Chapter 75
"Five catties of sweet potatoes make one and a half catties, which is six cents if we calculate it at four cents per catty." Master Wu pounded on his tobacco pot and calculated the account clearly: "It should be at least one and a half cents per catty, otherwise I'm afraid no one will be willing to do it."
Chen Qiusheng thought that what he was asking for was a bit too much: "The grain station charges three cents for public grain, how can it be four cents?"
Wu Ye was unwilling to agree: "What do you mean by 3 cents? Zhishuang and his friends in the black market are still asking for 8 cents per pound. Even if the quantity is large, we can get 7 cents, it's still too little for us."
"It's not a question of how much money there is, but whether we can still do the job." Xia Juhua was exhausted.
But the Fifth Master thought that this was not a big deal: "What can't be done? Why should a grown man be afraid of doing a little work?" As long as a job can make cash, it is good as long as it is not too demanding. Why should we worry about no one doing it?
"If it really doesn't work, let Daxi and the others ask their brother-in-law to come over and help."
"Fifth Master," Xia Juhua was frightened by the old man's anger, "Call Daxi's brother-in-law here. Why are you telling people that our production team has been missing flour for such a long time, and every household still has so many old sweet potatoes in their vegetable cellar?"
Xia Juhua wanted to make money but couldn't work herself too hard. She finally turned her attention to Technician Xue: The use over the past few days has proved that the pulping machine is a useful and good thing. If more machines were used and everyone had to wait in line for a shorter time, a lot of time and manpower could be saved.
Technician Xue who was ordered to do the job in a critical moment: Captain Xia, I drive the tractor to Ping'an Village again and again, aren't you afraid that someone will find out that something is wrong?
With Uncle Qi as her backer, Xia Juhua completely forgot her fear of the Red Team - after Liu Zhishuang went to the city to find Qi Weidong that day, even though the New Year's Day was approaching, no one from the Red Team came to notify Ping'an Village to bring the Sun family members back. Isn't this enough to explain the problem?
However, Captain Li Changshun's reappearance in Ping'an Village gave Xia Juhua a headache.
In order to prevent Li Changshun from mentioning the sweet potato again, Xia Juhua said directly to Li Changshun: "Captain, how much reed stalks do the other three production teams have? Our production team can buy another batch, but the price will remain the same, not higher than what we get from others."
Li Changshun laughed: "Why, are you so afraid that I will come to your Ping'an Village, and want to trick me away quickly?"
Xia Juhua naturally shook her head: "The team leader came to guide our production team. We welcome him so much. How can we fool him?"
I don't know if Li Changshun believed it or not, but he just walked around the streets of Pingan Village with his hands behind his back, occasionally looking into the courtyards of each house. Xia Juhua couldn't stop him, and followed him reluctantly.
Suddenly, Li Changshun asked Xia Juhua: "I asked you to figure out the method of wheat bran. Have you figured it out?"
Apart from that time when she mentioned it to Technician Xue, how could Xia Juhua have found the time to think about wheat bran? At this time, she pushed Technician Xue to the front without hesitation: "I asked Technician Xue, but he didn't reply to me."
Li Changshun looked at Xia Juhua with some disbelief and asked, "Where is Technician Xue? I want to ask him in person."
Do you want to ask me questions in person, or do you want to poach me in person? Xia Juhua looked at Li Changshun with distrust. He looked calm, as if he had just greeted Master Wu and asked if he had eaten anything today.
Xia Juhua had to ask Li Changshun in a gentle voice what question he wanted to ask Technician Xue. Li Changshun said nothing, as if he would stay in Ping'an Village until he saw Technician Xue today.
There was no way Xia Juhua could stop the captain from meeting someone, so Fifth Master accompanied Li Changshun in a trivial chat while Xia Juhua went to find Technician Xue in person.
She had to go in person. What if Technician Xue just answered casually that day? Xia Juhua happened to explain Li Changshun's request to Technician Xue in detail along the way.
