Chapter 57
The adults discussed how to divide the money, and Liu Baoguo was held down by Wang Caifeng without saying a word. Now that his grandmother had stopped talking and his mother was only concerned about the money in her hands, Liu Baoguo became restless and sat on the edge, patting the kang mat again and again, trying to attract the attention of Xia Juhua or Wang Caifeng.
After taking pictures for a long time without success, Liu Baoguo's face turned red with anger. He exerted force from his buttocks, jumped up with his upper body, and accurately grabbed the money that Wang Caifeng had counted again and again with his little hand.
Wang Caifeng didn't dare to fight him head-on, fearing that the money would be torn, so she coaxed Liu Baoguo to let go. If a child grabs something and lets it go so easily, he is no longer a child. Liu Baoguo kept shouting for money, but he refused to let go.
Xia Juhua stuffed the remaining money into her pocket and said to Wang Caifeng, "Come on, let him take it for a while. He's a little money-grubber, too."
Who doesn't love money? Liu Zhishuang had recovered from his excitement and was happy to see Liu Baoguo and Wang Caifeng fighting for money. He said, "Mom, I heard that Zhao Tiedan is still helping others to leak powder and can make 20 cents a night. How about I also leak powder for others for a few days?"
"You should handle your own affairs. I will tell you one thing, you are different from Zhao Tiedan. The three of them have never helped anyone except taking advantage of the villagers, and no one has helped them. But when we built our house and when you married Sun Hongmei last time, several families in the village helped us."
Life is about the comings and goings of people. If someone has helped you before and you ask for money when you help them, do you have the nerve to ask for money? You must be crazy.
Liu Zhiquan and his wife divided 25 yuan in one night. They were very happy in their hearts. They asked Xia Juhua heartlessly: "Then I will ask around in the next few days. If anyone needs help, I will go and lend a hand to repay you for all the years of kindness."
Xia Juhua said those words to Liu Zhishuang because she didn't want him to take away Zhao Tiedan's job. In detail, Xia Juhua had been working hard with her two sons since they moved out of the Liu family for more than ten years. How could she owe anyone a favor?
However, since Liu Zhiquan had this intention, Xia Juhua naturally would not stop him. She only told him not to help others and let it affect his family's affairs, and then she ignored whether Liu Zhiquan was looking at Liu Zhiquan with an accusing look.
"Let's all go to sleep. The production team has to slaughter pigs tomorrow and send them to the purchasing station. The supply and marketing cooperative also has to come and pull the woven mats. We have to get up early." Xia Juhua yawned.
Liu Zhiquan and the others all stood up, knowing that what their mother said was right, that there would be more things to do as the year drew to a close. But they were willing to follow their mother, because being so busy and tired would make life more hopeful, right?
The members of Ping An Village also feel that their days are becoming more and more promising.
Early in the morning, without Chen Qiu Sheng blowing the whistle, the nine people who were arranged yesterday to go to the purchasing station to deliver the live pigs today came to the pigpen. Including Chen Qiu Sheng, there were ten people in total. The plan was that two people would carry the live pigs directly to the purchasing station.
Xia Juhua also arrived. Seeing that Chen Lusheng was still feeding the pigs their last meal, she did not feel sorry for wasting that little bit of feed - now that it had gone into the pigs' stomachs, it could still be counted as a portion at the collection station, so it was worth it.
After the pigs had eaten their fill, Chen Qiu Sheng and his team happily drove the pigs out of the pen one by one, tied up their hooves with the hemp ropes they had prepared long ago, put them on a shoulder pole, and carried them away.
The pig pen suddenly became deserted, with only two pigs lying in their kennels grunting. The pig raised by Sun had grown a little fatter, but it was still smaller than the pig in the other pen.
Chen Lusheng was cleaning the pig manure outside the pen and said worriedly, "It's only ten days before the Chinese New Year, and these pigs..."
