After Liu's mother finished speaking, Wang Shuihua also packed up her things and went home. Liu's mother looked at the sky and said to Xuemei, "Xuemei, look at the time now. Why do I feel like you're back so early today?"
"Mom, from today on we will get off work at 5:30. By the way, Mom, didn't you go to the mountain to dig bamboo shoots today? Ruirui and Feifei haven't come back today." Xuemei replied.
"Your father and I won't be going from today onwards. Besides, we've almost finished digging on the mountain. Your father came back at noon, had lunch, and then went to the mountain to chop firewood. In a few days, we will all be moving rocks and won't have time to get firewood. Today, when your two younger brothers came home from school and heard that your father was going to chop firewood, they also went up the mountain to help.
I also have to take advantage of the next few days to lengthen my cotton-padded jacket and refill it with new cotton. Otherwise, when the weather gets cold in a few days, what will I wear?
"Hey, Qingya and the other two had their cotton-padded jackets made two years ago. We left two or three inches of space between them, and now the tops and sleeves are too short. Luckily, we didn't waste any fabric and made them big enough, otherwise we'd have to redo them now." Mrs. Liu replied as she wiped the needle inside her hair.
"Your father went to the commune for a meeting this morning. The commune said that our village must get the stones needed for the two bridges within 20 days. Unless there are any special circumstances, every family must send at least two people, and all male and female educated youth must go." Liu's mother replied.
"The commune will still calculate work points this year, right?" Xuemei said as she put her things down.
"In terms of work points, the maximum amount you can get is twelve, regardless of gender," said Liu's mother.
"The highest work points are twelve. It seems that the work assigned by the commune this year is very tiring. Mom, tomorrow I will ask Sister Zhang to save me a bag of malted milk next month so that you and Dad can have some to replenish your energy. We just recovered not long ago after the autumn harvest." Xuemei said with concern.
"No need. There's still half of the malted milk you bought last time. You can finish it first. It's not as hard as you think. Three people from your second uncle's family are planning to go, and Mingwu will go too." Mother Liu comforted.
"Mingwu should go too. Mingwu is only 15 and still growing. Don't let him get crushed by such heavy work." Xuemei said worriedly.
Although Mingwu is almost three years older than Ruirui and Feifei, the three of them are now about the same height.
"Your second mother's original words were that Mingwu was not good at studying and didn't do much work. If he wasn't diligent, who would help him find a wife in the future? Don't worry, your second mother and the others know what's going on. They want him to follow the educated youth to move stones. Take it easy and just earn six or seven work points a day, which is about the same as during the autumn harvest." Liu's mother explained.
"Okay, then I'll go cook first. You don't have to make clothes anymore. You've been working all day. Give your eyes a rest." Xuemei said.
"I know. After I sew these stitches, I won't do it anymore today. Remember to cook more rice. Your father and the others need to eat more tonight." Liu's mother reminded.
Xuemei nodded.
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