Chapter 51
"Captain, don't pay attention to them. They are used to waiting for us to serve them every day. As the old people say, women hold up half the sky, and they have to hold up their own half." Seeing Xia Juhua's thoughtful look, Li Changwang's family thought she was in trouble, so they rushed to the front line to rescue Xia Juhua, which made Li Changman's family curl their lips in disdain, and they were angry that they did not react as quickly as her.
Xia Juhua had an idea in her mind, but it was not appropriate to say it in front of so many people, so she just smiled at everyone and let them go to work slowly. Chen Qiusheng saw Xia Juhua was still there, and asked with a smile: "Captain, don't you want to go up the canal with me today?"
"I do want to go, but I still have to go to the brigade." After Xia Juhua and the others had left, she smiled bitterly, "The Red Squad took the people away in the middle of the night. It's better if the brigade doesn't know about this."
Chen Qiusheng now felt even more sympathetic towards Xia Juhua: "The team leader doesn't really approve of you being the production team leader. If you go and tell him about this, what will you do if he criticizes you?"
Li Changshun, the captain of Ping'anzhuang, usually had a stern face and loved to criticize people. But this time, after listening to Xia Juhua's report, he did not criticize her. He just nodded to show that he understood, and waved his hand to let Xia Juhua go back to the production team to continue production.
To be honest, when Xia Juhua returned home, she felt a little unreal: that was Li Changshun, the team leader who would get angry when he heard something happened in the production team, but today he let her off so easily. Could it be that the sun rose from the west?
The sun was still rising from the east, but it had not yet reached the top of the head. Wang Caifeng saw Xia Juhua coming back at this time, put down the chicken feeder and walked over to ask: "Mom, did you not have enough breakfast? Did you come back to have a bite?" In the past, her mother-in-law never came back at this time. She would always come home long after she heard the whistle for the end of work.
Xia Juhua really felt a little hungry: "Well, is there anything else to eat? I just need a snack."
"Mom, let me make you some noodle dough. Just stir-fry it in a pot and it will be ready in no time. It's chewy and warm." When Wang Caifeng heard that her mother-in-law finally wanted to eat, she wished she would eat more - now all the women in the village put their mother-in-law in the front, and she, as a daughter-in-law, could not fall behind.
Xia Juhua wanted to say no, but when she noticed Liu Baoguo was looking at her, she nodded as if possessed: "Okay, give more and give some to Baoguo as well. Didn't he drink some porridge this morning? Didn't I tell you that children can't eat much? Don't save his portion."
Listen, this is my real grandmother. Wang Caifeng sighed in her heart, and cursed Sun in her heart: That old lady is also Liu Zhiquan's real grandmother, but Liu Zhiquan has never heard that he has eaten a single bite of dry food from her.
Xia Juhua didn't know that the fragrant noodles she ate were Wang Caifeng's complaints about Sun's family. She just felt that they tasted better than cornmeal porridge. After eating, people were full and energetic, and their minds were more active.
"How many sweet potatoes do we have left in our cellar?" Xia Juhua washed the dishes herself and came out. Seeing Wang Caifeng still watching Liu Baoguo eating noodles, she suddenly asked.
Wang Caifeng looked at her mother-in-law in confusion, thinking that she was unhappy because she didn't add sweet potatoes to the porridge and steamed dry grains she cooked these days, so she said carefully, "It must be at least 300 to 400 kilograms."
Such a huge pile, just thinking about it makes me worried. The steamed sweet potatoes smell good and are good to eat, but they not only make you feel hungry, but eating too much will make your stomach sour. Wang Caifeng was injured when she was at her mother's house, so she always subconsciously doesn't want to mix sweet potatoes into the porridge when she cooks.
Three or four hundred kilograms, Xia Juhua felt that she had enough to test herself, so she went down to the cellar and pulled out a basket of sweet potatoes. Wang Caifeng wanted to step forward to help, but was stopped by Xia Juhua: "Don't show off, don't you see how big your belly is." In the last life, your daughter-in-law was much more valuable than you when she was pregnant.