Xia Juhua was not so worried: "Let's kill a pig on the 23rd day of the 11th lunar month, and the whole village will celebrate the New Year together." There is a custom in the village to eat slaughtered pig dishes. It is in line with the occasion to eat a bowl of hot slaughtered pig dishes together on the 23rd day of the 11th lunar month.
"That's fine." Chen Lusheng rubbed his hands, smiled at Xia Juhua and said, "Captain, thanks to you, my family is helping to weave mats every day, and next year we can get more pork."
Chen Lusheng was in poor health and could not breathe after working in the fields. He also had a small child. He was the only one in the family who earned work points, so they were in debt. Even though he fed pigs all year round, the family would not get much pork every year if calculated by work points.
But the next year was different. He heard that the county supply and marketing cooperative would look for production teams to order reed mats, and his wife could continue to weave them. Although his wife could only weave one mat in three days, the team leader checked and set his wife's work points at five per day.
Even though it was not as much as others, it was already a great breakthrough for Chen Lusheng's family, allowing him to imagine how much more pork his family would get next year.
Xia Juhua understood what he meant, smiled and said, "You have taken such good care of the pigs in the production team over the years. The whole village should thank you. It is only right that you can get more pork next year."
After chatting for a while, Xia Juhua went home to eat. Seeing that Liu Zhishuang was not there, she naturally asked Wang Caifeng: "Where is Zhishuang? Why did he disappear without even eating?"
Wang Caifeng didn't want to keep the secret for her brother-in-law: "He followed the pig dealer to the county."
Went to the county? Xia Juhua frowned, and Wang Caifeng quickly told her what she had seen: "After you left, Zhishuang left with his wheat, saying that you had promised him that you would let him go to the county to exchange the wheat for coarse grains when you delivered the pigs."
Did I say that? Xia Juhua thought about it and didn't remember much. But since the wheat was for Liu Zhishuang, Xia Juhua didn't plan to care about it. Let him do whatever he wants.
Seeing that her mother-in-law did not ask any more questions, Wang Caifeng glanced at Liu Zhiquan secretly and found that the man was still eating his bowl of porridge. She felt angry but suppressed it. When Liu Zhishuang was carrying food out, Wang Caifeng asked him to wait for her mother-in-law or go to discuss it with her, but Liu Zhishuang refused to listen.
I had hoped that Liu Zhiquan, as the elder brother, could talk and persuade Liu Zhishuang, but Liu Zhiquan didn't say a word and didn't let me ask more questions. Is it okay not to ask more questions? Wang Caifeng could see these days that her mother-in-law wished she could grow eight hands to go to her house to collect food.
No matter why, Wang Caifeng felt that she should follow her mother-in-law's way. But Liu Zhishuang actually wanted to take the grain out for no reason. Even though her mother-in-law said that Liu Zhishuang had the final say on the wheat, Wang Caifeng felt that she should at least tell her mother-in-law, instead of carrying the grain out when she was not at home.
At that moment, Wang Caifeng actually felt sorry for her mother-in-law, but she couldn't say it out loud.
Xia Juhua would never have thought that one day Wang Caifeng would feel sorry for her. She put down her job and went to the production team again, calling An Baoling and several people from Li Changwang's family to check the woven mats together.
The mats were laid out separately. There were 200 mats woven collectively, and there were 52 mats woven by the women themselves during overtime at night! Xia Juhua looked at the 52 mats and asked Li Changwang's family, "Who woven them all? Did you remember them?"
Li Changwang nodded and said, "I'll remember it. This time we have discussed it among ourselves, without bias or direction. Let's each sell one seat first. It's easy to remember."
It was easy to remember, but how could she explain the extra seats to the supply and marketing cooperative? Xia Juhua's worries were solved when Director Lin arrived.
"Director Lin, why did you come here in person today?" Xia Juhua was a little surprised and greeted Director Lin, Wang Caixia and Mr. Che with a smile.
