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In March, the New China's "Great Progress" movement was so massive that nearly the entire nation participated. Huai County utilized vacant rural land to build the first small blast furnace of the Great Steel Production Movement.
The small blast furnace was built using traditional methods, primarily bricks and mud. It was very crude and didn't look particularly sturdy. As Xiao Li toured it, he felt as if it would collapse at any moment. However, the county leader pointed at the furnace with a smug look on his face and told Xiao Li and the others, "Steel will be smelted here in the future."
It looks as if as long as the steel materials are put in, it can be successfully refined.
The National Steel Movement was not just talk. Even Xiao Li and his men in the army had received notices from their superiors to make steel. Some local PLA officers and soldiers had even built the "August 1st Iron and Steel Joint Factory". Xiao Li had no choice but to come to the county to inspect the people's work.
This time, Xiao Li came out for inspection with his old partner Dong Shiyi. After listening to the introduction of the county leader, neither of them spoke. As "highly educated" intellectuals, they both felt that this matter was ridiculous and would not make any comments unless they were optimistic about it. Overall, Xiao Li felt that this was a waste of time and money.
"The idea is great, but the approach is terrible and too difficult to implement." On the way back to the army, Dong Shiyi rarely expressed his opinion. "Should we do it or not? In my opinion, it's a superfluous thing, a waste of time and money, so it's better not to do it."
Xiao Li highly agreed with this and nodded in agreement: "That's right, why don't we just drag it out this time, the longer we can delay, the better."
"Okay!" The two of them worked together and hit it off immediately. The steelmaking matter of the entire 8147th Regiment was temporarily suppressed by them.
Although Xiao Li is a person who traveled through a book, he is not omnipotent, nor does he have a powerful golden finger that can change the existing world. He is just an ordinary person who cannot be more ordinary. He has no ability to interfere with the decision-making of national leaders. All he has to do is to protect the people around him and proceed step by step like a spectator.
If a similar time traveler pointed at Xiao Li's nose and told him that he was a coward and an incompetent person, Xiao Li would definitely accept it calmly, because he was indeed like that.
Because of the completion of the small blast furnace, the county began to require every household to provide one laborer to build the blast furnace and smelt steel a few days later. Children and elderly people who had nothing to do went to the mountains to look for ore. The people were forced to hand over all the large iron pots, farm tools, etc. in their homes. As long as they were iron products, they had to be handed over. If they did not hand them over and were reported and found out of their homes, they would be severely punished.
Many people sat on the ground in the village, slapping their thighs and howling, "The heads of the guys who were eating have been taken away. How are we going to eat in the future? We're going to starve!"
Someone nearby would try to persuade them, "This is an order from the leader. We're contributing to the country. Once we refine the Gunther, we'll be able to surpass those mobile suits. If you just sit here and wail, you're showing no love for the country and disrespecting the leader's decision."
Put a big hat on someone's head, and the crying person on the ground will immediately get up. The big boss is now a god-like existence, the people's faith. If anyone opposes the big boss or says a bad word about the big boss, there is no need for the militia to arrest them. The people around them will spit on them and drown them.
Things like this happened every day. Every time, Xiao Li would take Xiao Nuo and Dong Wenbo out to see the world. To a certain extent, the army was like a pure land compared to the outside world. Although the two children were still young and would not understand some things if they were told, Xiao Li still wanted them to see this crazy world for themselves and let them remember everything that happened in this era.
Xiao Nuo looked at many people sitting on the ground and howling, but they had to hand over the farm tools in their hands. He was very confused, "Dad, why are they sitting on the ground and crying?"
"Because the things they rely on for survival are collected and used to make steel and iron."
Dong Wenbo, who was watching intently from the side, tilted his head and asked, "What is steelmaking? Why do they collect farm tools and large iron pots when they make steel?"
Xiao Li was very patient in educating his children. He patted their little heads and whispered, "Ironmaking is the process of extracting metallic iron from iron-bearing ore in a blast furnace. Steel is made from pig iron. They collect these iron products and smelt them at high temperatures in a small blast furnace, hoping to make steel from iron."
"Why fantasy, won't they succeed?"
"I don't know either. Maybe they will succeed, maybe they will fail, because this is a very difficult process in itself. People have to keep exploring in this process to succeed."
"What if we fail? Will we lose everything we own? What will we use to cook and work in the fields?"
Xiao Li didn't expect the two kids to ask such questions, so he said mysteriously, "There will be a way."
