Chapter 91: Niu Peony, Horse's Tail

Beijing, at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative in the western part of the city, Director Niu straightened her hat, which had been pushed askew by the crowd, and walked out with an unhappy expression.

Once again, she hadn’t managed to buy anything!

The New Year was fast approaching, and the gifts for the family to give out weren’t all prepared yet. This was a crucial year for Old Gao’s promotion; the favors to be extended were many and weighty, and not a single detail could be overlooked.

Yet, the city’s supplies had tightened up again this year. Everyone crowded into the cooperative: those usually stingy were now clutching stacks of cash and ration tickets, fighting fiercely for goods. She had already come three times, but still hadn’t bought anything satisfactory.

Frowning, Director Niu returned to the compound. She hadn't even stepped inside when someone called out to her.

Looking up, she saw Yang, the young postman.

“Director Niu, there’s a letter for your family. I was just about to deliver it!”

Director Niu took the letter and saw it was sent from Heilongjiang Province.

She walked home, puzzled—they had no relatives or friends in Heilongjiang.

Once home, she opened the letter, and seeing Ming Dai’s name at the end, she paused and remembered who it was.

The letter wasn’t long; it began with simple greetings, expressing gratitude to her family, then described life in Liujiawan.

Director Niu wasn’t much interested in Ming Dai’s countryside life, but she was very intrigued by the letter’s mention of endless red dates, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and walnuts—more than one could eat!

Moreover, every household had a surplus of dried goods: wood ear mushrooms, shiitake, everything imaginable.

Finally, it spoke of the local market, marveling at sacks of jerky, rows of air-dried chickens and rabbits, all cheap but hard to sell because the villagers had no money.

The letter ended by saying that although the villagers ate well and were well-fed, they lacked daily necessities. Even buying a bar of soap required fighting at the supply cooperative, and items like gloves, enamel basins, and pillowcases were nowhere to be found.

The more Director Niu read, the more excited she became—she could get those things!

Her maiden family worked in a textile factory; they never used up all the items they received annually, and she could spare quite a bit. Gloves came home by the boxful, and pillowcases and covers were never in short supply.

As for soap, she remembered Old Gao had a good friend who worked at a soap factory!

Looking at the contents of the letter, she grew more and more excited. When Director Gao came home from work, he was startled by his wife’s enthusiasm, his back aching from surprise.

Director Niu rolled her eyes at his hand on his waist. “What are you imagining! I don’t need you today. Look at this!”

Relieved, Director Gao straightened up and took the letter, reading it carefully.

Afterward, he sipped his hot tea. “This young comrade is doing well in the countryside, quite clever.”

Director Niu snorted. “Didn’t you notice anything else?”

Director Gao thought, his eyes lighting up. “You mean…”

Director Niu nodded. “Let’s collect some daily necessities and trade them with Ming Dai for some local specialties. She’s close with the village leader’s family, so it shouldn’t be a problem!”

Director Gao, thinking of his rivals at the hospital, nodded along. “If we can really get these things, my promotion to senior director is almost certain.”

Director Niu snorted again. “If it weren’t for your business, would I be so anxious, running to the cooperative time and again?”

Director Gao moved closer, wrapping his arm around his wife’s sturdy waist. “That’s why I’m lucky—married a peony like you.”

A few words and Niu Peony’s smile blossomed.

Together, they sent Ming Dai a letter and a package, expressing their wish to correspond regularly and hinting at establishing a familial connection.

They gently proposed exchanging some unused daily necessities for her surplus local produce and grains.

The package included a bag of White Rabbit candies and the most fashionable red scarf, which Director Niu had originally bought for her daughter. To win Ming Dai’s favor, she parted with it reluctantly.

It was a week later when Ming Dai received the letter.

At that moment, she was harvesting chives in her space.

Outside the space, the vegetables—chives and yellow chives—were still tender but edible. The oyster mushrooms were entering the fruiting stage and ready for picking. The baby greens and spinach would need another half month; they were still seedlings.

Ming Dai planned to find time to go to the county seat with Liu Dazhu, hoping to get the vegetables into the county government compound. She needed to investigate why Zhou Sinian’s dossier was stalled, and this was her only avenue.

