Secretary Mo felt it was deeply unfair. Grandpa and Grandma had raised Mo Guoqiang and Mo Laoer, helped them both get married and start their own families, yet received nothing in return. It made him sick that they now had to quietly leave the Mo Family Courtyard to set up their own separate household. The Knowledge Youth House was at the eastern edge of the village, about seven or eight hundred meters away, in what was currently an isolated area. People preferred the lively atmosphere of living in a cluster, so no one was envious of the location. In the future, if no more Knowledge Youth came, the house and its land would surely be given to Grandpa Mo first, whether it was sold or assigned by the production team. So, with Grandpa Mo's family moving in now, it was as good as getting a new home. Secretary Mo thus proposed:
"Brother, you're a new family now, starting a new life. You have to celebrate a little, no matter what! If you don't even have a housewarming, it'll just be too pathetic. Even if other people don't say anything, we old brothers couldn't stand for it! Let's talk it over. You should at least set up a table or two. We can all go over and liven things up, let the villagers know you're living there. If people visit you often, it won't be so deserted!"
Grandpa Mo said, "Wouldn't that be too much? After all, the house is still public property. We're just temporarily staying there."
"So what if we just say the production team assigned it to you to live in? Brother, you gather herbs all year. You may not have formally studied medicine and don't dare to diagnose illnesses, but whenever anyone in the village has a minor cut or ache, they come to you for a remedy, and you never charge a cent. Back in the sixties, and again just a couple of years ago, when malaria and cholera broke out, you were the one who set up a huge pot at the village entrance, boiling medicinal broth for everyone to drink day after day. People from neighboring villages even came over to get a share of our soup. Most of the county had people falling ill with fevers, but our area was the healthiest. Not a single person got sick! The higher-ups praised you for it, said you made a great contribution! Someone who has contributed so much deserves priority care from the team. That's just how it is! If anyone has a problem with that, tell them to come see me!"
Fifth Auntie chimed in, "That's right, Brother! Moving into a new house and lighting a new stove is a huge deal. You have to pick an auspicious day and the right hour! A good beginning means everything will go smoothly and your heart's desires will be fulfilled! I found a moment this afternoon to go ask Old Zhao from North Village for you—tomorrow is a good day! The auspicious hour for moving into a new home is between 4:30 and 5:00 AM! When the time comes, I'll shovel some embers from my stove, pile dry firewood on top, and bring it over for you. Once you get it inside, you'll start a roaring, prosperous fire! Then, we'll have Xiao Man carry a pumpkin and roll it all through the house. After that, we'll have Grandma take a big winnowing basket and circle it over the fire... Aiya, after all that, your wishes will come true, your family will be happy and whole, and your livestock will flourish!"
Grandpa Mo was stunned by her words, but he was also tempted. Secretary Mo shot his wife a speechless glare, annoyed by her bluntness and lack of subtlety. 'I'm the team secretary, and my own wife is talking like this?'
Fifth Auntie paid him no mind. 'In the countryside, wasn't every family like this?'
In the end, Grandpa Mo took Secretary Mo and Fifth Auntie's advice. He went back and told Grandma and Xiao Man about the plan, and neither of them had any objections.
Grandma said, "We are starting our own household, after all. Let's listen to Secretary Mo and set up two or three tables tomorrow. We can invite the old brothers and their wives to bring their children and liven the place up. I can't see and can't get around, so we'll have to ask Fifth Auntie to organize the food. We probably don't have enough bowls and chopsticks, either…"
"Don't worry about the tables, food, or drinks," Grandpa replied. "I've already spoken with Fifth Auntie. We just need to give her the money, and she'll handle everything. She has a relative in the Sixth Team who wasn't paying attention when they bought a piglet and ended up with a black pig that just won't fatten up. They've been feeding it for over a year, and it's still only forty or fifty pounds. We bought the whole pig. Tomorrow, I'll have a couple of young men secretly carry it back here and butcher it. The pork should be more than enough, and we'll even get some lard from it!"
Hearing this from Grandpa, Grandma nodded. "That will be fine, then."
Grandpa then turned to Xiao Man. "Tomorrow, you take good care of your grandma. When the other children are here, keep an eye on them as well... Hmm, in the morning, I should go cut some bamboo and weave a cover for the well. That'll keep any mischievous kids from playing near it and falling in! I'll also nail together a few long benches. That should be enough seating!"
As Grandpa muttered about his preparations, Xiao Man noticed how sweaty she was and drew a few buckets of water to wash her hair and rinse off. On a hot summer day, the cold water was perfectly refreshing. Grandpa could also handle a cold bath, but Grandma couldn't. 'Since we can't light a fire here yet,' she thought, 'we'll have to wait until we're at Secretary Mo's house to heat some water for Grandma.'
That night, they stayed again at Secretary Mo's house. Secretary Mo and his wife invited over several other clan members—all brothers from the same generation as Grandpa Mo and Secretary Mo. The five or six old friends sat together, quickly made a plan, and divided up the tasks. Then, they all went home to rest. After all, they had work the next day and could only come over to help after they had finished their duties for the production team.