Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 33 Part 1

Chapter 33: A New Era

Spring 1980. The news of the household responsibility system spread through Guanjia Village like rising dough. After days of anxious waiting, the village chief finally confirmed it over the loudspeaker. For the people of Guanjia Village, this was a dream they had held for years. But once the excitement settled, the biggest question on everyone's mind was how the land would be divided. After all, with no other way to make a living, land was the very foundation of every farmer's life.

[The Household Responsibility System was a 1980s rural reform that gave farmers land-use rights and allowed them to keep surplus output after meeting state quotas, replacing the collective commune system where farmers worked in production teams and earned work points for their share of grain and income.]

For a while, the atmosphere in Guanjia Village was both lively and tense. Some of the quicker-thinking villagers had already started quietly cozying up to a few of the village leaders. But luckily, within just a few days, the village chief announced the land distribution plan according to the county's notice: the land would be divided per capita—by the number of people in each household.

Everyone gathered at the village threshing ground. When the village chief made the announcement, it was like oil hitting a hot pan—the place erupted in noise. Families with more members sighed in relief and patted their chests; those with fewer members stomped their feet in frustration.

Guan Yuan didn't really care how much land he'd get, but Zhao Shenggu was different. Though he'd made a good amount of money selling braised meat, his desire for land was just as strong as anyone else's. When he heard the land would be divided by headcount, he wasn't surprised—it was a fairly fair method, after all. 

The Guan family, however, wasn't happy. Zhao Shenggu's household registration had never been with theirs, but Guan Yuan was truly a member of the Guan family. Now that he had moved his registration to the Zhao family's household, they wouldn't be getting his share of the land.

There wasn't much to argue about when it came to dividing by headcount—no one could really object to that. But the quality of the land each family received—whether it was fertile or poor—made a huge difference. The village chief initially suggested dividing the land around each household's home, but some people felt that was unfair and refused. In the end, they had no choice but to draw lots.

Those who drew good land were overjoyed; those who drew poor land had red-rimmed eyes. Every day, a harsh word would lead to fistfights. After more than ten days of noisy, chaotic division, the matter was finally settled. This marked the beginning of a new era for Guanjia Village. Everyone now had their own land. They shook off the lazy habits from the commune days and became energized—some even spent all day in the fields, pulling out the very first weed the moment it sprouted.

Meanwhile, the whole country was gradually opening up. The signs of a new era were spreading everywhere. The most obvious change was that more and more street vendors were setting up stalls.

Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu also started school as planned. The elementary school in Guanjia Village had never been rebuilt after it closed, so the only options were to go to nearby Zhaojia Village or to the county seat. For Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan, going to school in the county was much more convenient.

To Guan Yuan's surprise, Guan Shitou was also sent to school by his father, Guan Guo. The boy stood at the county elementary school with a crooked mouth, looking thoroughly unwilling. "Boss, what's so fun about school? I'd rather go catch grasshoppers in the fields!"

Guan Guo was so angry his nose went crooked. He swung his big, fan-sized palm at his son. "I'll give you grasshoppers! School is good! Your old man didn't get an education, and that's why your mom keeps calling me stupid!" After giving Guan Shitou a good thrashing, Guan Guo turned to Zhao Shenggu. "Shenggu, this kid is a handful. Keep an eye on him at school so he doesn't cause trouble."

Zhao Shenggu smiled. "Don't worry. Shitou is pretty well-behaved, right, Shitou?"

Guan Shitou looked at Zhao Shenggu's smile and shuddered. "R-Right..."

The three of them walked into the classroom of Year 1, Class 3. It wasn't unusual to see students as old as Zhao Shenggu starting school, but his height was way beyond that of his peers. The moment he stepped in, he cast a psychological shadow over the little kids. The classroom, which had been buzzing with noise, fell silent at once. Even after the three of them sat down, the children kept sneaking glances at them.

Guan Shitou had always been the bully of Guanjia Village. He didn't know the meaning of fear. When he saw everyone staring at them like they were a circus act, he slammed his hand on the desk. "What are you looking at? Never seen anyone before?"

Two-thirds of the kids in that classroom were from town. At the time, town people looked down on country people, and when they heard Guan Shitou speak in the local dialect, they burst out laughing.

A trendy-looking little boy shot Guan Shitou a contemptuous glance. "Country bumpkin!" 

Guan Shitou heard it loud and clear. Hot-tempered as he was, he shot up with his fists clenched, ready to go after the boy—but Zhao Shenggu held him down.

"Kid," Zhao Shenggu said calmly, standing in front of the boy, "didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

The boy stared up at Zhao Shenggu, who looked like a giant to him. Though he tried hard to keep it together, his whole body was trembling. "Wh-What do you want? I'm telling you, I'm not someone to mess with!" His eyes grew redder and redder, and by the end, he looked like he was about to cry. Zhao Shenggu found it boring—the kid wasn't even one-ten-thousandth as cute as his Xiao Yuan—so he went back to his seat.

"Brother, you almost made him cry," Guan Yuan said with amusement, nudging his brother's arm and pointing at the little boy.

"I didn't even say much," Zhao Shenggu said, shaking his head. "The kid acted tough, but turns out he's pretty timid." He picked up his new textbooks and started flipping through them.

