Chapter 11 Submission
After a whole week of hard work, Liushutun finally finished harvesting the corn. They broke it, peeled it, and scraped the corn stalks, and then waited for it to be dried and threshed.
After the production team drove ox carts, mule carts and horse carts to transport all the corn stalks from the fields, the commune agricultural machinery station would send people driving tractors to help plow the fields.
During the People's Commune period, land was distributed in large tracts, suitable for mechanized operations. Starting in 1963, the Liushutun Brigade's land cultivation tasks were all completed by tractors.
But the members cannot sit idle either. While the tractor plows the land in front, they have to apply fertilizer in the back. Then, the tractor harrows the land again to break up large clumps of soil and spread the manure more evenly.
They also have to harvest soybeans, millet, peanuts, sesame seeds, and sweet potatoes. The marginal land cannot be plowed with tractors, so human and animal power are needed to plow the land, and then wheat is sown.
By the time I finished all the work, it was already the end of October.
There were a lot of corn husks and corn cobs in the Xie family's yard, which had been dried and neatly stacked together.
There is also a batch of sweet potato vines, all dried and chopped, which can be used to feed pigs when there is no pig grass in winter.
Pigs are true omnivores, eating everything. Some families in the village have toilets connected to pig pens, so human feces enter the pig pens and are eaten by the pigs.
Because Xie Shen had already started school, Xie Yun witnessed it with his own eyes when he went to his neighbor's house to exchange vegetables two days ago, and he never mentioned eating pork again since then.
She felt she needed time to forget.
During this period, she also ate a lot of fresh sweet potato leaves, which she fried, mixed, and boiled, and they tasted pretty good.
Some of the newly harvested sweet potatoes are sliced and sun-dried for long-term storage, while others are stored in the vegetable cellar, where they can also be stored for a relatively long time. A few pieces can also be used to grow seedlings next year.
Radishes have been planted in the place where sweet potatoes were originally planted in the yard.
Two small squares were marked out in the middle of the yard. Xie Shen gathered some rocks from outside and used them to line the edges, enclosing the plots. He also planted autumn potatoes, which were already growing well. Planted in early September, they should be ready for harvest by the end of November.
The pigs at home have been having better food recently, with more sweet potatoes, and Xie Shen secretly adding a few handfuls of cornmeal to their feed, so they have started to gain weight.
This year's autumn harvest, because everyone was able to eat an egg every day, and because Xie Yun subtly fed them, the family didn't lose weight during the busy farming season like in previous years. Previously, Zhang Ruifeng would lose over ten pounds in just two busy months. The original owner was similar. She wasn't fat to begin with, and every time she finished her busy work, she would lose even more weight, taking the entire winter to slowly gain it back.
Xie Yun was quite satisfied with his physique. It was solid and toned, with smooth muscle lines. Not only did he have a vest line, but he also had abdominal muscles. His body fat percentage must be very low. Not to mention her, even the 9-year-old Xie Shen was full of tendon muscles. When his little arms were tense, they were hard to pinch. He was as agile as a monkey.
It’s just right now, I won’t be able to lose any more weight.
On September 22, Xie Yun submitted her first manuscript. It was a Sunday, and Xie Shen volunteered to go to the commune post office to help her mail the letter.
This article describes the busy autumn harvest scene in the production team, the joy and hope that the harvest brings to the members, and the care that the new society gives to the truly poor families, so that those who are truly in need can also have food to eat.
After writing it, she read it to Zhang Ruifeng and Xie Shen first, and the mother and son applauded.
Zhang Ruifeng said, "It's really well written. When I heard this article, it was like I was back in the days when I was working. There's a word for it, what's it called? 'Shen', 'Shen' or something..."
“Immersive.”
"Yes, yes, it's like being there. Oh my, my daughter is amazing. If this article can't be published, it's the newspaper's fault, not my daughter's writing skills."
Xie Shen said, "Sister, when this article is published, will you send us a newspaper? At least tell us which issue it is in. Then I'll get a copy of the newspaper and take it to school to read it to my classmates."
Xie Yun was shameless and accepted all the compliments. He said, "Okay, let me send it out first. Then I will continue writing and send out a few more copies. There will always be someone with a discerning eye who can see my talent."
Zhang Ruifeng and Xie Shen: "Yes, yes, yes."
Then, Xie Shen helped deliver it.
