Chapter 102

Hengheng handed a towel to Dunzi. After he dried himself, he quickly put on a shirt. Don't think he didn't see that Lu Qing's face changed.

Look at how many people are swimming on the beach, all with bare upper bodies. Didn't I just get out of the water, still wet, and didn't have time to change clothes? Is it necessary to be like this? How much disgust he must have shown towards me! She turned her head away immediately!

Never mind, they are both cute.

"Shuangshuang, did you see my brother swimming just now? Hurry up!" Dunzi's result is currently ranked second and he has a good chance of winning a prize. This time the prizes are provided by the army, including military satchels, military water bottles, and other things that everyone likes and are prestigious to use. People outside may want them.

"Awesome!" Shuangshuang jumped up and down twice, acting as cheerleaders very seriously, "Brother Dunzi, you swim so fast."

"That's right." Dunzi was very proud. His swimming level was not an exaggeration. It was one of the best in the family compound and he had no rivals.

"Dunzi, you swim very well. I think you will win a prize in the end." Jian Lu was also excited as a spectator. Who wouldn't like to watch the excitement?

"Aunt Lulu, I have to be in the top three. There's no way I'll fall out."

"Just be poor." Feng Xiuhui and Liang Haisheng looked at their son. Although their son was not good at studying, he was good in other aspects. No matter what, he made his parents proud today.

Dunzi was in high spirits and shook off the water droplets on his hair. In a blink of an eye, he saw Lu Qing taking two steps back.

Hey, this guy really hates himself?

With a smile still on his face, Dunzi raised his chin towards Lu Qing. He couldn't help but want to stab her again, "Lu Qing, why don't you learn how to swim? Here, three-year-old children can go into the water."

What Dunzi said is true. For people living by the sea, it is really hard to resist going into the water, especially in the summer. Children are always playing in the shallow water, playing in the water, and treating it as a way to cool off.

Lu Qing glanced at him and said, "None of your business."

Shuangshuang looked left and right. She knew what she was talking about, so she immediately reported, "Brother Dunzi, Sister Qingqing said she wants to learn swimming in the summer. I will teach her."

"You?" Dunzi approached Shuangshuang and pinched her cheeks, "You can be a teacher?"

They both puffed up their chests with pride, "I'm sure I can do it. I'm also very good."

Dunzi smiled and wondered what Lu Qing could learn from Shuangshuang.

The winter swimming activity lasted for a whole day and ended in the late afternoon. Dunzi finally won the third place and took home a military water bottle. He only had two military water bottles, so he gave the prize to Shuangshuang.

This is a habit he has developed over the years. After all, Shuangshuang likes everything.

Shuangshuang suddenly found a big military water bottle stuffed in his arms. It was a green water bottle with an olive green rope at the mouth of the bottle, so he could carry it on his back, which was very convenient.

But she already has one, given to her by her father.

"Brother Dunzi, let me give it to Sister Qingqing. She doesn't have it yet."

"I don't..." Before Lu Qing could say the words of refusal, he heard Dunzi next to him say to Shuangshuang.

"Here it is, you decide for yourself."

"Okay." Shuangshuang likes to share with friends, and immediately put the military water bottle into Sister Qingqing's arms, "Sister Qingqing, next time we can go out and play together with the water bottle on our backs!"

Lu Qing held the heavy water bottle, looked at Shuangshuang, then glanced at Dunzi who didn't care what happened to his prize, and accepted it. "Thank you, Shuangshuang."

"You are welcome!"

——

After the winter swimming activity, the two of them, under the supervision of their mother, completed their winter vacation homework more than a week in advance. The last bit of holiday time without any winter vacation homework was particularly relaxing.

Today, she is going out with her mother.

But before going out, she had to get her hair cut.

Xiao Mazha was placed under the loofah rack in the yard. Shuangshuang sat on it obediently, bending over to wash her hair. In front of her was an enamel basin filled with clear water with soft black hair floating in it.

The slender hands were gently soaking the hair with water. Jian Lu applied shampoo to the girl and rubbed out some foam.

