Chapter 164
Xia Juhua also thinks that working in the canteen is good: the supply and marketing cooperative collapsed in the previous life, and the commune was just renamed as the township government, and the work there is stable. Even if working in the canteen makes Wang Caixia a bit of a waste of talent, she has to make a living first, right?
Upon learning that Wang Caixia was willing to work in the cafeteria, Secretary Zhang felt that this female comrade was worthy of being Xia Juhua's friend. She was able to recognize the situation and humble herself. Such a person could not be defeated by the slightest difficulty.
Since both parties were satisfied, Xia Juhua did not need to be involved in the transfer process. She returned to Ping'an City first, and Director Lin took Wang Caixia to the county town. The supply and marketing cooperative was a directly managed unit, and the commune could only give the developer a transfer letter instead of a transfer order. Only after the county supply and marketing cooperative agreed and affixed its official seal could it be taken to the Red Star Commune for processing.
If Wang Caixia only worked as a handyman in the commune canteen, there would be no need for such a complicated process. However, this would not guarantee Wang Caixia's continued working years and would even affect her future retirement salary. It would be safer for her to go through the normal procedures.
Director Lin personally brought Wang Yue Caixia to handle the formalities. The new secretary Tang was a little surprised: "It seems that Director Lin really values Comrade Wang Caixia and has a good relationship with the Red Star Commune."
Director Lin ignored the strange tone in his words and gently placed the transfer letter in front of Secretary Tang: "It is mainly because Comrade Wang Caixia has a good reputation among the members of the Red Star Commune and has been recognized by everyone that the commune leaders took the initiative to transfer her to work in the commune."
Secretary Tang looked unhappy: "We are a unit directly under the regional government. Transferring people to the local government would be too much trouble for them."
Wang Caixia was a little anxious, but since both of them were leaders, she had no place to speak and could only listen. Director Lin was not intimidated by Secretary Tang: "In fact, there are precedents in the supply and marketing system. Many capable comrades were appreciated by leaders and entered the government to engage in administrative work."
Secretary Tang's face turned even uglier: "Director Lin knows so many things."
"It's not that I know a lot. It's mainly because there are advanced figures in the supply and marketing system. Everyone is happy and the news spreads quickly." Director Lin smiled and looked at Secretary Tang: "Comrade Wang Caixia was able to work in the Red Star Commune because she is practical and capable. Such capable talents are also the support of our supply and marketing system for local construction."
"Director Lin is right." Secretary Tang laughed dryly, called the office, and asked someone to come and take Wang Caixia to get the seal, leaving Director Lin to exchange opinions: "Since we are talking about the Red Star Commune, I heard before I came to Pingde that their Ping'anzhuang Brigade has done well in sideline production. Director Lin is also the discoverer of their sideline products and has always had a good relationship with them, right?"
Secretary Tang's thinking was quite divergent since he was transferred from Wang Caixia to Hongxing Commune and thought about the sideline business of Ping'anzhuang Brigade.
Director Lin didn't know what he was up to, so he said cautiously, "We all know each other because of revolutionary work, not because of personal relationships. Besides, our supply and marketing cooperative is to serve the masses. At that time, I worked at the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and the masses I faced were local farmers. Ping'an Village's sideline business is unique, so we have more contact with it, and we are just more familiar with it than others."
"So that's how it is." Director Tang said with a long tone: "Then they are more familiar with it than me, a newcomer. Now the textiles of Ping'anzhuang Brigade are also a major feature of our supply and marketing cooperative. I, as the secretary of the supply and marketing cooperative, have been here for such a long time, but I have never conducted an on-site inspection and gained experience. I am somewhat derelict in my duty."
Director Lin felt uncomfortable with this, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong, so he said, "The secretary has just taken up the post, and it will take some time for him to get familiar with the work. Everyone can understand that."
Secretary Tang groaned in disapproval: "Everyone supports my work and understands that I need time to take up my new position, but that's no reason for me not to be lazy. So, Director Lin, tomorrow I plan to personally go to the weaving group of Ping'anzhuang Brigade to conduct an investigation and research. You will be in charge of the supply and marketing cooperative for the time being."
