Chapter 33: Second Fireside Chat

Music can really inspire people, especially inspirational songs like Red Plum Blossom Hymn.

Anyone who has seen the movie will even recall in their mind the bloody battle scenes of the ancestors in the movie, and those who have not seen it will also be moved by the sound.

I work harder too.

Perhaps this is the charm of literary works.

Not only did the villagers feel that the work in the afternoon was very vigorous, but Han Jing and Xu Fei, whose physical strength had almost recovered to the point of being able to return to work, also felt that they did not work as hard as they did in the morning. In fact, they also worked very hard, but they worked happily.

In the afternoon, they actually scored one point higher than in the morning, which means they got seven points in total today. This is actually above the average level in the village, because only a small number of people can get the full 10 points.

After many efforts, the energy has not diminished.

The two of them high-fived excitedly.

On the way home from work, Han Jing saw Ye Yu from the next group from afar. He pulled Xu Fei and trotted to him. When they were about two meters away, he slowed down, cleared his throat, and showed off the singing scene they had at work in the afternoon.

Xu Fei said: "Hong Meizan, this song is really beautiful. Ye Yu, the song you picked is really suitable for the occasion."

The villagers in the third group also heard this song and some of them sang along, but they were surprised that it was Ye Yu who sang the song first. Why didn’t she sing this afternoon?

Little did he know that Ye Yu just wanted to stuff cotton in his ears at that time:... How many people in the team are so dumb that they don't even know it? If it weren't for the space ability to block one or two, it would be even more terrifying!

Wangjiagou is not big, nor is it small. Singing can also be heard in the pigpen where Hua Feifei is. The aunties have good voices, and some of them sing even better than she does.

Hua Feifei's workload was not heavy, but the environment was a little dirty. However, as she listened to the song, she imagined herself fighting the enemy on the battlefield, and she became very excited.

She can!

She's fine!

Full of energy.jpg.

Hua Feifei also made progress in the afternoon and earned two work points, and today she earned three work points.

The fourth group has less work to do and usually finishes work the earliest.

When Ye Yu, Han Jing and Xu Fei returned to the educated youth center, Hua Feifei had already returned, took a shower, and was cooking in the kitchen.

It was Xu Fei's turn today, so he quickly put his things down and wanted to go help.

"No need, you guys go take a shower or wash your face first, I can handle this alone." Hua Feifei was very confident in the kitchen, and added, "I'll make you a simple but delicious dish - fish soaked in oil and salt water."

Whether it is fish soaked in oil and salt water, fish in salt water, or fish soaked in salted oil, the original recipe may be related to fishermen's way of preserving excess fish.

The four fishes were not very fresh and suitable for steaming, so they used salt to preserve them. The braised fish and pickled fish were filtered, and the remaining ones could be fried.

But deep frying consumes too much oil.

So Hua Feifei thought of soaking fish in oil, salt and water. Although this dish also has the word "oil" in its word and requires oil, it consumes much less oil. The steps are simple. Add ginger, green onion and other seasonings to the pot, add oil and fry it, then add water and boil it, and throw in the processed fish.

After a while, the overbearing fish aroma wafted out, making people who smelled it drool faster.

The wooden table that Ye Yu ordered from Carpenter Zhang was not finished yet, so an old table borrowed from a fellow villager was placed in the yard. It was not the popular eight-immortals table, so it was a bit small and uneven, and needed to be padded with wooden blocks at the two corners.

A small stove was built with stones in the middle of the wooden table. Hua Feifei gave an order and Han Jing moved a large pot of fish from the kitchen. The pot then served as a large soup plate.

Lunch boxes, porcelain bowls, enamel cups, chopsticks, and spoons are all prepared for each, as are the staple foods, whether it is mixed-grain cakes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, or anything else.

There are no stools for now, but there are wooden stakes.

While Ye Yu was chopping wood, he chopped off a few pieces of dead wood with a crackling sound. After trimming the rough edges with the hatchet, he made sure they were just the right size to sit on.

This was the second dinner at the educated youth site, and it seemed to be more formal than the first.

Han Jing thought they would have to say something, right? Three pairs of eyes looked at Ye Yu. The strength of the army determined the status. They had already tacitly recognized Ye Yu as the representative of the educated youth.

Elm leaves:

"You are not active in your work. Is there something wrong with your thinking?"

“…”

Well, forget about them, the representative of the educated youth is a foodie who loves to eat anything, and when faced with delicious food in front of him, the only thing he will talk about is food.

Dry rice!

Ye Yu picked up a large piece of fish and put it into his mouth, his eyes shining. The fish soaked in oil, salt and water was really delicious. It might be because the fish was not only deodorized but also treated with a little flour before being put into the pot. The fish tasted soft, tender and slightly salty, not much worse than steamed fresh fish.

Hua Feifei usually thinks Ye Yu is unkind, but as a cook, seeing a customer like Ye Yu gives her a great sense of accomplishment! She is happier than eating by herself, and she has a strong desire to keep feeding him.

In fact, Han Jingxu Fei was also very supportive, but when it came to Ye Yu, he still felt that he was a little lacking.

