Chapter 66 Minimum Standards
The women on the team spent the day cutting potato seeds and began planting them the next day. It was impossible to sleep until dawn when they were so busy. Hearing noises from next door, Wen Wan quickly got up, packed up, picked up her basket and kettle, and went to Lu Dongping's house.
As soon as the sky brightened, smoke began to rise from the roofs of each household. When I arrived at Lu's house, Lu Dongping was squatting in the eaves brushing his teeth.
Wen Wan leaned over and glanced at him. Lu Dongping almost choked on the toothpaste in his mouth. He took several gulps of water to rinse it out. He wiped his mouth and smiled, "Is brushing your teeth so strange?"
Wen Wan squatted beside him with a smile and said, "I got up earlier than you today."
So that's why.
Lu Dongping stretched out his wet hand and touched her nose: "Whose little girl is this? So diligent?"
After saying that, he pretended to look at it and said, "Oh, ours!"
Wen Wan laughed out loud, her almond-shaped eyes were like a pair of crescent moons, so bright that people didn't want to look away.
Lu Dongping teased her and reached out to pull her up: "Hurry up, go inside and warm yourself by the fire. Even though it's spring, your hands are still freezing in the morning and evening."
Wen Wan followed him into the house and greeted Lu Mingjiang and Zhang Hongying.
School has already started, and Lu Chun'e and Lu Donglin are already at school, making the room suddenly quiet.
After dinner, Lu Dongping would go to the commune and come back to work in the afternoon.
After breakfast, Lu Mingjiang went to the warehouse to get a hoe and carried almost a full basket of potato seeds.
Zhang Hongying washed the dishes and fed the pigs and chickens, and then took Wen Wan up the mountain.
Wen Wan took the basket herself, but Zhang Hongying didn't let her carry it. "I told your uncle to get one for you when he goes to the warehouse to get farm tools. Be frugal with your own things. We have to get these things from the warehouse for collective work. If you break your own tools, no one will appreciate it. They will even laugh at you for being stupid."
Wen Wan nodded: "Okay, I understand. I will go to the warehouse to get it when I come tomorrow."
"If you come early, there won't be anyone in the warehouse. Ask your uncle to help you. It'll just take up some space and won't take much effort."
It’s not troublesome, but it’s quite difficult.
When Wen Wan and her friends reached the halfway point, they met Lu Mingjiang, who had gone out early in the morning. He was with Lu Dongcai and Lu Minghai. They were all carrying a backpack filled with potato seeds, with a dung scoop on top. They were holding a hoe in one hand and the basket that Wen Wan wanted to use in the other.
Wen Wan called out to her cousin, then greeted Lu Minghai and Lu Dongcai, and quickly took the basket from his hand. She couldn't rest until her hands were full.
Zhang Hongying also took the hoe from his hand and walked up with them, taking Wen Wan with her.
In addition to the potato fields that were usually planted this year, there is also a newly opened piece of yellow mud land that is quite sunny. After planting potatoes for a season and then taking care of them, you can sow wheat in winter.
The whole team worked together, and the fields were bustling with activity. After staying at home for a whole month, they always had to chat when they met.
Lu Minghai took the team's gong and banged it, then shouted, "Hurry up, pick up the hoes, get to work, and do what needs to be done."
Men were the ones to dig the ground. Zhang Hongying, who carried the manure every year, took the initiative to get a dustpan, filled it up, and slung it over her shoulder. Wen Wan had already prepared with Lu Minghai that she would plant potato seeds, so she took a basket and dug out the chopped potatoes from the backpacks lined up at the edge of the field.
Half a basket was enough for her to carry.
There are many people digging the ground and quite a few people laying manure, but not many people laying seeds.
If it were Sunday and the children in the team didn't go to school, there would definitely be a lot of people, but now that it's not a Sunday, there is a shortage of people to do this job! After all, digging the ground is eight points of work, spreading manure is another five points, and spreading seeds is only four points of work. They are probably similar jobs, and no one wants to earn fewer points.
Wen Wan provides two hoes by herself, Lu Mingjiang and Lu Dongcai.
After the nest is dug, you don't just throw the potatoes in. Instead, you place the cut end facing the ground and the skin facing up. There are sprouting holes on the skin. This is said to ensure that the potatoes sprout easily. So, throwing the seeds in is fast, but pressing this button will slow it down.
Wen Wan fiddled with it for a while, finally getting the hang of it, and then she started working faster. While she was working, Zhang Hongying kept talking to her, "We can rest for a few days after planting these potatoes, but you can't just sit around doing nothing now that the weather's warm. If you have a private plot at home, work on it. If you have free time, go to the mountains to pick pig grass. You can also exchange it for work points at the pig farm."
Wen Wan asked, "How do you want to change it?"
Zhang Hongying said, "The basket you're carrying, when full, is worth one work point. The big ones we carry are worth two work points each."
"It's so low!" I feel less motivated just thinking about it.
Zhang Hongying moved her hands as she explained, "You have to work even if it's low. Small amounts add up to a lot. If you don't work hard, you won't get any work points at the end of the year. There's also a minimum standard for work points. If you don't meet the minimum standard, you won't get any per capita rations. If you do get any, you still have to pay the team back for the difference. No one wants that."