"Mom, can I open my eyes?"

"Is there any water on your face?"

"no."

"Then you can open your eyes, but be careful not to let the water get into your eyes."

"I know." Shuangshuang opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was her own shampoo. She also wanted to join in washing her hair. After a while, there were four hands on her head. She didn't know what the two little hands were busy with, but they seemed to be very busy, rubbing her hair and scalp.

After washing twice, Shuangshuang's hair was wrapped in a towel by her father and he started to wipe her hair.

Cheng Zheng used a towel in both hands to rub his daughter's hair, but was repeatedly reminded by his wife.

"Please be gentle and don't make my hair frizzy."

Cheng Zheng: "...How can it be so exaggerated?"

Having said that, the strength in his hands became lighter and lighter.

Shuangshuang's hair was lowered below her shoulders, but she thought it was too long, so she pestered her mother to cut it shorter.

Jian Lu had cut her own hair and bangs before. A casual cut was presentable, and there was no pressure to cut her child's hair.

With a few clicks, she slowly trimmed his hair. After a while, both of their hair were a finger joint shorter.

Jian Lu braided two more pigtails for her daughter. They both looked at themselves in the mirror. The little girl kept stroking her own braids, smiling at the mirror, shaking her head and twisting it around. Only then did she feel satisfied with the length.

"Okay, you are so beautiful, but there is no time for you to show off. We are about to set off, so you should carry your bag." Jian Lu is taking Shuangshuang out to visit Cai Xiujuan today.

"Okay." Shuangshuang has a small crossbody bag made by her mother. It has her favorite little flowers on it. She can put candies and melon seeds in it so she can eat them anytime. She puts the bag on her back and is ready to go at any time.

Cheng Zheng had to go back to the army to handle official business in the afternoon. His mother-in-law was at home, so Jian Lu took Shuangshuang to say goodbye to the family.

"Drive slowly on the road." Cheng Zheng watched the mother and daughter leave.

"knew."

"Got it. Goodbye, Dad, goodbye, Grandma!"

Jian Lu held her daughter in one hand and carried a gift in the other, which was homemade shrimp sauce and two small bags of beef jerky. Shuangshuang was traveling alone with her mother for the first time. She was so excited that she couldn't sleep last night, but she was still full of energy.

"Mom, is Sister Duoduo from Aunt Xiujuan's family home?"

Shuangshuang had met Cai Xiujuan's daughter Duoduo a few times before. It was in the past few years when Cai Xiujuan brought her children to visit her for New Year's greetings. This was the first time that Jian Lu brought Shuangshuang to play.

"I'm at home. Sister Duoduo heard that you were coming, so she prepared some delicious food for you."

"Wow!"

Both of them were looking forward to going out to play, and after some trouble, they finally arrived at the Jiefang Production Brigade of Qingshui Commune where Cai Xiujuan was.

As soon as we got off the boat, Cai Xiujuan led her ladies to greet us.

"Lulu, Shuangshuang, come on, go inside and rest for a while."

"Sister Shuangshuang." Duoduo is a grown-up girl now. When she saw the little guest coming, she took the initiative to step forward and hold her hand.

"Sister Duoduo, you have so much water here." Shuangshuang felt curious that there was water here all of a sudden, flowing everywhere.

"I'll take you out to play."

Cai Xiujuan has now moved out of her parents' home. The mother and daughter live in a newly built blue-tiled house with three rooms and a small courtyard. It is spacious and quiet. This is also a special privilege for her to lead the commune to prosperity.

The commune granted land for building a house, and many members came to help repair the house. Now the lives of the mother and daughter have improved greatly.

The room was spacious and bright. Cai Xiujuan took Jian Lu to the main room to talk, while Duoduo took Shuangshuang to her bedroom.

"Shuangshuang, these are all your favorites. Don't be polite. Just treat this place as your own." Cai Xiujuan prepared candies and pastries, and also prepared two enamel cups filled with warm water. She then told her daughter, "Duoduo, take good care of your sister."

"I know, Mom."

"Thank you, Aunt Xiujuan."