Wang Caifeng said somewhat embarrassedly: "It's not that valuable. The last time I was protecting the country..."
"There was nothing we could do at that time. We had to pay back the debt you owed when you got married." In order to prevent Wang Caifeng from having any grudges, Xia Juhua made it clear: "Now that there is no hunger at home, you don't have to work so hard. Just do some light work."
Listen, can my mother say such words to me? Wang Caifeng made up her mind that when she returns to her parents' home during the Chinese New Year, she will tell her mother what her mother-in-law just said.
But before that, she had to know what her mother-in-law wanted to do and whether she really didn't need any help: "Mom, what are you doing? I don't carry heavy things, I can still do some washing and cleaning."
There was no way she couldn't do it. Three people in the family were working and all the housework was done by Wang Caifeng alone. It was only after Xia Juhua spoke that Liu Zhiquan and his brother swept the yard for two days.
Xia Juhua did not hide the truth from her: "Didn't the driver give us some vermicelli that day? I want to try to make vermicelli myself."
“Do it yourself?” Wang Caifeng felt that she could learn something new.
Xia Juhua nodded affirmatively: "Yes. Before going to work today, the men said that I only thought about finding ways for women to make money, and they could no longer control their wives. I wanted to try it at home. If I can make it, every family will have sweet potatoes, and the men can make some flour and hand it over to the supply and marketing cooperatives or purchasing stations, and they can also make some money."
In fact, Xia Juhua's plan was that vermicelli tasted much better than steamed sweet potatoes, and was easier to store than raw sweet potatoes. Families could make sweet potatoes into vermicelli during the winter, which was better than not storing them properly and letting them rot. But now was not the time to say this. She had to wait until she made the vermicelli before she could let people know.
After both of Xia Juhua's sons moved away in her previous life, she worked for a rice noodle maker during her free time. Although it was just some manual labor, rice noodle maker itself did not require any technical skills, and after watching it many times, she had a general idea of how to do it.
First, you have to wash the sweet potatoes, peel off the rotten parts and insect eyes, and pick them out clean. This kind of work is not difficult for Xia Juhua, and she finished a basket of sweet potatoes in a short while.
Then she had to drain the water and shred the sweet potatoes. Xia Juhua used to do this kind of work herself, but this time, seeing that it was getting late, she put down the sweet potatoes and waited for her two sons to come back, letting them finish the work during their lunch break.
As for their mother's will, what else can Liu Zhiquan and Liu Zhishuang do except to obey her orders and do their best to show that they are particularly willing to do it?
The mother finally ordered them to do it, and they thought it was much better than ignoring them. The two people who were competing for performance not only grated the sweet potatoes in the afternoon, but also, under Xia Juhua's instruction, used a large filter for soy milk to filter the grated sweet potatoes twice.
Seeing the clean white pulp quickly filling up the large basin, Xia Juhua smiled and said, "Okay, you two should go back to the house and rest for a while. You still have to work in the afternoon."
Mom, you know you have to go to work in the afternoon, but you don't even know what time it is now. Liu Zhishuang, who is used to being lazy, just wanted to ask his mother this question when he heard the whistle for going to work. He couldn't help but hum: "Uncle Chen doesn't even know to blow the whistle a little later."
Only then did Xia Juhua remember that when she came back from the brigade, she was thinking about making sweet potato flour as soon as possible. She even forgot to go back to the production team to tell Chen Qiusheng, and hurriedly patted Liu Zhishuang: "You are the only one who talks a lot, if not With your Uncle Chen’s help, your mother will no longer be the production team leader.”
Liu Zhishuang didn't dare to say anything more. He carried the hoe and followed his mother to open the gate. He ran into Chen Qiusheng who was blowing a whistle and trying to knock on their door. When Chen Qiusheng saw Xia Juhua, he took the whistle out of his mouth and asked:
"Captain, I noticed that you didn't go to the production team this morning. Did the team leader criticize you? You don't know who the team leader is. He's afraid that if something happens in the team, you won't be able to hold your head up in front of the commune. Don't take his words to heart."
