She Only Cares About Cultivation

Caihua and Qiuxia quickly nodded, "Yes, it’s open, the team leader also said it, this year’s doesn’t count, we’ll wait until after the New Year to count as one jin for us."

An Yi nodded, "That sounds about right, it’s my fault for not understanding the policy, people won’t bring it up voluntarily, if you don’t ask, they won’t bother with these trivial matters!"

Thinking carefully, "You both should work hard to get into high school. Once you make it, you’ll be assigned jobs and become official state employees, eating commercial grain. This is even better than going to vocational school after junior high. Now that the grain is allocated, let’s start cleaning the house and prepare for the New Year. After the New Year, we’ll begin reviewing; I’m determined to get you into high school. If you have the ability to get into university, all the hardships we’ve suffered over the years won’t be in vain. Remember, no matter when, apart from yourself, you can’t rely on anyone else! So, your future still depends on your own abilities to earn it!"

The three women worked quickly, taking two days to clean the houses thoroughly.

Xiao Nian made dumplings with oil residue and radish filling; the flour was freshly ground, clean dried wheat was roasted on the kang before being added to the millstone, ground with the husk. This way, the steamed buns were black, and the dumpling skins also turned black, not looking good but possessing a rich wheat flavor, tasting pretty good.

The production team grew corn, wheat, rice, and other miscellaneous grains, so there’s a bit of wheat and rice allocated. However, only thirty jin of each, with corn accounting for two hundred jin, the rest are all miscellaneous grains. This is her allocation ratio, the sisters’ share is also proportionally allocated based on their food quota.

The fat meat for refining pig oil was taken from space, carried back, ready for a plentiful New Year.

In an era without oil, pig oil for stir-frying and cooking provided necessary energy and nutrition, which was very good.

With the previously stored cured sausages and cured meat, this year should be quite abundant, though uncertain if the production team will slaughter pigs and whether there’s a share for the people. If there is, then great; if not, no one can smash Xue and go buy.

They raised chickens, and she really couldn’t stomach those substitute foods, but the sisters didn’t mind, saying back home they got the least share, unlike now where they can make whatever they want. Before, they wouldn’t even dare dream of it.

"Did someone come looking for you?"

"How could they not? Just distributed these sweet potatoes and substitutes, and they came. Fortunately, the team leader didn’t give us any grain, otherwise, I’m not sure we could hold on to it. Luckily we have nuts, otherwise, we might not even be able to keep the sweet potatoes."

No wonder the sisters’ grain was brought to her home’s cellar, seems like they valued her home’s nuts along with the tall walls.

Talking about their family, the sisters wanted to cry: "Never seen anything like it, acting like bandits, not a single soft word, only talking about grain, wanting us to care for them in old age. I can’t even care for myself, why should I support them? We’ve paid our dues, being a beast of burden for years, still they stand at the door cursing when we can’t argue back, afraid to smash the door, sometimes too much to bear, we just let the nuts loose to bite them, until they’re scared off."

Just as they finished speaking, there was pounding and foul abuse from outside again; Qiuxia chuckled self-mockingly, "Look, they’ve come again."

"They must have found out we got grain, so they came for it! Women only get eight taels daily, which is our grain for the coming year, how could she speak brazenly asking for it, even demanding wages from us, the nerve, where are we supposed to get wages to give them?"

An Yi said awkwardly, "You forgot, I said we went out to work!"

During this period, the production team hadn’t formally organized; once established, socialist members aren’t allowed to go out for work to earn. So now, this reason can still be an excuse; of course, within the team, it’s known the sisters go to school, it’s just not publicly stated, which wasn’t hard to understand why they demand money from the sisters.

Qiuxia seemed to finally realize, "I completely forgot about this, so what now, really give them money?"

Caihua pouted, "You give if you want, I’ve got no money, and I’ve got no grain either. Already owing Sister An so much, you want to owe more? With this grain, we can at least owe a little less."