Chapter 138 The Warmth Given by Wang Qinghong
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From that day on, Yue Zheng joined everyone in the busy work.
The first day I got out of bed, my palms were covered with blisters, my face was sunburned and almost cracked, and there was a little water seeping out. At night, my whole body was in so much pain that I didn't want to move.
Yue Zheng gritted her teeth, remaining silent. These were things she had to adapt to, trials she had to endure. Once she could get through them, she would be reborn.
She still wanted to go to night school in the evening to attend classes with Qian Gaoyun, but was stopped by Wang Qinghong.
Wang Qinghong boiled some hot water for her and asked her to take a good bath. She then asked her to lie on the bed, rubbed her shoulders, and cut some cucumber slices for her to apply on her face to relieve the pain caused by sunburn.
"Tomorrow when you go to work, wear a hat. You're silly, too. You don't have a hat yourself, so why don't you ask? We have a spare one at home, so you can wear it. I made our straw hat myself, so it's okay if it breaks. I can just soak some wheat straw and make a new one. It's not very pretty, but it's useful. You don't mind it, do you?"
"No! Sister Qinghong, how could I possibly dislike it! I'm just inexperienced and didn't know I could get tanned like this in just one day. I felt a slight burning sensation when I was sunbathing, but I didn't expect it to be this severe."
"It's also because we were a little careless and didn't notice this problem. I forgot to remind you when I came back at noon. Look at everyone, they are all wearing hats. We are used to being exposed to the sun, and we still have to wear them, let alone you. Your face is tender and you've never been exposed to the sun before, so this is likely to happen.
I'll sew a piece of cloth on the brim of your hat and let it hang down to cover your face. That's what Binbin did last year, and she's been wearing it ever since. It's a little ugly, but it works. Binbin has turned pale from covering herself up. When you saw her yesterday, wasn't she very pale?
"Yeah. Very white."
Not only is she fair, she is also good-looking, with an oval face, phoenix eyes, a full forehead, bright and lively eyes, black and shiny hair, a relaxed and natural expression, a straight back, and good manners. She looks more like a city person than her, who came from the capital.
Wang Qinghong smiled and said, "Before you came, Binbin was the most educated person here. She went to high school in the county, then came back and farmed for over two years before finding a job in the commune. Not only did she find a job for herself, she also found a job for her mother at the commune's grain store."
"I saw her, and Aunt Zhang seemed very kind and amiable."
"Yes, Aunt Zhang is very kind to others."
"Sister Qinghong, did I delay your class?"
"No. You and Gao Yun are tutoring me at home, so I won't be late."
【Dongdong】
"Qinghong, are you home?"
"Here I am."
Wang Qinghong answered from outside and said to Yue Zheng, "It's Director Yan."
"Yeah, I heard it."
Wang Qinghong went to open the door, and Yue Zheng had already sat up. He gritted his teeth and stood up to greet her.
Director Yan came to give Yue Zheng a hat, and then Wang Huaqing, Aunt Zhou, and Yan Yuying all came to give her a hat.
Yue Zheng was at a loss and didn't know what to say.
Wang Qinghong laughed and said, "Why are you all here?"
Wang Huaqing said, "Xiao Yue is obviously different from Xiao Qian. She's a bit introverted, and I was worried she might not know what to say, so I came to check on her."
Wang Qinghong said, "That's right. When Gao Yun first came, on her first day out in the fields, she stared at Qingli and me before leaving the house. She insisted on dressing exactly like us. When she saw we were wearing straw hats and she wasn't, she immediately told us she wanted one too, so we found one for her. Zhengzheng didn't mention it, so we ignored her. She suffered a whole day in vain."
Yue Zheng said, "No, no, it just allows me to better understand the difficulties faced by working people and work harder in the future."
Aunt Zhou shook her head. "It's hard enough just working for the working people. We need to pay extra attention to other aspects of the work, and try to reduce the pain as much as possible. If you feel uncomfortable, please let us know. We are all experienced and can help you find a solution."
Yue Zheng agreed: "Okay, I'll pay attention next time."
In fact, she wanted to alleviate the negative impact of her background by enduring hardships. The harder and harder she worked, the stronger her determination was to break away from her background and integrate into the poor and lower-middle peasants.
Now it seems that she was wrong.
Wang Qinghong laughed and said, "You sent me so many hats. I could buy a pound of meat just by selling them."
Everyone laughed. Wang Huaqing said to her, "You've become more lively since you moved out. Not bad, not bad. You've moved well, it's a great move!"
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After seeing everyone off, Yue Zheng seemed to feel that the pain in his body had eased a lot.
By the dim kerosene lamp, she wrote a letter to her father and mother, imagining the new life that was about to begin.
"I've received help from everyone in Liushutun. The poor and lower-middle peasants here have high ideological awareness and high moral character. I believe that under their guidance, I will be able to start a new life and contribute to the country and its people. Please take good care of yourself, and I look forward to the day when our family will be reunited."
Early the next morning, Yue Zheng asked Xie Yun to help her mail a letter.
Seeing her bright smile, Xie Yun said, "It seems you've adapted well."
Yue Zheng smiled and said, "Yeah. There are so many people helping me."
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With everyone's help, Yue Zheng quickly adapted to life in Liushu Village. She was no longer surrounded by those who flattered the powerful and bullied the weak. The locals simply treated her as herself, and as long as she was down-to-earth and serious about her work, they appreciated and supported her.
At the end of July, Taoyuan Commune welcomed two soldiers from Beijing. They arrived in a GAZ-69 jeep, dusty and exhausted. Upon arrival, they approached Secretary Li and said, "We saw the news about the Taoyuan Commune's Advanced Wheat Seed Research Institute in the newspaper. We want to support the research work of the poor and lower-middle peasants. So, we've collected some information in Beijing and are sending it to you. We hope it will be helpful to your research."
Secretary Li and Director Zhong: “!!!”
Has it alarmed the capital?
Isn't this putting Comrade Yan Dongsheng on the fire?
If he doesn't produce results soon, it seems like he'll be in trouble.
Secretary Li shook the soldier's hand and said with deep emotion, "Thank you! Thank you! We are so touched. We never thought that such a small act by us poor and lower-middle peasants would stir such a sensation among you, thousands of miles away, and even make you come all the way to give us gifts. We are really at a loss for words."
The soldier shook Secretary Li's hand and said, "You're welcome. The military and the people are as close as fish and water. We should do anything for the people."
Secretary Li and Director Zhong personally took the people to Liushutun and handed all the information to Yan Dongsheng and Yue Zheng.
"Before we came, Comrade Yue Qixun personally compiled the information catalog. Please check to see if there is anything missing."
Yue Zheng replied, "Okay, okay! Comrade, may I ask, is Comrade Yue Qixun okay?"
"He's very good. He asked us to tell you to work hard here and not to worry about him. If the poor and lower-middle peasant friends here have any problems that they can't solve, you can write to him. He is willing to use all his life's knowledge to help everyone with research."
Yue Zheng said seriously, "Comrade, please tell him that I'm fine and I will definitely work hard. Please also take care of your health. We need him for our research."
"Okay, I'll definitely bring it to you."
Yan Dongsheng and Yue Zheng checked the catalog, signed the handover document, and stamped it with the official seal of Taoyuan Commune Research Institute.
The two military comrades saluted everyone, did not even stay for a bite of food, and rushed back without stopping.
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