Even Director Lin, who was kindhearted, felt angry after hearing Secretary Tang's last words - he was originally the director of the supply and marketing cooperative, so how could he become a temporary person in charge? However, Director Lin's upbringing prevented him from expressing his dissatisfaction immediately. Secretary Tang seemed to be unable to see his expression and directly asked to send him away.
Director Lin returned to his office angrily. Just when he wanted to call Xia Juhua to remind her to prepare well and not let Secretary Tang pick a fight - Secretary Tang's tone just now showed that he did not really have a good impression of the Ping'anzhuang weaving team - Wang Caixia knocked on the door and came in.
When she found out that her seal had been stamped and her file had been obtained, Director Lin asked, "Are you going back to Red Star Commune now?"
The two were old superiors and subordinates, but Director Lin didn't even say a word to ask her to stay. Wang Caixia looked at him with some confusion. Director Lin had no expression on his face. He had already stood up, glanced at Wang Caixia and said, "Then I'll see you off." Then he led the way out of his office. He saw a figure only three steps away from his door, but in the opposite direction, as if he was going to the toilet. He couldn't help but sneer.
Wang Caixia saw it too, and followed Director Lin without asking a question. After the two of them went downstairs, Director Lin whispered, "Go back and tell Captain Xia that Secretary Tang will be visiting the Ping'anzhuang Brigade tomorrow."
"Then won't you go with them? I heard from Juhua that she has never met your new secretary." It would be better to communicate with a secretary who has never had any contact with Ping'an Village if Director Lin accompanied him.
"The secretary has arranged for me to be in charge of the supply and marketing cooperative temporarily. You don't need me to accompany you. Please tell Captain Xia." Director Lin looked at the people coming and going around him and directly told Wang Caixia the reason why he could not go to Ping'anzhuang.
How was this different from her situation at the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative? Wang Caixia felt that she had implicated Director Lin, and said with shame, "Director, why don't you call Juhua yourself and tell her? I'm afraid I can't convey the message clearly."
Director Lin directly rejected Wang Caixia's good intention: the policies of the upper level are often good, but it is inevitable that there will be crooked-mouthed monks below, who will go too far and recite the scriptures distortedly. Now that chaos is being corrected everywhere, whether Secretary Tang is a crooked-mouthed monk or not, we will know after arriving at Ping'an Village.
The most important thing is that he believes in Xia Juhua and thinks she can handle Secretary Tang. Don't forget that the weaving team of Pingan Village is not just making money for itself. The foreign exchange they earn accounts for almost one-third of L Province. If Secretary Tang really dares to do anything to the weaving team, not to mention the provincial supply and marketing system, the regional supply and marketing cooperative will not let him succeed.
Xia Juhua also thought so, so she let the members of Ping'an Village do what they were supposed to do, and she herself stayed at the construction site of the instant noodle factory, and did not stay in the brigade headquarters waiting for Secretary Tang to arrive.
What's funny is that Secretary Tang did not come to Ping'an Village the next day as he said. Instead, he showed up at the Ping'an Village production team three days later. He probably wanted to surprise Xia Juhua.
The result was unexpected to himself: although it was the idle time of winter, there were not many people walking on the smooth village road of Ping'an Village Production Team. In other villages, people were leaning against the wall and chatting because of the bright sunshine, but in Ping'an Village, there was not a single person to be seen. Only the faint sound of people laughing could be heard from the entrance of the village.
"Ha, the Ping'an Village production team is really different from other villages." Secretary Tang was not in a hurry to ask someone about Xia Juhua's whereabouts. Instead, he pushed his bicycle and walked slowly on the village road.
This was the first time Secretary Tang had seen a village road paved with asphalt. Nowadays, except for some villages near provincial or national highways that have a highway in front of them, the rest of the rural areas often have loess roads. How could they be as clean and tidy as the streets in Ping'an Village?
