Chapter 6: Think about it again.
No one knows how Qi Fang became our brother in the blink of an eye.
But no one cares about this. An accident in the operation area is a big deal. After all, forestry logging is a very dangerous job, and every year people die or become disabled due to work-related injuries.
Qi Fang immediately went to the bed to get his helmet, "Is he seriously injured?"
When he leaned over, his eyes met Yan Xue's. He paused, but Yan Xue had already taken the initiative to speak, "I'll go take a look too."
The young girl quickly wrapped herself in a scarf and said, "I'm just waiting here. Don't worry, I won't get too close or wander around. I won't cause any trouble for you."
She was indeed waiting in the cellar, and thinking about how she had almost been hit by a log before, she realized that some things were better seen with her own eyes than warned a thousand times.
Qi Fang said nothing, and as they walked out, they explained the general situation. Especially the one who accidentally called our brother out, he was very proactive.
It was almost the end of the workday, and the teams were wrapping up their work, so nothing should have happened. However, chainsaw operators were responsible for felling trees, and unlike other types of work, if they were fast enough, they could fell two or three days' worth of trees in one go, freeing up time to pursue side jobs in the forest.
After all, the forest farm's transportation capacity is limited. No matter how much wood is cut down, it can only transport a certain number of cubic meters every day.
In another work team that Yan Xue didn't go to, someone wanted to go into the mountains to blow up pine cones tomorrow. They were anxious to get the job done, but ended up running into a big, unforgiving guy.
This tree is wide in diameter and heavy, so it really tests the sawer's skill and experience. Sometimes, even after sawing through it, it won't fall, and you need to throw a coat or cotton hat in the direction it wants to fall, so the wind will pull the tree down.
But it was snowing today, and the other person was anxious when he threw the cotton hat. He clearly shouted "facing the mountain and falling", reminding people around him that the tree was falling towards the mountain, but when it really fell, it fell sideways.
Because the sawyer entered the mountains three days earlier and kept a safe distance of 70 meters from the main group, the others were fine, but one of his two assistants was crushed under the branches.
"He's not in immediate danger of death, but half his body is covered in blood. The manager has already dispatched a motorcycle to take him to the hospital. He's also called everyone to a meeting in the hangar, presumably to emphasize safety."
As they were talking, they had already arrived at the hangar where tractors and generators were stored. Because there were so many people, the door of the hangar was not closed, so Yan Xue stopped outside the door.
As expected, the emphasis was on safety issues. The director of the forest farm had a grim face and scolded Li Shuwu, who had made the mistake.
He was too eager for quick success and caused injuries to others, and it was all for the sake of going out to do a side job. With such a big responsibility, a punishment is too little.
The director immediately removed him from his position as saw operator and replaced him with Liu Daniu, a former saw operator himself. Unless he performed well in the future and qualified to return to the bureau for training, it would be difficult for him to return to his current position.
"Also, I heard that someone brought their family members into the work area without taking any safety measures." After dealing with this matter, the director changed the subject.
He didn't know who said it, and probably didn't understand it. He was looking at Qi Fang, who stood out in the crowd in terms of height and appearance.
Once you go up the mountain, you won't be able to go home for several months. It's not uncommon for family members to come up and visit occasionally, but that's normal. If you run into trouble at this time, you might be criticized as well.
As expected, the farm manager made an example of this. "Safety is the norm. We emphasize it every year, but some people don't take their own and others' safety seriously. What's the big deal if you're absent for a while? Are you the only one with a family? Who's responsible if something goes wrong?"
To be honest, it was a bit unfair, but to explain now would be equivalent to embarrassing the other party in public, not to mention that he was originally coming for Qi Fang.
Qi Fang didn't say anything, just glanced at Brother Liang on the other side.
It would have been fine if he was alone, but now many people inside and outside the hangar were looking at him, intentionally or unintentionally. When he moved, those eyes followed him. Especially the young man who accidentally called our brother out, seeing this, he even whispered to Qi Fang, "Is he the one who filed the complaint?"
Although Brother Liang didn't hear it, he was the one who brought the person up, and he was already feeling guilty. His own guesses made him feel more uneasy than if he had actually heard it.
He couldn't help but look displeased, "Why are you all looking at me?"
This statement was like an admission of guilt, and the director who was criticizing someone in front paused.
Looking at the situation below, Qi Fang remained calm, while Brother Liang's eyes flickered, clearly bluffing. The director's already negative expression instantly darkened, but he still cleared his throat. "I won't name names this time. Whoever has a problem should reflect on it themselves. Next time, it won't be as simple as a public criticism."
