Chapter 142

"No, I said it first, so I have to read it first."

"You said it first, I got it first, so I have to see it."

A few children ran past Xia Juhua noisily, interrupting her thoughts. A closer look revealed that the person running behind them and chasing someone was Liu Zhiguo.

Liu Zhiguo was also running and panting, and he shouted to the children in front of him as he ran: "Put the book down for me. I borrowed it from a classmate. If the cover is torn and I am asked to pay for it, I will come after you."

After shouting, he felt someone looking at him. He looked up and found that the old lady was smiling at him. Liu Zhiguo was a little embarrassed: "Auntie, you are back." After saying hello, he thought about the book that was stolen. He wanted to chase after the old lady, but he was afraid that the old lady would think he was rude and make things difficult for the child.

Xia Juhua waved her hand at him: "Go quickly, borrow someone's book and read it carefully. Don't damage it, otherwise they won't lend it to you next time." After hearing this, Liu Zhiguo, as if he had received a pardon, tried his best to ask for it. The kids rushed over.

The two shouts from Liu Zhiguo just now made it easy for Xia Juhua to judge that the children must be fighting for comic books or something like that. I remember that in my previous life until the late 1980s, for the children in Pingan Village, these two things were rare treasures, and whoever had them would be sought after by all the children in the village.

In the provincial capital, it is easy to buy comic books and picture books. So can Liu Zhiquan buy some for the children of Pinganzhuang Primary School? Xia Juhua walked into the powder room while thinking that she had to tell Liu Zhiquan when she got home.

It is still bustling inside, with people working in an orderly manner. Although it is heavy physical labor, every effort is well rewarded, and everyone has smiles on their faces from time to time.

Everyone who saw Xia Juhua greeted her warmly. Although Xia Juhua tried hard to keep a calm face, she would still smile from time to time when answering questions - nothing could make her happier than giving people hope. If she was the one who gave hope, this happiness should be doubled - this made everyone who were used to Xia Juhua's stern face before leaving feel a little uncomfortable, and they could not help but respond to her with even bigger smiles.

The first place we arrived at was the row of houses where the vermicelli was drying. The doors and windows were now wide open to allow ventilation to the iron pans placed on the shelves - the vermicelli was neatly placed in the iron pans.

Xia Juhua picked up one and looked at it. The front side was already dry. She turned the dough over naturally. The member who was doing the same job said quickly, "Captain, I should turn that one over soon. Let me do it."

"It's okay. It's easy work and not tiring." Xia Juhua asked as she turned the dough over: "How many dough balls have you collected?"

"It must be several thousand pounds." The worker did not stop working. After answering, he asked his own question: "When will we package it, Captain? I heard that the dough will be served with seasoning this time."

After hearing the production figures, Xia Juhua knew that the first batch of seasonings was indeed ready to be packaged, so she said, "It will be ready soon. Tomorrow, ask Li Changwang to send all the processed dough to the brigade vermicelli factory, and I will lead the team to package them there."

The members were a little worried: "If they take the products to the vermicelli factory, will they still be considered as our Ping An Village?"

Xia Juhua smiled and said, "Why not? The plastic sealing machines are now installed at the brigade headquarters, so it's convenient to package them there. These dough balls are all processed in Ping An Village, and no one can take them away."

Hearing her say this, the member felt more confident and worked harder, turning the dough a lot faster - the temperature is high now, the dough can be dried overnight, if he works harder, he can pack more summer chrysanthemums tomorrow.

Chen Qiusheng had heard that Xia Juhua was coming, so he came over and said from afar, "Captain, why can't you just sit still? You come to work right after you come back. Do you want to do a surprise inspection to see if we are lazy?"

"Yes, I'm just afraid that you'll be the first to be lazy."

Having said that, Xia Juhua felt that the pressure had not been reduced, but had become heavier - the troops had done all the work they could, and if Ping'an Village did not produce finished products, it would be unacceptable.

