Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Isn't walking on the street just for falling in love...
In the afternoon, when Wang Daya and Xia Xia came, Xia Xia brought tomato seedlings, eggplant seedlings, cowpea seedlings, cucumber seedlings, loofah seedlings, pumpkin seedlings, green onions...
Zhong Xuelian also sent a bundle of bamboo poles, saying that they would be used as racks for the beans and cucumbers after they grew up.
“It’s too early.”
Liang Xin picked up a small shovel with a short handle and walked into the vegetable garden, watching Wang Daya digging holes and Xia Xia picking seedlings. "The vegetable garden is my fun, and you guys have taken away all my fun."
“What’s the fun in growing vegetables?”
Li Mao came in carrying a bucket of manure water. "You are the master. Others who teach skills have to work like cattle for several years at least. They also have to have a good conscience before they can become masters. Planting vegetables today is just a side job for us."
"that is."
The sworn enemy was standing aside and talking again today. Zhong Xuelian took the pumpkin seedlings and planted them against the wall. "By the way, Liang Xin, don't you want to raise chicks and ducks? I heard from Mrs. Zhong from the service center that a batch of chicks and ducks will arrive in the evening. Shall we go buy some later?"
Xia Xia immediately said: "I'll buy it and send it to you later!"
Liang Xin looked up at the sun, which was about to set. "You guys stay here first. I'll go to the service center to see if the chicks and ducklings have arrived."
Li Mao put down the dung bucket and said, "I'll go with you!"
As soon as I arrived at the service center, I saw the buyer carrying two baskets of chicks covered with straw out of the truck bed.
Liang Xin was just about to say "What a coincidence" when she suddenly saw a familiar figure heading towards the division hospital.
Looking closely, it was Instructor Song.
"Liang Xin, come and see!"
The tender yellow fluffy chicks chirped in the basket. Liang Xin looked away and squatted beside the basket. "How many can I buy?"
Li Mao was stunned. "I haven't heard of any restrictions on this. My home before the relocation is small and I can't keep many. How about I go to the Family Committee and ask Chairman Shi?"
“It still depends on the population.”
The director of the service center came out and said, "Each variety cannot exceed the number of people in the family for the time being. During the selection of the model city for the support of the army and the people, do not go out of line in any aspect, be safe."
"Then I can buy five chicks and five ducks!"
Hearing Li Mao's words, Liang Xin sighed slightly and chose two chicks and two ducklings.
Liang Xin took a few cardboard boxes from the bakery and stuffed straw into the boxes to create a temporary home for the chicks and ducklings.
Soak the leftover rice until it is softened, pour it into the chicken bowl, then throw two cabbages in.
The ducks were fed cornmeal, and cabbage leaves were thrown into the nest.
"Didn't they say that all regulations have been relaxed?"
Zhong Xuelian looked at the chicks in the box and asked, "What can I do with these two?"
"Something is better than nothing."
Liang Xin borrowed two mats from Li Mao and placed them outside the cardboard box, allowing the chicks and ducklings to come out for a stroll when the sun was warm, while also preventing Xiaobai and Xiaoju from crawling in and biting the chicks and ducklings.
Suddenly thinking of Instructor Song, Liang Xin looked at Wang Daya who was arranging green onions and said, "Sister-in-law Daya, how is Instructor Song's health?"
Wang Daya looked up in surprise, "Very good."
Liang Xin thought for a moment and said, "I just saw him go to the hospital. Can you go back and take a look first?"
Wang Daya patted the dirt off her body, her face showing worry, "Then, I, then I, I will go back and take a look."
"Go quickly."
Liang Xin had just brewed a pot of green tea and brought it to the rattan coffee table in the yard when Wang Daya came back.
"It's okay." Wang Daya walked back into the vegetable garden. "He, he said, go get Xiaoya some pagoda candy to remove the roundworms."
"Don't go in there until you've washed your hands."
Liang Xin poured the tea into the cups and said, "Come here and take a break."
"Yes, just don't get your hands dirty."
Xia Xia took off her sleeves and shook off the dirt, then walked to the sink in the yard and washed her hands with soap. "Speaking of the child, Yang Tao called me this morning and said he would be back tomorrow, and that I should continue to study hard after I come back!"
