Chapter 183
Yes, except for the completely invisible Sun and Liu Sizhuang, no one in Ping'an Village had a bad relationship with her. Even Liu Hongjuan, Liu Sizhuang's daughter, had been influenced by her two cousins to get closer to Xia Juhua in the past two years.
Zhao Xianzhi came over again and whispered, "We don't want to separate. No matter who we work with, it's better to work with you. Don't say you can't do it. You just need to sit in the office every day, do the heavy work and worry about it, and we will do whatever you say."
"So the Ping'anzhuang production team is not planning to contract production to households?" Secretary Zhang looked at Xia Juhua in surprise, who had told him a few days ago that he had to follow the superiors' policy.
This idea was changed too quickly.
Xia Juhua shook her head at Secretary Zhang, then nodded: "It's not that Ping'an Village doesn't contract production to households, but because of labor, it saves time and effort for everyone to farm with machines. We have established an agricultural cooperative factory, and all members work in the factory, so it doesn't count as a violation of the superior's policy."
It was indeed not a violation of the superior's policy, but at a time when everyone in the country was looking forward to having control over their own land, Pingan Village collectively established an agricultural factory, which was quite different from the crowd.
Aren't you afraid that others will label her as a bad person? Secretary Zhang looked at Xia Juhua with some concern. Uncle Qi, who had called Xia Juhua to the county committee office to hear her explain the situation in person, asked this question directly.
Xia Juhua was amused: "What can they accuse me of? Saying that I undermined the household contract responsibility system? I didn't stop others from dividing the land and contracting it to work. There was only one production team in Ping'an Village, and everyone wanted to continue to get rich together. What? farmer?"
Of course not. The reason why the superiors implemented the household contract responsibility system was to make everyone busy filling their stomachs and to achieve common prosperity. Uncle Qi put aside his worries. Xia Juhua was right. As long as they got rich with their own hands and did not steal or rob, who could choose whatever they wanted?
However, he still reminded Xia Juhua: "Forget about the Pinganzhuang production team, because you said that you would soon set up several factories, and manpower is indeed a problem. Don't get involved with the remaining production teams."
Xia Juhua certainly did not get involved. Whether it was Li Changshun or Captain Niu, when they heard that the Ping'anzhuang production team was going to set up an agricultural factory, they came to her and asked if their respective production teams could join. But she had already refused: she had been tired enough of pulling several other production teams in the past few years, and from now on everyone should show their abilities.
As for the fact that they each found Sun Qinglin after they left and scolded him harshly, thinking that it was he who had been trying to haggle over trivial matters at the brigade meeting and had upset Xia Juhua, Xia Juhua pretended not to know.
Everyone has to pay for what they do. Sun Qinglin's performance at the brigade meeting really didn't make Xia Juhua like him: Sun Qinglin, who took over, knew best how the former captain of the fifth team lost his position. But he still became the same person as the former captain of the fifth team. It can only be said that the atmosphere of the entire fifth team has problems.
Fortunately, she won't have to worry too much about these people and things in the future - as for the captain, she doesn't plan to be the captain for just a few years. When someone is willing to take over this pleasant job of captain, she will let him take over, Xia Juhua thought happily.
Before I could finish my thought, I heard an angry voice knocking at the door: "Auntie, are you home?"
The gate was not even closed, how could he not be at home? As soon as Xia Juhua went out, she saw Qi Weidong, who looked angry, parking his motorcycle that he had gotten from somewhere.
"Why are you so angry? Is there something wrong with your business?" Xia Juhua couldn't think of anything else that could have made Qi Weidong lose his composure like this, other than problems with his business.
Even when his wife was having difficulty in giving birth, he was never so anxious.
Qi Weidong, who was taking things down from the motorcycle, rolled his eyes at Xia Juhua, went into the house angrily, threw the things directly under his feet, and looked like he didn't want to talk to anyone.
