Chapter 66
Rural people work day after day. They have no holidays and have to work very hard every day to feed their families.
But on the day of Little New Year, when the whistle of Pingan Village sounded again, the members came to work with smiles on their faces, as if they were not going to work but had some happy event.
Not only did the members come out quickly and early, but also the elderly who were able to walk in each family, and the children who could not stand in one place and had to run around to declare their presence, all came out.
Because Captain Xia had someone notify everyone the night before that the Ping'an Village production team would be slaughtering the New Year pig today. Not only would everyone have to eat the slaughtered pig dishes together, but the production team would not assign any work to everyone in the morning, and all the workers would have a half-day break!
When do the old farmers get a half-day off, except when the weather is bad and they can't go to the fields or during the New Year? So when the whistle blows, everyone comes to watch the excitement as if they are watching a foreign spectacle, even if they are also one of the excitement.
The old people did not stand there for long, watching the strong men take the pigs out of the pig pen and tie them up, and after evaluating how much meat each pig could produce, they went home to wait for the slaughter of pigs. The children running around were too troublesome, and they were often scolded by their own parents, and whether they cried or not, they were all driven away.
The open space in front of the pigpen suddenly became empty, with only the pigs on the table howling from time to time.
Xia Juhua didn't dare to watch the pig being slaughtered, and was boiling water with a group of women to remove the pig's hair.
"Captain, stop occupying your hands. The water will be on soon." Li Changwang's, no, she should be called Zhao Xianzhi, had a smile on her face and refused to let Xia Juhua do any work.
Xia Juhua was also very sad. After she knew that the real names of Li Changwang and Li Changman were Zhao Xianzhi and Chang Xiancao respectively, she felt that she understood why these two people were always at odds with each other.
She wondered if she had been wrong to advise Zhao Xianzhi to get along well with Chang Xiancao.
After Zhao Xianzhi "turned over a new leaf", Chang Xiancao's transformation from being uncomfortable to being comfortable and then to deliberately suppressing Zhao Xianzhi was so fast that Xia Juhua didn't even have time to hit Chang Xiancao.
Speaking of these two people, they really don't blame each other. After Zhao Xianzhi stopped looking for trouble, Chang Xiancao almost forgot her last name and kept wanting to hit her with words. Zhao Xianzhi just told Xia Juhua not to do anything, and Chang Xiancao said:
"Oh, that's a really nice thing to say. If you really care about our captain, then you should do all the work by yourself as soon as possible. Otherwise, what if the captain cares about us and wants to help us?"
Zhao Xianzhi gritted his teeth, and then gritted his teeth again, and silently burned his fire without saying a word. Xia Juhua glanced at Chang Xiancao, and Chang Xiancao opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything else.
At first, when the women nearby heard Chang Xiancao beating Zhao Xianzhi, they wanted to join in on the joke, but when they noticed Xia Juhua's unhappy expression, they all lowered their heads and did their own work, and no one stepped forward to say anything.
The lively scene suddenly became quiet, and Chang Xiancao herself felt a little regretful. But she was not like Zhao Xianzhi, who could not afford to apologize to others. She was just fighting for work.
What else could Xia Juhua say? If one of the two could hold back, the peace could be maintained. However, she was very pleased that Zhao Xianzhi could hold back, and she didn't mind letting everyone know that she valued Zhao Xianzhi.
"Xianzhi, come with me and go to my house to get something." Xia Juhua called Zhao Xianzhi and went out first. Chang Xiancao looked at Xia Juhua's back, then looked at Zhao Xianzhi who had stood up, and swallowed the words on his lips.
After the two of them left, someone around Chang Xiancao said to her, "Why do you keep hitting her? It's making the captain's wife unhappy. I think Zhao Xianzhi has changed a lot these days. She greets you when she sees you, and she doesn't talk back when you say something. Don't make her angry one day and tell the captain about you."