So she brought Chen Qiusheng to the brigade headquarters so that she could tell him where to transport the vermicelli tomorrow. As expected, Xia Juhua was warmly welcomed by Li Changshun and others. Li Changshun even personally brought Xia Juhua to the vermicelli factory. Seeing Xia Juhua was shocked by the half-raised wall, he said with some pride: "So, we didn't forget the work while you were away."

These words coincided with the joke Xia Juhua had just made to Chen Qiu Sheng, and the two of them started laughing again.

After laughing, Xia Juhua did not hide her shock: before she left, the cold storage had just been built inside the wall, and the foundation of the factory had just been laid. Less than ten days after she left, the wall was already halfway up. Xia Juhua knew why Li Changshun was so proud, and an uncontrollable smile spread across her face: "Captain, you have worked hard."

Li Changshun made her feel a little embarrassed: "I am not that hard-working. It is Technician Xue who is working hard. Every day he is either testing this or adjusting that. He has no time to rest."

Xia Juhua was naturally very grateful for Technician Xue's hard work, so she said to Li Changshun: "Last time we called, Technician Xue said that the machine had been tested almost everything that could be tested. Captain, he has helped us so much, how do you think we should thank him?"

Li Changshun seemed to have an idea in mind: "I think just verbal thanks will not work. Can we think of a way to give them some subsidies?"

Xia Juhua was still very surprised to hear Li Changshun say the word "supplement" and could not help but look at Li Changshun seriously.

Li Changshun pretended to be impatient and said, "What's the matter? Even if a member works in the vermicelli factory, you still have to record ten work points a day. Technician Xue works day and night, so I think it's not out of the question for him to be recorded as fifteen work points. Shouldn't you calculate his work points based on last year's Ping'an Village?"

Of course, why not? After she called him, he asked for leave and came to Ping'an Village. Xia Juhua felt that in addition to giving Technician Xue 15 work points a day as Li Changshun said, she should also reimburse him for his round-trip travel expenses.

Since she had already thought of it, Xia Juhua pointed out the place to deliver the powder balls to Chen Qiu Sheng, and asked him to go back to Ping'an Village to arrange people, while she and Li Changshun went to find Technician Xue.

Unexpectedly, the two of them told Technician Xue about the subsidy, and Technician Xue refused without a second thought: "Two captains, I didn't ask for leave on my own. The unit arranged for me to help the Ping'anzhuang Brigade. The unit not only pays me a salary, but also gives me a business trip subsidy. If I accept money from Ping'anzhuang, wouldn't it be like receiving two salaries? No, I can't accept money from Ping'anzhuang."

I guess it is only in this era that people refuse to accept money that is offered to them. After a few years of economic prosperity, everyone's eyes are on money, and they will talk about money first without anyone mentioning it.

Xia Juhua was not one to let others suffer a loss. She deliberately put on a stern face and said, "I don't care who arranged for you to come here. I just know that you came here without hesitation because of my phone call. Auntie will remember this kindness, but I can't just think that you suffered a loss in my heart. If you don't charge, then Auntie will be embarrassed to let you work for Ping An Zhuang anymore - can you see which member of Ping An Zhuang works for free?"

Technician Xue was speechless. After dealing with Xia Juhua for such a long time, how could he not know that Xia Juhua was a person of her word? Before returning to the capital, Xia Juhua had never let him suffer any loss. After returning to the capital, he had always kept in touch with Technician Lin, and he even knew that Technician Lin had been keeping a record of his work points in Ping'an Village.

So the treatment Xia Juhua gave him was not the first, and I believe it would not be the last. This was not the most important thing. The key point was that Technician Xue was very excited about testing these machines, and asking him to leave Ping An Manor and never touch these machines again would be more painful than killing him - he also wanted to apply for a patent after the test was successful as Xia Juhua said.

As far as Technician Xue knows, such a practical machine is still rare in China. Even if he cannot apply for a patent, as long as this technology is promoted, it can help many people get rid of heavy physical labor. Even if people can't remember his name and he can't get any practical benefits from it, Technician Xue still feels that his life is worth it.