Just then, a small head poked through the classroom door. Guan Yuan looked over and saw that it was Guan Mumu, with his father, Guan Shulin, carrying his schoolbag behind him. Guan Yuan waved at Guan Mumu.

Guan Mumu's eyes lit up. The fear and uncertainty in them moments before were now replaced with pure joy. Guan Shulin naturally spotted Zhao Shenggu and the others too. He led Guan Mumu over to them. "What a relief! I was so worried this kid would be too shy and get bullied at school. I didn't expect you all to be in the same class! Shenggu, please keep an eye on Mumu so he doesn't get picked on and not say anything."

Zhao Shenggu nodded in agreement. Guan Yuan thought his brother had basically become a babysitter—one kid was too hyperactive and needed to be kept from picking on others, while the other was too quiet and needed to be protected from being picked on.

The only empty seat nearby was right next to Guan Shitou, so Guan Shulin led Guan Mumu over and sat him down beside him. Guan Shitou wasn't too thrilled at first, but seeing that Guan Mumu looked clean and neat today, he just pursed his lips and said nothing. A familiar face was better than a stranger anyway.

Guan Shulin gave a few more worried reminders before finally leaving. Guan Yuan sighed—Guan Shulin was really a thoughtful father.

Guan Mumu and Guan Shitou sat right in front of Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu. Guan Mumu's ears were red, and he kept turning back to glance at Guan Yuan. Whenever he did, Guan Yuan would smile back at him, which made Guan Mumu even more flustered. His whole face turned as red as a tomato. He held out his own hands, stared at them—clean and neat—and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Before long, the teacher arrived. The first thing she did was ask everyone to come up and introduce themselves. This was where the difference between rural and town kids really showed. Most of the town kids spoke confidently and openly, while the village kids had a natural awe of the city. Embarrassed by their thick local accents, they spoke as quietly as mosquitoes.

When it was Guan Shitou's turn, he swaggered up to the podium. "My name is Guan Shitou. I'm really good at fighting. If you stick with me, I'll have your back."

Guan Yuan face-palmed. Zhao Shenggu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The teacher standing nearby turned green in the face. "Guan Shitou, fighting is wrong. If you get into fights, I'll have to call your parents!"

Guan Shitou gave her a side-eye. "Always with that threat." 

The teacher was completely taken aback. This kid was clearly going to be trouble. 

When Guan Mumu's turn came, he was surprisingly calm and spoke clearly. After dealing with a little bully like Guan Shitou, the teacher found Guan Mumu an absolute delight.

When Guan Yuan stepped up to the podium, the teacher's eyes lit up. This child was absolutely adorable, and his voice was soft and sweet. Even the little girls in the front rows were blushing as they looked at him.

When Zhao Shenggu's turn came, his height—already that of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old—nearly made the teacher's eyes pop out. When she heard he was only twelve, she looked utterly incredulous.

There wasn't much actual teaching on the first day. The classmates got to know each other, the teacher went over the school and class rules, and then they listened to the principal give a long, spit-flying speech on the playground for an hour before being dismissed.

On the way home, Guan Mumu hesitated several times before finally mustering up the courage. With a red face, he asked Guan Yuan, "Can I come to your house to study?"

Guan Yuan thought the kid was adorable. "Of course you can. You can come do your homework at my place." 

Guan Mumu broke into a huge smile when he heard that.

Guan Shitou immediately started shouting, "I wanna come too! I wanna come too!" 

Guan Yuan kicked him in the butt. "Get lost." 

Guan Mumu covered his mouth and giggled at the sight.

Zhao Shenggu watched them mess around and smiled.

And so, the four of them began their school journey. Guan Yuan, of course, excelled, and Zhao Shenggu was naturally smart and studied hard—their progress far surpassed the rest of the class. Guan Mumu did well too. But Guan Shitou? The moment he picked up a textbook, it was like he had fleas all over him—scratching his head, fidgeting, unable to sit still.

Whenever Guan Mumu came to Guan Yuan's house to do homework, Guan Shitou would tag along like a shadow. Since he didn't dare mess with Zhao Shenggu or Guan Yuan, Guan Mumu became his favorite target. He'd toss a grasshopper at him, or tug at his hair. Every time, Guan Mumu would go red-eyed and silently stare at Guan Shitou, who would scratch his head and stammer, "O-Okay, fine, I'll stop... This is my mom's snack anyway..." But the very next day, he'd do it all over again. Guan Yuan found it hilarious. On the surface, Guan Shitou was all bluster and claws, but in reality, Guan Mumu had him completely wrapped around his finger. It was a classic case of one thing subduing another.

By the end of the first semester, Guan Yuan, Zhao Shenggu, and Guan Mumu all scored double perfect marks—100 in both subjects—tying for first place in the class. As for Guan Shitou? Chinese 54, Math 67.

When Guan Guo first saw the test paper, he thought it wasn't bad that his son had at least passed math. But then Li Ying went around the village and found out that among the four kids studying in the county, their Shitou had the most embarrassing scores. She stormed back home, rolled up her sleeves, and was ready to give him a beating.

Guan Guo tried to stop her at first—until he heard the full story. Then it turned from a solo mom-beating into a full-blown two-parent tag-team beatdown. For a while, the yard was utter chaos, with Guan Shitou's screams and pleas carrying far and wide.