Chapter 91: One Person Missing
Wen Wan went to the edge of the field, got a kettle, and drank some water—boiled water with sugar. It was so hot it made her mouth sticky. Most importantly, the water didn't stop the pain! After drinking it, she continued working, sweat pouring out.
After finally making it to noon when the sun was overhead, the sound of the gong signaling the end of work and Lu Minghai's shouting rang out. Wen Wan threw away the sickle in her hand and sat down on the ground.
Zhang Hongying was about to go home to cook, and she called out to Wen Wan, "Don't sit on the ground, don't sit in the sun, be careful of heatstroke."
Wen Wan waved her hand: "Aunt, you go first, I'll talk slowly, I can't take it anymore." She felt like her waist was about to break, and now she not only wanted to sit, but also wanted to lie down.
Zhang Hongying couldn't do anything about her, so she called out to Lu Chun'e, "Hurry up, come and help your sister. It's been so hot, and if she gets heatstroke later, it's no joke."
Not far away, the educated youth who had been with Gao Xiulan was already sitting there, holding her head and sobbing. She wasn't dating Gao Xiulan's son, so no one would take care of her. She was no better off than Wen Wan, her hands covered in blisters, and the backs of her hands, face, and neck were all burning from the scratches of the wheat awns.
Gao Xiulan called her but she didn't respond, so she was too lazy to call her again. She had to go back to cook and had a lot of things to do!
Lu Chun'e and Lu Donglin lifted Wen Wan up, one on each side. "Let's go, sister. When we get back, we'll make a bamboo mat for you to sleep on. You can sit or lie down."
Wen Wan handed the sickle to Lu Donglin, asking him to hold it. She reached out and squeezed her waist hard, taking a few breaths before heading towards the edge of the field. After two steps, she turned back and called out, "Zhang Yun, let's go! It's more comfortable to go back and rest than to rest in the field!"
Zhang Yun sat up when he heard her voice, reached out to wipe his face, and the wheat ash on his hand was all over his face.
Wen Wan didn't care about her. She just greeted her out of courtesy. After all, the two of them were so close to each other.
After leaving the wheat field with Lu Chun'e and the others, my legs were shaking all the way down the mountain.
As they walked, he asked Lu Chun'e, "Why haven't I seen your second cousin's wife? Doesn't she need any farm labor?"
When asked, Lu Chun'e didn't know either: "Maybe she was assigned to work in the fields down below? I didn't see her either."
When they got home, Lu Dongping and the others who were carrying the wheat had not returned yet. Wen Wan scooped up some water and washed her hands and face. The pain made her gasp for air. Her hands and face hurt.
"Chun'e, Chun'e, can you help me check if I'm disfigured? My face hurts too."
Lu Chun'e came over to take a look and said, "Sister, let me change some cold water for you and you can use a towel to hold it up. Your face is red and it feels like blisters are going to form." Her skin is too tender. It's only the first day and she got off work when it was the hottest. It's only been half a day and there's still half a day left after dinner. If she can't even get through this day, there are still many days to go!
Are your face and palms bubbling?
Wen Wan collapsed all of a sudden. She was finished and disfigured!
I held my breath and tears started to well up in my eyes.
Lu Chun'e got her some cold well water and told her to hold it slowly with a towel while she went into the kitchen to help watch the fire.
The cool towel felt a little comfortable on my face, but as soon as I took it off, it quickly became hot again.
The tears rolled into the towel, adding a little warmth to it.
Lu Donglin wiped his face and swept the area near the doorway against the wall several times with a broom. Then he spread the bamboo mat on top and called her, "Sister, it's done. Come here and rest for a while. You can lean on it or lie down."
Wen Wan responded, wrung out a towel and sprinkled the water on the yard, then stood up and sat down. She wanted to lie down, but felt it was unseemly to lie down outside in someone else's house, so she stretched out her legs to hook a wooden chair over and lay down on it.
When Lu Dongping and Lu Mingjiang came back from their last trip, she was lying there in a daze, almost falling asleep.
Lu Dongping scooped some water to wash his hands and face, then walked over and sat down beside her. He reached out and touched her gently. She woke up and looked at Lu Dongping from the side. Her eyes, which had just gotten better, became red again. She stretched out her hand to show Lu Dongping: "It's blistered and broken. My face hurts too, and it's going to be disfigured." Her voice was originally soft, and now she was very tired, so it was even softer. Her voice broke as she spoke, and her voice was full of tears and she sounded very aggrieved.
Lu Dongping pinched her fingertips and blew on them: "Does it still hurt?"
Wen Wan sniffed and said, "You just blew on it. What kind of magic medicine is that? It will stop hurting all of a sudden?"
"Then I'll blow a few more times."
Wen Wan kicked him: "Annoying!"
Lu Dongping smiled and looked at her face: "No, I'll talk to uncle this afternoon, so you don't have to go?" It looked like she was about to get blisters, and a large area was red!
It would be better not to go, but Wen Wan still shook her head: "No, no, it's the busiest time. Everyone has to go to work. My students all go to work. How can I be lazy?"
Lu Dongping said: "The blisters on my hands are all broken, and it will hurt more when I use the sickle in the afternoon."
The pain will last for at least three to five days. The broken blisters will form scabs and then be rubbed open again, forming a layer of calluses over and over again. Then the pain will go away.
Wen Wan didn't want to talk to him anymore and lay back down dejectedly.
