Chapter 54

Li Changshun didn't know that Director Lin wanted the reed stalks for the Ping'anzhuang production team. He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Director. Besides Ping'anzhuang, which is running out of reed stalks, the reed stalks of the other four production teams in our brigade are all piled up there and not much is being used. You guys can give as many as the supply and marketing cooperative needs."

The last sentence was directed at Li Daniu and the other four production team leaders. The four had followed Li Changshun to the commune happily after hearing that they could buy wheat bran from the noodle factory. Now that they knew that they could buy wheat bran as long as they provided reed stalks to the supply and marketing cooperative, they naturally nodded in agreement.

Their production team does not have a young man named Xia who would constantly come up with new ways to weave mats, so the supply and marketing cooperative is now barely able to collect all the mats. The reed stalks of the production team can only be piled up in vain, and the livestock will not even eat them next year when they are fed to them.

The supply and marketing cooperative will not collect the reeds without paying you.

You see, Director Lin is asking: "The supply and marketing cooperative is buying at a price of one cent per three kilograms. Does Captain Li think that is appropriate?"

It's suitable, how can it not be suitable? They all grow naturally by the river, and it takes a little labor to harvest them. If a strong person doesn't harvest hundreds of kilograms a day, it's just like picking them for nothing.

Li Changshun and the other production team leaders nodded. Director Lin turned to Xia Juhua and asked, "Captain Xia, do you think your production team can accept this price? If so, we can just have the production teams deliver the goods directly to yours, so they don't waste time on the road."

Even though Director Lin called Xia Juhua's name, Xia Juhua still wished she could pretend that she didn't hear him.

Does Director Lin really want to help her, or does he want her to become the public enemy of the entire Ping An Village Brigade? !

Xia Juhua knew very well that other production teams would definitely have an opinion on the supply and marketing cooperative buying up a large number of Pinganzhuang production team's mats with inscriptions, which reduced the number of mats with no inscriptions. Originally, the Pinganzhuang production team had almost used up all the reeds, and the supply and marketing cooperative had no mats with inscriptions to buy, so the mats with no inscriptions made by other production teams had the hope of being bought up again.

Now Director Lin actually said in front of other production team leaders that he would collect reeds for Ping An Village. Isn't that the same as telling everyone in person that it was Xia Juhua who destroyed their hope? !

In fact, Xia Juhua was wrongly accusing Director Lin, who really wanted to help her. For no other reason, Director Lin would ask each production team to collect reeds in order to order 400 seats from the Ping'anzhuang production team.

Because Director Lin had received accurate information, it was almost certain that he would be transferred back to the county supply and marketing cooperative. After all, the performance of the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative had been very impressive in the county supply and marketing cooperative system recently. Not only did it provide fried peanuts for the county supply and marketing cooperative, it was also the first to provide seats with signatures.

This gave the county supply and marketing cooperative some face in the annual local product acquisition evaluation of regional supply and marketing cooperatives, and Director Lin, who discovered the inscribed seat, would naturally be rewarded.

The person who leaked the news to Director Lin said that the county supply and marketing cooperative would continue to work on mats next year and strive to produce better mats. Some leaders even expanded their thinking and thought that since reeds can be used to make mats, they should also be able to make other things, and it can become a specialty product of the Pingde County Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

As the person who discovered the word mat, Director Lin might also be responsible for connecting with the mat weaving production team. Director Lin is a person who takes one step and looks ahead. He knows that after returning to the county supply and marketing cooperative, he has no achievements in hand and it will not be easy to gain a foothold. He hopes that Xia Juhua's mat weaving business will go smoothly.

In addition, the 400 seats of the county supply and marketing cooperative would probably be the first thing he would be responsible for after returning to the county, and he could not fail to supply them because of the lack of raw materials. So he had to solve the raw material problem while the Ping'anzhuang Brigade needed his help.

His idea was good, but he forgot that there was more than one Ping'anzhuang production team in the Ping'anzhuang Brigade.

