Chen Wangda, in front of the Xia family, announced that Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan’s hukou would be registered in Qijing Village. He also said they would be allocated land.
His word was final—this was not a joke. But such matters required approval from the village first, then reporting to the township.
Chen Wangda had his own process to follow.
Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan didn’t rush him. Xia Xiaolan wasn’t particularly attached to farmland, but since the village was allocating both land and a homestead plot, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to refuse.
She was planning to buy a house in the city anyway.
Liu Fen, however, was different—she valued land deeply. For rural families, as long as you worked hard, farmland meant at least you wouldn’t starve.
Liu Yong left in a hurry. By the third day after he left, it was time to deliver gongliang (state grain quota).
This immediately triggered conflict in the Xia family.
Every year after the rice harvest, the township issued grain quota notices to each household head.
By 1983, most of Henan had implemented the “Household Responsibility System.” Although the Xia family had not formally split, land was already allocated to individuals.
Once Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan transferred their hukou out, they no longer had land in Dahe Village. But this didn’t affect the current year’s harvest—the rice had already been collected.
So the gongliang notice was still calculated based on the original acreage.
That immediately caused trouble.
Old Madam Xia refused outright.
“ They’ve left the Xia family—why should we pay their grain quota? Their hukou is gone, their land is gone. Why should Dajun pay for them? ”
More land meant more grain had to be handed in. Old Madam Xia controlled the family’s harvest tightly and treated every grain as her own. She didn’t dare challenge the township, so she took it out on Liu Fen’s side instead.
Xia Dajun kept his head down, unable to respond.
Legally, since the rice had already been harvested, the quota still applied to the original land allocation. But Old Madam Xia didn’t care. She simply wanted to make things difficult for them.
“ If we give it to them, we lose our own grain! ” she cried.
Xia Dajun was stuck. He couldn’t bring himself to demand grain from Liu Fen.
After all, Liu Fen had left him — she had essentially walked away with nothing. When she left the Xia family, she only took 20 jin of sweet potatoes.
Just 20 jin of coarse grain— not gold!
If not for Liu Yong’s help and Xia Xiaolan’s ability, they might not have survived at all.
But Old Madam Xia didn’t care about logic. She just kept making a scene, insisting Xia Dajun go and demand grain. Sometimes she cried, sometimes she raged, even dragging in Xia Ziyu, saying she needed money to study in Beijing.
Wang Jinguo remained silent, though her eyes flickered.
University students were said not to cost much. Tuition was free and there were subsidies—but somehow Xia Ziyu still drained the family’s resources.
Still, she said nothing.
Xia Dajun was nearly broken down.
“ They’re living with the Liu family now. They don’t have any grain to give. ” he muttered.
Old Madam Xia immediately switched tactics, crying again.
“ Then is Ziyu supposed to go hungry at school? That Liu Fen’s brother must be making money now! We shouldn’t have allowed that hukou transfer! ”
She didn’t understand that once the hukou was transferred, the land left with it.
To her, it simply felt like she had been cheated.
At Dahe Village, each person accounted for about two mu of land. With Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan gone, the Xia family lost nearly five mu.
That meant a huge loss in grain production—and in Old Madam Xia’s eyes, it felt like her flesh was being cut away.
At that moment, the eldest daughter-in-law Zhang Cui spoke up softly.
“ Mom, Ziyu can just endure a bit at school. Don’t push Second Brother too hard. Those people in Qijing Village aren’t easy to deal with. ”
Xia Dajun looked at her gratefully.
He didn’t dare go to Liu Fen’s side anymore. Not only had the divorce severed ties, but Xia Xiaolan had also grown strong-willed and never returned.
And Qijing Village was not easy to provoke. That old Chen Wangda had connections in the county.
Last time, Xia Dajun had even been beaten there.
He was a coward at heart and didn’t dare cause trouble.
More importantly—he had no justification to demand grain.
Old Madam Xia suddenly shifted again.
“ If Ziyu has no money, what will she do? You all are so kind, leaving me as the bad one. Everything I do is for Ziyu! ”
The eldest son, Xia Changzheng, finally spoke.
“ Ziyu’s uncle has set up a food stall at the entrance of County No. 1 High School. Business is good. It’s probably more profitable than farming. He wants me and Zhang Cui to join him—I’m thinking of trying it. ”
It was actually Zhang Cui’s brother’s operation, but they had quietly formalized it under their own name so the Xia family wouldn’t interfere or take a share.
Wang Jinguo’s eyes lit up.
Old Madam Xia immediately forgot about Xia Dajun.
“ So that’s what they call a self-employed business? ”
She still carried the old mindset—farmers were the lowest, but workers were respectable. Self-employment sounded shameful.
Zhang Cui naturally understood her thoughts. She had once felt the same, but after running the stall at the county school gate, the money changed her mind.
Now?
Who cared about face when money was in hand.
“ Mom, it may not sound respectable now, but it’s all for Ziyu. We’ll endure the hardship. Once she graduates, our family will rise. ”
Old Madam Xia loved hearing that.
Everyone in the Xia family believed Xia Ziyu would become something big.
But university graduates in the 1980s, even if valuable, still needed decades to achieve real success. A state-assigned job meant stability, not wealth.
Supporting an entire family on that? Old Madam Xia was being naive.
At that moment, Wang Jinguo tried to speak again.
“ Mom, I don’t mind doing self-employment either—maybe I could help… ”
Old Madam Xia shot her a sharp glare
“ That’s your family’s brother-in-law? That’s Ziyu’s uncle! ”
Guys, I've updated my Ko-Fi and it has now Membership Tiers! Please do support this beggar and promises to be active and update a lot!
By now, this book is already ahead by 10 chapters. For now though, I'll only upload one every Tuesday. Since I've decided to revive the abandoned books I've uploaded here.
Here's the list:
AHEAD — Back to the 1980s: A Fierce Woman’s Second Life
AHEAD — The Little Princess Consort from a Peasant Family
TBA — Let’s Start the Sengoku Diner – Pouring Hot Water over Brown Rice? I’ll Make Something Even More Delicious!
TBA — I Want To Say This Loudly To The Knight Commander And Others As Well: We Are Not A Set Meal Restaurant! It’s Just A Private House