Chapter 145
On the third day after the vermicelli factory was opened, the rumbling sound of vehicles broke the silence of the rural road and entered the Ping'anzhuang Brigade. Xia Juhua was delighted when she heard it, thinking that the sweet potatoes coordinated by the troops had arrived. Without being called, she ran to the gate and looked at the dirt road leading to the Ping'anzhuang Brigade.
Dust rose up on the dirt road, and the truck was moving forward like an angry earth dragon. It was hard to see what the big guys behind it looked like. Accountant Chang and Liu Liqun, who also heard the sound, stood behind Xia Juhua and asked, "Are the sweet potatoes being transported here? What are they using this time? The last time a truck was transporting sweet potatoes, there wasn't such a big commotion."
Xia Juhua, looking expectant, turned around and told the two people: "It's not sweet potatoes, it should be the harvester that brought them here."
Don't blame Xia Juhua for being so happy. The Combined Harvester, which has always been talked about by leaders at all levels, has not been seen for two months, which made Xia Juhua wonder if it was a big pie drawn by Director Yang for her. As time went by, the doubts became deeper and deeper. Today, it suddenly appeared on the road, heading towards the Ping'an Village Brigade with a clear goal. It would be strange if Xia Juhua was not happy.
"Combined harvester, why is it so noisy?" Liu Liqun looked at the earth dragon that was getting closer and closer, trying to judge whether the members could manipulate this thing. If there were any minor problems, how would they repair it?
Xia Juhua had seen a combine harvester in her previous life and knew that it had great power and wide tires. In addition, the current rural roads were difficult to navigate, which was why the soil was thrown into the fields. After returning to Ping'an Village, she could no longer hide her smile on her stern face: "The movement is great, which means it has great power and can harvest crops quickly."
As they were talking, the combined harvesters had already stopped at the entrance of the brigade headquarters and the smoke gradually subsided. Hongling's boyfriend Xiao Zhao jumped off the first harvester and greeted Xia Juhua, "Auntie." Ever since he and Hongling got engaged, he called Xia Juhua the same way Hongling did.
Xia Juhua was very impressed with her future niece-in-law, and her smile became more sincere: "It's you. We heard the noise and wondered what made such a big fuss. It turns out you brought this treasure to us. When did this thing arrive at the commune? Have you learned how to use it?"
Xiao Zhao also smiled at Xia Juhua: "I have learned it. The commune has another combined harvester, and Secretary Zhang has decided that I will be the one to drive it."
Red Star Commune was actually allocated a combined harvester, and Xia Juhua couldn't help but think that she should have contributed a lot. However, she never liked to talk about her own achievements, so she just thought about it and asked Xiao Zhao: "Can you stay in Ping'an Village and bring us two drivers?"
It is not enough to have a combine harvester alone, the combine harvester must be able to go to the fields and harvest crops to play a role.
Xiao Zhao was able to send this group of people to Ping'an Village because he accepted the mission of the Agricultural Machinery Station and was responsible for training the operators of Ping'an Village. So he told Xia Juhua very happily that he would live in Ping'an Village from today, and he would leave when he had trained the people selected by Ping'an Village.
It can be said that the combined harvesters came at the right time: the wheat in the fields has already turned yellow, and within three to five days, large areas of wheat will enter the mature stage, which is the time for summer harvest. Now a quarter of the male members of Pinganzhuang Brigade have entered the vermicelli factory, and less than half of the people in the Pinganzhuang production team work in the vermicelli factory. The women are all in the mat group. The entire production team can only participate in the summer harvest. There are less than 100 people, and we have to count the elderly over 60 years old who still have some labor capacity.
In order to rush the harvest, Xia Juhua was prepared to temporarily stop the work of the weaving team - she was unwilling to stop the vermicelli factory that had just started operation. Not only could it not stop production, but it had to continue to work overtime - even though the women in the weaving team had not touched the sickle for several years, Xia Juhua believed that as long as they were given some time to adapt, they would be no worse than those men over fifty in harvesting wheat.