Xia Juhua felt even more strange and poured him a glass of water. Fortunately, the water was still taken. After he drank two sips, Xia Juhua asked again: "Why do you have a nose that is not a nose and eyes that are not eyes? Who offended you?"
Qi Weidong snorted: "Auntie, you are really not fair in doing this."
What did I do that has anything to do with being dishonest? Xia Juhua reflected deeply. She had been busy with the work of the brigade and Ping'an Village recently, and hadn't seen this guy for a few days. Qi Weidong had always been the one to arrange their cooperation outside.
She was not a person without temper, so she asked directly: "How am I not honest? Is it that the vermicelli factory did not supply you enough goods, or is it that the instant noodle factory is withholding your goods and not shipping them?" These were the only two possibilities she could think of.
Qi Weidong was so angry that he was panting: "Auntie! Others have divided up their land, why don't you divide up your Pingan Manor? With your personality, if you don't divide up your land, you will stay in Pingan Manor and you won't care about our partnership at all? Are they plotting against you and forcing you to continue working for them without dividing up the land? Who is it, auntie, tell me and I'll go find them. You won't let me have a rest for two days."
"I'm telling you, auntie, the black market has almost become a white market now. There are stalls every day and no one cares. The street outside the black market is getting longer and longer, selling all kinds of things, just like making money. With such a good opportunity to make money, why are you still staying in Ping'an Village every day? Who cares if they divide the land or not? Let's go to the county town, Chengping, and the provincial capital to make money!"
So this is why he accused me of being dishonest. Then Xia Juhua said, "Are you worried because you're afraid that I won't be able to leave Ping'an Village?"
Qi Weidong nodded hurriedly. He had long understood that now was the best time to make a fortune - a new order was being established, and everything was ready to be rebuilt. He could make money by doing anything.
Xia Juhua smiled and said, "Just because I can't leave Ping'an Village doesn't mean my ideas can't leave Ping'an Village, don't you think?"
Qi Weidong, who was originally angry, had sparkling eyes. Only three-tenths of his anger was real, and the remaining seven-tenths was used to provoke Xia Juhua. Now that he heard her say she had an idea, he naturally wanted to listen carefully.
Xia Juhua had already thought about what Qi Weidong was going to do now - the agricultural and trade market from his previous life. Although it was a year too early, it was not impossible to do it. Moreover, if it was done, it would also be Uncle Qi's political achievement. It was not impossible for him to get promoted again. Then they could even open the agricultural and trade market in Chengping area!
No, even if Uncle Qi doesn't get promoted, Qi Weidong can still go to Chengping District to build an agricultural market!
After hearing her plan, Qi Weidong's excited expression collapsed: "Auntie, it would be great if you don't worry about Pingan Village. If we can discuss it together at any time, you come up with ideas and I run errands, not to mention the agricultural market, we can even open a department store."
Xia Juhua's eyes lit up just like Qi Weidong's: "If we still have money, why can't we open a department store?" Then the supply and marketing cooperatives will no longer be the only ones dominating the market, and ordinary people won't have to look at the faces of the sales clerks.
Qi Weidong was tempted. He counted the money he had and thought that it was either not feasible or the location was difficult to choose: there were only a few buildings in the county town, and the supply and marketing cooperative was just a two-story building. If he wanted to build a department store, it would naturally have to be taller and bigger than the supply and marketing cooperative to be able to surpass it.
"The construction team that Ping'an Village and Team 3 are going to set up can't just stay in the village and build houses for people. They have to move out slowly. I was thinking of looking for you in a couple of days and asking you to find two people who can read the blueprints for them. If we can get the land, let the Ping'an Village construction team build houses for us!"
Great! It's my own place, my own building, I can build it however I want. Qi Weidong had no reason to disagree and promised to find someone after I go back. If possible, I will spend a lot of money to poach people from Ping An Zhuang Construction Team.
"You have to have the skills and a good character." Xia Juhua reminded him: "If you think you know a lot of words, that you are a citizen who looks down on farmers, that you feel wronged by the Ping'anzhuang construction team, and that you can't get along well with everyone, don't hire him."
