Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 47

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The atmosphere at home wasn't too bad, but it didn't improve either.

However, Wang Guixiang stopped pretending to be sick and started working in the fields and cooking, which freed up Zhao Tiesheng so he could go out and get some firewood.

In fact, winters in the north are quite cold, and the days are very short. The sun rises around 7 or 8 pm, and it gets dark by 4 or 5 pm. The rest of the time is spent enduring hunger and thirst through the long night. In this era, there were no cell phones or televisions, and not many other activities. The family's understanding of the outside world was limited to the radio in Zhao Tingxu's possession.

So, I really had nothing to do.

When Zhao Da'e saw that the other gods were also moving around during the day, he felt a little relieved that at least he wouldn't freeze to death because there was no firewood to cook.

She chatted with her mother, Cheng Jinxiang, for a while, then looked at her younger sister who was sleeping soundly, before going out the door. After turning left and right through several doors, she arrived at the home of the village chief, Zhao Tingming.

There are many trees in the village, mostly old green poplars planted by people in front of and behind their houses. They are also called small-leaved poplars. Small-leaved poplars grow slowly, but if well cared for, they can grow very tall. There is a row of trees in Zhao Da'e's backyard that are almost thirty meters tall and are about a hundred years old.

Upon arriving at Zhao Tingming's house, one sees a two-story building in front. However, the second floor is essentially used for storing miscellaneous items; a ladder is needed to access it, and the interior is inaccessible. This was a place resembling a watchtower built by an old landlord, which was later allocated to Zhao Tingming's family. To the side are three newly built red brick wing rooms.

Zhao Tingming was carrying a birdcage containing two red-feathered birds. As Zhao Da'e entered the yard, the birds began to chirp and chatter.

"The geese are here. Is your mother feeling any better?" Zhao Tingming asked, putting down the birdcage.

"Your grandfather was saying a couple of days ago that there were a lot of worries at home. But I saw from the higher-ups that good things will happen in the next two years. Soon, the contracted land will be distributed to each household and fully implemented. At that time, life will get better."

Zhao Da'e then remembered that, due to its remoteness and backwardness, the village's land, although no longer collectively cultivated, was contracted out to villagers every three years, with the village charging a certain fee. After harvesting their grain, the villagers also needed to pay a certain amount of public grain.

The most important thing here is that once the third year arrives, the villagers feel that they will not be farming the land next year, so they stop farming it properly, which leads to the land being abandoned relatively quickly and the yield being unstable.

“My mother is in good health. Grandpa, I came to see that old, dilapidated place in my backyard. There’s some firewood there, and lots of trees, but we’re short on firewood. I was thinking of leasing or buying that land so we wouldn’t have to go up the mountain to get firewood.”

"The contract is for three years, no more. The village agrees, but the higher-ups don't."

Zhao Da'e chuckled: This matter has nothing to do with the higher-ups. This was Zhao Tingming's explanation.

"I was just saying that, I won't cover it anymore, and I'll sneak over there to get some firewood to start a fire."

"Oh, right, Grandpa, I didn't bring anything fancy this time, just some wine, to thank you for taking me to the hospital that day, otherwise my sister would be gone."

As he spoke, Zhao Da'e pulled his hands out from behind his back, revealing two bottles of Laojiao liquor, a bag of peanuts, and ten jin of pork. He had bought all of these at the market that day.

"Don't think it's too little, Grandpa."

The old man was clearly happy, but he said with a stern face, "We're all family, why are you bringing me gifts for something so trivial? You're being too formal."

"This is no small matter; our village's tricycle is still impounded at the hospital..."

"If that's how you put it, then I really have to accept this wine. Hahaha..."