Lack of people is Xia Juhua's biggest feeling as the summer harvest is approaching.
Now that she had the combine harvester, her anxiety about not having enough manpower was relieved, and she became more talkative: "Okay, I'll select a few people for you to take care of later, and you can take a good look at who is suitable. Then you can hire whoever you want. Come to our house for dinner tonight, and I'll ask your granddaughter to kill a chicken for you."
The reason why she gave such instructions was because Sun Shi was in the old courtyard. Before the New Year, when Xiao Zhao came to give her a New Year gift, she had the nerve to hold him and cry and complain, which made Li Daya so angry that she pulled Liu Erzhuang and asked him to build a house immediately, otherwise she would have to live alone with Hongling and her brother and sister.
The commotion was so bad that Hongling took Xiao Zhao to hide at Xia Juhua's house. Sun Shi had no one to cry to, and the old courtyard finally calmed down. However, that incident also left a psychological shadow on Xiao Zhao. Several times, Xia Juhua saw Hongling returning to the village from the entrance of the village, looking disappointed, with some buns or canned food in her hands. Without asking, she knew that it was Xiao Zhao who sent them, but she was unwilling to visit the old courtyard again.
Xiao Zhao was really happy when he heard Xia Juhua's arrangement, and asked with a smile: "Auntie, do you have anything else to do? If not, I will go home first."
Xia Juhua pointed at the other driver behind him with a look of confusion: "You can't go home alone, take this comrade home with you. You also have to go to the production team to find Hong Ling, tell her that I'm busy at the brigade headquarters, and ask her to go home and help your Aunt Chen cook."
"Okay." Xiao Zhao almost jumped up and hurriedly pulled his partner to the Ping'anzhuang production team. Xia Juhua wanted to ask him to ride his own bicycle back, but it was too late.
Accountant Chang and Liu Liqun were circling a combine harvester. Xia Juhua saw them touching it here and there, looking like they couldn't let it go. She asked jokingly, "Why don't you learn from Xiao Zhao tomorrow? Once you learn how to drive one each, the summer harvest of the entire brigade will belong to you two. What do you think?"
Accountant Chang felt that he was not young, so he stopped and said he did not want to learn. Liu Liqun was a little eager to try: "I don't know whether it is easy to learn or not."
Xia Juhua was also not clear about this. However, these two harvesters were responsible for harvesting the entire brigade's 2,000 acres of land, and it was also the harvest season, which required a lot of physical strength from the driver. Xia Juhua didn't think Liu Liqun could handle it.
Liu Liqun was a little skeptical after hearing her reasoning: "Since I have to be responsible for the harvesting of all production teams, I must get up early and work late. Even young people can't do it for a whole day, so a harvester must be equipped with at least two drivers. I will learn first, and whether I can learn or not, I won't delay others."
Think about the household contract responsibility system a few years later. In addition to the brigade leader, accountant and women's director, there are almost no other cadres in the brigade. Liu Liqun, the militia leader, will also leave the brigade and return to the ranks of ordinary farmers. If he had mastered the technology of the combine harvester in advance, it would definitely help his future life.
Xia Juhua smiled and said to him, "You can learn if you want to, but we have agreed that you have to look after your age and not compete with the young guys. Just do as much as you can."
Even though Xia Juhua mentioned age, Liu Liqun didn't take it seriously, but asked Xia Juhua how she was going to choose a driver. Xia Juhua felt that in addition to calling Li Changshun to discuss this matter, she also had to call other production team leaders.
Hearing about such a good thing, everyone came quickly. Li Changshun, who lived in the small village, was not eager to come. Before the production team leaders came, Xia Juhua had already discussed a tone with him:
Each production team selected a hard-working and literate young member to learn how to operate a combine harvester from Xiao Zhao. Liu Liqun was the first candidate, and all the selected young people were responsible for helping Xiao Zhao manage the harvesters.
Who will be selected in the end depends on the learning results, and it is still Xiao Zhao who decides whether everyone stays or leaves.