The words sounded nice, but even though Yan Xue was far away, she could still hear someone nearby muttering, "They were trying to identify an example, why aren't they calling out names anymore?"
"Who knows? Doesn't it all depend on his son-in-law? Maybe this matter is related to his son-in-law."
"Then he shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place."
"Who cares about his family's little troubles? It's Old Guo's family that's in trouble this time. Old Guo just passed away two years ago, and now he has lost his son..."
Although I have been working in the forest farm for a long time, I always see people around me getting injured, and I can't help but sigh when I mention it.
After the crowd dispersed, the motorcycle trucks allocated by the forest farm were refueled and drove over.
When Qi Fang came out of the hangar, he saw Yan Xue staring at the wounded who had just been carried out not far away. The smile in her eyes, which were so crescent-shaped that they could bend into a crescent, was gone, and instead showed pity.
He also looked over and said, "Originally, he was going to get married right after the holiday before the New Year."
This made Yan Xue drop her eyelashes and become even more silent.
"I'm going to tell the Guo family a message and send you down by the way." Qi Fang glanced at her and said.
Yan Xue didn't object.
He went to tell the person in charge of sending people to the town forestry bureau hospital, and got on the motorcycle with Yan Xue.
This locomotive, a modified car built by a local machinery factory with a carriage attached to the back, is quite simple and has average performance. It is mainly used for railway construction and maintenance. However, small trains and internal combustion engines are often difficult to dispatch, so each forest farm has one to prepare for such emergencies.
The car seemed to be falling apart as it drove from the mountain to the forest farm. After Qi Fang and Yan Xue got off, it continued to drive towards the town.
Neither of them asked for the other's opinion, and both chose to go to the injured Guo Changan's home first to inform his family of the matter.
The person who came to open the door was a little old lady in her fifties, with a chubby little tail following behind her. She was probably talking to a child, and her face was full of a loving smile.
Yan Xue suddenly felt that what she and Qi Fang were about to say was a bit cruel.
Qi Fang's usually cold expression seemed to pause, but he still spoke. The old lady's smile immediately froze on her face and her body tilted downwards.
It was completely dark when I came out of Guo's house. In the silence of heaven and earth, the uncontrollable crying in the yard behind me was particularly piercing to my eardrums.
It was just like the crying sound coming from Yan Xue's house when she was six years old in her previous life...
"Will the forest farm be responsible for this kind of work-related injury?" she asked softly as she walked along the road leading to the guesthouse.
Qi Fang said "hmm" and then fell silent.
After a while, he finally broke the silence that lingered between the two of them, "The forest farm only has holidays during the New Year."
Well, so what?
Yan Xue raised her head and looked at the man, and found that he was also looking at her. "I can't come down these few days, please think about it carefully."
He still felt that she was inappropriate and should not be here.
Some suffering feels fresh when you endure it for one day, but after a week or a month, it becomes nothing but torture.
There were no clothes or shoes she loved, no cinemas or theaters, and even no electricity. She could only get a little work every night when the forest farm generated electricity to power the small repair shop, but at most she could only work until nine o'clock, after which it was pitch black.
The employees here generally have low educational levels, and many of their families cannot even read or write. It is difficult for her to find someone to talk to, let alone face something like what happened today.
Rather than regretting it later, it’s better to learn more while there’s still time, and leave early...
The next morning, Yan Xue was awakened by the sound of the radio.
The forest farm’s radio broadcasts on time every morning, not only to let everyone know the news outside, but also to remind the forest farm’s employees that it’s time to go to work.
Yan Xue had no habit of sleeping in, and her two lifetime experiences had never given her the opportunity to sleep in. She soon woke up completely and reached for the cotton-padded clothes and trousers drying on the kang.
Qi Fang sent her to the guesthouse last night and left. She should stay in the dormitory for one night and go up the mountain this morning.
After what happened, it was no wonder he asked her to think it over carefully. If there were no better options, she would have wanted to consider it.
Although working at the forest farm was a bit hard and dangerous, compared to other local factories, the treatment was definitely good. The town had a hospital and a middle school, and the forest farm also had an elementary school, a guesthouse, and a cafeteria.
Yan Xue still had some national food coupons that her great-aunt had helped her buy, so she was going to the cafeteria to eat and then walk around the forest farm. She had been so busy looking for someone yesterday that she hadn't really looked carefully.
As soon as I came out, I was stopped by the waiter of the guesthouse, "A man came here this morning and asked me to give this to you."
It was a stack of money and local food coupons. It was not as valuable as the national food coupons that could be used outside the province, but it was more plentiful.
It seems that although this man is cold and straightforward, he is also quite thoughtful in his work. He left her here without even thinking it over carefully.
