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墨書 Inktalez
In less than half a month, the school would be on Wheat Break.
It was unclear whether it was due to last year's harsh weather or if everyone had more money this year, but the Wheat Harvest was progressing much faster than usual. The ten or so "Big Scissors" style Harvesters from the Rural Agricultural Machinery Station had suddenly become hot commodities, with over thirty villages vying to use them.
Seeing the favorable situation this year, the head of the Rural Agricultural Machinery Station urgently allocated over twenty more machines from the county, which somewhat alleviated the farmers' frantic competition.
As the wheat harvest approached, Hu Ruoyun suggested to her father and Second Uncle that they buy a Tractor.
Second Uncle was particularly envious of a Hand-Pulled Tractor that a family on the back street had just purchased and had visited them several times to take a look.
This machine didn't require feeding or watering; it only needed diesel to run. It could thresh wheat, pull carts, and was said to be able to plow fields! It truly sounded like a wonderful gadget.
However, this iron contraption was quite expensive. Their family couldn't come up with three thousand yuan all at once, so Hu Ruoyun thought about discussing with her biological brother to see if they could partner up to buy one together.
But Hu Qihua was much more conservative in his thinking. He worriedly said, "That thing costs three to four thousand yuan. We would only use it for harvesting wheat and autumn planting; we wouldn't need it otherwise. Our two families don't have money to waste..."
Hu Ruoyun interjected, "Dad, we can't think about it that way... If we buy the Tractor along with a plow and a trailer, after we finish plowing our own land in autumn, we can also plow for others. I heard that in Gaoqiao Town, that's how they do it—charging twenty yuan for plowing an acre of land. It's much deeper than using draft animals and faster too; you can plow over ten acres in a day and earn two to three hundred yuan daily. Our only costs would be diesel and labor."
Once this calculation was made, her father's mind began to waver, but he still doubted, "Would anyone actually pay to use that thing for plowing?"
Hu Zhenhua chimed in, "Why wouldn't they? Last year, your family was the only one in our village using a Harvester; now look at this year—almost every household has one."
Hu Ruoyun continued, "After we finish harvesting and planting wheat, you and Second Uncle can drive the Tractor with the trailer to deliver bricks to the Township's Brick Factory. More and more people are building new houses now; the Brick Factory can't keep up with demand. Using a Tractor means you can carry more at once and get there faster. I heard that an Ox Cart can earn fifteen yuan in a day; we would definitely earn more with our Tractor. We could make one or two thousand yuan over winter... Plus, it would save us so much effort on our own land."
Hu Qihua might not be literate, but that didn't mean he couldn't do math. As his son laid out the calculations clearly, both brothers mentally estimated their options.
They both made up their minds: Buy a Tractor!
But there remained one major hurdle: they didn't have enough money!
Hu Ruoyun had another idea: "With the Hand-Pulled Tractor, we won't need our donkeys and cows anymore. We might as well sell them."
Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua pondered this for a moment and agreed. The two brothers huddled together, discussing for half the day, and finally made up their minds: they would sell their livestock and buy a Hand-Pulled Tractor!
After harvesting the wheat and paying the Grain Tax, they set aside enough food for themselves and, with determination, sold off all their stored grain. They took their donkeys and cows to a big market, where after some haggling, Hu Ruoyun's donkey sold for 620 yuan, while Second Uncle's cow fetched 930 yuan.
Finally, they had enough money to buy a tractor. The village chief, Zhao Manyin, enthusiastically came over to help with the arrangements. The three of them took a bus to the county's agricultural machinery sales point, where they spent over four thousand yuan to buy a mounted plow head, a trailer, and a Harvester all at once. The village chief drove it back himself.
Four thousand yuan was no small amount.
At that time, there were very few tractors in Hu Family Village. For Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua, who had lived in poverty for most of their lives, their decision to invest in a tractor became explosive news in the village.
When the tractor arrived, the gate was too narrow to fit through. With help from neighbors, they even dismantled the gate and its frame to get it inside.
The brand-new tractor was painted bright red and parked in Hu Ruoyun's yard. It was equipped with a 12-horsepower diesel engine, and the steel trailer was wide enough to replace several carts. Inside the trailer were double plows and a steel plow head that could be attached to the tractor along with the Harvester! Brother Jie, Second Master Kuei, Uncle Wei... many neighbors came over to take a look at this rare sight.
A group of children clamored to sit in the driver's seat, mimicking the sound of the roaring diesel engine with "vroom vroom vroom."
Perhaps influenced by last year's foresight from the Hu family, adults watched with interest while also contemplating whether they should tighten their belts and buy one for themselves.
Brother Jie quietly asked how much this iron machine cost? How much was the trailer? What about the plow head?
