Chapter 105: Mother Zhang Prepares Gifts

In the main house’s east wing, Mother Zhang opened the small storeroom. It was packed full—there was a bit of everything. The moment Zhang Guoqing saw it, he knew his mother had spent the past few days preparing a whole lot more.

Mother Zhang instructed him, “Xiao Wu, pack up all these mountain goods together. I’ve already sorted them, so just squeeze them into two big bundles. As for the wild game and cured meat, pack them tightly together too—don’t worry about crushing them—just make it into one bundle. Tomorrow, we’ll take these three parcels to the train. Send a telegram to your grandfather so they can pick them up.”

Zhang Guoqing looked at the pile, feeling a headache coming on. “Mom, if you give all this away, what will we eat? Just pick a few things and make a small, easy-to-carry bundle. The day after tomorrow, I’ll go to another village and buy some things to mail over. Let’s keep these for ourselves, or else we’ll be left eating pickles with cornbread.”

Mother Zhang covered her mouth, unable to hold back her laughter. She peeked outside, then whispered, “You’re still thinking of buying from other villages? All the villages at the foot of Daqingshan to the north have already been cleaned out by your mother-in-law. We’ve cleaned out our own village. Where else can you buy? Whatever’s left, people are keeping for themselves—you won’t be able to buy any. So listen to me and pack up quickly. Send these back to Beijing with her. Otherwise, by the time her earlier parcels arrive in Beijing and you send more, these things won’t be special anymore.”

Zhang Guoqing was speechless. “How much did you guys buy? Didn’t this cause a stir in the whole area? And how did my mother-in-law know where to find things? Some of those villages are so remote you can’t even drive in.”

Mother Zhang put her hands on her hips, looking smug. “No, it was all done quietly. Your mother-in-law took Xizi and specifically sought out families who hunt. One family introduced her to another, and for four days straight, she filled a whole car each day. She sent two parcels to Jiao Jiao’s second uncle in the northwest, saying you can’t buy these things there even if you want to. They can eat them themselves or give them as gifts. These things aren’t worth much here, but in big cities they’re expensive and hard to find. In the following days, she sent parcels to Jiao Jiao’s grandfather, eldest uncle, and aunt. Xizi said there was so much stuff that she mailed two batches from the county, then drove to several nearby townships to mail the rest separately. She was very careful—otherwise, what if the whole county found out?”

Mother Zhang watched him pack, occasionally offering advice. “Don’t worry, most of what she’s taking is wild game and cured meat. Every village has mountain goods, so we’re not afraid of running out. Besides, there are plenty of markets at the end of the year—we can always buy more. There’s still some in the kitchen cellar for us to eat.”

Zhang Guoqing pressed down hard on the wild game and cured meat, packing them into neat, square bundles. He hefted them—they must weigh seventy or eighty jin. Clearly, his mother had bought quite a lot. He’d have to slip her some money later.

“Mom, I get it. We only have about ten jin at home. Who did you buy all this from? No one in the village really hunts. I see mostly pheasants, and this cured meat is from this year too. Whose is it?”

Mother Zhang went to lift the bundles herself, satisfied, and moved them to the corner.

“I got your uncle’s and your little uncle’s families to help me gather it. The village will go hunting again before the New Year, so they’re not worried about running out. The cured meat is from your little aunt’s mother’s family. They secretly raised a pig for less than a year, just slaughtered it and made cured meat, planning to sell it quietly. I bought it all. I didn’t buy cured meat from the village—too many eyes and ears. As for the mountain goods, I bought them from your eldest brother’s trustworthy friends, plus some of our own. Don’t worry, your father already gave instructions.”

Hearing that, Zhang Guoqing relaxed. “Mom, is there anyone else slaughtering pigs and selling meat? No matter how much, buy it all for me. If anyone slaughters sheep, buy that too. The more the better.”

Mother Zhang looked at him curiously. “What’s going on? Why do you want so much?”

Zhang Guoqing checked the weight, then set the two bundles of mountain goods in the corner. Now that he looked at it, three bundles weren’t that big. Tomorrow, they could be put straight on the train, and someone in Beijing could help unload them. As long as he sent a telegram in advance, there shouldn’t be any problems.

