Chapter 121: The Autumn Harvest Concludes

Over the past two days, Han Li truly felt that being a farmer was never easy, especially in this era without mechanization.

For these two days, everyone had been working at the threshing ground, racing against the fine weather to dry and store the various grains. At noon, however, everyone could go home in shifts to eat; if one was fast enough, they could even squeeze in a short nap.

Today at noon, Han Li and his two companions finished their meal quickly, and the Yun sisters also took this time to rest for a while. After they left, Han Li had just laid down on the kang when he heard someone calling him at the gate.

"Han Li, Comrade Han, are you home?"

At first, Han Li couldn't recognize the voice. As he stepped out of the room, he saw Mai Weiguo and Xiong Xianjin entering with dejected expressions. Why were these two here? He had no friendship with them, but they certainly looked different now. They were both dark and thin, their posture no longer as straight as before, and they walked with a slight limp. Han Li thought to himself that reality was indeed a stern teacher; the high spirits they had when they first arrived had almost entirely vanished.

"Comrade Mai, Comrade Xiong, you two are rare guests. What brings you to my place? Come, sit down and rest for a bit."

Han Li arranged for them to sit in the courtyard, making no move to invite them inside.

Mai Weiguo said, "Comrade Han, we have a favor to ask. Do you have any money on you? Could you lend us some to buy grain? Our money has run out, but our families will wire us funds in a few days. We will pay you back immediately then."

Xiong Xianjin added, "Don't worry, Comrade Han. The autumn harvest is almost over, and the village will distribute grain. If our families don't send money, we will pay you back with grain. I heard that most people in the village who can't pay their debts use grain instead."

Borrow money? That was absolutely impossible. Han Li had heard that since they arrived in the countryside, they had only received one letter. Forget about money transfers; even the packages that most others received were nowhere to be seen for them. Setting aside the question of their character, lending them money now would be like throwing it into a bottomless pit. Pay back with grain? They didn't even have 300 work points; they couldn't even guarantee their own rations. If he forced them to use their already insufficient food to pay him, who knew what kind of labels others would pin on him? Besides, once you start lending money, it's hard to avoid a second time, and soon the other party takes it for granted. If he refused later, he’d be the villain, so it was better not to open that door at all.

Han Li said with an embarrassed look, "I didn't have much money left after building my house. Plus, as you know, I'm courting Yun Yingying. The autumn harvest is grueling work, so I have to make sure my partner eats well. But since the sisters came together, I can't leave her sister aside while we eat, can I? One portion becomes two, and my money and grain are already at the bottom. I don't even know if I can make it until the grain distribution, so I really don't have any money to spare. I'm sorry."

"This..."

Han Li continued, "Although I can't help with the money, it is fate that brought us all from across the country to Shanghe Village. Later, I'll give you a string of hazel mushrooms I picked from the mountain. They taste great in stir-fries or soups."

After seeing off Mai Weiguo and Xiong Xianjin, Han Li had no heart for resting. He locked the door and headed to the threshing ground.

That afternoon, he heard the aftermath of their request: they had canvassed the other educated youth without luck and eventually begged Village Chief Zhao. Thinking that the grain distribution was near, the Chief finally agreed to let them trade work points for a small amount of grain.

Two days passed, and the space on the threshing ground was mostly cleared. That evening, Brigade Leader Liang announced that they would start harvesting corn the next day. All able-bodied adults were to go to the fields to snap off the ears, while the older children, young women, and elderly were to stay at the threshing ground to husk them.

At the first light of dawn the next day, all the strong laborers set out. They snapped the corn off the stalks and tossed them into the baskets on their backs. When a basket was full, they carried it to the edge of the field, dumped it into carts or wheelbarrows, and transported it to the threshing ground.

Those waiting at the threshing ground helped unload the carts, piling the unhusked corn on one side. The elderly sat on the ground to pull back the husks, revealing the golden ears. The younger ones would then carry the husked corn to the center of the threshing ground, spreading it out evenly so each ear could get plenty of sunlight to dry before threshing.

As cart after cart arrived, the people at the threshing ground struggled to keep up. No one was in the mood to chat; everyone kept their heads down, working rapidly. The air was filled with the rustling of husks and the fresh, sweet fragrance of corn.

Harvesting corn was different from other farm work; in the tall fields, everyone drifted apart, relying on shouting to communicate. By dusk, when nothing could be seen, the shouting echoed everywhere. But slacking off was impossible—the scorekeeper recorded every basket brought back.

Everything went normally for the first three days. On the fourth day, when work ended, the Brigade Leader called everyone to the threshing ground for a meeting. Han Li followed the crowd, puzzled. People sat on the ground around the piles of corn, both men and women smoking their pipes. The children played on the piles, tireless.

Seeing Han Li, Yun Yingying waved him over and whispered the reason for the meeting. The culprits were none other than Mai Weiguo and Xiong Xianjin. For the past few days, they had been hiding corn in the fields, planning to smuggle it out later. They had started with twenty ears on the first day, fifty on the second, over two hundred on the third, and today, it was around three hundred. However, while digging a hole to hide the haul today, they were spotted by Liang Wu's wife, who caught them red-handed with the Brigade Leader.

By now, the two were being shoved forward, followed by a cart full of corn. The subsequent events followed a predictable path. However, the start and end of this incident somewhat relieved the tension of the past few days. Unexpectedly, two days later, Xiong Xianjin returned alone; Mai Weiguo had been transferred elsewhere. That was an interesting development, but everyone was too exhausted to probe into the details.

The corn harvest took eight days, followed by drying and threshing. After peeling, drying, threshing, and drying again, the corn could finally be stored in the granary. After more than two months of high-intensity labor, as the last bag was stored, everyone's spirits finally relaxed. The villagers were better off, already talking about the upcoming grain distribution, but the educated youth were in a sorry state. They looked as if their bones had been pulled out, listless and slumped; some sat on the ground, others slid down the walls, and several female youths burst into tears.

Han Li felt exhausted too. Despite his physically superior condition, the long-term psychological pressure had been immense.

Brigade Leader Liang told everyone they could rest for two days; once the autumn grain was handed over, distribution would begin. To cheers, the crowd dispersed. At the village branch, the work had just begun: calculating the money and grain coupons to be received, estimating next year's expenses—like film screenings and farm tools—and setting aside emergency reserves. Only then would the remaining grain and money be distributed according to individual work points—a tedious task involving fine grains, coarse grains, cash, and coupons.

On the way back, the women were discussing where to forage for wild goods or gather firewood, how to spend their upcoming earnings, and what to prepare for the winter. The men talked about setting traps now that they had more time. Some of the older educated youth were already considering going home for the Lunar New Year if they had enough money. Most, however, just wanted to reward themselves—trading with villagers for eggs or cooking a slightly better meal.

Han Li was no exception. Yun Yingying discussed what to eat that night. He Mi, along with Qi Zhaodi, Hao Hongmin, and Yang Xiuying, all gathered around, wanting to celebrate. Han Li saw through their intentions: they simply wanted to wash off the dirt and sweat of the harvest.

Han Li's home became lively. They brought plenty of ingredients, but instead of cooking, they all decided to bathe first. Realizing it would take forever, and not wanting to crowd them while he was still sweaty, Han Li had Yun Jingjing stir-fry a dish, grabbed a bottle of liquor, and went to have a heart-to-heart with Zhang Xiangjun.