Qi Weidong thought this request was normal - since the construction team had to make money together, they had to be united internally. If a person who looked down on his colleagues joined the team, it wouldn't take long for the construction team to become a mess, and they wouldn't be able to build any good houses.
Qi Weidong came in angrily, but left happily. What a good idea to open a farmers' market. When the farmers' market is opened, he will make money from those people who make money from the price difference. There are gains and losses in making money from the price difference. As long as he gets the land and builds a solid house, he can continue to make money for many years.
There are also regions and provincial capitals where he builds houses and fences off land before others expect it, and the money he earns...
Qi Weidong didn't dare to think about it, but he didn't slow down at all. He found Uncle Qi and talked him into a fight. Uncle Qi was worried about the people who set up stalls everywhere in the county. He was very supportive when he heard that his nephew wanted to gather these stalls together so that everyone could set up stalls in an orderly manner. After discussing with the county leadership team, they decided to build the agricultural and trade market on the west side of the county.
The location of the place was also what Qi Weidong had in mind, because Ping'an Village was just to the west of the county town and there was a smooth road connecting them. Goods from Ping'an Village could be transported here smoothly, and goods from other places could also be transported here smoothly.
The Pinganzhuang construction team had just been formed when they received an order from the agricultural market, which surprised Li Changman: "Captain, are we really that good?"
Xia Juhua nodded affirmatively: "Although this is your first time to build an agricultural and trade market, it is actually simpler than building a house. It only requires three walls, a flat ground, baseboards, upper beams, and roof tiles."
Although he knew it wouldn't be as easy as Xia Juhua said, Changman Li felt more confident after hearing what she said. He said with a smile, "Then I have to go to Xia Family Manor to talk to Xia Long and ask him to prepare more bricks for me."
I heard that the brick factory of Xiawo Brigade was contracted to the Xia brothers, so Li Changman knew where to buy bricks. As for the fact that the bricks fired by the Xia family brick factory were substandard, that was not the case: the bricks used by Xiawo Brigade in the past two years were all fired by the brothers Xia Mantun and Xia Manwu, and the quality was very good.
Niu Jiaju (Captain Niu), the deputy captain of the construction team, was a little uneasy: "Captain Li, should the people I lead stay in the village to build houses, or should we follow you to the county town to build the agricultural market?"
"It's half and half." Li Changman knew that the newly formed construction team must not be distracted by Xiao Xiao's involvement in the farmers' market, so he said with a smile: "I think at least ten of the twenty or so people you brought with you are experienced. They can continue to stay in the village to build houses, and the rest of them can go to the farmers' market to help."
Seeing Niu Jiaju's puzzled expression, Li Changman explained to him: "The captain has already said that building a market is easier than building a house. We don't need to consider the partitions and the people living in it. A framework is enough. If we build a house in the village, we will live in it for the rest of our lives. We don't need to worry about accidents because we are experienced."
Niu Jiaju thought it made sense and agreed with Li Changman's idea. He laughed back at those who laughed at him, a production team leader, for working as a deputy to an ordinary member of Ping An Village:
An ordinary member of Ping An Village? If you have the guts, come and compete with this ordinary member. His mind is much broader than those of you who only see the present. Whenever there is something to do in the construction team, Changman will pull him together to discuss it. When a decision is made, he will also tell him why it is made. He does not think that he only needs to follow orders just because he is the captain.
I just heard that Xiao Qi was going to build a market in the county town, Chengping District and the provincial capital, so the construction team would have to recruit people. There weren't many people left in Ping'an Village, so Niu Jiaju had to think carefully about whether to recruit people from the third team and how many to recruit.
We cannot recruit those who are careless, lest they think of replacing Ping An Zhuang just because there are more people in the three construction teams. Xiao Qi can give the order to the Ping An Zhuang construction team, but he may not give the same order to the construction team that is not controlled by Ping An Zhuang.