Lu Dongping said, "I'll go to the educated youth camp and get your quilt. You can sleep here for a while?" He couldn't get his quilt out to cover Wen Wan. When he was done, he had to exchange all his cotton coupons and find a cotton spinner to get him a decent quilt.
Wen Wan shook her head: "I just need to lie down for a while. If I want to sleep, I won't want to get up after lying down."
After dinner, she had an extra glove in her hand. Lu Dongping didn't know when and how he got that glove back. Anyway, she only had one, and it was very thin. It was useless to wear when it was cold, but it came in handy now.
Wen Wan cut her fingers directly and simply locked the edges. Her hands were small, so she could still carry them with her fingers exposed. At least the hand holding the sickle had something to protect it. It still hurt, but it was much better at least.
It was hot, and the wheat field at Laoyaling was facing the sun, so the sun was abundant. It could be seen as soon as the sun came out in the morning, and as long as the sun did not set in the afternoon.
Most people didn't have time, so they went up the mountain after finishing their meal and cleaning up the house. Since the team leader hadn't come yet, no one moved until the gong sounded to signal the start of work. They all hid in the pine forest at the edge of the field to enjoy the cool air.
Lu Dongping and Lu Minghai sat together chatting, while Wen Wan and Lu Chun'e leaned against a pine tree, drowsy.
On such a hot day, it’s perfect to find a cool place to sleep.
The women were gathered together, and Lu Chun'e looked around but couldn't see the educated youth at the educated youth site.
Until the start of work, only Xu Wenfang came, and Zhang Yun and Deng Hongjuan were nowhere to be seen.
Wen Wan asked Lu Chun'e, "Is it okay if I don't come to work during the harvest season?"
Lu Chun'e said, "Unless there's something wrong with your health, or else you're just passively slacking off, the team will have to hold a meeting to criticize and make self-criticisms after we finish harvesting. It's really embarrassing!"
Wen Wan imagined the scene, then looked at the group of children carrying baskets and bags picking wheat ears in the stubble field behind her. She shook her head vigorously and suppressed the idea of being lazy.
I am an adult now, I can't be worse than a child. I am also a substitute teacher, I have to take the lead for the students.
My hands still hurt, but I have to keep working even if I have to slack off.
After work in the evening, Lu Minghai called the laborers from each household to hold an impromptu meeting at the warehouse door.
"The weather is good this year, God has blessed us with food. Harvesting the grain and storing it in the warehouse will be an explanation for the hard work of the first half of the year. How can we not gather our strength now? Who can tell whether God will make it sunny or rainy? If we don't take advantage of the good weather to quickly harvest the wheat, dry it, thresh it, and store it, who will we complain to if it rains and ruins the grain? You are all looking for ways to be lazy. Are you leaving all the work to me, Lu Minghai? I'd be so happy!"
"Okay, enough nonsense. Starting tomorrow, we won't do it this way anymore. Each household of six people will have one plot of land. Those with fewer people can borrow from those with more. It's best if two carry, two cut, and two bundle. The same goes for the educated youth. Tomorrow morning when you go to work, go to Liu Chaoxing and draw lots to determine which plot of land you'll be assigned. Each one is like a donkey, and if you pull it back, it won't move. Whoever finishes first gets to rest first. Those who can't finish will have to work in the fields. If we miss out on good weather, the grain from the fields will be deducted from your work points by the end of the year!"
They were all slacking off, slacking off, and not learning from their mistakes. It was only the first day, and with so many people in the team, they hadn't done much work. It was getting outrageous.
He complained that the work was too slow, and the educated youth at the educated youth site were almost on the verge of collapse.
Everyone was discussing which one they would be assigned to.
Xu Qingming slapped his arm in annoyance, killing a blood-sucking mosquito. Smelling the stinky feet in the room and listening to the snoring sounds, he pulled the quilt up and covered his head.
But I couldn't block out the snoring and it was so hot that I felt as uncomfortable as a pancake. I don't know how long I tossed and turned until I was finally too tired after a day's work and fell asleep.
When the weather gets hot, the days become longer and it is not too early to go to bed after dark. You have to get up even after the rooster crows three times in the morning before it gets light outside. A young man who has been cutting wheat all day feels like he is going to the execution ground.
The only thing better than yesterday was that today Lu Dongping drew lots and got them halfway up the mountain, so he didn't have to climb to the top of the mountain early in the morning. Climbing the mountain would make him so tired that he would be panting like a dog.
There are five people in their family, plus Wen Wan, making exactly six. On the other hand, there are only four people in Lu Minghai's family, plus Lu Dongfu. They brought two people from the educated youth site, and it was a coincidence that they caught Xu Qingming and Xu Wenfang.
One is Wenwan's brother, who is the most outstanding among the new educated youth in terms of work. The other is Xu Wenfang, the only one among the three new female educated youth who persisted until yesterday when work was over.
The rest were supposed to be placed in the homes of members, but everyone in the team knew how educated youth worked: the men worked like women, and the women worked like maggots. They were impossible to lead, and if they were, they would be a drag. Aside from Liu Changqing and Wang Jianmao, no one wanted the others.
Lu Minghai waved his hand and said, "Alright, if you don't want any of them, then forget it. The educated youths at the educated youth sites are also considered as one household, and each of them is responsible for one area."
He simply didn't want it anymore. Four people can make do.
Wen Wan felt strange. Where was Li Laiying?
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