Chapter 207

Early the next morning, the first thing Zhou Yimin checked was still the 1 Yuan Sale.

Today’s 1-yuan items were: 100 jin of pearl rice, 100 jin of pine nuts, 100 barrels of canola oil, and 100 jin of snowflake beef.

Pearl rice is a type of Japonica rice, named for its plump grains, white color, and pearl-like appearance. Among them, Thai pearl rice is considered the best in quality. In China, the best pearl rice is produced in the northeast, though Ning*xia also has a history of growing it.

Back in the Qing Dynasty, Ning*xia’s pearl rice was even considered tribute rice offered to the imperial court. Its grains are plump, its color white and glossy, with an oily texture and a sweet fragrance. It is rich in nutrients like protein and fat.

Pine nuts—nothing much to say about them.

Canola oil…

Zhou Yimin suddenly realized something and his heart skipped a beat.

That’s right!

He didn’t read it wrong—100 barrels, and only 1 yuan.

This was practically being given away! It was almost no different from free.

Nowadays, people are short on oil and fat. What they want most is cooking oil.

Even at the steel plant, there’s never enough oil. After all, most of the labor there is physical, and you can’t go without oil and fat.

100 barrels of canola oil would be considered a major resource, even at the steel plant.

As for snowflake beef, that concept might be a bit unfamiliar in this era.

Zhou Yimin wasn’t sure whether the term “snowflake beef” even existed in the country at this time.

But in later years, many would come to know that snowflake beef refers to beef with a high amount of intramuscular fat. This fat settles between muscle fibers, creating a visible marbled pattern of red and white, similar to marble. It contains fatty acids essential to the human body and has much higher nutritional value than ordinary beef.

In fact, this phenomenon isn’t exclusive to beef. High-quality pork can also show this characteristic.

In such meat, the muscle and fat are clearly separated. Fat usually accumulates under the skin, with muscle forming beneath it—white fat and red muscle in stark contrast.

From what Zhou Yimin knew, not all cattle had the potential to produce snowflake beef.

The key factor is the cattle’s ability to deposit fat. Generally, meat cattle fall into two categories: lean-type and fat-type. Lean-type cattle don’t easily accumulate fat, so it’s hard for them to produce snowflake beef.

The most famous cattle breed capable of producing snowflake beef is undoubtedly Japanese Wagyu.

Apart from that, China’s Qinchuan and Luxi yellow cattle also have some fat-depositing ability, and can occasionally produce snowflake beef.

Just after daybreak, a guest arrived at Old Xu’s house in the front yard.

“Daniu, what brings you here? How’s everything at home?” Madam Xu’s daughter-in-law was pleasantly surprised to see her younger brother. At the same time, a trace of worry crept into her heart.

Mainly because things at home weren’t easy, and she didn’t know how to host him—it was stressful.

It felt like facing the New Year without money.

When you’re struggling, you really don’t want to bump into relatives or friends.

The tall but gaunt man scratched his head, seeming embarrassed.

Well then.

That expression alone told the whole Xu family what was going on.

“Second Sis, things are really bad at home. There’s nothing to eat. A few people in the village have already starved to death. Mom sent me to see if you could spare some grain,” the man said awkwardly, not daring to meet the eyes of his sister or her in-laws.

Back in the day, borrowing grain from his sister’s family wouldn’t have made him feel this guilty.

After all, her husband used to be a driver, and they were fairly well off. She even sent things home back then.

But now that her husband was gone, he figured things probably weren’t easy for her either. Coming to ask for food at a time like this just felt wrong.

“Didn’t the wheat ripen already?” the young woman couldn’t help but ask.

The man looked even more ashamed and muttered, “Our village got hit by severe drought. Not a single grain was harvested. We really can’t hold on anymore.”

Not a single grain?

The whole Xu family widened their eyes in shock.

That meant no food for the rest of the year.

This…

Just as the daughter-in-law hesitated, Old Xu spoke up. “I’ll go see Yimin in a bit.”

He was very satisfied with this daughter-in-law. She had given the Xu family a chubby grandson to carry on the family line. After her husband’s death, she never thought of remarrying, only focusing on raising the child and taking care of them in their old age.

