Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Snatching Food from the Tiger's Mouth (Update 1)...
During the months of double harvest, there was not even a lunch break. Unless it rained heavily, we were busy from sunrise to sunset every day. At noon, we would just eat something at the edge of the field, and then continue working after eating.
The educated youth were relatively lucky. They missed the busiest double-gun period this year and had some time to adapt. It is not particularly busy now, and everyone has a lunch break of neither too long nor too short at noon.
The whistle is also used to remind people to leave work for lunch break. This is usually the busiest time for the village accountant, as he is busy recording the morning work points for each team member.
Unless encountering extremely rare special circumstances such as illness, the work points earned by villagers are not much different from usual. Even if there are changes, they are usually gradual.
The four newly arrived educated youths, knowing nothing about anything, aroused the curiosity of the villagers. Coupled with the fact that Chinese people love to join in the fun, a staggering one-third of the people stayed to watch.
The first one to come was Hua Feifei.
The village accountant hesitated for a long time between one and two, and finally wrote 1 work point in the spirit of fairness and justice, which caused the onlookers to laugh again, some of them were simply amused, while others were mocking him maliciously.
Some people say that city dwellers really don't have to work in the fields. If a 10-year-old boy is allowed to work in the fields, he will definitely spend more than 1 minute in half a day. This statement is echoed by many people.
Hua Feifei had no time to respond to others' ridicule. She was very tired and her hands were burning with pain. She had worked so hard for a whole morning but only earned 1 work point. How was she going to live in the future?
Xie Jing and Xu Fei were in similar trouble. Their weakest point was their technique. Halfway through their work, they were exhausted and their feet felt like they weighed a thousand pounds and couldn't lift them.
After a busy morning, they were covered in dirt and had blisters on their feet, but they only earned two or three work points, while their colleagues in the same group basically earned five full work points.
Not everyone in the village welcomed the arrival of the educated youth. Some rejected them, disliked city dwellers, or simply harbored hatred for the rich. These people took the opportunity to stir up trouble, saying, "The educated youth are nothing special."
"The fields have been ruined like this. These guys have grown so big in vain."
"What's the point of educated youth studying so much? They can't farm. Have you forgotten the instructors from 1959? They were just fooling around. Did they go to the countryside to cause trouble or just to eat for free?"
If you don't put yourself in their shoes, this statement sounds reasonable and resonates with many people.
Right, weren't the educated youth supposed to be here to build the countryside? What good could they possibly accomplish if they couldn't even plow the land properly? They wouldn't just eat and do nothing, would they?
The team leader stopped them, shouting, "What nonsense are you all talking about? You know how to farm because you've been working in the fields since you were little. Educated youth comrades also need time to learn. Learn to build, learn to build. First learn, then build."
Besides, not all educated youth performed poorly. There was still one outstanding young man!
There is no doubt that Ye Yu got a full score of 5 points in the morning. Even the old farmers who have been working in the fields for decades would find it difficult to find fault with the land she and Guihuasao plowed together.
The cooperation between the two not only enabled them to plow the ground quickly, but also plowed it finely. There were no large clods in the ground, and very few small clods. Their plowing was more beautiful than that of the male villagers who worked with them.
No one would say that it was solely Sister Guihua's credit. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that with Ye Yu, Sister Guihua's complexion had improved a lot, and she had really been of help.
"Girls are more delicate."
"You are worthy of being the phoenix that flew out of our village."
"What phoenix? We don't care about that now. Besides, she grew up in a small town. What does it have to do with you? This shows that there are also capable children in the city."
Ye Yu gained a lot of reputation for the educated youth, and because of his kinship with Wangjiagou, he built an invisible bridge between the educated youth and the villagers.
Don't underestimate this bridge.
It may not be obvious in Wangjiagou, but compared with other brigades in Pingquan Commune, and even other communes, the relationship between educated youth and villagers is rarely so peaceful, and there are even more conflicts and disputes.
To be honest, the educated youth may not have done anything wrong.
