Reborn with a Space: Building a Fortune Amidst Famine

After seeing off their parents and eldest brother, the two sisters walked back together.

"I didn't expect Mom and Dad to give us so much money."

Each daughter of the Zhao Family received one hundred. Each son received one hundred and fifty.

Considering the current times, this was really quite a lot. Especially since their old parents had saved it bit by bit from their meager savings.

"Yeah, it really is a lot. They must be extremely frugal at home, not willing to spend a penny."

"Indeed, our money is squeezed from our tight budgets, earned by ourselves."

As for Zhao Qingxiang and his group, there were no sleeper tickets for the train, so all ten of them had to sit upright for the journey.

This was indeed quite exhausting. But since they were heading back home, their mood was different, so it didn't feel too uncomfortable.

Upon arriving in the city, Zhao Qingjie went to the oil mill where they used to extract oil and arranged for someone to take their family back to the farm.

Zhao Qingjie also bought twenty pounds of cottonseed oil, as the old couple needed food too. It's not that their sons didn't care, but the distance made it difficult. During the spring planting and autumn harvest, even if they wanted to eat together, they didn't have the energy.

So there were preparations the brothers made sure to arrange for the old couple, as they had discussed.

It was already the end of March. Although the snow on the road was still quite thick, it had started to melt. The roads during the day weren't particularly easy to traverse. On the cart were luggage and four kids. If the adults got really tired, they would also take turns to sit for a while.

Nevertheless, the cart was faster than the donkey cart, and they trotted along the whole way.

By nightfall, they still hadn't reached the farm. So the group sat down to eat and feed the horse.

"I had always heard the farm was so far away, but I only realized just how far after making the trip myself," Zhao Tian commented with a sigh.

"We're okay with it. We've gotten used to it. Actually, we seldom leave because it's just too far."

The group rested for over an hour before continuing the journey. They really had no choice. Having sweated, they felt especially cold.

Along the way, the three discussed whether it was better to let the old couple handle a hundred acres of land themselves and buy a small donkey, as this seemed more economical. If it wasn't too exhausting, they would consider more next year.

Zhao Tian disagreed. "Why not work one hundred fifty acres, then we'd have a small donkey too, which would save money. Your mother and I can handle the work, no problem. Don't worry, we can definitely do it."

The two brothers were a bit troubled but seeing how determined their father was, they didn't dare to argue further.

"Dad, let's ask Director Feng when we get back.

Also, one of our brothers' families is leaving this year, and when we were leaving, we told Director Feng to try to keep the spot for us. We just don't know if he could hold onto it."

Zhao Tian thought this was good, as it wouldn't be far from his sons' homes at that point.

With frequent stops, it was past eleven when they finally reached Zhao Qingxiang's doorstep.

"Dad, Mom, eldest brother, we'll head back first."

After unloading the cart and paying the driver, Zhao Qingxiang and his group offered for him to stay and rest, but he wanted to head back.

Sun Yun and Han Lixia started a fire, "It should have been Xiao Jing who lit the fire. The kang is still warm."

This allowed the two children to directly lay on the kang.

However, the other room didn't fare as well, feeling cool and damp. So the six members of the family squeezed together for the night.

The next morning, Sun Yun woke up early to cook because there was still plenty to do. The in-laws' land needed to be settled, and the house needed cleaning.

Also, the seeds at home needed to be sorted promptly. This year, they planned to plant more wheat as both brothers-in-law mentioned it could fetch more money.

Han Lixia was also industrious, so when her daughter-in-law woke up, she joined her in cooking and starting the fire.

For breakfast, they had homemade flatbreads and pickled cabbage with vermicelli.

Just after the family finished breakfast, Zhao Qingjie arrived too.

"Second Brother, have you already eaten?"

"Yes, sister-in-law, I've eaten." The brothers and their parents planned to go to the farm headquarters later.

Because the brothers-in-law could arrange for fertilizers, Director Feng was quite good to their brothers. In fact, it doesn't matter when or who, the sentiment remains the same.

The two Zhao Family members took their documents and got into the second son's car to head to the headquarters, thinking of visiting Xiao Jing's home once the paperwork was done.

Upon arrival at the headquarters, Feng Baoshan was there. He saw Zhao Tian and his wife and didn't say much.

"Director Feng, is that piece of land still available?"

"Yes, a hundred acres. If you take it, the house comes with it, but you'll have to figure out the livestock yourself."

"Alright, a hundred acres it is. But there's still some land behind it that hasn't been cultivated. If we clear it, will the previous policy still apply?"

"Of course, the first year there's no quota, and there's a reward. The second year it's only half the quota."

Both brothers nodded. This was good news. The wives could sort the wheat seeds at home, while the three of them could start clearing the land. Now with herbicides available, clearing land wasn't as tough as before.

This is how the Zhao Family formally settled at the Second Farm.

The three didn't return home but drove straight to Zhao Xiaojing's place.

They had already tidied up their home, and their seeds had been sorted. The couple was just about to feed the livestock and start a fire for the two brothers-in-law.

Hearing noise outside, Zhao Xiaojing went to open the door. Xu Hongbing was harnessing the cart. She opened the door, and seeing her father, tears immediately streamed down her face. "Dad."

Seeing his daughter, Zhao Tian's eyes also welled up. The second daughter had been quiet since childhood, headstrong, and never slacked off in work.

"Good, you're all grown up now."

Upon hearing her father's words, Zhao Xiaojing cried even harder. She ran to Zhao Tian's side and held his hand.

Hearing the commotion, Xu Hongbing quickly tied up the donkey and came out. Her father-in-law had arrived.

Seeing the approaching man, Zhao Tian noticed the son-in-law was the best looking of the three.

"Dad, I'm Xiao Jing's husband."

Zhao Tian held Xu Hongbing's hand, "Good, you two complement each other."

"Dad, quickly come in, eldest brother, second brother, come in too. When did you all get back?"

"We arrived home late last night. Thanks to you frequently lighting the fire, we weren't freezing when we got back."

"Xiao Jing lit fires every day. She figured you all would be returning soon."

The family entered the house, and Xu Haijun greeted his uncles.

"Haijun, this is your grandpa."

"Grandpa, you've finally come. Where's grandma?"

"Your grandma is at your eldest uncle's place," Zhao Tian said, looking at his grandson, thinking the child was quite witty.

"Dad, get on the kang," Zhao Xiaojing urged, holding her father's hand.

"Xiao Jing, your family should come to our place later. Let's help Mom and Dad tidy up the house and in the coming days burn the weeds on that piece of land behind Old Tian's house and clear it."

"Eldest brother, have lunch at our place."

"It's too much trouble, and there's still so much work to be done."