Rebirth in 1958: Getting rich starts from Nanluoguxiang

Chapter 476: The current betrothal gift is food, money is useless

Grandpa came back around noon. The old man was very happy to see Dabao and Erbao. He held Dabao's hand and kept saying that it was fortunate that Dabao had asked people to go into the mountains to plant sweet potatoes. Otherwise, judging by the situation this year, we would be thankful to have only half of the harvest of previous years.

But this half of the harvest is not enough to pay the public grain tax. It seems that when autumn comes, the villagers will really have to rely on the grain grown in the mountains to survive.

Dabao knew that this mountainous area was not like the plains, where people would not starve to death. He could fill his stomach by simply going up the mountain to dig up some wild vegetables and getting some wild fruits, but the nutrition was not enough, and he would still be pale and thin in the end.

Dabao asked about exchanging food again, but Grandpa remained silent. Finally, under Dabao's repeated questioning, he told him the reason. It turned out that it was a drought, and the animals on the mountainside had all fled to the mountains. Hunting was becoming increasingly difficult, so Grandpa stopped.

Although the production team had some food stored, they did not dare to use it, and kept it for two months to cope with the famine.

The villagers were living in a state of half-hunger and half-fullness. They could have endured this, at most they just moved less and saved food.

But now young people go on blind dates and get married, and the betrothal gifts are no longer in the form of money or other things. Instead, they are all in the form of grain, and the price is clearly marked. To marry a virgin girl, 30 to 50 kilograms of cornmeal are required, and even to marry a widow with children, 10 kilograms of cornmeal are required.

The villagers usually just make ends meet, where do they get the food as a betrothal gift?

Later, there were those shameless people who came to ask the old man for help. The old man lent him money out of pity. But now it was bad. As the saying goes, a poor man has a short ambition and a thin horse has long hair. After this, one person came to borrow five pounds, another to borrow eight pounds, and finally there was only this little cornmeal left.

If Dabao doesn't bring food, grandpa and grandma will have to eat wild vegetables.

Hearing this, Dabao was furious, but he had no other options. After all, living in the village, this was inevitable.

On this day, Dabao brought his younger brothers and sisters to accompany his grandparents. Originally, Dabao wanted his grandparents to go to the city with him, but when he saw his grandfather's attitude of ignoring Nuannuan, Dabao did not bring it up again.

Dabao understood his grandfather's feelings. After all, the child was not his own flesh and blood, so the old man couldn't kiss him even if he wanted to.

This is the difference between my grandpa and my grandparents. Different concepts are bound to lead to differences in vision and pattern. My grandparents are used to seeing life and death, so their thinking is not so narrow.

But Grandpa is just an old man who has never left the mountain valley in his life. His family concept and bloodline concept are deeply rooted in his bones. This is why he doesn't like Nuan Nuan. The old man even blamed Zuo Mingyue for this matter.

In this respect, the three brothers Qin Qingyou have the same character as their roots.

Dabao took them away with a heavy heart. The old man looked at the direction where the jeep was going away and sighed deeply...

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Dabao returned to the station and asked Qin Qinggui to call the old aunt and the second aunt. Qin Qinggui and his wife and the second aunt didn't know what was going on, so they all looked at Dabao.

Dabao sighed: "Uncle, how long has it been since you came back to the village?"

Qin Qinggui was stunned: "It's been more than a month since you were away from the station. I was afraid we wouldn't have enough manpower, so I didn't go back."

Dabao didn't ask his aunt why she should go back since both her daughters had gone to the city and there was only a dilapidated house left in the village.

"I went home today and found out there's no food left at home. In a few days, my grandparents will starve."

"What? This is impossible!" Second Aunt stood up and said, "I went back half a month ago. There was still half a bag of rice and half a bag of noodles at home. How could they eat it so quickly?"

Dabao said with a gloomy face: "The villagers are now eating half full. I heard that in the countryside, you don't have to give money as a gift for blind dates, you have to give food directly. Which family in this village can have extra food?