Now that her family was in trouble, how could he just stand by?

“Dad, I still have some…” The young woman started to take out her money.

Before she could finish, Old Xu waved his hand. “Keep that money for yourself.”

Actually, the son’s death benefit money was still with her, but the old couple had never asked for it. A widow without money would panic and lose confidence—might even start thinking of other paths.

They hadn’t asked for the money simply to keep her stable.

Now that they knew how she planned to use that money, they felt even more at ease.

She had told them she wanted to use the money to raise her son and save it for his future wedding.

Naturally, Old Xu and his wife had no objection. If it was all going toward their grandson, what more could they ask for?

Then, Old Xu solemnly took something from inside the house and headed toward Zhou Yimin’s courtyard.

“Mom, what’s Dad taking?” the young woman asked curiously. The item was boxed up, so she couldn’t see what it was.

The old woman smiled. “That’s our Xu family heirloom. Not sure how much it’s worth anymore though.”

Then she started talking about the Xu family history.

In China, who doesn’t have a successful ancestor?

Thousands of years of history—so many generations—there’s bound to be one who made it big.

The Xu family was no exception. Over a hundred years ago, their ancestors had been wealthy too.

Zhou Yimin was just about to head out when he ran into Old Xu.

“Uncle Xu, what brings you here?”

One look at the old man’s expression and Zhou Yimin knew he had something to ask.

“Yimin, mind if we talk inside?”

“Of course, come in, Uncle Xu.” Zhou Yimin quickly welcomed him in.

Once inside, the old man took the box from his coat and explained that it was the family heirloom. He asked Zhou Yimin if he could exchange it for some grain.

“Uncle Xu, there’s no need to trade your heirloom! I’ve got 20 jin of sorghum here—you can take it home first!” Zhou Yimin said.

The old man gave a bitter smile and explained his daughter-in-law’s family situation. He wasn’t looking to trade for just ten or twenty jin of grain.

After hearing the story, Zhou Yimin opened the box and almost couldn’t hide his shock. The treasure inside was something he had heard of many times in his past life—it was practically legendary.

Taking a deep breath, he asked, “Uncle Xu, how much grain do you want for this?”

The old man hesitated and held up three fingers. “Would 300 jin be alright?”

Anything less wouldn’t be of much use.

Zhou Yimin nodded immediately. “I’m getting a great deal here. Let me give you 500 jin! But you’ll have to wait a little.”

Old Man Xu was overjoyed. He thanked them profusely before hurrying off, full of gratitude.

Zhou Yimin put away the treasured item and returned to Zhoujia Village.

The two brothers, Laifu and Laitai, followed behind Huang Lan, stacking the harvested wheat neatly and helping out, since even children earned work points.

This was because, in the 1960s, rural areas operated under a collective economy. People were members of production teams, and laboring for the team earned them work points. Food rations were distributed based on the number of points a person earned. To ensure every family member had enough to eat and wear, everyone—including children—had to participate in the team’s work to earn points. Although children earned fewer points, their contributions still counted and had a real impact on the household’s overall ration allocation. This system reflected the rural society’s emphasis on collective labor and fair distribution, and it also revealed how even children were considered part of the workforce, actively contributing to the family’s productivity.

An adult man could typically earn around 10 points a day, women around 8, and children roughly 4.

While the two brothers were diligently working, sharp-eyed Laitai whispered, “Brother, look over there. There’s a snake. It looks so brightly colored—do you think it’s poisonous? If it isn’t, should we catch it and trade it to Big Brother for some snacks?”

“You serious?” Laifu blurted out loudly.

Laitai quickly pressed a finger to his lips. “Shh! Brother, keep your voice down. If someone else hears, there won’t be any left for us!”

Snake meat was considered a rare delicacy at the time. In desperate times, people even resorted to eating tree bark or Guanyin clay. They knew Guanyin clay wasn’t truly edible, but if you didn’t eat something, you’d starve.