Technician Xue said with some embarrassment: "I did write to my family, but they haven't replied yet."
Everything will be easy once the letter is written. Xia Juhua confidently brought Technician Xue to Fifth Master's house and found that Fifth Master was poking his pipe in frustration, but Li Changshun's face was beaming as if he had just picked up money.
"Captain, Technician Xue is here." Xia Juhua didn't know what was going on in the room, so she introduced Technician Xue to Li Changshun first.
Wuye and Li Changshun looked up at the same time. Li Changshun looked at Technician Xue, and Wuye looked at Xia Juhua with a guilty look on his face, which made her heart skip a beat: Maybe Wuye promised Li Changshun something after she left. After all, compared with Xia Juhua, Wuye and Li Changshun valued hometown feelings more, and always thought about helping neighbors and helping neighbors, and the poor should help the poor.
Before Xia Juhua understood Wu Ye's expression, Li Changshun had already started asking Technician Xue: "Technician Xue, I heard that you made a machine for making sweet potato pulp. How much does that cost?"
Technician Xue said frankly: "The wooden frame and the iron barrel are easy to deal with, but the cutters have to be custom-made, plus the tracks, each one will cost at least 60 yuan."
"Oh, it costs more than 60 yuan each. How many days will it take to make it?"
"It won't take a few days. The old master who made the knives for me can make two or three sets a day."
Xia Juhua looked at the two people who were asking and answering each other, and her heart slowly lifted up. She looked at Wu Ye again. Wu Ye grinned and waved to Xia Juhua: "Da Zhuang, come out, I have something to tell you."
Her name was not Xia Juhua, but Da Zhuang's. The bad feeling about Xia Juhua became even stronger.
The Fifth Master's words confirmed Xia Juhua's worries: "Li Changshun wants those people from the production team to come to our production team and learn how to make rice noodles from the members. I thought we had taught them before, so I agreed."
Why did Xia Juhua not believe that she came to learn how to make the pulp? Seeing that Xia Juhua didn't say anything, Master Wu said, "He said that the sweet potatoes of each production team are all leaking, and they are afraid that they can't be used to plant."
Everyone is a farmer, and in autumn they save all kinds of seeds for the next spring. Even three-year-old children know this. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the saying: I'd rather starve to death than eat seeds.
Those production teams turned the seeds and grains into powder even though their own mothers would not eat them even if they starved to death. They have really grown up.
Xia Juhua couldn't help it: "Fifth Master, do they take us for fools? I told the team leader last time that if any production team grows more sweet potatoes and doesn't have enough, we can sell them some. But now everyone is asking us for money. It's unacceptable." In Pingan Village alone, nearly 3,000 kilograms of seeds were reserved. How much would five production teams need? !
The fifth master stroked his pipe and said, "I think what Li Changshun said makes sense. Think about it, the people in our team are all relatives, and when other production teams are really in trouble and come to our relatives with bowls in hand, can we still resist and not let them give us money?"
"Instead of asking the members to share their rations with them, the production team should do them a favor and give them some sweet potato seeds. I have already told Li Changshun that the production teams should not think of getting an easy deal this time. They should pay the money they are owed."
Xia Juhua was silent. She understood the reasoning of Wuye and Li Changshun, and she really couldn't stand by and watch someone die. Giving sweet potato seeds to each production team now would give them something to think about, so that they wouldn't do anything to Ping'an Village out of jealousy.
Seeing Xia Juhua silent, Fifth Master gave her a reassurance: "Li Changshun said that as long as we agree to provide sweet potato seeds to each production team, each production team can buy a pulping machine from Technician Xue for us, and he will let each production team manage their own people and not tell others that the sweet potato seeds were provided by us. Even if there is something wrong with the commune, he will take responsibility for us."