The production team leaders had no objection to this. They just wanted to go back and instruct their own production teams to be smarter and have more foresight, and get closer to Xiao Zhao so that they could fully master the technology of the combined harvester. Among the five production teams of Ping'anzhuang Brigade, the driver had a lot of decision-making power as to who would use the harvest first and who would use it later.
Everyone knows that with the Ping'anzhuang production team, or Xia Juhua, around, their production team will definitely not be the first to harvest, but if they are second, they can still think about it.
The quota for the Ping'an Village production team went to Liu Xi. This kid was usually quiet and no one knew when he finished studying the junior high school textbooks with Liu Lizhu and won the first place in Xiao Zhao's entrance examination.
Even Xia Juhua had not expected that Liuxi would be so willing to study, and secretly asked him if he wanted to try to take the entrance exam for a high school in the county. Although Liuxi is already nineteen years old this year, which is a bit old according to his school age in his previous life, everyone starts school later now, and the age limit for the college entrance exam is not strict. With Liuxi's ability to study, he may have a chance.
However, Liu Xi rejected Xia Juhua's suggestion. He felt that he was already an adult, and it would be too uncomfortable for him to go back to school and sit with a group of children who were two or three years younger than him. It would be better for him to drive a combine harvester and have the production teams run to harvest the crops.
Xia Juhua did not force him to do so, but only told him not to put down his books and to ask Xiao Zhao if he did not understand something. Qi Xi was inspired and stopped running around with the other boys in the village every day. Instead, he started to read seriously in Wu Ye's yard.