The door was half-open, and the two little girls each took a walnut cake and started eating it, whispering to each other.

"Drink some water." Cai Xiujuan and Jian Lu sat down. "Are you tired from coming here?"

"It's OK. I'm used to taking the boat now." Jian Lu looked at Cai Xiujuan's house. It was well built. "You two are living a good life now."

"No, it's all thanks to you for reminding me to cultivate pearls. Otherwise, I wouldn't be living my current life."

Speaking of pearls, Cai Xiujuan looked serious and talked about the progress of contracting a private farm.

In the past two years, problems have frequently occurred in the commune's pearl farm, and the farm director Cai Xiujuan can hardly control the farm. She was originally in charge of technology, but personnel management became chaotic, with all kinds of leaders stuffing people in. It would have been fine if the people who came in just took the money and did nothing, but it was a group of outsiders who insisted on instructing the insiders and started showing off their power without knowing anything.

Sometimes he went to inspect the work of the women who raised river clams and insisted that they stop raising them to answer questions. Sometimes he went to intervene in the work of the women who collected pearls and insisted that they change the method to collect pearls. All this trouble seriously affected the progress of the cultivation.

Cai Xiujuan had been exhausted from several quarrels with others. She remembered what Jian Lu had said about the private contracting of pearl farming, and she told the commune secretary about it last year.

She had worked hard in the commune over the past few years and had increased the per capita income of Qingshui Commune several times. Even the commune secretary would give her some face. Naturally, the secretary was reluctant to let Cai Xiujuan go out and work on her own.

"How did you agree to it later?" Jian Lu had been busy with her studies before and had no chance to learn the details.

"I heard it." Cai Xiujuan had a high reputation in the entire commune, and many people would tell her about it. "The husband of a female pearl picker in our farm heard the son of the deputy secretary of the commune talking to him when he was drunk. He said that the deputy secretary talked to the secretary and asked him to agree to let me go out and work on my own. Now there are people all over the country doing private contract farming. They thought that if I left, this farm would still belong to the commune, which would be more convenient for them to manage. Before, I always had the final say, which always hurt the leaders' face."

"It's normal for them to think this way. They must think that now that you have everything in order, they can just take over and do a good job, and they can also save a lot of money on paying you and me."

Cai Xiujuan and Jian Lu have always received extra wages. They provided technology, management and sales channels for the pearl farm. When everyone else in the commune was receiving work points, the two of them were receiving extra money.

"That's right. I don't care about these things anyway. I used to think that working in the commune was pretty good. I built this place myself, so I couldn't bear to leave. However, it has completely changed in the past two years. What kind of people are coming in? I feel that it is getting more and more exhausting."

Cai Xiujuan is now able to work independently. In addition to painstakingly studying breeding techniques, she is also very knowledgeable about contract farming. "Look at this."

She drew a simple picture, mainly showing the locations she had chosen for cultivating river clams and building factories. "These places were ours before. Anyway, I told the secretary that I had to be approved for ponds, lakes, and land, and he agreed. Do you have any opinions?"

Jian Lu was no longer as professional as Cai Xiujuan in these technical issues. Naturally, she fully believed in her choice of site. "That's great. Let's calculate the production volume. When the time comes, we can first complete the two orders we signed in City Z. The volume of these two orders is enough for us to get started."

"I think so too. Let them handle the orders from the county stores while we develop other businesses."

"What about the workers? Are they going to go with you or continue working here?"

Speaking of the female workers she had trained, Cai Xiujuan was in a dilemma. "I just want to tell you about this. A large number of female workers want to leave with me, but you see, I can't really do such a thing. If I leave and contract a private site, and take all the female workers here with me, wouldn't this place be left empty?"

Cai Xiujuan is an honest person, and this place is the result of her years of hard work. If this were not a public place, she would not be able to make the decision now. She would always feel restricted and reluctant to leave.

"Your concern is reasonable. The operation here is already very mature. As long as the next manager does not mess things up, you can still make a lot of money. As for the female workers, you can pick a few of the most trustworthy ones to take away. It won't have much impact on them if a few of them leave, but it will be very helpful for you to get started in the early stages."

