ABSTRACT
Farming is a demanding, uncompromising regime with little tolerance for weakness. A successful farmer must do things correctly, and to do things properly one cannot be very old or infirm. The whole family came, and five of Guofu's brothers still farm in Tranquillity. Guofu never saw a great future in farming, so he tried hard to find some other way to make a living. Guofu became a carpenter and farmer in the collective. His wife earned work points cultivating commune fields. Guofu is at the point of achieving the success he worked so hard for, righting the balance by placing his children back in the city. But he and his wife will remain in the countryside, to spend the rest of their lives farming. There were younger men and women to help with farming and domestic work. Some women can't even do that, and just wrap their infant up tightly and leave it home alone on the sleeping platform.
