Chapter 83 (1)
The director became happier as he listened, and immediately said, "Let's go to the Ping'anzhuang production team one day. We can't just give them a title and leave them alone, lest someone embarrasses their production team." He knew the people below him too well, and knew what they would do if they wanted to embarrass a small production team leader.
Uncle Qi smiled and said, "She is in my office right now. If the director wants to know the situation, I will call her over right now."
"No, I'll go to your office." The director stood up and walked out, saying as he walked, "Don't think it's you who decided to let Ping An Manor leak vermicelli, but if they don't work hard to cooperate, your decision alone won't save those sweet potatoes in the granary."
Then he shook his head and said, "If you had told me earlier, the sweet potatoes in the county grain station would have been wasted a lot less."
Uncle Qi opened his mouth and swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth - although the director was criticized by his superiors for only pulling the cart with his head down and not looking at the road, in reality he was mostly in charge of politics, and he didn't dare to take this risk with the food supply of the entire county.
Xia Juhua, who was waiting in Uncle Qi's office, was a little restless. Please don't blame her for being impatient. As a rural woman who was the most powerful official she had ever met in her two lives, Deputy Director Qi, she couldn't imagine who Uncle Qi was reporting to, and whether he could put the farmers' food first like Uncle Qi.
If people think that Ping An Zhuang only cares about production and not politics, not only will they not buy the remaining materials for digging wells, they may even force Ping An Zhuang to fill up the wells that have been dug.
That was a well that everyone dug day and night for four days before water came out. Whether the surrounding dozens of acres of land can have a harvest this year depends on it. If the leader really makes such a decision, Xia Juhua is ready to obey in public but disobey in private - anyway, the leader can't live in Ping'an Village forever, so she will take people to fill a few baskets of soil first, and then dig again after they leave!
Just as she was thinking hard, the office door was pushed open, and a leader she had never seen before stood at the door, looking at Xia Juhua with a smile. Xia Juhua was awakened from her thoughts when she heard the door open, and her eyes were unfocused when she looked at the leader, which was very similar to the reaction of an ordinary rural woman when she saw an unfamiliar person.
"It's Captain Xia, right? You have led the members of the Ping'an Village production team to develop agricultural production. Thank you for your hard work." The director took two steps forward and still stretched out his hand to Xia Juhua with a smile.
The expression on Xia Juhua's face became even more confused. She couldn't help but look at Uncle Qi who followed in. She didn't know how to deal with the hand stretched out in front of her.
Uncle Qi smiled and introduced the director of the county revolutionary committee to Xia Juhua. Xia Juhua shook hands with him briefly and stood there without saying a word or moving.
The director noticed her nervousness and kindly asked about the current production priorities of Ping'an Village and the growth of sweet potatoes. Finally, the topic came to the well dug in Ping'an Village.
Xia Juhua answered the director's questions very carefully. As for Uncle Yu Qi's statements that had already been beautified for Ping'an Village, Xia Juhua could almost think of how to respond to the second sentence as soon as the director mentioned it, so there was no problem.
Uncle Qi was worried that Xia Juhua's answer would be different from what he reported to the director. Unexpectedly, Xia Juhua's answer was more cautious than his own. She directly defined the original intention of Ping An Village's leaking vermicelli as the worry that her production team's sweet potatoes were not properly stored and food was wasted. The director praised her for her strong work initiative.
"So how many more wells do you think can be drilled in Ping'an Village, and how many more wells can be drilled in Xiajia Village?" the director finally asked Xia Juhua.
Xia Juhua counted the wells in Ping'an Village in her mind. When she was waiting for her uncle to arrive, she recalled the wells in Xiajia Village. She said confidently, "We have almost completed half of the canal in Ping'an Village. I think we can dig five more wells in the remaining land and one more well for the village to drink, and we will be able to handle it."
