Chapter 38
Since buying the oil lamp, Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu no longer have to stick to the small peasant economy routine of working from sunrise to sunset.
After leaving Xiao Ning's house and returning to her own home, Chu Jiujiu first took an oil lamp into the utility room. Chu Shao had boiled a pot of boiling water before leaving. The temperature was now slightly cooler, but still warm. Chu Jiujiu took a comfortable bath and washed her hair. She didn't have much hair, but it was very long. After it was soaked, she looked like the cat bathing pictures that often circulate on the Internet today. The fluffy hair instantly became a small clump, and when the water was squeezed out, it looked even less.
After taking a shower, Chu Jiujiu returned to the house with disheveled hair, lay on the bed, and fanned herself with the largest bamboo fan in her house.
hot.
It's so hot.
Was air conditioning invented? Had electric fans been introduced to China? Could they afford ice machines?
Chu Jiujiu opened her arms and legs, trying to let the natural breeze in the room take away the heat from her body, but that was impossible. There were no stars, no moon, and no wind tonight.
Tired of fanning herself, Chu Jiujiu turned over and decided to go to sleep early so that she wouldn't feel hot.
She counted with her eyes closed and just felt a little sleepy when suddenly someone tapped her forehead. Chu Jiujiu opened her eyes quickly. She didn't sit up, but just raised her eyes and looked to the side.
Chu Shao sat on the bed with one hand behind his back, looking a little strange.
It's hard to describe what kind of expression this is. It looks a bit like constipation, and a bit like someone wants to play a trick on someone. But what is certain is that something must be wrong with Chu Shao. In this case, it is really not suitable for him to keep a secret. Looking at his current expression, the words "I have something to hide" are almost written on his face.
Chu Jiujiu sat up warily, "What are you doing?"
Chu Shao pursed his lips and said nothing. He stretched out the arm hidden behind his back, and in his hand was a bamboo umbrella. At first glance, this bamboo umbrella was similar to the one he made a few days ago, but if you look closely, you will find that this one is smaller, and the top is not covered with dense bamboo leaves to prevent raindrops from seeping in. Instead, there are two circles of carefully twisted thin hemp ropes. When the umbrella is folded, the hemp ropes hang down at the edge of the bamboo umbrella. When the umbrella is opened, these hemp ropes will stick to the umbrella. There are many orange-red ball-shaped knots woven on the light yellow hemp ropes. After the umbrella is opened, you can find that these ball-shaped knots fall right in the center of the two ribs, which looks particularly beautiful.
This bamboo umbrella is purely handmade, but its design is not inferior to the umbrellas sold outside, and it is even better looking than many modern umbrellas. Chu Jiujiu took it, looked at it in shock for a while, and raised the bamboo umbrella above her head. Chu Jiujiu opened the bamboo umbrella, and with a rustling sound, a small and unique Chinese knot tassel fell from the edge of each umbrella rib. When the bamboo umbrella swayed, these tassels would sway with it, emitting bursts of refreshing ramie fragrance.
Chu Jiujiu was so frightened that she couldn't say a word.
She stared, looking at the bamboo umbrella for a while, and then at Chu Shao opposite her.
"T-this... is for me?!"
Finally seeing her expression after receiving the bamboo umbrella, Chu Shao felt very satisfied. He raised the corner of his lips slightly and said, "Well, how is it? Is it like the parasol you said?"
As the weather got hotter, Chu Jiujiu began to miss the things she used to keep warm in modern times. Chu Shao had heard her talk about it a few times, so he naturally remembered them.
He couldn't do anything about electric fans and air conditioners, but he could try to replicate the parasol that every woman has. The key to providing shade is blocking the sun, right? Even without light-absorbing fabric, Chu Shao could still come up with a solution. He had previously made a bamboo umbrella for himself just to practice making this parasol. He had originally planned to gather more materials, refine it to perfection, and then make one for Chu Jiujiu, but that day, Chu Jiujiu mentioned that her father always gave her a gift on Chinese Valentine's Day. So, he had to give up on the refinement and just make a finished product first. As for the shortcomings in materials, he could only make up for it with decoration.
