Chapter 93
The place for building the vermicelli house was specially chosen, not far from the road at the east entrance of the village, so it would be convenient for shipping vermicelli or sweet potatoes to Ping'an Village in the future. The land division brigade was quite supportive this time, and Ping'an Village directly enclosed an area of three mu. Xia Juhua did not hesitate to use the baked bricks to build the frames of the three rows of houses:
Six pulping machines can be placed in a row of houses, so that people who are making pulp inside no longer have to put their hands in their sleeves to keep warm because they are exposed to the wind.
The next row of houses was divided into eight rooms, separated by fire walls. The stove was outside the house, so when the starch needed to be dried, a fire was lit outside so that there would be no smoke in the house.
The last row of houses was divided into two. A cellar was dug in one room. In addition to the ground, the cellar could also be used to store sweet potatoes. Six stoves were built on the other side. Each stove could hold a twelve-person pot for making rice noodles.
Xia Juhua has thought it through. If there are not many sweet potatoes, she can put them in a cellar and put some poles on top. After the powder is drained out there, she can hang it here to drain. The whole process of draining the powder can be completed in this yard.
This is a pure handmade vermicelli factory. Xia Juhua thought happily as she watched the people working diligently on the wall.
"Captain Xia, what are you thinking about that makes you so happy?" someone asked Xia Juhua jokingly.
Xia Juhua turned around and saw that it was Technician Xue who had not been to Ping'an Village since the autumn harvest. "Why are you here? I just watched them working and didn't hear the tractor."
Technician Xue smiled and said, "I came here on a bicycle today, not a tractor."
Xia Juhua didn't care. The autumn harvest in Ping'an Village was over, so there was really no need for a tractor. Seeing that she didn't ask, Technician Xue took the initiative to say, "I came here today to say goodbye to Captain Xia."
Say goodbye to yourself in a proper way? Xia Juhua felt that she didn't quite understand: "You're going home for the New Year, why don't you go early now?"
Technician Xue's eyes were full of smiles, and his tone was also genuinely happy, but he deliberately lowered his voice: "My father has been released, and our whole family can return to the capital."
A few key words lingered in Xia Juhua's mind for a while before she understood the meaning. She couldn't help but feel happy for Technician Xue: "That's really good. Your parents have been in good health these years. Have they not suffered any crime?"
The crime was certainly worse, but compared to the upcoming reunion, what was it? Technician Xue nodded: "Not bad, they returned to Beijing last month, and my transfer order came a few days ago. This is the address of my new unit." He handed a piece of paper with the address to Xia Juhua.
Xia Juhua took it and looked at it. It said: China Machinery Research Institute, and a string of numbers.
Seeing that she was staring at the paper, Technician Xue felt a little annoyed that he had forgotten that she could not read. Just when he wanted to tell Xia Juhua directly, she pointed at the string of numbers and asked, "Is this a phone? Is it yours or your new company's?"
Technician Xue became even more annoyed. He asked for a piece of paper, took out the pen from his jacket pocket, and wrote down another string of numbers, carefully marking at the back which one was for home and which one was for the company.
Xia Juhua took it and put it away solemnly, then asked, "You're leaving. Is Technician Lin leaving too?" Technician Lin was not sent back to the Agricultural Technology Station until all the grain in Ping'an Village was stored in the warehouse. He has not shown up for several days.
Technician Xue shook his head and said, "Technician Lin's family is from the area, so he probably won't leave for the time being."
Seeing Xia Juhua's relieved look, Technician Xue was a little amused: "Captain Xia, thank you for taking care of me in Pingan Village this year. If you come to Beijing or have anything you need to do, you can write to me or call me."
Xia Juhua shook her head: "What are you talking about? Haven't you contributed enough to Ping'an Manor this year? You don't take any work points from Ping'an Manor, but you work day and night. It looks like the rice noodle will leak again, but you're leaving, and you haven't even had the first batch of sweet potato rice noodle this year."