After saying the word "deal with", Xia Juhua looked at the director with some embarrassment. She was afraid that the leader would not like to hear such a word. Unexpectedly, the director just nodded to signal Xia Juhua to continue, so she continued:
"As for my mother's village, they are far away from the Xihe River and have not built a canal yet, so they have to dig at least seven wells in the field." She wanted to say ten, but when she recalled it just now, she could only remember the exact location of seven wells. Xia Juhua simply said the ones she was sure of.
The director looked at Uncle Qi who was also standing there seriously and said, "Deputy Director Qi, I think the members of the Ping'anzhuang production team took the initiative to fight the disaster and set a good example for all the production teams in the county. In order to commend them for this behavior, can you help them solve the problem of the funds for digging wells?"
Was it a blessing from heaven? Xia Juhua thought she was hallucinating, and finally looked up and looked at the director: "Solve our funding problem? No need for the director, just provide us with materials. Our production team members are strong, and we can give work points to the well diggers ourselves."
"Haha," the director laughed and said to Uncle Qi, "The peasants are too simple. Since they want to be self-reliant, then Deputy Director Qi, I will leave it to you to solve the material problem for the Ping'anzhuang Production Team and the Xiajiazhuang Production Team."
Uncle Qi nodded quickly: "Okay, Director. I think we can ask the Agriculture and Forestry Bureau to issue a notice and have them notify all communes, production brigades, and production teams. For those who want to dig wells and produce water to fight drought, the materials can be uniformly allocated by the County Agriculture and Forestry Bureau."
This suggestion would undoubtedly change the support for Pingan Village to an encouragement for all production teams in the county to dig wells, but it sounds like it would cost a lot of money. Xia Juhua thought the director would disagree, but unexpectedly he nodded:
"I think it's OK. The Bureau of Agriculture and Forestry's budget for this year should not have been used yet. It is indeed more convenient for them to allocate materials than to let each production team purchase them on their own. Besides, they take the money and give it to those people... it is better to let each production team dig wells."
The omitted words in the middle were obviously not what Xia Juhua should have heard. She pretended not to understand and asked Uncle Qi: "Director Qi, can our production team go to the Agriculture and Forestry Bureau to ask for materials today? Where is their bureau?"
The director was already walking towards the office door. When he heard Xia Juhua's question, he stopped and said to Director Qi, "Why don't you take Captain Xia to the Agriculture and Forestry Bureau so that she won't be unable to find the place to get the materials next time. By the way, Captain Xia, can you bring so many materials back to the production team by yourself?"
Xia Juhua quickly thanked the leader for his concern and said, "Technician Xue from our commune's agricultural machinery station is driving a tractor. He is only hauling materials from three wells, so there will be no problem." If there are any problems, they can also find Qi Weidong, and there is no need to let such a senior leader as the director know.
The director extended his hand to Xia Juhua again, and this time Xia Juhua shook it vigorously. She heard the director's earnest words to her: "Captain Xia, you have ideas and abilities, and you have managed the production of the Ping'anzhuang production team very well, but your vision cannot be limited to the Ping'anzhuang production team."
What does that mean? Xia Juhua didn't know when and how the director left. She stared at Uncle Qi blankly: I just didn't want to see the familiar people in Ping An Manor go hungry again, so I had to become the leader of the production team of Ping An Manor. I've been in this position for just over half a year and I'm almost exhausted. Why can't my horizons be limited to Ping An Manor? !
Uncle Qi sent the director to the door, and what he saw was Xia Juhua staring at him with a surprised expression, as if she had not yet digested what the director had just said. In fact, Uncle Qi himself had the same idea in his mind when he heard about what Xia Juhua had done with the Ping'an Village production team.
He just didn't say it because he thought that although he was the deputy director in charge of agriculture, it was not good for him to directly interfere in the work of a brigade, so he didn't say it. Now that the director said it himself, Uncle Qi was a little excited.
"Captain Xia, let's go to the Agriculture and Forestry Bureau first." Uncle Qi held back his smile and called out to Xia Juhua.