With the Harvester, wheat harvesting was incredibly fast. The wide trailer could carry as much as three or four carts worth of grain. The thick rubber wheels rolled smoothly over the fields without worrying about tilting or tipping over.
While others were still hauling straw to the Threshing Ground, Hu Ruoyun and Second Uncle had already finished harvesting their wheat: what usually took several rounds to thresh was completed in just two sessions this year. This iron machine was truly powerful; even with such thick layers of wheat, there was no concern about it being unable to pull the stone roller!
Watching Hu Ruoyun's tractor swiftly rolling over thick straw while their two mules struggled under a stone roller in their own Wheat Field made Woodzi's wife seethe with jealousy. She often cursed her own exhausted children under her breath.
No one paid any attention to this irritable woman who had nothing but complaints.
That night, Brother Jie came to find Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua. "Uncle, can I borrow your tractor for my family's mill?"
Brother Jie lived alone in the village. His father had passed away early, and shortly after he got married, his mother also died. Over the years, he and his wife had to manage three children while farming, making life quite difficult.
Now that it was wheat harvest season, the children were too young to help, and there were no elders to assist. Sister Jie couldn't lend a hand in the fields, leaving Brother Jie to handle everything on his own.
As he watched others haul their wheat to the yard, ready to be threshed on a good day, he felt anxious seeing his own wheat still lying in the fields after being cut down.
With no other options left, the couple reluctantly sought help from Hu Ruoyun's father and Second Uncle.
Thinking of the hardships their families had faced over the years, Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua readily agreed without further discussion.
The next morning, Hu Ruoyun's father, Second Uncle, and Brother Jie worked together. In less than half a day, they moved over six acres of Brother Jie's wheat to the yard and finished threshing it in no time.
Taking advantage of the favorable weather, they cleaned up the wheat before nightfall and packed it into bags for storage.
Brother Jie filled the tractor with diesel fuel and insisted on inviting the two men for dinner at his home, but Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua refused.
Sister Jie watched as what had seemed like an insurmountable task just a day before was completed in one day. Overcome with emotion, she shed tears of joy. She asked her six-year-old daughter to look after her four-year-old sister while handing her two-year-old son to Brother Jie. After preparing some dough, she went into the kitchen and fried a large batch of oil cakes, dividing them into two portions to take to Hu Ruoyun's and Second Uncle's homes.
Human kindness builds up little by little like this.
After finishing their own fields, Hu Qihua helped Hu Ruoyun's uncle and grandfather bring in their wheat. Second Uncle also assisted with harvesting Second Aunt's wheat.
While most families in the village were just finishing their wheat harvests, Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua had already made arrangements with the township's brick factory for deliveries at four dollars and fifty cents per load, settling payments daily.
On the first day of work, the brothers loaded and unloaded a total of six loads, earning thirteen dollars and fifty cents each! Though it was indeed tiring work, they felt satisfied deep down.
More importantly, this was the first time they earned money without relying on their two acres of land!
After work, the Brother went out to eat for the first time. They ordered two bowls of Lamb Noodles in the Township canteen and had a delicious meal of foreign meat. ——For two people, this was not just a dozen yuan, but a brand new beginning for two people and two families! PS: Population Control was not established as a basic policy until 1982. We, the brothers and sisters born in the 1970s, had a lot of brothers and sisters. At that time, we were all poor, especially in the countryside. Central Plains People did not sleep on kangs like Northeast, but almost every family did not have enough beds. It was okay in summer, but it was not possible in the cold winter, so "beds" came into being. The "bed" is usually made of materials from the ground. Corn Stalk, Wheat Straw, and Straw are tied into small bundles (commonly known as "pieces"), and then the Straw Bundle and Corn Bundles are stacked into a pile of appropriate length and width against the corners of the wall. Thick Wooden Sticks are nailed to the ground on both sides that are not against the wall to form a fence to prevent the bundles from falling apart. Then a layer of wheat straw is spread on it, and a mattress and quilt are placed on it... The "bed" for sleeping is ready. The whole process is called "Laydown". At dinner, grandma will put half a Mud Brick or brick on the Hearth. When sleeping, it is wrapped in rags and placed at the foot of the bed as a Hot Water Bottle. The advantage of sleeping on a "bed" is that the thick Wheat Straw and Straw under the body can resist the severe cold of winter nights. The discomfort is that there is often grass running in the quilt, and it is easy to breed Lice. As far as I can remember, I slept on a "bed" when I was in the fourth and fifth grade of primary school. Nowadays, most people in the countryside, not to mention the city, sleep on Simmons. My father, who used to Laydown for me, has gray hair and my grandmother has passed away for several years. But in my dreams, I still often sleep on a "bed".
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