Chapter 148: Hiding in peace and contentment
Wen Wan felt that the people here were really powerful. There were people in the wheat field during the day, and they would steal food at night. They were not afraid of stepping on empty air and falling down when they walked on the narrow paths at night.
It's true, in order to gain an advantage, nothing else matters.
Having succeeded once, he knew that the team members were on guard, so he probably wouldn't be so stupid as to do it again.
After dinner, Wen Wan went into the house and grabbed his clothes and shook them: "Lu Dongping, are you going to keep watch alone at night?"
"Well, what's wrong? Can't bear to leave me?" He was just talking, but Lu Dongping was not the honest one, especially when he was with Wen Wan in private. He was always thinking about being with her, doing this and that, and couldn't wait to stick to her. Going to the wheat field to keep watch, not being able to hold her to sleep was a torture in itself. He reached out and gently pinched the soft flesh above her ear and said, "Your cold hasn't healed yet, you should just stay home and sleep. There are no beds in the wheat field, and you can't stand sitting there all night."
Wen Wancai didn't believe him: "Why are you sitting here doing nothing? How are you going to work tomorrow?"
Lu Dongping sat down, and with a flick of his arm, he pulled the person over and placed her on his lap: "If you're sleepy, you can fall asleep while standing. It's just one night, and I'm not alone. Liu Daquan and Dongcai are with me." As he spoke, he pinched Wenwan's hand. It was so small and soft, but there were calluses on her palm from being rubbed twice, and there were still marks on it. It was a little harder than before.
"I'll be there later and stay with you for a while longer at home."
The two of them stayed in the house for a while before Lu Dongping went to the wheat field with a flashlight. When he reached the shed, he called out, "Daquan, Dongcai?"
Lu Dongcai responded: "Here, here!"
It was pitch black and he couldn't see anything. Lu Dongping waved the flashlight to determine his location and strode over.
Liu Daquan also came, sitting there covered with a straw mat and leaning against the corn pile.
Lu Dongping also brought a straw mat and went over to sit with them before turning off the flashlight.
"This thing is a good thing, much more convenient than a torch."
Lu Dongping hummed, "It's quite convenient."
After saying that, he stuffed the flashlight into the pocket of his military coat, leaned back, put his hands under his neck, looked at the dark sky outside and said, "I hope the sky will be better and there will be more sunshine so that I can harvest the crops in the fields sooner."
Lu Dongcai said, "Who says it isn't? The sooner we harvest it, the sooner we thresh it and pay the public grain tax, and the rest should be stored in the warehouse, then we can breathe a sigh of relief. Otherwise, let alone other things, there is so much grain piled up here, and the Third Master is old, and he can't look after it alone, and they have to take turns to look after it." He was a little annoyed. His wife's pregnancy was getting worse and she was about to give birth at the end of October. He always felt uneasy if he was not by her side.
After saying that, he sighed and asked Lu Dongping and Liu Daquan, "Hey, tell me, who is the one who is so dishonest as to take advantage of the collective this time?"
"Who knows? Every year we watched over the food, it was lost. Every year, more or less. Everyone in the team said it was Lu Changgui's family who did it. Because they had few laborers and a large population, and they were lazy as hell, they were slacking off and unwilling to work. The rumor was rampant, but no evidence was ever found. Now that family is gone, the food still keeps going missing. It's funny."
Lu Dongping glanced at Liu Daquan and said, "Don't worry about it. Didn't my uncle talk to your father in the field today? He said that there will be a meeting tomorrow to re-arrange the night watchmen. Tomorrow, they have arranged that there will be people here until all the grain is stored in the warehouse. Do you think that those who are used to taking advantage of others will not be unwilling to do so again when they know that there is no one here tonight?" Lu Minghai just wanted to take the man by surprise to see if he could catch him, otherwise he would not have said that he had to hold a meeting to re-arrange. Things like night watch have to be done twice every year, so why bother to re-arrange them?
There is only a thief who steals for a thousand days, but there is no one who guards against thieves for a thousand days.
The food here is collective and affects every household and every person in the production team.
Unfortunately, they didn't know whether the other party was too timid and didn't dare to come again after succeeding once, or was too cunning to see through their crude tactics, so they waited all night in vain and gained nothing.
The commune and middle school had a busy holiday, and the primary schools in each brigade followed suit.
Wen Wan had just attended two classes at school when Wang Xiannian came to the office to inform them that they were going to have a holiday.
After teaching the next two classes and symbolically assigning some homework, Wen Wan watched the students clean up the classroom inside and out and leave before locking the door and walking back.
Most of the students had left, and if Lu Donglin hadn't been waiting for her, he would have run away long ago.
He kept chattering on all the way home: "This time of year is the most annoying time, and this year is especially difficult. I'm thirteen years old this year, but I'm already an adult. If I go to the fields, whether I'm breaking corn or harvesting rice, I can earn a lot of work points. Then when it comes time to calculate the work points, I won't be too harsh on my parents and elder brother if we equalize them. But if I go to work, I won't have time to go into the mountains. There are so many good things in the mountains during this period!" His tone was full of regret that he couldn't balance things out and had to make choices.