Could Xia Juhua ask Uncle Qi if the director's words were what she thought? Not to mention that she just wanted to quietly make some money with the people of Ping'an Manor, even if she wanted to "become an official", asking like this seemed too eager.
Just pretend that I didn't hear it. Xia Juhua encouraged herself in her heart, smiled at Uncle Qi with a guilty conscience, and followed him out of the County Revolutionary Committee. After leaving the door, she remembered to say, "Director Qi, Technician Xue is still waiting for me at Xiao Qi's place, and the tractor is also parked at the entrance of Xiao Qi's alley."
Uncle Qi understood, and as he and Xia Juhua walked toward Qi Weidong's house, he said, "Weidong is a bit unreliable. After meeting Captain Xia, he did some bad things."
Parents always feel that their children are not good enough, but they can say things they dislike, which others cannot. Xia Juhua knew this very well, so she did not respond to her uncle's words.
As soon as they reached the entrance of the alley, they saw Li Lin standing there looking at them. He probably didn't expect Uncle Qi to come with Xia Juhua. After seeing the two of them clearly, he turned around and ran into the alley.
"Stop right there." Uncle Qi shouted at Li Lin. His voice was so stern. It was the first time Xia Juhua heard him speak to someone like that.
Li Lin stopped immediately, turned around and smiled at Uncle Xiang Qi in a flattering manner: "Brother-in-law."
What's going on? Li Lin, who followed Qi Weidong to the black market, called Uncle Qi his brother-in-law? Xia Juhua was really frightened today, otherwise she would ask Uncle Qi if the people in your family had contracted the black market.
Fortunately, Xia Juhua was still rational and did not ask. When she arrived at Qi Weidong's house, she listened to Uncle Qi scolding his nephew and brother-in-law, then she took Technician Xue and Uncle Qi and got on the tractor.
"Why don't you two come with us to move the things? Do you want me and Captain Xia to do it?" Uncle Qi yelled at Qi Weidong and Li Lin, who were obviously relieved, and yelled them both into the tractor. Then he angrily gave directions to Technician Xue.
齊衛東湊到夏菊花耳邊小聲問:“嬸子,我小叔咋跟你一起來了,帶你去農林局幹啥?”
聽說齊小叔要帶夏菊花上農林局要打井的材料,齊衛東馬上換成了一臉幸災樂禍的表情:“該,農林局姓王的天天就知道巴結革委會那幾個造/反/派,老給紅小隊的人出補貼讓他們敢不把主任的話當回事。這回他手裏沒錢了,我看那些人還巴結他不。”
得了,剛才主任在齊小叔辦公室說到一半的話,齊衛東全都給說全了,夏菊花很沒有心理負擔的問:“那他能痛快的給我們東西嗎?”
“主任副主任都發話了,他憑什麽不給?那幾個造/反/派現在都不太敢翹尾巴了,他一條狗還敢呲牙?!”
的确不敢呲牙。看着拖拉機鬥裏滿滿當當的材料,夏菊花心裏給出這樣的評價。不過她還是禮貌的向王局長告別,并請人家有時間去平安莊檢查材料的使用情況。
齊小叔得到提醒,繼續威嚴的向王局長布置任務:“夏隊長這話倒提醒了我,你們要成立一個專門的檢查組,對那些領過材料的生産隊進行檢查,如果沒打出水井來,材料要交回。不能交回材料的,要折合成錢收回來。”
這樣做就可以防止有人冒領材料,更能促進各生産隊盡量找準打井的位置,防止看到材料不要錢,就不管不顧的四處挖窟窿,即浪費材料還破壞土地。
王局長聽懂了齊小叔的話,帶着笑點着頭跟夏菊花告別,并讓夏菊花明天或是後天把打頭一口井用的材料花了多少錢,拿着憑據來農林局報銷。
這可把夏菊花給難為住了:“王局長,你知道我們農民買東西,都沒有要憑據的習慣,買了就是買了,沒買就是沒買。”
王局長做出為難的樣子看向齊小叔:“齊副主任,你看這事兒,要是沒有憑據的話,我們局裏也不好處理。”
齊小叔想了想說:“今天夏隊長領的材料,是三口井的,你平均一下不就能算出每口井用多少材料嗎?他們生産隊的井都已經出水了,總做不了假。”
是做不了假,可他不就是想難為這個農村婦女一下嗎?王局長臉上的笑快維持不下去了,看的齊衛東把頭扭到了一邊。
最後在齊小叔的關心下,王局長都沒能讓夏菊花第二天再跑一次縣城,就不得不把頭一口進的材料錢算給了她。
直到拖拉機出了縣城,夏菊花還覺得自己跟做夢似的,問薛技術員:“這些材料我真沒花錢是吧?”
