Era: 1962, the rise of vocabulary and related terms

Late autumn, 1962.

Red Star Commune.

Yan Xiao, who was leisurely resting, looked up at the sky.

Rumbling--

"It's raining! It's raining!"

"Quickly! Harvest the seeds right away!"

A loud bang echoed through the sky, followed by a deafening thunderclap. The once clear blue sky was instantly covered with dark clouds.

The grain and seeds drying in the open space of the production team were the only hope for the entire commune to survive the cold winter and look forward to having enough to eat in the coming year.

In an instant, all the commune members sprang into action, men, women, and children rushing to the open space without regard for anything else, racing against time to harvest the crops.

Baskets, winnowing baskets, and even clothes became tools. People used both their hands and feet to gather the scattered grain seeds on the ground and put them into bags.

The commune leader's shout sounded particularly anxious: "Hurry! Be quick! It's okay if we can't handle the small ones, save the big ones first! Hurry! Hurry!"

Rumbling--

The roar in the sky exploded again, startling people into speeding up.

In an open space, several people kept reminding one person.

"Hey kid, hurry up! What will you do if the seeds get rained on!"

"That's right, if these seeds get rained on, we'll trade them for your own grain! Do you understand?"

"None of your business!" Yan Xiao retorted casually as he bent down to tidy up.

"Hey! What's with your attitude? So what if you've studied a few more years? You have no manners at all. Can't you answer my questions properly? You've wasted all your education!"

Yan Xiao wasn't about to tolerate them: "Shut up! Hurry up and collect it, or you'll have to exchange grain for it too!"

"Hey you over there, shut up and get ready!" Captain Ye Xingguo shouted when he heard the voice.

The others dared not say anything more, but they also lowered their heads and glared at him angrily.

Drizzle—

Raindrops gradually fell, splashing up specks of dust.

"Hurry! Hold on tight!"

Rumbling--

The raindrops started sparsely, but soon they connected into lines, and finally turned into a torrential downpour, with thunder and lightning flashing across the sky.

The yellowish-brown ground was instantly soaked and darkened, forming murky puddles.

After the harvest was over, the commune members rushed into the brigade's warehouse in a panic to take refuge.

Squad leader Ye Xingguo, experienced as ever, frowned as he saw the rain showed no signs of letting up: "Don't just stand there like idiots! This rain isn't going to stop anytime soon!"

"Quickly stack the grain seeds up off the ground! Use planks and bricks to raise them at least thirty centimeters! Check the roof too, and lay straw on it to prevent leaks from ruining the grain!"

Once the order was given, everyone got busy again.

The warehouse was filled with the sounds of sacks being moved and planks being erected.

Soon, the mountain of grain seeds was safely raised to keep away from any rainwater that might seep in, and the weak points of the roof were covered with a thick layer of straw.

Seeing that the mountain of grain seeds in the warehouse was temporarily safe, everyone's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

"This year's autumn harvest was not in vain. With these grain seeds, we can look forward to next spring and we will be able to avoid going hungry for a few more meals."

"Yes, a few years ago... people were so hungry their stomachs were practically touching their backs, they even ate tree bark and grass roots. My parents... sigh, if only we could have made it to this year..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions darkened.

Yan Xiao is the same.

He had only recently come into this world; the original owner's parents had died one after another during that great famine.

My mother passed away long ago, and my father, suffering from severe edema, finally succumbed to his illness not long ago.

This enormous blow directly led to the original owner's death, which is why he, in 2026, transmigrated here.

Fortunately, he was not alone and helpless; he had his uncle and aunt to help him.

With two elders and their children around, few dared to bully him because his parents had passed away.

Living in the future, he only knew about the current situation from books. Now that he has experienced it firsthand, he understands that life in the countryside is really damn hard.

We had to leave home before dawn, especially this past month. We had to go out to harvest grain before daybreak and didn't get back until dark. We even had to work for another hour or two at night.

The most important thing is that you can't shower every day.