Carrying a small bag of mushrooms, Ming Dai called Zhou Sinian, and together they headed to the village leader’s house.

It had snowed heavily several times in recent days. The roads were lined with thick snow, and everyone remained vigilant at night, watching the time to climb onto the roofs and clear the snow, fearing the roof might collapse under the weight.

Before the snow, it was cold; after, it was even colder. The road was deserted, and when the two arrived at the leader’s house, his family was busy twisting straw ropes for use in the coming spring.

The gate wasn’t locked; Ming Dai pushed it open and went inside.

Zhou Sinian, fascinated by the stable, went straight there. Ming Dai saw Liu Laifu, Liu Laiwang, and Liu Laifa were there, greeted them, then carried her basket into the house.

The brothers, nailing boards onto the stable, watched Zhou Sinian staring at the horse’s hindquarters and nervously hid their hammers.

Inside, Liu Dazhu was on the kang bed, using the comic book Ming Dai had given to teach Iron Egg to read. Dog Egg was causing trouble beside them.

On the floor, Aunt Huang and her two daughters-in-law twisted straw ropes, while Huang Tao and Huang Xing followed Sister Zhou, handing over straw.

Seeing Ming Dai come in, Aunt Huang quickly stood up and invited her to sit on the kang.

Ming Dai waved her hand. “Auntie, no need. It’ll be dark soon, I won’t stay long. I came to see Uncle Leader.”

Liu Dazhu looked over. Ming Dai placed the basket on the kang and lifted the cloth covering it.

“Uncle, the mushrooms are ready to eat, and the chives can fill a basket. Do you have time to take me to the county seat?”

Liu Dazhu looked at the two mushrooms in the basket and moved the table aside, eager to see them.

“These are grown really well! How many pounds of mushrooms can you get in one day?”

Ming Dai thought a moment. “Altogether, there are about 300 mushroom bags. At least 30 pounds a day, and if the conditions were better, 50 pounds wouldn’t be a problem.”

Liu Dazhu looked at her in astonishment. “Really that many?!”

Ming Dai smiled and nodded. “If anything, more.”

(All content below is fictional; please do not take it as reality.)

Liu Dazhu rubbed his pipe. “Alright, Comrade Ming, you’ve really done us a great service! If the county’s purchasing station wants these mushrooms, we could plant on a large scale next year!”

Ming Dai’s eyes sparkled. “Uncle, I think it’s better to send them to the county government than to the supply cooperative.”

Liu Dazhu was puzzled. “Why send them there? The purchasing station buys wild goods; the county government doesn’t.”

Ming Dai looked at him seriously. “Uncle, our goal is to get the county and commune to agree to large-scale winter vegetable cultivation next year, right? For that, we need to build special heated rooms, which require considerable investment. Does our village have that?”

Liu Dazhu’s face turned awkward. They owed the commune a mountain of debt, so certainly not.

“If we get the vegetables into the county government, the leaders will eat fresh winter vegetables and wonder where they came from. That’s when we can step forward with our proposal. If we send them to the purchasing station, the county leaders might never taste them.”

Liu Dazhu suddenly understood Ming Dai’s intention.

Aunt Huang grabbed a bundle of finished straw rope and threw it at Liu Dazhu. “Enough! Do whatever Comrade Ming says. You’ve been so stubborn all these years and haven’t cleared the village’s debts. She’s given us such a good way to make money, and you’re not jumping on it?”

Liu Dazhu slapped the kang bed. “Alright! That’s settled! I’ll go find Qingmin and discuss how to get these vegetables into the county government.”

With that, he got off the bed and left with the basket.

Seeing this, Ming Dai bid farewell. Aunt Huang asked her to wait and handed her a small bag of corn grits, then let her leave.

On the way home with Zhou Sinian, Ming Dai noticed he was carrying something.

“What’s that in your hand?”

Zhou Sinian’s eyes sparkled as he showed her.

Seeing the familiar bundle of black “hair,” Ming Dai’s mouth fell open.

“Zhou Sinian, you shaved the horse’s tail?!”

Zhou Sinian nodded happily. “The hair is long! Good for knitting sweaters!”

Ming Dai was speechless for a long time, deciding not to visit the leader’s house any time soon.