Chu Jiujiu still likes to go outside these two days. She doesn't know what Chu Shao did for her. Imagining Chu Shao sitting at the door with a big horse and a golden sword, trying hard to make a Chinese knot for her with his slender hands, Chu Jiujiu was so moved that she almost cried.
"Woo--Grandpa, you're so nice!"
"I take back what I said before. You are the best grandfather in the world. No other grandfather can compare to you!"
Chu Shao: "..." It sounded like he was being praised, but why did it feel so awkward?
Throwing away the bamboo umbrella, Chu Jiujiu hugged Chu Shao's neck. Chu Shao was uncomfortable in her embrace for a while, but when he felt it was enough, he pushed Chu Jiujiu away and took the bamboo umbrella again. He began to show off: "The color on it was dyed with cockscomb flowers. Orange and yellow go well together, right? I didn't dye the edge because Chinese knots are usually red, but the red and green umbrella handles don't look good together. It's better to keep it plain. It looks good this way."
When Chu Jiujiu heard this, she immediately offered her sincere praise, "That's right, Grandpa, you are really good at matching colors. You should be a colorist in the future. No, a designer. No, no, no, Grandpa, you should be an artist. What is art? This is art!"
Chu Shao: “…”
My dear granddaughter, you are exaggerating too much.
Chu Jiujiu couldn't let go of the bamboo umbrella, touching every Chinese knot on it. Seeing that she really liked it and not just doing it to save face, Chu Shao was also happy. He sat with Chu Jiujiu under the oil lamp for a while and promised her, "I will give you a gift every Chinese Valentine's Day. No matter what, as a father, I can't lose to my son, right?"
Chu Jiujiu rarely heard Chu Shao speak so sternly. He was usually very composed and rarely acted like a child, trying to pretend to be an adult. Chu Jiujiu turned her head, thought for a moment, and said, "My father gives me 5,000 yuan as a New Year's gift every year."
“…”
The atmosphere fell into silence. After a while, Chu Shao began to lecture Chu Jiujiu: "What did I teach you? You can't compare yourself with others."
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
Grandpa, it seems like you started it first.
For the sake of the bamboo umbrella, Chu Jiujiu didn't intend to argue with him. When she went to bed at night, Chu Jiujiu would put the bamboo umbrella next to her pillow. The next day, Chu Jiujiu went out early in the morning. She walked slowly in the village with the bamboo umbrella in her hand, turning the umbrella from time to time so that everyone could see the decorations on the umbrella.
In the eyes of adults, this bamboo umbrella is just a toy. After all, it is not rainproof and seems to be useless except for playing with it. Boys are not interested in it, but the girls in the village are all envious of Chu Jiujiu.
Most of them also have brothers, but their brothers usually don’t want to talk to them, so it is impossible to ask them to make such a beautiful umbrella for them.
Some girls wanted to try to make it themselves, but they just couldn't do it well. Some of them pestered their parents and asked for nothing but the umbrella, which made their parents annoyed and angry. But they had no choice but to find Chu Shao and ask him to make one for their daughter.
Chu Shao is not a free laborer. These people don't want to give him money, and they are very stingy when giving him things. Besides, the bamboo umbrella is a gift from him to Chu Jiujiu, and Chu Jiujiu treasures it very much. She is a little vain. If Chu Shao really did it for other girls in the village, she would definitely be angry with him when Chu Jiujiu knew about it.
Therefore, Chu Shao refused all such requests. After hearing about this, Chu Jiujiu unhappily defended herself: "I'm not that stingy. If you want to do it for someone else, that's fine."
Chu Shaocai didn't believe her. He chuckled and asked, "Are you sure? Since you're so generous, I'll make another one and give it to Xiaofen from the captain's family."
Chu Jiujiu immediately shouted, "No!"
Chu Shao didn't move. He looked at Chu Jiujiu coldly. The two looked at each other. Chu Jiujiu was silent for a second, then said confidently, "You don't know Xiaofen well, why do you do it for her? People who don't know would think you are interested in her. Xiaofen is already thirteen. If you put so much effort into it, others will misunderstand that Xiaofen is in a premature relationship. Besides, when I said it was okay, it was conditional. You can only do it for girls you have a very good relationship with, such as me and my grandmother. Apart from them, no one else is allowed."
