Chapter 41: Each Person Provides 30 Jin of Food
He Lanzhang felt like he was in a quagmire and he didn't know how to get out.
Just at this moment, Zhu Rongrong's mother's voice came from outside: "Rongrong, the dishes are ready, come and serve them!"
"Hey! Here we come!" Zhu Rongrong responded, and then whispered to He Lanzhang, "My mother's cooking skills are famous throughout the compound. You must eat more later!"
After saying that, Zhu Rongrong turned around and ran out to serve the dishes.
Zhu Feng reached out and patted He Lanzhang on the shoulder: "Think carefully about whether you want to be a guide or not. Don't wait too long. Xiao He, you are a smart young man. I believe you can seize the opportunity and not let your uncle down, right?"
After saying this, he got up and went to the outer room without waiting for He Lanzhang's reply.
He Lanzhang stared blankly at the teacup with steam rising from it, his outstretched hand trembling slightly.
Soon, the dishes were served on the table. There were seven or eight dishes on the table, both meat and vegetarian, very rich.
"Xiao He, auntie doesn't know what you like to eat, so I just made some of it. Come and try it!" Zhu Rongrong's mother took off her apron and said with a smile.
He Lanzhang nodded politely, looking at the table full of dishes without much appetite. Finally, he picked up a piece of the most beautiful dish, stir-fried pork with peppers. The bright red peppers tasted sweet and slightly spicy, but sparks seemed to fly when they touched the tip of his tongue.
He Lanzhang felt as if there was a raging fire in his throat, almost burning him to death.
"Wow, this pepper is really flavorful!" Zhu Feng also took a bite, his eyes lit up, and poured himself a glass of liquor. The liquor went down his throat, making the spiciness even stronger, and soon his stomach began to warm up.
Zhu Rongrong couldn't stop eating either. When she heard what Zhu Feng said, she said, "I bought this pepper!"
Speaking of chili peppers, He Lanzhang suddenly remembered the woman who was as fat as Zhu Rongrong in the black market. When she showed him the gold in the basket, there were also a lot of red chili peppers in it.
After dinner, He Lanzhang didn’t want to stay any longer, so he said goodbye and left.
Zhu Feng stood at the door, holding a cigarette in his hand, quietly watching He Lanzhang's back as he rode away on his bike.
Zhu Rongrong's mother frowned and asked, "Old Zhu, what's going on? What does Xiao He think?"
Zhu Feng laughed, his tone somewhat complacent: "What else can I think? Although his brother is the secretary of the deputy political commissar of our S Province Military Region, he can't interfere in the affairs of our Qing'an County."
"Don't worry, he's not a fool. Rongrong is our only daughter. If he gets married to Rongrong, I, as her father-in-law, won't have to pave the way for him?"
Zhu Rongrong's mother laughed, glared at him, and then felt relieved.
*
On the other side, Gu Yuehuai had just returned to the Dalaozi Production Brigade when he saw Wang Peisheng ringing the bell at the entrance of the village.
This is not the bell for the end of work. The members have already finished work at this time and are all at home eating.
Wang Peisheng rang the work bell, meaning to tell the members that it was time to take their work books and gather at the breeding office to see the accountant to record their work points. Every household has a work book, and every laborer has one with his name written on the cover.
When the accountant gets the work record book, he will fill in the day, the work done, the work points, and then sign his name. At the end of the year, he will hand in the work record book to the team for summary, which will serve as the basis for distribution of food and vegetables.
Gu Yuehuai also had a work record, but it was clean and had no trace of work points earned.
"Director Wang." Gu Yuehuai walked up to Wang Peisheng and greeted him.
"Xiao Gu, have you gone to the commune?" Wang Peisheng asked casually, and then said, "The colored pigments for the murals are ready. You can go to work directly tomorrow morning."
Gu Yuehuai nodded and said with a smile: "Okay! Thank you, Director Wang."
Wang Peisheng turned around and prepared to leave, but suddenly remembered something and turned back to call Gu Yuehuai: "Xiao Gu, you have made a great contribution by reporting today. The team has already punished Tian Jing and Chen Yin."
