Chapter 9: The Initial Construction of the Space

Outside the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, a large five-pointed star loomed above the door, inscribed with the words: "Serve the People." To the left and right, slogans proclaimed: "Develop the economy, ensure supply." Upon entering, counters stretched before him, selling everything from sweets to clothes, radios, and even sturdy bicycles. Almost every kind of material good could be found. Above, slips of paper were clipped to wires, fluttering swiftly along lines, filling the air with a sense of the era.

Only now did Xiao Weiguo truly feel that he was living in the China of the 1960s and 70s.

It was already afternoon, and the crowd had thinned. Xiao Weiguo pondered what to buy this time to take home.

“How much are the hair ties?” He approached the counter selling women's accessories and asked. He recalled his two younger sisters—both of their hair ties were nearly broken. It was the perfect opportunity to buy some for them.

“The fancy ones are five fen each, the plain ones are three fen,” the young woman behind the counter replied coldly.

At this time, the supply and marketing cooperative was an absolute giant, and those who worked there possessed a palpable sense of superiority—you could feel their haughty air from ten meters away. Sales clerks were counted among the eight most respected professions.

There was even a popular saying: “Stethoscope, steering wheel, butcher’s knife, salesperson.” This shows the status of the cooperative’s clerks.

“Four plain, two fancy,” he said, handing over twenty-two fen.

Next, Xiao Weiguo bought a pound of sorghum candy—no ration ticket needed, sixty-five fen a pound. Peach crisps without a ticket, fifty-four fen a pound.

Without various ration tickets, many items were simply unavailable.

Thinking ahead to cooking in his space, he also bought two pounds of salt at fifteen fen a pound, a pound of soy sauce for ten fen, a pound of vinegar for eleven fen, five boxes of matches for ten fen, a small iron pot for two yuan, bowls and chopsticks for thirty fen, and a pound of spices—star anise, cinnamon, bay leaf—for one yuan.

In total, he spent five yuan and thirty-two fen.

He hadn’t realized until he counted up the cost—a single fish sale had paid for most of it, leaving only two yuan and twenty fen.

Gathering himself, Xiao Weiguo suppressed his urge to shop further. The remaining money would have to go toward the most important thing for his space: grain seeds.

The sooner he planted grain, the sooner he could harvest. This was a matter of survival for the next three years.

Grain seeds couldn't be bought at the cooperative. In this era, a special agency handled that—the Livestock and Seed Station.

It had only recently been established, formed by merging the former Livestock Station and Agricultural Technology Station, and served to promote farming and breeding techniques among peasants.

Fortunately, the rest went smoothly. Xiao Weiguo was able to purchase the seeds he needed: wheat for three tenths of an acre, rice for two tenths, corn for two tenths, sweet potatoes for one tenth, and assorted vegetable seeds for one tenth.

He still had one tenth of an acre left. Xiao Weiguo planned to use bamboo to fence off a few enclosures for raising animals—chickens and ducks. Grain alone wouldn’t suffice; he needed meat as well.

In the end, Xiao Weiguo had only sixty-five fen left.

With his bounty secured, Xiao Weiguo headed back toward the village, a three-hour walk ahead. He hoped to reach home before nightfall.

After leaving the town, he entered a small grove. Seeing no one around, he slipped into his space and began his initial construction work.

First, he used his mind to plant wheat, rice, and corn. Then, he divided the sweet potatoes into tubers and planted them as well. Apart from the one tenth of an acre occupied by the pond, the other nine tenths were now filled with crops.

As for rice, in this era, the outskirts of the capital city still cultivated it. The huge city needed to fulfill various needs nearby, so rice was grown.

Xiao Weiguo used river water from the pond to irrigate the crops, but found it strange—the land rejected the river water, refusing to absorb it.

What was going on? He worried—without water, how could the grain grow?

The information he’d received indicated that space well water was needed for irrigation, but the well hadn’t appeared yet.

He decided to collect the river water back into the pond and planned to fish there later.

As for the crops, he would observe them for a while.

Night was approaching, so Xiao Weiguo hurried home.

By the time he reached the village entrance, darkness had fallen—around seven or eight in the evening.

He really needed to buy a watch; he couldn’t even tell the time. Xiao Weiguo mused.

But buying a watch was no easy matter—it was considered a major purchase, requiring a special watch ticket. Usually, people only bought them for big events like weddings. For matchmaking, a watch was a huge advantage.

He transferred the items he’d bought in his space into the burlap sack he’d brought, including the hair ties for his sisters, the sorghum candy, and the peach crisps.

Thinking again, he realized the money from one fish couldn’t possibly buy so much, so he put most of the candy and peach crisps back into his space.

“Grandma, Grandpa, I’m back!” Xiao Weiguo saw his grandparents standing at the gate, peering out anxiously. A warm feeling flooded his heart.

“I must look after Grandma and Grandpa well from now on,” he told himself.

“My dear grandson is finally home!” Grandma exclaimed, joyfully shuffling out to greet him.

Xiao Weiguo hastened forward, supporting her as they walked together to the main room.

“Grandma, Grandpa, look what I brought you—sorghum candy and peach crisps!”

“I caught three more fish on the way this afternoon, making four in all. I sold them and bought these things,” Xiao Weiguo explained, holding up the sack.

Grandpa hurriedly said, “If you have money, save it. Why buy these useless things? Honestly!”

“Yes, dear grandson, your grandpa and I are still alive. Whether we eat or not doesn’t matter—saving the money is more useful. These treats, give them to Weijun and the others tomorrow.”

“Always remember to be thrifty and save up—so you’ll have enough to marry a wife,” Grandma said, full of hope.

“Don’t worry. I’ll certainly save up well in the future. But Grandma and Grandpa, you must eat these, or I’ll be unhappy,” Xiao Weiguo replied.

“All right, all right, your grandpa and I will each taste a bit, and the rest will be kept for Hongmei and the others,” Grandma said gently.

“Tomorrow, we’ll divide these among you youngsters. Everyone gets a share—don’t leave anyone out. And remember to give some to Zhaodi and her sisters.”

Zhaodi was Second Uncle’s eldest daughter, full name Xiao Zhaodi. Second Uncle was called Xiao Pingxi, and his family was notorious.

He’d had four daughters in all. The first and second pregnancies produced girls. When the third pregnancy turned out to be twins, they thought for sure there’d be a boy among them.

But both twins were girls.

His lifelong wish was to have a son.

Second Uncle was particularly irritable, constantly beating and scolding his four daughters. Second Aunt was extremely harsh, making the girls work like slaves.

The four sisters were named Xiao Zhaodi, Xiao Pandie, Xiao Laidie, and Xiao Yingdie—listen to those names. They were thirteen, eight, six, and six years old.

Thinking of them, Xiao Weiguo’s heart ached.

If it were the modern day, doting fathers would spoil such adorable girls to the heavens, even plucking the moon for them if they asked.

But born in a rural village in this era, from age five or six they had to work like little slaves, never getting enough to eat; all were stunted, with big heads and small bodies. It was heartbreaking to see.

After a fleeting moment, Xiao Weiguo replied, “Don’t worry, Grandma. Tomorrow, I’ll make sure everyone comes to eat—everyone gets a share.”