Chapter 7: Fighting Tigers Requires Brothers

Yang Xingwu felt speechless, but the rest of his family was overjoyed. They never expected that those green wheat ears could fetch so much grain, not to mention the more than three yuan in cash. For the villagers, money was not the most important thing; having grain in the house was what brought peace of mind.

Yang Chunsheng looked at the half-sack of grain and the handful of small-denomination bills, his heart swelling with happiness. He immediately instructed his wife to put the grain and money away. Yang Xiaolan went to the kitchen to fetch water for her father and two older brothers so they could wash up for dinner. With the crisis of running out of food averted, the family ate this meal with great contentment. No matter how significant a problem was, nothing was more important than having a full belly.

After the meal, Wang Zhaodi and Yang Xiaolan went to wash the dishes. Once they took the kerosene lamp away, the main room plunged into darkness. Yang Xingwu looked toward his father and eldest brother, who were in high spirits, and quickly asked, "Dad, Big Brother, how much wheat did you harvest this morning?"

"Not much, about half a fen of land's worth!"

Yang Xingwu did a quick mental calculation: half a fen brought in nine yuan, meaning an entire mu could fetch nearly 180. *Huh,* he thought, *at this rate, this business is definitely worth doing.* However, they had to move quickly. Once word got out, people would flood into the city to sell wheat ears, and the price would inevitably drop. Thinking of this, Yang Xingwu said, "Dad, Big Brother, tomorrow is Sunday and the workers are off. If we get up in the middle of the night to load up a cart and head out to sell, our family won't have to worry for the rest of the year!"

At this time, the country had not yet implemented the two-day weekend; both factories and schools operated six days a week, with only Sunday off. If they were to sell large quantities of wheat, Sunday was undoubtedly the best choice. Yang Xingwu eagerly presented his suggestion.

"This... we have grain now, let's not take such a risk!" Yang Chunsheng, thinking that today's haul was enough to survive the famine, was hesitant. Past experience warned him against being too reckless.

Yang Xingwu looked toward his father and brother, but due to malnutrition-induced night blindness, he could only see dark shadows. "Dad, you can't think like that. They say the bold get full, while the timid starve. Big Brother is already twenty; it’s time for him to find a wife. Look at our family’s condition—which girl would be willing to marry into this? Now that there’s finally an opportunity, we can’t let it slip away!"

Yang Xingwen felt his heart stir at his younger brother's words. Since the land reform, everyone had been working with great enthusiasm and life had improved somewhat. Other young men in the village his age were already married with children or had their wedding dates set. He was the only one with a high school student in the family—someone who not only couldn't help with the labor but also burdened the household. He hadn't been without resentment, but whenever he saw the wall full of his brother’s award certificates, he reminded himself that as long as his brother got into university, the family’s fortunes would turn. Hearing his brother now, he felt a spark of hope and looked toward his father, seeing only the faint glow of his pipe.

Yang Chunsheng thought of the years of hardship. The most valuable things in their house were the pushcart, three old hens, and his wife's spinning wheel. Remembering that his eldest son was at a marriageable age with no prospects, and recalling his little daughter crying from hunger the previous night, a wave of sorrow washed over him. Then, he remembered the nine yuan earned from just half a fen of land. After a long silence, he slammed his hand on the table, startling both brothers.

"Damn it, I've had enough of this miserable life!"

Hearing their father's words, the brothers were overjoyed. They prepared to go to bed to get an early start the next day. However, Yang Chunsheng stood up and asked his wife to scoop out some cornmeal. Wang Zhaodi quickly found a cloth bag, ladled out four or five scoops, and handed it to her husband. Carrying the bag, Yang Chunsheng led his two sons through the darkness, guided by the starlight, to his father's house.

Yang Chunsheng called out at the door, and his nephew, Yang Xinglong, opened it. Seeing the three of them, he called out, "Grandpa, Big Brother, Second Brother, you're here!"

"Yes. Are your father and grandfather asleep?"

"They're in bed. Is something the matter?"

"Yes. Wake them up. Keep this safe!"

Yang Xinglong took the bag, felt the weight of the grain, and immediately led them into the main room. Yang Donglai, hearing his son say that his elder brother had arrived and brought a bag of flour, quickly climbed off the *kang*. Seeing them enter, he greeted them, "Big Brother, Xingwen, Xingwu! Come in, sit down." He struck a match and lit the kerosene lamp, and the room brightened.

Yang Kaishan threw a coat over his shoulders and stepped off the bed. He was puzzled by his eldest son and grandsons arriving in the middle of the night. "Eldest, what's the rush? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow?"

Sun Chunni took the bag from her son, lifted it, and her face lit up. She poured the flour into their own sack and handed the cloth bag back. Yang Chunsheng then spoke, "Dad, Little Brother, I went to the city today and made some money..." He recounted the day's events to his father and brother.

Yang Donglai was delighted, as he had been worrying about how to get through this difficult time. He hadn't expected his brother to bring flour and offer a way to make money. Yang Kaishan, however, became solemn. He sat at the Eight Immortals table, silent for a long time, before pulling a pipe from his pocket and lighting it. No one spoke; only the sound of the damp wick crackling filled the room.

After a long while, once the tobacco was nearly gone, Yang Kaishan finally spoke. "Eldest, you did well. They say brothers fight the tiger together, and father and son go into battle as a team! But have you considered the risks?"

"Dad, I have. If something goes wrong, I'll go to jail. We were running low on grain, and the wheat harvest is still half a month away. If I hadn't sold those wheat ears today, life would have been even harder to bear!"

"Sigh!" Yang Kaishan let out a soft sigh. He took a deep drag, tapped the pipe against the table until the embers died, and stood up. "Fine, let's do it! Since there's a way to make money, if we don't take it, we're letting down the path the heavens have pointed out for us. If anything happens, just shift the blame onto your father!"

"Dad, I can't do that!"

"What's this 'can't' nonsense? Your father is old and useless; you are still in your prime. If you go to jail, the family falls apart. Xingwu is a good lad—once his health improves, he must study hard and get into university to bring honor to the Yang family!"

"Grandpa, don't worry, I will definitely get in!"

"Good, good, good! It's getting late, get some sleep. I'll go to the production team tomorrow and borrow two oxen so you can pull the cart!"