Volume One, Chapter Four: No More Pretending, I'm Laying My Cards on the Table!

Fifty-four yuan—what kind of concept was that?

My parents had worked conscientiously for so many years, yet the family savings totaled only twenty-five yuan and twenty cents. Even the regular employees at the local factories, the ones doing well for themselves, only earned forty to fifty yuan a month. Selling a single basket of mushrooms was equivalent to working like a beast of burden for a whole month. I couldn't tell if this was their tragedy or the tragedy of the era.

Of course, that was none of Chen Yang’s business. He just wanted to live his own life well; that was enough.

After bidding farewell to Liu Guolin, he drove the horse cart to the county supply and marketing cooperative. In this day and age, you needed ration coupons for everything; without them, money was useless. Fortunately, some black marketeers were hovering around the coop, furtively selling coupons. Chen Yang spent a yuan to buy a stack of coupons for rice, flour, and oil. He then bought a pile of goods—enough to keep the family fed for a while. Otherwise, who could endure eating cornmeal cakes and sorghum porridge day in and day out?

After settling that, he discovered they even had ready-made clothes and sandals. Although the styles left much to be desired, they were quite impressive for that era. He spent another dozen yuan on a dress and a pair of plastic sandals as a gift for his wife, Huang Zhiyao.

With a cart full of goods bought for just over twenty yuan and thirty yuan remaining in his pocket, Chen Yang headed back, feeling satisfied. Upon reaching home, he gulped down a ladle of cold water and hurried toward the river. Sure enough, Li Cheng and a bunch of other rascals were splashing around in the water.

"Brother Yang, Brother Yang, come on down!" Seeing Chen Yang, Li Cheng waved frantically from the middle of the river.

"Come down my foot! Get up here, I have something to tell you!"

Hearing this, the lad splashed his way to the bank. "What is it, Brother Yang?"

"Get them to do something for me. Later, ride your bike and take me to the educated youth dormitory."

"What do you want them to do?"

Ever since Chen Yang had stepped down as the leader of the village children, he had passed the mantle to Li Cheng. Now, the gang of boys in the river all looked to him for guidance.

"Tell this lot to go to the back mountain and pick mushrooms for me. Don't bring back the tiny ones or the old, shriveled ones; I want them in good condition. Tomorrow, I'll pay a yuan per person."

Chen Yang obviously didn't have the time to pick mushrooms himself, so he delegated the task. With money as the catalyst, those boys would surely work their tails off.

"Damn, is that all? Why pay them for picking mushrooms? If they don't go, I'll beat them into submission!"

"Just do as I say. Go tell them, then come take me to the dormitory."

With that, he kicked Li Cheng in the backside, sending him tumbling back into the river. This guy was reliable; he quickly spread the word. As his good brother, Chen Yang naturally wouldn't treat him poorly. He pulled out two yuan and shoved it into Li Cheng’s hand. "Stick with me, and I guarantee you’ll be eating and drinking well."

"Holy crap, Brother Yang, did you rob a bank in the county?"

Two yuan was a massive sum for Li Cheng. He knew exactly how poor Chen Yang was—the two of them used to go around the village picking up discarded cigarette butts together. Giving him two yuan out of the blue? What else could it be but robbery?

"Get the hell out of here. I earned it selling mushrooms, which is why I want you to organize the others to pick them. Don't go spouting off about this, you hear?"

"Scared the life out of me, as long as it's not robbery. I'll take the money; I'll save up to give you a wedding gift later. By the way, Brother Yang, did you really sleep with the educated youth Huang?"

"Get lost, get lost!"

...

After chasing Li Cheng away, Chen Yang didn't idle. He went home, dived into the chicken coop, and plucked out the old hen that was still laying eggs. He cleared the feathers from its neck, took a kitchen knife, and slit its throat. After boiling a pot of hot water, he plucked the chicken clean and simmered a pot of fragrant chicken soup. It was Huang Zhiyao’s first time, and with the way he had been pushing himself, she surely needed to be properly nourished.

He carefully packed the soup into a lunch box. By the time he was finished, the production team had already finished their shift.

"Old Chen, what’s that smell? Why is it so fragrant?" his mother, carrying a hoe, asked his father in confusion as she reached the door.

"Sounds like someone is stewing chicken!" his father replied, sniffing the air.

"The smell is coming from our house! Oh no, has that brat Chen Yang killed my laying hen?" His mother rushed into the house with her hoe, only to find Chen Yang gnawing on a chicken foot.

"I’m going to split you open!" She raised the hoe above her head.

"Good heavens!" Chen Yang, terrified, threw the chicken foot aside and wrapped his arms around his mother. Based on his knowledge of her, if he didn't act, she might really bring that hoe down.

"You brat, my hen! I’m going to kill you!"

"Mom, Mom, don't get excited! I did this for your daughter-in-law. Zhiyao was exhausted yesterday, so she needs to be nourished. If she isn't healthy, how will she give you a grandson in the future?"

Hearing this, Liu Minghua’s temper calmed slightly. However, Chen Yang didn't dare let go until his father entered the room.

"Dad, Mom, come in. I have something to say!"

Chen Zhilin and Liu Minghua exchanged glances, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes, but they followed his lead and sat down in the east room. Chen Yang then brought in all the items he had hidden in the west room and slapped the remaining thirty yuan onto the kang. His parents’ mouths fell open, wide enough to fit a goose egg.

"Wow!" After a long silence, his mother burst into tears. "Chen Zhilin, look at your son! Last night he barely escaped jail, and now he’s gone off to rob people? Are they going to execute him?"

Chen Yang was speechless. He was her own son—how could she have so little basic trust in him?

"Yangzi, where did all this come from? You better explain yourself clearly!" Chen Zhilin had already grabbed a fireplace poker from nearby. If there wasn't a reasonable explanation, Chen Yang’s legs were likely to be broken.

"Didn't I go up the mountain early this morning? I picked some mushrooms and sold them in the county. I made over fifty yuan, and it's all here."

"Over fifty? That pile of junk mushrooms can sell for fifty? Isn't this black-market profiteering?" His mother stopped crying, looking at him in astonishment.

"They aren't junk mushrooms; they are the key to our prosperity! Others can't sell them, but I can. Besides, I’m supplying a state-run restaurant, so how could it be profiteering? So, Dad, Mom, our good days are coming. In two days, I’ll take a generous dowry to the educated youth dormitory to propose. You two can enjoy yourselves, and if you want to have another son, I won't mind. But for now, I have to go to the dormitory to deliver these things to your daughter-in-law!"

With that, he grabbed the dress, the sandals, and the chicken soup and bolted, leaving his parents standing there, completely bewildered.