"I just can't stand her." Chang Xiancao also had a lot to say: "Why does the captain like her so much? Isn't it just because she is good at flattering people?" The captain had let her handle the matters of notifying people with different surnames several times. Why should he let Zhao Xianzhi be in charge of managing people?
Zhao Xianzhi was now feeling very happy. What if Chang Xiancao beat her again? The captain still trusted her the most and always took her with him when he went home to get things. Could she, Chang Xiancao, do that?
But looking at the two large basins of eggs that Xia Juhua brought out at once, Zhao Xianzhi wished that it was Chang Xiancao who accompanied the captain home: Although every family in Ping'an Village raises a few chickens, no family can store so many eggs. These eggs were clearly brought by the members to nourish the captain.
"Captain, what are you going to do with all these eggs?" Zhao Xianzhi's voice was a little stuttering.
Xia Juhua said as if it was a matter of course: "Just stir-fry it. Aren't we all going to eat pig slaughter food together today? Add a dish to make everyone happy together."
Zhao Xianzhi wanted to tell Xia Juhua that if knew that everyone had delivered the eggs themselves, they would definitely not be happy. However, during this period of time, it became her habit to obey Xia Juhua. Even though she was unwilling in her heart, she still picked up a basin of eggs and followed Xia Juhua to the yard of the production team.
"Captain, this is inappropriate." Halfway through the journey, Zhao Xianzhi thought of a reason: "The pig offal and pig bones used for slaughtering pigs are all from the production team, and everyone feels at ease eating the production team's products. But how can you expect people to swallow your own food?"
"You don't like scrambled eggs?" Xia Juhua asked casually while walking without even stopping.
Who doesn't like scrambled eggs? Let alone fried eggs, even boiled eggs can only be eaten a few times a year by adults, and children will cry about it because they don't like it, but they are reluctant to cook it, okay? Zhao Xianzhi felt that the captain was deliberately not wanting her to speak, so she pouted and kept silent.
Chang Xiancao got furious when he saw the eggs brought by Zhao Xianzhi and Xia Juhua: "Zhao Xianzhi, what's on your mind? You just bring the eggs when the captain asks you to. You don't feel bad that they are not your own. Why don't you bring your own eggs? This is for the captain to nourish his body. Aren't you afraid that they will go down your ribs if you eat them?"
Xia Juhua put down the egg and tapped her arm while saying, "Xiancao, stop talking. Xianzhi has been very accommodating to you these past two days. You are her sister-in-law, and you can't take advantage of her because she can't talk back and bully her."
Chang Xiancao was not happy: "Okay, I won't use words to hit her anymore, but you have to take back the egg, Captain. The production team is eating slaughtered pigs, why should you contribute anything?"
"Why are you angry again?"
"It just so happens that today is not only the day our production team kills the New Year pig, but it is also Master Wu's birthday. I thought I might as well lend a flower to him and take out the eggs, so that I, as a junior, can serve Master Wu a birthday dish."
"Sister-in-law, it's my grandfather's birthday, how can I let you contribute to the dishes? If we have to contribute, it should be our families." Liu Erxi's wife Li Zhaodi was not happy and stood up to speak for Chang Xiancao.
However, no matter how much they said, they could not resist Xia Juhua's determination. In the end, she used her new tricks to "threaten" the women, and finally she drowned out the voices of opposition.
There were no more voices of opposition, but the women gathered together and started to grumble. Some went home to get some potatoes, others brought some cabbage, some brought vermicelli, and some brought dried mushrooms...
Xia Juhua watched the women carrying things from her home bit by bit like mice moving house, but with smiles on their faces, and did not say anything to stop them. Why should she stop them? Was she the only one allowed to contribute to everyone, and no one else was allowed to add bricks and tiles?
A collective can never go far by relying on the dedication of one person. Only when all members of the collective consciously consider the collective and contribute their own strength to the collective, the collective will be more cohesive.
Only a cohesive group can withstand hardships and not be crushed when facing storms!