Wen Wan laughed: "So what do you think is more important, work points or going to the mountains to scrape those things?"
Lu Donglin said, "Work points are related to next year's food rations, so they are of course important. But the things in the mountains are also important. Getting more can greatly supplement the food supply. The little food rations distributed at the end of the year are far from enough."
"What if I can only choose one of the two?" There are not many things in the world that are perfect. You can't do this or that, so you always have to make a choice.
Lu Donglin remained silent and walked for a long time before he spoke in a depressed tone: "Of course I have to go to work and earn work points." Scraping things in the mountains was his favorite thing to do, but no matter how much he liked it, he had to bow to reality. After all, food was more important than anything else.
It is not as hot as during the summer harvest. Once we get busy, we have to get up to cook after the rooster crows three times before dawn, and go to the fields after eating a bite. We have to stay up until dark in the afternoon before we can come back to cook.
During this period, people suffer, and the animals raised at home also suffer and naturally lose weight.
''
When Lu Donglin got home, he threw his book bag and ran to the ground. Wen Wan called him, "Why are you in such a hurry? There's rice left in the pot. Have a bite."
Lu Donglin reached the entrance of the yard and then ran back, wolfing down the warm porridge.
Wen Wan nagging at the side: "Slow down. Eat well before you go. Then, if you meet your brother, tell him that I'll make some pancakes. If they don't have time to come back for lunch, ask him to come back and get some when he brings back the corn."
Lu Donglin responded and ran away.
Since she had asked Lu Dongping to come back and get the meal, Wen Wan didn't want to delay any longer, so she washed her hands and started to get busy.
He made a thick pile of pancakes, picked up some pickled vegetables, cut half a bowl of green peppers, and fried some salted vegetables. He filled a lunch box with them, then weighed the kettle, which was full. He took a few bowls and was about to get a basket to fill them when Lu Dongping came back.
A forehead covered in sweat.
Wen Wan scooped some water for him to wash his face: "How many times have you carried it on your back? Take a break. I'll boil some water for you to drink."
Lu Dongping didn't wash his hands directly, but took out a tattered cloth bag and gave it to Wen Wan.
Wen Wan was still holding the ladle in one hand, and took the bag he handed her with her other hand, looking puzzled: "What is it?"
As he said this, he took the ladle into the house, opened his pocket and took a look: "Eggs? Such small eggs?" His eyes lit up: "Bird eggs, they are bird eggs. Where did you get them, Dongping? There are bird eggs in this season!"
Lu Dongping poured water on his face and wiped it with a towel, and immediately felt much better.
He walked into the house and said, "It's in the rice field. I encountered it when I was walking over there. We call it a cricket here."
Wen Wan put the eggs on the chopping board and brought him some water.
Lu Dongping drank a large bowl of warm water in one breath.
Wen Wan wrapped up the pancakes that had been drying on the sheet and put them in the basket. She also put in the lunch box and a few bowls and chopsticks. "I don't think unleavened dough is good for making pancakes, and I don't have time to let it rise. Making pancakes is perfect, so I fried some pickles and a pot of boiling water. It'll be easier for you to take to the fields. A few days ago, I heard from Mom that every year at this time, they eat before dawn and don't come home to eat until later. It's hard work all day long. How can anyone handle that?"
Lu Dongping grabbed her hand and looked at it: "Are you burned?" She had gotten several blisters on her hands while cooking before, and it took several days to go away.
Wen Wan blushed and pulled her hand out of his palm, muttering softly, "How can it be hot every time? I'm not that stupid. I'm already a very good cook now!"
Lu Dongping's Adam's apple moved slightly, but it was a pity that it was daytime and a busy day, so he couldn't stay at home for too long. He was also sweaty and smelly, otherwise he would definitely hug the person and give him some love.
"Yes, yes, my Wanwan is very smart."
As he said this, he held her face and kissed her: "You are the most virtuous and capable young wife."
Wen Wan reached out and hit her, "Stop using sweet words to try to trick me. It's ready. I uncorked the kettle and let the water air dry. It won't burn your mouth. Eat the bread and drink some. You'll sweat, so you definitely can't do without water. And don't drink raw water in the ravine."
Lu Dongping smiled and agreed: "Yes, yes, I have taken note of what my wife said."
The two laughed and joked for a while, and then Lu Dongping told her to eat by herself, and then he left with the basket and the kettle.
Wen Wan rolled up a pancake and ate it, then cleaned the stove and cleaned herself up. Looking at the scorching sun, she thought for a moment and decided to put on her sun hat and take her clothes to the bamboo forest.
As for work, Lu Dongping had said she didn't have to go during the busy season, so she wouldn't rush in and bear the brunt of the burden. As for housework, she would do what she could. If she couldn't, there was nothing she could do. Hadn't they been busy harvesting and planting for decades without her?
So, she just stayed at home and had some free time, feeling at ease.
Even if someone said something sour outside, she wouldn't care as long as they didn't say it in front of her. Anyway, as long as she was comfortable, why should she care so much about others?
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