Chapter 178

Seeing Xia Juhua coming over, Master Wu kindly explained to her, "You know my chicks are even harder to keep alive in winter. They are afraid of the wind. Besides, with so many people coming and going, who knows if they are infected? They can just learn from you and don't need to be brought to my house anymore."

So you are taking revenge on me by bringing Deputy Minister and others to watch you hatch chicks today? Xia Juhua really wanted to ask Master Wu, can we be reasonable? It was not her decision to bring them there, it was Deputy Minister's own request.

Besides, Master Wu has been hatching chicks all the time and rarely goes out of the house. People say that people who don't communicate well with others sometimes don't have enough brains, but why does Master Wu still have so many ideas?

In the end, Xia Juhua did not ask, because she wanted to see the Fifth Master who was in the mood to joke with her. Being in the mood to joke showed that he was happy and could see the happy things in life. Whether it was the Fifth Master or the Seventh Aunt, if they could keep joking with her and glaring at her like this for a few years, it would make her life more interesting.

With endless yearning for life, Xia Juhua became even busier: it was the end of the year again, and it was time to prepare for the birthday of Master Wu. This year, Pingan Village had raised 50 pigs, 40 of which had been delivered to the purchasing station, earning nearly 8,000 yuan, which would be added to the dividends distributed to members next year.

Chen Qiu Sheng had already discussed the remaining ten pigs with Xia Juhua and Fifth Master. Nine of them would be distributed to the members for the New Year, and the remaining one would be kept until Fifth Master's birthday to be slaughtered. All the people in Ping'an Village would eat the slaughtered pigs and the meat together, making for a great party.

Although Fifth Master said that there was no need to waste money and that he should pay for his birthday even if he had to kill a pig, his grinning mouth, squinting eyes, and wrinkled face all showed that he was very proud that his birthday was taken so seriously.

Xia Juhua knew that Fifth Master had money, so he could kill two pigs, let alone one, for his birthday. But she disagreed: "Seeing that our lives are getting better and better, you old man, please let us have fun on your birthday. In the past, we all did our best to celebrate your birthday and added dishes just for you. Now that no one wants to add dishes just for you, don't you feel that you are not valued?"

Master Wu couldn't help but laugh and scolded, "I'm just afraid that you think I'm a nuisance and don't want to celebrate my birthday. Look, you don't want to add more dishes to my meal this year, and next year you definitely won't even want to celebrate my birthday."

Having said that, it was decided once again that all members of the production team would have a dinner together to celebrate Fifth Master's birthday.

Xia Juhua had more than one thing to say. She went to the weaving group and learned that all the orders before the New Year had been sent out. What they were weaving now were the varieties that sold well this year, and they were preparing to store some goods to lay the foundation for next year. She discussed it with Zhao Xianzhi and others and decided to arrange for those on duty to take turns to take New Year's leave starting from the 26th of the Lunar New Year.

Hearing that the New Year holiday could be extended to the sixth day of the first lunar month, Zhao Xianzhi, who has a loud voice, shouted directly: "Finally, I can take a holiday. I haven't helped my family with the New Year celebrations for several years. This year, I must celebrate the New Year for them well."

At the end of her speech, her voice was quite heavy, Xia Juhua suspected that she was saying something in a different way. Li Changwang should be careful about how he spent the New Year. But even if Zhao Xianzhi was going to cause trouble, it would only be Li Changwang. They had been fighting for half their lives, so they probably couldn't do anything new.

It is a little difficult to deal with the weaving factories, instant noodle factories and vermicelli factories: the take-out orders can be suspended for a few days, but the troops’ reservations are all expedited and must be supplied immediately when there is demand.

Chang Chunya was a little surprised that Xia Juhua was worried about this: "We have always worked in two shifts. During the New Year, if we let everyone work only the day shift, everyone will be as happy as if it were New Year."

Xia Juhua couldn't help but laugh: "It's Chinese New Year, why should we be so happy as if it's Chinese New Year?"

