Chi Yiyuan couldn't help but reach out and stroke Su Xiaotian's soft hair again, his eyes filled with warmth, a stark contrast to his usual cold demeanor.
"Okay, I will! Brother Yiyuan, I'm leaving now, goodbye!"
Su Xiaotian skipped away, humming a song, her gaze seemingly fixed on her, unable to look away.
Chi Ge appeared beside Chi Yiyuan at some point. He reached out and patted Chi Yiyuan's shoulder. Chi Yiyuan turned to look at him.
"Grandpa!"
"Xiao Yuan!"
The grandfather and grandson didn't say a word, yet it felt as if they had said everything.
Su Family.
After dinner, during their rest time, Grandma Su told Grandpa Su about their youngest daughter wanting grain.
"Don't give her any more. How much has she taken over the years? She always says she'll pay it back, but when has she ever? It's a good thing our daughter-in-law is kind, otherwise, there would have been trouble long ago," Grandpa Su said, sighing as he took a puff of his pipe.
This daughter was too selfish, only thinking of herself and never of others. Her parents' home was merely a place where she could take whatever she wanted.
"Old man, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Our youngest daughter always comes asking for things, and we give them to her. We've shortchanged Xiu'er," Grandma Su said, thinking of her eldest daughter, who swallowed all her hardships, because of her youngest daughter.
Both were their children, yet the youngest daughter was better off and always came crying poverty.
But the eldest daughter, Xiu'er, who truly lived a harder life, never complained about not having enough to eat or drink. Even when she visited her parents, she always tried to maintain appearances, saying she was doing well.
"It's Mid-Autumn Festival in a few days. Let the eldest son go see Xiu'er. This child is also fated to a hard life. She has no children of her own, and she's suffered so much in her heart all these years!" Grandpa Su's face became even more wrinkled.
Grandma Su also fell silent. For years, because she hadn't had children, she had been tormented by her husband's family countless times.
As parents, they couldn't say much because their daughter had no children, and they could only watch helplessly as she suffered.
But this child was stubborn, never complaining about hardship or difficulty. When she came home, she always said everything was fine, that she was doing even better.
However, the two production teams weren't far apart, so how could they not know a little about her situation?
They didn't expose her simply to protect their daughter's last shred of dignity.
"When you go, bring her something. You bake some oil pancakes, and have the eldest son watch her eat them."
That child probably never ate her fill at her in-laws' house. She was so thin.
Her father felt heartbroken, but what could he do?
A woman without children was considered inferior!
It was already an immense kindness that the old Wang family hadn't divorced Xiu'er yet!
The old couple fell silent at this topic.
The sun set and the moon rose, the moon set and the sun rose!
In the blink of an eye, it was three days before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The crops in the production team had grown quite well this year. Seeing that the autumn harvest was about to be distributed, the production team leader was happy, and the members of the production team were also happy.
After deliberation by the cadres of the production team, they decided to slaughter a pig for the festival.
For the entire production team, slaughtering only one pig meant that each person wouldn't get much meat.
But just smelling the aroma of meat was good enough.
The people of the production team happily brought their basins, waiting to receive their share of the meat.
According to the old rules, the meat was distributed according to the number of people in each household, but who got to choose first was decided by drawing lots.
Grandma Su felt that their family's luckiest was Su Xiaotian, so she arranged for the little lucky star, Su Xiaotian, to draw the lots.
As expected, the little koi baby's hands were particularly sweet, and she directly drew number one.
Su Xiaotian waved the number one lot in her hand, a bright smile on her face as she pounced into Grandma Su's arms.
Grandma Su's face beamed with joy.
Number one, how hard it was to draw, yet their good child managed to get it.
This lot drew envious and jealous glances from everyone, as the first family to choose could select the best parts of the entire pig.
Those thick fatty pieces of meat were much better than the scraps and offal left by others.
However, most people were just envious and jealous. Only Su Xiaoqin looked at Su Xiaotian with eyes as if poisoned.
Why? Why Su Xiaotian?
With such good luck, wasn't she afraid of using up all her luck for the rest of her life?
"You go draw the lots!" Liu Xiuying said, looking at her granddaughter Su Xiaoqin as soon as she heard Su Xiaotian draw number one.