It takes some time for city dwellers to adapt to farm work. The educated youth are only teenagers now, so it is normal that they cannot correctly estimate the suffering. It is also normal for them to cry or even reject the suffering because of the heavy suffering. After all, the intensity of farm work now is not comparable to the farm life in a few decades.
The educated youth were not wrong, and the villagers were not necessarily wrong either. The educated youth did occupy their precious food and land. After learning about the true average level of the educated youth, they would feel sorry for the food in the fields. Now is not an era where everyone can have enough to eat.
Neither side is at fault. If we really have to say who is wrong, it must be those educated youth who look down on the countryside and are only interested in messing around, and the unruly people who use their land background to bully young people who have left their hometowns. It is not their identities that are wrong, but their evil behavior.
These bad apples continue to intensify the conflict, making both sides have a worse impression of each other. The local tyrants cannot be suppressed by the fence, let alone the inexperienced young people, which also makes the future of this generation of young people more difficult.
This is a story for later.
After the lunch break, except for one person on duty, everyone else went home to cook and eat. Since it is not the double-gun season, there is still plenty of time.
The same goes for the educated youth.
But Ye Yu quickened his pace. By the time Han Jing, Xu Fei and Hua Feifei came back, the sweet potatoes in the stove and the corn in the pot were almost cooked.
It's really tiring to do physical work for a whole morning. I've forgotten all about composting and not eating.
Not to mention Ye Yu, Han Jing and Xu Fei also ate a lot faster, and so did their appetite.
Only Hua Feifei was not in the right state of mind. She was immersed in thought for a long time. Suddenly, she looked up and said, "I want to take a leave tomorrow and go to the town for a while. What about you guys?"
She really couldn't do any farm work at all, and she would definitely starve to death if she stayed here.
Hua Feifei's mind is now full of the word "home". She wants to go home!
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to ask for leave right after arriving?" Xu Fei knew that Hua Feifei was going to the town to send a telegram or write a letter to her family for help, but she just arrived in the village yesterday and asked for leave from the team leader today, which confirmed the impression that city people are weak and can't carry anything with their hands.
"I really can't stand it. I want to go back to Shanghai." Hua Feifei's tears fell like broken strings. She didn't dare to walk the mountain road to the town alone.
"The possibility is not high." Han Jing told the truth. He didn't think Hua Feifei's family could move her back immediately.
In terms of family conditions, Han Jing's family conditions are definitely good. He has lived in a military compound since he was a child. His grandfather is a chief-level official, his father is a retired soldier and current cadre, and his mother is a trade union officer.
A higher status at the moment does not necessarily mean a good thing, as their family is also in the spotlight.
The danger is self-evident.
Han Jing went to the countryside when he was under 18 years old. It was because his grandfather and father realized the danger and sent him to the countryside to avoid it. They let Han Jing train in the countryside for two years. If the Han family had not made any mistakes by then, they would see if he could find an opportunity to return to the city or sign up for the army.
In short, it was impossible for him to leave the village right now. He felt the same for Hua Feifei. At least he had to wait until the waves calmed down for a while. This was what his parents said.
But he was still willing to accompany Hua Feifei to the town.
"Ask the team leader this afternoon if it's okay. Just tell him we have some daily necessities to buy." Xu Fei's family is ordinary. He has no way to go back to the city, and he doesn't plan to report his miserable situation to his family. But like Han Jing, he is willing to accompany Hua Feifei to the town. They are all educated youth who have left their hometowns and gathered together, so they would like to help in any way they can.
"No, I have something to do," Ye Yu refused.
But it's not unsociable.
Ye Yu asked Han Jing and others to help carry some small things. If the town supply and marketing cooperative had them, they could take them. If not, they could not take them. He took a few tickets and 20 yuan, and would refund any excess and make up for any shortfall.
In exchange, she said, "After work, I plan to take most of the sweet potatoes and corn to the team leader's house to borrow the stone mill to grind them into flour. Then I can trade them for some flour and bean flour in the village to make multi-grain cakes, which will be more durable. I can also exchange them for some grain and vegetable seeds. I can help you move the mill over there."
Han Jing and Xu Fei had no objection; Hua Feifei, who was concentrating on how to ask for leave in the afternoon, had even less objection.
