Chapter 34: The Secret of the Ancestral Grave

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Fafu inquired about Caiyun’s recent life, and she told him about Wang Hongbing hiding grain in the ancestral tomb. Wang Hongbing was forced to give her one jin of grain daily, which Caiyun used to supplement Yu Jun’s meals. Gradually, the swelling in Yu Jun’s leg and face subsided, and he basically returned to normal.

Fafu thought this method of hiding grain was clever, and the two of them agreed to do the same. Caiyun and the Fafu couple spent four nights digging a cellar beside the ancestral tomb.

When Big Mallet returned to the village, the first thing he did was come over to see Caiyun. He found not only had her complexion improved, but she had also gained some weight. He smiled joyfully.

After leaving Caiyun to return to the construction site, despite being very tired, whether day or night, whenever he had a moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of that night with Caiyun in the warehouse.

That night was unforgettable for him; it was the first time he experienced the joy brought by a beautiful woman. He felt like the happiest man in the world and was willing to give all he had, even the precious peanuts he had painstakingly saved.

When Caiyun fainted on West Mountain and he happened upon her, he felt it was a divine opportunity. Like being driven by some force, he willingly gave the beloved woman the best food he had been too hungry to eat himself.

He lost count of how many times he dreamed of being with Caiyun, each time she spoke to him gently, saying, “I love you, I am yours!”

But when he woke up, all he saw were the burly men working with him during the day, and all he heard were their snores.

He felt disappointed, longing for the busy farming season to arrive sooner so he could return and share once more the joy of that night in the warehouse with Caiyun.

The Wangjiayu Production Team consisted of three natural villages: Front Household, Middle Household, and Rear Household. Caiyun lived in Front Household, and Big Mallet lived in Rear Household.

One night, Caiyun brought a pickaxe, sickle, and bamboo basket back to Big Mallet—items he had thrown on West Mountain when rescuing her.

Big Mallet’s two rescues of Caiyun and her child completely changed her impression of him. The man she once saw as ungrateful and foolish had become a man full of affection and loyalty, deeply in love with her.

Though he didn’t utter sweet words like Wang Hongbing, his actions moved her more. Despite his quick temper, he was kind-hearted, generous, and honorable.

Caiyun approached Big Mallet’s door, glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, and knocked softly. There was no response. She knocked again, still no reply.

She hadn’t expected Big Mallet to be asleep so early, nor that he was engaged in a special battle with her in his dream.

Suddenly awakened by the knocking, Big Mallet was annoyed at the disturbance of his pleasant dream. But when he groggily opened the door, he was stunned.

Caiyun sensed he was nearly naked, and as she was setting down the items to leave, an excited Big Mallet swiftly pulled her inside and onto the bed.

His desire burned fiercely like a wild beast attacking Caiyun, but due to her firm resistance, he was ultimately unsuccessful.

By April, the busy farming season was underway. Thanks to moderate rainfall from January to March, rivers, ponds, and ditches were sufficiently filled, providing excellent natural conditions for the growth of summer crops and the sowing of autumn crops.

The robust laborers returning from the construction site initially had good stamina, allowing normal agricultural work to proceed. However, they were more sensitive to hunger, and some soon became too weak to continue working.

After half a month, some struggled just to walk and simply lay in bed. In response, Wang Hongbing decided that anyone unable to work would have their meals deducted in the communal kitchen to force everyone back to the fields.

One afternoon, Caiyun heard someone calling outside, “Caiyun, are you home?”

“Dazhi! When did you come back?” Caiyun was surprised.

“Just now!” Dazhi replied.

“And this is…” Caiyun pointed to the woman who came with him.

“My wife, Zhao Hongyan,” Dazhi smiled.

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Caiyun said, “Then I should call you sister-in-law.”

“Hello, Caiyun! I’ve often heard about you from Dazhi,” Zhao Hongyan said, shaking Caiyun’s hand.

“You’re really beautiful; Dazhi is lucky,” Caiyun replied.

Dazhi said to Caiyun, “I heard Fa Cai is gone; you must take care and be strong.”

Caiyun said, “In times like these, no one can do anything. I wonder when this famine will end?”

Dazhi explained, “It’s mainly natural disasters combined with the external environment. The country is in a difficult period; even Chairman Mao himself is tightening his belt, living frugally with the entire nation to overcome the hardship.”

“Do the authorities know about our situation here?” Caiyun asked.

“Probably not in detail. We’re in the army and have only heard that Anhui is the worst-hit area, but we haven’t heard of conditions as severe as here.”

Zhao Hongyan added, “If we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes, we wouldn’t believe it. Why is it like this here? Besides natural disasters, is there another reason?”

“It’s complicated. Despite grain yields clearly declining, the authorities claim yields per mu have reached over ten thousand jin. How can there be a decrease? They must report increased output, raising purchase quotas, yet collected grain is still insufficient to meet quotas.”

“No grain left for food?”