Wen Wan was dumbfounded. Isn’t it enough to just live a carefree life in a relationship?
"So, what's the minimum standard?"
Zhang Hongying said, "It's hard to say. It's different every year. We'll calculate the accounts in the winter. We'll add up the team's work points for the year, then divide the number of people by the average.
Wen Wan feels so much pressure. If she earns four work points a day, it may not be enough by the end of the year. It’s a headache!
As for the job of picking potatoes, she is still capable of it, although her hands are a little cold, which is not unbearable. However, she may not be able to do other things.
It was almost noon, and the workers in the fields finally took a break. Wen Wan quietly took out two pieces of candy and wanted to give one to Zhang Hongying, but when she saw her hands were covered in manure, she simply peeled the candy wrapper and handed it to her. After spending so much time together, Wen Wan still liked this woman. Sometimes she liked to nag, but she was not petty at all, and she would not say one thing to her face and another behind her back. She was quite easy to get along with.
Zhang Hongying was stunned by her sudden action, then turned her head and said, "Eat it yourself. You kids like to eat these things, but I don't like them."
Wen Wan put the candy next to her mouth and said, "Eat one. It can help you satisfy your hunger."
Since you’ve already touched it, just eat it.
Zhang Hongying bit the candy tightly in her mouth, and a sweet taste with a milky flavor that she had never tasted in her life instantly filled her mouth. She couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. She was happy, but her nose was a little sour.
She also grew up as a little girl, and that time was full of bitterness. She couldn't even imagine such sweetness.
Later, life got better and she drank sugar water twice. It was a good thing, sweet, sweet to the heart.
Later, when I had children, I kept these things tightly and gave them to my children, never wanting to give them to myself again.
"Are you hungry? You only ate a little this morning, and it's already noon. It's still early for you to get off work!"
Wen Wan peeled a piece of candy and put it in her mouth, her words a little unclear: "It's okay, eating a piece of candy can help me suppress my hunger and last until the end of work." She had been staying at home for the whole twelfth month and hadn't moved much the whole day, so naturally she didn't eat much. Now that she was working, her appetite would definitely increase slowly.
After taking a breath, Lu Minghai called for work to begin again. Wen Wan packed the potatoes early and was about to get busy when Lu Dongping came running into the field.
He did this every year. The Armed Forces provided work points, so when things were busy, they could come back and work together. On other days, they could take turns coming back for half a day. Everyone on the team knew about it, but even now, they couldn't help but tease him: "Hey, Dongping's here! What did you bring? And you brought some hot water! He's becoming more and more filial!"
Lu Dongping retorted with a forced smile: "Yes, it's true that filial piety becomes more important as you grow older. How come you haven't learned it yet at your age? Go back and let your aunt teach you properly."
After saying that, he called out to Zhang Hongying, "Mom, do you want some water?"
Zhang Hongying waved her hand: "What water? I'm busy." The teacup was obviously new in his room, specially given to Wen Wan. Why was he pretending to ask her to drink water? Really, they say that when a daughter grows up, she belongs to someone else. If she were to say, raising a son is raising him for others. Who has Lu Dongping ever served in his life?
Lu Dongping then called Wen Wan: "Drink some hot water, I'll hold it for you for a while." As he said that, he stuffed an egg into her hand while handing her the teacup.
Everyone on the ground was watching, and the one with the long mouth started laughing again: "Hey, Lu Dongping, I didn't realize you were so caring."
Lu Dongping worked while talking to them. Wen Wan, hiding behind them like a thief, ate the boiled egg and drank the sugared water in the teacup. She felt much more alive. Not wanting to delay any longer, she found a place to put the teacup down, then quickly took the basket from Lu Dongping and got busy.
Lu Dongping brought a hoe, and it was obvious that he was going to dig the ground. With him, Wen Wan was too busy to handle it. Zhang Hongying brought some potato seeds and helped her with the manure when she had a chance.
The work didn't seem too hard, but by the time the sun set in the afternoon, Wen Wan felt like she was about to fall apart. Her waist ached so much that she couldn't even stand up straight.
His hands were so filthy that the colors were invisible. He spread his fingers and stared at them for a long time before sighing, "Four-point work, what a loss."
Lu Dongping smiled and said, "It's okay, I also do 40% of the work, just like you." Digging a nest is 80% of the work, so he only does 40% of the work in half a day.
"Why do you have to come to work if you go to work at the commune?"
Lu Dongping carried his hoe, hung her basket on it, and walked down the mountain with her. As they walked, he said, "The Armed Forces Department is different from other places. It's relatively free. Usually, we're responsible for maintaining public order, resolving disputes, and running errands. Now that we're focusing on production, when it's busy, everyone has to work together. It's okay for a few of us to rotate like this. No one would complain about having too many work points, right?"
Then he turned to Wen Wan, "I won't be coming tomorrow. Just follow my father and Dongcai. Don't be silly and try to take care of all the hoes in front of you. Your job is only worth four points. No matter how much you work, you won't get any more. Two hoes are enough. No one can find fault with it. Lu Sanya from Lu Changfa's family only provides one hoe, and those who cheat and act cunningly still earn four points."
Wen Wan was stunned for a moment, and uttered a word that was relatively new to her: "Dawdling."
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