In response to this, the Fifth Master initially scolded Qi Xi for not working properly in the fields, but when he saw that Qi Xi was really concentrating on his work, he ignored him.
Because the summer harvest has arrived.
Six drivers selected after Xiao Zhao's emergency training sat in tall combine harvesters and rushed to the wheat fields of Ping'an Village. Countless people followed behind to watch the excitement, regardless of the dust raised.
陳秋生到粉條廠上班後，名義上還是平安莊生産隊長，可地裏的活計改由劉三壯開始安排，今天開始收割的地方，就是他指揮着聯合收割機去的，正在漏粉房不遠的地頭。
随着漏粉房的設備絕大部分搬到了粉條廠，編席組也已經搬了過來。婦女們聽到機器的隆隆聲，心跟長草了一樣，趙仙枝索性讓大家先出去看一眼熱鬧再回來編席——心不定的人手下沒準，現在編的可是外國訂單，不能出一點差錯。
讓大家看明白是咋回事，再回來編席就安心了。
于是地頭更加熱鬧起來，看着指揮着收割機進場的劉三壯，趙仙枝用胳膊肘怼了一下安寶玲，打趣的說：“你們家劉三壯還有這兩下子，真看不出來。我一直當他三腳也踹不出個屁來呢。”
“都跟你似的，別人不踹那屁都放的叮咣的。”安寶玲嘴上一點兒不讓人，不過看向劉三壯的目光，是前所未有的明亮。
誰願意自己家的男人一輩子挺不直腰？以前有劉二壯比着，劉三壯除了幹活一句話也不多說。現在生産隊給他這個機會，他幹的也不比別人差。
她還有志/軍這個出息兒子，前陣子來信說新兵下連時，他被團部直接留下學開車，現在已經能把汽車給開走了。那可是汽車，不是生産隊的拖拉機。安寶玲有些驕傲的想，說不定會開汽車的兒子，回來看看聯合收割機就會使，根本不用跟小趙單學。
想到小趙，安寶玲不能不想到紅玲，眼神往人群裏一掃，便能看到紅玲站在最靠近地頭的田埂上，旁邊站的不是小趙是誰？
當嬸子的自然願意看到侄女感情順暢，不過安寶玲覺得自己還是應該提醒二嫂幾句，便又在人群中找起李大丫來。
可趙仙枝剛才被她怼了，哪肯輕易放過，拉着安寶玲理論，安寶玲便小聲對她說：“我找我二嫂有點事兒，等回頭跟你好好算帳。”
聽她還要跟自己算帳，趙仙枝有心要為難一下安寶玲，卻見她臉色十分鄭重，不由松開手問：“咋啦，你們家那個老太太又要作妖？”
孫氏作不作妖安寶玲不在乎，紅玲的事兒才真着急，她掙開趙仙枝的手，順便把李大丫拉到人群後頭：“二嫂，紅玲訂婚有二年了吧？”
突然被安寶玲拉出人群，還沒頭沒腦的問了這麽一個問題，李大丫有些茫然：“是呀，他們兩個處的挺好的。”說完李大丫有些清醒，臉上有些焦急的問：“咋啦，你聽到誰說啥了？”
自己一句話把二嫂問得如此緊張，安寶玲也有些過意不去，又把她拉得離人群遠了點說：“你別急，沒聽人說啥。我就是剛才看到紅玲和小趙兩人相處的挺好，才想問問你，都訂婚這麽長時間了，兩人咋還不張羅着結婚呢？”
提起這個由不得李大丫不來氣：“還說呢，你沒見人家小趙現在能不上家來就不上家來？都是老太太那一出鬧的。人家小趙肯定覺得咱們家人有點……”
有點什麽，安寶玲同樣心知肚明，同樣擔心的問：“那他會不會對紅玲有看法？”
李大丫自己心裏也沒底：“看着倒不象，這兩天兩人也一直在一起。”
“還是問問嫂子咋辦吧。”安寶玲覺得自己沒有處理這個問題的能力，李大丫也同樣不具備，最好的人選還是大嫂夏菊花。
那頭聯合收割機已經開動了，只見所過之處，一排排麥子被吞進去，很快麥稭便出現在機器後頭，伏倒在地面，麥粒則源源不斷的吐到跟着的拖拉機車鬥裏。
李大丫跟安寶玲一起注視着這樣的情景，心裏的擔憂沒減少，反而多了起來：小趙連這樣先進的收割機都會擺弄，又給全大隊的青年當師父，相比起來紅玲就有些平凡了。
這讓李大丫一天都有些心不在焉，匆匆吃完晚飯，就叫上劉二壯出門。劉二壯還不知道為啥，李大丫只說要找夏菊花有事兒，劉二壯便跟在後頭。
到院子裏才發現，劉三壯、安寶玲兩口子也出來了，看樣子是要跟他們一起去找大嫂，劉二壯不由看了正房一眼。
正房的門沒關，隐隐能看到有人在屋裏往出看，劉二壯想看仔細點時，胳膊一疼，扭頭發現李大丫正氣沖沖的看着自己。
四個人一起沉默的出了院門，來到夏菊花家時發現他們也剛剛吃完飯。碗已經收拾下去了，小滿可能在屋裏帶孩子，院子裏小趙在跟夏菊花、劉志雙兩個說話。
一見四人到來，桌前的幾個人都站了起來，小趙還往前迎了兩步，嘴裏叫着叔叔嬸子，眼睛卻往四人身後看，發現紅玲沒跟在後面，有些失望。