Liang Xin inevitably thought of Wei Yuanyang, "Study hard. Looking at the current situation, maybe the college entrance examination will be restored. By then, Yang Tao will be admitted to a university and become a college student."
"real?!"
Xia Xia's face suddenly glowed with joy, "If Yang Tao can really become a college student, I can die now with my eyes closed!"
"What kind of words are you talking about?"
Liang Xin took a sip of green tea and said, "Don't say that in front of Yang Tao. She will feel pressured."
"Okay, I'll listen to you. I won't tell you."
Liang Xin looked at Li Mao and Wang Daya who were queuing to wash their hands. "Not only Yang Tao needs to study, you all need to study too. Starting tonight, when we go to Deputy Commander Zhu's house, we will start an hour of cultural tutoring."
"us?"
Li Mao was surprised. "We all have jobs, why do we still need to learn to read?"
Xia Xia was also surprised and hesitated, "Bakery...it seems like I don't need to learn so many words to work?"
Liang Xin didn't explain, she just said, "I'm free anyway, and I don't have anything to do, so I might as well use it to learn some words."
That evening, a cultural cram school was held at Deputy Commander Zhu's home. Accompanied by the sound of Liao Ting cracking the whip, a group of family members with low cultural level and illiteracy began to study in class.
President Shi thought Liang Xin’s suggestion was very good, and arranged for family members with a high school education to take turns attending classes according to elementary school textbooks.
The teacher on the first night was Zhong Xuelian.
When Lu Chongfeng came to pick up Liang Xin, he heard the sound of reading as soon as he entered the door and almost thought he had come to the wrong place.
"That's a good idea of yours."
On the way, Lu Chongfeng held a flashlight and shone it at Liang Xin's feet, praising her: "I was planning to have all the soldiers in the division study culture for at least one hour every day, and you actually implemented it before me."
Liang Xin glanced at him and asked, "Are you sleepy?"
Lu Chongfeng thought of the scene where he was kicked off the bed at noon, and suddenly grabbed Liang Xin's hand and rubbed it on his waist, "I'm not sleepy, but it hurts."
Liang Xin: “….”
"Do you think I haven't seen you fighting with the soldiers in the training ground?"
Lu Chongfeng paused, "Have you seen it? It hurts too! I just endured it and didn't tell you!"
Liang Xin pulled her hand back and looked back to see if there was anyone in the dark night. "Aren't you afraid that someone will come on the road?"
"Come on, I'm a legal couple with a marriage certificate!"
Lu Chongfeng held Liang Xin's hand again, and walked slowly towards home under the faint moonlight. "Do you like it here?"
Liang Xin looked at the eaves under the moonlight and the river under the stone steps. "It's very quiet."
"Many military dependents can't stand the silence and are unwilling to come."
Lu Chongfeng and Liang Xin held hands tightly, "You are still different. You can create an environment."
"You went out for training tonight and ate some wild honey?"
“No.”
Liang Xin suddenly chuckled.
Lu Chongfeng looked down at her, "What are you laughing at?"
Liang Xin made sure that there was no one on the road, so she put her arm around his and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Lu Chongfeng straightened his back immediately, and when he realized something was wrong, he lowered his arm to Liang Xin's face, "Is this called walking on the road?"
Liang Xin said "hmm".
"They definitely wouldn't dare to cross the road like this."
The moonlight shone on the corners of Lu Chongfeng's mouth, and his bright eyes, even though big enough, were almost narrowed into crescents. "Thanks for remembering. I had forgotten that we can have a romantic relationship here."
"Don't talk."
"......"
Liang Xin leaned on his warm shoulders, walking home in the night breeze, and suddenly heard him say, "Walking on the street is just for dating, how can you date if you don't tell me?"
"...We're home, take the key and open the door."
Lu Chongfeng grabbed Liang Xin's hand as she was about to pull it away and said, "Shall we go back and do it again?"
Liang Xin reached into his trouser pocket and felt his thigh muscles tense instantly through a layer of cloth. She found the key and took it out, "Rogue, open the door."
Lu Chongfeng took the key and opened the door. As soon as the door closed, he pressed Liang Xin against the door and said, "You were the first to move."
The night is quiet, and the bright moonlight shines through the long window.