Although the yards on both sides of the street look a bit scattered, the three distinct village roads are paved with asphalt along their own routes, and finally converge on the main road at the entrance of the village. Even if there are no yards along the street, there are small paths paved with broken bricks connecting the yards. It can be imagined that even in the rainy summer season, you don’t have to worry about stepping on mud when walking on such a road.
What is even more surprising is that there is no livestock excrement commonly seen in rural areas on the road. When walking, I always look at my feet and worry about dirtying my shoes. If you don’t step on dirt or animal feces when you go out, is this still a rural area?
The person who came with Secretary Tang was a junior clerk in the purchasing department of the county supply and marketing cooperative. His surname was Li. He had been to Ping'anzhuang twice before with Director Lin. After listening to Secretary Tang's comments on Ping'anzhuang, he told Secretary Tang:
"The Ping'an Village production team is indeed extraordinary. This road was built by their members with their own collective funds. Because Xia Juhua was the team leader, this road was not only built to Ping'an Village, but also to another production team to the west, where an asphalt road was built."
"Raising funds to build roads?" Secretary Tang heard this for the first time. "How can we ask members to raise funds to build roads? Isn't this a discredit to our government? Are they dissatisfied with the Transportation Bureau and are using the method of raising funds to build roads to imply that the Transportation Bureau is not doing anything?"
Officer Li had no time to retract the smile that had just appeared on his face. He looked at Secretary Tang with some embarrassment, who had a strange way of thinking. He began to regret why he thought that going to Ping'anzhuang Production Team with Secretary Tang to inspect it was a good job.