"Oh? What punishment?" Gu Yuehuai was happy to see Tian Jing get into trouble, so the punishment should not be light.
Wang Peisheng put his hands behind his back and said sternly, "Tian Jing and Chen Yin, each of you will give you thirty kilograms of grain, no matter what kind of grain it is, as a reward for reporting the lazy members of the commune."
Hearing this, Gu Yuehuai raised his eyebrows. Thirty kilograms of food? This is not a small amount.
In this era of "grain as the key link", urban residents only received a monthly ration of about 30 kilograms of grain.
Each member of the brigade can get about 480 kilograms of raw grain per year, which is equivalent to 40 kilograms of raw grain per month. After grinding into grain, about 32 kilograms of grain will be left.
Asking Tian Jing and Chen Yin to hand over one month's food rations each was considered a very serious punishment.
Gu Yuehuai did not refuse and said with a smile: "Thank you, Director Wang."
Wang Peisheng waved his hands. This matter also helped the team solve a problem. With the previous experience as a lesson, anyone who wants to cheat in the future should think twice. If they want to be lazy, they will give up a month's rations, which is more painful than cutting flesh.
The two of them parted ways without much small talk.
As Gu Yuehuai was walking home with a basket on his shoulder, the other members of the cooperative were gathering in groups of three or four and heading towards the breeding area. Recording work points was a big deal, and even if they hadn't finished their meal, they had to put their bowls down and go to record their points first.
She walked all the way back home and saw Gu Zhifeng standing at the door looking around. When she saw her, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Nannan! Tell me, why did you run to the town by yourself? You are still injured!"
Gu Yuehuai put down the basket: "Dad! Why don't you and big brother go and record your work points?"
"Let's get ready." Gu Zhifeng felt relieved when she saw Gu Yuehuai coming back, and she called Gu Tinghuai to go to the breeding place.
Gu Yuehuai watched the two people walk away, then he took out the chicken from the basket, washed it, and started to stew the soup. When the chicken soup was ready, he rolled some dough with cornmeal and put it into the soup to cook, which would ensure that it was fragrant and nutritious.
As soon as she entered the room, Gu Ruihuai, who was sitting on the kang in the outer room, rolled his eyes and went back into the house.
Gu Xihuai did not show any disgust. He looked at the chicken in Gu Yuehuai's hand and asked in surprise: "Where did you get the money?"
We ate pork yesterday and chicken today. Even city people wouldn’t dare to say anything when seeing this kind of life!
Gu Yuehuai did not hide it, otherwise if it fell into Gu Ruihuai's eyes, he would definitely scold her again, so she said: "I sold the white mesh shoes my father bought for me, and I will make chicken soup for you tonight."
Gu Xihuai's expression faded and he nodded.
The door was open, but it was already dark.
Gu Yuehuai took out a kerosene lamp and lit it up. The room was immediately bright. Seeing this, Gu Xihuai hesitated for a moment, but still took out a book and started reading. After reading for a while, he said, "You won't ask Dad to buy you another pair of Warrior shoes, will you?"
"No!" Gu Yuehuai said in a heavy voice without any hesitation.
Gu Xihuai felt relieved and concentrated on reading.
Soon, the house was filled with the aroma of mellow chicken soup. The golden chicken soup in the iron pot was sheeny with oil. Gu Yuehuai sprinkled a handful of chopped green onions, and the aroma immediately became stronger, which whetted people's appetite.
She skillfully kneaded the dough, rolled it out, cut it into slices, and then put it into the soup to cook.
The noodles are rolling in the chicken soup, exuding a fresh fragrance. Just by looking at it, you can tell that the taste must be delicious and sweet.
Gu Yuehuai had just finished cooking when Gu Zhifeng and Gu Tinghuai came back.
Both of them were holding work books in their hands, with smug smiles on their faces, talking and laughing all the way. It can be seen that their lives are getting on track and there is hope for the future.
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