Chang Chunya also realized that the second half of her sentence was nonsense, and she just looked at Xia Juhua and smiled without making any excuses. Xia Juhua told her what she was thinking: "I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid that the people in these two factories, after hearing that the weaving team had such a long vacation, will have some opinions in their hearts and not work hard. If there are any quality problems, it's a small matter to ruin our brand, but it's a big matter if the soldiers are fed badly."

The saying that we should not worry about the lack of wealth but the inequality of wealth applies everywhere. Although the weaving factory is only a factory of the Pinganzhuang production team, the workers of the hot and sour noodle factory and the instant noodle factory will also compare the two.

Especially the hot and sour noodle factory and the instant noodle factory, both of which hired some female workers. If you hear that the women in the weaving factory have a ten-day holiday, you will inevitably feel unbalanced. Xia Juhua doesn't even want to watch the women's ability to gossip.

Chen Qiusheng thought Xia Juhua didn't need to worry: "I heard that factory workers in the city who work during the New Year holidays are paid overtime. If that's not possible, we can just give everyone some overtime pay. Or if someone feels that they can't rest during the New Year, we can arrange for them to take turns to rest for a few days after the New Year."

This is indeed a way to quell the complaints. Xia Juhua had actually thought about it a long time ago, but was influenced by her previous life - she remembered that in her previous life, many people would rather not have overtime pay and were willing to go home to celebrate the New Year with their families, so she forgot that those who worked in the two factories stayed at home and could see their families every day.

More importantly, people in this period generally did not have a lot of money and were in the stage of primitive accumulation. It may be a bit serious to say that it was primitive accumulation, but people were willing to increase their wealth. With the double temptation of overtime pay and compensatory leave, people who wanted to work during the New Year might have to compete to achieve their goal.

Seeing that Xia Juhua agreed with his opinion, Chen Qiusheng was still a little proud, so he asked if he could start visiting. This is also a habit formed in Pingan Village in recent years. At the end of each year, all the five-guarantee households and military families in the brigade must be visited, and all the county units related to Pingan Village must also be visited.

At the end of each year, Xia Juhua spent the longest time on this task, which was irreplaceable: the relevant units in the county would never receive brigade-level personnel. It was because Ping'an Village was developing well and Xia Juhua was too famous that people would welcome her with a smile every time she visited.

Among the brigade cadres, the five-guarantee households and military dependents also trusted Xia Juhua more. There were some things they would not say even if other brigade cadres were present, and they would only speak their true feelings in front of Xia Juhua.

So no matter where they went, Xia Juhua had to go there in person.

Because it was winter, Xia Juhua was worried that the five-guarantee households might have problems, so she visited them first. Fortunately, there were only thirteen five-guarantee households in the whole brigade, and Grandma Qi and Uncle Dong were among them. Now their lives were well arranged, so Xia Juhua didn't need to make a special visit. Xia Juhua visited all the remaining eleven elderly people within one day.

Don't ask Xia Juhua why she acted so quickly or if she was just going through the motions, because the first old man she visited only made one request to her, which was whether he could live in Ping'anzhuang nursing home like Qi Nai and the others.

Xia Juhua naturally agreed to this: Although the brigade has provided the same subsidies to the five-guarantee households in each production team in recent years, the village customs of each production team are still slightly different. All those things were delivered to the elderly at home, but they were only delivered to their homes. It was very rare for other members to spontaneously deliver vegetables and firewood to the elderly, or help with laundry and bedding, like in Ping'an Village.

At first, there were only two elderly people who were covered by the five guarantees in Pingan Village, but they built a nursing home that occupied four residential plots, which reserved rooms for all the five guarantee households in Pingan Village. However, Xia Juhua couldn't force anyone to move in, but now that the elderly wanted to go, Xia Juhua warmly welcomed them on behalf of the Pingan Village members.

