Chapter 5: Returning to the Village to Distribute the Goods! An Excited Zhao Xicheng!

When Liuzi reached the doorstep of his eldest uncle’s house, Zhao Xicheng was sitting on the kang bed chatting with Zhao Shugen, the village accountant.

This year’s harvest was poor, and they had even been reprimanded at the commune a few days earlier. Panlong Village lacked enthusiasm for production and ranked near the bottom in grain yield among all the villages under the commune.

“Uncle! Uncle!” Liuzi pushed open the door and called out as he entered the yard.

Once inside, Zhao Xicheng realized it was his poor nephew, Zhao Chunliu.

“What brings you here, Liuzi? Is there no food at home again?” Zhao Xicheng sighed and got down from the kang.

“I asked your aunt to bring some more miscellaneous grains back for your grandmother,” he said.

“In times of such famine, when will this hardship ever end...”

The joy on Liuzi’s face hadn’t yet faded as he hurriedly grabbed Zhao Xicheng’s arm.

“No, Uncle, the potatoes you gave us before aren’t finished yet. It’s not that we have no food at home...”

Liuzi explained the situation to Zhao Xicheng.

“You and Qin Feng actually dug something up in the mountain?!” Zhao Xicheng’s eyes widened in disbelief as he pressed for details.

No wonder Zhao Xicheng didn’t believe it—what Liuzi said was simply unbelievable. At this time of year, could they really find anything in the mountains? Pine nuts, which had been harvested by late summer?!!

“Come on, just go see Qin Feng’s place and you’ll know!” Liuzi grabbed Zhao Xicheng and started to pull him outside.

Seeing that Zhao Shugen was also there, he suddenly remembered Qin Feng’s instructions and quickly pulled him along.

“Uncle Gen, you should come too! Qin Feng said to bring both of you; these things have to be shared with the collective.”

Dressed and ready, Zhao Xicheng, accompanied by the accountant, followed Liuzi, heading straight to Qin Feng’s house.

Upon entering, they were blinded by the sight of the golden pine nuts piled up before them.

“You... you really... dug up pine nuts?!”

Zhao Xicheng and Dong Qiufen’s expressions mirrored each other—astonishment mixed with less joy and a hint of suspicion.

He pulled Qin Feng aside and whispered, “Xiaofeng, I know you’re sharp. Be honest with me, where exactly did these come from?”

Qin Feng, meeting Zhao Xicheng’s serious gaze, immediately understood the implication.

Zhao Xicheng suspected these nuts were secretly stashed in the mountain by Qin Feng during the commune’s pine cone harvest when no one was looking.

“Don’t worry, Uncle, these really are dug up by me and Liuzi,” Qin Feng said with a smile.

He then thoroughly explained the method he used to find the pine nuts.

Zhao Xicheng was stunned; after over sixty years, he had never seen anyone with such skill.

Just by listening to the sound of the tree trunk, they could tell if there were hidden pine nuts in the branches?

Though he found Qin Feng’s explanation sincere, he was only about seventy percent convinced.

He interrogated his simple-minded nephew thoroughly.

Only when Liuzi produced the sharp-edged axe did Zhao Xicheng fully believe their story.

The doubt on his face vanished completely, replaced by an uncontrollable joy.

“Liuzi! From now on, stick with Qin Feng and work hard! I’m getting old; I’ll have to rely on you young ones to keep this family going!”

Zhao Xicheng happily fingered the sack of pine nuts over and over, grinning from the heart.

“Uncle, since Uncle Gen is here too, why don’t you weigh these and divide them today?” Qin Feng suggested.

They had to hand over a portion to the collective, as per the social system of the time.

Without certification from the village committee, Qin Feng couldn’t sell the pine nuts; no one dared to buy them!

“All right!” Zhao Xicheng perked up and waved his hand enthusiastically.

The three large sacks, initially estimated by Qin Feng to weigh around 180 to 190 jin, actually weighed much more when measured.