Director Lin and Wang Caixia were both smiling, and it was Director Lin who spoke first: "Today is my last time working for the commune supply and marketing cooperative. From now on, I will work for the county supply and marketing cooperative."
Xia Juhua congratulated them immediately, and then Director Lin said, "As for the position of the production team, don't worry. Comrade Caixia will be responsible for it in the future."
This time Xia Juhua was really surprised: "Caixia?"
Director Lin smiled even more happily: "Well, Comrade Caixia is a hard worker. When I returned to the county, I recommended Comrade Caixia to my superiors as the person in charge of the commune. She will be the deputy director of our supply and marketing cooperative in the future. You need to support her work more."
"That's great!"
Wang Caixia felt a little embarrassed by her teasing: "Director Lin is making fun of me, and you are joining in the fun."
"How can this be considered as inciting a commotion?"
It doesn't matter whether the adults leave the rural environment or not, as long as the children can have a good starting point.
Director Lin also smiled and said, "How can this be a joke? If you hadn't known Captain Xia, such a good position as Pingan Village wouldn't have been handed over to our supply and marketing cooperative. So you have a good vision and deserve to be the deputy director."
Speaking of mats, Xia Juhua happened to say to Director Lin, "Director, I have something to trouble you with. The women in our village heard that the supply and marketing cooperative had helped solve the problem of raw materials, so they were so enthusiastic about making mats that they made 52 extra mats. Do you think we can take them all away today?"
Wang Caixia looked at Director Lin, her eyes as nervous as Xia Juhua's. Director Lin looked at the two of them and smiled, "Why can't they be taken away together? Deputy Director Wang, have you forgotten that the county supply and marketing cooperative wanted to slam the table in order to share the mats of Ping'an Village with us?"
Xia Juhua let out a sigh: "Director Lin, I'm sorry to trouble you so much." She was not really ignorant of human nature. It was clearly agreed that there were 200 tickets, but suddenly there were 52 more, a full quarter more. If she took this back, Director Lin might be criticized.
Wang Caixia beside him also breathed a sigh of relief and said firmly to Director Lin: "We can pull it back, but Director Lin, we have to make it clear that you are still the director of the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and these 52 seats must all remain in the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative."
Xia Juhua looked at this and then at that. Why did she feel like she didn't understand something?
Director Lin saw Xia Juhua's confusion and kindly explained it to her: "When the county supply and marketing cooperative went to the regional competition last time, they not only took the mats with the double happiness character, but also the mats with the blessing character. Both mats were well received by the regional supply and marketing cooperative, but relatively speaking, the mats with the blessing character were more popular. After all, the mats with the double happiness character are suitable for young people, but for others, they are a little bit…"
"The county supply and marketing cooperative wanted to sell the mats to the region as quickly as possible. So someone from the county supply and marketing cooperative came yesterday and hoped that you would hand over the 200 mats you made this time to the county supply and marketing cooperative."
Wang Caixia looked at Director Lin nervously: "We agreed yesterday to give the County Supply and Marketing Cooperative 150 tickets, that's 150 tickets. Director Lin, you can't ignore the life and death of the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative just because you will report to the County Supply and Marketing Cooperative soon."
Knowing that Wang Caixia's words were a bit exaggerated, and Director Lin pretending to be angry and saying that these 52 seats were extra by the Ping'anzhuang production team and were not included in the order for 200 seats, Xia Juhua still watched the two of them nervously arguing several times about the ownership of the 52 seats.
The final result was that the county supply and marketing cooperative, with its wealth and power, took away thirty of the tickets, and the remaining twenty-two were left in the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
Finally, when the two had discussed it, Xia Juhua smiled and advised: "Don't worry, leaders. We have sufficient raw materials in Ping'an Village and our members are very motivated. As long as you have requirements, our production team will complete the tasks with quality and quantity. Leaders, please don't ruin the harmony over such a small matter." If you have money to make, it doesn't matter who you sell to. Of course, it's better to sell more.
Director Lin and Wang Caixia: Isn’t it a little late for you to give me advice?