"Mr. Dazhuang, has your production team run out of reed poles?" Li Changshun remembered that he had seen the reed piles very high in Ping'an Village last time. Why did they need to buy reed poles now?

Besides, if you want to buy some reed poles, why don't you just talk to the captain directly? Why let Director Lin speak for you? Isn't this telling outsiders that the Ping'anzhuang Brigade is not united?

Xia Juhua could hear Li Changshun's dissatisfaction. When she looked up, she could feel the reproachful eyes of the other four production team leaders. She said in a low voice, "I calculated that after we finish making the 200 mats needed by the supply and marketing cooperative, I'm afraid there won't be much left."

If there is nothing left, then stop making it up. What do you mean you want to transfer all the money from the supply and marketing cooperative to Ping An Zhuang?

Li Daniu couldn't help but said, "Xia Xiaohuo, your production team has sold so many seats, you have to leave some soup for our other production teams."

Director Lin immediately realized that it was inappropriate for him to negotiate directly in front of both parties. But he had already said it, and if the matter could not be done, Xia Juhua would be in a dilemma and would have a problem with him as the one who raised the question.

If Xia Juhua had an opinion about him and stopped thinking of new ideas, Director Lin would never accept it.

Without waiting for Xia Juhua to answer, Director Lin spoke up: "Comrade Captain, because the mats made by Captain Xia's production team have been recognized by the county supply and marketing cooperative, the county supply and marketing cooperative has decided to place an order for reed mats from Captain Xia's production team."

"That's the task of the county supply and marketing cooperative." Director Lin emphasized, and glanced at Li Changshun: "It is an honor for the Ping'anzhuang production team to be able to hand it over to the Ping'anzhuang production team, and it is also an honor for our entire Red Star Commune."

"In order to help the Ping'anzhuang production team complete their mission, our supply and marketing cooperative knew that they were short of raw materials, so of course we had to provide them with raw materials. And because Captain Xia has always told me that we should work together with the brother production teams to contribute to the collective, I decided to give priority to purchasing reed poles from other production teams in the Ping'anzhuang Brigade."

"If this team leader is unwilling to sell the reed stems to the supply and marketing cooperative, we can also purchase reed stems from other brigades." Director Lin said at the end, no longer looking at Li Changshun.

No matter how good your relationship is with Director Zhang, Director Zhang has no control over whose reed stems the supply and marketing cooperative accepts and whose it does not.

After Li Daniu spoke, Li Changshun did not stop him immediately because he wanted to hear the supply and marketing cooperative's attitude towards the Ping'anzhuang production team, or more precisely, towards Xia Juhua.

Now I heard that Director Lin even brought out the county supply and marketing cooperative to buy reed stalks for Xia Juhua, which clearly showed that he really valued the mats woven by Xia Juhua. And it was said that the supply and marketing cooperative purchased the reed stalks for the Pinganzhuang production team, which sounded much better than just saying that the reed stalks were directly sold to Pinganzhuang.

Li Changshun's wrinkled brows had already relaxed, and he glared at Li Daniu sternly: "You are the only one who talks too much. Isn't it a good thing that the supply and marketing cooperative is willing to accept your reed stalks? If you don't sell those things to the supply and marketing cooperative, why don't you distribute them to the members for burning next year?"

If it's all burned up in a fire, it won't be worth the money.

To put it bluntly, Li Daniu and his companions, like Liu Erzhuang, were important figures in their own production teams, but once they arrived at the commune, they were no different from ordinary farmers.

Li Daniu criticized Xia Juhua just now because the people in the small village had been talking about the changes in Ping An Village these days, which made him feel very suffocated:

Xiaozhuangtou and Pinganzhuang were close to each other. They knew that Xia Juhua made money by weaving mats with the women of Pinganzhuang every day, and they were all jealous. As a result, they were dissatisfied with him as the production team leader. Especially when the brigade evaluated the progress of canal repair, Xiaozhuangtou was suppressed by Pinganzhuang, which made the people in Xiaozhuangtou feel that he, the male team leader, was not as good as Xia Juhua, the fake girl.