The men who did not participate in the pig slaughter had already built six simple stoves, and some of the families who volunteered to provide pots had already installed the pots on the stoves. Firewood was put into the stoves, and soon they started to crackle, and the water in the pot gradually began to steam...
The pigs had been killed, and boiling water was poured over them. The butcher quickly removed the hair, and soon the white strips of pig appeared in front of. The onlookers couldn't help but take a deep breath. When the butcher finished up the pig's head, many people urged Chen Qiusheng: "Hurry up and weigh it, hurry cutting up and weigh it."
Only after weighing can we know how much meat the two pigs have produced and calculate how many ounces of meat each person can get.
Unfortunately, the two pig heads took up more than 30 kilograms, and the offal took up another 40 kilograms. So there were only 225 kilograms of pork that could be distributed to the members, not including the bones!
Xia Juhua, who had experienced an era of material abundance, was of course dissatisfied when she heard this number. However, the members of Ping'an Village were not too disappointed. They went to the debtors who were not entitled to any meat. According to the work points, each person could get 3 taels of meat, which was not a small amount for several production teams nearby.
Before distributing the meat, Xia Juhua said to everyone, "Who doesn't eat dumplings during the New Year? Here's what I'm thinking. Uncle Dong and his seven families should each get a pound of meat. As for the work points they owe, they can make up for it next year. What do you think?"
The fifth master nodded and said, "Sure, it's fine. It doesn't matter whether the work points are compensated or not."
Chen Qiusheng also said: "I also think it doesn't matter whether the work points are compensated or not. To be honest, Uncle Dong and his family are busy all year round, but they can't do heavy work and therefore can't earn work points. This winter, some of their families also helped to weave mats, and now they are also helping to leak flour. They will definitely not be short of these work points next year."
The leaders of the two big families said so. Among the people of the other families, Zhao Xianzhi had already been trying to persuade her husband to make a statement. Not only Zhao Xianzhi, but also Chang Xiancao and several other people who had been weaving mats also put pressure on their husbands. So the voices of the other families were both neat and loud: "Agreed, no need to make up the work points."
Because these seven families were in debt and had not received any meat in previous years, they always showed up after the pigs were slaughtered and the dishes were ready, so they still don’t know how much pork the production team will give them this year.
When the heads of the families were called in and heard Xia Juhua's decision, Uncle Dong and Aunt Qi burst into tears and immediately refused to take the pound of pork, saying, "We all rely on everyone's support now, so how can we share the meat?"
Xia Juhua took Seventh Grandma's hand and advised her: "Seventh Grandma, we have so many elderly people in Ping'an Village. If everyone eats one less bite, it will save a lot for your families."
Zhao Tiedan felt that he had taken advantage, and wanted to confirm with Xia Juhua: "Captain, you had to give us the meat, not us. We really don't need to make up for the work points next year, right?"
Zhao Dagou pulled his father behind him and said, "Captain, my father is so happy that he is confused. It's not that he doesn't want to make up for the work points. Don't worry, Ergou and I will work hard in the fields next year. If you are worried, I can pay for the meat now."
The experience of leaking powder for nearly a month has caused a great change in the mentality of Zhao Dagou, who has never been disciplined or taught to eat his own food. He feels unreal if he doesn't count the money he earns and weigh the food he earns every day. When he realized that the money and food in his hands were getting more and more, Zhao Dagou felt that his father's theory of muddling through was not feasible.
He could survive by muddling through, but he couldn't live well and couldn't get married. He had just helped someone leak powder for a long time, and earned six or seven yuan, which was exchanged for more than ten kilograms of food. Did he dare to think about it before?
What he had never dared to think of before has now been accomplished, but his father is going to offend Xia Juhua, who is even admired by Chen Qiu Sheng, who gave him advice. It would be strange if Zhao Dagou could fulfill his father's wish.
Uncle Dong gave Zhao Tiedan a slap: "You are worse than a child."