The last sentence made Xia Juhua determined. She had not forgotten the scene when she was the director of the commune's revolutionary committee and had to call Li Changshun uncle. She was afraid that if she disagreed now, Li Changshun would lose face and go to the commune. Whether Director Zhang stopped Technician Xue from coming to Ping'an Village or ordered Ping'an Village to produce all the sweet potato seeds of the brigade, Ping'an Village was very passive.
Rather than being passive, it would be better to get a pulping machine for free - a pulping machine costs about 60 yuan, and Ping An Village will not suffer a loss if it only produces sweet potato seeds.
Seeing that Xia Juhua agreed, Fifth Master finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Don't blame me for acting on my own and agreeing to Li Changshun behind your back. We have been friends for a lifetime, and it's hard for me to see him in trouble."
What could Xia Juhua say? No matter what, Li Changshun had tacitly approved Ping An Manor's money-making, and it would be good to repay this favor with sweet potatoes. As for how many sweet potato seeds each production team needed, Li Changshun would have to ask each production team before he could determine it. I think the sweet potatoes left over from Ping An Manor twice, plus the seeds left in autumn, should be enough.
When Li Changshun entered the room, he had already agreed with Technician Xue to work on the four more mincers as soon as possible. Xia Juhua suddenly remembered that the mincers she had seen in her previous life were all electric, and she wondered if Technician Xue could improve them.
After hearing Xia Juhua's question, Technician Xue's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again: "It's not that the electricity can't be modified, it's just a matter of adding a motor. But your Pingan Village still doesn't have electricity, so it won't work even if you modify it."
