Chapter 17 is more than just good luck.
Huo Chenzhou had just walked over when he heard these words, and he gave Old Madam Li a stern look.
A hint of unease appeared on Old Mrs. Li's face, but she didn't think she had said anything wrong. Before she could say anything more, Officer Li pulled her aside and whispered, "Mom, say less."
"I didn't say anything wrong," Mrs. Li said, dissatisfied.
Shen Zhixia doesn't understand anything, so why should she be allowed to act up like that? She's going to expose Shen Zhixia's tricks. Even if Commander Huo comes, he can't shut her up.
Huo Chenzhou said in a deep voice, "If you don't like staying here, then go back to the courtyard."
Actually, Huo Chenzhou had just arrived and wasn't entirely clear on what had happened, but he could tell that Old Madam Li harbored ill intentions towards Shen Zhixia.
No matter what happens here, Shen Zhixia is definitely right.
Officer Li immediately raised his voice: "Mom, didn't I tell you, if you come over, behave yourself and don't cause trouble."
He quickly apologized to Huo Chenzhou: "Commander Huo, you know my mother was just saying it casually, she didn't mean any harm."
Officer Li is usually very filial to his mother, and he listens to her at home, but only if it doesn't affect his work.
Old Mrs. Li was furious. What was so great about him? Once Commander Huo became her son-in-law, he would have to listen to her obediently.
At this moment, Chen Guilan, heavily pregnant, said worriedly, "Little Huo's wife, what you said makes sense, but how can we dig canals to bring water? In the past, when the commune was working on water conservancy, we worked ourselves to death and only managed to dig half a mile."
Upon hearing this, some of the women in the crowd began to sigh.
Chen Guilan is right. This is a huge project, and it will be very difficult to carry out. The key point is that even if they do as Shen Zhixia says, they may not necessarily achieve the desired results.
Shen Zhixia was young and had just joined the army, so they were skeptical of what she said.
Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou quickly went to Chen Guilan's side and said worriedly, "Sister-in-law, it's very sunny here. Didn't I tell you not to come? You can leave the work here to Xiaowei."
Chen Guilan smiled at him: "I have to come and check on things. It's not right to leave everything to Xiaowei."
"But you're pregnant..."
"It's alright, I'm used to doing these kinds of jobs."
That being said, Chen Guilan never did any work after she arrived. It was only after Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou arrived that she deliberately picked up a hoe and dug a few times in the ground.
Shen Zhixia finally got a good look at Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou. He was quite handsome, very much the kind of handsome that fit the era, with very upright features, and looked like he had a solid political background.
No wonder Lin Xiaowei likes him so much.
But what Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou said just now was unsettling. Although today was a family labor day, he immediately started showing concern for his widowed sister-in-law and took it for granted that Lin Xiaowei should do all the work. He showed absolutely no respect for Lin Xiaowei.
Looking at Huo Chenzhou again, he had already taken the hoe from her and started working.
Looking at it now, Huo Chenzhou is much more pleasing to the eye.
“This is saline-alkali land,” Lin Xiaowei suddenly said. “When I was a child, my grandmother treated the saline land in the village in this way. After two years, the wheat grew very well, taller than a big man. Xiao Shen’s method is perfect.”
She was the deputy director of the medical affairs department, so her words carried some weight, and everyone believed her to some extent.
“But the river here is still two miles away.” Chen Guilan glanced at her and said, “With such a long distance, is it possible to bring the water here? Even if the water is brought here, will it really wash away the saline-alkali? What if we invest too much and end up damaging the land instead of improving it? Who will be responsible then?”
“I can take responsibility.” Lin Xiaowei’s voice was clear and cold, which immediately dispelled everyone’s doubts. Her voice carried a convincing power: “I tried it on my own land before. I used flood irrigation and mixed in wood ash. The radishes I grew were plump and juicy. The method that Xiao Shen mentioned is exactly the same as the one my grandma and I tried.”
She continued, "I used to fill my notebook with data. The salinity really has dropped. If you don't believe me, you can come to my house and see for yourself later."
"Xiaowei, I believe in you!"
Zhang Weihong's voice was loud and clear, drowning out the surrounding noise: "Stop arguing! I think Sister Xiaowei is right. Xiao Shen is knowledgeable too, she can't be talking nonsense. Let's do as she says this time."
After these words were spoken, no one raised any further objections.
Next, everyone got to work.
Grandma Li pulled Li Xiuying aside and instructed her not to follow Shen Zhixia's method.
Li Xiuying nodded. She didn't believe Shen Zhixia's words either, so how could she possibly listen to Shen Zhixia?
After Huo Chenzhou arrived, he didn't let Shen Zhixia do any work. He spread a towel on the ground and let Shen Zhixia sit down, while he wielded a hoe and worked.
Shen Zhixia was already pregnant and couldn't do such heavy work. Besides, Huo Chenzhou was her husband, so it was normal for him to help her.
Chen Guilan, on the other hand, was pregnant with a belly even bigger than Shen Zhixia's, yet she insisted on doing the work.
When Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou told her not to do any work, she said unhappily, "All I can do is be five months pregnant. I'm not that delicate. My mother used to fetch water when she was eight months pregnant. We rural working women are used to it."
She deliberately raised her voice.
These words didn't seem to be just for Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou's ears. Shen Zhixia used her hat as a fan and completely ignored her.
Chen Guilan had been secretly watching Shen Zhixia, but when she saw that Shen Zhixia didn't react, she became dissatisfied and dug the ground hard.
She immediately strained her back, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou was extremely anxious. He quickly helped Chen Guilan away, saying in a worried tone, "I'll take your sister-in-law to the health center first."
Zhang Weihong then took out a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket, walked up to Shen Zhixia, and handed her the seeds.
Shen Zhixia took it in shock; she really hadn't expected Zhang Weihong to bring sunflower seeds.
Zhang Weihong cracked a few sunflower seeds, then leaned close to Shen Zhixia's ear and said, "Did you see how anxious Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou was? It's like his sister-in-law is pregnant with his child."
Shen Zhixia hummed in agreement, offering no comment.
Since arriving, Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou has been focused on his widowed sister-in-law and has never paid any attention to Lin Xiaowei.
However, as outsiders, we shouldn't comment too much. Lin Xiaowei doesn't seem to be someone without her own opinions; these kinds of family matters are something only she can resolve herself.
As the sun began to set, the area cultivated by Li Xiuying was in disarray, with the freshly turned soil still gleaming white. Meanwhile, the plots managed by others had neat furrows with wood ash evenly scattered between them, and the surface was covered with a layer of rice water obtained from the cookhouse.
Zhang Weihong said with a smile, "Xiao Shen, I'm so glad I listened to you this time. You're so smart."
Grandma Li scoffed dismissively, "She's just lucky."
Zhang Weihong looked at Old Mrs. Li and said, "Xiao Shen is not just lucky, she is really capable."
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