Chapter 204: Heart for Heart

Xiao Wu didn't say anything, so Lao Zhou continued, "There are probably bad people in Qingshuigou, but there are always bad people in this world. But it's good that most people are good. Today, when they heard they could make money selling soil, the whole village was overjoyed. What do ordinary people want? Just enough to have enough food and clothing!"

Xiao Chen rolled over and interrupted, "I think the people here are pretty nice. Look at Aunt Cai's family; they're so down-to-earth! Didn't Engineer Jiang also say that before Li Shengli left, their family, young and old, were paralyzed, and they relied on the neighbors for help to survive."

"Alright, alright, let's go to bed!" Old Zhou yawned, interrupting the argument. "We have to get up early tomorrow."

Several people gradually quieted down, and only the sound of light breathing remained in the room.

Outside the house, the moonlight fell, gently enveloping the entire village like water.

Occasionally, the chirping of insects can be heard, which seems particularly clear in this silent night, making the night even more peaceful and comfortable.

At this time, under the same moonlight, Dazhu, who was staying at his second uncle's house, was also tossing and turning in bed.

He lay on the kang, tossing and turning, his mind full of the advanced machines that Jiang Haitang had mentioned.

He was really excited, excited that he had a good opportunity to see truly advanced machines.

That night, Dazhu had a dream. He dreamed that he had really invented a sock knitting machine, which made the people of Qingshuigou live a good life.

Everyone's face was filled with happy smiles, new houses were built in the village, and children were playing happily in the spacious playground...

When I woke up in the morning, the sunlight was already shining into the house through the window.

Jiang Haitang helped to make the kang, her movements skillful and efficient.

After folding the quilt, she saw several exquisite purses on the kang, and her eyes were immediately attracted.

"Auntie, your purse is so beautifully embroidered."

The embroidery on the purse was exquisite, and the pattern on it was lifelike. You could tell at a glance that a lot of thought had gone into it.

Aunt Cai smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits, her face full of pride: "I made this in my spare time. It contains some mosquito-repellent herbs. Take it back with you. I heard that mosquitoes in the city are more poisonous than those in the countryside."

Jiang Haitang was amused by Aunt Cai's words: "Aunt, that can't be done. The mosquitoes in the city are almost the same as those in our country."

As the two were talking, they heard footsteps outside, coming from far away and getting closer, occasionally accompanied by the chattering of women.

It turned out that Zhao Dashan came with a few neighbors, and they were holding baskets with these things in their hands.

"Haitang, are you going back today? We came to see you and apologize to you."

The person who was speaking was Er Laizi's aunt, named Kang Shengfang. Er Laizi's parents were both gone, and his closest relatives were his uncles.

After hearing what she said, Jiang Haitang understood what she meant.

"Aunt, you're too polite. After all, the child is not yours. You are right." Jiang Haitang said gently.

Jiang Haitang naturally didn't have a good impression of Er Laizi, but Kang Shengfang was a nice person, so she didn't intend to vent her anger on him.

"The last time you came back, I was not at home. If I were here, I would have kept an eye on you." Kang Shengfang said with some guilt.

Although she said so, Jiang Haitang knew that Kang Shengfang definitely couldn't control Er Laizi. After all, even Er Laizi's own mother couldn't control him, let alone his aunt.

"These are radishes grown at home. They are freshly picked and very crisp!" Kang Shengfang said as he placed a big basket in front of Jiang Haitang.

There were not only radishes in the basket, but also a bunch of leeks and a large handful of Chinese cabbages. They were so juicy that you could tell they had just been pulled out of the ground and still had the fragrance of the soil.

Before Jiang Haitang could refuse, another aunt handed over a clay pot.

"This is homemade vinegar. I'm giving it to you!" the aunt said enthusiastically.

Soon, Jiang Haitang was surrounded by local specialties sent by fellow villagers. There were fresh vegetables, homemade pickles, handmade insoles... Each one was filled with the warmth and care of the villagers.

Jiang Haitang quickly declined: "Everyone is too polite, I can't accept it..."

"What's the big deal! You've brought such good things to our village, and everyone remembers you well!" Aunt Jiu gently patted Jiang Haitang with her calloused hands, and fine wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes when she smiled.

"They are all things from my home, not valuable, just don't despise them." Another old lady said as she stuffed two strings of dried chili peppers from her home into Jiang Haitang's arms. The red chili peppers shone glossy in the morning light.

At this time, the "Ghost-Seeing" hillside in the back mountain was already bustling with activity.

Wearing a faded straw hat, Zhao Zhijian stood high on the slope and shouted, "Everyone, work harder! Clear away the loose soil first!"

More than twenty strong men were swinging hoes, and the iron hoes made crisp sounds when they collided with rocks.

Just as Xiao Chen and Xiao Ma were about to squat down to take samples, Da Zhu snatched the shovel from their hands and said, "No, no! This stone chip is prickly!"

"You guys take a break, we will do the rough work." The enthusiastic villagers did not give the two men a chance to do anything.

