I secretly sold grain at age 60

Chapter 3 Recovering from Injuries

Gao Huaiyi slowly walked out of the house, his body still feeling somewhat sore and weak. He looked up and saw that his parents, sister, and younger sister had all finished eating breakfast. When his mother saw him come out, she quickly went up to him and said, "Your food has been saved separately for you. Go sit down and eat it while it's hot. You're not fully recovered yet, so don't worry about any farm work today. After you finish eating, just rest at home and don't go anywhere. I'll ask your father and the team leader to ask for leave; we won't earn any work points today!"

The younger sisters nodded in agreement, their eyes full of recognition and concern.

Gao Huaiyi felt a warmth in his heart, and he deeply understood how difficult these hard times were. No one in the family could afford to be idle. His parents worked tirelessly in the fields from dawn till dusk, desperately trying to earn work points for the production team. The family's food and clothing for the entire year depended on these work points. Even his eldest sister had to go to the fields with his parents to work and earn work points to supplement the family income, striving to support their impoverished household.

As they were talking, a man walked in from outside. It was his father's older brother, his uncle. His uncle had come early that morning specifically to ask his parents to set off together to work at the brigade.

After finishing breakfast, the younger sisters in the family also shouldered their bamboo baskets, picked up their sickles, and prepared to go out. They were going up the mountain together to cut pig feed and hay. This hay wasn't for their own private use, but to feed the livestock collectively owned by the production team. The entire team's oxen and livestock relied on everyone taking turns cutting grass and feeding them; everyone had to contribute and share the collective work.

Everyone in the family is doing their part, working tirelessly for the community and the family. Only he himself is unwell and can only stay home to rest, unable to help in any way.

By the time Gao Huaiyi finished his breakfast, the courtyard was deserted. His eldest uncle had gone to the production team with his parents to earn work points, and his older sister had followed along to work in the fields to earn work points to support the family. His younger sisters went to the back of the mountain together, busy gathering fodder for the collective livestock.

In the blink of an eye, everyone had gone far away, leaving Gao Huaiyi alone in the large courtyard. He was just about to go back to his room to lie down and rest, to recover his strength, when he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.

Just then, a man pushed open the door and entered the courtyard. From the original owner's memories, I learned that this man was the third son of his uncle, named Gao Huai-ren. Logically, Gao Huai-ren should call me cousin, but this guy had never called me cousin before, and he even looked down on me. He immediately called out, "Huai-yi, I heard you went up the mountain to catch rabbits yesterday! Did you catch any?" This guy saw that I was injured but didn't even care about me, all he knew was to ask about food. From childhood to adulthood, this guy had often come to our house to freeload. My uncle's family are all honest and law-abiding, how could they have such a shameless, thick-skinned good-for-nothing? Seeing that I didn't answer for a while, Gao Huai-ren called out again, "Hey... I'm talking to you! Didn't you hear me!" This Gao Huai-ren was lazy and idle, never willing to work hard in the fields to earn work points, spending his days idly, thick-skinned and greedy, always freeloading and taking advantage of others, and never showing any respect to anyone.

Gao Huai Ren glanced at him, completely ignoring his injuries, and casually asked, "You went up the mountain yesterday? Did you catch any pheasants or rabbits? Hurry up and bring them out for me to try."

Gao Huaiyi felt a surge of disgust and said coldly, "I did go up the mountain, but not to find meat for you. If you want to eat, catch it yourself. I'm injured from the fall, can't you see? Instead of asking about my injuries, all you think about is eating, eating, eating!"

Gao Huai-ren scoffed, his face full of disdain: "What's a little injury? The best stuff from the mountains is what matters most. We're all family, what's wrong with sharing some good stuff with me?"

"Even family members need to know their limits," Gao Huaiyi immediately retorted. "You're always lazy and shirking your responsibilities, only thinking about taking advantage of what others have worked hard for. I risked my life going up the mountain, why should I let a lazy bum like you get away with it? If you don't respect other people's efforts, don't think about taking advantage of them." Get out of here, get out of here, this is my home, you're not welcome here.

