Chapter 166 Jiang Mingli
Zheng Guoqiang completed the entry procedures the day before and led the team out the next day.
He didn't really have much use for his single dormitory in the commune because the construction team lived outside most of the time.
Qushui County is now rushing to complete a large-scale drainage project. Loudspeakers are blaring at the construction site, using quotations from great men to cheer everyone up. Taoyuan Commune has dispatched a special construction team, and other communes have also mobilized a large number of male laborers. The work is in full swing, and they live and eat on the construction site.
I guess it won’t be finished until the Chinese New Year.
☆
The physical exam for new recruits was far more rigorous than Xie Yun had imagined. They had to strip naked and have their height and weight measured. Their private parts were inspected to check for flat feet. Then there were vision, hearing, and smell tests. Blood tests were also conducted, and chest X-rays were performed to check heart, lung, and liver function.
Basically, as long as someone could join the army, their health was guaranteed. However, their appearance was not guaranteed, as the standards at that time were relatively low, with a height of over 150cm and a weight of over 45kg meeting the standards.
Xie Yun met Chen Qiang and Liu Jiangang after the new recruits' physical exam. They were both handsome young men. Chen Qiang and Xie Yun were about the same height, around 1.65 meters, while Liu Jiangang was slightly taller, around 1.7 meters.
Both of them looked excited and followed Gong Jianhua asking questions. Obviously, they must have passed the physical examination.
Next, the recruiting officer, accompanied by Gong Jianhua, would conduct a home visit to ensure the recruit's family members supported the candidate's enlistment. This was similar to the family visits during the civil service exams in later generations. If any family members were mischievous or hindered the candidate's progress, they would be in real trouble.
However, the families of Chen Qiang and Liu Jiangang obviously do not have this problem.
Old Lady Liu smiled until her eyes narrowed into a line as she said to the recruiting officer, "You must train him well. He's not afraid of hardship or fatigue, he's not afraid of anything. You must train him into the best soldier possible."
Chen Qiang's mother was also very eloquent: "When one person joins the army, the whole family is honored. Our whole family supports him in joining the army and will never hold him back. We hope he can perform well in the army."
They passed the home visit smoothly and received the enlistment notice.
☆
Just as the new recruits received their enlistment notices and were waiting to depart, one day, Xie Yun returned home from get off work and Xie Shen told her, "Sister Gao Yun is back."
He took out a few candies from his pocket and handed them to Xie Yun, "Sister Gao Yun gave them to me."
"Have you got a meal yet?"
"No, I'll wait for you and mom to come back and eat together."
Xie Yun peeled one and stuffed it into his mouth, ate one himself, and stuffed another into Zhang Ruifeng's mouth. There were two left, so Xie Yun gave one to Zhang Ruifeng, and she and Xie Shen each shared the other.
Zhang Ruifeng didn't refuse. Life was getting better, and their family didn't need this little bit of candy. If the child was willing to give it to her, she would take it. It showed that the child was growing up well and knew how to care for her. If the two of them were willing to share it, then so be it. The children had their own way of getting along, and as a mother, she wouldn't interfere.
Xie Yun asked Xie Shen, "Did Sister Gao Yun tell you why she came back?"
"She didn't tell me. But I think she's very happy. She also said she wants to have a candlelight chat with you tonight. Sister, where are you going to talk? I'll go with you. If you come back late, I can still keep you company."
"We'll definitely go to Sister Qingli's house to talk. Her place is almost becoming a revolutionary base for women in the new society."
Director Yan has already issued a call to expand Qingli's house in the spring, otherwise it will not be enough.
Two newly arrived female educated youth from Jinshi also squeezed in with her and lived in the same room with Yue Zheng.
Whenever there was a conflict in the village, the women who felt wronged would run to her and completely regarded Qingli's house as a refuge.
When they go to her house, they can not only tell their grievances and frustrations to their female compatriots and get everyone's comfort and support, but when necessary, the female comrades can also help them seek justice. They support divorce, separation of the family, beating men, and fighting for family property. They are simply the nightmare of a small group of male comrades in Liushutun.
They also invited Zhang Qiheng, the women's director of the commune, to give everyone a detailed explanation of the Marriage Law. This law does not simply stipulate the marriage age.
It also stipulates gender equality: both spouses have the freedom to choose their careers, work, and participate in social activities, and have equal ownership and control over family property. Even in the event of a divorce, if the child is raised by the mother, the husband must contribute to their living expenses and education. Premarital property belongs to the woman, and postmarital property is divided by agreement. If no agreement is reached, the government can be consulted. However, the fundamental principle is to protect the interests of the woman and her children.
Also, when a couple divorces, debts incurred during their common life shall be repaid with the property obtained during their common life; if there is no property obtained during their common life or the property obtained during their common life is insufficient to repay the debts, the man shall repay the debts.
Previously, everyone paid attention to the marriage law, focusing on freedom of marriage, marriage age, monogamy, and obtaining a marriage certificate. Other aspects were rarely discussed. This time, it can be said that it is comprehensive.
If it were just these few young girls making such a fuss, the impact might not be so great. The key is that they have people behind them. Director Yan supports them, Wang Huaqing supports them, Aunt Zhou also stands on their side, and even Jiang Mingli, the director of the Women's Rescue Association in Liushutun during the Anti-Japanese War, has made a comeback!
Speaking of Jiang Mingli, she was also a remarkable figure, the director of the Women's Rescue Association. She had once been seriously injured, with a gunshot wound to her back. She barely managed to survive, but her body became weaker and she could no longer do heavy physical labor. As she aged, her ailments became more and more severe.
Jiang Mingli had always been strong-willed, unwilling to show weakness. Later, she rarely left the house, staying at home and doing what she could about the household chores. However, she was well aware of the changes in Liushutun. This was partly because Yan Guixiang and others were close friends with her, often visiting and chatting with her, and partly because her husband was Zhang Guangzong.
During the Anti-Japanese War, the couple did not have time to have children. After the war, Jiang Mingli's health was not good, and the couple still did not have children. The old couple depended on each other for survival and had a good relationship.
Jiang Mingli has a disability certificate and has made significant contributions, which should have qualifies her for government subsidies. However, she chose not to. She said, "So many people died back then. Where would they have gotten the subsidies?" She's still alive, which is a blessing.
Zhang Guangzong was afraid that Jiang Mingli would be bored at home, so he not only found a way to buy a radio for her home so that she could learn about national policies in a timely manner and listen to some cultural programs to relieve her boredom, but also came home every day to talk to her and tell her everything that happened in the brigade in detail.
Knowing that such great changes had taken place in Liushutun and that the young girls were full of vigor and vitality, Jiang Mingli could no longer stay at home and took the initiative to leave.
As soon as she came out, Yan Guixiang wanted to give her the position of director of women's affairs and become the deputy director herself. Jiang Mingli waved his hand and said, "Don't be lazy, young one. I'm over 50 years old. Even if I had been working before, it's time to retire. I'm here now to make use of my remaining energy. I hope you don't mind me."
Who would dislike her!
Those who were about the same age as her were all her comrades who had fought side by side. Younger people like Xie Yun grew up listening to the heroic deeds of the older generation and had heard many stories about Jiang Mingli.
When she first appeared at the women's group meeting, everyone applauded so hard that their hands turned red. To be honest, they were so excited that tears were about to fall.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