Because Xia Juhua's threat was not a threat, Technician Xue finally nodded and agreed to accept the work points given to him by Ping An Village. Xia Juhua felt more at ease and said to Technician Xue:

"Auntie doesn't want you to make mistakes, but I think you are not young anymore and you should get married and start a family. I heard that there are many adults in the capital and it is difficult to allocate houses. If you have some money and buy a house yourself when the opportunity arises, girls will be willing to date you."

Technician Xue's face turned red: "Auntie, why are you talking about this?"

If not this, what else should I say? Should I tell him that even those who work so hard will never be able to afford a house in the capital? It would be better to use the topic of needing a house for marriage to make Technician Xue face the necessity of buying a house and buy a house while the price is still affordable. Whether it appreciates in value in the future or is demolished and re-allocated, he will not be without a place to stay.

This is Xia Juhua's way of repaying Technician Xue.

Xia Juhua wanted to repay Technician Xue, so Comrade Qi Mingtang, the county magistrate of Pingde County (the title of the director of the Revolutionary Committee, which finally withdrew from the historical stage and reappeared in people's titles), personally drove to Ping'anzhuang Brigade to thank Xia Juhua.

After receiving the news passed down from the provincial party committee, Uncle Qi made this decision. As soon as he heard that Xia Juhua had returned to Ping'an Village, he rushed over immediately.

Just in time to catch up with Xia Juhua's family's driver who was taking her back, Uncle Qi sat down without any hesitation and asked, "Is there any food for me?"

Fortunately, when Sun Zhaodi was cooking, she took into account that the driver was from the provincial capital and wanted to give face to Liu Zhiquan, lest he look down on him because he was from the countryside, so she killed a chicken from her family and asked Liu Zhishuang to buy pork from the county town. Together with the vegetables from her own plot, the meal was very rich, and she didn't have to worry about adding two pairs of chopsticks for her uncle and the driver.

Others only sighed in their hearts, but Uncle Qi said bluntly: "Your family lives a good life."

Xia Juhua naturally denied it: "There's a woman in the family who's in confinement after childbirth, so she eats better than usual."

This makes sense, but the people who heard it didn't believe it. The driver of the provincial supply and marketing system remembered that his wife was in confinement for the first time, and she wanted to buy a chicken to make soup to increase her milk production, but she couldn't find a way. But Liu Zhi's family in the countryside had chicken and meat, and their staple food was pure white flour steamed buns. He didn't believe that this was just a pretense.

Uncle Qi was even more unconvinced: "I don't eat at your house every day, you don't need to hide it like that. By the way, aren't you going to develop the breeding industry in Ping An Village? Do you want to raise 30 chickens per family? I tell you, these chickens must be sent to the collection station at the end of the year. If you dare to send out a chicken..."

When the driver from the supply and marketing system heard that every family in Ping'an Village wanted to raise thirty chickens, his eyes widened and he looked straight at Xia Juhua, afraid that she would agree - Liu Zhiquan's hometown raised so many chickens that it would be worth it for him to make a trip alone to buy some back to the provincial capital at the end of the year.

Xia Juhua also disagreed with Uncle Qi's statement: "Chief Qi, you think too highly of Ping An Manor. You say that one family can raise 30 chickens, but it's not certain how many can survive. Besides, how many chicks can be hatched from one chicken nest? I'm afraid Ping An Manor hasn't even raised all the chickens yet."

Uncle Qi sneered, picked up a piece of braised pork with chopsticks and put it in his bowl before saying, "Your Fifth Master hatched more than 270 chicks by himself, and all of them are alive. Do you really think I don't know? Isn't he hatching a second batch at home now?"

The Fifth Master started to hatch the second batch of chicks. Xia Juhua really didn't know. She looked at Sun Zhaodi and saw her nodding helplessly. She knew that what Uncle Qi said was true. She couldn't help but feel angry and amused: "The people in our team are very quick-witted, and the head of Qi County has very long ears."

