19611February 10, Zhang Yongling was released from the reform-through-labor camp and was assigned to a farm across the river from the reform-through-labor farm for employment. At that time, it was three years of natural disasters, and a fierce wave of hunger was sweeping across the land of China. Lin uses discarded cans to hold porridge, and uses the chef's visual error to get more porridge every time. The only purpose of people living at that time was to try their best to live.

On one occasion, Zhang Yonglin went to Zhennanbao to go to the fair, and cheated the old farmer with the cunning method used in the reform-through-labour farm, and exchanged 3 Jin of potatoes for 5 Jin of yellow radish. One day it rained and didn't go out to work. Zhang Yong was at home and continued to read Das Kapital, and his soul was purified. He thought, "How could I cheat an old farmer in this way?"

Hunger cruelly afflicts people. Just as Zhang Yonglin was hungry, Ma Yinghua, a villager woman, asked him to go to her house to help make a fire and rescue him from the plight of hunger. She readily took out white flour steamed bread and potatoes for him to eat. He was moved to tears. From then on, Ma Yinghua often found an excuse to call him to her house, and "I" came as scheduled every day. As usual, have a full meal in your spare time, and then chat, read poems and tell stories after eating.

Zhang Yonglin and driver-style Haixi meet at Ma Yinghua's house almost every day. Hai Xixi was so hostile to Zhang Yonglin that they had a fight when transporting fertilizer. From then on, Haixi never entered Ma Yinghua's door again, and Zhang Yonglin won Ma Yinghua's love. When Zhang Yonglin clearly realized that there was an insurmountable gap between him and Ma Yinghua, he gave up the idea of marrying Ma Yinghua. However, Zhang Yongzhen still goes to her home every day, almost making it her home.

One day, Haixi came to Zhang Yonglin and told him that he was a tramp, homeless and unemployed, and now he was leaving the farm for Inner Mongolia. He also said that Ma Yinghua was a good woman and suggested that Zhang Yonglin marry Ma Yinghua. He also told Zhang Yongyuan the party news that seemed confidential at that time, and the gap between them was eliminated.

Zhang Yonglin came home, told her Haixi and Captain Xie's advice, and proposed to her. But Ma Yinghua refused to marry him. She wanted to use her lame leg to maintain her relationship and get food for Zhang Yonglin to study. Zhang Yongyuan felt that following her lost the dignity of a man, so she insisted on getting married at once. But she misunderstood the reason why Zhang Yongyuan was eager to get married and mistakenly thought that he didn't believe her. She swore to Zhang Yongyuan, "Don't worry! It was a steel knife that cut my head, and my blood is still on you! "

The team found that Haixi had escaped and asked everyone to chase him. After returning, Zhang Yongzhen was transferred to the brigade at the foot of the mountain. Later, Zhang Yonglin learned that Ma Yinghua came to him with a small bag and was scolded back by the cadres in the team. Soon, Zhang Yongzhen was sentenced to three years of control on the charge of "writing reactionary notes" and later suffered bad luck.

Many years later, he read in Ci Hai that "Ma Yinghua", also known as a green tree, is fond of light, drought and barren. There is nothing in this entry that is not similar to Ma Yinghua's. That night, Zhang Yonglin lost sleep. "Green trees! Green trees! ..... "Zhang Yonglin always flashes green trees.