Chapter Twenty-One: The Visitor at Night

As Yang Xingwu finished speaking, the family members exchanged glances.

"My eldest grandson is truly remarkable to have thought of such a thing. At this rate, the money from selling corn cobs and edamame by September will be enough to build a new house! This way, there will be funds for your house and your eldest brother's, and there won't be any shortage of money for Xiaolong, Xiaohu, and Xiaobao’s homes either!"

"Indeed! Planting four thousand corn stalks per mu, and selling each cob for three cents more—that’s an extra 120 yuan per mu. With six mu, that’s over seven hundred yuan; building a three-room brick house won't be a problem. Xiaowen is twenty. Once this house is built in the autumn, we can arrange a meeting with the prospective bride’s family during the New Year, and he can be married by next year. Then, big brother will be able to hold a grandson, and we will be able to hold a great-grandson!"

Yang Donglai chimed in eagerly upon hearing his mother's words. Yang Kaishan was also delighted; what an old man treasures most is the growth of the family line and the continuity of his descendants. With a great-grandson, the Yang family would span four generations! Liu Cuihua, hearing her son's words, beamed with joy.

Yang Chunsheng, however, sat with furrowed brows. While he felt a bit of happiness, he appeared to be forcing a smile. Wang Zhaodi watched her son with a sense of bewilderment. How had he suddenly become so capable? Though he had always done well in his studies and was skilled at farming, she had never seen him use such methods before. Could it be the work of malevolent spirits? It seemed she would have to pray to the heavens again tonight to protect her son.

Yang Kaishan also felt it strange that his grandson had become so brilliant after recovering from a serious illness. Yang Donglai, as the second uncle, had fewer doubts; he simply felt his nephew had grown capable. His confidence was bolstered by the wall full of certificates, which were enough to dispel any of his misgivings.

Sensing his parents' suspicion, Yang Xingwu realized he had slipped up and quickly tried to smooth things over: "It’s all thanks to the good policies! We’ve only just implemented the household responsibility system, and the authorities are encouraging us to live well! Even if we had these ideas before, we couldn't have put them into practice; only now do we have the chance to make use of them!"

Hearing this, the confusion of Yang Kaishan and Yang Chunsheng vanished. Wang Zhaodi remained slightly hesitant, but when she glanced at the wall full of certificates, her doubts wavered. Regardless, this did not dampen the lively mood as the family ate, chatted, and dreamed of a bright future.

The sun set amidst their laughter. The long-quiet Yang Family Village was stirred to life. The drama of the evening had already spread throughout the village. Many scoffed at the behavior of those troublemakers, calling them heartless and greedy, blaming others for their own insatiable desires.

Meanwhile, Yang Honggui and his younger brother, Yang Hongtao, were just entering the village with their ox cart. They had sold most of their wheat stalks that day, but a small portion remained. The price was pitifully low—the more they sold, the more they lost—so the brothers decided to bring the rest home for their own consumption. They figured they would give some to their cousin, Yang Kaishan, who had specifically warned them two days ago to harvest less to avoid losses. Following his advice, they had reduced their loads from a full cart to half a cart each day.

Yesterday’s market was passable; they earned a little, but today’s market was dismal. In the morning, the price had dropped to two stalks for a cent, meaning what used to fetch 250 or 260 yuan per mu now only brought in 120 or 130. Based on a yield of 400 jin of wheat per mu, with the state-negotiated purchase price at about 0.25 yuan, the gross income was around 100 yuan. It sounded like a lot, but 40 percent went to the public grain tax, leaving a net income of about 60 yuan per mu. They didn't have to buy seeds or fertilizer, but they still had to pay for pesticides. The most critical time for wheat growth was the heading stage; if aphids struck, they had to spray, or the harvest would fail. A bottle of pesticide cost three yuan, sometimes more.

Yang Honggui and his brother hadn't complained about the morning prices—earning a little less was better than being stuck with the crop—but by the afternoon, the price had fallen to three stalks for a cent. At that rate, the income per mu would only be 70 or 80 yuan, which meant they would be losing money after all their hard work. They decided it was better to just bring it home.

As soon as he arrived home, his wife told him about the afternoon's events. Angry and forgetting to eat, Yang Honggui took his wife and brother to Yang Kaishan’s house. After calling out for a long time with no answer, they went to Yang Chunsheng’s home.

Hearing voices as they approached the courtyard, Yang Honggui quickened his pace and called out softly, "Brother Kaishan! Are you home?"

Yang Chunsheng recognized his second uncle's voice and hurried to open the gate. After ushering them in and exchanging pleasantries, they entered the main room. Yang Chunsheng had his daughter light the kerosene lamp. As the room brightened, Yang Honggui said, "Big brother, Hongtao and I just got back and heard about what happened to Xiaowu. We came to check on him. Is he alright?"

Yang Kaishan waved his hand. "He's fine! You know how it is—old grudges! Xiaowu, come out; your second and fourth great-uncles are here to see you!"

"Those people are truly despicable! Bringing them a way to make money and then coming to the door to curse! If you ask me, we shouldn't help them anymore!" Yang Hongtao exclaimed indignantly.

Yang Xingwu rose from the kang and hurried out. Seeing the guests, he greeted them respectfully: "Second great-uncle, second great-aunt, fourth great-uncle, fourth great-aunt, why are you here?"

"We came to see you, dear grandson. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. My grandfather returned right after they arrived. It's nothing serious!"

"That's good! That's good! Here, your fourth great-aunt and I brought some eggs and wheat stalks. You should nourish yourself; with exams coming up, you must keep your health up!"

Yang Xingwu looked at the bag of a dozen or so eggs and the large bundle of wheat stalks his second great-aunt was offering and quickly tried to refuse. Before he could speak, there was more noise outside. A moment later, he saw his mother leading another woman inside.

The woman saw Yang Xingwu and immediately said, "How are you, Xingwu? Feeling better? Your Uncle Chunlei was lucky today and caught two wild rabbits. Since you’ve just recovered from that big illness, I thought I’d bring them over for you to build up your strength!"

Yang Xingwu, noting the expressions of his elders, replied, "Auntie Guihua, you are too kind. It was just a minor ailment; I'll recover with some rest. You should take these rabbits to town and trade them for money—they are too valuable!"

In this era, while wild game wasn't necessarily a favorite among the villagers, catching it and taking it to town could fetch two or three yuan. Since Auntie Guihua had brought two, worth five or six yuan, she surely had a significant favor in mind, and Yang Xingwu instinctively declined.