Liu Zhiquan and Liu Zhishuang both stopped to look at Xia Juhua, who waved her hand and told them to go back to work on the canal. After sending the two away, she said to Chen Qiusheng, "No, the captain didn't say a word to me today. I came up with the idea of making sweet potato flour myself, so I went home and tried it. It's a little trouble, but it's better than letting the sweet potatoes rot in the cellar."
When Chen Qiu Sheng heard that she knew how to make sweet potato noodles, his eyes lit up: "What method?" After asking, he realized that he was being rash. What if this was her own recipe, why would she tell you?
As if she didn't notice Chen Qiusheng's uneasiness, Xia Juhua led him to the kitchen at home and showed him a large bowl of sweet potato paste. The sweet potato paste was still very turbid after being left for a while. Chen Qiusheng asked in disbelief, "Sister-in-law, isn't this the stuff used to make rice noodle?"
Xia Juhua nodded: "Well, basically the same, but I don't plan to make rice noodle skin, I want to try making rice noodle." Making rice noodle is not actually a new skill, just like weaving mats, some families can do it and some can't. Xia Juhua wants every family in Ping'an Village to learn this skill.
"Leaking powder is a strenuous job." Chen Qiu Sheng suddenly remembered why Xia Juhua showed him this thing: "Sister-in-law, you don't want to teach everyone how to do it, do you?" This person is so narrow-minded.
Xia Juhua nodded affirmatively: "As long as they are willing to learn, I intend to teach them. It's not a difficult task anyway. Otherwise, if someone's vegetable cellar is not properly covered, the sweet potatoes will be frozen overnight." Frozen sweet potatoes are not delicious. I remember that there was a saying in my life that eating too many frozen sweet potatoes can easily cause cancer. Xia Juhua didn't know whether it was true or not, so she chose to believe it.
