Liu Erzhuang looked at the energetic members and gave a thumbs up to his sister-in-law in his heart. He happily followed them to the site where the canal was being repaired.
The canal happened to reach the junction of Pingan Village and Xiaozhuangtou (the name of the production team), and it was less than half a mile away from being connected. There was obviously more water left in Pingan Village than in Xiaozhuangtou, and Xia Juhua couldn't help but ask Liu Erzhuang: "Do they have more people than us who are repairing the canal?"
Liu Erzhuang's face flushed as he was asked: "Each team has 30 people. I was busy these two days and didn't keep an eye on them, so the progress..."
I understand. Xia Juhua didn't need Liu Erzhuang to say anything more. She looked at the members carrying shovels and hoes. Just as she was about to speak, the workers from Xiaozhuangtou came. The two production teams were close to each other.
Seeing that Xia Juhua appeared in the canal repair team again today, Li Daniu, the leader of the Xiaozhuangtou production team, joked with Liu Erzhuang from a distance: "Erzhuang, the men in your production team are not good at work, so you sent Xia Xiaogu here again."
The people who were repairing the canal in Ping'an Village were laughed at and looked unhappy. Liu Erzhuang said to Li Daniu in a bad mood: "What are you talking about? My sister-in-law is now the leader of our production team. Of course she has to come and see how the canal looks like."
“What? Xia Xiaofu has become the leader of your production team. Are there no men in your production team?” Li Daniu looked at Xia Juhua in disbelief. “She is a woman.
The people in Xiaozhuang burst into laughter, and the people in Pinganzhuang were so angry that their faces turned black. Xia Juhua kept looking at Li Daniu who was talking. They knew him, but they had never spoken to him before, so why did he say such harsh words?
Li Daniu felt a little uncomfortable being stared at, and smiled at Xia Juhua: "Well, sister-in-law, I didn't mean that. I was just joking with Er Zhuang. It was just a joke."
Xia Juhua glanced at him again and ignored him, which made Li Daniu feel even more embarrassed. He wanted to say something more, but Xia Juhua raised her voice a little bit, and said to the people in her production team who were repairing the canal: "Young and old, I think it's true that the people in the small village look down on us. Who made them repair the canal faster than us? We can only listen, right?"
"Mom, please stop talking. I'm risking my life today. I'll work hard to finish this canal in as little time as the people in Xiaozhuangtou." Liu Zhishuang shouted in the crowd. He had to shout to let his mother know that he supported her to be the production team leader.
Xia Juhua found it funny in her heart, and her expression was a little miserable. She said something with a hint of toughness: "But I, Xia Juhua, don't want to hear this again in the future. I have never been laughed at like this in my life. Even if I am not given work points today, I will work with everyone to repair the canal. I just don't believe that the people of Ping'an Village work so hard and still let the small village head look down on us."
"Sister-in-law." Liu Erzhuang was so ashamed that he almost buried his head in the canal. If he hadn't been busy with family matters these days and didn't follow the canal to watch, those cunning guys wouldn't dare to slack off, and they abducted people who were working hard and slowed down their progress.
We all have ten work points, so how can a cunning person be lazy? Others have to work non-stop, so if someone wants to be lazy, everyone should do it together.
Liu Erzhuang was ashamed, and the others were also embarrassed. If they, a group of big bosses, really had to be led by Xia Juhua to defeat the people in the small village, were they still men?
Yes, Xia Juhua's nickname is Xia Xiaohuo, but she is a woman. Didn't Li Daniu say that they want a woman to take the blame?
Sun Zhaodi's husband Chen Dongsheng couldn't bear to see Xia Juhua follow the men into the canal in the middle of winter because of what his wife had said to her. He said loudly, "Captain, we in Ping'an Village are not people who want to be laughed at. I don't believe you don't have to go into the canal. The little village has only dug a few more shovels than us. Let's work hard and catch up with them today."