She was also a daughter of the Su family. If Su Xiaotian could draw number one, then Su Xiaoqin, even if she got a slightly worse lot, should at least get number three or four, right?
Su Xiaoqin flinched. She didn't dare to go, but she had to. So, although she agreed, her feet didn't move.
"Hurry up and go, what are you waiting for? You useless thing who can't do anything right and eats more than you can provide." Liu Xiuying scolded, raising her foot to kick Su Xiaoqin.
Su Xiaoqin knew that if she didn't draw a good lot, she would probably be beaten again.
However, with Liu Xiuying glaring at her, if she didn't go, she would be beaten right then and there. She had no choice but to go.
Accountant Li had urged her several times, and the families in the village who hadn't drawn lots yet were also impatient, all urging Su Xiaoqin to hurry. Only then did Su Xiaoqin walk to the lot-drawing area.
She reached out tremblingly, and before even reaching out, she kept mumbling prayers to the gods and Buddhas, hoping to draw a slightly better lot.
If it weren't for the fact that such things were not allowed to be said now, Su Xiaoqin would have clasped her hands together and bowed to the Earth God.
Closing her eyes, she drew a lot from the lot box.
Tremblingly opening the lot in her hand, she saw it was number one hundred.
Unfortunately, Su Xiaoqin was illiterate. She only saw that it had two characters. Then she remembered hearing that the lots at the end had three characters, so she felt a little relieved.
This number, although not comparable to Su Xiaotian's number one, should be okay, right? Number thirteen?
A smile flickered across Su Xiaoqin's face as she handed the lot to Accountant Li.
"Su Shan's family, number one hundred!" Accountant Li glanced at it and shouted loudly.
When Su Xiaoqin heard this number, she was instantly stunned.
Number one hundred? How could that be? There were only one hundred and one households in the entire village, and she actually drew number one hundred?
No, it couldn't be. Accountant Li must have misread it.
"Accountant Li, you must have misread it. How could I possibly have drawn number one hundred?" Su Xiaoqin's eyes turned red as she rushed forward, grabbed Accountant Li's arm, and shook him desperately.
"You brat, why are your words so unpleasant? You drew number one hundred yourself, and you're blaming me for reading it wrong? Team Leader, look, isn't this number one hundred!" Thinking that Su Xiaoqin was implying that he had deliberately read the lot incorrectly, he became very annoyed, and his tone became even worse.
Although he was jealous of the Su Chuan family, looking at these two cousins, Accountant Li felt that they were both children, so why was there such a big difference?
Team Leader Su Changjiu glanced at it and said expressionlessly, "It is number one hundred!"
This child had already gone astray. Others might not know, but after inquiring these past few days, he knew that it was Su Xiaoqin who had reported them to the commune.
How could a child of only ten years old be so sinister?
She had eaten a lot at the old Su family's house before, yet she could still report them.
This child should be watched carefully in the future, preferably with someone keeping an eye on her, to prevent her from causing trouble for the production team.
Su Xiaoqin did not know that Su Changjiu already knew she was the one who reported them to the commune. She only felt that Su Changjiu's words had shattered all her hopes.
Therefore, her gaze towards Su Changjiu also carried some ill will.
She even felt that Su Changjiu clearly knew that drawing number one hundred would lead to a difficult life for her and that she would be beaten. Why did he directly state that she was number one hundred?
Couldn't he just say a number from earlier? Anyway, no one else could see the numbers!
Su Xiaoqin completely forgot who she was to Su Changjiu, and why Su Changjiu should harm others' interests for her.
After Liu Xiuying confirmed that Su Xiaoqin had indeed drawn number one hundred, thinking of the delicious fatty meat flying past her eyes, unable to grasp it, she ignored the crowd and rushed forward to beat her.
Liu Xiuying never held back when beating Su Xiaoqin. Her hands, accustomed to farm work, struck Su Xiaoqin's body and face. Su Xiaoqin felt a burning pain and wanted to flee.
"I knew you were useless. Others could draw number one. Why did you draw number one hundred? Did your hands touch feces? Why do they smell so bad?" Liu Xiuying cursed without any regard for Su Xiaoqin's dignity.
