He Tiantian was already used to other people's surprise!

It's no wonder, though. He Tiantian's appearance and temperament are that of a delicate person who is loved and pampered, which contrasts sharply with her efficiency in doing things.

He Tiantian didn't look up, continuing to work with her hands, and said, "It's not washed yet, wash it again."

Qi Xiaoyan was still very surprised. While washing, she said, "I can't believe you're so fast. No wonder my parents praise you as a diligent and efficient girl."

Qi Xiaoyan's praise made He Tiantian very happy.

"Alright, you did a good job too. Now that you've finished, let's go and see what Director Zhao does," He Tiantian said, turning back with the basin in her hand.

Director Zhao had already prepared stewed small fish soup. Everyone got a spoonful and ate it with steamed buns. The aroma was delicious.

The potato slices are also stir-fried, a whole big bowl of them. There's plenty of that, and with Director Zhao's excellent cooking skills, it tastes great.

Director Zhao examined the eels carefully, cut them into five-centimeter-long pieces, estimating that each person would receive two small sections.

Today, Director Zhao prepared a lot of red chilies, half a pound of oil left over, and chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic on the table. The wok was hot. After pouring in the oil, he stir-fried the meat, scallions, ginger, garlic, and chilies. Then he poured the chopped eel into the wok. With a sizzling sound, he stir-fried it over high heat. Director Zhao, holding a spatula that looked like a small shovel, stood by the wok and quickly stirred it. Soon, a rich and delicious aroma wafted from the wok.

He Tiantian was tending the fire, and Qi Xiaoyan swallowed hard.

"Quickly wash the basin clean and dry it, we'll be filling it with the contents later," Zhao Dajiao said hastily. They only had so much stuff to bring, so they had to be diligent.

He Tiantian went to wash the dishes. After she finished washing one side, the stir-fried eel they ordered was ready to be served. Director Zhao thought about how everyone had brought lunchboxes, bowls, and containers for both vegetables and fish soup, and figured there wouldn't be enough room for the eel. So he instructed He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan to break open the steamed buns when they served the food later and put a piece of eel inside each bun.

When lunchtime arrived, Secretary Qi and the villagers were all very surprised. Today's meal was even better than yesterday's, with two meat dishes, two steamed buns, and stir-fried potatoes. They ate their fill and enjoyed the delicious food.

Director Zhao, He Tiantian, and Qi Xiaoyan received praise and commendation from everyone, and their work was fully affirmed.

Secretary Qi enjoyed the meal and praised, "You did a great job. Keep it up tomorrow! This morning I saw Xiaoyan take several baskets from home. I thought she wouldn't be able to get anything, but she managed to get quite a lot. If you need anything else, just let me know. Try your best to make the food delicious. When everyone eats well, they have more energy and can work faster."

In the afternoon, while we were working, everyone was still discussing the meals we'd had for the past two days! Our work efficiency had indeed improved significantly; we'd actually completed 180 meters, 30 meters more than yesterday.

As it was almost time to finish work, Zhang Qingshan and Wang Lei caught a lot more eels, shrimp, and small fish. Director Zhao put everything that could be eaten the next day into a wooden bucket, and gave the snakes in there to Zhang Qingshan.

After finding a place to put the snakes in their baskets, Wang Lei and Zhang Qingshan returned to Qijia Village with several fat snakes in their hands.

Zhang Qingshan is quite skilled; he managed to make a delicious snake soup even with a lack of oil and salt, which is truly remarkable.

Ye Xiaofan and Zhang Qingshan are from the same place, so eating this was no problem for them. Wang Lei and Sister Wu were initially hesitant to try it, but seeing how much Zhang Qingshan and Ye Xiaofan enjoyed it, sweating profusely, they couldn't resist the temptation and started to try it too. After a few bites, they fell in love with the delicious food and kept urging that more be made for them the next day.

Ye Xiaofan gave Huang Jingli some food, and Lin Xiaoru gave her some as well, but Lin Xiaoru rejected it outright, saying, "Who would eat such disgusting food!" Ye Xiaofan was so angry that she decided never to give them food again.

As for Li Mingkai, he gagged immediately upon seeing the snake meat!

Don't know what's good for you! Fine, don't eat it then!

Ignore the reactions of Lin Xiaoru, Huang Jingli, and Li Mingkai. In times of famine, let alone snake meat, eating human flesh wouldn't be unusual!

When going to work, the villagers bring an extra bowl. If there's something delicious to eat at noon, they can save a little to bring back for their children, so they can enjoy a nice meal.

Upon arriving at the construction site, Zhang Qingshan went to the river and retrieved the baskets—there were even more than yesterday! After cleaning out the contents, Zhang Qingshan and Wang Lei continued to use the original baskets along with the ten baskets they had brought today to release earthworms. They found a place to place them and dug them up around noon to cook together.

People from other villages have followed suit, catching more animals so that if they are all caught by other villagers, there won't be such good food left.

At noon, today's meal included not only fresh fish soup and stir-fried radish, but also half a bowl of stir-fried eel. Actually, the fish soup and stir-fried radish were enough, but many people chose to take the stir-fried eel home for their families to try.

They had ten more baskets, making fifteen in total, and caught even more fish. There wasn't time to clean them all, so they took the baskets back to the village to clean them.

There were two whole buckets of them, and this was cleaned up in front of everyone. Director Zhao wouldn't give anyone anything to say about this.

The meals these past few days have been excellent, and everyone is very satisfied. Even the kids in the family have been able to eat a little bit, just to satisfy their cravings.

Secretary Qi and several other village cadres, along with villagers, announced in public that this year they would award Zhao Dajiao, He Tiantian, Qi Xiaoyan, Wang Lei, and Zhang Qingshan the honorary title of "Advanced Model".

When the inspectors from the commune came to check on the progress made in Qijia Village, they kept praising it.

"Secretary Qi, your village has a great spirit," Director Chen said, shaking hands with Secretary Qi and offering encouragement.

Secretary Qi said modestly, "Director Chen is a very capable leader. It's lunchtime, why don't you have something to eat here? We caught some fish and loach in the river and cooked them into dishes, which tasted pretty good."

It was lunchtime, so Director Chen didn't refuse any longer and said, "Then I'll eat here today. I'll give you the food coupons later."

Back then, officials had to pay for their meals and lodging when they went to the countryside. This was unlike the corrupt officials of later generations who abused their power, embezzled, and took money with them when they left – it had become the norm. While not all officials at that time were good people, at least outwardly no one dared to embezzle or oppress the people.

Upon receiving the news, Director Zhao used a kneading board to make a makeshift table, served a bowl of small fish soup, a large bowl of tofu stewed with loach, and a dish of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. As for the eels, he left them to cook with the ones caught yesterday, so that everyone could get a large spoonful each, which would probably make a bowlful.

Director Chen was quite surprised when he saw the food on the table and asked, "Wow, the food here is really good! Are the fish and loaches all caught in the river?"

At this time, everything belonged to the state! Whether it was fishing or hunting, if it was a private activity, it had to be done secretly, and as long as no one reported it, everything would be fine. But if it was a collective activity, it could be done openly and honestly—it was the will of the people! (To be continued.)