So just now Li Daniu spoke out his dissatisfaction with Xia Juhua without hesitation, but the result was a bit unbearable: Xiaozhuangtou didn't make many mats this year, and the remaining reed stalks were piled up in two large piles. If the supply and marketing cooperative accepted other production teams but not Xiaozhuangtou's, those members would skin him alive.

"Director Lin, I am not good at speaking and I was worried about the reduction of income of the production team, so I said the wrong thing." Li Daniu was still sensible. He took advantage of Li Changshun's words to scold him and apologized directly to Director Lin.

As long as they were willing to sell reeds to the Ping'an Village production team, Director Lin would be able to successfully complete his first task at the county supply and marketing cooperative. Besides, Li Daniu was not the one who was blaming him just now, so he just smiled and didn't take it seriously.

Not only did he not take it seriously, he also took the initiative to ask Li Changshun how much wheat bran each production team needed. Li Changshun gave a number that stunned Xia Juhua: "Each production team has pigs and cows, and the members also have chickens at home. If it's not difficult, it would be best if each production team bought 10,000 kilograms of it."

Didn't you say five thousand kilograms before you came? Xia Juhua felt that Li Changshun had been refreshing her cognition since he arrived at the commune, and now it has reached its peak. However, Xia Juhua was also happy to be able to buy more bran, so she naturally would not expose Li Changshun in front of Director Lin.

Director Lin thought for a moment, then stood up and said to Li Changshun, "The noodle factory grinds its own flour and also has bran. But their bran is not just piled up for nothing, but is supplied to the county furfural factory. If you want less, we can think of a way. If you want 50,000 kilograms at once..."

Everyone present here is familiar with the county furfural factory, because although the locals do not know what furfural is used for, they know the use of furfural residue.

Everyone called furfural residue "dregs", and it was the best to mix it with wild vegetables and feed it to pigs. Before handing in the pigs, each production team would try to buy some pig feed, hoping to increase the weight of the pigs.

Xia Juhua asked carefully: "Director Lin, if we can't buy so much bran, can we buy some bran instead?"

李長順贊許的看了夏菊花一眼，心裏對她一下子由不滿上升到滿意極了。林主任眉眼也舒展開了：“可以。正好糠醛廠的生産科長是我的同學，我可以找他給你們各生産隊買上兩千斤糟。至于挂面廠那頭，最多只能一個生産隊給你們買上五千斤麥麸。”

李大牛幾個臉都漲紅了，就連李長順的眼睛裏都要冒綠光了，站起身來就想握住林主任的手，卻忘了自己有一條腿不好使，差點兒又摔倒。

還是夏菊花怕李長順對林主任說的數目不滿意，一直注意觀察着李長順，及時的上前扶了他一把，才讓李長順的手順利與林主任握到一起。

“林主任，啥也不說了。等他們各生産隊殺豬的時候，你一定得來吃殺豬菜！”李長順激動的吐沫星子都出來了，林主任十分為難自己是不是應該躲開。

哪怕林主任答應的很痛快，可是牽扯到了兩個縣級工廠，他還要親自帶着李長順和夏菊花一家一家的去談。至于李大牛他們四個，早被李長順打發回各自生産隊了——他們就是替李長順送表揚信的工具人，在李長順看來，讓他們當面聽聽供銷社能替他們買到什麽，已經很不錯了。

等到林主任先進廠去找挂面廠廠長的時候，夏菊花才敢小聲問出自己的疑惑：“大隊長，挂面廠雖然是縣裏辦的，可是也得給公社革委會點兒面子吧？”

李長順帶着你怎麽這麽笨的表情看了夏菊花一眼：“張主任和挂面廠廠長一直不對付，你不知道？”