As soon as the word "grandmother" was mentioned, Chu Shao felt like he was holding a bomb and felt uncomfortable all over. He ran away before he could say a few words, as if his grandma was Godzilla.
Looking at Chu Shao's fleeing back, Chu Jiujiu looked confused and tilted her head. She turned around and went back to the house with her precious bamboo umbrella.
She didn't understand why grandpa always reacted so strongly to grandma. She wouldn't ask grandpa to find her right now. She didn't even know where grandma was. She would have to wait for several more years until she and grandpa could leave Qingzhu Village. Only then could they go to a city further south, and grandma would be waiting to meet them in that city.
Well, the marriage certificate says that Grandpa and Grandma got married in 1982. Dad said that Grandpa and Grandma knew each other for two years before they finally decided to get together and start a family. In other words, they met in 1980, and this year is 1969...
Good job.
We have to wait for eleven years!
Chu Jiujiu's pupils trembled.
This number is simply too huge for her, who has only lived for nine years...
If something was more than two months away, Chu Jiujiu would automatically put it behind her, never thinking about it again. Only when the time was near would she dig it out of her memory and politely anticipate it for a while. Eleven years was too long, so naturally, Chu Jiujiu had forgotten about looking for her grandmother. She was more looking forward to the new grain being distributed this year.
It's the slack season for farmers, but the team headquarters in Qingzhu Village is not idle. They paid the public grain tax, checked the number of people, and calculated how much grain each household can get. Then the team leader happily announced on the loudspeaker that this year's harvest is very good, and each family can get 10% more grain than last year. On the day of the end of summer, each household must send a representative to the threshing ground to collect grain according to the number of people and work points!
For a moment, the atmosphere in the whole village became lively, and everyone had a smile on their face, as if the New Year was about to come. Infected by the atmosphere of the village, Chu Jiujiu also became excited. She lay beside Chu Shao and kept asking questions.
"Grandpa, how much food can our family get?"
Chu Shao: "I don't know."
"Grandpa, is there rice in the food distribution? I want to drink rice porridge."
Chu Shao: "I don't know."
"Grandpa, Third Aunt said that they would slaughter pigs when distributing grain. If they do, how much pork will our family get?"
Chu Shao: "I don't know... Wait, who said that pigs should be slaughtered when grain is distributed? Pigs are slaughtered when grain is distributed at the end of the year. This is the mid-year distribution, there is only grain, no meat."
Chu Jiujiu let out a cry, feeling a little disappointed.
Chu Shao turned around and asked her, "Do you want to eat pork?"
Ever since her family became wealthy, Chu Jiujiu basically stopped wearing the necklace when she went out. Now, she fished and ate chickens based on her own skill. If she caught one, she ate it. If she couldn't, she didn't. After all, there was plenty of food at home, so she wouldn't be hungry like she was at the beginning. Occasionally, when she was craving something, Chu Jiujiu would sneak out, put on the necklace, catch a pheasant, or shoot a rabbit, and bring it home to satisfy her craving.
Chu Jiujiu felt a little embarrassed when she heard Chu Shao's question. She really wanted to eat pork, but thinking about her family's conditions, the fact that the reply had not come yet, and seeing the news, she guessed that Nie Bai would not send them money anymore. The deposit of one hundred and fifty yuan was enough for the two of them to live until adulthood, but it would not make their lives rich. In this regard, Chu Jiujiu was still very sensible. She did not expect Chu Shao to take her to a restaurant in town, but only hoped that the production team could slaughter the pig as soon as possible.
Without saying whether she wanted to eat or not, Chu Jiujiu approached Chu Shao and asked curiously, "Grandpa, are there wild boars on our side of the mountain?"
Chu Shao's eyes instantly turned cold, "Don't even think about it."
"A wild boar can knock you down in one go. You still want to find a wild boar? You're almost looking for death."
Chu Jiujiu shrank her shoulders when he said that. If she was not allowed to look for it, then she was not allowed to look for it. Why was she so fierce? She had only asked a question and was not really going to look for it.
Whenever he touched on dangerous topics like this, Chu Shao would always speak bluntly, without any tact or subtlety. Sometimes he felt he was going too far, but the flow of the conversation was too much for him to control. Seeing Chu Jiujiu's head droop, Chu Shao felt a little guilty, so he softened his tone, "After the food is distributed, I'll take you to town and have a good meal at the state-owned restaurant."