薛技術員雖然也覺得自己長了見識,不過比夏菊花接受的好多了:“不光今天的材料你沒花錢,以後再打井都不用自己再到處求人買材料了。”
早等着幫夏菊花卸材料的平安莊社員,見拖拉機來了,都迎了上來。陳秋生笑着問:“隊長,今天回來的比上回早了不少,看來買材料挺順利的。”
夏菊花從拖拉機上下來,沖陳秋生點了點頭,就向等在一邊的三隊隊長招手讓他過來。三隊隊長知道裏頭有自己生産隊的材料,卻要讓平安莊先卸,自己帶着人繼續等。
見夏菊花招呼自己,上來沖着夏菊花先道辛苦,至于花了多少錢連問都沒問。夏菊花卻從兜裏掏出昨天收的二百塊錢給他:“今天的材料是縣農林局發的,一分錢沒用。”
三隊隊長也驚着了,這個夏小夥的本事也太大了吧,咋就能從農林局白拉了這麽些材料回來?
陳秋生聽了同樣不信,可夏菊花掏出來的那把大團結造不了假,她也不是自掏腰包替三隊買材料的人。
“算了,咱們兩一起去大隊吧。”夏菊花想想這事兒還是得跟李長順說一聲——越早知道消息,就能早領材料,免得到時各公社、大隊都去領材料的話,農林局一下子拿不出那麽些材料來。
三隊隊長現在都快達到了夏菊花說啥他就信啥的地步。他告訴自己生産隊的社員,一定要等平安莊的材料卸完之後,再領三隊的材料,領到後馬上挑回生産隊,跟着夏菊花樂颠颠的一起來到大隊。
都知道夏菊花不是說大話的人,也知道平安莊和三隊打井的材料已經拉回來了,李長順和剩下三個生産隊的隊長,還是不敢相信的問:“縣農林局給咱們出材料打井?”
他們咋知道大家要打井的,夏小夥又是咋認識農林局的人,還讓人家白給生産隊材料的?多少年了,都是農民交公糧出勞工,最多在吃不上飯的時候得到些救濟糧,啥時候也沒白得過材料呀。
夏菊花不得不向大家解釋:“人家縣農林局不光是給咱們平安莊大隊出材料,是給所有想打井的生産隊都出材料。不過人家說了,要是打不出水來那材料得退回去,或是折合成錢還給人家。”
李大牛快嫉妒死三隊隊長了:“好你個老牛,你咋就想起來跟夏隊長一起買材料的,人家還得給你從縣裏拉回來,可讓你占大便宜了。”
三隊隊長不能不得意:“以後誰的話我都不信,就信夏隊長的。你看跟着平安莊一起漏粉兒,咱們賺着錢了吧。把葦杆賣給平安莊,咱們也賺着錢了吧。昨天我想着既然平安莊敢打井,那我們生産隊也不能比平安莊差得太多,不能落到夏隊長後頭太遠,今天這不就……”
另外三個生産隊長:好想打死這個人。
李長順倒沒因三隊隊長說以後只聽夏菊花的有啥意見,笑着對那三個生産隊長說:“看吧,我說你們裏頭牛隊長看事兒最明白,你們還不願意聽。得了,都回去合計一下自己生産隊需要打幾口井,再算算需要多少材料。要是自己算不明白,就去問問陳秋生,那小子帳記得清楚着呢。”
本想跟着別的生産隊長一起走的夏菊花,又被李長順留了下來,心裏可是直突突:這老頭兒每次單獨留下她,淨好給她出難題,現在夏菊花恨不得不跟李長順碰面才好呢。
“得啦,好象我啥時候難為過你似的。”李長順見夏菊花一臉警惕的看着自己,好笑的讓她坐下,問:“縣裏真說打不出水來,那材料還得退回去?”