Liang Xin smelled the scent of soap on his body. Because they were close enough, their breaths slowly intertwined. "There is no next step in a relationship."
"Is it okay to put your hands in your partner's trouser pockets when you are in a relationship?"
"......"
There is progress.
He was outmaneuvered.
Liang Xin pushed him but he didn't move. "It's cold, go to bed."
Didn't make it to the bed.
Lu Chongfeng could still bear it, but as soon as Liang Xin gave him a hint, he couldn't control his breathing and it became disordered.
The buttons of Liang Xin's thin cotton jacket were unbuttoned one by one, and after taking off the sweater and cotton-padded shirt underneath, the thin cotton jacket was put on again.
But the buttons were not fastened again.
The military uniform was thrown far away onto the back of the chair in front of the square table.
Liang Xin hugged his long neck, pressed against his hot and hard chest, and stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
When he was picked up, Li Mao's voice cursing Daqiang was heard from outside.
Liang Xin regained consciousness for a moment and realized what a ridiculous thing the two had done.
Then he thought, it was a good thing it was the long hall and not the front yard, otherwise, the neighbors would have climbed up the wall one by one... Liang Xin's body shrank with nervousness.
Lu Chongfeng suddenly let out a low hum.
In the darkness, Lu Chongfeng's hand almost sank into the gap between Liang Xin's vertebrae, and large beads of sweat rolled down his jaw.
Liang Xin's hand covering his mouth began to tremble.
Because I only had one hand holding his neck, I had to use all my strength on that one support point.
What he got in return was being pressed almost into his chest.
Their bodies pressed against each other were so hot that sparks were about to appear.
But Li Mao seemed to be standing at her door, as if he had hit Daqiang with a shoe, and Daqiang kept yelling.
Noticing that Lu Chongfeng seemed to want to move, Liang Xin hurriedly leaned close to his ear, ".....Don't move."
Lu Chongfeng turned his head and kissed Liang Xin's lips.
Finally he took a deep breath.
Liang Xin's hands were so slippery with sweat that she could no longer hold him. She kept curling up her toes and exerting force, trying to hold herself back from moving, and also to let him hold himself back from making any noise.
Finally, there was the sound of a door opening next door.
Lu Chongfeng carried Liang Xin and walked quickly into the room. He didn't have time to close the door. Liang Xin would not let him do such an unnecessary thing as closing the door. For the first time, she became proactive and anxious.
Lu Chongfeng discovered a new world.
The next morning, Logistics Director Wu came to the bakery.
Several people immediately realized the importance of literacy.
"Without a professional technical title, I can only get a fixed salary of 30?"
Li Mao actually felt satisfied, but once a desire was satisfied, he had the desire to move up a level. "If I get a technical title, can I get a raise?"
"Of course."
Director Wu smiled and said, "Who among the working class doesn't get paid based on their technical titles? Even in the military, everyone is trying their best to get a mid- to high-level title, just like the regimental cadre in our logistics department. According to regulations, he can only enjoy the benefits of a regimental officer, but with the title of senior engineer, technical level seven, he can enjoy the benefits of a deputy division commander."
Li Mao, Xia Xia and Wang Daya were confused at first, but after hearing the next few sentences, they immediately understood half of it.
"So you don't have any professional titles now, and you can only get basic wages." Director Wu said: "Of course, I'm just talking about technical titles. The bakery was originally a temporary processing plant to solve the employment of family members. Because you do a good job, you have four quotas to get fixed wages. Otherwise, you can only get wages based on piecework."
"Four?"
Liang Xin frowned, "There are five of us here, how did we get four spots?"
The bakery fell silent in an instant.
Wang Daya clenched her fingers and began to get nervous involuntarily.
The bakery was so good that she didn't want to leave at all.
"Comrade Liang Xin, four people are more than enough for the bakery, and these are all temporary positions."
Director Wu comforted him, "The family of Instructor Song was temporarily arranged by the Family Committee to help. When the pharmaceutical factory starts recruiting again, she will be arranged to work there."
The four people except Wang Daya breathed a sigh of relief.
Especially Zhong Xuelian.
I thought to myself, you never know until you try, and only after trying did I realize how much I care about working in the bakery.
"Director Wu, do you mean that there will only be four vacancies in the bakery from now on?"
"right."