This really piqued Technician Xue's interest: "Auntie, please make me some sweet potato noodles again."
"Of course I have to make sweet potato flour for you. Not only that, I also have to make dumplings for you. Dumplings when you get on the bus and noodles when you get off. How can you not eat dumplings?" Xia Juhua said with certainty.
After sending Technician Xue off with a meal of dumplings, Xia Juhua realized deeply that the spring breeze was getting closer and closer to her, and it was time to consider the future path.
But even though she roasted 2,000 kilograms of peanuts for the noodle factory, she was still several dozen kilograms short of 1,000 kilograms. It might be a lot in the eyes of others, but not much in Xia Juhua's eyes.
When the spring breeze blows, it will be enough to use it to start a small business, but it is still a long way to go if you want to earn money for your retirement without such hard work.
That's right, Xia Juhua's ultimate goal is to build the agricultural and trade market that Qi Weidong will build in the county town in the future. Her ideal is to buy a few stalls, rent out a few and use one for herself. Even if the stall she runs does not make much money, the rent from the other stalls will be enough for her to support herself in her old age.
There's nothing I can do. Most of what I've seen in my previous life came from what I saw on TV, where there were many people renting out their houses to make money.
Xia Juhua had heard people say in her previous life that at first no one wanted to buy the stall in the farmers' market, and it could be bought for only three or four hundred yuan. But when people realized they could make money and wanted to buy it, the price rose to one or two thousand or even more.
It would have been great if she had partnered with Qi Weidong to build the farmers' market from the beginning. Xia Juhua knew that her idea was unrealistic, but she still wanted to dream: she would keep all the stalls and sell some of them when the price went up.
In the end, Xia Juhua did not give up the idea of keeping a few stalls for herself, because she felt that she was not a businessman and the only thing she could count on in the end was the rent.
If Qi Weidong knew that Xia Juhua had this idea, he would be the first to disagree: She is not a businessman, but she can squeeze so many benefits for the people of Ping'an Village from her own hands, even if it means that the grain station leaks flour, she is ruthless when it comes to collecting processing fees. And she also makes his uncle think that Xia Juhua has made a great contribution to the farmers in the entire county?
Now it was time for Qi Weidong to meet Xia Juhua again. Qi Weidong still had his eyes on the sweet potato vermicelli from Ping'an Village. "Auntie, you planted a lot of sweet potatoes this year, and the members can't just eat vermicelli all day long. You might as well give the extra to me and exchange it for cash."
Xia Juhua shook her head and said, "We still haven't received any news on whether or not we will pay the public grain. We don't even dare to touch the sweet potatoes."
When Qi Wei entered the village, he heard the sound of the pulping machine crushing sweet potatoes. Xia Juhua actually told him that he dared not touch the sweet potatoes. She must be teasing him: "Auntie, we won't do that. I heard in the county that the relief grain from above has been brought in today. Do you still need to pay the public grain?"
All the relief rations have been brought in? This was the first time Xia Juhua had heard of this. She quickly pulled Qi Weidong aside and asked, "How much has been brought in? Has the county said how to distribute it?"
Qi Weidong and his subordinates only knew a little bit when they saw the relief trucks, so how could they know how to distribute it? However, he still said, "Auntie, I think no matter how much relief food comes, it has nothing to do with you Ping'an Village."
"We don't expect to get much relief rations, as long as our public rations are not taken away." This is what Xia Juhua is thinking now, but unfortunately no one has given her a definite answer.
For this reason, Li Changshun went to the commune several times by ox cart, but he did not get accurate information from Director Zhang. He only said that each production team should set aside a portion of the public grain. No one could tell how much this portion would be, whether it would be the same as before or only a percentage.
Now Qi Weidong, who came from the county town, still did not have a definite answer. Xia Juhua could not help but sigh: "I don't know what the leaders are thinking. Why don't they let people feel the truth?"
Qi Weidong also wanted to get to the bottom of the matter: "Auntie, just tell me how much you can give me for the first batch of vermicelli and when I can pick it up. I will still pay you 60 cents per pound as last year."
