gate, a long line of grain transport vehicles stretched as far as the eye could see! The sounds of cattle, horses, and donkeys, along with shouts and arguments, mingled together, dust filled the air, and the atmosphere was foul.

The team moved forward at a snail's pace.

Some who arrived early looked like they had been queuing for most of the day, with the drivers squatting on the shafts, smoking their pipes with anxious expressions; others who arrived late craned their necks to look ahead, muttering curses under their breath.

Hu Guangming jumped off the carriage, stood on tiptoe to look ahead for a long time, and then squeezed to the front to find out what was going on. When he came back, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

He sighed heavily, wiped the sweat and dust from his face, and waved to Lin Shengli, Li Kuiyong, and the other young men and educated youth who had followed him:

"Alright, you kids, you've been busy harvesting and drying grain lately, and you're exhausted. Now that you're here, do you see the long queue?" He pointed to the long line. "We're in line here! I reckon we might have to wait until sunset, and we might not even be able to hand it in today! Don't just sit here and waste your time feeding mosquitoes and eating dust."

He paused, his tone softening slightly: "The countryside isn't like our village. You should go out together, explore, and see what's interesting. Go to the supply and marketing cooperative and the post office, buy whatever you need, and send some letters. Remember, don't go too far, don't cause trouble, keep an eye on the sun, and come back here to meet the convoy around dusk!"

The young people's eyes lit up at the mention of this. After being cooped up in the village for so long, they finally had a chance to see the "city"!

Although this "city" was just a slightly larger town, it was still attractive enough. They cheered, greeted their elders in their respective cars, and then dispersed in groups of three or five, laughing and joking, like a flock of birds flying out of their cages, instantly merging into the noisy crowd around the grain station.

Lin Shengli, Li Kuiyong, Jiang Yuanchao, and Wei Min, four educated youths, naturally came together.

They were different from the young people from other villages; besides curiosity, they also had real needs.

"Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative first!" Li Kuiyong was the most enthusiastic. "I'm almost out of soap, and I need to buy some stationery too."

"Me too, I'm out of ink and my notebook is almost empty." Jiang Yuanchao adjusted his glasses.

Wei Min smiled憨厚ly and said, "I just wanted to buy some needles and thread. My socks have a hole in them and I haven't mended them yet."

Lin Shengli nodded: "Let's go together, I'll see if I need anything."

The four walked through the crowded outer area of ​​the grain station and headed towards the direction of the supply and marketing cooperative in their memory.

The road was full of farmers like them, coming to deliver their grain tax, wearing patched clothes, their faces bearing similar weariness and anticipation.

Along the streets, some temporary stalls selling tea, sesame cakes, and repairing shoes and tires have sprung up, and business is surprisingly good, all to serve the grain-delivering army.

The township supply and marketing cooperative was much more impressive than the village's sales outlets; it was a row of brick and tile houses with gleaming glass counters.

There were quite a few people inside, mostly commune members who came to deliver grain and buy things along the way.

The variety of goods has also increased significantly. Although it is still a planned supply and requires ration coupons, at least you can see some items that are rarely seen in the village, such as floral fabrics, thermos flasks, enamel basins, flashlights, and even bicycle parts.

Li Kuiyong went straight to the daily necessities counter and bought soap, stationery, and envelopes.

Jiang Yuanchao bought ink, several new notebooks, and two pencils.

Wei Min picked out a bag of needles and a ball of black thread.

Lin Shengli looked around but didn't buy anything. He didn't lack anything right now. If he needed anything, he could just go out and run around, take it out of his spatial storage, and say that he bought it in the countryside. Who would care?

Leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, carrying their newly purchased items, they felt a little more at ease. Next, they went to the rural post office.

The post office was also crowded with people, mostly there to mail letters or pick up money orders.

Li Kuiyong indeed pulled out a thick stack of letters, all of which he had written in his spare time during this period, to his mother, his younger siblings, and a few close friends in Beijing.

He leaned over the simple cement counter, carefully filling in the address and affixing the stamp. His focused expression seemed to be sealing all his longing and words of reassurance into the envelope.

Jiang Yuanchao and Wei Min also sent letters home.

Lin Shengli looked at them, thought for a moment, and then walked to the counter, buying two sheets of stationery and two envelopes. He hesitated for a moment, then picked up his pen and began to write.

One letter was addressed to Wang Aiguo. It was simple, mainly to let him know that he was safe and sound, briefly describing his life in Heisonggou Village and thanking him for his previous care. The tone was respectful and concise.

The other letter was to He Yuzhu, and he wrote a little more of it.

Besides letting him know he was safe and thanking him for the rent he sent, he also briefly mentioned life in the village, talked about the autumn scenery in Northeast China, and finally told Sha Zhu to take care of his health and study his craft well. His words revealed a friend-like concern that was neither too close nor too distant.

Lin Shengli affixed stamps to the two letters and dropped them into the dark green mailbox. Hearing the soft "thump," a slight ripple stirred in his heart.

This can be considered a faint, ritualistic connection with acquaintances in the courtyard houses and the old city of Beijing.

When I came out of the post office, the sun was already setting.

They stopped wandering around and each bought two sesame seed cakes from a roadside stall, which they ate with the cold water they had brought with them, thus solving their lunch problem.

Then they started walking back to find the convoy from Heisonggou Village.

Back near the grain depot, the long queue seemed to have only moved forward a short distance.

The noise, dust, and anxiety were even greater than in the morning. When they found their own caravan, Hu Guangming was squatting on the shaft of a cart, smoking with a furrowed brow, and the drivers also looked exhausted.

Seeing Lin Shengli and the others return, Hu Guangming nodded: "You're back? Is everything alright?"

"It's alright, Captain, everything's fine," Lin Shengli replied.

"Well, that's good. Judging from this situation..." Hu Mingchao gestured forward with his chin, "It looks like we might really have to spend the night here."