Li Weidong stopped at the window of the east room and asked anxiously, "What happened?"
Hearing the noise outside the door, Jiang Yan, who was throwing a tantrum, quickly got up and ran to open it, crying as if her face was streaked with tears: "Brother Li, Xie Yuyao and Yang Shumei teamed up to beat me! You must stand up for me, waaaah..."
"Who's biting people like a mad dog?" Xie Yuyao put on her coat and stormed out to confront them.
Li Weidong frowned when he saw the marks on Yang Shumei and Jiang Yan's faces.
From the back-and-forth conversations of Wu Lihong, Ren Fei, and Bei Xiao, he learned the origin and course of events: ...
Jiang Yan used to hide behind Bei Xiao, using her as a pawn. Why is she suddenly standing in the spotlight and even fighting with him? Could it be that the saying "money makes the world go round" is true?
But as the captain of the educated youth team, he had no choice but to patiently smooth things over for the sake of the team's unity: "Jiang Yan, what you said in the main room before was because you were so angry with Accountant Li and the others. Everyone can understand, no one will laugh at you, so don't take it to heart."
"A gentleman uses words, not fists. You mustn't fight again. Apologize to each other now, and this matter will be over."
Xie Yuyao: "She started it, so she should be the one apologizing!"
Jiang Yan lowered her head and sobbed softly, refusing to admit her mistake.
Ultimately, this farce came to an end thanks to Li Weidong's persuasion.
Back in the east room, Xie Yuyao took out iodine from the box, poured a few drops into the bottle cap, and then, when no one was looking, dripped some spiritual spring water into it. She then used a cotton swab to apply the medicine to Yang Shumei's wound and asked, "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore, don't worry."
The thought that Jiang Yan had suffered this undeserved misfortune because of her made Xie Yuyao want to fight her again.
Wu Lihong also took out her own iodine swabs to disinfect Jiang Yan's wound, saying, "You should all be careful these days and not let the wound get wet."
In the darkness, Jiang Yan looked in the direction where Yang Shumei and Xie Yuyao were lying, her eyes gloomy and vicious, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.
At dawn, Qingshan Village began to bustle with activity as the village head announced through a loudspeaker: all residents of Qingshan Village should gather at the drying ground for a general meeting.
Xie Yuyao applied the iodine solution with added ingredients to Yang Shumei's pores again, trailing behind the educated youth team, and arrived at the drying ground just in time.
The team leader stood at the front of the field, picked up a megaphone, and shouted, "Quiet! Is everyone here?"
After a few seconds of pause, the impatient member standing at the front asked, "Captain, what's the point of the meeting? We still need to go to the fields to earn work points later."
The captain glanced at him. "It won't take more than a few minutes. I have something important to tell you today. You all know about the orchard at the foot of the mountain, right?"
Liu Dazui became excited: "Captain, are we going to cut down those wild pear trees that nobody eats and use them as roof beams for us?"
"I'll chop you up first!" The brigade leader glared at her, then picked up the megaphone again, "You know Xie, the educated youth from the educated youth compound, right? She turned that patch of unwanted wild pears into a treasure."
She knows how to make candied pears. She harvested some yesterday, and several of us in the brigade headquarters have tried them; they tasted good. Anyone else want to make some?
The villagers started discussing it. Families with children thought they would make it as a snack for their kids, since they could pick the fruit after work and it wouldn't be much trouble. Others felt it was pointless, as it wouldn't fill their stomachs and was a waste of effort.
One of the bolder people asked, "Captain, how do you make this candied fruit? What do you need?"
"The method is quite simple, you only need to add some salt and sugar."
Seeing that they had almost digested the information, the brigade leader continued, "The educated youth team has provided an idea, and our brigade headquarters has also discussed it. We plan to apply to the commune to sell the property to other units in the name of the collective to generate revenue for the village."
Upon hearing this, the villagers started talking all at once, like boiling water, and the entire threshing ground became unusually lively.
The brigade leader tapped the gong beside him, and the villagers gradually quieted down. The brigade leader then said, "We don't know if we can get any money from this dried fruit, so be prepared that if we can't sell it, we'll just keep it for ourselves."
Also, don't think about picking them after you finish work. The sooner you pick the fruit, the fewer fruits will fall to the ground. So I've decided to spend half a day harvesting beans and half a day picking fruit.”
"What if we don't sell them? We'll lose money. I'd rather go to work and earn work points!"
"You can't say that. If we sell them, the money we get will be much more than the work points."
"Even if they don't sell, the children can still eat them. I want to join!"
......
Various opinions emerged, roughly falling into two categories. The team leader didn't insist; after all, the path to increased income had already been pointed out, and everyone had their own destiny.
"Those who want to earn work points will continue working this afternoon and will not participate in the making of dried fruit. Of course, you will not get any of the profits from the dried fruit. If things go well, don't be envious of others who earn more."
After the team leader said that, those who were reluctant to part with their work points hesitated again. If the matter were to actually go through, they would only be able to watch others get theirs.
One shrewd person asked, "Team leader, can I let my wife join in making dried fruit while I go to the fields to earn work points?"
"Okay, Secretary Liu has already applied to the commune leaders. You have half a day to consider it. After work at noon, those who want to join in making dried fruit should go to Accountant Li to register. Alright, meeting adjourned!"
It's not that the brigade leader doesn't want to organize people to pick wild pears right away. There are still quite a few soybeans in the field. If the weather is bad, it will delay the harvest. Besides, the commune hasn't finalized anything yet, so what's the rush?
Li Weidong was kept behind by the brigade leader, and it wasn't until half an hour later that he went to the field.
"The captain just told me that we're all from the city and can use our connections to get orders. If you're interested, send some dried fruit back to try."
"What benefits would we get?" Bei Xiao was immediately tempted. Her father was the office director of a textile factory in the next city, and she could have him place an order to include dried fruit as a benefit for the factory.
"We haven't gone into details yet. We're waiting for news from the commune and to see how the price is set. But don't worry, there will definitely be extra compensation."
Yang Shumei had a fleeting thought, but immediately rejected it. The military wasn't like other units; she could send some food home to her parents, though.
Jiang Yan, whose face was red and swollen, started thinking, "Could we try getting orders from the nearby factories?"
"We'll discuss this with the brigade leader in detail once we get results from the commune. Our roots here are shallow, so we might not be as strong as the locals, but we can also expand into other cities and communes. We'll talk about it then."
On the other side, Zhao Honghui and Party Secretary Liu each rode a bicycle, first went to the transport team to ask for leave, and soon arrived at the office compound of Hongqi Commune.
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