Xia Juhua had asked Engineer Xue to find out about the electronic incubator, and there was some news. Now the most urgent thing was to raise eggs. Fortunately, after the household contract responsibility system was implemented, the quota for raising chickens was canceled, and the number of adult chickens at the Ping'anzhuang delivery and purchase station also decreased.
Enough roosters can be left to produce eggs. However, as more and more chickens and pigs are raised, sewage treatment has to be put on the agenda, and the construction of a sewage treatment plant is imminent.
Thanks to the arrival of the high-level visiting group that year, the sewage treatment work of the Xianghe River has received attention from the region and the counties it flows through. The water flowing down from the upstream is clear, and Pingde County only needs to manage its own section well.
Xia Juhua called Liu Zhiquan and Liu Zhishuang and asked them to find out whether there was any ready-made experience in building sewage treatment plants in the region or provincial capital. They said that building a sewage treatment plant was urgent and that Ping'anzhuang was too small compared to the later farms, so it should not be that difficult to build one.
While she was waiting for news, she received a letter from military reporter Zhang Tianming. Attached to the letter was an invitation letter, inviting her to give a report in the Southern Theater Command and talk about how she had been supporting the army for many years.
Xia Juhua was a little confused when she received the invitation letter: "Why do you want me to give a report? The reports are given by soldiers who have just come down from the battlefield. What is there to talk about with what I have done?"
Chen Qiusheng thought of another question, and asked, looking at the exquisitely printed invitation letter, "Are there any soldiers from Ping An Village who are on the front line?"
Xia Juhua's heart skipped a beat. "I'm really nervous when you say that. If I ask Baoling, she'll be more worried. You can ask Cuiping to ask her. Zhiliang hasn't written to me for three or four months."
It was probably because she was too busy these days to think about it, otherwise Xia Juhua wouldn't have noticed that Liu Zhiliang hadn't written to her for several months. Chen Qiusheng's heart sank again when he heard this, and he said, "Two kids from the fifth team retired before the New Year and both went to work at the hot and sour noodle factory. Why don't we call them over and ask them?"
Xia Juhua thought about it and shook her head: "No need to ask someone to come and ask. I don't know what they are thinking. Look at these kids. It's not shameful to be discharged from the army. Why are they still staying at home and not going out?"
Chen Qiu Sheng had some understanding of the feelings of the two retired young men: out of the twenty-one men who served in the army together, nineteen stayed in the army and became volunteers, and only the two of them retired and returned home. They felt uncomfortable and thought it was normal that they were being outdone by others.
Fortunately, Ping'an Village has two factories, so it is no problem to arrange a job for them. Moreover, they have been trained in the army. According to his observation over the past few months, the two guys have adapted well now and will have no problem becoming a team leader in the future.
Now is not the time to consider the two children. Xia Juhua has to decide whether to go or not. After thinking about it, she called Uncle Qi. When she heard the laughter on the other end, which was not as hearty as before, Xia Juhua suddenly felt even more uncertain: "Go, this is the honor of our Pingde County. Go ahead. When you come back from the Southern Military Region after giving a report, I will also give a report to the cadres in the county."
Please spare me. Xia Juhua said silently in her heart, and responded: "Okay, then I'll go. By the way, Secretary Qi, can you tell Secretary Zhang that the captain of Ping'an Village needs to find someone to take over. I can't leave the brigade without anyone to take care of the work after I leave."
Uncle Qi was still laughing on the other end of the phone, and it didn't sound like he was just being forced: "Don't make it hard for Secretary Zhang. He told me that you've approached him several times and you don't want to be the captain anymore. I think it's better not to dream about it."
Listen, listen to this, is this what a county party secretary should say? Xia Juhua hung up the phone lightly, ignoring the dissatisfied "hello" in the receiver the moment she hung up the phone.