Before he finished speaking, three or five villagers had gathered around him. Some handed him a kettle, some helped him open the woven bag, and in a blink of an eye, they dug out a full basket of moist kaolin.

Seeing everyone working diligently, Zhao Zhijian chuckled and rolled up his trouser legs to reveal his calves that had been cut by the thatch.

"Comrades, we cleared this field overnight last night, digging up the weeds right to the roots! This way we can move faster."

Zhao Zhijian ordered people to help carry the soil down the mountain to show Jiang Haitang.

Jiang Haitang checked the soil quality and nodded with satisfaction: "Everyone worked very carefully. There are no impurities at all."

"Of course!" Zhao Zhijian said proudly, "We Qingshuigou people never hesitate to do things!"

Not to mention that this job can make people in the team money, even if it doesn't make money, Zhao Zhijian has to urge people to do it well.

Jiang Haitang finally appeared, but she had a rift with the team because of the previous incident. This was a rare opportunity to repair the relationship.

Jiang Haitang and his team brought kaolin back to the factory. In the jeep, apart from unloading a basket of kaolin, the rest were things that the villagers had forced on Jiang Haitang.

Jiang Haitang looked at so many vegetables and finally gave some to a few close friends.

Liu Hongmei smiled and said, "It's true that times have changed. The last time we went there, we almost couldn't leave the village. This time, you've become a distinguished guest, bringing back so many good things."

Jiang Haitang smiled and said, "Of course not. Actually, if you think about it carefully, it's all because of poverty. If life was better, something like last time would never have happened. Similarly, they wouldn't be so polite to me just because the factory wants to purchase this soil."

In the following time, Jiang Haitang organized the team members to experiment with this batch of kaolin.

After three days of intensive analysis and testing, the results were encouraging. The purity of Qingshuigou's kaolin was as high as 92%, which fully met their requirements.

"Great!" Jiang Haitang looked at the experimental report with a gratified smile on her face. "Now our research and development can continue to advance. The soil in Qingshuigou can support our needs for a long time to come."

Lu Liangchen took the report and examined it carefully, nodding his head. "When they come to deliver the soil, sign the contract first."

"Okay, Liangchen, I have to go to the machinery factory. I have something to discuss with Director Mao." Jiang Haitang was still worried about Dazhu.

"Why do you suddenly want to go to the machinery factory?" Lu Liangchen asked.

Jiang Haitang bit her lower lip and recounted Dazhu's story in detail. At the end, she added, "Aunt Cai carried me over ten miles on her back to see a doctor. I will never forget this kindness."

Lu Liangchen looked at her seriously with a gentle smile on his face.

His little girl is someone who remembers the kindness of others.

"Tell Director Mao, he will definitely agree." Lu Liangchen praised

Three days later, Zhao Zhijian brought several strong young men from Qingshuigou and used an ox cart to pull five tons of kaolin to the textile factory.

Zhou Xiaomei took people to check the quality and confirmed that there was no problem.

Jiang Haitang took Zhao Zhijian to sign the contract.

After signing the contract, Zhao Zhijian took Jiang Haitang's hand and said, "Haitang, thank you on behalf of the entire team!"

Jiang Haitang was actually a little embarrassed. This was really hard-earned money. After all, five tons of soil only cost thirty yuan, which was pitifully little when spread out among each household.

"Captain, don't be like this. Our factory just happens to need it." Jiang Haitang said hurriedly.

"These five tons of soil are enough for our brigade to exchange for salt, and enough to buy exercise books for the children in the village!"

Thirty yuan is not a lot, but if you can continue to provide it in the future, you can continue to make money.

At this moment, Dazhu squeezed through the crowd and ran over: "Sister Haitang, that..."

The young man blushed and hesitated for a long time without saying what he wanted.

Jiang Haitang smiled and patted his shoulder: "I haven't forgotten. I have discussed it with the machinery factory. I will take you to visit the machinery factory workshop later."

Dazhu was so excited that his face turned red and he didn't react for a long time. Were they going to the machinery factory?

Seeing Dazhu like this, Zhao Zhijian asked, "Haitang, what is Dazhu going to do at the machinery factory?"

"I promised Dazhu that I would let him go to the machinery factory to take a look."

In this regard, Zhao Zhijian only feels envy, not jealousy.

Zhao Zhijian looked at the two people's backs as they walked away, and recalled the snowy night three years ago when Aunt Cai carried Jiang Haitang, who was delirious with fever, to see a doctor.

The other young people looked at Jiang Haitang and Dazhu walking away with envy.

But Jiang Haitang did not invite anyone else to go with him, so they couldn't just follow him.

Zhao Zhijian and the others could no longer see Jiang Haitang and Dazhu, so they turned to the young people watching and said, "Learn from them, everyone. We are all made of flesh and blood."

The other young people agreed with this. They thought that Aunt Cai’s family was indeed good to Jiang Haitang, so it was reasonable for Jiang Haitang to be good to Dazhu.

Some people couldn't help but regret that if they had known earlier, they should have helped Jiang Haitang when she was having a hard time. Maybe they could get an opportunity now.

But it's too late to think about these things now.

Some things, once missed, are missed forever.