Xia Juhua looked at Qi Weidong with a look that said, "Do you think I'm stupid?" "What was the price of sweet potatoes last year? Can the price of sweet potatoes still be the same in this season?"
So the more he emphasized that he was not good at doing business, the harder it would be to talk business with him. This was how Qi Weidong felt now: "Then my dear, how much do you want per pound?" He was so angry that he didn't even mention changing the word.
"Seventy-five cents." Xia Juhua felt that she was not asking for too much - the entire Chengping area was hit by disasters this year, and the sweet potato production was small. Even fewer people were willing to spend money on vermicelli, so vermicelli was a rare item now.
Can rare things be cheap?
Qi Weidong came to ask for vermicelli so early this year. His idea was similar to Xia Juhua's. He calculated his cost in his mind and said through gritted teeth, "Okay, 75 cents is 75 cents. Auntie, let's make a deal. This price can't be changed from now on."
Even though there are fewer sweet potatoes this year, Ping An Village still made a lot of money at the price of 75 cents per pound, so Xia Juhua said decisively: "We have dealt with each other many times, and it will definitely not change."
Qi Weidong then smiled with satisfaction, put away his businessman's attitude, and started chatting with Xia Juhua. When he learned that the supply and marketing cooperative had been collecting the small baskets and other things in Ping'an Village, he became curious and had to go to the yard to see them.
Xia Juhua had no choice but to let Liu Baoguo take Qi Weidong to the yard. Liu Baoguo was very satisfied with the task. He took Qi Weidong's hand and said seriously, "Uncle, let's go. Don't let go of my hand. If you get lost, you won't be able to see grandma."
Qi Weidong happily held Liu Baoguo's hand and walked out of the courtyard one after the other. Wang Caifeng was a little worried: "Mom, can Baoguo make it?"