As a result, the call was immediately returned. Uncle Qi first complained a few words in dissatisfaction, and then told Xia Juhua that this time the Southern Military Region was in Chengping District and had invited not only her but also the Chengping District Propaganda Minister and the Pingde County Propaganda Minister.
The two were familiar with Xia Juhua. They had accompanied the military reporter to Ping'an Village for an interview last time. Xia Juhua did not feel relieved after hearing this, but asked: "Secretary Qi, are the children of Ping'an Village..."
Uncle Qi sighed softly on the other end of the phone: "It should have been almost two months since he went up there. It's time to change his defense."
Xia Juhua understood what was said, and her heart was heavy. She didn't even know why she put down the phone. She knew that she had to go this time, and she had to go as soon as possible, so that the children of Pingan Village would see her first after leaving the battlefield.
However, there were two deputy propaganda ministers who were promoted to full-time officials, and the departure time was set for two days later. Xia Juhua was not in the mood to take care of the work of the brigade or the factories as she had done in the previous trips. She was only focused on preparing food at home.
I heard that they were going by plane this time, and the plane could check in luggage, so she could bring more things with her, so that the children who were far away from home could have a taste of hometown food:
Keep the roosters and hens for laying eggs, kill them, and salt them. It shouldn't hurt to increase the salt. Ten chickens and half a child should be enough to satisfy the hunger, right?
The sugar-coated cake is fried until soft and golden, wrapped in greaseproof paper, and held alone without being put together with other things. It won't get damaged by the pressure, right?
The smoked meat, the skin is burnt to a reddish brown, and you can see the soft meat through the skin. It can be packed in a plastic sealing machine and kept for a few days. Add a few pounds of pancakes and you have the authentic smoked meat pancakes.
By the way, bring home-made miso and spread it on the pancakes for the children. The children must have never eaten it a few times at home before, so let them eat as much as they can this time.
As for insoles, she made a few pairs herself and got a few more from Seventh Grandma. At least she had to give each child two pairs.
Uncle Qi and others who were seeing her off looked at Xia Juhua's large bag, but no one complained that she shouldn't have brought so many things. Two ministers even stepped forward and each held one side of the bag for her.
Xia Juhua was silent all the way, even when she was vomiting from airsickness, she didn't make a loud noise. It was not until she got off the plane and saw the leaders of the army coming to pick her up that she asked the first question in a hoarse voice, "Have all the children from Ping An Village been evacuated?"
Reporter Zhang looked behind him and a comrade who was obviously a leader nodded to him. Then he said, "Yes, they have all been evacuated. Captain Xia brought all these things with him. He is not here to give us a report, but to express his condolences, right?"
Hearing his casual words, Xia Juhua's heart sank again. She felt dizzy and couldn't stand up. She was supported by Li Honglin, the Minister of Pingde County, and asked in a lower voice, "Are you all right?"
Reporter Zhang was silent. No matter what, he could no longer easily say to Xia Juhua: It's fine.
Xia Juhua sensed his silence and did not ask any other questions. She got on the bus, hurried on, and got off the bus with everyone else. She seemed to be getting calmer and calmer, and she was no longer carsick.
The two propaganda ministers looked at each other, then looked at Xia Juhua's big bag, and then looked at reporter Zhang.
Reporter Zhang turned his head and looked out the window.
The car stopped in front of the military camp and a soldier came forward to check. Xia Juhua looked at the fully armed soldiers and thought to herself that the children of Ping'an Village had also been armed in this way.
Driving into the military camp, young figures can be seen everywhere, and slogans and orders like thunder can be heard, which sound strange and friendly. Xia Juhua was silent all the way, and her eyes were reluctant to leave those young figures. She wanted to remember all of them in her mind.
"Comrade Xia Juhua, welcome, welcome to the model of military support who has been silently supporting the front line." The troop leader shook hands with Xia Juhua cordially. She shook hands back and couldn't help but look behind the leader. There were also young figures behind the leader, but they were not the children of Ping'an Village.
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