He was not convinced that Director Lin, who worked in a country supply and marketing cooperative, was so lucky to be promoted to the county supply and marketing cooperative, and directly became the purchasing section chief and then the director of the supply and marketing cooperative. He even hoped to cling to Secretary Tang's thigh, and it would be best if he could replace Director Lin.
可并不代表李科員不明白，平德縣乃至供銷系統，從上到下對平安莊或者說對夏菊花的态度。按理說唐書記是從地區供銷社下來的，應該很清楚，地區供銷社對夏菊花也是有求必應才對——半年的時候，夏菊花的小兒子就招工進地區供銷社上班了，還帶走了老婆孩子的戶口，地區供銷社直接分給了單元房，這在供銷系統都傳遍了好不好？
唐書記正一心推車往村口傳來說笑聲的地方走，沒發現剛才還給他介紹情況的李科員，已經落後自己好幾步——他已經看到說笑的人群，也看清了那些人為啥說笑得那麽大聲。
他們正在蓋房子！
一九七七年底的農村，很多地方社員還吃不飽飯的時候，平安莊生産隊的社員，竟然在蓋新房，還不是蓋一處：從地上已經打好的房梁可以看出，至少是兩處新房，每處新房還不止正房，連東西廂房的房梁都有。
面南背北的正房，四牆眼看着快壘好了，竟然是青磚的！房梁邊上還堆着好些青瓦，很明顯，他們蓋的不是土坯房，而是磚瓦房！！
唐書記再次被震撼到了，輕輕感嘆一句：“平安莊的社員可真有錢。”
結果他感嘆完了，以前接話十分及時的李科員的聲音，并沒有馬上響起，唐書記終于回頭，發現李科員正張大嘴，吃驚的看着蓋房子的人。
自己不是唯一被震撼的人，讓唐書記的心情好了很多，他咳嗽了一聲，向李科員說：“咋拉，沒見過蓋房子的？”
李科員被這一聲喊醒，本能的搖了搖頭：“看過，當然看過。”就是沒見過一次性起兩座磚瓦房的。
唐書記臉上帶了些輕視，很快又收拾好表情，把自行車支到一邊，帶着李科員靠近了劉二壯家的房場：“老鄉，起房子呢？”
聽到陌生的聲音，蓋房子的人都暫停了一下手裏的活，看向來人。發現他們兩個都推着自行車，一身的幹部打扮，主人劉二壯忙擦了擦手，快步迎了上來：“領導，你好。這不是家裏孩子大了，到了該說媳婦的年紀。家裏老房子住不開，只好蓋新房子。”
“這又是起新房子又得說兒媳婦，花費可少不了。”唐書記意外于劉二壯得體的招呼，同樣笑容和藹的跟劉二壯搭上了話。
劉二壯得體只限于打招呼，現在聽到唐書記的感嘆，只憨憨的笑了兩聲，沒想好咋接話。見幹部與劉二壯搭上了話，大家又接着幹手裏的活，只是沒了剛才的說笑。
李大丫已經端了水過來，用眼神問劉二壯來人的身份，劉二壯微不可見的擺了下頭，口內張羅着請唐書記坐。
唐書記表現的十分接地氣，并不嫌棄房場裏塵土飛揚，大模大樣的坐到一塊木墩子上，如一般下鄉幹部一樣跟劉二壯拉着家常。
聽說劉二壯原來是平安莊生産隊的隊長，唐書記覺得難怪剛才跟自己打招呼挺得體，不由眼睛亮了一下：“你說你隊長當得好好的，就被人頂了？”
劉二壯連忙搖頭擺手的不承認：“不是不是，領導你可能聽差了。我不是讓人頂了，是自己犯了錯誤，社員們覺得我不配當生産隊長，所以才把我選下來的。”
“社員還能選生産隊幹部？”唐書記覺得平安莊生産隊的事兒，處處超出了自己的認知。
劉二壯不得不向他解釋一下，生産隊長其實就是帶着社員們幹活的，只有那些自己能幹，能帶着社員增收的人才能得到大家的認可，大家都願意那樣的人當生産隊長。他是因為自己犯錯，覺得對不起社員，主動提出不幹生産隊長，平安莊社員才另選了夏菊花當隊長。
唐書記若有所思的點了點頭，又問：“那你改正了錯誤，社員們也沒重選你當隊長？”革命允許同志犯錯誤同，同樣也允許同志改正錯誤，改了還是好同志嘛。
劉二壯又憨厚的笑了：“就算我改正錯誤，可我嫂子比我能幹，平安莊的好日子都是她帶着大家奔出來的，我自己都服氣，憑啥讓人重新選我當隊長？”
如此不求上進的話，自然不是唐書記想聽到的，他問劉二壯：“我聽說平安莊哪怕是農閑，也得到粉條廠幹活。可這些人不到粉條廠上班掙錢，卻來給你幫忙，看來你在生産隊人緣不錯，要是重新選隊長的話，應該也能選上吧？”
劉二壯的頭搖得跟撥浪鼓似的：“那不能。我們生産隊的人都忙得腳不沾地，在建方便面廠呢。這些都是我媳婦和老三媳婦的娘家親戚，來給我幫工的，不是我們生産隊的人。”
唐書記聽出劉二壯真心擁護夏菊花，沒了說下去的興趣，站起來拍拍屁股上的土，笑呵呵的跟劉二壯握了個手：“謝謝你呀老鄉，我就不打擾你幹活了。對了，你們生産隊的編織組咋走，聽說有好些新産品，我想見識一下。”
劉二壯是真憨厚，似乎一點也沒覺得唐書記這個陌生人的要求不合理，直接指着原來漏粉房現在編織組的方向，說：“看了沒，往前二十幾步就到了，那個大院子前是我們生産隊的漏粉房，現在就是編織組的地方。”
竟然離得這麽近，卻一點動靜都聽不見，唐書記又有些驚訝：他聽說平安莊編織組裏，幹活的都是農村婦女。在他的印象裏，農村婦女全都是東家長西家短扯是非的好手，那麽多農村婦女聚在一起，還不得天天有人吵架鬧氣？
