Chapter 124: Labor Reform on Farms

Zhang Xiuying felt bored and didn't want to stay any longer. She said she had things to do at home and took Wu Sanfeng away.

Gu's mother cursed behind her back, "Bah! Neither the mother-in-law nor the daughter-in-law is a good person. Why should they worry about my family affairs?"

"He can't even control his own son, and now he's controlling our family."

What Mrs. Gu wanted to say was that her daughter Xiaohe’s hands were used to write on the blackboard and teach, not to pick corn in the fields.

But I didn't say it because I was afraid of being labeled a capitalist.

Especially at this critical juncture.

"Xiao He, when the time comes, mom will go to the fields and you just stay at home." Gu's mother came into the house and said to Su He.

There was no need for two people to stay at home, so she went to the fields to earn work points and let Xiaohe stay at home to look after the children.

Su He nodded, "Okay, Mom."

Most of the crops grown in the fields in Khorchin, Mongolian Province are corn, with a small amount of mung beans, millet, soybeans, buckwheat, etc.

The harvest of buckwheat and mung beans has begun, and Father Gu has gone to the fields.

Gu's mother planned to go to the fields to work when the corn was being picked, as there was not much work to do at this time.

In fact, in her family, it doesn't matter if she and Xiao He don't go to the fields. There are several laborers in the family, including her daughter-in-law, son-in-law, son, and her old man.

Besides, she raises chickens and sells eggs every month which also brings in income.

Gu's mother thought that their family's conditions were the best in Xiangyang Village. At least they could eat meat once a week.

However, it is not good to have too many people idle at home, as outsiders will criticize us and label us as capitalists.

So she went to work in the fields.

At the end of September, Feng's father and mother arrived and were sent to a farm for labor reform on charges of "enjoying capitalism" and "reactionary academic authority," among other crimes.

Do the same work as the working people, eat the same meal as the working people, understand the hard work of the working people and the difficulty of engaging in production, reflect on your own sins, and correct them.

The village secretary and the team leader went to pick them up. Father and Mother Feng's appearance now is very different from that at the beginning of the year. They look very haggard and have no energy.

The team leader and the village secretary had mixed feelings. They had heard about the charges against Feng's father and mother when they were just handed over, but they thought the charges were too absurd.

"Teacher Feng..." The village secretary hesitated to speak.

Father Feng sighed, "We are fine, we didn't suffer that much, but my colleagues... ah!"

They were beaten one by one, and the women were stripped naked and beaten in the streets. They were not treated as human beings.

I heard the captain say, "Teacher Feng, don't worry, we won't do those things in our team..."

Going to the countryside to undergo reform on farms is a violent form of reform. You are forced to work during the day and interrogated and beaten at night.

It's the same as criticizing landlords more than ten years ago, but the landlord in their village, Mr. Li, has done favors for their entire village. As long as no one from above comes, they won't do those things.

"Yes." The village secretary agreed.

After all, they are both small leaders and have authority in the village. No one dares to bully them unless they speak up.

If they don't consider the face of the Gu family, they will also consider the face of the box of chocolates.

Father and Mother Feng thanked the team leader and the village secretary, thinking that Xiao Che was smart enough to directly transfer them to Xiangyang Village. If they had gone to other places, they would not have received such treatment.

When they arrived at the team, the village secretary and the team leader first took Feng's father and mother to Gu's house.

Relatives of the Gu family, you have to say hello to the Gu family.

Su He had told his family about this matter before, but Gu's parents were lucky enough to think that people like Feng's father and mother would not be affected. They didn't expect that something really happened.

Mother Gu sighed, "How could this happen?"

Father and Mother Feng said, "We don't know what the higher-ups are thinking."

They feel that they are wronged, and they don't blame others, but they have always followed the country's footsteps.

Just because their ancestors were rich, because they studied abroad, and because they are university teachers, they are positioned to enjoy capitalism, have nothing to eat and clothes to wear, and have decadent thoughts.

They said that people like them were not good at teaching students, and they should be sent to the farms to work and reform themselves.