夏菊花倒有些奇怪這四個人咋一起來了，邊讓劉志雙拿凳子倒水邊問：“家裏出啥事兒了，咋你們四個一塊過來了？”
除劉二壯外的三個人，一起看向小趙，最後還是李大丫說：“也沒別的事兒，就是今天看收割機覺得挺新鮮的，來跟嫂子說說。”
好象誰沒見到收割機似的，這話一聽就假的慌。夏菊花笑笑對小趙說：“夏收任務重，各生産隊現在都指望着收割機呢，到現在還在地裏忙着，也不知道換班的人擺弄得了不。”
小趙識趣的點頭：“那我去看一眼，等他們開熟了我再回來。”
眼看着小趙走得見不着人影了，夏菊花開口問李大丫：“你是擔心小趙和紅玲？”
李大丫便點頭：“寶玲不提我還沒注意，紅玲和他都定親兩年了，到現在啥時候辦事兒一句不提，我有點擔心。”
劉二壯這才知道李大丫非得拉自己過來的原因，覺得媳婦有點小題大做：嫂子一天忙完生産隊忙大隊的事兒，大隊外頭的事兒也天天有人打電話，咋還為這點小事麻煩她。
夏菊花倒能理解李大丫的心情：紅玲只比劉志雙小不到兩歲，虛歲已經二十二了，在農村這個年紀的姑娘如果沒定親的話，刻薄的人要說一句老姑娘。
好在她跟小趙兩年前就定了親，加上平安莊人現在沒有時間說閑話，才沒被人議論。可做為紅玲的親娘，李大丫擔心閨女跟小趙之間出現問題，是必然的。
于是夏菊花看向劉志雙，他就站了起來，邊往院門口走還邊賣乖：“看吧，娘你身邊還得有個人，要不有啥事連個支使跑腿的都沒有，更別提幫你旁敲側擊打聽內幕了。”
夏菊花權當自己聽不見，跟李大丫和安寶玲說起閑話。李大丫知道劉志雙一向機靈，這一去肯定能問出小趙的真實想法，人也放松了點，向夏菊花說：“等秋收過了，說啥我也得自己蓋房子搬出去。要是再不搬走，連志福志貴兩人的媳婦都不好說。”
安寶玲也跟着點頭：“可不是。老太太沒作妖之前，人家小趙是啥态度，她一作妖，人家連門都不願意登了。我們家秋天也蓋房子，嫂子到時候我得請假。”
劉三壯聽了點頭，讓剛才李大丫說話沒有表示的劉二壯有些尴尬，他想了想說：“房子也不是說蓋就蓋的。”
“宅基地都申請下來了，大梁、椽子小齊也幫着買回來陰幹好了，你說還缺啥？”本為就一肚子氣的李大丫，說話前所未有的沖。
劉二壯就更尴尬，連忙解釋：“蓋房子不得用人？現在誰不是恨不得分成兩個人使，能有空幫咱們蓋房子？”
此時農村沒有專業的建築隊，不管誰家蓋房子，都是找幾個關系好的人，幫着挖地基壘牆體，只有打門窗、上大梁這些才請大師傅。所以劉二壯說的也是實情，李大丫還真沒話反駁。
不過安寶玲是鐵了心今年一定要蓋房，轉頭問夏菊花：“嫂子，你說我要是給人點錢算換工，能不能請到人？”
那有啥請不到的，平安莊生産隊的人請不到還有外生産隊的，外生産隊請不到還有別的大隊的。總之只要錢上不吃虧，想幹活的人一抓一大把。
劉三壯便問：“那不成剝削了，要是有人告狀咋辦？”
安寶玲不幹了：“咋是剝削呢，我是跟他們換工，又不是讓他們白幹。再說，我換工按平安莊的工分值算，他們還占便宜呢。”
劉三壯一想是這個理，又有些心疼錢：“那還不如找幾個人幫忙呢。”
“大夥都忙着，讓誰請假幫忙？”安寶玲并不認同劉三壯的主意：“到時候大家都得上粉條廠上班，掙的不比你那幾個工分錢多？”
夏菊花靜靜看着兩人鬥嘴，一點調節的意思都沒有。她覺得現在安寶玲能跟劉三壯這麽理論挺好，誰說的家裏的事兒只有男人能做主？
Li Daya was still thinking about the conversation between Liu Zhishuang and Xiao Zhao, and didn't care about the quarrel between An Baoling and her husband. But Liu Erzhuang felt uncomfortable: Li Daya and An Baoling helped each other in everything now, and if the third family exchanged labor with others to build a house, their family must also exchange.
He wanted to pull Li Daya to discuss it, but he found that Li Daya looked at the gate, so Liu Erzhuang gave up the idea. The words of his wife and the third wife had made it very clear, so the current situation was still because of his mother's mischief. It would be better to build a house and move far away from his mother.