After Director Wu answered, he was afraid that Liang Xin would be unhappy, so he quickly added: "If the bakery is really overwhelmed, we can discuss adding more people, but at present, is there enough manpower?"
Liang Xin glanced at Wang Daya, frowned and thought for a while before saying, "Director Wu, the directors of the service centers of the other two regiments came to ask me if we could supply them with a batch of snacks every day. I asked them to apply for a report from the divisional logistics department. Did you receive it?"
Director Wu was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead and said, "Look at me, I forgot about this. I applied for it and submitted it yesterday, but we were all drunk yesterday and completely forgot about it."
A glimmer of hope appeared on Wang Daya's nervous face as she looked at Director Wu.
"But it still doesn't work."
Director Wu took a few sips of tea from the enamel teacup to relieve his hangover. "Comrade Liang Xin, you are the only chef who can really make dim sum. The other three are given the same fixed salary as you as an exception. If they were in a factory, they would still be considered apprentices. Even if you supply dim sum to the service clubs of the other two regiments every day, it would only be counted as an allowance for the four of you. The bakery cannot hire any more people. Otherwise, if I let this slack go, I don't know how many more people Chairman Shi will stuff in."
The other four looked at Liang Xin.
Liang Xin sat on the chair, frowning slightly. After a while, she spoke: "How much is the allowance?"
"One hour, one cent." Director Wu said, "Does it take about an hour to make a batch of dim sum? The other two groups don't have many people, so each group can only supply two batches of dim sum every day at most."
This means that even if all the allowance was given to Wang Daya, it would only be six to twelve yuan per month.
Liang Xin didn't ask any more questions, and said directly: "The bakery supplies two batches of snacks to the 11th and 3rd regiments every day, and the hourly allowance is 0.1 yuan, just according to the logistics rules. In addition, in order to ensure the quality of the snacks when they arrive at the counter, the bakery will deliver them to the door and give the 11th regiment a one-time allowance of 0.1 yuan. The 3rd regiment is five kilometers away from the 11th regiment, so the allowance is 0.2 yuan, which will be paid from the bakery's account."
Wang Daya was stunned.
Director Wu was also stunned. "How do you deliver the goods to your door?"
"Logistics, send a cart over here." Liang Xin asked again, "Can we use the mules in the stable?"
"...That mule belongs to the 1st Company's kitchen staff, not the logistics department." Director Wu sighed, "You decide on the allowance. The logistics department can only provide you with a cart."
Liang Xin looked at Zhong Xuelian, "How much money is in the bakery's account now?"
"There are more than 300." Zhong Xuelian went to get the account book, "I still need to see the specific number."
“No need to look at it.”
Liang Xin looked at Wang Daya and said, "Can you pull a cart back and forth for more than ten or twenty kilometers every day?"
Wang Daya nodded quickly and spoke very quickly, "I did it! In the production team, I carried the grain on my shoulders during spring planting and autumn harvest. Every year, I had to drag the cart to the commune to deliver the grain. I had to walk so many miles. In the production team, I could only earn 1.6 cents a day."
Liang Xin's brows were still furrowed. "Director Wu, if there is any work left for making matchboxes and shoe uppers, please take it over to us."
"Making shoe uppers?" Director Wu looked at the bakery in confusion. "I can only earn 20 cents a day by pasting 1,000 matchboxes. And I can only earn 1 cent by sewing 100 shoe uppers. And 1,000..."
"I'll do it!"
Wang Daya clenched her hands and said, "I can do it. It's easier than the production team."
Director Wu is gone.
Before leaving, he said that the materials and carts for the shoe factory would be delivered immediately.
Wang Daya walked to Liang Xin and said, "Director Liang, thank you, thank you."
Liang Xin patted Wang Daya's shoulder and said, "Come with me to my house and bring over the sewing machine that the Women's Federation gave me as a reward."
"Sewing machine?" Li Mao was puzzled. "What are you moving that for?"
"If you sew the uppers by hand, you can only sew a dozen or so in an hour at most." Liang Xin said, "If you use a sewing machine, you can finish one in a few minutes."
"yes!"
Li Mao clapped his hands and said, "You are smart. With a sewing machine, Daya can earn a few more cents a day! Maybe her salary will be higher than ours!"
"Work..."
