Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 90 Spring Famine

In March 1960, a large number of disaster victims from other parts of the country flocked to Beijing, and the city's grain reserves were running low.

Temporary shelters were set up at train stations, along city walls, in the moat, and along riverbanks in parks. The government erected tents, and disaster victims were registered in batches to receive cornmeal porridge and hot vegetable soup.

A small number of elderly and infirm people were made to sleep on the floor in empty warehouses and old school buildings, while most people were sent back to their hometowns the next day. Those who were seriously ill or injured were sent to hospitals for emergency treatment, and were sent back as soon as they recovered.

Orphans and abandoned infants will be sent to children's welfare institutions and will not be granted Beijing residency. Those with relatives in Beijing who have Beijing residency and stable employment can remain in Beijing with a family guarantee, but will not be eligible for Beijing's quota system.

Tan Yali took Lou Xiao'e to the shelter. They didn't go into the shelter area, but just stood by the roadside and watched for a while. Tan Yali's gaze swept over the faces of the young women, all of whom had high cheekbones from hunger and were so thin that they looked like they could be blown away by a gust of wind.

She scanned several rows, but none of them were pleasing to the eye. Her brows furrowed slowly, and she pulled Xiao'e away.

Back in the courtyard, Tanya Li sat in the main room and drank a couple of sips of tea.

Lou Xiao'e took He Xiao's arms from Ma Hua and asked if she could donate some food to the shelter, saying it was too pitiful.

Tan Yali put down her teacup. "Xiao'e, I brought you here to see the people, not to ask you to do good deeds. If you donate grain and people ask you where the grain came from, what will you say?"

She looked at her daughter, whose innocent expression she saw, and sighed, "Xiao'e, don't you think about why the government is sending disaster victims back? They can't accept them. So many disaster victims from all over the country know the capital provides food, and they're all flooding in. What will the consequences be?"

"Those disaster victims finally made it to Beijing, and then they were sent back. Didn't they suffer all that way for nothing?" Lou Xiao'e said, still indignant as she held her child.

"You silly child, don't say that outside. Didn't you hear the government officials spreading the word? Everyone will be sent back by train, and there will be special buses to their hometowns. The local governments have to accept them. The country will also allocate relief food to the disaster area. This is the safest way."

Seeing that her daughter was listening, Tanya Li said, "Alright, this isn't something we can control. Let's talk about choosing people. When you have time, take Ma Hua to take a look. The famine isn't over yet, and many disaster victims will be coming to the city. If you see someone suitable, let Ma Hua adopt a relative and bring them back to raise."

Several groups of disaster victims also came to the open space in Nanluoguxiang. The street office organized the residents to boil several large pots of water and distributed relief biscuits. The biscuits were made of sorghum flour mixed with a little bean flour and baked. The children soaked the biscuits in water, mashed them up and drank them as a paste, while the adults could swallow them down with cold water after taking a couple of bites.

The people in the courtyard had sallow complexions and gray hair, as if covered in a layer of dust. Long queues stretched from morning till night in front of the grain store, but no one in the queue spoke; they all tucked their sleeves in and hunched their necks.

The black market price of cornmeal had skyrocketed to 1.4 yuan per jin, more than ten times the official price. Migrant workers from other areas passed through the alley, ragged and squatting against the wall holding broken bowls; no one dared to look at them for long.

Every day, Jia Zhangshi would squat at the alley entrance inquiring about grain prices, returning with a ashen face. The four hundred yuan she earned from reselling grain last year couldn't even buy four hundred jin of cornmeal at the current black market price.

The Jia family's savings were flowing out like water from a hole punched in them. Banggeng cried every day from hunger, and now he would even fight over cornmeal porridge mixed with bran. Xiaodang was still young and kept whimpering from hunger, so Qin Huairu saved a few mouthfuls of her own porridge for her daughter.

Madam Jia sat at the door of the west wing, muttering curses about the exorbitant black market grain prices. She thought of the grain she had sold last year, and her hand clutched her chest, trembling.

