Chapter 40: The Politics of Grain

Cement roads, blue brick walls, low and cramped houses, and pedestrians dressed in blue and black work uniforms. Everything, bathed in the golden sunlight, exuded a sense of antiquity, making one feel as if they were wandering through the long river of history.

However, when a tandem bicycle burst onto the scene, the entire atmosphere shifted. It was a rather peculiar shift. An auntie carrying a wicker basket by the roadside was so startled she crashed into a tree. A cadre in a four-pocket tunic, who had been riding his own bicycle with an air of smug superiority, now lowered his arrogant head. Young girls widened their eyes, faces flushed, legs pressed tightly together.

Don't get the wrong idea. They just wanted to sit on the back and ride along.

The intense gaze of the crowd made Li Aiguo feel as if he were driving a Ferrari through the streets in a future life. Ahem, enough pretense; it felt quite spectacular. Riding this thing was truly top-tier. Four wheels, leather seats, a panoramic sunroof, an open-air cockpit, and a fuel consumption rate of only four steamed buns per hundred kilometers. Especially the two smooth, bright bells on the handlebars—he could ring whichever one he pleased. He couldn't put it down.

Li Aiguo rode the tandem bike to the entrance of the Neighborhood Committee office. Looking at the high steps and the threshold, he found himself in a dilemma. Other people’s bicycles could be lifted by the crossbar to get across, but this contraption was essentially two bikes fused together, weighing a full two hundred jin.

Forget it, he would just park it at the entrance.

After parking, he stepped into the guard room and found Old Man Qin, sliding him a pack of Da Qianmen cigarettes. "Old man, I’m here to see Director Wang about something. Could you keep an eye on my bike?"

"What kind of bike is that? Why not ride it into the courtyard?" Old Man Qin accepted the cigarette, opened the window for a look, and smacked his lips. "Young man, don't worry. With a bike like this, I don't think any of the local pickpockets in Beijing would dare touch it."

Li Aiguo thought about it and realized he was right. This thing was far too conspicuous. Those pickpockets preferred to work in the shadows, keeping things quiet. After confirming where Director Wang’s office was, Li Aiguo slung his canvas bag over his shoulder and went inside.

He knocked on the door and found Director Wang busy grading documents. Li Aiguo smiled and said, "Auntie Wang, it's Li Aiguo from the Steel Mill compound. I'm here to process the transfer of my grain ration book."

Li Aiguo’s grain allocation was currently tied to the Neighborhood Committee, and he collected his grain coupons and other vouchers there every month. Now that he was a train driver, he needed to transfer his grain status to the Railway Bureau.

Director Wang looked up, recognized Li Aiguo, capped her fountain pen, and smiled. "Aiguo, you really passed the exam. Section Chief Zhang from the Locomotive Section called me two days ago to pull your file, and I could hardly believe it."

Li Aiguo laughed heartily. "That’s all thanks to your help, Auntie Wang. If you hadn’t helped me get my dowry back, I wouldn't have even had enough to eat, let alone the energy to take the exam."

Director Wang shook her head with a smile. "As long as you don't hold a grudge against me, that’s all that matters."

Li Aiguo sat up straight. "Hold a grudge? Why would I? You’re the director of the Neighborhood Committee; you have to look at the big picture. Me suffering a little personal grievance is nothing."

Compromise wasn't the goal; the goal was to make the other party remember your sacrifice. Hearing this, Director Wang looked moved. She stood up and patted Li Aiguo on the shoulder. "If everyone in our neighborhood were as sensible as you, the work of our committee would be so much easier."

"You came at just the right time. The grain coupons for this month have arrived. I’ll get your grain, matches, soap coupons... and the sanitary napkin coupons... though I suppose you won't need those... then I’ll process your grain transfer."

Hearing this, Li Aiguo was delighted. Residents usually collected their monthly grain coupons from the committee and had the amount crossed off their ration books. By transferring his status, he would have to get a new book at the Locomotive Section, which would still have the current month’s allocation. In other words, Li Aiguo would receive two months' worth of grain this month.

Indeed, effort yields rewards. Li Aiguo’s previous monthly grain quota was 28 jin. This consisted of 20% flour, 10% rice, and the rest in coarse grains: cornmeal, dried sweet potatoes, sorghum flour, and fresh sweet potatoes.