Ye Xingguo tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, then took a deep drag: "Alright, alright! Let's not talk about that anymore! Swallow the bitterness of the past! Life goes on! Better days are ahead!"

"We'll have to wait and see."

Everyone fell silent.

Rumbling--

Outside, the thunder and rain grew even louder.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of rain gradually stopped.

Rainwater had accumulated in the numerous pits of varying sizes on the ground.

The captain added, "The rain has stopped. Hurry home and check on things. Don't let such heavy rain ruin your belongings."

Yan Xiao rolled up his trousers and trudged along the muddy dirt road towards home.

Pat pat pat—

Mud and water kept splashing up, soiling his trouser legs and his worn-out cloth shoes.

After running for a while, Yan Xiao slowed down when he saw the mud-yellow earthen house not far away.

"Strange? Why are they all standing in front of my house?" Yan Xiao looked at the number of people standing next to his house.

The sharp-eyed neighbor, Aunt Sun, spotted him immediately and exclaimed, "Young Master Yan is back! Oh dear, he's finally back!"

Other onlookers turned their heads at the sound, their gazes complex.

"You're back? Oh dear... what are we going to do!"

"Dad just passed away, and now this house... God is truly blind!"

"Poor thing, how will this child survive in the future?"

Yan Xiao walked over from a distance, looking at the pitying expressions in the old women's eyes, but he didn't understand why.

As we got closer, the house came into view.

"Is this... still my house?"

Yan Xiao was instantly stunned; the scene before him made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

The mud-brick house, which was not very sturdy to begin with, has now completely collapsed, with the back half and the right wall completely collapsed!

Huge clods of earth and broken beams were scattered all over the ground, mixed with soaked thatch.

The remaining front and left walls barely support a corner of the dilapidated roof, which is teetering on the verge of collapse, as if a gust of wind could destroy it completely.

Under the pitying gazes of his neighbors, Yan Xiao walked step by step toward the ruins.

The so-called door is now just a crooked frame.

Yan Xiao opened the seemingly empty door and went inside.

The collapsed earthen wall destroyed the few remaining belongings inside the house.

The only old table was smashed to pieces by the roof beam, and several benches were scattered in the mud.

"Oh no! The food!"

Yan Xiao frantically searched for the grain, only to find that the sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn cobs, and other coarse grains were all scattered and soaked through by the rain!

"Sigh~" Aunt Sun couldn't bear to watch any longer.

The collapse of the house was already a devastating disaster, but now even the only food we had has been destroyed!

Drying the sweet potatoes and corn might save some of them, but those eight or nine pounds of potatoes, soaked in rainwater for a long time, will soon sprout.

Sprouted potatoes contain a deadly poison and should never be eaten!

How could Yan Xiao have eaten so many potatoes before they sprouted?

"Young Master Yan." The older women wanted to say something, but they didn't know how to comfort him.

Yan Xiao put down the food and looked around the house. The walls had collapsed, so the house was inevitably soaked.

A metal pot was half full of murky muddy water, and the thin, tattered cotton quilt on the kang (a heated brick bed) was soaked with water.

"Hehe, everyone says that a family is destitute, but I'd say I'm even destitute now, right?" Yan Xiao forced a smile.

A sense of absurd bitterness welled up inside me.

"As expected of Yan, he's a scholar. He's studied for two years and can still use idioms at this age. He's much better than us, isn't he?" Aunt Sun said to the other women.

She seemed to be trying to make everyone laugh in this way.

"Yes, yes, if I were in that situation, I would have cried and screamed by now," another older woman chimed in.

At this moment, Yan Xiao couldn't smile. He stumbled back several steps and finally slumped down on the water-stained bench.

He sighed deeply, then chuckled, "When it rains, it pours."

After saying that, Yan Xiao couldn't help but close his eyes.

"Oh, Yan boy, don't do anything rash!" Grandma Sun was terrified when she saw his distraught appearance, as if he was about to faint at any moment.

"Quick! Go and call the captain over!"