Chu Jiujiu's ears twitched, and she raised her head slightly. She said anxiously, "State-owned restaurants are so expensive..."
At this time, she was frugal again, and she had the same boldness as last time when she insisted on stewing the Ganoderma lucidum into soup on the spot.
Chu Shao found it funny. "A meal doesn't cost much. Besides, if you lose money, you can earn it again."
He can earn work points and has skills. He is now better at weaving than the old master, because the old master only weaves the same few patterns. Chu Shao has seen the prosperity of big cities. He is also very imaginative and can design different things. Many people want him to help, and some are willing to pay. However, Chu Shao has a bit of a man's burden in his heart and does not want to do these delicate things that are mostly done by old ladies.
If the family is really short of money, of course the burden should be thrown away. Filling your stomach is the most important thing.
Chu Shao's words could make Chu Jiujiu feel at ease. Now she was no longer entangled and looked forward to the end of summer and the big meal after the food was distributed.
On the day of the Beginning of Autumn, the temperature dropped and it was not so hot. Many villagers waited in the threshing ground early in the morning. When they saw the tractors transporting grain, many people became excited.
Although the team leader informed each household to send only one representative, this was about distributing grain. The farmers had worked hard for half a year just for these precious grains. When they heard the sound of the tractor entering the village, almost all the villagers came out. In an instant, Qingzhu Village was deserted. If a thief came to the village at this time, he would definitely make a fortune.
…
Chu Jiujiu and Chu Shao stood at the edge of the threshing ground. There were too many people in front of them. They didn't come early enough and now they couldn't squeeze in at all. They could only wait for the team leader in front to call their names, and when their name was called, they would try hard to squeeze in.
On the list the team leader took, the first row all had the surname Chen. He read out the name first, then the work points, and finally the number of kilograms of grain allocated. After reading it out, he had to check it again with the scorer to confirm that it was correct. The scorer would then check the scale. Once the scale was weighed, the person could take the grain away.
At eight o'clock in the morning, Chu Jiujiu came with Chu Shao. There was no place to sit in the threshing ground. Chu Jiujiu stood for a while and felt a little tired, so she leaned on Chu Shao to rest. After a while, she shifted her center of gravity from her left leg to her right leg, and then from her right leg to her left leg.
At about ten o'clock, the captain had only read a quarter of the thick list, and there was still a group of people waiting behind him, but suddenly someone started making a fuss.
"No, my total work points are 1,684, but here there are only 1,682. I'm missing two work points, so the numbers don't match!"
The person shouting was Chen Dahong, and she was quite famous in the village. She had married and moved to another village earlier, and her life was relatively good. But in 1966, her husband was arrested by the Revolutionary Committee because of his bad background and because he had known a childhood friend who was now a member of the Kuomintang. He died within six months of his arrest. Whether it was suicide or something else, no one knew. Chen Dahong had no children, and her in-laws treated her well. However, to protect herself, she had to leave the village. After returning to Qingzhu Village as a widow, Chen Dahong lived alone. She didn't want to burden her parents, and her household registration was also her own.
Chen Dahong worked in the village. After she was distributed food, she always gave part to her parents and part to her husband's family. She lived a tight life. It can be said that food was the most important thing to her and she could not tolerate any less.
The part about her parents was easy to deal with. Her parents were strong and could support themselves. The food she sent was just a token of her appreciation. But what she sent back to her husband's family was real life-saving food. Usually, Chen Dahong wished she could grow eight hands so that she could earn as many work points as possible. Now she had lost two at once. How could she not be anxious?
Chen Dahong snatched the team leader's list and pointed at his own name, saying, "I remember exactly how many work points I earned every day. One thousand six hundred and eighty-four, there's absolutely no mistake. You miscalculated and gave me too little!"
The captain was in a terrible headache. He wanted to take the list back, but he didn't dare to fight with Chen Dahong for it, for fear that she would tear it up. "How is that possible? Jiefang, Qingfa, and the scorekeeper, the four of us have been checking it together for three days. There's no way it could be wrong!"
