She Only Cares About Cultivation-Chapter 808 - 768: Famine Era 9 (First Update)

The summer harvest of 1944 wasn’t exactly a bumper crop, but it yielded about 200 to 300 pounds per mu. Compared to 800 to 1,000 jin in the previous life, it’s quite lacking. However, considering there were no pesticides, chemical fertilizers, artificial rain, or canal irrigation, and just having experienced the Famine Era, it was much better than expected.

There was only one plot of land in the space, and she couldn’t sell even twenty silver coins a month. Including her own meals and studies, saving ten yuan would mean she was being economical.

Moreover, girls have to pay attention to hygiene in life. Toilet paper, soap, towels, toothpaste, toothbrush, moisturizing cream, and Clam Oil are all necessities. Shampoo wasn’t seen at the Cooperative, and other goods weren’t cheap. Altogether, at least three yuan a month were spent on these.

It’s not that she’s being finicky, but given the opportunity, even if her clothes aren’t great, she didn’t want to lower the standards in these areas.

Of course, she didn’t dare take these things outside for others to see. After washing her face and turning off the lights, she’d secretly apply a little under the covers.

Summer was okay, but in winter, if she didn’t apply some moisturizing cream on her face, it would be unbearably dry. If she didn’t put something on her hands, even writing would feel uncomfortable.

Previously at home, she didn’t mind it much, but now living at school, having a little pocket money, she wanted to treat herself better.

During the years of disaster, she thought about just farming in 1949. But the family’s land was so small, and the adults had enough work. As a child, if she didn’t learn something, earn a diploma, how could she possibly lead this big family in the future?

After all, in any era, without a diploma, it’s impossible to achieve much, unless you do business.

But starting in the 1950s, things were gradually bought with tickets, the 1960s was all communal meals, and not until the late 1970s did the college entrance exam resume. In the 1980s, one could do business. By that time, how old would she be? Almost ready to retire, right?

So, after much consideration, she decided to seize the opportunity to attend university, obtain a diploma, find a secure job, and then through her own abilities, ensure the children at home could afford schooling. As long as they had a diploma, finding a job wouldn’t be difficult. In the 1950s and 1960s, even to work in a factory, aside from a diploma, you also needed a household registration.

With all these calculations, could she avoid studying?

Previously at home, she washed her hair with plant ashes. Her hair was thick and long, often braided into a twist. After coming to school, she found that long hair was inconvenient to manage, so she spent one yuan at a barber shop to cut it short like a student, saving her long hair in her space, thinking of selling it later.

Once cut, keeping a straight fringe made her look younger. Using soap to wash her hair saved quite a bit, the weight on her head reduced significantly, and she felt light and neat overall.

Though her face still looked somewhat earthy, at least she kept herself clean. As for other aspects, she’d focus on them when conditions improved.

Ye Huan hadn’t started menstruating yet. People in this era used cloth strips, the well-off used cotton, and the worse-off used plant ashes. Even toilet paper was rough and couldn’t be used for padding between the legs.

Students used cloth strips or cotton. Few used plant ashes. Ye Huan was also glad she hadn’t started since she didn’t yet have the conditions to use cotton or cloth strips.

The girls in the dormitory ranged from eighteen to as young as twelve or thirteen. Those who menstruated were less than ten.

So it was normal for Ye Huan, at fourteen, not to have started, given that the nutrition and environment of this era weren’t as good as in the previous life.

Earlier, she told her family she was working as a nanny at a professor’s house, so she sent home ten silver coins each month because when she first went, she said that meals and accommodation were covered, and it was ten silver coins a month.

However, after arriving, her grandfather said the teacher was teaching her to read and write for free, and the teacher covered school supplies costs. So, in the end, they didn’t need to send those ten silver coins, which were treated as tuition fees. The family had no objections to this arrangement.

As a result, until now, she managed to save 35 silver coins over three months, after all expenses.

In early June, she helped with the wheat harvest at home, led her younger brother and sister to the field to pick wheat, and made wild vegetable mush for a few days.

The so-called wild vegetable mush was wild vegetables mixed with cornmeal mush. It was coarse and hard to swallow but filling.