When Sun Qinglin, the leader of the Fifth Team, heard that the five-guarantee households in his production team were going to Ping'anzhuang nursing home, he felt a little embarrassed and tried to persuade the old man to stay in the Fifth Team, but the old man refused bluntly: "Captain, I know you have good intentions and are worried that I will find it hard to leave my hometown. But there is always someone to bury. Besides, Ping'anzhuang is only a little far away from our Fifth Team, so I am not leaving my hometown."

Sun Qinglin blushed at these words: he knew that the people in his production team were not as dedicated to the five-guarantee households as those in Ping'an Village. But that was because Team 5 was not as wealthy as Ping'an Village. When Team 5 became as wealthy as Ping'an Village, they could also build brick houses for the five-guarantee households like Ping'an Village.

Xia Juhua ignored Sun Qinglin's thoughts and said to him, "I think there's nothing wrong with moving to Ping'an Village. The five-guarantee households are provided with support by the brigade anyway, so it doesn't matter whether they are sent to Ping'an Village or to the Fifth Brigade. Besides, there are already two elderly people living in the nursing home. They can talk to each other, which is better than staying in the house all day."

Since both parties agreed to move, Sun Qinglin naturally had nothing to say. He asked the old man to pack up his things, and after he and Xia Juhua visited the other two five-guarantee households, they would send him to Ping'an Village.

After leaving the house, Xia Juhua said to Sun Qinglin: "Captain Sun, I think you should be more patient with the elderly."

Sun Qinglin's blushing face turned even redder: "I know my attitude today was not very good. But captain, you have seen that our production team has been taking care of him according to the team's standards, but he insisted on going to Ping'an Village..."

Do you feel embarrassed now? Xia Juhua said something impolite: "You only said that we will take care of them according to the brigade's standards. What are the brigade's standards? Taking care of people is not just about giving them food and drink. It's also about taking care of them. The five-guarantee households have been lonely all their lives. Organizing people to clean up for them and talk to them from time to time is sometimes more important than giving them food and drink."

孫慶林一下子說不出話，夏菊花輕輕嘆一口氣，沒再跟他說別的：人的觀念想改變，不是一朝一夕的。平安莊社員，現在對七奶和老董叔态度親近，沒事時幫着幹點活，也是她幾年來潛移默化完成的。

何況五隊還有兩個五保戶，依然要在這裏生活，她說得太多了，孫慶林起了反感，受罪的将是那兩位老人。

不想另外兩個五保戶見到夏菊花，提出的要求與頭一位一模一樣，都表示自己想帶着口糧，一起到平安莊養老院生活。哪怕孫慶林的臉已經不能看了，夏菊花還是答應了他們的請求，幹脆告訴他們不着急自己收拾東西，自己會從平安莊派拖拉機來接他們過去。

聽她要派人來接自己，兩個老人都哭了一鼻子，說自己的東西自己能收拾，也能背到平安莊去。孫慶林聽了兩位老人的話，才發現自己與夏菊花之間的差距，紅着臉小聲告訴老人，一會兒他就讓自己老婆孩子來幫着收拾。

別人他不好支使，他的老婆孩子還是能支使動的。

不想他帶着老婆孩子往三戶一走動，社員們看到了紛紛問起原因，聽說三位老人要搬到平安莊養老院，都跟來動手收拾起來，讓三人又掉起了眼淚。

幫着收拾的人之中，還有三位老人比較親支的侄子、侄孫，沒有一個人提出挽留他們的話，更堅定了他們去平安莊的決心。

沒收拾到一半，劉志福已經開着拖拉機來了，對老人們說：“你們只帶自己的衣裳就行，養老院那邊被褥都是新的，不用帶了。”

這是夏菊花讓他轉達的，為的是現在的農村，大家衛生習慣并不算好。老人們可能很長時間沒洗過澡了，被褥不能不知多長時間沒拆洗過，裏頭長沒長虱子都不知道，拿下馬來不如直接扔了。