How could the state fail to see the problem that even a child could see? That same month, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting and issued an opinion directive: "In order to meet the needs of agricultural production and the Cultural Revolution, it is necessary to systematically and appropriately merge small agricultural cooperatives into large ones where conditions permit."
The small agricultural production cooperative in Longgang Village, founded by a few college students and now with only a few members, was brought up again. This time, according to instructions from higher authorities, the Huai County leaders directly gathered all the surrounding villages to form a large commune, the "Xuzhuang Township Commune."
After the establishment of the commune, the people elected the commune leaders. Then the commune members stopped doing anything and began to obey the leaders' orders to go up the mountain to look for minerals and mine. The farmers in the fields no longer paid much attention.
As time slowly entered May and June, while everyone was busy with the ironmaking business, some people noticed that the rainy season had been unusually scarce. The weather was getting increasingly hot, and the crops in the fields were growing very poorly. Old Sun and other elderly people who were left to care for the crops looked at the crops with great concern. "The rain is exceptionally scarce this year. I'm afraid the harvest won't be very good."
"I hope we are overthinking it. After all, we have just had a few days of good times. God shouldn't be so cruel."
No matter how they speculated, as the days passed, it didn't rain. Finally, the elders in the village could no longer sit still. While everyone was focused on the steelmaking campaign, in order to alleviate the drought, the elders began to secretly pin their hopes on traditional rain-praying ceremonies, hoping that through this strange and mysterious ritual, heaven would send down a rain of blessings...
Xiao Li is now very famous in the surrounding area. He is a young, educated and capable cadre. Many people in the surrounding area will ask him for help when they have important matters. Praying for rain is a big deal, so the old people in Longgang Village even asked him for help.
As a party member, Xiao Li was not suitable to participate in such feudal and superstitious activities, but he did not object. Instead, he pushed Xiao Nuo and Dong Wenbo out. The two were accompanied by the Qian Xiaoyu sisters, each holding a small dustpan, and walked away happily.
China has a vast territory, and the customs in each place are different. The way of praying in Longgang Village is to let a group of children carry winnowing baskets on their heads and go to a small pond to have a water fight. After the water fight, make sure that every child is covered in water, and then let the children scoop water with the winnowing baskets and hold it on their heads and line up to kowtow at the existing temple in the village.
The children can leave after completing their task. What is left is a group of elderly people, each holding a stick of incense, praying by kneeling three times and knocking their heads nine times. After the prayer is completed, they just wait. If it happens to rain, people will think it is God's blessing, but if it doesn't rain, they will think it is a punishment from heaven.
When Xiaonuo returned home, her head and body were all wet, but she was very happy. She told her mother about her experience today with great joy. In her little heart, this was the biggest event she had ever participated in. "Mom, I want to go to such an event next time, can I?"
"Of course, as long as you like it." Although Wang Xuemei said this, she took the initiative to find Xiaoli after Che Xiaonuo fell asleep that night.
"Xiao Li, I think we should have a good talk. Xiao Nuo is still young. How can you let her participate in any rain-praying activities? This will have a certain impact on her growth!" Wang Xuemei is a doctor. She is accustomed to life and death and she is in awe of the mystery of life and the mystery of nature. Therefore, the talk of ghosts and gods is a lie to her, and she has always believed that feudal superstition is unacceptable.
"You mean you don't believe in ghosts and gods in this world." Xiao Li didn't think much about letting Xiao Nuo participate in this kind of activity. Children should be allowed to go out and see more and broaden their horizons. So no matter whether it is good or bad, Xiao Li hopes that he can take Xiao Nuo to experience it personally, so that his daughter will know more in the future and will not be deceived.
Xiao Li believed in ghosts and gods. As someone who had experienced some things, it was hard for him not to believe in them. He looked straight at Wang Xuemei and said half-jokingly, "Perhaps, there is a ghost soul around you."
Strictly speaking, Xiao Li is really a ghost, a ghost who took over someone else's body after death.
Xiao Li was startled by the thought and shuddered. He hugged Wang Xuemei tightly and hid in her arms, saying, "I didn't instill any feudal superstitions in Guai Guai. I just wanted her to go out more and interact with more people her age. If you don't like her participating in such activities, I won't let her go in the future. From now on, Guai Guai's education will be left to you. I won't be in charge anymore."
Xiao Li was the first person in history to scare himself. He forced himself to close his eyes and patted Wang Xuemei: "Alright, alright, go to sleep. You're really scary."
Wang Xuemei, who wanted to get angry, said: "......"
This bastard always makes me so angry that I lose my temper!
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