On October 11, the postman came to deliver a letter to Xie Yun. Xie Yun was working in the fields that day. After receiving the letter, someone next to her asked her, "Who wrote to you? Is it your classmate?"
I don’t remember any relatives in the Xie family who need to be contacted by letter.
Xie Yun looked at the envelope, which was from a newspaper, and said nonchalantly, "No, it was from the newspaper. I wrote an article praising the bumper harvest of our Liushutun Brigade and the hardworking and capable members. The newspaper replied to me, probably to let me know whether the article can be used."
He said so, but looking at the size of the envelope and feeling its thickness, Xie Yun knew in his heart that the article must have been published. If it hadn't been published, the newspaper would have ignored him.
"Hey! Are you still writing articles for the newspaper?"
Xie Yun smiled and said, "I'm a high school student after all. I had very good grades when I was in school. Although classes are suspended now and I've returned to work, the Chairman said that we should keep learning throughout our lives. I must keep improving at all times, learn through practice, and learn from the poor and lower-middle peasants. The members of our Liushutun Brigade have performed so well, I have to write an article to praise them. I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work out, I'll continue to learn and improve, and strive to publish it next time."
The members next to her urged her: "Hurry up and see if it has been published. If it has, read it to us and see how you praise us."
Xie Yun opened the envelope in public and took out a letter. Sure enough, it was the editor telling her that the article had been published and encouraging her to continue submitting articles. The editor also told her that since the manuscript fee had been cancelled, he was sending her a soap ticket as a token of encouragement.
Xie Yun handed the soap ticket to Zhang Ruifeng who came over and said with a smile: "Mom, there is no manuscript fee now, only a soap ticket as a reward."
Zhang Ruifeng slapped her thigh and said, "Soap tickets are great! We need them just for laundry. The comrades at the newspaper are really good at what they do. They know what we need."
Xie Yun: “…”
She smiled and opened the newspaper that came with the letter. She saw her article, which was quite long and the editor hadn't made many changes. She had written more than a thousand words and published them all.
This section is filled with news about the autumn harvest in various places. Her article is very timely.
When everyone saw the mother and daughter like this, they knew the result and urged them, "Read it to us quickly."
Xie Yun did not shy away. She cleared her throat and instantly entered the state of a reader, reading the article with great emotion. She had practiced recitation in modern times, won first prize in a college recitation competition, and also guest-hosted a promotional event at a large shopping mall.
Moreover, when she was writing, she put herself into the perspective of a real poor and lower-middle peasant, and was moved first. If there were no new society, no great leader, no people's commune, and no production team, she would definitely be a poor little thing with an empty stomach and living in poverty. How could she have the opportunity to go to school and write articles for publication!
She was so moved that even she herself was moved, so it was no problem for her to move others.
After hearing this, the people working around stopped and applauded her.
Xie Yun also turned around ceremoniously, waving the newspaper in his hand and smiling at everyone.
And I was complaining about myself in my heart, saying that I was so pretentious, hahahaha.
But when he saw Comrade Zhang Ruifeng's eyes red with emotion, and saw the look in her eyes that said "my daughter has grown up", and the expression of joy and relief, Xie Yun's complaints stopped abruptly.
Ahem, she is indeed excellent and has brought honor to her mother.
The news that Xie Yun had published an article in the newspaper spread faster than a virus. Not long after, the team leader came to see her in person. He took the newspaper from Xie Yun's hand, looked at it, and with a big smile on his face, he praised Xie Yun again and again: "Well done, Binbin, you have a sense of collectivism and have written about the spirit of our Liushutun Brigade! Very good! Keep up the good work!"
"Yes, don't worry. Our brigade has been so outstanding under your leadership and that of the brigade committee. Our members are so advanced and capable. We should let more people know about it. Agriculture should learn from Dazhai. Our Liushu Village is not bad either."
The captain didn't expect Xie Yun to speak so highly of him, and was so moved that he almost cried.
Then, he took the newspaper from Xie Yun and read it aloud on the brigade's loudspeaker during the lunch break. He also publicly praised Xie Yun and called on everyone to learn from her, establish a stronger sense of collectiveness, and work hard to build a better Liushutun Brigade.
More than ten days after that day, Xie Yun published another article, specifically praising the women of Liushutun for truly holding up half the sky in this new era.
I gained a lot of favor from my female compatriots.
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