夏菊花覺得這個可以回答:“嗯,我聽齊主任和王局長是這麽說的。我也覺得這麽辦合适,要不各個生産隊沒事兒就在地裏掏窟窿,得需要多少材料。”
“那你們生産隊還準備再打幾眼井?”
“我想着等這兩口井打完後,要是還不下雨就接着再打四口,能下雨的話就少打兩口。”夏菊花把自己的計劃說了出來。
李長順敲着桌子又問:“那你知道該在哪兒打井了嗎?”
夏菊花點頭:“我跟薛技術員和林技術員商量過了,定了幾個地方。不過得看這兩口井能不能出水。”
李長順覺得夏菊花還是穩妥的:“你這樣想挺好。不過你也看到那幾個隊長了,他們沒你心細,也沒你主意多。我又眼看着幹不動了,以後他們幾個生産隊,你也得多帶一帶。”
你們一個個的都想啥呢?夏菊花很想問問李長順,是不是跟縣革委會主任悄悄見過面了,咋一個個都說這樣的話。
她對着李長順搖頭:“大隊長,咱們大隊誰能比你更有威望,那幾個生産隊長也都聽你的,你可不能說自己幹不動了。就你這身子骨,我覺得幹個十年八年的沒有問題。”
李長順被她逗樂了:“我也就比五爺小了六七歲,他現在天天在家裏等着人伺候,你還想讓我幹個十年八年的,想累死我?”
可不是,李長順看起來硬朗,卻已經是六十幾歲的人了。按着現在人的壽命說,他已經邁入老年人的行列了。但他平時精神頭太足,往往讓人忽略了他的年齡,還在為平安莊大隊所有人操着心。
這一點不得不讓夏菊花感動,臉上帶了些出來:“大隊長,你可別說這話,我說你能再幹十年,你就能再幹十年。”
“唉,我也想再幹十年,可我的思想跟不上了,好些事兒我覺得不對的,可你都做成了,大家也跟着過好日子。”李長順的神情有些黯然:“大壯家的,你別覺得我有時候偏向着那幾個生産隊。”
“在我看來,整個平安莊大隊的人,都跟我自己孩子一樣,哪個過不好我心裏都覺得不落忍,想着過的好的能幫襯一把就幫襯一把。”
“這幾回你不願意幫着別的生産隊,我過後也想了想,不是你不講人情,是我想差了。你們生産隊的人也不是從一開始就這麽齊心協力,也不是從一開始就啥都聽你的。你自己憑本事得到社員的認可,要是不護着平安莊生産隊的人,光幫着別的生産隊,他們憑啥還聽你的。”
“所以我就想着,你有這個本事兒,那就給你更大的地方讓你把本事都使出來,讓全平安莊大隊的人都跟着你沾沾光。”
夏菊花臉都要綠了:“大隊長,我沒那個本事。”
“你有。”李長順很肯定的說:“沒見三隊隊長,現在你們平安莊做啥他都學着做,比我讓他幹啥還積極。就連李大牛他們仨,也就是抹不開面子,你等着吧,到時候不用我說他們也會求到你跟前,讓你替他們找在哪兒打井。”
夏菊花邁着踩進棉花包上的步子離開了大隊部,走了快有半裏地才想起來自己的自行車忘在大隊部了,又走回去取。取回來之後她并沒有騎,而是推着車子慢慢往平安莊走。
上輩子她來大隊部的次數不多,總是用路過地裏的機井做自己走了多少路,做為自己還離大隊部有多遠的參照,所以心裏對路過地方哪個地方打井能出水,還是有點兒數的。
但是夏菊花不想說,她怕自己說出來後,李長順更不放棄讓自己帶那幾個生産隊的念頭。她就是一個農村婦女,重活一輩子想不再被人議論,不再被人說是極品,然後好好攢點養老錢,以後誰也不靠的過自己的清靜日子。
陰差陽錯接了平安莊生産隊隊長,夏菊花不得不把吃奶的勁使出來,免得上輩子的悲劇重演。現在看初見成效,她都準備在大包幹之後就功成身退了,李長順說讓她帶帶那幾個生産隊的隊長?