Chen Qiusheng opened his mouth, looked at the clean kitchen, sighed, and said, "Sister-in-law, if there are still people in Pingan Village who dare to say that you are not qualified as the captain, or if the team wants to remove you, then I will not be the accountant anymore."
突然聽到陳秋生近似于表忠心的話，夏菊花還是有些驚訝的——上輩子她跟陳秋生打的交道也不少，因為直到包産到戶之前，陳秋生都在當生産隊的會計，而劉二壯一直是平安莊的生産隊長。
那時候看兩個人合作的也挺好的，難道陳秋生也向劉二壯表過決心？
正想着，陳秋生又說了：“以前我跟着二壯搭夥幹活，知道他能幹肯幹，也沒啥私心。就是家裏老太太太不省心，逼得他不得給給四壯兩口子分輕省活。可是現在一比，當生産隊長不光沒私心就能幹好，還得能帶着大家夥往前奔。”
大家夥裏也包括自己，誰不想自己家的日子過得好？現在又沒啥來錢的路，生産隊的分紅就是過好日子的保障。夏菊花上任前後一直想着怎麽增加生産隊的收入，沒有人比陳秋生看得更清楚，他現在對夏菊花可是心服口服。
要是媳婦敢說夏菊花的壞話，他也敢怼回去。不過想想也不可能，現在他媳婦最聽不得人說夏菊花的壞話。想到這兒陳秋生都笑了：“反正不管隊長你信不信，我們一家子以後都聽你的。”
這麽信任自己呀？夏菊花試探着說：“要是我說讓你們家現在就省着點兒吃糧食呢？”
陳秋生笑的更燦爛了：“那天你說完天旱之後，回家和我媳婦一說，她就不給我貼餅子吃了。”
倒也不必表現的這麽自豪。
夏菊花笑笑說：“那也不用整天都喝粥，偶爾吃回餅子啥的，怎麽說也快過年了。”
“嗐，”陳秋生嘆了一聲：“我媳婦現在就聽你的，別人誰的話都不聽。她都說了，等回娘家的時候還得跟她娘家說一聲呢。連我娘和我二叔家，還有另外幾家跟她關系好的，她都悄悄說了。”
見夏菊花臉色有些不對勁，陳秋生連忙讓她放心：“她沒敢跟人家說你覺得今年雨水太少，只說她聽一個會看的人說的。”
在北部平原地區，把算命的人稱為會看的，陳秋生家的竟然為了讓人相信她的話，連封建迷信那套都搬出來了，夏菊花吓得連忙對陳秋生說：“可別讓她再對別人說了，要是讓紅小隊聽到了不是玩兒的。”
紅小隊人人害怕，又一連來了平安莊幾次，陳秋生也是怕的，點頭保證回去就囑咐媳婦別再瞎說。夏菊花問了問他媳婦都對誰說過了，聽說老陳家都快讓陳秋生媳婦囑咐遍了，心裏感動又好笑：
平安莊九十幾戶人家，劉、陳兩姓是大姓，剩下有那麽二十來戶是雜姓。要是陳家人都說到了，等于村裏有一小半的人家從現在開始已經在節約糧食。
來年應對天災就更有把握了。
“隊長，秋生，你們咋還在家呢，大隊長找你們呢。”陳冬生急急忙忙的跑進院子，沖着夏菊花和陳秋生就來了一句，把兩人給吓了一跳。
“大隊長沒說是什麽事兒？”夏菊花問了一句。
陳冬生搖頭說：“我剛才正打掃豬圈呢，大隊長就過來了，看了看豬然後就讓我找你們倆。”
夏菊花兩人聽了不敢耽擱，一起來到豬圈，見李長順正站在單獨養着的那頭豬跟前發愣，連兩個人走近了都沒聽到。
陳秋生怕夏菊花還對上午去大隊的事兒心裏犯嘀咕，上前喊了一句：“大隊長，你找我和隊長有事兒呀？”
李長順聽聲回過頭來，先指了指圈裏的豬問：“這個就是那個敗家娘們養的豬？”
夏菊花很無奈的點了點頭，李長順的臉色就更不好看了：“二壯咋這麽混蛋。”說完看看夏菊花，把後半句話給咽下去了，說起了正事：
“剛才公社來通知了，說是糧站要到各村收購餘糧，主糧一斤比公糧多給三分，雜糧多給兩分。”
夏菊花聽了心裏一驚，上輩子糧站是過了年才到各村收餘糧的，這輩子竟然提前了。雖然不知道因為什麽提前，不過夏菊花心裏是有準備的：“大隊長，糧站收糧食，有沒有指标？”
李長順搖了搖頭：“沒指标，不過公社號召說是有餘糧的，能交的盡量要交。”
沒指标就好辦了。夏菊花很為難的說：“大隊長，我們生産隊的情況你也知道，還有七戶是欠帳戶。哪家不是指望着親戚接濟點兒。別的人家口糧也都緊巴巴的。生産隊分的口糧一半都是雜糧，那紅薯怕是不算到能交的餘糧裏吧。”
“可不是，一口人光紅薯就分了九十多斤，那玩意放到開春就是個完。”陳秋生敲着邊鼓，眼睛不時的看看李長順的臉色，發現沒什麽變化，就接着往下說：“一人一年就五斤小麥，不上工的還沒敢給分，有的人家過年都吃不上餃子。”
李長順的臉色開始變黑：“公社這麽說了，我有什麽辦法？”
得，陳秋生說不下去了，夏菊花看着圈裏沒啥變化的豬，自言自語的說：“糧站咋突然收起餘糧來了，沒聽說哪個大隊沒交上公糧呀。”
李長順深深的看了夏菊花一眼，突然問：“聽說你們生産隊去挂面廠買了麥麸回來？”
夏菊花指了指豬食槽子：“買了一千斤，想着快交任務豬了，給牲口多喂一點兒，好歹能再長點兒稱。”
李長順沒接話，看着沒剩啥東西的豬食槽子又出起了神。他在這兒出神，夏菊花和陳秋生也不敢離開，只能陪着。好一會兒，李長順才問：“要是別的生産隊去買麥麸，挂面廠能不能賣？”
這個包票可沒人敢打，夏菊花小聲說：“我去挂面廠買麥麸，也是托了供銷社的人情。”
