Father Chen had also been called back to receive them, and the two families sat down to exchange pleasantries.
His eldest uncle from next door came over to keep them company too.
With no need to attend to the guests, Mother Chen was free to cook. "Stay and eat with us later, all of you. I'll make extra. We happened to get a whole lot of fish, shrimp and meat yesterday, and a couple of vegetables from our private plot will be enough."
"No, no, we'll just sit for a while and then go. We've already prepared food at home."
"It's no trouble. It's been a bumper year, so there's nothing wrong with staying for a meal."
"Really, there's no need..."
They went back and forth until, in the end, only Brigade Captain Wang stayed for the meal, while the others went home first.
These days, no family was well-off. Everyone scraped a living from the land or the sea, and families had so many mouths to feed that being able to eat their fill and keep warm all year was good enough. Who would dare drag their whole family along to eat at someone else's house? That would be far too inconsiderate.
Even when visiting, most people had to bring their own rations, lest their hosts take a dislike to them.
Chen Haichao waited for a lull and took the opportunity to ask, "Brigade Captain, I think I heard that somewhere they've started dividing the farmland among households. Have you heard anything? When will we start doing it here?"
"Oh? You know quite a bit. They really are doing it elsewhere. I only just heard the village Party secretary mention it yesterday. He went to a meeting in the county and heard that other places were piloting contracts for individual boats and dividing farmland among households."
Chen Haichao's eyes lit up. "Then what about us..."
"We haven't received any notice yet. Just wait. That day will come, and I don't think it'll be long."
Father Chen hadn't quite understood, but he guessed at the meaning of the words and felt as though he had figured it out. Suppressing his excitement, he asked, "What do contracts for individual boats and dividing farmland among households mean? Are they going to give land directly to every family?"
"That's right. I heard that in other places, they've stopped working collectively for work points. Instead, they divide the farmland equally according to the number of people, and villagers can independently contract some of the production team's equipment."
"If we could do that, it would be wonderful. We wouldn't have to work collectively anymore. Every family would have farmland of its own and could grow its own crops."
The brigade captain nodded. "Yes, it would be wonderful if we followed suit here. Every family would have its own fields, and whether they grew a lot or a little, it would all be theirs. But we haven't implemented it here yet."
Chen Haichao said, "Let's wait. That day will come sooner or later. It probably won't be long now."
Listening to them, Father Chen began to look forward to it too. "It would be wonderful if everyone could get land and each family could farm its own fields. I'm sure everyone would put more care into it."
Hosts and guests alike enjoyed the midday meal. Father Chen and the brigade captain drank until two in the afternoon before parting, both tipsy and red-faced.
Chen Haichao joined them for a little while but left the table early.
Seeing Mother Chen bagging up the dried shrimp she had brought in, he walked over and asked, "Mom, are you drying all that shrimp for my sisters?"
Without looking up, Mother Chen busied herself tying the bag shut. "The New Year's almost here, and we don't have anything nice to give your sisters. I dried a little, and I'll have Fourth take it to your eldest and second sisters' homes later. It'll give them another dish, and the children can have a few more bites too. There's no sea near either of your brothers-in-law's villages, so they don't get to eat this."
"I'll take it. Doesn't Chen Sidi have to help you clean?"
Mother Chen looked at him in surprise. "You finally have a day off, and you're not going to find your friends? Didn't you say you were going to look around the village and find out the name of that old widow he's shacking up with?"
"There's no rush. I can just as well stake out Wang Zhiwen's house tonight."
"Then you can take it. It'll be a good chance to show your face and give your eldest and second sisters some backing."
"Okay."
His eldest and second sisters had also married into nearby villages, and the situations in both their husbands' families were rather hard to sum up.
But there was no rush. He could take it slowly.
Today, he had resolved the crisis of his fourth sister marrying a dwarf and saved that child too. That was already an enormous gain.
The more pressing matter now was to catch Wang Zhiwen in the act of gnawing on old bones, get the evidence, and expose him.
Then there was making money. He needed to save up the contracting fee first and prepare in advance.
Mother Chen divided the dried shrimp into two portions and packed them in worn cloth bags. She handed them to him, each weighing about ten jin.
"We'll keep what I dried today for ourselves. These are all for the two of them."