Xu Damao carried two bottles of Fenjiu liquor into the courtyard and placed them on a bench next to the pomegranate tree. He Yuzhu was basking in the sun on a recliner, squinting, and occasionally opened one eye to look around.

He stood there, rubbing his hands, and hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. "Brother Zhu, Hongmei and I have decided to get married on May Day. Could you help us prepare two tables?"

"Great news!" He Yuzhu sat up straight in his recliner. "How many tables?"

"Just two tables." Xu Damao's face flushed slightly. "And... I'd like to hold it in the other courtyard. I'll figure out the cigarettes and alcohol myself, but I really can't gather enough vegetables and meat. Brother Zhu, could you help me with that too? Hongmei is an only child, and I don't want her to feel too poor."

He Yuzhu stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Okay, I'll take care of the banquet. Two tables of food, you definitely won't be disappointed. Go back and confirm the date with Hongmei, and let me know a few days in advance."

Xu Damao was surprised that Brother Zhu agreed so readily. "Brother Zhu, I..."

"Don't give me that." He Yuzhu waved his hand. "Your family gave me an electric fan back then, consider it a return gift. Hurry up and go back to prepare for the wedding."

Xu Damao walked to the moon gate but then turned back, his expression changing. He lowered his voice. "Brother Zhu, there's something else. Yesterday, I heard from Clerk Wang that the old deaf man in the backyard is dying and hasn't left the house for several days. Xiao Wang knocks on the door every day, but yesterday no one answered, and a sour smell wafted from under the door. Is the old deaf man gone?"

He Yuzhu lit a cigarette, got up from the recliner, and looked towards the back of the building. "That old hag won't die anytime soon. Xiao Wang often brings her cornbread, so she won't die anytime soon. But judging by this situation, it'll be over soon. I thought she could hold on until next year."

He flicked off the ash, put the cigarette in his mouth, and turned back to the main room.

Ma Hua poked her head out of the kitchen, still holding a cleaver: "Master, what are we making for dinner?"

He Yuzhu rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen. Ma Qiang was squatting on the floor peeling garlic. Seeing his master come in, he said, "Master, the garlic is peeled."

He Yuzhu glanced at it: "Peel a few more pieces. Ma Hua, take those two ribbonfish out and wash them clean. Old Li's kid said he was craving ribbonfish last time, bring him a bowl tonight."

"Master, you've really been kind to Grandpa Li's family." Ma Hua put the ribbonfish on the edge of the sink, then turned around and said, "By the way, Master, I ran into Grandpa Li at the Moon Gate this morning. He told me that Jia Dongxu went to borrow grain coupons from his master a few days ago. That Master Wang didn't have any extra, so he asked a few old workers in the workshop, and everyone chipped in eight catties of grain coupons for him out of respect for Master Wang."

He Yuzhu took a piece of meat and started slicing it. "Ma Hua, when you have time, find out more about the miserable lives of these people in the courtyard, especially the Yan, Jia, and Liu families. I love hearing about that. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll teach you how to make sweet and sour pork."

The two apprentices quickly finished their work, took out their notebooks from their pockets, and wrote down the preparation methods for many dishes.

He Yuzhu arranged the sliced ​​meat on a plate, sprinkled some salt, mixed it well, and set it aside to marinate.

Mix starch and water in a 2:1 ratio to make a yogurt-like consistency, enough to coat the meat slices without them dripping.

The oil in the pan is hot, about 60% hot. The slices of meat are coated with starch batter and then deep-fried.

Sizzling and steaming, they're fried until set, then removed and fried a second time for extra crispiness. Finally, they're coated in a sweet and sour sauce, resulting in a crispy exterior and tender interior.

He Yuzhu picked up a piece to taste it; it was crispy, sweet and sour, just like his current mood.

The Jia family has only just begun to suffer from poverty; even worse days are yet to come.