Younger brother and sister can finally move into the city

Another two days passed, during which Xiao Weiguo practically did nothing at all.

His main focus was tending to his spatial dimension. Since he hadn't given it a thorough organizing in a while, it had grown a bit cluttered.

Moreover, he had recently deposited his newly acquired batch of jade into it, and the spring water produced as a result looked like it would last him for a very long time.

From now on, he needed to make his final preparations for the coming years.

Xiao Weiguo expanded the cultivation areas for high-yield crops like sweet potatoes and corn.

He hoped they would prove useful when the time came.

Even if he sold them on the black market, they could at least keep people alive.

The reward for capturing the secret agents two days ago hadn't come through yet, though he figured it would take a little longer.

Xiao Weiguo wasn't in a hurry; what belonged to him would undoubtedly remain his.

As for the household registration issue for Hongmei and the others, he suspected it wouldn't be too big of a problem, but until the final result came out, a trace of worry lingered.

He just hoped everything would go smoothly.

Taking advantage of the abundant spring water over the past couple of days, Xiao Weiguo had also practiced his martial exercises diligently. His physical fitness had improved significantly once again, reaching roughly twice that of an average person. As for the range of his telekinetic mind, it had now expanded to twenty meters.

He had no idea to what extent it would ultimately grow, but he had a feeling the progress was slowing down, which suggested he was nearing his limit.

Still, his current level seemed sufficient for now. He would just try to push it to the absolute limit later.

While Xiao Weiguo was sitting at his doorway drinking tea, he spotted the Yang brothers sneaking into the back courtyard.

Ever since he had taught the two of them a lesson last time, they practically avoided coming back to the courtyard unless absolutely necessary. Even when they did return, they were extremely cautious, deliberately picking times when everyone else was at work.

They feared running into Xiao Weiguo like mice fearing a cat.

To their surprise, Xiao Weiguo hadn't gone to work today and was sitting right there drinking tea with his door wide open.

The pair immediately turned around to walk away.

Xiao Weiguo shouted at them, "Where do you think you're going? Get back here."

Hearing Xiao Weiguo's voice, Yang Hu and Yang Bao hesitated awkwardly, not daring to step forward.

Compelled by Xiao Weiguo's command, they had no choice but to come over. Standing before him, they didn't even dare to meet his gaze.

"I heard from the First Uncle that you two are away from home all day long?

Don't you know your old mother is paralyzed in bed? Every single time, it's the First Aunt who brings her food. The First Aunt has too much on her plate, so she can only manage one trip a day, and your mother was almost starved to death.

Today, you'd better pay the First Uncle back for the meal expenses, and from now on, remember to take proper care of your mother, understand?"

"We'd love to take care of our mother, but if we don't go out to look for odd jobs, where are we supposed to get the money and ration coupons?" Yang Bao said with a troubled expression.

The brothers had recently latched onto a new boss. Whatever that boss gave them was barely enough to cover their own meals, let alone anything extra.

"I don't care about that. You two surely can't just watch your mother starve to death." In truth, Xiao Weiguo didn't want to get involved in this messy family's affairs either.

It was just that seeing how terrified the two brothers were of him stirred up a streak of mischief, and he felt like teasing them a little.

After sending the two brothers on their way, Xiao Weiguo found himself with nothing to do once more.

He thought to himself that if this kept up, he might as well resort to his old day job—running off to the countryside to procure some goods, as staying home was getting terribly boring.

Yet, his space was already fully stocked with everything imaginable; what procurement could he possibly need? Every trip to the countryside was merely a cover to explain where his supplies came from.

Just then, from a distance, he spotted Lu Guangrong entering the back courtyard with a cheerful smile, heading straight for Xiao Weiguo's dwelling.

Xiao Weiguo felt a surge of curiosity. What on earth brought Brother Lu here in broad daylight?

"Weiguo, I figured you'd be home. Your older brother here has some good news, want to hear it?" Lu Guangrong said with a smile.