"OK!"

Cai Xiujuan took Jian Lu and the two children out to see the place she had chosen to raise river clams, as well as the site where the factory office would be built in the future.

Qingshui Commune has well-connected waterways and abundant freshwater resources, with sparkling waters everywhere.

Shuangshuang looked at the huge amount of water and thought to herself, "Mom, there's a lot of water here too."

"Yes, this is a lake, different from the sea where we are."

"They are all so beautiful. I will write about them in my next composition." Shuangshuang blinked her big eyes and looked at the calm water surface very seriously.

Cai Xiujuan and Jian Lu finalized the details of the private contract and went to the commune together to sign the contract.

In the past two years, the whole country has been gradually opening up, and even Jian Lu's hometown has begun to distribute land to households. The days of earning work points have gradually become history. Everyone can work harder and earn more, and their enthusiasm has been greatly improved.

The commune secretary had mixed feelings about Cai Xiujuan and Jian Lu going out to contract farming alone.

What worries me is that I am always a little worried, after all, they are very capable. But what makes me happy is that this can indeed save a lot of money, which is equivalent to a large income for the commune.

"Comrade Xiao Cai, Comrade Xiao Jian, from now on we will stay home apart from each other. We can help each other if anything happens."

The commune secretary kept a low profile and gave the two of them enough face. After all, they were both talented people, and he had always admired these two female comrades.

"Secretary Wei, don't worry, if you need anything, just let me know."

"well."

Cai Xiujuan and Jian Lu completed their private contracting business and finally owned their own pearl farm. It was a legitimate one and they didn't need to worry about speculation or hide anything.

The two of them each invested 30,000 yuan. Cai Xiujuan held a 55% stake because she was involved in technology and management. Jian Lu only contributed money and helped make decisions from time to time. In the later stage, she focused on expanding sales channels and held a 45% stake.

The things that came later were mainly preliminary preparations. Because they had no experience back then, they actually discovered some problems during the subsequent development process. However, the early farm had already been built and it was no longer possible to make major changes. Fortunately, this time they could revise it and change it from the most basic foundation.

The two of them took the blueprints and discussed more efficient breeding and cultivation, pearl collection and transportation routes, and also designed the new office space to be built next...

They kept discussing until almost evening. After they had discussed everything, they saw that it was almost time for dinner, so they cleaned up and started to cook.

Before leaving, Jian Lu knew that she would be too busy to finish her work in one day, so she agreed with Cai Xiujuan in advance to stay here for one night.

After dinner, Jian Lu took Shuangshuang to sleep in the west room. Shuangshuang had played with sister Duoduo for a whole day and fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow, showing no signs of getting used to her bed.

The next morning, the two met with several key members who were going to leave for Xinchang, and decided on their respective positions and subsequent responsibilities. Seeing that everything was ready, Jian Lu left.

"I will try to find a way to get new orders later. Anyway, we will do both. On the one hand, we will sell our pearls to medicine, and on the other hand, we will sell them to jewelry. When we become bigger, we can divide them into different fields to produce pearls with different requirements."

"Okay, I'll have my phone number in my office when the time comes. Just call me if you have anything to say."

"good."

Jian Lu took Shuangshuang away at around ten o'clock in the morning. When they were leaving, the two little girls were reluctant to leave and hugged each other tightly. Both of them also invited people to visit their home.

"Sister Duoduo, remember to come to my house and play."

"OK."

"Goodbye Aunt Xiujuan, goodbye Sister Duoduo!"

Sitting on the ferry, they both looked back from time to time. Jian Lu tidied up her hair and asked, "Are you so reluctant to let her go?"

"Well, it's fun to go out and play."

"How about letting you stay here for a few days?"

Her long eyelashes fluttered as if she was thinking seriously, "Then dad and grandma will come too."

"Okay, let's go out and play as a family next time."

After finishing the work at the pearl farm, Jian Lu stayed at home for three days before ending her winter vacation and packing her luggage to return to school.