"Yes, catch up with them!" The people of Ping'an Village responded in unison, which scared the head of the small village who was smoking and waiting to see the joke. After understanding what the people of Yi'an Village were shouting, they all laughed.
Even though it was only half a mile away, digging the canal was not a matter of just walking from one end to the other. The earthwork, two meters deep and three and a half meters wide, had to be dug with shovels, dug with shovels, and carried with baskets.
Can the people of Pingan Village make the canal break free by themselves with just their willpower? Can the earthworks run out of the ground by themselves? Li Daniu shouted to Xia Juhua happily, "Captain Xia, it's useless to just talk about it without practicing."
Liu Zhishuang threw the hoe to the bottom of the canal, and he jumped in with a splash. Xia Juhua was startled: "Second Brother?" Why did he jump just like that?
"Mom, I'm fine. I want to let the people in the small village see whether the masters of Ping'an Village are just talking and not doing."
The canal was cleared and Liu Zhiquan jumped to the bottom of the canal.
Plop, plop, Liu Erzhuang and Chen Dongsheng jumped down.
The people who had just been standing by the canal listening to Xia Juhua's words jumped to the bottom of the canal one after another. Without anyone dividing the area for them, they followed the edge of yesterday's excavation and frantically dug, dug, and filled...
Xia Juhua's heart was warmed. She glanced at Li Daniu and smiled: "Okay, Captain Li, let's practice together today between our two production teams." After that, she set up the small cart that was placed diagonally on the pile of earth and started loading earth into the wicker basket one shovel after another.
The man who was repairing the canal in Xiaozhuangtou hadn't even finished smoking half of his cigarette when the people on the other side disappeared. They all looked at Li Daniu in a daze. you go down and dig the canal!"
The people in Pingan Village must be crazy. That young man Xia didn't say anything provocative, but they just jumped down and did their work without saying anything. Just like the people in their production team, wouldn't it be better if they could dawdle for a while, smoke a bag of cigarettes and chat, and then work quietly?
Even though he thought so, looking at the members who were still smoking slowly, Li Daniu was still furious and shouted, "Why are you still dawdling? Get down to work. If we really let the people from Ping An Village outsmart us, we will be worse than women."
His roar was so loud that the people in Xiaozhuang and Pinganzhuang heard it. Liu Erzhuang shouted upward from the bottom of the canal: "Sister-in-law, go back to the production team. I'm watching over here. We don't need the masters in Pinganzhuang, so you don't need to interfere."
"Yes, Captain, you go back. We must convince the little village chief today!" The canal diggers echoed Liu Erzhuang's words while frantically digging the land that had long been frozen. The progress was visible to the naked eye.
Xia Juhua listened to the persuasion coming from the bottom of the canal and smiled silently in her heart: Who wants to do such heavy work? She also wants to be a production team leader with an easy job. But today is her first day in office. If she doesn't show her ability, no one will respect her in the future.
Li Daniu had given her the opportunity to use his provocation. If she didn't use it, she would be a fool. In order to make the provocation more effective, Xia Juhua pushed five more carts of soil, and then reluctantly returned to the production team after everyone's persuasion.
The yard was also full of people working hard, and the leader was actually from Li Changwang's family. She ran around complaining that this one was not firmly tied, and that the reed stalks were not of the same thickness. There was a suspicious white edge around the corner of her mouth, and she didn't even realize it.
For the first time, Xia Juhua felt that Li Changwang's chatterbox was not a flaw. She happily watched her scold two people who had just learned to weave reed curtains. The two people even smiled at Li Changwang's family and called out, "Changwang's family."
"Hey." Li Changwang turned around and saw that it was Xia Juhua. He immediately put away his scolding face and replaced it with a friendly smile: "Captain, why are you back? Has everything been arranged over there? You don't have to worry about this. Everyone is studying very hard."
If you don't take it seriously, you'll be so unforgiving. Xia Juhua thanked Li Changwang's family solemnly: "Thank you for taking care of it for me, otherwise I really wouldn't be able to leave. Oh, by the way, find five or six people to boil a few pots of ginger soup and send them to the people who are repairing the canal."
