At that time, just as Anwen Commune was abolished (to reduce the size of the commune), and Anwen district was established, which still had the jurisdiction of the eight districts, which governed its own people’s commune.Before long, I was appointed deputy secretary of the Youth League Committee of China in Anwen District.There was no secretary in charge, and I presided over the work as deputy secretary.Later, I was elected to be a member of Dongyang County Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.
Compared with being the director of the party office, the position of Youth League Committee secretary was much more relaxing.At that time, with the director of the People’s Armed Forces and the director of the Women’s Federation, the three of us often went down to the various administrative districts and communes together.But this didn’t last long.The district soon organized four working groups to reform the backward teams.I was in charge of a team in Si’ze Village, 60 li away from Anwen.We took out our money and food stamps to share with the commune members.We also lived and worked together.Three people were in our working group.One was the director of Yaochuan, who did not come in often.The other was the president of the Anwen Court, who was older than me and had a weak stomach.For three meals a day we always ate mashed corn, and his stomach couldn’t take it anymore.One day, I saw that he had a acute stomachache, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.I said, “Don’t kill yourself!” I told him that I was going to Anwen to get some ham skins and asked him to get some dried vegetable.
We snuck off to another village and cooked it.But we didn’t dare to take it back with us for fear of being seen.After a while, the food became moldy.I said to him, “You’re not well.Go back to Anwen, I’ll take care of here.Don’t worry.” And he left for home.
Later on, I often walked the mountain road by myself to the various production teams to check on the production situation.At that time, I often didn’t have time for meals.I pulled connections and went to the supply and marketing agency to buy a dime’s worth of brown sugar.I would put it in my pocket and eat it with water as a meal.It was a good thing that I was young and strong then.
One day, I went to Yaochuan for a meeting and sat next to the director of the Women’s Federation of Yaochuan District.I saw her clutching her belly, pale in face.I asked what was wrong? She said, “You wouldn’t understand.” The man sitting next to her said she was menstruating, and went to the supply and marketing agency to buy five cents of brown sugar, but was refused.I said, “I’ll get it for you.” I was so angry that I went to the supply and marketing agency.The man said there was no brown sugar.I went in and checked, and I said, “Why didn’t you sell brown sugar to her?” I told him that the woman who wanted to buy brown sugar was the director of the District Women’s Federation, whose husband was the county party secretary.I’d seen him hiding in his room, stewing ham and tofu and eating white rice, yet refusing to sell five cents’ worth of brown sugar to our cadres.I smashed his ham and tofu pot on the ground, “Quickly take out the brown sugar! If you don’t, I won’t be polite!” He took it out.I threw the money at him.After going back from Yaochuan, I called the district party secretary and told him about it.At that time, the secretary happened to have a meeting with the director of the supply and marketing agency.They decided right then to move the clerk from the Yaochuan supply and marketing agency far away.