Siheyuan: Rebirth of Liu Ergou

The continuous drought was like an invisible hand, tightly strangling the land, causing a sharp decline in grain production. It seemed that overnight, the fertile fields became barren and bleak. Both adults and children faced the dilemma of a sharp decline in food supply. Everyone's ration was ruthlessly cut by one-third. There was almost no food, and meat and eggs became luxury goods with no market. They were hard to find in the market, and even the most affluent families could not afford them.

The era of supply by ticket quietly arrived, like a sudden cold wave, making everyone feel unprecedented difficulties and depression. In the No. 95 courtyard, the atmosphere was so heavy that it seemed that water could drip out. A meeting of the whole courtyard was held here, trying to find a way out in this difficult time.

The three old men sat down on the three big chairs beside the table early in the morning, with sad looks on their faces.

Everyone sat together, talking at once, with anxiety and uneasiness written all over their faces.

"What should we do? Food is getting less and less. How are we going to live in the future?" an old lady asked anxiously, with a trembling voice.

Why are you in such a hurry? If you have anything to say, go find the three uncles and don't make any noise, He Yuzhui was so proud of himself that he provoked them. The three uncles glared at He Yuzhui at the same time, which scared him so much that he shrank his head and sat on the stool, not daring to show off.

"Yes, there are no side dishes, let alone meat and eggs. How can we live like this?" An old man next to him also sighed, his eyes full of helplessness and confusion.

Uncle Niu, are you still thinking about side dishes? It's good enough to fill your stomach! He Yuzhu couldn't help but speak out his true feelings listlessly. In fact, he was not in a hurry at all. He and Yushui had a fixed amount of food. In addition, he only had one meal at home, and there were no less than 600 kilograms of food stored at home. With food in hand, he was not worried.

"I heard that some people have started to dig wild vegetables and chew tree bark. This is simply a return to the pre-liberation era!" a young man said indignantly, his voice full of dissatisfaction and anger at the current situation.

Poor us, an orphan and a widow, relying on Dongxu alone for support, what are we going to do in the future? Jia Zhang wailed with her mouth wide open.

"Alas, this drought is really harmful to people! We have to think of a solution, we can't just sit there and wait for death!" Another old man also joined the discussion. Although his voice was a little hoarse, it revealed a firmness and determination.

Actually, there is a way. Let's organize and go to the ghost market to buy. Aunt Wu said. Do you have so much money? This is not nonsense. If we had money, we wouldn't have held this meeting, Jia Zhang shouted angrily.

Three old men sat aside. They used to be the spiritual pillars of the hospital, full of vigor and dignity. However, at this moment, they also lost their former spirit, frowned, and their eyes revealed deep worry and helplessness. They knew that this crisis was different from the usual ones, and it tested everyone's will and wisdom.

Uncle Yi Zhonghai looked at the people talking at once, frowning, and turned to look at Uncle Yan Bugui, who was standing beside him. Uncle Yan Bugui shook his head helplessly.

"We must unite and face this difficult time together." An old man finally spoke. Although his voice was not loud, it was full of strength and determination. "We can try to grow some drought-resistant crops or find other sources of food." Xu Damao couldn't help but retorted, where do the seeds come from? Even if we have the seeds, where can we plant them?

The second uncle snorted and said, "As long as we work together, we will definitely be able to overcome this difficulty!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. They knew that only by uniting as one could they resist this unprecedented crisis.

In the end, after all the talk, there was still no solution. Liu Rui felt very frustrated, so he proposed that he could get some food at half the price of the black market, but the quantity was at most 3,000 kilograms.

When the second uncle Liu Haizhong heard Liu Rui say that he could get 3,000 kilograms of grain, his eyes immediately lit up and he said loudly: "Everyone don't leave, we have to discuss how to distribute these 3,000 kilograms!" His voice echoed in the yard.

Liu Rui's words were like a bomb, causing a huge uproar among the crowd. People were talking to each other, discussing this shocking news.

"Liu Rui, can you really get 3,000 kilograms of grain?" Uncle Yi Zhonghai questioned.

Liu Rui nodded and said, "I have a friend who has a way to get a batch of food, but the quantity is limited."

"Then how do we distribute the food?" Third uncle Yan Bugui interrupted.

"This..." Liu Rui was speechless for a moment. He didn't expect everyone to be so anxious.

At this time, the second uncle Liu Haizhong stood up and said, "I think it should be distributed according to the number of people in each family. This is fairer." The second uncle's proposal was responded to by some people.

"No, some families have large populations but don't actually need much food. This is unfair to others." Someone raised an objection.

"Then distribute it according to work points. Whoever does more work will get more." Someone else said.

"This won't work. Some elderly people and children can't work, so they have to go hungry?" Jia Zhang shouted. Besides, you get your wages for work and don't share them with others. This is absolutely not okay.

Everyone argued endlessly and could not reach a consensus. At this time, Liu Rui said: "How about this, let's get the grain back first, and then discuss how to distribute it."

Everyone thought this idea was feasible, so they decided to take action first.