The days back in the village passed quickly. Just after the second of February, school started. Since the only middle school was in the town, Ye Ling had to wake up early every morning and walk an hour and a half to get there. Classes started at seven, so Ye Ling had to leave for town by five. In winter, it was still dark at five, but luckily, a few kids from the village walked together, so the adults didn't have to accompany them.
Lunch was eaten at school. Families with poor conditions didn't eat lunch at all. Some families still couldn't afford enough food. The Ye Family was relatively better off; at least they could fill their stomachs, but bringing good food was out of the question. Ye Ling got up early with her grandmother to cook – potatoes stewed with beet leaves. The beet leaves were distributed by the brigade in the autumn, divided according to the number of people in each household. Every family dried them and stored them for winter to be cooked with hot water.