No matter what, Director Lin was transferred to the county supply and marketing cooperative and Wang Caixia was promoted to deputy director, which were both happy events. Xia Juhua showed great sincerity and wanted to invite the two of them to have lunch.
Considering there are 52 extra tables and both of us paid promptly in cash, we have to keep this meal!
Director Lin shook his head repeatedly: "Captain Xia, in fact, I am the one who should be thanked the most. I know you are a down-to-earth person, so I won't say anything more. As long as Ping'an Village can continue to make such good banquets, there will be many opportunities to dine with you in the future. When you go to the county supply and marketing cooperative in the future, I will treat you to a meal at a hotel in the county."
Wang Caixia also refused to stay: "I have to go back and keep an eye on it. Otherwise, Director Lin will take Xi all to the county while I'm away and others don't know the situation. I won't be able to catch up with him."
At this point, Xia Juhua could not say any more words of thanks except asking Wang Caifeng to quickly pack two pounds of fried peanuts for each of the two leaders and the car owner. She could only strongly assure them that she would monitor the quality of Ping An Zhuang's weaving mats and come up with other ideas as soon as possible.
Wang Caixia said to her with a smile: "If you want to come up with something new, you have to take it to our Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative first, and not directly to Director Lin. We are relatives, don't you know?"
Xia Juhua smiled and nodded to her, and only turned back to the production team's yard after the supply and marketing cooperative's car had gone far away.
"Captain, did the supply and marketing cooperative really pay us in cash?" Someone from Li Changwang's family jumped out from somewhere and shouted so loudly that everyone was startled.
Thinking that the production team had extra money in their account book again, Xia Juhua was surprised but also happy. She smiled and nodded at Li Changwang's family: "Yes, it's in cash."
"Then we weave the mats ourselves?" Li Changwang's family still couldn't believe it. After all, the mats they weaved late at night were not included in the plan of the supply and marketing cooperative.
Xia Juhua still smiled: "It's also cash."
What's the secret? Xia Juhua had five or six hundred yuan in her hand, and she was so happy when she saw the more than six hundred yuan paid by the supply and marketing cooperative that she couldn't stop smiling. Why shouldn't the editors be happy right away? The answers she gave to Li Changwang's family were all clear and explicit.
Look, Li Changwang's mouth is almost grinning from ear to ear, and he didn't even say hello to Xia Juhua, but ran to the reed wall at the edge of the yard, shouting as he ran: "The money has been paid, the supply and marketing cooperative has paid us."
Chen Qiusheng, who had just come out, looked helplessly at Li Changwang's back and asked Xia Juhua, "Captain, are you going to let her shout so loudly and spread the news everywhere?"
Xia Juhua asked with a smile: "Why don't you let her shout? The supply and marketing cooperative has paid the cash, aren't you happy?"
Happy, how can I not be happy? How can an accountant not be happy when he sees that there is extra money in the account? It is better than worrying about an empty account book. Chen Qiusheng laughed and said, "Yes, there is also my wife's money in it."
"Well," Xia Juhua kept smiling, "then why don't you divide the money quickly, or they will ask you for money soon."
"Oh, I forgot about this. If I leave these women waiting, they will slap me in the face." Chen Qiu Sheng ran back to the house in a hurry, just like Li Changwang's family just now. He first brought the table to block the door, and then he went to count the money with peace of mind.
The women heard that if they paid in cash, it would be strange for Chen Qiusheng to stop spending money. In just one or two minutes, the door in the reed wall was pushed open, and the women came out in groups of three or four.
It was obvious that everyone was anxious, but they were trying to walk slowly and reservedly, and no one wanted to let others see that they were anxious. Not only did they not want to let others see that they were anxious, but they also advised each other: "Walk slower, why are you in such a hurry? The money can still run away."
"That's right. If the captain says to pay in cash, then it must be paid in cash. It doesn't matter whose it is."