夏菊花要是知道就不問了好不？聽說兩位領導不對付，夏菊花決定自己還是繼續不知道吧。可是李長順今天解決了麥麸問題，又得到糟的意外之喜，并不介意告訴夏菊花點兒內情：

“張主任他爹跟我一起抗過木倉，人家渡過江才轉業，比我這個泥腿子強多了。挂面廠廠長的爹是投誠過來的，運動初期被打倒過，張主任那時候還是個二愣子，沖擊過人家家。”

這事兒讓李長順說的輕描淡寫，可把夏菊花聽的一愣一愣的，看李長順的眼神都不對了。李長順不屑的扭過頭：“不信？廠長他爹那個團，就是我跟張主任他爹老部隊給繳的械。”

夏菊花猛然想起自己上輩子看過的一個小品，裏頭有個演員說過一句話：你大爺還是你大爺。

因為有李長順大爺，這次夏菊花再進挂面廠的時候心是忐忑的。不過好象挂面廠廠長并不知道李長順這號繳過他爹械的人物，開宗明義的應下了林主任的請求，卻也提出了對平安莊大隊的要求：

平安莊大隊得替挂面廠炒出一千斤花生來，做為他們過年發給職工的福利。當然不會讓平安莊白幹，人家也和供銷社一樣，每斤給一分五的加工費，還自己提供花生和白糖。

這事兒講定，夏菊花就發現自己身上的事兒更多了，只好向李長順請假：“大隊長，炒花生只能我自己來，要不不能保證口味。我就不能跟你和林主任一塊去糠醛廠了。”

李長順覺得夏菊花是得了便宜還賣乖：“一百多塊錢呀，都換不來你去一趟糠醛廠？”

夏菊花只好跟着又跑到糠醛廠，結果人家見了林主任，一點兒條件沒提，就同意平安莊大隊第二天組織人來拉糟，讓夏菊花覺得自己白跑了一趟。

等坐着牛車回到大隊部，李長順沒讓夏菊花下車，反而讓牛車直接把她送回平安莊：“別的生産隊也不容易，葦杆的錢你們能直接給現錢就給現錢吧。”

算下來再編四百張席，有七八千斤葦杆也足夠了，夏菊花不得不問：“結現錢倒是行，就是每個生産隊給我們送多少葦杆呀？”秋天的時候各生産隊割葦杆恨不得打起來，現在哪個隊剩下的都不少。

李長順想了想說：“咋說供銷社都是給你們結現錢，能多收點兒就多收點兒吧。”

知道大隊長操心的地盤大，夏菊花操不過來那麽多心，只能給李長順打預防針：“大隊長，真不是我不想收。你想想我們總共才賣出去二百張席，也就四百塊錢在手裏，多收能收多少？”

李長順不信的看着夏菊花：“你們生産隊原來的錢呢？”

大隊掌握着各生産隊的家底，夏菊花把這個茬給忘了，只好說：“我們還有七戶欠帳戶呢，萬一誰病了生産隊不能一分錢都拿不出來。”

“你真當我不知道你從秋天到現在炒了多少斤花生是吧？”李長順很理直氣壯的暗示夏菊花，如果平安莊有人需要用錢，她可以個人先給墊上。

別的事兒夏菊花都好商量，可是涉及到她的養老錢，誰想動她也是要吧跟人拼命的，哪怕是李長順這個老革命也不行：

“大隊長，一碼歸一碼，我個人的錢跟公家的錢可不一樣。他們要是欠公家的錢，秋生都記在帳上，将來能扣工分。可是欠我個人的錢，我能扣人家的工分？”

李長順愣了，在他記憶裏夏菊花是一個很沒有存在感的人，哪怕以前聽說過夏小夥的外號，也沒怎麽接觸過。還是那天平安莊選生産隊長，社員突然一起推舉夏菊花，才讓李長順注意到了這個有些沉默的婦女。