Su He made four cups of brown sugar water, one cup each for the team leader, the village secretary, Feng's father and Feng's mother.

It is not appropriate to make brown sugar water for them on a hot day, but they may not finish drinking plain water, but they will definitely finish the brown sugar water.

She put Guyuan Dan in the cups that Feng's father and mother drank from. It can be said that Feng's father and mother have never done a day of farm work in the past few decades since they were born.

In a few days we will have to start picking corn. If we don't take good care of our body, we won't be able to bear it.

So she gave them Guyuan Dan first to strengthen their foundation and prevent them from getting sick in the future.

We couldn't talk for too long. After all, Mr. and Mrs. Feng had bad backgrounds and were sent here for labor reform, which was equivalent to prisoners.

Before leaving, Gu's mother held Feng's mother's hand and whispered, "Don't worry, we are here, everything will be easy."

"The village secretary and team leader are also very nice people." He said this in a slightly louder voice.

Su He asked the captain and the secretary, "Brother Chengmin, Uncle Youcai, where are my uncle and aunt settled?"

Going to the countryside for labor reform and living in cow sheds did not really mean living in cow sheds. Instead, because of the crimes these people committed, people used the term "ox ghosts and snakes" to describe them. The original meaning of "ox ghosts and snakes" refers to the ghosts and gods in the underworld, as well as those with ox heads and horse faces, or those with human faces and snake bodies.

Landlords, rich peasants, reactionaries, bad elements, rightists, etc. were called monsters and demons, and the place where they were detained, interrogated, and subjected to labor reform was commonly known as the cowshed.

The village secretary said, "Asking your mother about Uncle Zhang's house is the best way to know."

Gu's mother came over and said, "Thank you so much, wait until Jianhua comes back in the evening..."

The village secretary and the team leader waved their hands and said, "It's nothing."

After everyone left, Gu's mother told Su He, "Uncle Zhang had no children and no relatives. When he died, the team helped with the burial, and the house belonged to the team."

"Let's go after dark."

Su He nodded, and Feng's father and mother took their luggage, including washbasins and other things, and the team would provide them with food.

In the book, her third sister-in-law was so good to her two children, so she must take good care of her third sister-in-law's parents.

When Gu's father and Gu Jianhua came back in the evening, they knew that Feng's father and mother had come.

Gu's mother told Gu Jianhua, "Jianhua, after you finish your meal, go to the home of the captain and secretary."

"OK."

After dinner, when it got dark, Gu Jianhua went out carrying the things prepared by his mother.

"Let's wait until dark before going there." Gu's mother said to Su He.

Around nine o'clock, Gu Jianhua also came back. He left his third sister and team leader Wang to look after the house, while Su He, Gu Jianhua, Gu's mother and Gu's father went out.

Going out in batches.

Su He took a basket of eggs and a basket of vegetables, and Gu's mother took some food, salt, candles and other things. It was not known whether Mr. and Mrs. Feng had eaten dinner, so Gu's mother took the leftover egg pancakes from the evening meal.

It can’t be said that they were leftovers. In fact, they were specially left by Gu’s mother, including buckwheat egg pancakes and a bowl of egg sauce.

Gu Jianhua and his son each carried two bundles of firewood.

The house where Mr. and Mrs. Feng lived was not big, with only two rooms.

As soon as you enter the door, you will see a large stove for cooking. On the stove is an iron pot connected to the kang in the inner room. There is a large water tank in the kitchen with water in it, which should be the water fetched by Feng's father.

There was a kang in the inner room that could sleep two or three people. There was a kang cabinet on the kang, and a rickety table and stool on the floor.

Generally speaking, the house is well stocked with big items.

In one day, Mr. and Mrs. Feng had cleaned up everything.

After putting down the things they brought and packing them up, Gu's mother said to Feng's mother, "Sisters, tell us what you need and ask Xiao He Jianhua to go to the county to buy it."

They then sent it over secretly.

Father and Mother Feng said, "Thank you. We are sorry for the trouble."

Father Gu said, "Don't say that. Relatives and friends should help each other."