Xia Juhua looked at the tall and strong "child" Zhao Dagou, who was almost 25 years old, and said with a smile: "You don't have to pay for it this time. By the time next year, if you can't earn enough work points, there will be no share for your family."
Zhao Tiedan was about to say something when Zhao Ergou covered his mouth. He mumbled and couldn't speak. But Zhao Dagou solemnly assured Xia Juhua: "Okay, Captain, the young and old are all listening here. If I, Zhao Dagou, can't do it, I will be embarrassed to eat the slaughtered pig dishes in Ping'an Village in the future."
Zhao Xianzhi was unwilling to accept the request: "You only let the old and young men testify for you. Are you looking down on your aunts and wives? Believe it or not, if your aunts and wives are unhappy, not only will you not be able to eat the butchered pig dishes today, but no one will introduce you to a wife next year."
The crowd burst into laughter, and Zhao Dagou blushed, not knowing what to say. Xia Juhua took this opportunity to wink at Chen Qiusheng, who shouted to Liu Daxi who had been waiting, "Share the meat!"
The members who had been waiting with their basins or baskets lined up one by one. Uncle Dong and Aunt Qi, who were in debt, wanted to line up at the end as usual, but Xia Juhua stopped them and signaled Chen Qiusheng to distribute the meat to these families first.
Zhao Tiedan's family, on the other hand, was ruthlessly driven to the last ones by Xia Juhua - the three of them were all strong workers, but the work points they earned were not even enough for food. If it weren't for the thought of not leaving anyone behind, she would not have wanted to share the last pound of meat with them.
Zhao Tiedan wanted to argue, but his two sons held him back: "Dad, if you make trouble again we won't have this pound of meat. To be honest, my face feels hot after eating this meat." Zhao Dagou looked at his father with great authority.
Zhao Tiedan was so discouraged that he didn't even join the queue. He turned around and walked home: "If you dare not want this pound of meat, we three will live our own lives from now on."
No one noticed their grandfather's little incident, as everyone was staring at the pieces of meat being cut. The butcher was very experienced in dividing the meat, and every cut was almost the same as the amount reported by Chen Qiusheng. If there was a little less, he would use a small piece of bone to make up for it.
The bones had been cleaned up and there were few pieces of meat on them. But everyone was still happy when they took the bones, saying that they could be stewed with sauerkraut, which was also delicious.
Wu Ye stood with Xia Juhua, watching the members collecting meat in an orderly manner, and said with emotion: "In previous years, not only would we use bones to make up for the shortage, but we would also quarrel over even a dollar shortfall."
Xia Juhua was optimistic: "No matter what, everyone has more money this year. If you really want to eat meat, you can go to the commune food station and buy some. You don't have to worry about the one or two yuan of meat."
"Juhua, I heard that you added more dishes for me?" Fifth Master looked at Xia Juhua with even more admiration. In the past, none of the members had ever thought of giving food to the production team leader to nourish his body, let alone taking things from their own homes and putting them together in the production team's slaughtered pig dishes.
He saw several housewives-in-law who would chat and laugh with their daughters-in-law as they took things from home. They were the kind of people who would stomp their feet and scold their daughters-in-law for half a year if they cooked one more grain of rice.
But now they took the initiative to take out things from their homes, even if they were just potatoes or cabbages that every household had, it was enough to shock Master Wu.
Xia Juhua didn't want to take all the credit: "Fifth Master, I'm not the only one who added extra dishes for you. You are highly respected in our Ping An Village, and everyone wants to share in your happiness."
"Highly respected, what kind of high respected am I?" Fifth Master lit up the smoke pot: "Why are you so happy this year? Everyone knows it in their hearts. Don't worry, Fifth Master can't guarantee others, but for the people with the surname Liu, Fifth Master can still guarantee you that they are all people with conscience."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Liu Erzhuang, who had been noticeably taciturn these days, and Wu Ye couldn't continue.
