The course begins in Chapter 137.
A major incident has occurred in Xiangyang Brigade!
Nurse Cen, who was sent to the countryside to provide support, was to teach the female comrades in their production team how to drive tractors—only the female comrades!
Sure enough, early the next morning, someone went to Xiang Yiguo to ask for a favor, hoping to get their daughter into Cen Yan's hands to learn how to drive a tractor, so that she would have a skill and it would be easier to negotiate a dowry when she got married.
"Get out of here! Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You're all no good. Who Nurse Cen takes on as her apprentices is not up to me. Don't try to get me into trouble!"
Xiang Yiguo didn't even try to retaliate, simply waving his hand to dismiss these people with ulterior motives.
“Nurse Cen said that priority will be given to those who don’t have an advantage in earning work points, those who are quick-witted, or those who have elderly, weak, or sick family members, and therefore earn fewer work points overall! Is your family one of them? If your daughter insists on learning to drive a tractor, that’s fine too. In the future, if your family has five strong laborers, your work points will be reduced by half, okay?”
“How can this be?” The man, who was trying to curry favor, shook his head vigorously. “Work points are our lifeblood as farmers.”
"Isn't that settled then? Nurse Cen's purpose in teaching tractor driving skills this time was to provide assistance, not to add another full work point to families like yours with able-bodied members! Remember, greed knows no bounds!"
Xiang Yiguo's words made the man blush with embarrassment, and he dared not insist on anything further, slinking away with his tail between his legs.
Xiang Yiguo snorted and went door-to-door to notify the eligible female comrades.
Soon, the girls who wanted to learn how to drive tractors, all looking radiant, put on raincoats and stood in the center of the threshing ground, braving the torrential rain.
They stood at attention like female soldiers, very perfectly.
Cen Yan was a little speechless. While taking off her straw hat, she asked Xiang Yiguo, "Captain, what did these girls do that they're being punished by being made to stand in the rain?"
Xiang Yiguo quickly waved his hand, "It wasn't me who made them get soaked in the rain. These girls are just being stubborn and trying to imitate how people express their determination when they become apprentices!"
Cen Yan was both amused and exasperated. "There's no need for that. Let them in quickly. I'll give them a brief introduction to the structure of a tractor first, and then I'll explain my teaching plan."
"Alright!" Xiang Yiguo quickly called people in to take shelter from the rain and told them to line up in a row.
The girls stood in a row, their eyes filled with curiosity and awe of the tractor.
Even now, standing right in front of Cen Yan and Xiang Yiguo, they still couldn't believe that someone like them could one day learn how to drive a tractor.
You should know that this was a skilled job that the commune was eager to have. Every summer and autumn harvest season, the commune's tractor drivers were so busy that they didn't even have time to drink water, as they were busy earning work points!
"Captain, can we really learn to drive a tractor? What if this big iron ox hits me?"
Xiang Yiguo laughed and said, "Since you're standing here, you have a chance to learn how to drive a tractor. As for how much you can learn from Nurse Cen, that depends on your own ability. Nurse Cen said she'll teach you for two days."
"Also, why would the tractor hit you for no reason? If it really did hit you, then the tractor driver should be held responsible!" Xiang Yiguo reassured the nervous girls and looked at Cen Yan, "Nurse Cen, then I'll leave the rest to you. I'll go and harvest the crops now."
There are simply not enough people to harvest the crops in the fields. Even with soldiers from the army coming to the countryside to help, they still can't finish harvesting the grain in a short time.
Cen Yan nodded, and only after Xiang Yiguo left did she look at the girls again.
When the girls met Cen Yan's gaze, they immediately lowered their heads in a fluster, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Cen Yan smiled and stepped forward to pat the tractor. "Don't panic. Since I promised to teach you how to drive a tractor, I will teach you properly. Whether you learn it or not is up to you. First lesson, we won't rush to learn 'how to make the tractor run.' Let's figure out its structure first!"
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