"Our village is also getting electricity this year. It was almost done when I came to school this week. I wonder if it's done when I go back today." Shengnan said.
Liujia Village has seen significant growth in recent years. A tofu shop and a winery opened a few years ago, bringing in significant income. Last year, the village earned 1.1 cents for every ten centimeters of work performed. Liu Xiu now works at the tofu shop. He doesn't have to make tofu for about ten days a year; the rest of the year, he does it every day. The finished tofu is delivered to the supply and marketing cooperative's grocery store on the village oxcart, earning him seven work points a day.
"The electricity should be connected. Sitong, the last time I went home, my dad told me that the commune middle school has been built. It's right next to the commune primary school. Next semester, you three can go to school there. It's much closer to home."
"I've also heard about this from my dad and the others. Third Aunt said that I should live with her next semester and not go to the school to board."
"That's great. Living in school, with 20 people in a dormitory, especially in the summer, the whole place is filled with the stench of sweat."
"Sister, your girls' dormitory is okay, but our boys' dormitory stinks to high heaven. It stinks of sweat and stinky socks... If I have to go to school in the commune next semester, I'm going to apply to go to school on my own."
@Is it still unsafe to walk to school? Self-study doesn’t end until 9pm? In the summer we have to run exercises at 5:30am, so you won’t have time in the morning!
"Okay! I have no choice but to live on campus."
"Cousin, I saw the ox cart from our village. I'm leaving first."
"Okay, we're going home too."
…
"Sister, you're back." Qingya said.
"Well, did you just get back too? Where are Ruirui and Feifei?"
"They've gone out to collect firewood again. We need to collect more these days. Sister, now that you're back, I'm going to collect grass for the pigs."
The Liu family has been raising two pigs every year for the past three years. Now, Qingya and her two younger brothers collect grass and earthworms for the pigs. Every year, after completing their pig-raising duties, Liu's mother gives each of them six yuan. With this carrot hanging around their backs, the three of them are even more motivated to feed the pigs. Xuemei only received a two-yuan bonus for raising pigs during her first year in fifth grade.
"Wait a minute, why are your arms bruised? Did you get into a fight with your brothers again?"
"Big sister, you can't blame us this time. Ruirui, Feifei, and I discovered the plum tree first. A few boys saw it and wanted to steal ours, so we fought with them. I picked all the plums, twenty pounds. You can eat as much as you want when you get home this time."
"That's great. I love eating plums the most. Wait, you only have bruises on your arm, but are you okay elsewhere? And are Ruirui and Feifei injured?"
"Sister, we are all fine. If we were still injured, wouldn't Dad have taught us in vain?"
"Dad didn't teach you boxing and other things so that you could fight. Didn't you hurt anyone?"
"No, we were careful and knew our limits!" Only those boys were beaten black and blue, but they were too embarrassed to go back and complain, because Ruirui and Feifei were a few years younger than them.
Since Liu's father taught Xuemei and her four siblings how to box, they've become stronger and have developed larger appetites. They've also grown taller than their peers: Qingya is now 5'6", Ruirui and Feifei are almost 5'6". Liu's father was one of the strongest men in the village, and Qingya and Ruirui have inherited his strength. Combined with boxing training, they now possess the strength of an average adult man, and can now fight against adults. Last year, Liu's father began taking Qingya and Ruirui hunting in the mountains. Feifei's health has also improved, and she's now no different from a normal person. Perhaps because Xuemei was a little older and didn't inherit Liu's father's strength, the boxing training hasn't yielded the same benefits as Qingya and the others, but she's gained a lot of strength, and can now easily carry objects weighing 70 or 80 kilograms.
"Sister, I'm leaving first. After you finish cooking, just stir-fry some vegetables. Mom went to Wangjia Village to help in the kitchen today and will bring back some vegetables."
Four years ago, Xuemei bought a cookbook from a bookstore for Liu's mother. After learning from it, Liu's mother's cooking skills have improved, and she now makes a wide variety of delicious dishes. Ever since she cooked for a village family getting married two years ago, her reputation for delicious cooking has spread. Now, during her slack season, Liu's mother helps with the cooking, earning 20 to 30 yuan annually.
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