她帶得動嗎?夏菊花連那幾個生産隊的人都認不全,憑啥能讓人家跟平安莊的社員一樣,對自己的主意全都贊同?自己出的主意沒人理,夏菊花有再大的能耐也使不出來。
何況夏菊花一向不認為自己是個有能耐的人,只不過上輩子的經歷,讓她比周圍的人多了點兒見識而已。她可不認為只憑多的這點兒見識,就讓整個平安莊大隊的人都跟着過好日子。
五爺聽夏菊花向自己倒苦水,眼神倒挺亮:“你要是去大隊部了,咱們生産隊的社員招個工參個軍啥的,是不是能多點兒把握?”
夏菊花控訴似的看着五爺,沒想到老頭兒為了幾個招工參軍的名額,就想把自己給賣了:“五爺,縣裏都多少年沒從農村招工了,還有參軍的名額,一個大隊一年才六七個,好幾千口子人盯着呢。”
“也是。”五爺有些遺憾的敲了敲煙袋鍋子:“還是把那兩口井的地方定下來實在。你真有把握在那兩個地方打出水來?那離三隊的地可不遠。”
正因為離三隊的地不遠,所以離湙河才遠,水渠又沒修到,更需要用井水澆莊稼。
見夏菊花點頭,五爺便沒別的話,由着夏菊花帶陳秋生把挖井的人選好了,只等第二天上工時候開始挖平安莊的第二口井。
剛安排好,親家母就找來了:“親家,你娘家兄弟來了,還帶着一個人說是他們大隊的大隊長。”
夏家莊跟平安莊不是一個大隊,聽說娘家所在大隊的大隊長來了,夏菊花得想想才想起來,這個時候夏家莊生産隊還歸夏窪大隊管,大隊長叫夏洪民。
“那隊長你快回去吧,我給大家分一分誰挖哪塊地的井就行。”陳秋生見夏菊花沒動,忙勸她回家招待客人。
一進院,因為前幾天挖井今天得以休息的劉志全兄弟,正坐在板凳上陪着夏龍和一個有點兒眼熟的人說話,見夏菊花回來,幾個人都站了起來跟夏菊花打招呼。
夏菊花自然先跟夏洪民說話:“大隊長你咋來啦,有事兒讓夏龍來跟我說一聲就行。”說完又瞪了夏龍一眼,把夏龍瞪的莫明其妙。
大隊長非得讓他跟着來找大姐,難道他能不跟着來?
夏洪民在殷勤的讓坐聲中坐下後,才對夏菊花說明了自己的來意:後半晌他接到公社的通知,讓他來和夏菊花商量咋給夏家莊打井的事兒。
這麽快就通知到了夏窪大隊,夏菊花還真沒想到,連夏龍都挺詫異的問:“姐,你還會打井?”