Miscalculating work points was something every farmer couldn't tolerate. The people still waiting for their grain distribution were already agitated, and many people came over to see if it was what Chen Dahong said. Chen Dahong had to keep a low profile in public, but in Qingzhu Village, this was her mother's home. Half of the village was her mother's family. Plus, she was honest and capable, so everyone was biased towards her, even if they didn't say it. Chen Dahong wouldn't let this go, and the team leader had no choice but to ask the scorekeeper to go back and get the scorebook and check it again.
Chu Jiujiu stretched her neck but couldn't see what was going on inside, but she was curious, so she let go of Chu Shao's clothes, bent down, and squeezed in through the gap in the crowd.
Chu Shao was also paying attention to the developments inside. When he realized that Chu Jiujiu had run away, he went to look for her, but she was nowhere to be found.
Chu Jiujiu was squirming around inside and actually ended up at the forefront watching the fun. Standing next to an old lady, she looked up at Chen Dahong's angry face and felt that this matter was not going to end well.
It's obvious that this aunt cares a lot about work points. If the team leader really calculated her work points incorrectly, she would eat him alive!
Thinking of this, Chu Jiujiu became even more excited about future developments.
…
Chen Dahong was furious, and the scorer was even more furious. He had been a scorer for such a long time and had never made a mistake in calculating any work points. What Chen Dahong said was an insult to his personality!
He rushed back to the team headquarters and hurriedly took back the scorebook. With a bang, the scorekeeper slammed the scorebook on the table in front of the team leader and said, "Chen Dahong, you are right now. Everyone should check together to see if I calculated it wrong!"
Chen Dahong didn't waste time talking to him. She took the scorebook, found her name, and started reading from January. Someone who knew math helped her with the math, and the scorekeeper was also counting. Chu Jiujiu was not very good at math, so she just watched Chen Dahong flip through the pages of the scorebook one by one.
After a long time, the people behind him became impatient. Chen Dahong finally finished reading out the last number. After adding them all together, several people present came up with the same number.
One thousand six hundred and eighty-two.
Same as the scorekeeper.
Chen Dahong was shocked. "This is impossible! I keep track of my work points every day. I calculated it, and it's 1,684. I calculate it every day, there's no way I'm wrong!"
She was afraid that everyone would think she was lying, so she looked around quickly, grabbed a man, and said to him anxiously, "It really is 1,684. I earned my own work points, so I know it best!"
Seeing her like this, the captain couldn't help but frown. "Dahong, you've checked everything. The scorekeeper didn't make a mistake, it was you who made a mistake. Alright, alright, since you made a mistake, don't say anything more. Hurry and get your food. There are so many people behind you."
After the team leader finished speaking, the other villagers immediately started to urge Chen Dahong to leave. Since they had not made a mistake in the calculation, they should not delay them from collecting the food. Although the amount of food each family would get had already been decided, they were still worried if the food was not put in their own rice jars, as they always felt that someone would take the opportunity to take advantage of their family.
Chen Dahong was extremely anxious. She was used to adding up her daily work points and would recite this number before going to bed. This was the driving force of her life. She couldn't have made a mistake, really couldn't have made a mistake.
However, no one believed her. Her parents were nearby and wanted to take her out. Just when she was at a loss as to what to do, suddenly, a hand pulled her sleeve.
Chen Dahong turned her head and found a little girl she didn't recognize looking at her. She pointed at the scorebook she was holding and said, "Auntie, please turn the scorebook two pages forward."
The women in Qingzhu Village all call the older ones "Grandma" and the younger ones "Auntie". Chu Jiujiu doesn't know any of them anyway, so it would be difficult for her to figure out the generations. So she just calls them all that. Her surname is Chu, not Chen, so the villagers won't bother her so much.
There was really no other way. Chen Dahong heard what Chu Jiujiu said and quickly turned back two pages in the scorebook with trembling hands. She was holding the scorebook up, so Chu Jiujiu couldn't see it, but she spoke clearly as if she saw it, "Auntie, on this page, there are two black dots in your row, aren't there?"
The village uses a fountain pen to keep score. The ink in a fountain pen, like that of a brush, is very easy to bleed. There are quite a few such ink spots on the scorebook, but ones as large as the ones on this page are relatively rare.