After many farewells, everyone will be more relaxed. This time, Shuangshuang was able to wave goodbye to her mother with a smile, "Mom, come back soon, and study hard."

"I know. You should study hard too!"

=

Jian Lu carried her suitcase and an extra bag of food and boarded the green train back to school. After not seeing her roommates for a winter vacation, they seemed to have gotten along a little better. Even those whose families were not well off had a feast of fish and meat during the New Year.

As soon as Sun Shangmei saw Jian Lu, she went up to her and said, "Sister Lulu, look at me. Have you gained a lot of weight?"

"No, have you gained weight?"

"I gained 25 pounds!" Sun Shangmei thought that this was a happy worry. "My brother found a job in a state-owned factory. Now there are two regular workers in our family. The food intake of our family has increased a lot. We eat meat a lot when we go home."

"Isn't that great?" Jian Lu greeted the others one by one, and saw that Li Suihua had also changed into new clothes. "Suihua, your clothes are so beautiful, and the color suits you."

Li Suihua touched her new clothes and smiled, "I like them too."

It turned out that Li Suihua's family started to distribute land to each household last year. After planting the land for a year, the family handed over half of the crops as public grain in autumn, and kept the remaining half for themselves. This was much more than what they had earned from collective labor in the past. At the end of the year, they also sold four pigs. The family's finances suddenly became better, and everyone could buy cloth to make a new piece of clothing.

After the Chinese New Year, it was really a new year with a new atmosphere. When Qiu Cuiping was the last one to arrive at school, the six people in the dormitory were finally together.

“I brought you some delicious food!”

Qiu Cuiping did not go back to her own home for the New Year, but went to her grandmother's house for the winter vacation. She lived with the old lady, got up every day to read books, and helped with farm work. Her life was quite leisurely.

When they opened the bag, they saw that Qiu Cuiping had brought half a bag of peanuts. The others didn't hesitate and immediately started peeling and eating the raw peanuts.

Every time like this is the time to enjoy the most delicious food, especially when the things Jian Lu brings are the most abundant.

My mother-in-law made duck with sauce from the duck we bought last time, and will ask Jianlu to bring it to school when she starts to eat it slowly.

After two years of living together as roommates, there is no reason for them to refuse. It’s better to strike first!

Sun Shangmei grabbed a duck leg and nibbled on it with gusto. She gave Jian Lu a thumbs up and said, "Sister Lulu, your mother-in-law is a great cook. It's delicious!"

"Then you guys eat more. I'll tell my mother-in-law next time I go back. My roommates all praised her for being amazing."

After some lively fun and two dormitory night talks, everyone finally put their holiday mood behind them and started the first semester of their junior year.

Qiu Cuiping continued to study with the freshmen of Class 1979, and also taught herself the later knowledge, working incredibly hard every day.

Jian Lu often went to the university library and read books after class. She found a book about pearl cultivation technology and made some notes and sent it to Cai Xiujuan.

University life is peaceful and wonderful. Students' lives are more or less revolving around four points: dormitory - cafeteria - classroom - library. However, after a while, there are still some differences.

Sun Shangmei is the youngest and most lively person in the dormitory. She gets along well with everyone in the dormitory. After dinner on Saturday, Sun Shangmei was the last one to go to the bathroom with her lunch box to rinse. After a while, she came back mysteriously, closed the dormitory door and said softly.

"Comrades, do you want to go out and listen to something good tonight?"

"Good stuff?" Hao Yue was the first to reply. "What good stuff?"

Li Suihua was puzzled, "Are you sure you're right? Isn't it about eating good food?"

"Hey, what are you eating?! I just had dinner. I'm listening! Ding~ding~ding~ding~ Do you want to go listen? Someone in the boys' dormitory brought back a tape!"

"Ah?" Song Guilan understood instantly, "The music of decadence?"

"Hoo!" Sun Shangmei was excited, her eyebrows dancing with joy like a sparrow, and she started to chirp, "Don't talk so loudly, I asked a few people in the dormitory, they all want to go, so let's go too."

Qiu Cuiping was a little worried. "Didn't the teacher emphasize yesterday that we can't listen to lascivious music?"