Well, Ping'an Village is now as backward as all the villages in the northern plains. No matter how good Xia Juhua's ideas are, they can only exist in the mind of Technician Xue and can only be implemented when conditions are ripe.
The next question Xia Juhua, Wu Ye and Chen Qiusheng had to face was whether to discuss with the male members of Ping An Zhuang and whether they would still want to make money by selling powder. This time, only the male members were called to the meeting, and the women stayed at home to make their own mats.
“掙現錢呀。”劉大喜得了五爺的示意，頭一個站出來說：“掙現錢還不是好事兒嘛，誰家娶媳婦、嫁閨女也不能拿粉條子當彩禮和嫁妝。就是起房子給幫忙的人管飯，也不能光吃粉條子不是。”
“我也覺得能再幹些日子。”手裏缺錢的劉二壯，不用五爺看他也順着劉大喜的話音說——他以為夏菊花召集大家開會，是怕大家累得狠了不願意幹活，就主動站出來把調子定下來。
有願意幹的，就有想願意幹的，劉力柱開口問：“掙紅薯的時候，我們幾家欠帳戶的粉都是大家幫着漏的，要是掙現錢的話，就別算我們家了。”
老董叔和唯二參加的女性七奶跟着點頭，表示大家幫着他們漏了兩次粉，以後不好意思再讓大家幫忙。
趙鐵蛋聽的着急，跳起來說：“你們漏不漏粉是你們的事兒，別一說就是欠帳戶，我們家還想接着漏粉兒呢。”
有看不慣趙鐵蛋的自然要跟他嗆嗆，夏菊花連連敲了兩下桌子才把他們的聲音壓下去：“剛才不是已經說清楚了嘛，這批粉漏完之後，下一批漏不漏都自願。咱們有言在先，人家信任咱們平安莊才讓咱們幫忙，答應繼續漏粉兒的，不能半路摞挑子。”
除了六家欠帳戶不再繼續漏粉兒外，別的社員果然跟五爺想的一樣，全都願意繼續漏粉兒。夏菊花和五爺除囑咐大家仍然跟以前一樣保密之外，也沒啥好說的，只把陳秋生忙壞了：
他得登記現在各家還剩下多少紅薯，還能漏出多少粉來，又得算好各家應該給齊衛東交出多少粉條才能合上帳。到誰家自己算不明白是賠是賺，還得幫着算算秋天的時候，生産隊分了多少紅薯，現在連粉條帶紅薯各家剩下了多少。
一算下來，當然不會有人賠，大家都高興的發現自己家有賺的，還賺的不少，個個對繼續漏粉的信心更足了，連六家欠帳戶也想多少再漏點兒粉掙點兒現錢。
對于欠帳戶們，不管是五爺還是夏菊花，都更加包容一些——這六家跟趙鐵蛋家不一樣，都有實際困難才把日子過得越來越差，并不是偷懶耍滑不願意幹活的人。
聽說他們還想掙點兒現錢，夏菊花就讓陳秋生好好跟他們一起合計合計，按着他們的能力，一天能漏出多少粉來兒。至于七奶，夏菊花幹脆讓她跟自己家搭夥，給劉志全和劉志雙打個下手就行，到時分給她點兒錢完了。
打定了主意，等齊衛東第二天一早來的時候，夏菊花除了招待他又吃了一碗酸辣粉兒外，就把自己跟五爺陳秋生商量好的加工費告訴了他：
“我們算了一下，一斤紅薯得收一分五的加工費，你回去問問你小叔，看看行不行？”
齊衛東一聽夏菊花答應幫着漏粉兒，已經喜的眉開眼笑：“那有啥不行的，其實嬸子你不知道，我小叔就怕你們還要紅薯不要加工費呢。”
為啥怕平安莊繼續要紅薯，夏菊花也能想明白，還不是怕糧站裏的紅薯将來對不上帳？這樣雙方都願意的結果，談起來很容易，晚上齊衛東就不是自己來的，而是帶着裝了滿滿一車鬥紅薯的大型拖拉機一起來的。
他不光帶來了紅薯，還帶來了齊小叔的承諾：一斤紅薯一分五的加工費沒有問題，開春之後還能讓紅星農機站幫着平安莊進行春耕。就連紅薯種植有什麽不明白的地方，紅星農技站也可以派專人指導。
一起等着齊衛東的五爺聽的直咧嘴：“我們種了一輩子紅薯，還用得着別人指導？”
夏菊花跟五爺想的不一樣，同樣是種地，上輩子的好些種植技術，就比現在平安莊一輩傳一輩的技術先進多了。人家農技站裏都是搞科學種地的，那些技術也是他們教授給農民的。
所以夏菊花相信，有了農技站的人員指導，哪怕今年春耕遇旱，以後也能發揮大作用。