"Who do you trust more than the captain? If the captain hadn't asked us to buy a reed pole..."
"You are going to die, yet you dare to say anything. We are members with high ideological awareness and are buying raw materials for the production team. Why did the team leader ask us to buy them?" Of course, Li Changwang's family was walking at the front of the team. When he heard people talking about buying reed stems, he turned around and started shouting at everyone in a fierce manner.
The person who spoke blushed, and the people around him immediately distanced themselves from her: "No wonder Chang Wang's family said that to you. Your kindness was taken for granted."
"She's even more lax than Chang Wang's family. I don't know what to say when I go back to my mother's house."
The man wanted to explain to everyone that he didn't mean it, but no one listened. He was so anxious that tears almost came out. He looked up and saw Xia Juhua smiling and listening to everyone's conversation. He hurriedly took two steps and said, "Captain, I really didn't mean it. I was just too happy. Don't worry, I won't say it next time even if I feel bad."
Seeing that her red face was from the bottom of her heart, Xia Juhua gave Li Changwang's family a warning look and said, "Who hasn't spoken quickly when they are happy? But Changwang's family is right. No one knows about this, so we can quietly earn money for the children's clothes. If others know, we won't be able to earn the money."
The women quieted down after hearing these words. The one who said the wrong thing even swore that she would never say it again even in her dreams. The others became more alert and made promises to Xia Juhua together.
Xia Juhua nodded and asked everyone to line up and not crowd at the door like a swarm of bees. Chen Qiusheng looked at the team leader gratefully and began to read out the names one by one according to the order of the seats.
Li Changwang's family is always very good at grabbing things. They are the first to hand over the banquet and the first to receive the money. She held the two yuan and fifty cents tightly, as if she was afraid that a gust of wind would blow it away. Xia Juhua saw her nervousness and asked with a smile: "Your family has a lot of dividends this year, why do you still care about these two yuan and fifty cents?"
"This is different." Li Changwang looked at the two and a half yuan in his hand as if it were twenty-five thousand yuan. "The team's dividends belong to our whole family. But this money was earned by me alone."
Although Li Changwang's family didn't say it too clearly, Xia Juhua still understood what she meant: the production team's dividends, as long as you work, you can always get work points. But the money for weaving mats is earned by women in their rest time, one reed at a time, and men can't earn this money.
The women who had also received the money gathered around when they saw Li Changwang's family talking to Xia Juhua. Just like Li Changwang's family, they were reluctant to put the money into their pockets. They held it tightly in their hands and glanced at it from time to time.
"Okay, don't worry about it." Xia Juhua knew that everyone was happy. After all, for many years, men had recorded more work points than women. Now women suddenly had a way to make money that men didn't have. One can easily imagine how they felt.
But reed bark alone cannot make a mat, so Xia Juhua thought she could take this opportunity to say what she needed to say: "It's enough to be happy for a while, we still have to continue making mats. After we send out today's mats, I think the county supply and marketing cooperative will come to order new mats tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
"We don't know when the supply and marketing cooperative will deliver the goods. We should order as much as we can now. Otherwise, it will be too late for the New Year. Will you order or not?"
"Edit!" the women shouted in unison, their voices so loud that Xia Juhua was shocked: "Aren't you afraid that your men will dislike you and not care about your family?"
The women shook their heads and said, "Why do they ignore their families?" They weave mats in the yard every day and then go home to weave more, just to earn more for their families. If men still dare to despise them, then fine, they will weave mats!
The men from Ping An Village who were not present...
After all the women had received their money, Chen Qiusheng said to Xia Juhua with lingering fear: "Captain, have you noticed that the women in our village are all going crazy? Not to mention others, the one in my family now makes mats after dinner and doesn't even rinse the bowls."
After he finished speaking, he realized that he had let the cat out of the bag. Under Xia Juhua's teasing gaze, he silently put the table back in its place, ran away dejectedly, and said that he would go to each house to see if those men who leaked powder in the kitchen had leaked all the powder.
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