過了一輩子節儉日子的老人，自然舍不得自己用了一輩子的被子。劉志福就開玩笑似的告訴他們，養老院給他們準備的，都是七斤裏外三新的棉被，蓋上去跟躺在雲彩裏差不多，別舍不得自己已經硬得跟鐵似的破被褥了。

聽他這麽一說，老人們沒反應呢，連上的社員已經問開了：“誰去都有新被子蓋？”

劉志福點頭。

人又問：“有新被褥了，也得給做新衣裳吧，要不幾天那被褥不就又跟打鐵的似的。”

劉志福還是點頭。

孫慶林見他一臉平靜的說着養老院給老人們的種種待遇，絲毫沒有多養三個不是本生産隊老人的不滿，本就羞愧的心裏，越發想找地縫鑽進去了。

他私心裏還希望劉志福是夏菊花的侄子，在嘴上替夏菊花買好，便跟着拖拉機一起送三位老人到養老院，要看看劉志福說得是真是假。

拖拉機剛停在養老院門口，老董叔便出來了，跟車鬥裏坐着的三位老人打招呼：“你們來了，快下來快下來。志福也是的，這麽冷的天也沒說讓他們蓋床被子。”

被報怨的劉志福沖老董叔一笑：“我尋思着道也不遠，五六分鐘就到了，大家穿的厚實凍不着。”

老董叔輕輕拍了他一下子，讓他快幫着卸東西。自己則拉着三位看得眼花兒似的老人進院：“以後咱們都在這兒長住，看的日子長着呢，先進屋暖和暖和。七奶給你們澆水呢，一會就見着了。來，快來，這是你們的屋子，炕剛燒起來，得過一會兒才能熱乎，要不先去我屋裏呆會？”

也就是一問，老人們都想看看自己以後生活的房間，不會真到老董叔屋裏歇着。

正房一共七間，老董叔領着他們進的是最東頭的三間：“這三間你們自己挑，看中哪間住哪間。這間隔壁就是我的屋子，我可先說好，我睡覺打呼嚕，覺輕的別住這間。”

一句玩笑，讓新來的三位老人放松了下來，跟着孫慶林一起打量起屋裏的東西。他們都覺得，劉志福在五隊說的太保守了，屋裏豈止有新被褥，那些好東西他們自己都不敢買。

以後都要歸他們用了！

正想着劉志福，他的聲音已經從外頭傳來了：“七奶，你咋自己提這麽多暖壺，快給我。”

“你當七奶是紙糊的，仨暖壺都提不動了？”七奶嘴上不服老，還是被劉志福接過兩個去，自己提了一個進了有人說話的屋子。

劉志福自己把另外兩個暖壺分別放進房間，站到院裏大聲說：“七奶，老董叔，我先去四隊接人了。我大娘說了，讓老董叔別自己去背柴火，一會兒我接完人，使拖拉機一趟就拉過來了。”

“快去吧你。”老董叔看似嗔怪的笑罵：“有這工夫早把人接來了。”

他如此對劉志福說話，讓五隊的三位老人有些吃驚：“你這麽跟人家說話，不怕人家生氣呀，以後用拖拉機的時候，不管你咋整？”

“他敢。”老董叔語氣裏帶着些小傲驕：“菊花罵不死他。”

七奶在一旁不贊同的搖了搖頭，熱心的對三位新來的同伴說：“你們行歸置歸置自己的東西，西廂房北邊那間，是咱們洗澡的地方，裏頭暖和着呢。我在廚房燒好水啦，誰想先洗誰去洗洗。”

孫慶林幾乎想奪門而逃，腳下卻咋也邁不開步，慢慢幫着老人收拾起來。老董叔見他們都忙着歸置東西，自己到廚房找七奶：“聽說四隊還得來兩個，你一個人做飯，怕是忙不過來。”

七奶不以為意：“以前我倒盼着給人做飯，可家裏就我一個孤老婆子，做多了也沒人吃。現在我還能再做幾天，等做不動了再讓菊花找人吧。生産隊人人一攤子活兒，讓誰來伺候咱們，我心裏都不落忍。再說，菊花也為難不是。”