Liang Xin just stood up and heard Wang Daya sobbing. She turned around and saw Wang Daya's eyes were wet. "Why are you crying? It's a pity that I am just a figurehead as the factory director. I can only manage the internal operations. Otherwise, I would have directly paid you a salary."
Wang Daya raised her hand and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Thank you, thank you, Director Liang."
After the sewing machine was brought over, the logistics department brought over the bakery's raw materials, carts and shoe uppers.
Wang Daya didn't know how to use a sewing machine, so Xia Xia went to teach her.
The shoe uppers delivered by the logistics department are still cotton shoes, and the three layers inside and outside must be sewn tightly together with thick thread.
Li Mao looked at the vegetables in the basket and asked, "Liang Xin, why did you send so many spinach and greens today?"
Liang Xin put on her apron and said, "Let's make qingtuan."
"Qingtuan?"
Zhong Xuelian was surprised, "You mean... Qingming Festival?"
"Don't we eat Qingtuan around the Qingming Festival? It's not a festival, so it's okay to eat it.
"sure!"
Liang Xin picked up the glutinous rice flour and said, "Wash the vegetables first, then you make the egg cakes, and Li Mao's wife will make the bread. Someone came to ask for bread yesterday. Make one batch first and send it out to taste. After you finish this batch, you two can make another batch of peach cakes and egg cakes. Separate 50 kilograms of egg cakes and 100 pieces of peach cakes and keep them for Tuan 11 and Tuan 3."
"Only give them two groups 50 kilograms of egg cakes and 100 pieces of peach cakes?" Li Mao asked curiously, "During the last holiday, their family members who came specially bought more than 50 kilograms. There are one or two thousand people in one group, not counting the family members. There are at least three or four thousand people in the two groups. Are they really only giving them 50 kilograms?"
“How can I earn the allowance after delivering it all at once?”
Liang Xin looked at Li Mao who suddenly realized something and said, "Besides, egg cakes are only delicious when they are freshly baked. If they are left out for a day or two, the taste will weaken."
"you're right!"
Li Mao tied on an apron and put on a hat, "Let's get to work!"
At the corner of the bakery, Xia Xia was teaching Wang Daya how to use a sewing machine. On the long table were two yellow basins and an enamel basin, containing dough and eggs respectively.
The sounds of sewing machines and beating eggs mixed together. When Lu Chongfeng walked in, his first impression was that the bakery had become busier than before.
Liang Xin was pouring squeezed green juice into the glutinous rice flour. She turned around and saw Lu Chongfeng. Her eyes slowly fell on the...turtle in his hand.
"Where did this old turtle come from?"
"I specially paired this famous dish, Farewell My Concubine!"
Liang Xin: "......When did you add a cookbook to your knowledge base?"
“The leadership has been well reformed.”
Lu Chongfeng placed the slaughtered turtle and the whole chicken in an enamel basin he had brought from home. "Don't cook it. I'm going to a meeting at the division headquarters. I'll take it home and cook it after the meeting."
"Look at how this young couple lives."
Xia Xia taught Wang Daya and came to help Liang Xin. "No wonder everyone said they wanted to learn from Section Chief Lu."
"Sister-in-law, what you mean by studying is not the same as what they mean by studying, right?"
Liang Xin kneaded the dough repeatedly, making the green juice of the dough even in color and moderate in hardness and softness.
"I think I need to learn from you in every aspect."
Xia Xia took out the red bean paste and prepared, "I don't understand, but I can see that the spirit and energy of the soldiers led by Deputy Division Commander Zhu in the past and the soldiers led by Section Chief Lu now are completely different!"
Zhong Xuelian raised her head and said, "Our old Ji also said that Section Chief Lu is the most capable young man he has ever seen."
"Let's not talk about others. Just look at our Lao Lei. His figure has changed compared to before." Li Mao kneaded the dough vigorously. "I hope he will be selected by Chief Lu to participate in the training for the martial arts competition this time and win a medal. With the bakery, I am less and less willing to leave the barracks."
"Transfers usually take place at the end of the year. We have just passed the Chinese New Year, so there is no need to worry for the time being."
Liang Xin rolled the green dough into long strips and picked them into embryos, each weighing one tael and a half.