Su Xiaoqin was already a young lady and could understand good and bad. Being cursed at by Liu Xiuying, her face turned so red it looked like it would bleed. The emotional pain made her almost unable to stand. Coupled with the physical pain, Su Xiaoqin felt even more miserable.
For the first time, Su Xiaoqin felt hatred towards Liu Xiuying.
She now hated Su Xiaotian, the Su Chuan family, Su Changjiu and Accountant Li, the cadres of the production team, her own grandmother, her parents, and even the innocent members of the production team. She hated them all.
She clenched her fists tightly, not begging for mercy, but feeling despondent.
This was a production team without love, yet it was called Hongxin Production Team?
Were all the people in this production team black-hearted?
She couldn't understand why Su Xiaotian was so lucky to have a grandmother who doted on her, and other family members who loved her. Those fools would do anything for her, wishing to give her all the good things in the world.
Liu Xiuying was also her grandmother, so why was she treated like this? And her mother, why did she never care about her? Only thinking about her son?
"Liu Xiuying, you told Xiaoqin to draw lots, so why are you scolding her?" Someone couldn't bear to see Su Xiaoqin being beaten like this and spoke up to help.
"This prodigal thing, there are only one hundred and one households in the entire production team, and she drew number one hundred for me. Who else would I beat if not her?" Liu Xiuying said agitatedly.
"Forget it, stop beating her. You can scold your child when you get home." Su Changjiu couldn't stand it any longer and said with a cold face.
Beating a child in front of so many people, who was this for?
It was no wonder that Su Xiaoqin had gone astray. With such elders, how could she not?
Liu Xiuying was also annoyed with Su Changjiu, feeling that this was Su Changjiu's fault. After all, he was from the Su family, so why didn't he take care of his own family a little?
"Oh, Team Leader, you manage everything, can you also manage me beating my child? Even if I beat my child to death, it's her bad luck. Besides, I've raised her for so long, what's wrong with beating her a couple of times?"
Su Changjiu heard that Liu Xiuying was not listening to reason and decided not to continue. It was a waste of words to say more to such a person.
"Others, come and draw lots."
Soon, everyone in the village drew their lots, and then began to prepare to distribute the meat. Each person could only get two liang of meat.
The old Su family had many people, eighteen in total, so they should get three jin and six liang of meat.
But at this time, Li Zhuzi ran over and said he wanted to give his two liang of meat to the old Su family.
"This won't do, Zhuzi. It's rare to get meat distribution." Grandma Su immediately objected.
Li Zhuzi said, "I'm alone, and I can only get two liang of meat. Once I put it in the pot, it'll be lost." Li Zhuzi scratched his head and said, "Cooking it once also wastes firewood."
He lived alone, and two liang of meat were indeed difficult to handle.
The members of the production team laughed heartily when they heard this.
Because Li Zhuzi's lot was also near the front, and he only had two liang of meat, no one objected to his meat being distributed with the old Su family.
Grandma Su went home with three jin and eight liang of meat. This was the best piece of meat from the pig.
It was plump and juicy. Grandma Su thought about rendering it into oil when she got home, and using the leftover lard dregs to make steamed buns for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Pumpkin buns with lard dregs were very delicious.
Then, she would send a few large steamed buns to Li Zhuzi. She couldn't really accept Li Zhuzi's two liang of meat; meat was a rare delicacy.
Team Leader Su Changjiu, after distributing the meat, passed by the Su family's private plot and was surprised to find that the crops in the Su family's private plot were growing even better than those in the main field. What was going on?
Was the old Su family truly lucky? So many good things happening recently.
They received favors from county leaders, and provincial leaders cared about them. It was one thing, but even their lot drawing was number one.
But the crops couldn't get better just because of good luck, could they? It seemed that two months ago, the crops in the Su family's private plot were not growing very well.
The team leader decided to ask Grandpa Su later about how he farmed, and how he managed so well.
Grandma Su made the steamed buns on the morning of the fifteenth of August.
According to the local customs, on the fifteenth of August, mooncakes were to be steamed.
Farmhouse-made mooncakes were certainly different from those sold in the city; they were large, layered mooncakes made at home.
In the evening, a table would be set up in the courtyard, with the best and largest homemade mooncake placed in the center to offer to the moon god.