"Why wouldn't they be so happy?" When Li Changwang's family heard that they were going to give ginger soup to the canal builders, their first reaction was that the canal builders were taking advantage of them: "Captain, you can't be soft-hearted, or they will definitely take advantage of you in the future."
Xia Juhua smiled and looked at Li Changwang's family who was stomping their feet without saying anything. Li Changwang's family stomped their feet more and more lightly, and finally stopped anxiously. Xia Juhua said softly: "Your family Changwang is also repairing the canal. Besides, it's so cold, we can drink some to warm ourselves up."
"Then whose house should we cook at? Who will provide the ginger? And is the firewood considered the team's or is it just someone else's for free?" What belongs to Li Changwang's family is Li Changwang's family. If it were anyone else, they would be embarrassed to ask directly.
Since Xia Juhua said she wanted to cook ginger soup, she had already planned all these things: "Let's go to our house and Zhaodi's house to cook together. It happens to be convenient since our two houses are next to each other. Let's use our ginger first."
"What?" Li Changwang's family looked at Xia Juhua like a fool: "You are so honest, how come you are really stupid. Other production team leaders would bring some things home, but why do you only want to put things in there?"
Xia Juhua smiled and looked at Li Changwang's family in silence, thinking that they had no temper. She called Sun Zhaodi and a few people who were good at weaving curtains, and went to cook ginger soup together.
Xia Juhua was left alone to look after the courtyard. Her voice was not as high as Li Changwang's, and her voice was not as loud as Li Changwang's. Whoever she spoke to had to get closer and listen carefully, but the effect was better than Li Changwang's shouting.
Gradually, the new women found that Xia Juhua was not as unapproachable as they had imagined. They became less cautious when speaking to her and asked more questions: "Captain, what are you doing with all these curtains?"
"Captain, with my skills, can I help you weave mats? Even if I lose two work points, it's better than staying indoors doing nothing all winter."
"Captain, I didn't know how to weave mats before. Can I learn how to weave mats by weaving more curtains?"
There was so much chatter that it was hard to know which question to answer first. Xia Juhua kept busy with her hands and tried her best to answer questions related to weaving reed curtains. She didn't stand up until the ginger soup was ready and a pot was sent to the yard. She asked everyone to drink a bowl first.
"Changwang's family, you and the others can weave the rope first. When the yard is fenced off, you won't have to weave anymore." Xia Juhua was going to take people to deliver ginger soup to the people who were repairing the canal. Before leaving, she gave Li Changwang's family a message.
"Mrs. Li, does the captain mean that this reed mat is for the courtyard?" Everyone was a little bit unbelieving.
Li Changwang's wife slapped her thigh and said, "Of course it is. I told you, having Xia Juhua as the team leader will definitely be good for us women. In previous years, we also wove mats in this yard. It was so windy that we couldn't stretch out our hands, and no one cared about us. Xia Juhua thought of weaving reed mats for us to block the wind the day before. Even if it's just to keep our heads a little cooler, why do I feel so warm in my heart?"
Who wouldn't feel warm inside? The canal repairmen drinking ginger soup also felt warm inside. This production team leader was chosen correctly. A woman should be the production team leader. The amount of work she does is secondary. The logistical support is what makes people feel at ease.
Xia Juhua has done so much. If everyone still doesn't work hard to dig the canal, what if the team says that the Ping'anzhuang canal is not up to standard and wants to take Xia Juhua down? Will we still be able to drink ginger soup in the future? !
Needless to say, after drinking the ginger soup, everyone felt stronger than after drinking a bowl of wine. They put down their bowls and jumped into the bottom of the canal one after another, fighting for their lives.
The corresponding small village headmen were not happy. From time to time, some of them would look at Li Daniu, sigh, and weakly step on the shovel or swing the hoe. Li Daniu was so angry. What was this Xia boy thinking? You are the only one who can do this. He even cooked ginger soup. This is to win people's hearts!