After frowning for a while, Chen Dahong immediately shouted, "Yes! There are two!"
Next, without Chu Jiujiu saying anything, she lifted up the scorebook and looked at the two ink dots carefully. This time, she really discovered a problem. One of the ink dots was relatively small, and there was a very subtle, almost unnoticeable horizontal line extending from the edge of the ink dot. Judging from the position, it looked very much like the number 5.
Chen Dahong immediately felt elated. She threw the scorebook in front of the scorekeeper, pointed at the two black dots, and asked, "Why do I have two such large black dots? Look, look carefully, there's a horizontal line next to these black dots. I'm telling you, I recognize it! This is a 5! You're so good! You're deducting my work points without my permission. What do you mean by that? Tell me!"
The scorekeeper was confused. He had no grudge against Chen Dahong, so why should he deduct her work points? Besides, where was the black mark?
Picking up the scorebook, the scorer came closer and looked at it carefully for a long time before he discovered the clue that Chen Dahong mentioned.
It really is...
His heart skipped a beat. For a moment, he actually thought he had been careless and had erased half of Chen Dahong's work point. The scorekeeper was horrified. Chen Dahong's parents nearby asked, "That's not right, Dahong. Two black dots equal two and a half work points. Didn't you say there were two points missing? This is only one. Where did the other one go?"
Chen Dahong was startled and snatched the scorebook back. She frowned and stared at it for a long time. Finally, she pointed to a date and said, "No, today is the 27th. I remember I earned ten work points. I usually only get eight, but I got ten today. I was so happy. But why did I only get nine work points on the last record? One less. Where did that work point go?"
The 27th happened last month, during the rice harvest. It wasn't that long ago, and since it was quite special, everyone still remembered it. Suddenly, someone in the crowd brought it up, "Yes, yes, yes, I remember Dahong earned ten work points that day. I was with her, and she was full of energy that day, cutting the rice much faster than us. We even said she was desperate for points. That's right, ten."
This was a big deal. First, work points were erased, then work points were not recorded. The crowd was in an uproar. The anxious man, sweating profusely, instantly became the scorekeeper. With a red face and thick neck, he shouted to the team leader: "You all know me well. I can't erase the work points of our villagers. I-"
Halfway through the conversation, the scorer suddenly had an idea.
That's not right.
Whether it was the two days when the work points were erased or on the 27th, he was not the one who recorded the work points. It was clearly written on the scorebook that this was Zhou Xiaohe's handwriting!
Finally, he had gotten over it. The scorekeeper quickly shouted, "Listen, everyone! I'm not the one keeping the scores during the busy farming season. I only count the total scores. During the rice harvest, it's Zhou Xiaohe from our village who keeps the scores. If you have any questions, you should look for Zhou Xiaohe!"
Forget about gentlemanly manners. Whoever makes the mistake should take responsibility for it. He doesn't want to be taken advantage of. He survives in Qingzhu Village by relying on his good reputation. If his reputation is ruined, how can he continue to be a scorekeeper in the future?
Chu Jiujiu hadn't spoken since she finished that sentence, and everyone had forgotten about her. Even Chen Dahong hadn't realized it was Chu Jiujiu who had helped her. Chu Jiujiu stood quietly in the crowd, and like everyone else, she cast her eyes towards Zhou Xiaohe, who was not far away.
Zhou Xiaohe felt very nervous when they brought the scorebook and insisted on checking it one by one, but she was smart and knew that if she showed her weakness at this time, she would be hurting herself. Everyone was looking at her, but Zhou Xiaohe still looked as if she was not concerned about the situation, as if this matter had nothing to do with her.
Chen Dahong was so angry that he immediately squeezed through the crowd to find her.
"Did you do this? How come no one else has any black spots, but I have two? Zhou Xiaohe, I told you before that you were spoiled, that you were avoiding work and taking advantage of Captain Zhao's favor to seek personal gain. You heard it, so you're taking revenge on me, right? If you're really not convinced, just tell me to my face! What's the point of deducting my work points? You're deducting my food, you're trying to kill me!"