當時夏菊花說試試，就讓李長順很意外，可是接下來平安莊的生産不僅沒因為選了個女隊長落後，反而一個個幹勁十足，就讓李長順不得不觀察起夏菊花來。

她把自己的手藝毫無保留的教給平安莊的婦女們，讓人意外；從挂面廠替生産隊買出麥麸來，更讓人意外；能提出通過給供銷社送表揚信拉近關系，進而讓全大隊的人都受益，是意外中的意外。

一連串的意外，讓李長順覺得夏菊花是一個很顧全大局的人，這樣的人在社員有困難的時候，不是應該傾囊相助嗎？結果夏菊花拒絕的幹脆利落，又讓李長順覺得意外。

“那都是你們生産隊的社員。”李長順虎着臉說了一句。

夏菊花表情沒變，說出來的話也很平靜：“我知道他們是我們生産隊的社員，所以不管是教手藝還是買麥麸，我都不是以個人的名義，因為我是生産隊的隊長。大隊長，我也有自己的家，我不能因為自己是生産隊長，就把自己家掏空了給別人吧？”

“大隊長，你知道我在生産隊的窩棚裏住了幾年，我那房子是怎麽一點一點蓋起來的嗎？那時候我們生産隊的社員除了給我起了個夏小夥的外號，沒誰幫我推過一車土打過一塊土坯。”

所以帶着大家掙錢是責任，是讓自己心安，不是義務。

李長順沉默了。

夏菊花知道自己最後那一番話不該出口，如果李長順是個小心眼的，把自己剛才的話向公社舉報，自己就得上紅小隊跟劉四壯一家做伴去。

可是她不能不說，否則從李長順這兒就覺得自己的借該借給村裏人，以後自己的養老錢一分都別想存下。

“得了，我知道了。”李長順沒說他知道了什麽，揮手讓車老板趕車走。夏菊花不怕剛才車老板兒聽了她說的話——車老板兒也是有家有口的人，是人就得先過好自己的日子。

剛一進家，王彩鳳就叫了一聲娘，小心的關上院門才說：“娘，剛才來了兩人，說是挂面廠的，給咱們家送來一千斤花生，還有好幾袋子白糖。”

“嗯，那是挂面廠讓我給他們炒花生的。”夏菊花想想都覺得心累，不想多解釋。

王彩鳳看出婆婆有些心不在焉，跟着她進了正房，馬上給倒了杯水遞到夏菊花手邊，又問她中午吃飯了沒有，用不用先吃，她自己等劉志全兄弟下工就行。

跑了一天，中午的時候李長順去了公社張主任那兒，林主任就讓王彩霞陪着夏菊花去了飯店。夏菊花當時想着自己請一下林主任，吃東西就沒好意思放開，想讓客人多吃點兒，結果付賬的時候沒争過林主任，自己還沒吃飽。

王彩鳳這麽一問，她還真覺得有點餓了，剛想自己去盛飯，王彩鳳已經挺着肚子出去了，一會兒不光端來一碗挂面，上頭還打了個荷包蛋。

“咋煮了挂面？”夏菊花問：“保國的呢？”

王彩鳳笑了，仿佛夏菊花是在問她自己吃了沒有一樣：“給保國留了，娘你別惦記他。我看娘太累了，晚上肯定還得炒花生，不吃好了怎麽行。”

夏菊花點了點頭，眼睛正好看到王彩鳳的肚子，那裏頭是她的頭一個孫女，上輩子出生後王彩鳳吃的不好，沒有奶水，所以孩子吃了不到五個月的奶就不得不喝米糊，身子一直挺弱。

Alas, what's wrong with me? I've figured out that children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, so why am I worried about the baby in Wang Caifeng's belly? Xia Juhua picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks, but couldn't put it into her mouth: "Don't be too frugal, if not for your own health, you have to think about the child."

Wang Caifeng's eyes turned red. "Mom, please stop talking. My mom said that I am very blessed compared to others. If I don't respect you well, I will be struck by lightning."

Haha, Xia Juhua put the noodles into her mouth while saying this: You lived a good life in your previous life. Not only were you not struck by lightning, but you also lived your own life and sang.