Li Daniu angrily dug at the hard soil, spat into his palm, and thought bitterly in his heart: I wonder how many days you can cook ginger soup.
Xia Juhua thought of cooking ginger soup for the people who were repairing the canal because when she was repairing the canal in the snow and ice in her previous life, she was looking forward to drinking a sip of ginger soup to warm herself up. However, she did not expect to be compared with the people in the small village.
After the women who brought soup left, Xia Juhua did not follow them back to the production team, but continued to push the dirt. When Li Daniu came up to smoke, he saw Xia Juhua pushing the dirt without taking a break, and he was impressed by her ability. The more capable Xia Juhua was, the more Li Daniu felt that he, an old production team leader, was outdone by her, and he felt very uncomfortable.
"How did you assign the work? Why are you the only one doing the bulldozing?" Li Changshun came over with his hands behind his back to check on the two production teams' canal construction progress. He ran into Xia Juhua doing the bulldozing and asked with an unhappy face.
What he was thinking was that women cannot be production team leaders. Look at the division of labor. How can one person push so much soil? Being a production team leader is not enough for one to be capable, one must also know how to divide the work.
Xia Juhua wiped her sweat off her forehead, smiled at Li Changshun and said, "They wanted to finish digging the canal first and then work together to push the soil. They were afraid that I would get in the way under the canal and wouldn't let me go down. I thought I would push two carts if I could, so that they would have to push two less."
The honest words made Li Changshun's reprimands choke in his throat, but the people below the canal heard the conversation between the two. Liu Erzhuang looked up at Li Changshun's trouser legs and said:
"Captain, my sister-in-law is a person who can't sit still. We asked her to go back a long time ago but she refused to listen. Don't worry, we will catch up with Xiaozhuangtou's progress today."
"Bullshit. You guys have been lagging behind Xiaozhuangtou these past two days..." Li Changshun couldn't continue. He just hadn't checked the progress of the two production teams for a long time, and suddenly found that Ping'anzhuang was actually catching up with Xiaozhuangtou.
This made Li Changshun a little bit unbelievable. After all, the progress was falling behind day by day. How could Ping'an Village catch up in half a day? Maybe they relaxed the quality control and messed up things.
Li Changshun looked critically at the newly dug canal in Ping'an Village - he had been the team leader for nearly twenty years, and had been leading people to repair the canal for a long time. He could tell at a glance if anyone tried to fool him about the quality.
But the new canal dug by Ping An Zhuang today, whether in depth, width or flatness, is not substandard in any way. Even the most discerning eyes cannot say it is not good. Yesterday, the progress of Ping An Zhuang was as slow as an ant crawling, but today it is taking a plane? Are you crazy?
Regardless of whether he is crazy or not, he has done a great job, and we cannot continue to criticize him without praise. Li Changshun shouted with full force: "Li Daniu, haven't the people in your production team eaten?" Ping'an Village has no problem, but the one with the problem is the small village head. Li Changshun unceremoniously called out Li Daniu's name.
Li Daniu also felt aggrieved. If he was not afraid of losing face, he would have wanted to ask the people in Ping'an Village what they thought. How come they could get a few more work points for digging canals by doing the hard work?
Both Li Changshun and Li Daniu forgot that although people are required to be fair and just in this era, people are flesh and blood and have feelings after all, and they also need care and warmth. Xia Juhua gave them warmth in the cold mechanical labor, so of course they had to repay her with simple labor.
Just like that, after the head of the small village was scolded by Li Changshun following Li Daniu, the people of Ping'an Village became more and more motivated amidst their low morale. They even wanted to skip lunch and continue digging the canal.
It was Chen Qiusheng who came to tell everyone that Captain Xia said that digging a canal would not be completed in one day, and everyone should be prepared for a long-term battle and not hurt their bodies in the hope of quick success. Now the people of Ping'an Village went back to eat as if they had won a battle, and they were so light under their feet that they could not stand still.