"Okay."
Chen Haichao had picked up the two bags of dried shrimp but had yet to head out when Mother Chen hesitated, then stopped him.
She took five of the sponge cakes Brigade Captain Wang had just brought and wrapped them in a handkerchief.
"These are for the children at your eldest and second sisters' homes, one each. Give them out in secret, or if the others see, there's no telling whether the children will get to eat them."
"I know. Don't worry, I'll give them out secretly." He tucked the bundle into his padded jacket pocket and headed out.
He had only just stepped out the door when the dragon-phoenix twins came running over and wrapped themselves around his legs, one clinging to each, keeping him from moving.
"Big brother! You're playing favorites!"
"Big brother! Your elbow bends outward!"
Chen Haichao hurriedly freed one hand to hold up his waistband, lest they pull his pants off. Black lines covered his face as he looked down at the two of them.
"What are you two doing?"
"Aqi said you gave him two mao!" Chen Haisheng (Xiao Qi) accused.
Chen Xixi (Xiao Liu) puffed out her cheeks. "Aqi was showing off to us!"
"I want some too. You're my big brother."
"I want some too."
"Go ask Mom."
"I'm scared. I don't dare," Chen Haisheng said timidly.
"Mom will scold us," Chen Xixi said coquettishly in her babyish voice. "Big brother, if you gave Aqi money, you have to give us some too. We're your little brother and sister."
Chen Haisheng said, "Big brother, we just heard the ding-ding candy seller! I only want to buy one piece."
Looking at his miniature brother and sister adorably asking for money, Chen Haichao's heart melted completely. He searched his pockets and pulled out two mao.
"One mao each."
The two hadn't expected to get it so easily. Their eyes instantly lit up with delight, and they quickly let go and took the money.
"Thank you, big brother!"
"Big brother is the best!"
Once they had split the money, the two ran off and vanished in an instant.
Chen Haichao picked up the two bags of dried shrimp and continued toward the village entrance.
His eldest sister's home was in White Stone Village, five kilometers away and relatively close to town. His second sister lived in Three Harmony Village, eight kilometers away, a little farther, but both were along the same route, with the town between them.
It was because those two had married so far away that his mother had wanted Third to marry someone in their own village. She would be closer, making it easier to back her up, and they knew the family well. If anything happened, they could be there in a few steps. As it happened, Wang Zhiwen liked Third, and after meeting him, Third had no objections, so they agreed to the marriage.
They never expected that you could know a man's face but not his XP.
Now he had to walk to his eldest sister's home first, then to his second sister's. His poor legs-he hadn't walked such a long way in decades.
Still, he had to make the trip. He would pass through town anyway, so he could visit the purchasing station and the supply and marketing cooperative to check prices. He only remembered the general figures, and prices fluctuated every year, so he still had to check exactly how many fen and mao things cost.
The main road outside the village was no different from the roads inside it, except that it was a little wider. It was the same dilapidated yellow-earth road, so full of potholes and ruts that it hurt his feet to walk on.
The villages along the way were just as shabby, with low adobe houses topped with tiles. Outside the farmhouses by the road, people had set out shredded sweet potatoes, dried radishes, salted fish and other things to dry.
It was just after noon, and the winter sun wasn't harsh, only pleasantly warm. But carrying twenty jin of dried shrimp, he still worked up a sweat and had to stop and start along the way.
Five kilometers wasn't far; an electric scooter could cover it in just a few minutes. The problem was that there were no electric scooters at this time. Even bicycles were a luxury, costing over a hundred yuan and requiring a ration ticket. In their entire village, only the brigade captain's family and the village Party secretary's family had one each.
A bicycle was also standard for getting a wife in the city. In the countryside, their requirements weren't so high; the money and ticket needed to buy a bicycle were enough to get a wife.
He walked for about an hour before reaching White Stone Village, where he remembered his eldest sister lived. He stood at the entrance, thinking he would rest a while before going in. There was still a long way to walk once he entered the village, and he didn't want to stop again and have people crowd around to stare at him.
The moment a stranger entered the village, the villagers' eyes would focus on him like searchlights, and he would face all kinds of questioning along the way.
Which village was he from? What was he doing here? Who was he looking for?
He knew it only too well.