Chapter 328 – The Electricity’s On

When Zhou Yimin brought Xu Xiangbei back home, they saw the old man and grandma flicking the light switch on and off, testing out the brightness of the electric light.

As soon as the old man saw Zhou Yimin, he stopped what he was doing and praised, “Yimin, this electric light is great! So convenient.”

“That’s right! Electric lights really are convenient.”

And it wasn’t just happening at Zhou Yimin’s house—this was a scene being played out all across the village.

You have to understand, electric lights were something only city folks used. No one had expected that they’d be able to use them too.

Some of the children, upon seeing this, also joined the “battle.” One household after another in Zhoujiazhuang kept switching their lights on and off. Thankfully, it wasn’t nighttime yet—otherwise, if someone saw it from outside, they might think something paranormal was going on.

After all, the whole village’s houses were blinking like crazy.

Zhou Yimin gave a subtle reminder, “Brother Xu, I heard switching the lights on and off too much will shorten their lifespan. Not sure if that’s actually true, though.”

“It’s true,” Xu Xiangbei immediately responded, catching on and playing along.

The old man also understood. “Really? I didn’t know that.”

Thinking about what he had just been doing, he felt a little embarrassed. Luckily, everyone’s skin was tanned from being out in the sun all the time, so it wasn’t that noticeable.

The three of them kept chatting, while Zhou Yimin’s grandma brought out some tea and snacks—peanuts and sunflower seeds—so they could talk and nibble at the same time.

Meanwhile, back in Shuangtian Village, when Liang Huang’s wife saw him come home so early, she asked, “Husband, are you not feeling well today?”

“No, it’s not that. The reservoir at Zhoujiazhuang is finished, so we don’t have to go help out anymore,” Liang Huang answered honestly.

When his wife heard this, it hit her like a bolt from the blue. During this time, they’d only been able to eat their fill because he was working in Zhoujiazhuang. Now that there was no more work, didn’t that mean they’d have to go back to how things were before?

Liang Huang added, “But Zhoujiazhuang was generous. They gave each of us ten catties of grain.”

As he spoke, he pulled out the grain.

Seeing that, his wife felt a little more at ease. Liang Huang had saved up quite a bit of food from working at Zhoujiazhuang. With these extra ten catties, they should be able to get by for a while.

Some people wanted to go to the village chief’s house to ask if he could reach out to Zhoujiazhuang and see if there was still any work. As long as food was provided like before, they weren’t picky.

But not long after they arrived, Village Chief Liang drove them out. With no other option, the villagers could only slink back home.

Even though he turned them away, the village chief was a little tempted. But he couldn’t go knocking on Zhoujiazhuang’s door so soon—it might leave a bad impression. And if that happened, it’d be even harder to get another chance in the future.

Scenes like this kept playing out in Shuangtian Village. The folks heading to the commune were probably starting to feel smug. Even if the pay wasn’t as good as Zhoujiazhuang, at least the work would last longer, and they could save one person’s share of food.

When they first heard about the benefits in Zhoujiazhuang, a lot of them wanted to switch over and didn’t want to go to the commune. But Village Chief Liang and a few village elders had “put their foot down,” preventing any real drama.

Later, the old Party Secretary came to Zhou Yimin’s house and said, “Yimin, Engineer Xu is welcome to come eat with us.”

“Alright, let’s head over now,” Zhou Yimin replied, grabbing a bottle of liquor on the way.

He had thought about inviting his grandfather and grandmother to join them, but they both declined, saying they hadn’t contributed anything and didn’t want to join the celebration. They’d just eat at home.

The old Party Secretary knew well that Zhou Yimin’s household was known for their good food, so he didn’t insist.

On the way to the dining hall, as they passed the school, they saw the children lining up to receive cotton-padded coats.

Seeing this, Xu Xiangbei realized he had underestimated Zhou Yimin. He hadn’t expected him to secure so much cotton and fabric—and to use it to make coats for the village children, no less.

In his own household, cotton ration tickets were scarce. Even if he wanted to make a coat, there wasn’t enough cotton.

Winter was coming soon, and making a new padded coat for the family was practically out of the question.

Zhou Yimin could tell from Xu Xiangbei’s look that he must be short on cotton and fabric. It seemed like he could add a little something extra later.

The old Party Secretary noticed as well, but since it was Zhou Yimin who had gotten the cotton and cloth for the village, there wasn’t much he could do to help, even if he wanted to.

Xu Xiangbei stood there watching for a good minute or two before coming back to his senses.

Then they continued toward the dining hall.

When they arrived, the villagers were already eating. Today’s meal was impressive—there were meat dishes, and finally not so stingy. It wasn’t like before when a dish had only two or three pieces of meat, not nearly enough to go around.

You had to be quick or you’d miss out.

The old Party Secretary brought Zhou Yimin and the others to a separate table. There were eight dishes on it—though only three had meat, it was the best Zhoujiazhuang could offer.

“Old Secretary, the village really splurged this time,” Zhou Yimin joked as he looked at the food.

Each dish was generously portioned—there had to be four or five catties of meat altogether, maybe even more.

“Engineer Xu, we might not do it perfectly, but I hope you don’t mind,” the old Party Secretary said.

Xu Xiangbei looked at the spread and replied, “With a meal like this, what’s there to mind?”

Their table had the most food but the fewest people—just four of them.

Over at another table, Zhou Ping looked on with envy. “If only I could sit at that table too!”

He’d seen what was on the table when he came in. If it weren’t for the team leader keeping watch nearby, a lot of people probably wouldn’t be able to resist sneaking a bite.

“Keep dreaming. That table’s for Uncle Sixteen and the engineer. Not a place for nobodies like us,” someone at his table replied.

Even though tonight’s meal was much better than usual, it still couldn’t compare to what was on the old secretary’s table.

Zhou Yimin pulled out the bottle of liquor he’d brought from home. When Xu Xiangbei saw the label, he was stunned. “Yimin, this is top-shelf stuff!”

Even he had never tasted Dongjiu before—only heard of how rare and valuable it was.

It was something even he couldn’t buy, no matter how much he wanted.

The old Party Secretary and the team leader immediately realized from Xu Xiangbei’s reaction that this bottle was something special.

Zhou Yimin stayed modest. “It’s just a bottle of liquor. If you like it, drink up.”

With that, he opened it and poured a cup for each of them.

As soon as he popped the cap, the rich fragrance of the liquor wafted through the air.

Dongjiu even had its own little rhyme:

Dongjiu’s divine, its fame well-earned,

Open the bottle, a thousand homes praise.

Its unique scent blooms in spring alone—

Why go to Xinghua Village for wine?

Dongjiu’s lovely, Dongjiu’s charm unmatched,

Clear and bright as dew among flowers,

Smooth and sweet, a banquet treasure.

Drink with joy, and every sip gets richer.

(End of Chapter)