After they left, Li Daniu quietly came over to take a look at the dug canal and felt the same as Li Changshun: the people in Ping'an Village had gone crazy.
The people of Ping'an Village who went crazy included not only the people digging canals, but also the women making reed curtains: they had all heard from that big mouth of Li Changwang's that the ginger soup they drank was made by Xia Juhua, and even the firewood for cooking the soup was brought from Xia Juhua's house!
So Xia Juhua planned to weave the reed curtain in a day, but she actually finished it in half a day, which made her neither laugh nor annoyed.
But since the reed mats were ready, Xia Juhua redistributed the afternoon's work: Ten men were selected from the men who were carrying fertilizer to the fields to help build stakes and reed walls, making sure the yard was tightly enclosed. This way, when the women were weaving mats in the yard, they could at least block the wind blowing directly at them and stretch their hands out to work.
When the women saw that the reed curtains were actually used in the yard, they naturally praised Xia Juhua again and again. After praising Xia Juhua, they also did not forget to praise their own good vision. Otherwise, why were it the women instead of men who first proposed to choose Xia Juhua as the production team leader?
The men of Ping An Village: You are right, you are always right.
Xia Juhua, who was praised by everyone, was not in Ping'an Village at this time. She came to the commune again, but she did not come alone. Instead, she was brought directly to the commune office by Liu Liqun.
It's not quite accurate to say it's the office of the commune, it should be the office of the Red Team. The leader of the Red Team was also surprised to see that the person who came was Xia Juhua, so Xia Juhua had to greet him first: "Captain Xia, we meet again, I'm here to pick up Liu Sizhuang and his family back to Ping'an Village."
"Captain Liu, our Red Team asked the cadres of Ping'anzhuang Production Team and Ping'anzhuang Brigade to pick up Liu Sizhuang's family in order to explain the specific requirements for Liu Sizhuang's family to return to the production team for labor reform. Why are you bringing a woman here?" The captain of the Red Team ignored Xia Juhua's greeting and yelled at Liu Liqun rudely.
Liu Liqun's temper was not very good, but he had to hold back his anger when facing the scoundrels from the Red Team and said, "Comrade Xia Juhua is now the leader of the Ping'an Village production team."
"She?" The leader of the Red Team laughed, not even looking at Liu Liqun, and asked with disdain: "There are no men in the Ping'an Village production team, so they let a woman be the production team leader? Your team also let their production team mess around?"
Xia Juhua was despised and mocked by him, but she didn't feel uncomfortable or ashamed at all. She said in a good-tempered manner: "Captain Xia, the old man taught us that women can hold up half the sky. Discriminating against women is a manifestation of not following the old man's teachings."
The soft tone had the same effect as a thunderclap. The leader of the Red Team's eyes bulged with anger, but he didn't dare to say that the old man was wrong. He angrily waved his hand at his subordinates and said, "Go, bring that family up here."
Soon, the two Red Team members pushed Liu Sizhuang and Sun Guizhi into the house, cursing at them. However, no one pushed Liu Zhiliang and Liu Hongjuan, who followed behind with a look of panic on their faces.
There were obvious slap marks on Liu Sizhuang's face, and Sun Guizhi's mouth corner was cracked and bleeding. The cotton padded jackets of both of them were torn, and the exposed cotton was covered with grass scraps.
There were no signs of beating on Liu Zhiliang and Liu Hongjuan's bodies or faces, but their faces were dirty and covered with grass debris, which showed that they were not treated much better. Their parents were obviously only concerned with cleaning their faces, but did not care about how naughty the two children were.
Xia Juhua looked at the two dull-witted children and sighed in her heart, but she did not feel any empathy or pity - Xia Juhua had a very clear impression of what these two children looked like in their previous lives, so she could not sympathize with them.
When the four of them entered the house, Liu Sizhuang and his wife first smiled ingratiatingly at the leader of the Red Team, and Sun Guizhi even asked in a broken tin voice, "Captain Xia, is it because I have made a contribution by reporting the crime that I can go home now?"
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