"Don't wrongly accuse the members of Ping An Manor." Uncle Qi actually took the initiative to defend the people of Ping An Manor, saying, "It was Wei Dong who told me when he got back."

It turned out to be that kid Qi Weidong. Xia Juhua thought this was understandable - that kid was fearless except for Uncle Qi. If Uncle Qi asked him about the situation in Ping'an Village, Qi Weidong would not have the courage to lie.

Fortunately, Uncle Qi's interests were consistent with hers. Xia Juhua was not worried that he would use the matter of Ping An Manor raising chickens as a handle on himself, but she still had to fight for what she should fight for for Ping An Manor:

"Chief Qi, even if Master Wu hatches another batch of chicks, they won't even reach one and a half kilograms by the end of the year. Besides, we raise chickens to lay eggs. If we sell all the laying hens, all the hard work of the members this year will be in vain."

Uncle Qi snorted in an ambiguous manner, and treated the driver of the supply and marketing system to food more like a master than Xia Juhua, and he ate it with gusto, but he didn't want to spit out the chicken from Ping An Zhuang, so he didn't have to go to the delivery and purchase station.

Xia Juhua didn't take his behavior seriously - the driver was there, and many things were not suitable to be said in person, it would be better for everyone to eat together.

It was not until Liu Zhiquan took the driver back to the east compartment to rest that Uncle Qi had a good talk with Xia Juhua: "The county committee has heard about the efforts you have made for Pingde County in the provincial capital this time. The secretary is not familiar with you, so it is not convenient for him to come to visit you, so he specially asked me to express his gratitude to you."

As soon as he arrived, he wanted to take all the chickens raised by Ping An Manor to the recycling station as a thank you? Xia Juhua looked at Uncle Qi suspiciously, without even a word of humility or saying that it was her duty.

Uncle Qi did not take it as an offense and said with a smile: "You can always think about the interests of the people of the whole county, and the county remembers it. But you also know that the Ping'anzhuang Brigade is much stronger than other brigades now, and the county cannot commend you with fanfare."

Xia Juhua could understand this. To put it bluntly, Pingan Manor was a little too big to attract attention. She relied on her contributions in the provincial capital, which were hard to erase. The higher-ups rewarded her, and no one dared to think anything of her personally. The supply corps came just in time, and no one would be so blind as to bring up the supply corps' mission. Otherwise, someone would have disliked Pingan Manor and reported it or made things difficult for it.

Of course, having Uncle Qi in the county to support Ping An Village is also an important factor. Otherwise, it would be a dream for a brigade in Ping An Village to have electricity and phone calls whenever they want.

Don't say that the superiors have requirements. There is also a saying that there are policies from above and countermeasures from below. Can people delay the progress if they are dawdling? The people in Ping'an Village don't understand electricity, and they can't tell that the construction period is delayed in front of them.

So Xia Juhua expressed her gratitude to Uncle Qi very seriously, but Uncle Qi mocked her mercilessly: "Don't be so empty-headed. The chickens you raised this year can only be sent to the collection station. Don't worry, the collection station has already promised that it will not lower your price when the time comes."

After being mentioned by Uncle Qi again, Xia Juhua realized that someone must have raised doubts about Ping An Manor's expansion of chicken farming. The leaking of powder was to supply the troops, and no one dared to question it; the editorial team was to earn foreign exchange for the country, and no one dared to say anything; the expansion of chicken farming was a breakthrough point for outsiders to criticize. It is very likely that those people not only criticized Ping An Manor, but also Uncle Qi, who had always been the scapegoat for Ping An Manor.

She was not someone who didn't know what was good for her, and she couldn't let Uncle Qi make things difficult for her, so she nodded and said, "Okay, if that's what you say, County Magistrate Qi, then we will give Ping An Manor to you. But we can't guarantee the size, because we are the first year of raising a pet and have no experience."

Uncle Qi was impressed by Xia Juhua's quick understanding. He just said that if they wanted to hand over the chickens, they had to weigh more than three kilograms. Otherwise, should the purchasing station keep the half-grown chickens or sell them to the citizens?