"Oh, I can't listen to it alone. Let's go as a group. We can't all be arrested, right?" Sun Shangmei got excited when she thought of nice songs. The more the teachers emphasized not to listen to them, the more she wanted to listen.

This group of people lacked rich spiritual entertainment activities. They had listened to too many model operas and revolutionary songs and could not suppress their curiosity. After some hesitation, they finally made up their minds to go!

Class 2 of the Department of Trade, male dormitory. Someone got a copy of Hong Kong City's tapes during this winter vacation. One person can't have it all to himself, so word spread quickly, and the news of whether or not to go listen to the good stuff at night spread throughout Class 2 of the Department of Trade.

Around eight o'clock on Saturday evening, the small woods behind H University were crowded with people.

The night was as dark as ink, and everyone hid in it. Whenever they saw someone running towards them, they would carefully observe whether it was one of their own.

Gradually, the team grew larger. When Jian Lu and her dormitory of six people ran over, they saw that there were already more than thirty people in the grove.

"Lulu, you guys are here too?" Cui Fangfang from the next dormitory pulled her over.

"Yes, everyone wants to listen to it!" Jian Lu hasn't listened to pop songs for ten years since she traveled through time. If others have never heard of it and want to hear it, what about her? It's because of nostalgia! Deeply!

"Zong Zhaoqi, you are really capable. You actually managed to get this tape."

"Hurry up, let's retreat after listening to it once, and don't let the security find us."

Zong Zhaoqi was a man of some ability, and seeing so many classmates coming over, he felt a sense of pride in himself for being exceptionally capable. Holding the tape in his hand and his roommate holding the radio, he asked everyone to sit down.

"Chen Ming, Xu Jun, you two should pay attention. If there are security guards coming, please say hello."

"Know."

There were shadows everywhere in the grove. Dozens of people sat on the ground. Fearing that the sound might be heard, everyone sat very close to each other and watched Zong Zhaoqi put the tape into the radio and press the play button.

Next to Jian Lu was Sun Shangmei. When the girl got excited, she hugged Jian Lu's arm tightly and shook her from time to time, "Here it comes."

Almost everyone here has never listened to decadent music. The teachers only emphasize that we should not listen to such decadent music as it will corrode people's willpower. But the more they say this, the more curious everyone becomes. What kind of song can be so powerful?

The sound of music slowly floated out from the radio, instantly quieting the students sitting on the floor. The whispers just now disappeared in an instant, and everyone listened quietly.

"Sweet, your smile is sweet, like flowers blooming in the spring breeze, blooming in the spring breeze①..."

The female voice on the radio is sweet and moving, like a lark singing. The song is soft and soothing, sweet but not greasy, making people feel like they are bathed in the spring breeze. When the spring breeze blows, it blows straight into the heart.

After the song ended, the surroundings were still quiet. No one among the thirty or so people spoke. Everyone was still immersed in the melodious and graceful song, savoring it endlessly.

In the crowd, Xu Jun spoke up, "Zong Zhaoqi, play it again!"

This statement seemed to have opened a gap. Many people could not suppress their inner restlessness and started to agree, "Yes, play it again."

"It's so beautiful. I've never heard such a beautiful song."

"Hurry, hurry up and let's listen again."

Zong Zhaoqi was also happy to see that his classmates were in high spirits, "Okay, let's play it again."

The same moving female voice just now appeared again in the grove. This time, many people swayed their bodies gently, as if they were relaxing to the music. Everyone was intoxicated and conquered by the beautiful singing voice.

Jian Lu hummed along in her heart and was instantly filled with emotion. She finally heard a pop song that she was familiar with, as if the world she had traveled through finally had a real intersection with the world she was familiar with later.

At this moment, she only felt that the times had really changed and were rushing forward.

"What are so many people doing here?" A stern shout interrupted everyone's reverie, and the school security guard appeared in the grove. "Which department and class are you from? What are you doing here?"

Everyone stood up instantly, and no one knew who said, "Run!"

About thirty people ran towards the grove in all directions.