“小齊，把這些紅薯卸到一邊，別跟上次的弄混了。”夏菊花有點兒不放心的囑咐齊衛東——上一次的紅薯，還有半斤是齊衛東的，這一次拉來的可就不一定了。要是搞混了，齊衛東可就真的白受罪了。
齊衛東也聽明白夏菊花沒說出口的話，感激的沖她一樂：“嬸子，我心裏有數。”
這一晚上，齊衛東一共跟拖拉機跑了三趟，都是平安莊的社員跟着裝車卸車。夏菊花估計了一下，這三車怕是又得有十來萬斤紅薯。
“小齊，不能再拉了。”最後一車的時候，夏菊花果斷制止了齊衛東，還對他提出了要求：“現在各家的家什有限，就算紅薯漿出的快，可沒家什裝也白搭。明天你看看能不能多幫着買些大盆啥的，能盛下紅薯漿就行。”
這麽點兒要求對齊衛東來說都不算事兒，直到快上拖拉機離開的時候，他才從兜裏掏出一張二指寬的小紙片給夏菊花：“嬸子，這是我給你找的自行車票。”
強調是自己找的，齊衛東帶着點兒私心，不想讓夏菊花誤會裏頭有齊小叔的功勞。
夏菊花沒想到自己順嘴一提，齊衛東隔天就把自行車票搞到手了，看來這小子依靠的不止齊小叔一個人。
“這東西不便宜吧，你花了多少錢，嬸子給你。”夏菊花越發不想占齊衛東的便宜，把話說的明明白白。
齊衛東飛快的跳上拖拉機：“啥錢不錢的，嬸子你再這麽說，下次我不來你們平安莊啦。”
夏菊花直笑：“你不來才好呢，這些紅薯漏成的粉兒我就都自己留下了。”
齊衛東也知道自己說了傻話，沖着夏菊花擺了擺手，拖拉機在深夜的掩蓋之下，突突突跑走了。
他跑走了，夏菊花跑不了，平安莊的社員們也跑不了。紅薯是邊拉來邊過的稱，現在陳秋生已經統計出來，又是一個十萬斤。
現在天氣還冷，大家不得不頂着寒風，把紅薯按各家報出來的數量，連夜分配下去，至于各家自己怎麽運到菜窖裏，夏菊花是真的管不了了。
她這一天過的，比所有人都累，躺到炕上一動都不想動，直接睡了過去。第二天直到王彩鳳擔心的在外頭喊了兩回，夏菊花才爬起來，覺得自己頭重腳輕的站不住，一頭又倒在了炕上。
王彩鳳在外頭聽到婆婆起來的動靜兒，半會兒卻沒見門開，急的直拍門：“娘，你起來了嗎娘？”
夏菊花有氣無力的應了一句：“我再睡一會兒，你們先吃吧。”
劉志全見王彩鳳臉色不對，過來問：“娘想歇歇，你老喊啥？”
王彩鳳臉色變了：“我聽着娘聲音不對。”這些年都沒聽婆婆這麽沒精神過。
劉志全聽了跟着拍門：“娘，你哪兒不舒坦？”
我哪兒都不舒坦。夏菊花憋着一口氣，強撐着起來開了門，顧不上門口傻站着的兩人，回來又一頭紮到炕上。
這下不用問，都看出夏菊花是生病了。王彩鳳擡腳出門去打熱水，劉志全出門去找架子車，劉志雙找不上活兒去，急的亂蹦：“娘，你到底哪不舒坦，現在想不想吃點兒啥？”
你要是不在這亂蹦，我就舒坦了。夏菊花心裏明白，嘴裏懶得說話，閉着眼當自己沒劉志雙這麽添亂的兒子。正好王彩鳳端着一盆溫水進來，見夏菊花皺着眉頭，連忙向劉志雙說：“老二，你先消停會兒，我給娘擦擦臉兒，好帶娘上公社衛生院。”
劉志雙聽了總算閉上了嘴，看着王彩鳳給夏菊花擦臉，後知後覺的問：“嫂子，保國呢？”
對呀，劉保國呢？王彩鳳放下臉盆，有點茫然的向門口看了一下，有點兒進退兩難。劉志雙就說：“嫂子你去找保國吧，我來給娘擦。”
王彩鳳聽了又看一眼婆婆，見夏菊花也在點頭，放下毛巾去找劉保國，發現小家夥正站在院門口往街上瞅，王彩鳳捧着肚子快走兩步，一把拉住劉保國：“不是讓你自己呆在屋裏嗎，咋跑這兒來了？”
劉保國頭一直對着街上，小手還指着門口說：“爹走了。”
王彩鳳拉着他往正房走，連走邊說：“奶奶病了，爹去找車拉奶奶去看病。”
正說着，街上傳來了拖拉機的突突聲，很快薛技術員就跳下拖拉機，邊往院裏走邊問：“夏隊長咋病了，快點兒讓她上拖拉機。”
原來今天薛技術員又帶了一個做好的絞漿機過來，正碰着急着找架子車的劉志全，一問是夏菊花病了，連絞漿機都顧不得卸，就開着拖拉機來要帶夏菊花去看病。
劉志全這一找架子車可不得了，全平安莊的人都知道夏菊花累病了，很快劉家的院子裏就站滿了人，正好先幫着薛技術員直接把絞漿機和架子卸到劉家院子裏。
Everyone was talking at once and giving advice to the Liu family. Some told the Liu brothers to quickly get the mattress and put it on the tractor. Some people jumped into the tractor to clean it up. Some people told the Liu family to quickly get the quilt to cover Xia Juhua for a while...