“我哪兒會打井。”夏菊花堅決拒絕這樣的名譽:“我就是平時比較注意哪塊地的長勢好,哪塊地的長勢不好,不管雨水多的時候還是雨水少的年頭都注意。所以我們平安莊的頭一口井才出了水。”
“那你是不是還記得咱們生産隊哪塊地天旱的時候莊稼有收成?”夏龍興奮的問了一聲,有與榮焉的向夏洪民說:“我姐從小就心細,我們哥倆誰也比不過我姐。”
如果不是夏洪民就在邊上看着,夏菊花能給夏龍一下子,現在卻只能尴尬的向夏洪民笑着說:“夏大隊長別聽我弟弟瞎吹,我也就記得夏家莊那點兒事。”
所以為啥不是夏家莊生産隊長來,而是夏窪大隊大隊長來找自己呀。
夏洪民臉上明顯有些遺憾:“跟夏家莊相鄰的兩個生産隊的情況,你也想不起來了嗎?”
夏菊花是真無奈了:“夏大隊長,我二十歲的時候就嫁到平安莊來了。”所以除了夏家莊的事兒,別的生産隊情況她真心不知道。
“能記着夏家莊的事兒也挺好。”夏洪民聽出夏菊花的抗拒,想起自己接通知時得到的囑咐,不再追着別的生産隊的問題不放,而是問夏菊花:“那你明天能帶着夏家莊生産隊的人去拉材料嗎?”
“拉材料還用我跟着嗎?”夏菊花覺得這個要求有點兒扯:“今天齊副主任已經交待給農林局的王局長了,不管哪個生産隊去拉材料,都能直接配發。”
夏洪民沒有夏菊花樂觀:“你知道咱們老農民,一進了縣城就找不到東南西北,還得跟那麽大的領導打交道,我怕到時候他們連自己要用啥材料都說不清楚。”
夏龍也眼巴巴的看着夏菊花,跟小時候一樣叫了一聲:“姐——”
你都多大的人了,還這麽叫人,不怕別人起雞皮疙瘩嗎?夏菊花不客氣的瞪了夏龍一眼,為難的對夏洪民說:“大隊長,你知道我們生産隊今天才把材料拉回來,明天準備打第二口井……”
“知道,方圓十裏八村的誰不知道夏隊長你能幹。”夏洪民毫不猶豫的給夏菊花戴高帽子:“你這麽能幹,生産隊的事兒啥時候都能安排的明明白白,不差這一天半天的工夫是吧?”
如此明晃晃賴上夏菊花的架勢,把劉志全兄弟兩個給看呆了,不知道該咋給親娘解圍。夏菊花想到自己無論如何都得回夏家莊一趟,幹脆早去吧,省得今天夏洪民得不到滿意的答複,回頭再給夏龍兩兄弟小鞋穿。
夏洪民:我不是,我沒有。
第二天夏菊花不光帶着夏家莊生産隊長一起去農林局拉了材料,還帶回了夏家莊給她的謝禮:七只毛絨絨的小雞。
親家母看着這七只黃毛球,樂的合不攏嘴:“我看你們家今年沒抓雞,還想着等我家老母雞抱窩了給你捎幾只,這下子我可省下了。”
夏菊花也笑:“他們非得讓我拿着,不拿就不放我回平安莊。正好現在養着,等長大下蛋了我樂樂就有蛋羹吃了。”
你家孫子現在也沒缺了蛋羹吃。親家母心裏念叨一句,臉上還是笑呵呵,誰讓吃蛋羹的是她親外孫,現在她還有事兒要求夏菊花。
“那個,親家呀,我們生産隊長今天來找你,你沒在家,就托我給你帶個話。”親家母意意思思的開口了。
夏菊花現在怕聽的就是帶話,可說話的是親家母,她還得聽下去:“我們生産隊長想問問你啥時候有時間,能不能去我們生産隊幫着看看,在哪兒打井合适。”
明知道親家母說的就是這事兒,夏菊花早有了應對:“親家母,你說要不是家裏忙不過來,我也不能麻煩你伺候彩鳳的月子不是。按理說你們生産隊長都找到家裏來了,我應該去你們生産隊一趟,可現在家裏外頭全是事兒,我就怕耽誤了你們生産隊打井的大事兒。”
親家母臉上有些讪讪的說:“我當時就跟我們生産隊長說了,你天天忙的腳不沾地,恐怕沒時間過去,可他偏不信,非得讓我帶這個話……”
說話間聽到了樂樂的哭聲,親家母正好借機進屋看外孫女為啥哭了。王彩鳳見親娘進來,婆婆沒跟在後頭,等了一會兒還沒動靜才說:“娘,我不是不讓你跟我婆婆說隊長來的事兒嘛,你咋還說呢。”
“我這不是想着大家都是親戚裏道的,能去夏家莊咋就不能去咱們生産隊?要是咱們生産隊打出井來,地裏的收成保住了,也省的你跟着挂心我們不是。”
Wang Caifeng shook her head and said, "Mom, you always advised me before, but why are you so confused this time? My mother-in-law used to know how to concentrate on her work, and she doesn't know how to look for a place to dig a well. She has already said how she knows where to dig a well in Ping'an Village, but she has never seen what the crops in our production team look like. How can she point out a place when you ask her to do so?"