"What's wrong with that? Didn't he come to the yard to look for me that day?" Xia Juhua recalled the scene when she saw Liu Baoguo at the gate of the yard that day, and she felt a little scared: "It's a good thing that he didn't run out of the village, otherwise I would have found him."
王彩鳳就十分內疚：“都怨我，要是我看緊點兒，他自己就跑不出去了。”
夏菊花覺得這事兒還真不賴王彩鳳：“他都三歲半了，想跑你還能老跟着？你還得帶着樂樂，那個現在會爬了，才真離不開人呢。”
說着有些感嘆的說：“要是咱們生産隊，跟城裏似的有個幼兒園就好了，上工的時候把孩子都放在幼兒園，大人下工了一接，多省事兒。”
王彩鳳不知道幼兒園是啥東西，以為是婆婆從城裏聽來的新名詞，可聽着幼兒園是幹啥的，覺得平安莊有一個确實不賴。
“要是生産隊給記工分，我都願意在家裏替人看孩子，保證把孩子們都看的幹幹淨淨的。”那樣不光看別人家的孩子，自己家的兩個都能看上。
“要是幼兒園的話，也不能光看孩子，咋也得教孩子們背背詩、數數啥的。你行嗎？”夏菊花想到今年有好幾個年輕小媳婦生了孩子，都沒到場院裏接着編席，心裏動了一下。
王彩鳳還真被問住了：“教數數還行，背詩，詩是啥玩意呀娘？”
看吧，就知道是這樣。夏菊花無奈的看了王彩鳳一眼：“等哪天樂樂睡的早，你去聽聽力柱講課就知道了。”所以讓你們都認點字吧，要不生産隊連個幼兒園都辦不起來。
正想着辦不成幼兒園呢，李長順進院了。夏菊花和王彩鳳連忙讓他快坐，給他倒了水，還特意放了一勺子白糖，夏菊花才問：“大隊長，又來看我們生産隊的漏粉房？”
李長順這些天每天都要來一趟平安莊，就為看看他們的漏粉房建得咋樣了，聽夏菊花這麽問也不惱：“那還不得看看，你們要是建好了，他們幾個生産隊又有東西可學了。”
夏菊花趕緊聲明：“燒磚的事兒哪個生産隊想燒，哪個生産隊去找我三叔，我可沒那麽大的面子讓他一冬天不得消停。”
對于夏菊花如此警惕，李長順還真是一點兒辦法也沒有：“知道了知道了，今天來還有點兒事兒想跟你商量一下。”
夏菊花一面讓他喝口水，一面等着下文。李長順嘗出碗裏的是糖水，張嘴想說什麽沒說出口，又喝一口水後才把碗放下說：“我前兩天去公社，跟張主任提起咱們大隊一直沒老師的事兒，他說給咱們想想辦法。我覺得力柱這一年教的不錯，要不也讓他去大隊小學得了。”
對劉力柱的教學水平，從平安莊的幾個小姑娘身上就能看出來，以前連個字都不認識，現在哪個都能認個七八百字。這還只是晚上聽課的結果。
夏菊花沒糾正李長順的錯誤觀念，那就是劉力柱晚上給大人們上課，和白天給孩子們上課教的東西不一樣，大人只注重多認字，孩子們可不光有認字，還有數學呢，有時候還教孩子們唱歌。
其實一年來劉力柱教孩子們的，都是二年級以前的東西，也就別比的小學快那麽一點兒。不過夏菊花很贊成劉力柱去小學，她記得八十年代初有一批民辦老師轉正的指标，萬一劉力柱能趕上的話，能一直留在小學教書，對他們家和對平安莊的孩子們都是好事。
再說現在劉力柱教書的那個院子，等劉力柱和孩子們白天都去了大隊小學，就是現成的幼兒園場地，晚上還不耽誤他教大人認字，多好。
“要是力柱去了大隊小學，工分還得你們生産隊給計，一天還是十個工分，社員們不能有啥意見吧？”李長順不放心的問了一句。
夏菊花連忙搖頭：“那能有啥意見，誰家将來還沒兩個孩子上學。”
李長順就樂了：“沒意見就行。公社還能一個月給兩塊錢的補貼，好歹能貼補一下他們家。”
“不用公社貼補也行。”夏菊花很大方的說：“現在力柱媳婦天天跟着編東西，他自己一天還有十個工分，今年分紅的時候，已經把前幾年欠的工分還了有一半了。”
“那你們生産隊的欠帳戶就只剩下五戶了。”李長順為啥願意來平安莊，就為了來了之後，聽到的全是好消息，去別的生産隊不是找他告狀就是向他訴苦的，這樣的人平安莊一個也沒有。
所以李長順覺得那四個生産隊的人都是閑的，平安莊的人是忙的沒心思訴苦告狀。
“得等到明年，趙鐵蛋家和劉力柱家才算完全不是欠帳戶。還有趙華山家，今年雖然沒有他們兩家還的工分多，可也還了點兒。”夏菊花盡量讓自己的語氣聽起來平淡一點兒，免得李長順覺得平安莊的日子太好過。
就這也足以讓李長順吸一口涼氣了，最後自己換了個話題：“我記得你們生産隊今年是養了九頭豬吧，都長得咋樣？”