現在看着二十步開外的院子，安靜得不象有人在裏面，唐書記更想一探究竟。他推上自行車跟劉二壯告別，與一直沒說話的李科員直奔編織組。
他們走得太急，誰也沒注意到他剛走，李大丫就走近劉二壯問：“是不是這個人？”
劉二壯有些沉重的點頭：“應該就是他，說起話來老想挑事兒，看着就不象好人。你讓人去跟嫂子說了沒？”
李大丫看着唐書記已經快走進編織組的背影，向地上無聲的吐了口唾沫：“那你還跟他說那老些話。我早讓志貴去給嫂子送信了。文靜剛才正好在，我讓她告訴她娘去了。”
聽說趙仙枝的閨女又過來幫忙，劉二壯看了李大丫一眼問：“她咋老過來幫忙？”
“淨問不着調的。”李大丫沒好氣的嗔怪了劉二壯一句：“眼面前是對付這個人模狗樣的東西。再說人家閨女來幫忙，我還能給攆回去，那不是打仙枝的臉了？咋地，你還不願意咋着？”
文靜人如其名，完全沒繼承趙仙枝的快嘴和暴脾氣，是個清秀文靜的姑娘，劉二壯對她印象很好，就是覺得如果跟趙仙枝做了親家，他怕自己招架不住。
可惜看李大丫的模樣，分明很看好李文靜給自己當兒媳婦，劉二壯覺得很惆悵。
不知道劉二壯不想跟自己做親家的趙仙枝，現在正一臉警惕的打量着唐書記：“你想參觀我們編織組？”
唐書記輕輕拉了一下自己的衣襟，和藹的向趙仙枝微笑了一下：“是，我在縣裏聽說平安莊編織組搞的不錯，又出了不少新新品，所以想來看看。”自己一身幹部打扮，又表明是從縣城來的，還知道他們有新産品，眼前這個農村婦女應該對自己笑臉相迎了吧？
誰想趙仙枝的臉色不止沒有緩和，眉頭都皺到一塊了，配上她高高的顴骨、吊起的眼梢，咋看都是一副不好說話的樣子。不止于此，趙仙枝還冷笑了一聲，神奇的是她冷笑時嘴角都是向下撇的：“哼，還真是下本錢。”
唐書記笑不出來了：“下啥本錢？”
趙仙枝全身上下都是鄙視的意味：“下啥本錢你自己心裏沒數？不就是看着我們平安莊編織組能給國家掙外彙，你們眼熱，想偷着學我們的技術和樣子嗎？咋地，以前幾次裝可憐進不了編織組，現在裝成幹部模樣，就想騙我讓你們進去？”
李科員聽趙仙枝質疑唐書記，急忙上前替他分辨：“趙同志，你不認識我了嗎，我上次還跟林主任一起來過你們編織組呢。”
趙仙枝很是打量了李科員兩眼：“你來過嗎，我咋不記得呢？再說你要是跟林主任來過，應該知道我們編織組可是給國家掙外彙的，新産品不讓人參觀，免得被別人偷了樣子才對。”
唐書記與李科員都被趙仙枝強大的邏輯說得啞口無言，情知如果不通過夏菊花，他們別想進編織組。李科員見唐書記不說話，明白他是覺得自己在一個農村婦女面前放不下面子，只好自己開口：“那行趙同志，你要是不相信的話，就請夏大隊長出來，她肯定認識我。”
Zhao Xianzhi glanced at Li Keyuan with even more disdain: "Those who wanted to steal our new tricks told you the same thing before, but they disappeared as soon as you let them go. Hongcui, go call Captain Liu and tell him that someone else wants to steal our tricks again. Have him bring the militia to arrest these two people and take them to the police station."
Secretary Tang looked at Li with a snort of anger and said, "Where's the introduction letter? Let her see if we're here for a visit or if we really want to steal their stuff."
Li Keyuan was about to cry. He and Director Lin had never needed a letter of introduction when they came to Ping An Zhuang, so he didn't think of getting one this time. Secretary Tang had emphasized his position in the supply and marketing cooperative as soon as he arrived, making Li Keyuan feel that he was much more powerful than Director Lin. So Director Lin could enter the place whenever he wanted, but Secretary Tang needed a letter of introduction? He couldn't even produce one.