Xia Juhua also saw Liu Erzhuang, and quietly told Fifth Master about Liu Zhishuang’s visit to his grandson’s house to get the money back yesterday: "Fifth Master, when you have time, please persuade Erzhuang. It’s true that he is so filial to his parents, but the old lady gave all the money they earned to the fourth master’s family. I don’t know if they can get it back from the Red Team." If he doesn’t get it back, will Liu Erzhuang continue to support them?
"Pah!" Master Wu spat heavily on the ground: "Today is my birthday, I don't want to care about this nonsense."
"That's right, I was just too busy." Xia Juhua also felt that everyone was so happy today, and she shouldn't mention the Liu family's affairs. But Liu Erzhuang couldn't cheer up, and Li Daya and the others were all forcing smiles, so Xia Juhua still felt a little reluctant.
Liu Erzhuang saw Xia Juhua talking with Wu Ye, but he felt ashamed to go up and talk to the two of them. What was he talking about? Praising Xia Juhua for transforming Ping An Manor in just two or three months? Or asking Xia Juhua to go to the commune as soon as possible and bring the Sun family members back from the training class?
Whatever it was, he couldn't say it.
He had been the production team leader for more than ten years. How could he not know that in the production team, the smallest production unit, there were actually a lot of trivial matters all day long, such as the landlord occupying an extra piece of private land, or the wife of the west family pulling out the east family's onions?
When Xia Juhua was promoted to production team leader, Liu Erzhuang thought that after all, he had been a production team leader for many years and had some prestige among the members. He would never sit idly by and watch the excitement when he could lend a hand to his sister-in-law.
Who knew that his mother would report Xia Juhua because his wife and daughter learned to weave mats from Xia Juhua. At that time, Liu Erzhuang wished that his mother didn't exist.
But can he really pretend that he doesn't have a mother? She was the one who gave birth to him and raised him. She cried so hard in front of him that he couldn't bear to pretend that he didn't know her. So Li Daya had a serious quarrel with him.
The disappointment in his mother and the guilt towards Xia Juhua combined made Liu Erzhuang unable to recover for a long time. When he recovered, Xia Juhua had already taught all the men in Pingan Village how to leak powder, and she led the women to sell a batch of reed mats and received new orders.
All the members of Ping'an Village were as energetic as if they had been injected with chicken blood. They were exhausted every day but no one complained. It was completely different from when Liu Erzhuang was the production team leader, who had to keep an eye on the workers in the fields the whole time, otherwise some of them would slack off.
Liu Erzhuang was disappointed. He thought his prestige was based on his position as production captain. Now when people in Pingan Village mentioned the word captain, they would think of Xia Juhua, just as if Liu Erzhuang had not been the production captain for more than ten years.
Listen, someone is calling out, "Captain, the pigs have been slaughtered and the dishes are ready, when will we have dinner?"
Xia Juhua looked at Fifth Master inquiringly. Fifth Master tapped his pipe and looked at Xia Juhua with a smile.
"Have you distributed all the meat?" Xia Juhua looked at the empty butcher's table and asked. After getting a positive answer, she waved to everyone and said, "Let's go and celebrate Master Wu's birthday."
A large group of people surrounded Master Wu and Xia Juhua and walked towards the production team's yard. Liu Erzhuang followed at the end.
We eat vegetables after slaughtering pigs every year, but this is the first time to put out six big pots at once. In previous years, everyone put their own share of vegetables into pots and took them home to eat slowly, but this year I found that the pots I brought were a little insufficient.
"Why are there still fried eggs?" Many people looked at the golden fried eggs and smelled the aroma of chopped green onions, and asked the person who was serving the food in confusion.
The one who cooked the scrambled eggs was Zhao Xianzhi. She was worried that others would take advantage of Xia Juhua's kindness, but she couldn't say it out loud, so she had to do it herself. Her face was flushed and her voice was loud:
"Today is Master Wu's birthday. The captain prepared eggs for Master Wu himself. I wish Master Wu good health and longevity!"
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