Guanyin clay is a type of clay mineral, mainly composed of kaolinite, and also known as bentonite, montmorillonite, soft earth, soap clay, pottery clay, or white mud. It contains minerals like silicon, zinc, magnesium, and aluminum. During times of famine, many households consumed Guanyin clay as a food substitute when grain ran short. It gave people a feeling of fullness, though it had no nutritional value.

The name “Guanyin clay” comes from folk tales—legend has it that Guanyin Bodhisattva once disguised herself as an old man and brought this clay to aid sick and starving people. Although it helped with the sensation of hunger, the human body couldn’t digest it. Excessive consumption could lead to bloating, health issues, or even death. So even though it was used as emergency food in famines, it was never a viable long-term food source.

Laifu nodded, then looked in the direction Laitai pointed. He saw a red-and-black snake about a meter long and said, “Ah, it’s a red-banded snake. It’s not poisonous, don’t worry!”

Not all venomous snakes are brightly colored, and not all brightly colored snakes are venomous. For example, the red-banded snake has beautiful red and black markings but is actually non-venomous. This kind of mimicry is nature’s way of warding off predators—looking dangerous even when it’s not.

Conversely, the viper, which is venomous, doesn’t look special at all. So, color alone isn’t a reliable way to judge if a snake is poisonous.

Laifu tiptoed toward the red-banded snake. It wasn’t far, just a dozen steps away. He suddenly lunged, grabbing its tail and started whipping it around quickly. Before long, the snake was dizzy and limp, no longer moving.

“Easy work, huh?” Laifu said proudly.

“You’re awesome, bro,” Laitai praised.

Huang Lan saw this from a distance and rushed over, terrified that her children might’ve caught a venomous snake—which was no joke. Medical conditions were poor back then, and without anti-venom, a snakebite could easily be fatal.

But once she got closer and recognized the red-banded snake, she relaxed—it was harmless. She said, “Laifu, take the snake back and give it to your father to deal with.”

Then she turned to return to work.

But Laitai objected, “Mom, I want to trade this snake with Big Brother for some White Rabbit candy.”

At that, Huang Lan flared up. “You little brat, what did you just say? Trade it with your big brother? Sounds like someone’s begging for a beating today!”

Zhou Yimin had been exceptionally kind to their family. If he caught wind of this, he might feel they were taking advantage of him, and that would be trouble. These days, they were able to eat meat and refined grains from time to time all thanks to Zhou Yimin. If word spread in the village, people might think their family was greedy, and in those days, reputation was everything. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She picked up a stick and prepared to give Laitai a beating—to show the right attitude.

Laifu saw what she was holding and quickly intervened. “Mom, don’t waste food! If you really have to hit someone, use the snake instead!”

He knew she wouldn’t be willing to waste the snake, even if it didn’t have much meat—it was still meat, after all.

Sure enough, Huang Lan realized she was holding a bundle of freshly cut wheat and immediately set it down. They couldn’t afford to waste grain. She said, “Take the snake to your big brother, and remember, don’t trade it for anything.”

“But Big Brother’s the buyer, right? I give him the snake, he buys it, then I trade. Isn’t that the same?” Laitai asked, puzzled.

Laifu didn’t really get it either. Why could other people trade with Big Brother, but not them? Still, seeing his mom about to explode, he kept his thoughts to himself.

Huang Lan said firmly, “If I find out you traded that snake for anything, I’ll break your legs.”

With that, she didn’t say another word and went back to work.

Laifu was surprised that his usually smart little brother dared to argue with their mom. But to avoid a beating, he said, “Come on, little bro. Just listen to Mom, okay?”

Laitai had no choice but to nod in resignation and follow Laifu home.

The nearby villagers who witnessed all this were full of envy. If only they had caught the snake, they’d be having a bonus meal tonight too. But then they remembered—they were getting pork tonight.

Some villagers understood why Huang Lan acted the way she did. If they were in her shoes, they would’ve done the same.

After all, life in Zhoujia Village had gotten better under Zhou Yimin’s care. That little snake was nothing compared to everything he’d done for them. If their kids said something like that, they’d get a beating too.

Seeing there was no more drama to watch, the villagers all went back to their work.

(End of this chapter)