“Only a little allowed, which is quickly eaten. Mainly, people rely on relief grain, but applications take one or two months to approve, so people must find substitute foods to survive.”

“Is it really possible to yield over ten thousand jin per mu?”

“No way; the actual output is only a few hundred jin.”

Dazhi asked, “What’s the relief grain standard?”

“Two liang of yellow soybean cake per person per day, mixed with a lot of straw; the real soybean residue is just over one liang.”

Hongyan sighed, “What good is that? No wonder things are like this. This is a little token from Dazhi and me for you and the children.” She handed Caiyun ten yuan and fifteen jin of grain coupons.

Caiyun said, “Sister-in-law, I can’t accept this. Dazhi’s parents are in hardship too; please keep it for them.”

Dazhi said, “Hongyan and I have decided to bring them to the army.”

“That’s best; let your parents enjoy some comfort.”

Caiyun finally accepted their heartfelt gift.

That year, although there were no major natural disasters, famine and disease pushed villagers to the brink of life and death. Even when forced to work, they lacked strength, causing most farming tasks to fall behind schedule and much land to lie fallow, resulting in a significant grain shortfall. Yet many production team leaders, under pressure, still reported increased yields.

By year-end, the higher authorities continued strict policies for high yields and grain procurement. Most collected grain was handed in as public grain, yet quotas remained unmet, and the communal kitchens’ grain remained scarce, leaving villagers hungry.

During summer and autumn harvests, Caiyun and Fafu stashed some grain in the ancestral tomb cellar.

At year-end, Secretary Yang of the brigade led a “grain digging task force” to thoroughly search the Wangjiayu Production Team. Grain hidden in many villagers’ homes was confiscated, except for the grain stored in the ancestral tomb cellars of Caiyun and Wang Hongbing, which was preserved, bringing Caiyun some peace of mind.

In 1961, from the beginning of the year until the end of June, a prolonged drought dried ponds and halted rivers. Especially in April, there was no heavy rain. This was the critical period for wheat heading, flowering, fertilization, and grain formation, as well as the busiest time for sowing autumn crops. Due to natural disasters and hunger, summer grain was nearly wiped out, and autumn planting could not proceed normally.

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In early June, the commune began implementing the “Regulations on the Work of Rural People’s Communes (Draft),” also known as the “Sixty Agricultural Articles,” adopting the “Three-level ownership, team as the base” system. This corrected the “equalizing everything” communist practices, officially announcing the dissolution of communal kitchens and returning individual plots to members. The production team’s requisition of one of Caiyun’s rooms was reversed.

Since Fa Cai and Yu Cui were no longer present, Caiyun’s returned plot shrank from one mu and two fen to eight fen, four fen less than before.

Caiyun asked Fafu for help and promptly planted peanuts, sweet potatoes, and carrots in the backyard and her plot.

Qingying, seeing that the production team had returned Caiyun’s room and it was now empty, moved some old items like the spinning wheel inside, then locked the door.

Qingying had long felt Caiyun was occupying one of their rooms and had repeatedly demanded it back without success. Now, she saw an opportunity and directly took control to reclaim what she believed was rightfully hers.

When Caiyun discovered this, she confronted Qingying: “Second Aunt, did you lock my room?”

“What do you mean ‘your room’? It’s ours originally. Isn’t it right for me to lock it?”

“Fafu, you just got back at the right time. Qingying locked the room the production team returned to me. Did you know?”

When Fafu arrived, Caiyun asked if he was aware.

“Qingying, what’s going on?” Fafu asked.

“That room has always been ours. Now it should be returned.”

“When we divided the family, it was clear that this room now belongs to my sister-in-law. Go unlock that door!”

“Don’t be foolish. Fa Cai is gone; sooner or later she’ll remarry. I can’t let the Chen family’s property end up with someone else.”

“I promised Fa Cai I’d raise her children myself and never remarry. I’m born a Chen, and when I die, I’m a Chen’s ghost.”

“Nice words, but I see Big Mallet is almost the stepfather to those kids.”

“You’re slandering me. Don’t throw dirt on me just because of a room.”

“Lately, why has Big Mallet been visiting you so often?” Fafu asked Caiyun.

“Are you stupid? A bachelor visits a widow—what else could it mean?” Qingying accused Fafu of asking knowingly.

“Stop talking nonsense. I have nothing to do with him. Fafu, if you want that room, I won’t argue.”

“Sister-in-law, you misunderstand. I don’t mean that.” Turning to Qingying, he said, “Give me the key!”

“Not a chance. I’m claiming this room.”

“Fafu, your words are enough. I’ll discuss the room when I need it,” Caiyun said and left.

Caiyun knew many people in the village were gossiping about Big Mallet wanting to marry her since he had directly told her and even tried intermediaries, all of which she refused.

But Big Mallet was persistent, often coming to see her. Caiyun considered him her savior and didn’t want to be harsh, so she could only reason with him gently.