Having this sentence was like leaving chicken seeds for Ping An Zhuang, so Xia Juhua was satisfied. She only reminded herself secretly in her heart that before the policy was completely relaxed, Ping An Zhuang had to maintain the status quo and could not set up new stalls.

However, after seeing off Liu Zhiquan the next day, Xia Juhua still came to the Fifth Master's door to see the progress of the hatching of the Fifth Master's chicks. She still couldn't get in. Liu Xi, who was accompanying the Fifth Master today, told Xia Juhua through the gate that the eggs would only last five days, and the results would be known after half a month or twenty days.

Xia Juhua could not say anything else except asking Liu Xi to take good care of Fifth Master's health - before Ji Dan went to bed, she could have stopped Fifth Master from doing so, but he had already been in bed for five days, and saying more would be of no avail.

Since someone had already made a fuss about Ping'an Village's expansion into chicken farming, Xia Juhua walked around the village, going into every household to see if they had raised all their chickens.

You don't know until you see it, and you can tell the character of each owner at a glance: some families are timid, and if they are asked to raise thirty chickens, they really only raise thirty chickens, even counting the old hens in their previous home, and they dare not raise any more.

Some families are a little bolder and have 30 chicks. In the past, they were reluctant to deal with any of the adult chickens they raised. When Xia Juhua came to check on the chickens, she said, "Chickens are something that you never know if they will be targeted by mice or yellow foxes. It's safer to raise two more."

What he said really made sense. Xia Juhua just smiled after hearing it. She didn't think that people were ignoring her advice just because she raised a few more chickens - if she didn't have some courage, Ping'an Village would still have to rely on the weather for food, the water canal would not be unblocked, and the mat-weaving team and the powder-leaking room would not exist.

Now that every household in Pingan Manor has raised chicks, Xia Juhua is still very satisfied. However, this also made her discover a problem, that is, all the chickens in Pingan Manor have been raised, so why did Master Wu hatch a second batch of chicks?

I guess Liu Xi and the others couldn't explain it clearly, so I could only wait for Wu Ye to open the gate again to find out. Xia Juhua didn't knock on the door again, but went to the pig pen. As soon as she entered the yard, she was hit by the smell of pig feces. Xia Juhua took a while to get used to it before she walked in.

Chen Lusheng didn't pay attention to who entered the yard at first. Sun coughed twice, and Chen Lusheng looked up. When he saw that it was Xia Juhua, the corners of his mouth curled up to the sides: "Captain is back, are Zhiquan and the others settled?"

Everyone in Pingan Village knew that Xia Juhua followed her eldest son to the provincial capital, and Sun was so jealous that her eyes turned red. Sometimes she wondered if she hadn't forced Xia Juhua and her son to leave the old house, would she have been one of them to the provincial capital this time?

The answer is of course no. With her character in the past few years, it is impossible for her not to be partial to Liu Sizhuang's family, and it is impossible for her to let Xia Juhua and her mother stay in the old courtyard. Even if they stay in the old courtyard, can Xia Juhua still be as capable as she is now and convince everyone in the brigade?

Sun couldn't answer this question herself. When she heard Chen Lusheng greet Xia Juhua, her expression became a little stiff: as a mother-in-law, she felt that she shouldn't take the initiative to greet Xia Juhua. But as an ordinary member, if she didn't greet a large group of cadres, it would be very easy to be criticized.

Xia Juhua saw Sun's expression from the corner of her eye and somewhat understood her approach, but she just nodded to her and was led by Chen Lusheng to the pig pen to see the growth of the pigs in the production team:

Understanding Sun is one thing, forgiving her is another: Sun is different from Liu Zhiliang and Liu Hongjuan. The two were children at the time and had no sense of right and wrong. They all depended on how adults guided them. But Sun is already an adult and she has to be responsible for what she did.

Just because you are old and confused doesn't mean you can undo all the evil.