"It's fine if water comes out of the place we point to. But if water doesn't come out, the materials have been used up and the production team has to pay for it. How can they not blame my mother-in-law? If my mother-in-law is blamed, doesn't she think that our family is causing trouble?"
The mother-in-law understood all of a sudden and said with some fear: "Thanks to your mother-in-law for her good ideas. If someone with a soft face had agreed to me, your life would have been difficult in the future."
Wang Caifeng was relieved after hearing what her mother said. She whispered to her, "Think about it, mother. My mother-in-law is quite caring towards her relatives. If she hadn't asked me to go home and tell you to sell less surplus grain last year, would we have to eat thin rice soup now? My family and my mother-in-law's family are relatives, but what do other people in the production team have to do with my mother-in-law?"
It was a bit cold, but I had to admit that it was a good way to avoid trouble. So until Wang Caifeng's full month, Xia Juhua held a wedding for Lele, and her mother-in-law was going home, she didn't mention her production team leader again and came to Ping'an Village to look for her.
Xia Juhua thanked her mother-in-law for her help this month. Before she left, she gave her mother-in-law five pounds of peanut oil (she exchanged the raw peanuts she earned from frying peanuts with Qi Weidong) and a piece of cloth that could be used to make a jacket: "You know I don't have time to make clothes for you, so go home and make them yourself."
Looking at the return gift which was more than what she had brought for her daughter to increase her milk production, the mother-in-law didn't know what to say. She kept sighing that her daughter had married into a lucky family, and asked her to be filial to her mother-in-law, otherwise she, her own mother, would not let Wang Caifeng go.
After the confinement, Wang Caifeng deserved the title of "fat and white". When she smiled, she showed two dimples that were not noticeable before. "Mom, don't worry. I have to listen to my mom no matter who else I listen to."
The angry mother lamented that she had raised a concubine for nothing: "Mother-in-law, I gave birth to this girl in vain. Since you don't have a concubine, I'll give her to you."
Seeing that her mother-in-law had no grudges, Xia Juhua also joked with her, "Not only is your daughter-in-law given to me, but your granddaughter is also mine."
After seeing her mother-in-law off, Xia Juhua had to help with household chores, and she was extremely busy both at home and outside. Ever since that day when Li Changshun asked Xia Juhua to bring a few more production team leaders, no matter which production team he went to, he would go to Ping'anzhuang to ask Xia Juhua to go with him. If he couldn't come, he would ask Liu Liqun to call for help.
What could Xia Juhua do? She could only arrange the production team's work every day when she went to work, then go to the well digging site to see the progress, and then go to the fields to see the growth of sweet potatoes. She also had to go to the fields where other crops were planted. If there was a shortage of water, she had to ask Chen Qiu Sheng to arrange people to water the fields.
Often, before Xia Juhua had finished all her work, it was time for the brigade to come to Ping'an Village to look for someone.
The other three production teams were sure of where to get water out, and Xia Juhua had already pointed them out to them in order to reduce trouble. Team three was the first to get water out, and became the production team that trusted Xia Juhua the most.
Every time Lee