He thought for a moment, then decided to share a bit. He’d heard some rumors in the provincial capital. Others might not believe them, but he did. It was probably time to start preparing.

“I’ve heard a bit of news. Starting next year, everything will require ration tickets—even matches and needles. Just like grain coupons in previous years, everything will need a ticket. Private sales at markets will be banned—only bartering will be allowed. Only state-run stores and collectives like supply and marketing cooperatives or village brigades can buy and sell. Some say the markets will be closed altogether.

So in the future, even if you have money, without tickets, you can’t buy anything. After my mother-in-law leaves tomorrow, let’s drive around and buy whatever essentials we still need, especially things that don’t require tickets yet.

If it really turns out like this, think about it—in the countryside, aside from grain, everything has to be bought. Where will we get the tickets? When it comes time for year-end settlements, they’ll only give out a few. How will we get by? Think about cloth coupons—before, you just needed money to buy cloth. Now, without a coupon, you can’t buy any, no matter how much money you have. We don’t need to panic over these rumors, but it’s good to be prepared.

I want to buy meat to use as gifts. There are a few families in the county who lack nothing except meat. I want to see if I can get Second Brother into the county public security bureau, so I’ll try sending some meat to the heads there and see if I can make some connections. I also need to give some to others. Mom, what do you think about arrangements for Big Brother? Give me some advice. Big Brother and Second Brother can only be placed in the county and township, not all at once, or it’ll attract too much attention and gossip.”

Mother Zhang looked at her son in surprise, wondering if she’d heard right. So many people dreamed of moving to the city, but was it really that easy? Yet now he was saying it was possible, just not to make a big show of it.

“Wife, where are you?” Father Zhang’s voice called from outside.

Mother Zhang quickly pulled him inside. This was a big family matter—she didn’t dare decide on her own and needed to hear what her husband thought.

Father Zhang glanced at Mother Zhang, then at the bundles on the floor, and said to Zhang Guoqing, “Are you done here? Come with me to my room and tell me how your trip went—who did you meet?”

Zhang Guoqing pulled his mother along and followed his father into the next bedroom. Father Zhang lit his long pipe, took a puff, and waited for them to speak.

Mother Zhang told him everything Xiao Wu had just said about everything possibly requiring ration tickets next year. Father Zhang listened without a word, looking at Zhang Guoqing, who nodded in confirmation.

Father Zhang narrowed his eyes, took another puff, and reassured his wife, “If everything switches to a ticket system, then money won’t matter much, especially in the countryside. Grain coupons, cloth coupons, and now maybe meat coupons—it wouldn’t be surprising if everything needed a ticket next year. Wife, just listen to Xiao Wu and go check things out in the provincial capital. No need to worry. With Xiao Wu here, we won’t have to worry about tickets or buying what we need.”

After thinking it over, Mother Zhang said, “Husband, Xiao Wu wants to get Second Brother into the county public security bureau. What about our eldest?”

Father Zhang shook his head. “No rush for the eldest—don’t send him to the city yet. We can’t move all three at once; it wouldn’t look good and might cause trouble. Let Second Brother go first—his kids are young, less of a burden, and his wife can earn some grain at home by growing vegetables and raising pigs and chickens. Once Xiao Wu moves to the city, we can arrange for Second Brother’s family to follow, step by step so it doesn’t attract attention. As for the eldest and his family, once the guests leave tomorrow, I’ll ask what they think. Xiao Wu, how did your trip go?”

Zhang Guoqing thought about how to answer—if he said too much, they’d worry. After a moment, he told them about who he’d met in the provincial capital, which important elders and friends he’d made, and how the old man had looked after him and what instructions he’d given over the past five days. When he finished and saw his father had no further questions, he realized his father was waiting for his own thoughts.

“Old Master Lin is seventy percent sincere, thirty percent calculating. My mother-in-law is still here, so I haven’t had time to talk to Jiao Jiao about it. I haven’t met the rest of the Lin family yet, so I’ll just take things as they come. Some things are hard to explain—when my father-in-law comes back, it’ll become clear. The main thing is that my mother-in-law is the only real connection to the Lin family. If people are good, I’ll get closer; if not, I’ll keep my distance. There’s something I want to discuss with you: should we register Ping An’s household in Beijing or directly in the village?”"