"Brother Lu, what is it? Did you get promoted to station chief? If so, you definitely treat us to a meal."

"What are you talking about? Being a regular foot soldier suits me just fine; being a leader is too exhausting. I don't want any part of it."

"It's about the household registration transfer for your younger brothers and sister. The official notice has finally come down! I heard them talking about it today when I was over at the household registration office. If you've got nothing better to do, you should go process it right now," Lu Guangrong said, grabbing the teacup off the table, draining the remaining tea in one gulp, and continuing.

"Really?"

Xiao Weiguo was thrilled. This matter finally had some traction.

He couldn't tell whether Shi Guanglin had pulled some strings behind the scenes, or if his merit in capturing the secret agents had helped, or perhaps a combination of both.

Whatever the reason, as long as the final outcome was good, that was all that mattered.

Xiao Weiguo locked his door and rode his bicycle along with Lu Guangrong toward the police station.

Delays breed complications; it was best to get it sorted out immediately.

Before long, Xiao Weiguo arrived at the household registration section. Lu Guangrong accompanied him inside. Having an insider around was certainly convenient; at least the staff's attitude was vastly better than during his previous visits.

In no time at all, the relevant paperwork was completed. Xiao Hongmei, Xiao Weijun, Xiao Lianxin, and Xiao Qigong were successfully added to the same household registration booklet as their father, Xiao Pingle, officially making them urban residents.

Over the past few days, Xiao Weiguo had carried all his household documents, including the grain ration books, right on his person. With the household registration booklet successfully secured, he hurried straight over to the neighborhood committee to update the grain books, otherwise, the others still wouldn't have their food rations allocated.

Why was urban household registration so precious? Because it came with guaranteed grain rations. In this era, food was the people's heaven; having an urban registration meant having food rations, ensuring one wouldn't starve no matter what.

Unlike the countryside, where the first priority upon harvesting grain was to supply the cities, leaving the farmers themselves with very little. Even in a bountiful year, the maximum annual quota per person was capped at 360 catties, with not a single catty more.

A few years later, a common saying would circulate through every commune: "Is it enough? Three-sixty."

No matter what, that was the absolute maximum they would give you for the year, and often it was even less.

Xiao Weiguo handed Xiao Pingle's grain book to Officer Xiao Liu, smiling and asking him to update it.

Under the current standards, his father and he, being two adults, had a grain quota of 24 catties per person per month. Xiao Pingle could receive a bit more—around 35 catties—because he was a heavy laborer. Meanwhile, the other four, being minors, had a grain quota of roughly 20 catties each.

Furthermore, these quotas were divided by type: fine grains accounted for only about 30 percent, while the remaining 70 percent consisted of coarse grains.

As for other supplies, they were also reflected in the grain book. For instance, cooking oil was 0.4 catties per person per month, pork was one catty per person per month with an extra two catties for the Spring Festival, sugar was 0.2 catties per person per month, coal was allocated between 40 and 200 catties per household depending on family size, cloth coupons were 16 chi per person per year, and tofu was 10 blocks per person per month, among others.

Moreover, these quotas listed in the grain book weren't hand-outs; they were merely purchasing vouchers. To actually buy the items, one still had to pay both money and the corresponding coupons.

After a flurry of paperwork, Officer Xiao Liu finished updating the Xiao family's grain book, handed it back to Xiao Weiguo, and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Weiguo. This wasn't an easy task, was it? The household registration transfers for many families have hit snags and couldn't be processed at all."

Naturally, Xiao Weiguo couldn't explain the details, so he simply replied, "It's just luck, sheer luck. I suppose the authorities saw that my family met the regulations and approved it for us."

After exchanging a few polite parting words with Officer Xiao Liu, he hurried back home.

Once Xiao Weiguo had left, Officer Xiao Liu muttered to himself, "Approved just because you met the regulations? No way. Since last week, practically nobody has been able to get these processed. It seems this Weiguo fellow has some serious connections."

With that thought, he dove back into his paperwork.