In the end, we still have to ask our ancestors for mercy and lend us grain so that our children can get married. If we lend it to one person, how can we refuse to lend it to others? They keep calling us "Grandpa". Can my grandfather even put down his face?"

Qin Qinggui and the other two were silent. They had also encountered what Dabao said when they were in the village, but there was always a limit.

Now, everyone in our ancestor’s family eats the emperor’s grain, especially the two daughters-in-law, who live in the granary. How can they be short of food?

Anyway, after borrowing, they can take it home.

Don't say that country people think and do things in a simple and selfish way. This is called simplicity. Words are so double-standard, both the negative and the positive are reasonable.

"Dabao, the villagers are like this, what do you think we should do?"

Dabao raised his head and said, "I originally wanted my grandparents to go to the city with me, but they are not used to going to the city and they are reluctant to leave Dajun Daquan.

I thought, "Uncle, go to the commune tomorrow and ask if there are any houses for sale. I'll buy them, and you can each take one household. Then we can move my grandparents out of the village, and Dajun and Daquan can go to school in the commune. That way, everything will be basically solved. The only problem is my second uncle. Can he live alone in the production team?"

Qin Qinggui and the other two were excited when they heard this. Going to the commune to buy a house was something they had never dared to think about before. Now someone was paying for it, which was a great thing.

Second Aunt was even happier. She really didn't want to go home. It was thirty or forty miles and it would take a whole day to go back and forth.

"Dabao, that's great! If that's the case, I'll live with your grandparents and take good care of your parents. As for your second uncle, well, he's a grown man, how can he not handle a few meals?"

The old lady was also happy. She clapped her hands and said, "There are actually houses for sale. Our stationmaster's house and the widow's house are both for sale. However, they are a bit expensive."

The last thing Dabao lacked was money. He waved his hand and asked, "How much?"

The old lady hesitated for a moment and said, "Both houses are nice, both made of bricks and tiles. Our stationmaster's is bigger and is priced at 180 yuan, while the widow's is 120 yuan."

Dabao nodded. He had seen both houses before. They were indeed good houses in the commune. However, he also had concerns: "Someone had died in Lao Qi's house. Is it okay?"

Qin Qinggui and the other two laughed. These days, what house hasn't had a death? Many houses are built on mass graves. Besides, if you hire a shaman or summon a great immortal to sweep the area, all the demons and monsters will have to stand aside.

Hearing what his uncle and the others said, Dabao also laughed. He turned back to his office, took out four hundred yuan, and put it on the table.

"Then it's settled, uncle. Here are four hundred dollars. You take three hundred and buy the houses tomorrow. I'll give Lao Qi's house to my grandparents, my second aunt, and Da Jun. The widow's house will be yours and my aunt's.

You two families can each take half of the remaining hundred dollars and use it to buy some furniture or something."

Qin Qinggui knew that Dabao was generous, so he accepted it with a smile.

This time everyone is happy. Even though the old man and the old lady said they don't want to go to the city, they are definitely willing to come to the commune.

Dabao put his worries aside and went back to the office to talk to Zuo Mingyue. Zuo Mingyue also thought this was a good idea.

Dabao decided to get up early tomorrow morning and go to the mountains. He might be busy when he returns to the city. The drought is so severe now.

He was thinking about the little bear cub. If there was a drought in the valley, Dabao would take the little bear cub into the space and store some prey.

It is summer now, the temperature is rising, and the sun is rising early. It is already bright at around 4 o'clock in the morning.

Dabao moved his daughter from his arms and placed her on the pillow. He gently got up from the bed, washed up, and then went to the next room to wake up Zuo Mingyue.

Zuo Mingyue was used to it, so she came over and hugged her daughter and continued to sleep without even opening her eyes.

Last night, Niuniu and Wenwen slept with her, while Erbao slept on Sun Qian's bed.

Dabao tiptoed out and closed the door.

Er Gou was on duty in the big office last night. He knew Da Bao was going hunting, so he ran over and opened the door.

Dabao drove out in a jeep...