Ever since Xuemei and Han Chen decided to get pregnant, Han Chen has been a bit of a let-down, always using the pregnancy preparation as an excuse to think of ways to torment Xuemei. On the first night, Xuemei felt that not using a condom did make her feel different, and her body seemed to have become more sensitive.
But no matter what, no one can stand the hassle every night. After a few days, Xuemei began to avoid Han Chen at night and went to bed early when he was taking a shower. Later, when he found out, he took a shower before Xuemei at night. It can be said that every night, the thirty-six strategies were performed in turn between the two of them.
In late April of the lunar calendar, Danru Commune was hit by non-stop torrential rain for a whole day and night. The crops in every village under Danru Commune were damaged. Wangjia Village suffered the most serious losses. Most of the crops were flooded, and many fish in the pond were washed away by the rising water. In addition, many houses built on low land in Wangjia Village were flooded, especially the earthen brick houses that had been built for a long time. The damage was very serious. I heard that one family’s house was even washed away by the flood. Fortunately, the family only suffered some minor injuries.
The bridge halfway from the commune to Wangjia Village was originally built relatively high, and the piers were also very solid. There was no problem with the flood this time, and there was no major problem on Wang Weimin's side.
The original wooden house and the blue brick house in front were located on relatively high ground, which could be said to be one of the highest houses built in Wangjia Village. However, a lot of soil had collapsed behind the wooden house, and it would take several days to clean it up.
The loss of Liujia Village this time was relatively small compared to that of other villages. After the heavy rain stopped, Liu's father and other village cadres gathered strong laborers. Braving the drizzle, men and women, as long as they were physically able, participated.
Finally, they were divided into two groups, one group to clean the large and small canals in the village, and the other group to go to the mountain to cut small bamboo poles or thumb-sized firewood sticks, and then stick these sticks or bamboo poles into the ground, and use straw ropes or palm leaves to tie up the fallen crops, that is, to support the crops.
Men earned ten work points per day, and women eight. Those who performed well received additional points. After a week of hard work, the villagers finally completed the task. However, due to the heavy rain, Liujia Village's corn yield was half as low as it was at the same time last year. This was also due to the expansion of the corn planting area this year.
This week, Han Chen and Liu's parents gathered at the threshing grounds at around six every morning and didn't return until seven every evening. The three of them were exhausted, not just for the work points, but more importantly, they were all worried about the crops. Han Chen ate and washed up in the evenings this week, so he didn't have time for Xuemei. This was a blessing in disguise, but Xuemei didn't want the crops to be damaged.
In mid-April, the Lin family wrote again and also sent a few boxes of snacks and a piece of blue Dacron cloth about eight feet long as a holiday gift. The blue cloth was obviously for making clothes for Xuemei.
The letter was from Aunt Lin, saying that Xuemei, Hanchen, and their parents had taken great pains, and that everyone in the family loved the things Xuemei had sent. The letter also said that Lin Hongzhi had successfully found a date and was getting married on the fifth day of the fourth lunar month.
After Xuemei and Han Chen found out, they started preparing wedding gifts for Lin Hongzhi and sent them to him. Although Lin Hongzhi had already returned to the army when the gifts arrived in Beijing, his wife was still at home!
Lin Hongzhi's wife, Zeng Yu, is a native of Beijing. Her family also lives in the Lin family's military compound, though they live in a small townhouse. Her father is also a soldier in the suburbs of Beijing, and her mother is unemployed. Her family comes from a rural area near Beijing, so her father is the only one who works.
Zeng Yu is the eldest child in the family, with two younger brothers. He just turned eighteen this spring. Lin Hongzhi and Zeng Yu's blind date took place at a social gathering in the military compound. After they fell in love, their families agreed. Because Lin Hongzhi was on vacation, the Lin and Zeng families arranged the marriage within ten days.
Xuemei and Han Chen prepared a bright red mandarin duck pillowcase for Lin Hongzhi and his wife, and paid Xinyan to embroider it with cloth. In addition, they used industrial coupons to buy two enamel cups and gave them a piece of rabbit skin left over from their home.
All these, excluding postage, cost more than ten yuan. One enamel cup can hold about one liter of water, and it's not the largest kind. One costs one industrial coupon plus five yuan.
On the third day of the fifth lunar month, the village was temporarily idle. Everyone was exhausted, and with little to do, they were allowed to rest from the third day until work resumed on the sixth day, the day after the Dragon Boat Festival. Of course, the tofu shops, wineries, and pig farmers didn't get a day off, as they hadn't participated in the village's crop rescue efforts.
Han Chen set out that morning, carrying a backpack and riding a bicycle to the county town. This was Han Chen's first time to the county town this year, and Han Chen did not return until the afternoon.
As soon as Xuemei came back from work, Han Chen pulled her into the room and said, "Xuemei, I went to the county's purchasing station today to load a bicycle and got 20 yuan. I also bought the radio I got in Beijing for 30 yuan! I also exchanged it for two kilograms of sugar and meat coupons. These coupons expire in three months."
By the way, I went to the county supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things. I was lucky today when I went there; malted milk had just been put on the shelves. Thinking that the summer harvest would be very tiring, I used up a kilogram and bought two 5-liang bags of malted milk. I'll give one bag to Mom and Dad, asking them to drink it with my younger siblings, and keep one bag for the two of us, as we need the nutritional supplements for pregnancy." Han Chen said this, touching his head a little embarrassedly.
Xuemei smiled and praised sincerely, "Han Chen, you're amazing! Look, it's only been four months this year, and you've already assembled three bicycles and earned fifty-five yuan. Add the thirty yuan for the radio, and that's eighty-five yuan in total. Add in your monthly work points, and you earn more than I do. You're the breadwinner for our family, earning both money and work points. I have to praise you profusely. You're amazing!"
Xuemei stood on tiptoe and kissed Han Chen on the mouth. Han Chen straightened up and promised proudly, "I will continue to persevere and achieve our small goal of saving 1,500 yuan soon!"
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