Xia Xia helped to weigh them one by one. After weighing more than a dozen, she couldn't help but say, "How come you are so skilled in weighing each dose so accurately."
"Practice makes perfect. If you do it more often, you will be able to do it in the future."
Liang Xin flattened the dough, added red bean paste, pinched the opening and rolled it into a ball. The first green dumpling dough was ready.
"Sister-in-law, this doesn't require any skills. You do it, and I'll make the honey three knives."
Zhong Xuelian and Li Mao looked up at the same time, "Mi Sandao?"
"Egg cakes, peach cakes, twisted dough sticks, and even Western bread have been made." Xia Xia said, "I won't be surprised if you can make birthday cakes again. Liang Xin, you have a great talent!"
"Being able to make a birthday cake isn't a big deal."
Liang Xin brought the yellow basin and said, "You guys do your work. I will remind you of the key points verbally. Just listen to me and take a look."
Zhong Xuelian and Li Mao wanted to see it very much, but they didn't pay attention to the new products. They speeded up the "old products" in their hands and still carefully followed the steps to make bread and egg cakes.
"The honey three-knife is made up of lining and leather."
Liangxin flour and maltose are put into a basin, and then added with dough and kneaded into a dough. "After it is fermented into a large yeast dough, add alkaline water to remove the acid, and then it becomes the dough for the skin. The dough for the inside is made by mixing flour and water evenly."
"Comrade Liang Xin!"
Just as the four of them were listening attentively, a voice suddenly came from outside the bakery.
Liang Xin thought for a second, remembered who it was, and said hurriedly: "Secretary Huang, please come in."
"Comrade Liang Xin, you already know who I am before you even see me!"
The secretary of Xiahe Brigade led a group of people in. This time, he was not holding a basket, but two baskets of seafood and agricultural and sideline products.
The people in the bakery were frightened.
Including Liang Xin.
The basket on the left is filled with sea bass, mackerel, hairtail, yellow croaker, flower crab, scallops, shrimp, sea duck eggs... and the same seafood as last time!
The basket on the right is filled with eggs, honey, soybeans, red wolfberries, pork and a whole pig's head...
Liang Xin raised her flour-covered hands and walked forward, "Secretary, what are you doing?"
"Comrade Liang Xin, the tractor awarded to us by the Provincial Revolutionary Committee has been delivered to the village!"
The secretary of Xiahe Brigade said happily: "A brand new Dongfanghong tractor! It costs two or three thousand yuan!"
"Secretary, you gave me a lot of seafood last time for this tractor..."
"Comrade Liang Xin, there's more!"
The members of Xiahe Brigade excitedly interrupted: "The cadres of the Provincial Revolutionary Committee said that they will build roads and rebuild houses for our village!"
"That's nothing." The Party Secretary said, "The key point is that our story of saving water with you will not only be drawn into a comic strip, made into a movie, adapted into a stage show, but also written into elementary school textbooks!"
Liang Xin withdrew her hand and smiled, "Congratulations to you."
"Without a true hero like you, we wouldn't be here today!"
Secretary Huang pointed at two baskets of seafood and said, "So these things are nothing. We just want to express our gratitude. From now on, whenever we go out to sea, we will immediately send you any fresh products for you to taste. Comrade Liang Xin, please don't be polite. If you are polite and send us a gift in return, then our whole village... the whole commune will have trouble sleeping!"
"OK."
Liang Xin pointed at the raw dough on the table and said, "I'll take it, but you should also bring some freshly baked snacks from our bakery back home for your families to try."
"Comrade Liang Xin, I saw it a long time ago."
The director of Nanhe Commune stepped forward and said, "I've heard that heroes don't work in pharmaceutical factories, but open bakeries. Recently, many students in our commune have also gone to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy egg cakes and twisted dough sticks. They are all from the children who were arranged by the 11th Division to attend the commune school."
Liang Xin was about to smile when she saw Wang Daya standing in front of the sewing machine in the corner. "Director, your supply and marketing cooperative doesn't have a snack processing workshop?"
The director of Nanhe Commune laughed and said, "How can the members usually afford to buy these snacks? Only during festivals will they go to the county to buy a batch of snacks to sell."
"Go to the county? Isn't that too far?"
Liang Xin said slowly: "If you need it in the future, our bakery will deliver it to your door?"
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