人情能用一次兩次，用多了也就不靈了。
李長順沉重的點點頭：“沒辦法，來年各生産隊還得養豬，青黃不接的時候人都不夠吃，給豬吃啥？”
是呀，人都不夠吃。夏菊花吃驚的看向李長順，猜不出他說這句話是什麽意思。李長順見她一臉震驚的模樣，黑着的臉竟然漸漸有平和的跡向：“就你夏菊花看得出天旱，別人都看不出來？再說你們生産隊底下傳的那些話，真當別人都不知道？”
夏菊花聽到最後，心裏發緊：自己太大意了，怎麽就沒早發現陳秋生家的四處傳話呢？唉，以前怎麽沒發現陳秋生家的嘴巴比李常旺家的還沒把門的，更不知道什麽時候她那麽信任自己。
“得了，這話以後讓人別往外瞎說，自己悄悄準備就行了。”李長順見夏菊花一直低頭沉默，別的話沒多說，仍繞着麥麸打轉：“不管怎麽說，你得給各生産隊買出五千斤麥麸來。”
夏菊花不能不哀怨了，平安莊大隊雖然也叫平安莊，并不是只管平安莊一個生産隊，加起來一共有五個生産隊，那就是兩萬五千斤麥麸！大隊長的胃口這麽大的嗎？！
陳科長只是生産車間的科長，這麽多麥麸，他敢做主往出賣嗎？
“大隊長，一下子買這麽多，人家挂面廠要是問咱們幹啥，咋辦？”夏菊花得有個正當的理由，才能去找陳科長。
“就是養豬呀。從來工農是一家，咱們養豬是為了支援城裏市民吃上肉，那工廠支援咱們麥麸養好豬，不是應當應份的嗎？”李長順臉上竟然挂上了笑容，夏菊花覺得自己快不認識他了。
這不是她印象裏黑臉包公似的大隊長，這個跟劉志雙一樣放賴的人她不認識。
既然不認識，那有鍋就得大家一起背：“可是數量太大了，我一個小小的生産隊長怕是說不動。大隊長，要不你跟我一起去吧。”
李長順也不知道是怎麽想的，竟然跟夏菊花約定明天兩人一起去公社。不過走之前他問夏菊花：“你從來沒給人供銷社主任送過什麽東西？”
夏菊花心裏一動，決定把自己原來沒辦的事兒提前——有大隊長出面送的表揚信，跟她一個生産隊長送的表揚信，份量不一樣，相信林主任也更願意從李長順手裏接過表揚信。
“我以前只是在供銷社确定收席的時候，跟人家說過幾句感謝話。不過上一次林主任又提出讓我們生産隊編新席，我就說要以生産隊的名義給他送一封表揚信。”
說到這兒夏菊花就有些不好意思了：“大隊長你也知道，我不認識幾個字，實在不知道表揚信應該怎麽寫，都不好意思再去見林主任了。”
李長順是真服氣了，雖然他識的字也不多，可是大隊會計認字不少，實在不行大隊還有知青呢，哪兒就找不出一個給人寫表揚信的來？
“這事你不用管了，等明天跟我一起給人送表揚信去。”李長順跟趕蒼蠅一樣沖着夏菊花揮了揮手，兩手一背，走了。
Xia Juhua watched Li Changshun walk away, and she didn't think there was anything wrong with him abandoning her. She was more worried about how to tell the members about the surplus food. The women had to know about this first, after all, no one knew better than the housewives what the family ate and drank.
Of course, before leaving, Xia Juhua whispered to Chen Qiu Sheng what Li Changshun had said to her, that people in other villages had already known about it, and what his wife had spread in private, and asked him to go home and give his wife a good scolding, and to be more careful with what he said in the future, and then she came to the yard.
She didn't come to the yard in the morning, and if she didn't show up in the afternoon, she was afraid that someone would talk about it. What Xia Juhua hated most was that she became the subject of other people's gossip, so when she entered the reed wall, her face was expressionless, and it looked no different from a stern face.