夏菊花說的就有點兒嗑巴：“當初去農技站抓豬的時候，他們說有一頭小豬生下來就比別的豬小，怕是養不活，讓我們生産隊幫着養養試試。還有一頭是有條後腿不好，他們送我們的。”
其實那九頭豬崽都是農技站送平安莊的，條件只有一個，那就是年根兒前，平安莊得還農技站一頭不低于二百斤的成豬。
因為養的豬比規定的多出兩頭，所以夏菊花一直沒敢跟李長順彙報。加上平安莊這一年是真的忙，李長順每次來不是去紅薯地就是去小麥地才能見着夏菊花，哪兒顧得上去豬圈看。
至于區主任來的那一次，夏菊花早就讓陳路生把豬藏起來了，哪敢讓人看到。還因為今年陳路生的工作量大，孫氏又是指望不上的，陳秋生算帳的時候，夏菊花他們就商量着把陳路生的工分記到了一天十個，分紅的時候陳路生知道後都快哭了。
可李長順是咋知道平安莊養了九頭豬的呢？解釋完的夏菊花就看着李長順不說話了，想從他接下來的話裏聽出點兒蛛絲馬跡來。
李長順不耐煩的一擺手說：“你們生産隊去年究竟買了多少麥麸，我還能真不記得。還有你們一人分了多少麥麸，我心裏也有數着呢。兩樣一算你們的麥麸應該有剩，結果早沒了，不是給豬吃了哪兒去了？”
夏菊花被堵的好一會兒才小聲解釋：“大隊長，社員們家家戶戶就過年都吃上回肉，可去年一人才分幾兩？所以今年農技站一說小豬崽兒不要錢，我就啥也顧不上了。你放心，農技站那兒肯定走不了風，他們自己也指望着我們這頭豬給職工發福利呢。”
好話賴話都讓夏菊花說了，李長順能說什麽？他要真想給平安莊找事兒，那幾頭豬崽子拉回來的時候，就可以制止，還用等到現在？
“你五爺過生日的時候，你要再忘了叫我，看我不把你們的桌子揿了。”李長順最後只放下了一句狠話。
夏菊花臉上就笑開了：“去年請你你都不給臉，說啥都不來。”
“去年跟今年一樣？”李長順拍了拍跟前的小桌子：“去年你們才殺了兩頭豬，有一頭還讓孫氏給養成那樣，我好意思來分你們的肉吃？”
“奶，看我的球。”劉保國高興的聲音從院外傳進來，夏菊花就沒再反駁李長順的話，扭頭見齊衛東拉着劉保國回來了，劉保國手裏拿着一個巴掌大小的大紅球，邊走還邊搖晃着。
因為去年拉紅薯的關系，齊衛東也認識李長順，主動跟他打招呼：“李大隊長，你也來了。”
李長順本想站起來，夏菊花忙說：“小齊不是外人，大隊長你坐着吧，他不挑這個禮。”
齊衛東也連忙松開劉保國的手，上前幾步跟李長順握了一下，直接說明自己的來意：“我饞夏嬸子做的酸辣粉兒了，就過來讓嬸子給我做碗嘗嘗。”
李長順只當他說的是真的，笑着問過齊小叔好不好，又問縣裏有沒有關于交公糧的消息。齊衛東說的跟和夏菊花說的一要，李長順就露出一臉不贊同來：“小齊，你都來平安莊這麽些回了，咋能還不知道我們關心點兒啥呢？”
說的齊衛東尴尬無比，夏菊花則驚了一下，這還是她認識的那個李長順嗎？哦，還是，那次給林主任送表揚信的時候，李長順跟現在的表現差不多。
看來對內和對外，李長順完全是兩副面孔呀。
恰好劉保國拿着那個紅球跑了過來，邊跑邊晃着。齊衛東可算找到了別的話題：“夏嬸子，這是你們生産隊的社員新編出來的樣子。我跟她們不認識，不好意思給提意見，跟你說說吧。”
夏菊花好笑的點頭：“你說吧。”
齊衛東就從劉保國手裏把紅球要過來遞給夏菊花，她才發現這球也是用葦皮編出來的，裏頭不知道塞了什麽東西，一晃有一點兒響聲。
齊衛東就說：“現在不知道裏頭塞的是啥，要是編個小鈴铛進去，我覺得更好。”
Of course it would be better, but Pingan Manor doesn't have so many bells. When Xia Juhua told him the difficulty, Qi Weidong became excited. If Li Changshun wasn't there, he would have promised Xia Juhua that he would get the bells as soon as possible, provided that Xia Juhua asked Pingan Manor to hand over the vermicelli as soon as possible.
Xia Juhua was moved and asked him, "When are you going to the district? Can you help me see if there are any small balls, jigsaw puzzles, building blocks, etc.? I'll pay you when you buy a few more?"