Zhou Xiaohe opened her eyes wide in a daze. She first looked at Chen Dahong, then at the surrounding villagers. Slowly, she seemed to understand what was going on, so she immediately ran to the scorer and picked up the scorebook. She searched anxiously for a while, and after finding Chen Dahong's name, she looked at the two ink dots on it and her face turned pale.
"I... I didn't notice. I've had black spots before. I used my own pen to mark everyone's scores. My pen was given to me by Qianjin. I've used it for many years and there's a problem with the ink flow. I really didn't expect this to happen. Dahong, I, I... I'm sorry, this is all my fault."
Her eyes were red, and she looked like she was about to cry, but she was afraid of being embarrassed and afraid that Chen Dahong would scold her. She didn't even dare to shed tears. She could only stand there and continue to apologize. "I've been sitting in the sun for a few days. I feel dizzy and uncomfortable, but I was afraid of wasting everyone's time and didn't dare to go home... If I had known earlier, I might as well have gone home! I actually forgot to write down your work points. Dahong, I'm sorry for you. Don't be angry. I'll give you half of my food. Don't worry about me. I don't eat much, so I only need to eat half. You can take the rest. Don't be polite with me!"
She spoke earnestly, holding Chen Dahong's hand tightly. Chen Dahong was originally the victim, but after being told this, she felt embarrassed. She couldn't vent her anger or anger. She was really simple and of course she wouldn't take Zhou Xiaohe's food. After a long silence, she pulled her hand away irritably, "Forget it, Captain, just give me my work points. It's okay as long as the matter is clear. Otherwise, it will seem like I'm trying to take advantage of the village. Hurry up and distribute the food, everyone is waiting."
The captain was also unhappy, but Zhou Xiaohe was about to cry, and Chen Dahong made it clear that he didn't want to make a fuss. What could a grown man say? He asked the scorer to measure it. The captain looked at Zhou Xiaohe, who was full of guilt, and finally sighed, "You'd better not help the scorer in the future. If you're not feeling well, go home and take care of yourself. Tell me, what caused this incident?"
Helping the scorekeeper wasn't a big deal. Zhou Xiaohe's original goal was to demonstrate her abilities by helping the scorekeeper, and then officially join the team headquarters, and then the commune. Her plan was going well, but now that Chen Dahong had made a scene and the team leader had spoken, her wish to join the team headquarters was completely dashed.
But she couldn't get angry yet, because there were people here. She could only accept it humbly and pretend to be grateful for the captain's concern.
Two work points didn't actually mean much grain; it was probably just a little over one or two taels. Some generous families didn't care about that. Zhou Xiaohe had miscalculated. She was used to retaliating over such trivial matters, but this time she'd hit a wall. Chen Dahong was a family, and if she only counted her own, she'd know how much grain her family had, and she'd be able to spot even a small amount.
If it were someone else's family, they would never find out in their lifetime.
The farce was over, and the team leader continued to distribute food. The scorebook was placed on the table in front of him. Because of what happened just now, all those who came to collect food had to symbolically flip through the scorebook, even though most people couldn't understand it at all. Those who could understand it would focus on the days when Zhou Xiaohe had scored them. I don't know if it was a coincidence, but except for Chen Dahong, there was indeed no problem with the people who came after him.
The crowd gradually thinned out, and Chu Shao finally squeezed to the front. He found Chu Jiujiu and discovered that she was still standing next to the table. He took Chu Jiujiu aside and said unhappily, "Why are you joining in on this kind of fun? I've been looking for you outside for a long time. Aren't you tired? If you are, go home. I'll wait here."
After talking for a long time, Chu Jiujiu didn't answer him, but looked in the direction of Zhou Xiaohe thoughtfully. Chu Shao was puzzled, stretched out his hand, and waved it in front of her eyes: "Come back to your senses, what are you thinking about?"
Looking up at Chu Shao, Chu Jiujiu remembered that when she flipped through the scorebook just now, she saw that there was a not very conspicuous D-shaped number 0 in Chu Shao's row. In those days, basically no one in the countryside knew English, let alone no one would write English in the scorebook. No matter how Chu Jiujiu thought about it, she felt that the 0 seemed to have been changed from 1.
She opened her mouth and wanted to speak directly, but after thinking for a while, she closed her mouth and said, "Nothing."
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