Yan Xue thanked him and just as she was leaving the guesthouse, someone called her again: "Are you the relative of Xiao Qi's family?"
This time it was a middle-aged woman in her forties, carrying a tin bucket in one hand. Because the snow had stopped, the bucket was uncovered, and you could tell it was filled with freshly ground cornmeal.
Since he was just considering it, Qi Fang naturally didn't tell anyone that this was his blind date, and Yan Xue didn't explain, "Who are you?"
"My husband is Liu Daniu, the team leader of Xiao Qi's group. When Xiao Qi first arrived, he had no room in the dormitory, so he lived in my house for half a year. He ran into me when he was leaving this morning, and asked me to take you around the forest farm when I have time."
Yan Xue remembered Liu Daniu, the one who made the mistake and had his hand sawed off. Apparently, the saying about this blind date being thoughtful was true; he even found a guide for her.
Yan Xue narrowed her eyes, smiled, and thanked the other party first. "Thank you so much for troubling you. When are you free? I'll come to see you after dinner."
"Why are you still eating? We're all up in the mountains. Even a dog wouldn't want to eat the food down there." Liu Daniu's wife grabbed her and said, "Come on, let's go to my house to eat. My kids are sleeping in at home, so I'll leave some food in the pot for them. It's all ready, so don't complain."
This man could carry a full iron bucket. His strength was far beyond Yan Xue's, yet he enthusiastically took Yan Xue to his home.
She told Yan Xue whatever she thought of on the way, and it was all about the forest farm, so Yan Xue didn't insist on trying to earn it.
Unlike the brick and tile structures at the guesthouse, the forestry farm workers mostly lived in self-built mud houses, known locally as "Bawangquan." The forestry farm had no shortage of wood, and the houses were supported by logs, the gaps filled with yellow mud mixed with hay. They looked short, small, and unassuming, but they were warmer than the brick houses that would crack over time.
The Liu family kept a dog in their yard. When it heard the footsteps of outsiders, it started barking inside.
"Wait for me to go in and tie them up. These are three of them that my old man raised for hunting. He went up the mountain this morning and took two away."
Liu Daniu's wife put down the metal bucket and went into the yard first. After a while, she shouted from inside: "It's done."
Seeing her blocking the doghouse, Yan Xue helped her carry the bucket in.
"It's quite heavy, isn't it?" Liu Daniu's wife asked as she entered the door. "Originally, it was the Guo family who wanted to make the pancakes, but didn't their third son get into trouble? So I brought it back to help."
As she spoke, she slapped the boy who was sticking his butt out to eat rice in the big earthen pot, "Aren't you cold? You're running out in your shorts."
People were poor back then, and many city kids hadn't even worn striped pants until they were adults, let alone in the forest. The boy wasn't upset when he was photographed, but he felt a little embarrassed to see someone else around, so he scurried back into the house.
"My old boy only knows how to eat all day long." Liu Daniu's wife introduced him to Yan Xue with a helpless smile.
"It's normal. My brother is the same age as him."
Married women love to talk about children with others. When Liu Daniu's wife heard that Yan Xue had such a big brother, her attitude became even more intimate.
As he was speaking, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen came out from the inner room. When she saw Yan Xue, her face looked unhappy.
Liu Daniu's wife asked her to call her sister, but she did so reluctantly. She only asked Liu Daniu's wife: "When are we leaving?"
Liu Daniu's wife was stunned by the question at that time. "Mom has something to do today. Let's go another day."
The little girl exploded when she heard this. "You said you were taking me to town to sell things the day before yesterday, but you pushed it back to yesterday, and then to today, and now you have something to do today! Didn't you ever intend to take me?"
Adults usually have a sense of contempt when facing children's affairs, thinking that their own affairs are more important than their children's. Therefore, they often have a perfunctory attitude, but forget that their affairs are the most important to children.
Liu Daniu's wife's guilty conscience turned into anger. "There are people here, do you understand? Listen to mom, the weather is bad today, let's go another day."
"If you don't want to take me with you, then forget it. I'll go by myself!" The little girl's eyes turned red and she went back to the house and carried the basket on her back.
It seems that she has been looking forward to it for a long time and has prepared everything in advance.
Liu Daniu's wife was worried about her daughter going to the town alone, so she immediately went to stop her. The mother and daughter were deadlocked at the door, and the other children couldn't help but stick their heads out from the inner room.
"How about I come with you?" Yan Xue suddenly said in the chaos, "It just so happens that I have a relative in town who was going to send me over, but something happened to his child at home and he couldn't come. I'll go over and take a look."
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