His words were well-reasoned and persuasive, each one hitting the nail on the head.

Gao Huai-ren was speechless for a long time after being rebuked. He became so angry that his face turned red and then ashen. He pointed at Gao Huai-yi for a long time without being able to say a word. Finally, in a fit of rage, he angrily flung his sleeve and stormed off, muttering curses and shouting, "You just wait!"

Watching Gao Huai-ren storm off in a huff, Gao Huai-yi felt no remorse, only disgust. These relatives, idle and lazy, only ever thought about taking advantage of others, never understanding the hardships of others, and showing no regard for family ties or reputation. They weren't worth his time and breath.

Having driven away the annoying Gao Huai-ren, Gao Huai-yi felt his wounds ache even more, and his whole body felt weak and exhausted. Unwilling to stay outside in the wind any longer, he slowly turned and walked back into his dilapidated, low-lying mud-brick house. The house was empty and sparsely furnished. His family had all gone to the fields with the production team to earn work points early that morning; his sisters had also gone to help cut grass and feed the pigs. The house was quiet and deserted.

His body ached all over, and the scolding he'd just received made Gao Huaiyi feel hungry again; his stomach rumbled. He knew his family was already short of food, every bite precious, and he couldn't afford to eat as much as he wanted. He didn't look for any grains to fill his stomach, but instead picked up a large, rough porcelain bowl from the table, scooped up a ladle of cold water, and drank it down in a few gulps to stave off hunger. The icy water temporarily suppressed the hunger, but it also made his heart ache even more. Others might crave wild game, but only he knew that even a decent meal for his family was a luxury.

They rested quietly like that, and before they knew it, the sky was getting dark, the sun was gradually sinking behind the western mountains, and the busy day had come to evening. The parents dragged their tired bodies back from the fields, and the sisters also returned home covered in dust. Everyone was sore and tired, and their faces were full of exhaustion and haggardness.

When it was time to prepare dinner, Gao Huaiyi got up and slowly walked to the small, simple stove. He reached out and lifted the lid of the tightly closed grain jar in the corner, and the scene before him caused a sharp pain in his heart. The large grain jar was completely empty, with only a thin layer of coarse, hard-to-swallow dried sweet potatoes and a small amount of cornmeal at the bottom. The small earthenware pot next to it was also empty; there were no green vegetables, no pickled vegetables, not a single ingredient to eat with rice. He thought of the eggs from this morning—that must have been the only meat left in the house! Thinking of this, he felt even more deeply how hard his parents had worked!

The family was extremely poor, their home bare, lacking food and vegetables. They toiled year-round, but the work points they earned weren't enough to buy enough rations. Every meal consisted of thin soup and wild vegetable porridge; they rarely saw any oil or refined grains. Their parents were honest and hardworking their entire lives, never slacking off, but they were born in a time of hardship, and even with their best efforts, they could barely survive. Their younger sisters, at the crucial age for growth, suffered daily from hunger and cold, never having a decent meal, wearing patched-up old clothes—a heartbreaking sight.

Gao Huaiyi looked at the empty grain jar, then at his parents' weathered and haggard faces, and his heart ached with sorrow and unbearable pain. Having transmigrated, he had come to regard this family as his own. Seeing them suffer from hunger every day was unbearable for him, and most importantly, he himself was also suffering from hunger, which made it even more unbearable!

We should think of a way to improve our family's basic needs first!

He could only silently take out the last bit of coarse grains, mix them with water, and cook a thin, watery porridge for dinner. Watching his family silently bow their heads and barely manage to eat, Gao Huaiyi secretly made a resolution in his heart. He must improve their current food situation as soon as possible, and when the time is right, he will use his spatial ability to fill the empty grain jar, make a lot of money, and ensure that his hardworking parents will no longer go hungry, and that his older sister, younger sister, and younger brother will no longer suffer, so that they can escape this miserable life of hunger and constant hardship as soon as possible.