“那行，以後洗菜、燒火的活都歸我。”老董叔覺得七奶說的有道理：他們自己還能動彈，盡量別給生産隊添麻煩。只要他們這兩個平安莊生産隊的人不生事，外來的幾個人更不敢挑三揀四。

一直沒走的孫慶林，留到最後反而淡定了：除了三隊的五保戶外，四隊、小莊頭的五保戶，跟他們生産隊一樣，都被劉志福接到了養老院。

李大牛一見到孫慶林，沖着他苦笑了一下：“咱們幾個大老爺們，真沒婦女細心。”

四隊長嘬了下牙花子：“別說老爺們粗心，也別說大隊長是婦女細心。我看出來了，這是咱們幾個沒上心。人家五保戶也看出來了。”

如果不看出來，為啥都要搬到平安莊養老院來？僅僅因為平安莊養老院住的比自己的破房子舒坦嗎？孫慶林不由想起三位老人收拾東西時，不停抹眼淚的情景：他們肯定也舍不得自己住了一輩子的地方，卻知道再在那個地方生活下去，哪天自己沒了都沒人知道。

住進養老院就不一樣，這裏人多，早起誰沒出房門，隔壁的人都會問上一句，他們擔心的情況不會發生。

這應該就是老人們一定要來養老院的最大原因。

他想到的，李大牛和四隊長也想到了，三個人都沒臉進屋，蹲在院子裏抽起煙來，想等夏菊花來時，向她做個檢讨再回生産隊。

可惜夏菊花一直沒出現，倒是劉志福送了一趟柴火後，陸續又來了幾個平安莊的老頭老太太。他們的年紀看起來要比七奶小些，腰也有些彎了，走路卻很有勁，胳膊上都挎着個籃子，一來就直接進了廚房。

很快廚房裏就傳出了說笑聲，炊煙在傍晚的霞光中升起，傳來一陣炝鍋的香氣。

李大牛站起身來，說：“算了，咱們回去吧。再從各自生産隊的糧倉裏，送點糧食過來。雖然人家平安莊可能不稀罕，可該盡的心咱們得盡。”

夏菊花并不是有意冷落新搬進養老院的老人們，現在她還在大隊部接着齊小叔的電話：“……行，我知道了，我們平安莊保證接待好。啥，還得有一名專職解說員，齊書記，你這不是難為我嗎，我上哪兒給你找人當解說員。”

原來齊小叔打電話，是告訴夏菊花，地區代副部長他們回去後，直接寫了一份內參給地區主要領導。領導們對平安莊的發展十分感興趣，組成了有所屬縣副縣長參加的參觀團，兩天之後要到平安莊進行參觀考察。

考慮到這是頭一批到平安莊參觀考察的，來人規格又高，齊小叔便讓夏菊花規劃一下參觀路線，再找專人給解說一下。

夏菊花聽了頭都大了，路線好說，對解說員她的印象還停留在上輩子電視裏見過的，身材姣好、上身黑色西裝、下身一步裙，手裏拿個小木棒，嘴前挂個微型麥克風，眼角眉梢帶着高傲的姑娘們。

平安莊沒有這樣的姑娘，現淘換都淘換不着！

Xia Juhua was so worried that she didn't even want to eat. Accountant Chang saw that she hadn't gone home yet, so he asked, "Captain, what else do you have to do? Why haven't you gone home yet? Are you going to take all the five-guarantee households from each production team to Ping'anzhuang Nursing Home today? Are you afraid that those production team leaders will make trouble with you?"

She was not afraid of being teased, she had something more worrying: "In two days, the regional propaganda department will organize deputy county governors to come for a visit. What's so good about this icy and snowy place? It's not enough to just look at it, they also want someone to be their guide!"

Why don't you go up to the sky? Don't you have eyes? Just look, why bother explaining?