Chapter Fourteen: The Praise of the Villagers

After Yang Kaishan’s decisive word, the family ceased discussing the matter, fully demonstrating his authority as the head of the household.

The conversation then turned to other topics.

The wheat ears sold quickly that day, and when Yang Kaishan returned, he had spent eighty cents to buy a pound of pork belly.

Since he had no ration coupons, he paid an extra twenty cents. Having earned quite a bit over the past two days, Yang Kaishan indulged a little.

At dinner, everyone salivated over the slices of fatty meat.

Liu Cuihua had taken everyone into consideration while cooking.

The household consisted of the elderly couple and their two sons, fourteen people in total, so each person received two slices of meat.

Yang Xiaohong eyed the meat in her bowl longingly.

She immediately broke open a steamed bun and tucked a piece of meat inside.

She ate cautiously, nibbling around the edges of the bun until only the very center remained, while still having over half the meat left. Only then did she begin to fully savor the delicious meat.

Yang Xingwu watched as his grandmother placed some greasy slices of fatty meat into her bowl.

His heart was reluctant to eat such fatty meat, but his body told him he needed the fat.

Closing his eyes, he finished two pieces. To his surprise, it was not as greasy as expected and tasted quite good.

Perhaps this was the hallmark of the local black pigs.

At this time, the white-skinned pigs had only been introduced domestically a few years prior, mostly confined to the southern regions.

In the north, native black pigs still dominated, known for good meat quality, though they grew slowly, barely reaching around two hundred pounds a year.

After dinner, Wang Zhaodi took her younger sister-in-law to wash dishes and scrub pots.

Yang Kaishan held a small meeting with his two sons. Once the chores were done, they sent the children outside to play.

After the children left, the family counted their earnings for the day. Even with yesterday’s reference, each household earning over four hundred yuan again stirred uncontrollable excitement.

After counting the money, Yang Chunsheng bid farewell to the family.

Before leaving, Yang Xingwu said, “Grandpa, when Uncle Jianguo came to see me, he said he’d tell everyone in the village. Should we remind Second Uncle and Fourth Uncle?”

The Second and Fourth Uncles were the grandfather’s cousins, more distant relatives but closer than the common villagers, and they had always maintained good relations.

During Yang Xingwu’s two-day unconsciousness, the Second and Fourth Uncles’ wives had come by with eggs to visit him. Now that Yang Xingwu was informing the village chief and the villagers were working together, it felt only right to notify these closer relatives.

Thus, Yang Xingwu sought his grandfather’s opinion.

“Then let’s pay them a visit! You come with me. They came to see you a few days ago too; if there’s anything I missed, you can add it,” said the grandfather. “You two eldest boys, get some rest early. We have to get up early tomorrow!”

“Got it!” came the reply.

Yang Chunsheng then took his family home.

Yang Xingwu followed his grandfather to the Second Uncle’s house, then to the Fourth Uncle’s.

Both families, knowing Yang Kaishan was visiting, eagerly inquired about selling wheat ears in the city.

Yang Kaishan did not conceal anything. As cousins, they had already earned a good amount and were happy to lend a hand to kin.

After spending about ten minutes at each house and agreeing to go to the city together the next morning, Yang Kaishan took his grandson and bid farewell.

Yang Xingwu escorted his grandfather home and then returned to his own house.

Meanwhile, news of Yang Kaishan’s family fortune spread through the village via the village chief.

After leaving Yang Xingwu’s home in the afternoon, Yang Jianguo gathered many villagers at the committee office to discuss the matter.

Many villagers praised Yang Xingwu’s intelligence and ideas, saying he truly was a cultured man.

Of course, some dismissed it as mere luck. Those with envy were ignored on the surface but deeply scorned inside.

Yang Jianguo recounted all the details he had learned from Yang Xingwu.

Hearing that one ear of wheat could fetch one cent shocked many villagers, who immediately clamored to harvest wheat and sell it in the city overnight.

Seeing this, sweat quickly broke out on Yang Jianguo’s face.

It seemed Yang Xingwu had been too conservative in his estimate.

Thinking this, Yang Jianguo slammed the table hard to quiet the crowd.

Looking at the noisy scene, he felt overwhelmed but feared the consequences if he did not heed Yang Xingwu’s repeated warnings.

Seeing the village chief’s serious expression, many villagers asked, “Jianguo, what’s going on? Just tell us!”

“Yeah! We’re all from the same village; no need to keep secrets!”

“Exactly!”

Yang Jianguo ignored these remarks.

Once the crowd quieted, he spoke solemnly.

“Villagers, Xingwu said this won’t last long. With so many people farming, once everyone knows that wheat kernels make money, they’ll all sell, and the price will surely fall. It might even lead to losses. I’m telling you upfront—tomorrow, just harvest one cartload and see how it sells. If it goes well, we continue; if not, we sell quickly at a low price. Everyone understands?”

The villagers whispered among themselves.

“Uncle, is this for real? Don’t want to lose money. Maybe we shouldn’t do it?”

“The village chief said it—just a little at first, test the waters. Tomorrow we take half a cart and see. Even at one cent per ear, selling half a cart will make this year better!”

“That’s true. Xingwu is loyal—he hasn’t forgotten to help everyone!”

Many nodded in agreement.

But some spoilsports spoke up.

“What loyalty? If he was loyal, he’d have told us from the start. How much money have we lost these past two days?”

“Exactly! That Yang Xingwu is just a student—what does he know about farming?”

“We’ve farmed for decades, and we’re supposed to listen to a kid?”

“You can’t say that. If it doesn’t make money, you’ll blame others.”

“Right! You’re just jealous!”

“Who’s jealous? Are you asking for a beating?”

“Who’s so anxious and jealous?”

The crowd burst into laughter.

The villagers argued—some supported, some scoffed, but most just enjoyed the spectacle.

Yang Jianguo saw that his message had been conveyed and stopped the quarrel, then dismissed the crowd.

The noisy committee office instantly grew silent, as if the commotion had never happened.

Back at home, the villagers held their own family meetings.

Before dawn the next day, many villagers headed to the fields to harvest wheat ears.

Yang Xingwu and his entire family busied themselves in the fields.

Many villagers praised Yang Xingwu as they saw him.

He paid no mind to the compliments, fully aware how sincere they were now—and how harsh the criticism would be if the wheat ears failed to sell.