Yi Zhong Hai's voice echoed from outside the door.
This was Yi Zhong Hai's daily ritual, like paying respects, he would greet the old lady, exchange a few pleasantries, and then ask what she wanted to eat.
Yi Zhong Hai's reputation was built on this.
Of course, he wasn't doing this without an ulterior motive.
He wanted Jia Dong Xu to take care of him in his old age, so he was setting an example for Jia Dong Xu, showing him how he treated the old lady.
Then, Jia Dong Xu would do the same for him in the future.
Honoring the elderly and loving the young.
Deaf Old Lady: "Old Yi, did I do something wrong again? Is your wife upset?"
Yi Zhong Hai: "Old Lady, what are you saying? There are only disrespectful juniors, never wrong elders. If my wife did something wrong, tell me, and I'll talk to her.
I'll go back and give her a piece of my mind!"
Yi Zhong Hai pushed open the door and entered the room, noticing the temperature: "Did Xiu Ju not come last night?"
"Ah, she came to me last night, hoping I could persuade you to agree to adopt the child. I refused.
After that, she didn't come back, she went straight to the West Wing to take care of the child. I think maybe I was wrong, and I've made Xiu Ju disappointed."
Yi Zhong Hai's face stiffened: "Old Lady, this is my fault, I don't want to adopt that child, the child's background is unknown, who knows if he's good or bad?
Besides, what's wrong with our courtyard now? Why must we adopt a child?"
Yi Zhong Hai was still convinced that Jia Dong Xu was his pension plan.
Deaf Old Lady: "Yes, is it worth ruining our courtyard life over a child of unknown origins?
Old Yi, I heard that the Liu widow went to donate blood yesterday to support the child.
Adopting this child is a good deed, but if it leads to death, then it's not good, do you think?"
They were both old foxes, and Yi Zhong Hai understood what the Deaf Old Lady meant.
The Deaf Old Lady wanted to spread the news, letting the neighbors and the neighborhood committee know that Liu Hui Zhen couldn't afford to raise the child, so maybe the neighborhood committee would take the child back.
This way, without the little baby, the courtyard would return to its usual peaceful life, and Yi Da Ma wouldn't be so obsessed with adopting the child.
Yi Zhong Hai: "Okay, Old Lady, I'm going to work now!"
The early morning courtyard was particularly lively.
Liu Hui Zhen woke up early and saw Shen Wei staring at her with big, round eyes.
Liu Hui Zhen couldn't help but feel happy: "You're awake? Let me see, are you hungry or did you pee?"
Liu Hui Zhen touched the diaper and found it was wet, but Shen Wei didn't cry or wake her up.
Liu Hui Zhen felt heartache: "Little guy, if you're hungry or wet, just cry and wake up Mom, why suffer like this?"
Looking at Liu Hui Zhen's pale, bloodless face, Shen Wei sighed inwardly. How could he bear to make Liu Hui Zhen suffer anymore?
Losing blood was a serious matter. She should eat something good to recover, but Liu Hui Zhen kept all the good food for Shen Wei, while she herself ate coarse grain and drank gruel, how could she replenish her energy?
Shen Wei could only hope that she would sleep a little longer to regain her strength!
Liu Hui Zhen got up and first changed Shen Wei's diaper, then went to the east room and rummaged for a long time, finally finding a small, black bamboo stroller.
"Your grandfather was a carpenter, your father was a mechanic. Your grandfather always wanted your father to learn carpentry, but he wasn't interested, so he went to work in a factory.
This was made when I was pregnant with Chu Chu and Tian Tian. Your father went back to see your grandfather and asked him to make it. I'll take you to the courtyard to wash up, and then you can lie in the little bamboo stroller, okay?"
Shen Wei's eyes lit up. In the 1950s, this little bamboo stroller was a luxury item that most families couldn't afford.
This type of stroller, even after the child grew up, was too precious to throw away. To prevent the bamboo from breaking, elders would wrap colorful plastic strips around it to reinforce it. Then, they would push it to buy groceries, buy coal, or use it to store miscellaneous items in a corner.
In the 1980s and 1990s, this type of bamboo stroller sold over 3,000 units a month.
Bamboo product factories had to work overtime day and night.
But now, in the 1950s, Shen Wei lying in the little bamboo stroller was the coolest kid in the alley.
It could be seen that Liu Hui Zhen's family had been well-off before. Unfortunately, her husband died, and then she had to deal with the Three Returns and Five Returns, losing her source of income, making their family fall into poverty.
Not long ago, when they couldn't afford food, Liu Hui Zhen thought about selling it. But it was a reminder of her husband, so she couldn't bear to part with it.
"Come on, before your two older sisters wake up, Mom will carry you, wash the stroller, and wash the diapers!"
"Who feeds who? Everyone come and see, without our labor, food won't come out of the ground.
Plowing, hoeing, all done with our hard work, up at dawn, sleep at midnight, one grain of rice, one drop of sweat.
Landlords don't work, but they have mountains of grain, piled up in mountains....."
Liu Hui Zhen hummed a little tune, holding Shen Wei and going to the middle courtyard of the compound.
Shen Wei recognized the song. It was a popular song called "Who Feeds Who" that was widely sung during the Land Reform in 1950 to support the Land Reform.
At that time, the landlords cried and made a fuss, but they were eventually defeated by the peasants' complaints and the fight against the landlords.
Speaking of Land Reform, Shen Wei suddenly felt a little worried.
Could it be that Liu Hui Zhen was a rural resident?
This song was mainly sung by rural people. It was highly likely that Liu Hui Zhen had experienced the Land Reform and then married a city dweller.
But in this era, before the rationing system began, the Land Reform was just starting, so even if people lived in cities, they still had private plots in rural areas, and they could produce some food every year.
After the state unified purchase and supply in 1953, these people in the cities not only lost their rural food supply, but they also couldn't get enough food from the city.
They had to buy high-priced supply grain.
And then, during the Three Years of Natural Disasters, it was a devastating blow!
Besides, it was now 1952. The control over the migration of non-local residents to the capital was very relaxed. There were no restrictions.
As long as the migrant wanted to live in the capital for a long time and had a household registration transfer certificate, they could register as a permanent resident.
For military personnel and civilians from other provinces and cities without a transfer certificate, if they were confirmed to be living in the capital for a long time, after being reviewed and verified by the police station, they would also be allowed to register without a certificate.
However, this policy would be canceled in February 1953.
Shen Wei sighed. Unfortunately, he was just a baby now, unable to do anything.
He thought that by traveling through time, he could become a winner starting from infancy.
As it turned out, he was worse off than even Sha Zhu and Pang Geng. Life was full of pitfalls!
If he couldn't get government rations...
How would his family survive in the future?