A full 230 jin!

“According to commune rules, half of the forest produce collected from the mountains must be handed over to the collective.”

“These three sacks total 200 jin; the village will take 100 jin, and the rest will be yours,” Zhao Xicheng said loudly, signaling the accountant.

People in this era were simple, and corruption among officials was rare.

Zhao Xicheng’s declaration that the village would only take 100 jin was a deliberate way to leave more for Qin Feng and the others.

Qin Feng’s method for digging pine nuts could easily be expanded with more manpower.

It was already winter, the off-season for farming, and the village had plenty of able-bodied workers who could follow Qin Feng into the mountains without worry.

Giving Qin Feng and the others a larger share was a way to pave the road for the future.

Once this path was established, fulfilling the commune’s quotas would be much easier.

Panlong Village would surely become a model village for the entire commune, bringing honor to Zhao Xicheng as village chief.

Zhao Xicheng and the accountant took the divided pine nuts away but didn’t forget to send the accountant to the village committee again.

They obtained a certificate proving the origin of the pine nuts, stamped with the official Panlong Village seal and signed by Zhao Xicheng.

With this certificate in hand, Qin Feng felt inspired; the pine nuts would now have a clear path to the market.

“Liuzi, it’s getting late, hurry home and rest. Tomorrow we’ll go to the county together and sell the pine nuts!”

“All right!” Liuzi was overjoyed, bounding home to share the good news with his grandmother.

After everyone left, Qin Feng closed the door securely.

Dong Qiufen still felt as if she were dreaming, staring at the remaining 130 jin of pine nuts.

“Xiaofeng! How much do you think these will sell for?” Dong Qiufen patted her chest, trying to steady her breathing.

Qin Feng grinned, “I don’t know the exact price, but it should be at least two mao per jin.”

“My goodness! That means these could sell for over twenty yuan?!” Dong Qiufen exclaimed.

“I’ll know for sure once I get back from the county tomorrow.”

“By the way, Mom, does Xiaoyu want anything?”

“I’ll sell the pine nuts tomorrow and buy something for you all at the supply and marketing cooperative!” Qin Feng asked.

Before Dong Qiufen could answer, Qin Xiaoyu jumped up excitedly, “Brother! I want candied hawthorn!”

Qin Feng smiled at his sister’s happy face: “No problem. If you want candied hawthorn, I’ll bring you two skewers tomorrow! We’ll eat one and throw one away!”

“Hahaha...”

“Xiaofeng, don’t spoil her like that...”

“This is great; I get to eat candied hawthorn...”

—

The next morning, when Qin Feng woke up, Liuzi had already been waiting outside his door for a long time.

Qin Feng was awakened by Dong Qiufen. After a day of hard work yesterday, his illness hadn’t fully healed yet.

But after a solid night’s sleep, he felt refreshed and fully recovered.

“Liuzi, are you all right? Why are you here so early?” Qin Feng asked after washing his face, looking at Liuzi standing at the door.

“Hehe... I’ll be honest with you, Xiaofeng, I barely slept last night!”

“Ha ha ha, I was too excited. Grandma praised me when I got home yesterday!”

“She said I’ve grown up, and as she spoke, tears fell. I had to comfort her for a long time,” Liuzi said shyly, scratching his head.

Qin Feng drank some miscellaneous grain porridge at home, exchanged a few words with Dong Qiufen, and then headed out.

Liuzi had borrowed a cart from their eldest uncle Zhao Xicheng’s house early in the morning, loaded the pine nuts, and the two pushed the cart toward the county.

As fate would have it, before leaving the village, they ran into their diligent second aunt, Sun Xiao’e.

It wasn’t really coincidence—her home was at the village entrance, right by the road leading out.

Her courtyard walls were low, so she was bound to be encountered by anyone passing through.

“Oh! Xiaofeng, pushing a cart this early, going to the county to make a fortune?” Sun Xiao’e stood at her door, smiling slyly.