Farm families, who were usually reluctant to eat or wear nice things, would definitely make mooncakes on the fifteenth of August, even if it meant using a lot of oil, flour, and sugar.
This was a tradition passed down from generation to generation, even more formal than the New Year's rituals.
Although offering sacrifices to the moon god was not allowed in recent years, the old custom of making mooncakes had not been broken.
On this morning, even the poorest families in the production team would make mooncakes, and for a time, the air throughout the village was filled with the rich aroma of mooncakes.
In this era, if a spoonful of hot oil was drizzled into anyone's dish, it could spread its fragrance for three li, let alone the entire production team making mooncakes.
But compared to the fragrance of the entire production team, it couldn't compare to the rich aroma emanating from the old Su family.
Grandma Su had good culinary skills and was willing to use ingredients. The mooncakes she made were not only good-looking but also fragrant and sweet. The unique aroma of mooncakes could be smelled from afar, attracting many people in the village.
"The old Su family's life has gotten better. You can tell from the smell of these mooncakes; they must have used a lot of good ingredients."
"Of course. The old Su family is favored by leaders from above. Didn't you see how many supplies those high-ranking officials brought when they visited? Enough to last half a year!"
"Why don't I have such good relatives? If I did, I could also have a good festival."
"What are you dreaming about? It's good enough if you can get a decent meal."
The crowd chattered and laughed, but no one actually went to the old Su family's house.
In the Su family, Grandma Su was taking the mooncakes out of the steamer.
In a three-foot-wide steamer, a large mooncake, nearly four inches thick, was adorned with various lifelike dough flowers and dotted with a few red dates, making it very beautiful.
Grandma Su was willing to use oil and sugar. Early that morning, she had melted half a bowl of a packet of brown sugar. She evenly spread thick brown sugar water between each layer, and also added crushed green bitter beans and bright red rose petals.
Such large mooncakes, which took an hour to steam, were made in three batches by Grandma Su, filling all three steamers.
This was the most extravagant it had been in years. In the past, Grandma Su only made one mooncake, and it wasn't this large.
But this year, the family had no shortage of grain, so she mixed a large basin of flour. After making the mooncakes, there was still half a basin of flour left. Grandma Su mixed in some cornmeal and started making steamed buns.
The pumpkins were grown by themselves and had already been shredded and stir-fried with oil, smelling very fragrant.
Grandma Su, with her three daughters-in-law, quickly shaped the buns.
They were called large steamed buns, and they were indeed large, each one much bigger than an adult's fist.
After making about a hundred large steamed buns in one go, filling all three steamers, Grandma Su nodded with satisfaction.
"Mother, these are more than what we made for New Year's." Wang Xianghua looked at so many large steamed buns. Although cornmeal was mixed in, making the dough slightly yellow, they were still large steamed buns!
"It's rare for the conditions to be good this year. Let's eat well during the festival. Later, each of you take ten steamed buns back to your maiden homes; it will be respectable."
The three daughters-in-law were surprised that they could take some home.
"In previous years, we didn't have enough at home, and I couldn't help it. Now that we do, let's give you some face," Grandma Su said with a brilliant smile.
The three daughters-in-law did not refuse, as their families had often been looked down upon due to the family's poor conditions.
Now, ten large steamed buns were a very respectable festival gift.
"Later, we also need to send some to Li Zhuzi. We can't really eat his two liang of meat for nothing. I'm thinking of sending him a few steamed buns and a few mooncakes. Li Zhuzi is also a poor soul, and we can't take advantage of him, lest we be gossiped about."
Grandma Su was such a person that she absolutely refused to take advantage of others without reason.
The three daughters-in-law unanimously agreed, saying that it was right not to take advantage of Li Zhuzi, otherwise, they would be gossiped about.
"And we can't forget the cowshed. Forget it, you don't know some things, but you must remember, it's not just about others taking advantage of us!"
Grandma Su couldn't explicitly say it, but much of the supplies kept at home were for the grandfather and grandson in the cowshed. However, she still reminded her daughters-in-law.
The three daughters-in-law of the Su family were not foolish and knew that there must be a reason behind it, so they all nodded in agreement.
Just then, the main door rang.