Director Wang handed the vouchers to Li Aiguo and pulled a stack of colorful coupons from her pocket. "These are 'Ideological Awareness Coupons' we created after learning from the experiences of other areas. Households with poor ideological awareness get green coupons. Comrades like you, who show positive ideological awareness, get red ones."

Li Aiguo took a red coupon from her hand. While wondering what it was for, Director Wang smiled and explained, "Supplies have been getting tighter lately. Limited supplies will be prioritized for households holding red coupons."

Li Aiguo had heard about this. He had expected a 20% reduction on his coupons this time, but the committee had issued the full amount. It seemed this was the benefit of the Ideological Awareness Coupon.

"Thank you, Auntie Wang. This little flower of yours really needs your constant watering," Li Aiguo joked.

Director Wang laughed. "Stop with your glib tongue."

"Come on, I'll go process your grain transfer now."

After receiving the documents, Li Aiguo thanked her and was about to leave when he remembered something. He turned back to Director Wang. "Director, I heard that Sha Zhu is getting out soon."

"What?" Director Wang stood up, eyes wide. A moment later, she realized she had lost her composure and sat back down. Frowning, she said, "A while ago, I did receive pleas from several people—influential figures from before Liberation—who wanted me to persuade you to let Sha Zhu go. I knew the whole story best; you had already made concessions, and there was no reason for you to suffer more, so I rejected them all."

She looked up at Li Aiguo. "Where is Sha Zhu currently being held?"

"The police station, of course," Director Wang replied.

The police station... Li Aiguo had his suspicions. It seemed that after being rebuffed by the Neighborhood Committee, the Deaf Old Lady had sought out leaders at the neighborhood police station. Many of the staff in these units were still from the pre-Liberation era. They held onto old ways of thinking and might be inclined to bend the rules. However, to think they could rescue Sha Zhu with just that was to severely underestimate him.

...

Li Aiguo rode the tandem bike back to the courtyard. Seeing the high threshold, he sighed with frustration. Even if the bike was heavy, he couldn't just leave it outside overnight. That would be like handing a promotion to the local thieves. Fortunately, his current physical conditioning was far beyond that of an ordinary person. He reached out, grabbed the crossbar, and actually lifted the bike.

He took a step toward the threshold. After just two steps, the bike suddenly felt much lighter. Looking back, he saw Xu Damao lifting the rear seat, his face full of amazement.

"My goodness, Aiguo, how did you get such a massive bike?"

"A man, you know, should have something a bit bigger."

Seeing that Xu Damao was wearing a new Zhongshan suit today, Li Aiguo asked curiously, "Damao, were you on a date?"

"Heh, you caught me." Xu Damao couldn't stop grinning. "I went to the park with Director Lou’s daughter today. Maybe in a little while, we’ll be married."

"Is that so? Congratulations."

As they talked, they lifted the bike into the courtyard. Yan Bugui was busy polishing his own bicycle; he looked at the tandem bike, then at his own, and quietly turned around to push his bike into his room.

Xu Damao boasted, "That old guy has a bike and shows it off at the gate all day long. Well, now compared to yours, his looks like a toy."

"Hey, there are two bells here!" Xu Damao reached out to touch one, but Li Aiguo pushed his hand away. "Is this something for outsiders to touch?"

Xu Damao was a sharp man and immediately understood. He scratched his head in embarrassment. "Right, right. By the way, who did you get to build this? I want one too, so when I go to the countryside to show movies, I won't have to worry about having too much gear."

The equipment needed for showing movies—projectors, film reels, power supplies—weighed over two hundred jin in total. Xu Damao had once gone to the countryside with his father, Xu Jixiang, and had been exhausted to the point of collapse.

"At Liu Haizhu’s repair shop at the end of the street."

As they spoke, Li Aiguo walked into the middle courtyard. Jia Zhang was sitting at her door sewing a shoe sole. Seeing Li Aiguo’s bicycle, her face darkened instantly. "That damn little mongrel, actually using our family’s money to buy a bicycle, and such a huge one at that. Is there any justice in this world?"