Considering the appetite of people nowadays, four fish are not too many, not to mention there was an extra eater named Ye Yu. The fish were eaten up in no time. Hua Feifei and the other two suspected that Ye Yu had chewed up all the fish bones and swallowed them into his stomach.

It's not impossible.

The remaining fish soup was eaten little by little with the staple food. At this time, everyone was in the mood to chat.

Han Jing, Xu Fei, and Hua Feifei all talked about their work today, and how the future was not so bleak, but it didn't seem too bright either.

"It's very different from what I imagined." Han Jing admitted that he underestimated rural farm work.

Xu Fei: "Is this all we have? Going to the countryside just to learn how to do farm work?"

"What else?" Hua Feifei asked this question without any sarcasm. She took the initiative to sign up to go to the countryside because she was spoiled too much at home and was fooled by her classmates. Fortunately, because she yearned for the capital, the place she signed up was definitely not the worst. However, the reality of her difficulties has severely dealt a blow to her ambition.

Xu Fei was helpless: "We are not only learning to do farm work, but also helping to build the countryside of our motherland."

"Yes."

Han Jing smiled awkwardly. He was not actually an ambitious man. Going to the countryside was mainly arranged by his family, but he did have a heart to build his motherland.

Hua Feifei:

"But what can we do?"

The three of them once again turned their gazes to Ye Yu, who was chewing corn:

...what?

Hua Feifei: "I have White Rabbit candy."

Xu Fei: "Dried chili peppers."

Han Jing: "I bought some glutinous rice noodles in the town."

It's okay to give some suggestions.

Ye Yu asked:

"What's missing from the team?"

"They are short of everything," Han Jing answered. "They are short of money, tickets, clothes, health workers, medicine, meat, and even grains like fine cereals. There are still several poor families in the village who can't even afford coarse grains."

It was obvious that he had inquired about these situations and was a thoughtful person.

Elm leaves:

"So what are you good at?"

The three of them looked at each other in bewilderment. They were all teenagers, currently attending high school or about to graduate from high school. In fact, they had not yet learned any professional skills. They could neither help the villagers increase their food production nor make their pigs grow meat. Even working in the fields required guidance from the locals.

"Study?" Xu Fei pushed his glasses and finally uttered a word.

“Yes, yes, yes, education. There is no primary school in the village yet, but we can set up a school so that all the children in the village can go to school and learn the knowledge in the textbooks.” Han Jing’s voice was full of passion. He was really a very positive person. He was easily encouraged and motivated, and he was very contagious.

Hua Feifei was obviously infected. She also felt that teaching the children in the mountains was a particularly meaningful thing, and she would certainly prefer to be a teacher than raising pigs.

The three of them just had to stay up late to make plans.

"You are indeed a young person," Ye Yu would sigh every day, "You are fast in action."

"What?"

The voice was too soft and Hua Feifei and the others didn't hear it clearly.

"Nothing," Ye Yu admired their youthful vitality, but she still had to pour some cold water on their ideals. She turned to ask, "Is there no primary school in the village because there is a shortage of teachers?"

No, although there are few people who study in the village, there are or have been middle school and even high school students.

"The previous captain was the reason for not building a primary school. Now the proposal to build a primary school is rejected not only because studying will affect the students' ability to help their families with farm work or earn one or two work points, but also because they can't see the benefits of studying for them," Ye Yu said realistically. "Everything must take root, and studying is no exception, and so is knowledge."

The three of them were silent.

Now Han Jingsa really didn't know what to do. Although they excitedly talked about building elementary schools, they never mentioned middle schools or high schools. The chaos in the city had more or less hit the backbone of intellectuals, including these young students.

"Since the villagers don't know the benefits of studying, you should make them understand!" Ye Yu didn't like their dull look and raised his right eyebrow, "You don't think studying is really useless, do you?"

"Of course not!" The three of them retorted loudly, but not all of their voices were firm.

"Stand tall and don't belittle yourself!"

Hua Feifei only felt that Ye Yu at this moment was more imposing than their seniors in school.

"Let's put aside other things. You can read and write, right? You can submit your articles to radio and newspaper publishers. Once you can earn royalties, the villagers may be willing to let their children go to school." Ye Yu casually threw out a suggestion based on their answers.

Xu Fei and Hua Feifei were fine, but Han Jing suddenly looked miserable: "My Chinese is just average."

"If you don't know, then learn. You can learn by working in the fields, so why can't you write articles?" Ye Yu added, "Not only that, but you can share every bit of life, such as northern and southern cooking, songs and literature, health issues, soap making, or even nothing. You come from all over the world, have connections and information, and it's not too late to build a network of connections and information now. For example, Han Jing can consult with the teenagers in the village about the precautions for signing up for the army... The longer-term goal can be to build more profitable infrastructure for the brigade."

Han Jing, Xu Fei, and Hua Feifei all heard it with great clarity and excitement.

After Ye Yu took some snacks to the east room to check for eggs, Hua Feifei sighed sincerely: "She is really good at everything." She would never say that to her face.