Don’t be fooled by the thirty pounds of paddy, it may seem a lot, but there are two teenagers in their group, and it’s the time when they have the biggest appetites.
Those thirty pounds would barely last for 15 meals.
But she had plenty of time.
So, Bai Junjun quickly dried the freshly harvested paddy and carelessly tossed the thirty pounds into a sack she found in the storeroom before she ran off to find Bai Sasa, feigning excitement.
Bai Junjun pretended to have found a half bag of paddy in the storeroom, with acting skills nearly as poor as Bai Sasa’s.
Bai Sasa, unsuspecting, happily pounded the grains to remove their husks.
She even bowed in gratitude towards the Village Chief’s room, not forgetting to give thanks.
And so, Sasa cheerfully went to make a fire and cook, completely oblivious to her elder sister’s odd acting.
The villagers usually didn’t return from the fields until around seven or eight in the evening.
Because the sun sets later in this place, it often wasn’t completely dark until after eight o’clock at night.
When they dragged watermelons back with them, they saw smoke curling up from the Village Chief’s house.
Everyone was startled, momentarily under the illusion that the Village Chief’s family was still there.
However, once they reached the doorway and looked inside, they remembered. The Village Chief was gone, and it was just a few children bustling about.
At that moment, Bai Junjun was sitting at the kitchen entrance waiting for dinner. Spotting the villagers approaching, her eyes lit up, "Did you bring over the watermelons?"
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, the villagers handed over a sack of watermelons.
"We’ve already bagged them. We’ll drag the rest over to you tomorrow."
"No need, no need, I’ll have Sasa pick them up tomorrow. Thank you so much, uncles, aunties."
Bai Junjun spoke as she asked them to place the watermelons in the yard and then went from house to house, but it wasn’t really a visit — she mainly went to distribute salt.
After all, she had a limited number of bowls. She couldn’t possibly give one bowl to eight or nine households, could she? And her bag was only so big; it wouldn’t make sense to pull out that many bowls from it.
The villagers didn’t understand Bai Junjun’s intentions, thinking the young girl was just visiting. To their surprise, she didn’t wander aimlessly but went straight to each household’s kitchen and, upon seeing a salt jar, started pouring salt into it.
The startled elders repeatedly told her it wasn’t right.
Bai Junjun would not listen. Polar Bear Base only ever robbed the rich to help the poor and never took advantage of the less fortunate.
Unable to stop the lavishly generous Bai Junjun, the elders climbed up to the rafters and the tops of their walls to dig out their cherished items for trade.
Bai Junjun looked at those earthen jars, puzzled.
The elderly men and women smiled and said, "These are all homemade pickles, soybean sauce, pickled watermelon rind, all good for having with meals. Keep them and eat slowly; they’re not valuable, but it’s the greatest sign of our appreciation."
Just like the Village Chief’s family, their homes too had been plundered by the bandits, and they were left with only the little things hidden in the nooks and crannies, now their last stock.
Looking around the empty kitchen, Bai Junjun curiously asked, "If your grain was stolen, what do you eat?"
The old folks were momentarily at a loss.
Bai Junjun quickly clarified, "I mean no offense, just a bit curious."
"There are some meager fields in the mountains, planted with sweet potatoes and potatoes. But these crops aren’t quite ripe yet; we only eat them when we’re really starving. Otherwise, come autumn, we won’t have a harvest, and we would all starve to death," the elder explained somewhat sheepishly.
Bai Junjun nodded in understanding.
The elder, finding his voice, continued.
"We reported to the County Yamen a few days ago, and they distributed some coarse grain to us as temporary relief. With that, we’re managing to get by."