Before Yu Rujia got out of bed, she heard a series of "heave-ho" sounds outside, and knew that the grain transport team had already started its operation.
The kids scurrying around in bed ruined her desire to sleep in, so she reluctantly dressed them and sent them out to play.
Gao Shujing got up too early today, so in order to keep breakfast from getting cold, everyone's breakfast could only be made when Rujia got up.
Opening the courtyard gate, the once quiet entrance was now filled with team members carrying loads on their shoulders, and pedestrians came and went in an endless stream. Several children were in the courtyard, their heads straining to look out, their bodies twisted into extremely strange postures.
Yu Rujia brought over breakfast and looked at the scene speechlessly. If you want to see it, just go outside and see it. Why twist your body like that?
Yu Rujia put down the tray in her hand and brought out the porridge, pickled vegetables, steamed eggs and boiled eggs one by one and placed them on the table.
The little ones, who usually waited patiently by the table for their meals, were now completely absorbed by the bustling scene outside and forgot all about breakfast.
Yu Rujia had no choice but to call out, "Breakfast is ready! People who are late won't get any food!"
Upon hearing about food, Duolu was the first to come back: "Auntie, I want to eat."
As soon as he left, the other three of them scurried back on their short legs.
With Gao Shujing absent, the task of feeding Duoxi fell to Duofu.
During the day, with good sunlight, Duofu kept in mind her uncle's advice that girls should be pampered, and that she should not let her aunt, the only girl in the family, do things that she could do herself.
Although he didn't understand why his aunt was still a child even though she was so old, he believed his uncle's opinion.
Moreover, he likes his aunt and doesn't want her to be too tired.
Duofu skillfully picked up the bowl, scooped out the steamed egg, fed Duoxi with a spoon, and even had the mind to ask the questions he was thinking about.
Duofu: "Auntie, are all those uncles and elders picking out food?"
Yu Rujia: "Yeah, what's wrong?"
Duofu: "Where are they going to send the food?"
Yu Rujia: "When we send them to the commune, the pots we use for cooking at home, the fabrics you wear for your clothes, and many other things are all made by city people. The division of labor is different in the countryside and the city."
“We grow grain in the countryside and send it to the city, and the city makes other things and sends them to the countryside. This is an exchange.”
Explaining complex principles to them wouldn't make them understand, and it would only pique their curiosity, leading them to ask a bunch of "why" questions. Yu Rujia's simple and easy-to-understand explanations made it much easier for the little ones to grasp the concepts.
Duo Shou swallowed what was in his mouth and said, "I like new clothes."
Yu Rujia joked, "Oh, our Duoshou is quite the pretty kid."
Duoshou grinned: "I also like Auntie."
While they were having breakfast, Gao Shujing and the others had been queuing for a while at the commune. With a tractor around, they successfully grabbed the first spot.
Captain Huang's long-awaited team, Xiafen Brigade, came a step behind and could only settle for second place.
Captain Huang grinned from ear to ear: "You guys are so obsessed with being number two that you never forget your second-place position no matter where you go."
Captain Xu of the Xiafen Brigade, puffing on his cigarette, said, "You were lucky to get a spot. Look at you, so capable. Be careful not to slip up."
Captain Huang: "No, you wait, we will get back what we lost this year."
Captain Xu: "That so-called leader, right? That's ancient history from so many years ago. You're still thinking about it? Let me tell you, stop dreaming about being a leader. We raised ten more pigs this year. No matter how hard you try, you can't catch up."
The Dongyuan Commune consisted of only a few brigades. As competitors, they also had many intermarriages, so the brigade leaders were somewhat familiar with the situation of each brigade.
Captain Huang's heart skipped a beat. The reason why Shangfen Brigade was able to become the leader before was because he led his team to plant a grove of orange trees, which gave them an extra source of income compared to Xiafen Brigade.
A few years later, the Xiafen Brigade started raising pigs because of the arrival of an educated youth, which made up for the gap and made it a twin star alongside the Shangfen Brigade.
Their orange production didn't increase, but the number of pigs in Xiafen Brigade increased by ten, which could sell for one or two thousand yuan.
Captain Huang was hoping that with Gao Shujing's help, their Shangfen Brigade could regain its leading position.
As it turns out, Gao Shujing is indeed capable, but he has only been here for three or four months. Even if he stays for another month, he can only make five or six hundred yuan, which is less than the profit from ten pigs. Does this mean they are going to become number two this year?
No, absolutely not. It seems that electrification is imperative. Once electrified, even if the Xiafen Brigade sends another twenty or thirty pigs, it still won't be able to catch up with the Shangfen Brigade.
Captain Huang, though losing face, retorted: "Oh, ten pigs, that's a lot! But how do you know our Shangfen Brigade doesn't have any secret weapons? There's still a month left this year, and the outcome is still uncertain. You're being too smug now."
Captain Xu: "What secret weapon? Tell us and let us see it."
Captain Huang: "You'll find out by the end of the year."
Captain Xu snorted: "Even if you don't say it, I know. He's just that educated youth from your area. He knows how to fix things and generates revenue for you. I admit he has the ability."
“But our educated youth Ma is no less capable. His pig-raising skills are becoming increasingly refined. He can raise ten more pigs this year, and even more next year. No matter how capable your educated youth Gao is, can you find so much scrap material for him to repair?”
“How much revenue can you generate by relying on your old resources? To truly generate revenue, you need to produce something new. We, the Ma educated youth, can do this. Let’s see how you, the Gao educated youth, generate revenue when you have nothing to repair.”
Seeing the smug Captain Xu, Captain Huang was furious. If he hadn't been rational, he would have revealed the fact that the electricity had been switched on.
Even if it hadn't come to light yet, Captain Huang had already given himself a death order: he had to pester the power company to give them the power lines, no matter what.
Being one of the two stars is already frustrating enough; if they were to become number two, their team in Shangfen would be laughed at to death.
Captain Xu looked at Captain Huang, who was so angry he couldn't speak. If he didn't want to provoke Huang and cause him to fight on the day of grain delivery, he would have laughed heartily long ago.
Who told this guy to rely on a grove of orange trees to make Shangfen Brigade the richest brigade in Dongyuan Commune? He's always showing off in front of them, acting like they're so incompetent. It's infuriating! Today I finally got my revenge.
After delivering the grain tax, Captain Huang couldn't wait to find Gao Shujing and solemnly pulled him aside, saying, "Gao, we need electricity this year, you absolutely have to do it."
Gao Shujing was completely bewildered. They had only said they would try it before, but now it seemed like they had no choice but to do it: "Captain, I've figured it out. We don't have any wires or tools."
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