After lunch, we continue working in the afternoon.
The work in the afternoon was similar to that in the morning. Ye Yu was getting better and better at using the plow. Therefore, Ye Yu and Sister Guihua finished plowing the land faster than the others who were harrowing the land.
Ye Yu was not in a helpful mood. After registering the five work points for the afternoon with the accountant, he informed the team leader and followed Sister Guihua to her home.
Sister Guihua's home is halfway up the mountain, and you need to pass through a small patch of yellow broom forest to reach it.
The yellow broom tree has a common name in rural areas, called "the tree that cannot be cut down." It does not mean that the tree is truly immortal, but that the tree will grow much faster than other trees after being cut down, making it very suitable for use as firewood.
Ye Yu thought that he could take some back with him later.
Sister Guihua had a good impression of Ye Yu because of today's plowing, so she reminded him: "Save as much as you can as soon as possible. Winter will come in a month or two. If it snows heavily, you won't be able to dry the firewood you collected. By then, you'll freeze to death without firewood."
"People will die without firewood." Ye Yu nodded. Firewood is very important. Without firewood, you can't cook and you may starve to death.
The two people had different ideas in their minds, but in the end they reached a consensus surprisingly.
After passing the yellow broom forest, we arrived at Sister Guihua's home.
Judging from the house alone, Sister Guihua's family doesn't seem to be the poorest in the village. Relatively speaking, they may be in good condition. They have a blue brick and black tile house with a courtyard. It is quite spacious and has five or six bedrooms, not including the kitchen and toilet.
It can be said that Sister Guihua had a good life in the past. Her husband was as dumb as her but caring, and the couple had always had a good relationship.
Until last year, her husband unfortunately passed away, leaving her with three children. The eldest, Da Dian, is only eleven years old this year, her son Er Zhuang is six years old, and the youngest, Xiao Dian, is less than two years old and can barely walk by clinging to the wall.
Her parents advised her to leave her children to her husband's family and remarry, but she was reluctant to give up the three pieces of flesh in her belly, so she gritted her teeth and persevered for a year.
As soon as he arrived at Sister Guihua's house, Ye Yu saw her three children, tall and short, skinny with big, cunning eyes. The two younger ones had been hiding in the quilt because their clothes were too thin.
She had seen quite a few children in the village today. Although the clothes worn by the children of Sister Guihua were very old and had many patches, they were clean and tidy. They would not wipe their noses with their sleeves, and they were all very well-behaved.
Children are the hope of mankind's future.
This statement is indeed true. Countless children died in the early stages of the apocalypse, and less than 0.00001% of them could grow up. In the later stages, the base especially cherished minors who were rarer than pandas.
The slogan "Children are the hope of mankind's future" is written at the entrance of the Hope Base. Children born in the end times have more or less spiritual sustenance on them, and are therefore protected by everyone on their own initiative.
Minors also have privileges in Ye Yu, but not many, only a little bit, and they are only for good children. For naughty children, they have the mentality of "die early and be reborn early".
Because of this, she took out some fruit candy from her pocket and gave one to each of the three children as a gift.
It is really not easy to snatch food from a tiger's mouth!
"Thank you, Auntie."
Da Niu took a look at Sister Guihua before accepting it. She was reluctant to eat it and just put it in her pocket. Er Zhuang saw her sister took it, so he took it and also put it in his pocket, repeating her sister's thanks.
Only Sanniu didn't even tear open the candy wrapper, but hurriedly stuffed the candy into her mouth. She smelled the sweet fragrance of the candy and knew it was good stuff, but she didn't know how to eat it, or maybe she had forgotten because she was young. Da Niu and Er Zhuang hurried to help her.
"It's so sweet!" The little girl finally got to eat the candy. I was worried that the child would get a blockage in her throat, but I saw that she was reluctant to swallow the candy at all. She just held it in her hand and licked it bit by bit, revealing an even sweeter smile. She sucked the candy and it smelled so good.
Ye Yu, touched by the cuteness, looked away and turned to talk to Sister Guihua, whose eyes were red, about the purpose of her visit.
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