Chapter 74 The neighbor's spring chill has not yet dissipated, Cheng Xin squats...
The spring chill had not yet dissipated, and Cheng Xin squatted on the stone slabs by the river to wash clothes. The river water was piercing, and her hands felt like they were being pricked by needles. They were frozen red and purple, and her knuckles were a little stiff.
Huang Cai on the side seemed to have adapted to the cold river water. The wet clothes flew up and down in her hands. She didn't even bother to wipe the foam that splashed onto her forehead. She was still chatting and laughing with Cheng Xin.
Huang Cai shook off the water on her hands and wiped the foam off her forehead: "If you are afraid of the cold, leave it alone for now. I will wash you when I am done. The water is icy, don't freeze your hands."
Cheng Xin moved to the side and rubbed her swollen hands on her face: "I'll get used to it after a little scrubbing. In physics, friction generates heat. You see, it won't be so cold after rubbing for a while."
Huang Cai's hands turned white after being soaked in the water, and her knuckles were covered with frostbite that had healed and rotted. She smiled and shook her head: "You only know how to comfort yourself with the principles in the books."
Geng Yunye came over from the ridge of the field carrying a hoe. He saw Cheng Xin washing clothes by the river from afar and immediately ran over. "Stop washing!" He reached out and grabbed the clothes, his eyes full of heartache: "My hands are frozen and swollen!"
Cheng Xin pulled the clothes back: "I can do it. You are busy with so many things in the brigade during the day, you have to go digging, and you have to go home to cook at noon. I just wash a few clothes to help you share the housework."
In fact, at the beginning, the food Geng Yunye cooked was so salty that it was unbearable, but now the braised pork and stir-fried vegetables he cooked are getting better and better. Even when he showed off his skills at her mother's house, her mother always praised him highly.
Geng Yunye squatted down, grabbed Cheng Xin's hand and rubbed it gently: "Look at your hand, it's swollen like a carrot stick."
He washed his hands and took the wet clothes from Cheng Xin's hands: "Go and rest over there. I'll finish washing these clothes in a little while."
Huang Cai was envious of the young couple's intimacy. Wu Kai was also nice to her, but he never took the initiative to share the housework. She was the one who did all the chores at home, not to mention taking the initiative to help her wash clothes.
Huang Cai quickened her movements and rubbed the last few pieces of clothes: "I'm done washing, I'll go back and cook first. Wu Kai has to go to the mountain to pick mulberry leaves in the afternoon, so I have to prepare the meal early."
Wu Kai holds several positions. Not only does he teach in primary school, he is also in charge of the brigade's silkworm breeding work. He goes to the mountains to pick mulberry leaves before dawn every day. He is also responsible for the mulberry trees that the brigade recently transplanted.
In addition to attending classes, Huang Cai would go to the brigade's underwear factory to do odd jobs on weekends to earn some money. The two worked so hard just to have their own house in the brigade as soon as possible and no longer live in a dark and damp warehouse.
Cheng Xin stood up and patted the water droplets on her body: "I will go back with Huang Cai to pick the vegetables."
Geng Yunye rubbed the clothes without looking up and said, "I'll be back after I finish washing. You soak the rice first, and I'll go back and light the fire after I finish washing."
Cheng Xin went home and saw the pork ribs soaking in the aluminum basin, and sighed. She recalled the scene when she first got married. At that time, she thought the meat was leftover from the wedding banquet, but after the New Year, every meal at home still had two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish.
She had no choice but to sit down and talk to Geng Yunye. Geng Yunye didn't think there was anything wrong with eating meat every day. He first used a trick to make her feel guilty, saying that she couldn't do farm work because she didn't have enough oil. But after digging in the fields all day, she was still full of energy and pestered her until late at night. She didn't look like she had no energy at all.
Later, when the busy farming season came to an end, he said that she needed to eat meat to nourish her body and brain because of her busy studies. In short, he said whatever he wanted. Cheng Xin saw that she couldn't persuade him, so she let him do what he wanted. She understood that Geng Yunye was fulfilling his promise when he married her, that she would have meat for every meal.
Besides, he only kept ten yuan a month for pocket money, and he didn't spend any money on the pheasants and rabbits he caught, the river fish and shrimp he caught, and the seafood he picked up from the sea. She knew the amount on the bankbook at home very well. Even if they had two meats and one vegetable every day, the money would be enough for the two of them to eat for more than ten years.
A few days later, news of the brigade's first quarter dividend spread.
The bulletin board was packed with people, and everyone stretched their necks to look at the paper. When they saw the number behind the householder's name, many people were stunned.
Geng Dazhuang's eyes were as big as copper bells, and his fingers were shaking as he pointed at the bulletin board: "Oh my God, someone pinch me, am I dreaming?"
No wonder he was shocked. It was only one quarter, and each household could get 1,586 yuan!
Geng Mancang called Geng Yunye and other key members of the dividend distribution team to the brigade headquarters for a meeting. The accountant was still Cheng Xin. Ever since she helped the brigade to negotiate a foreign trade order, Cheng Xin, who could speak English, had become a favorite of the village committee and was always taken to all important meetings.
Cheng Xin almost bit her tongue when she saw the amount of Geng Yunye's dividend. She had just become a 10,000 yuan household before the New Year, and the money in the bank hadn't even warmed up yet. Now there was another 146,580 yuan. She might have to take a sack to put the money back. She glanced secretly and saw that the other uncles who invested had received 5,235 yuan.
Geng Mancang handed everyone a piece of paper with the amount written on it: "The dividend this time is large. Although the villagers know that you are the backbone, some people may be jealous. Remember, only a few of us know how much money you received. If you let it slip, don't come to me and cry when your family is short of money later."
A respected elder in the audience suggested: "It's not safe to have so much money in hand. Why not build a new house, buy a TV, and put the rest in the bank."
Everyone nodded and responded in unison. They had long been envious of Yunye's bright brick house. They didn't seek great wealth in this life, but just wanted to have enough food and drink and a comfortable place to live.
Geng Yunye waited until everyone put down the note before he started talking about business: "I asked a friend to help me get a scrapped truck from the army. I want to buy it back as collective property, so it will be convenient for transporting and delivering goods in the future."
Geng Mancang has complicated feelings towards Geng Yunye. When Geng Yunye earned 20,000 last year, he felt that this kid was going to skyrocket. This year, his salary increased fivefold. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether he was envious or jealous.
But when he thought of the 5,000 yuan he had just deposited into the passbook, his son and daughter-in-law couldn't stop smiling. The members of the cooperative had a good year. There were fewer quarrels this year than in previous years. The villagers worked hard to make money and even elected him as the production team leader. He was filled with gratitude.
Geng Mancang was somewhat tempted, but then hesitated and said, "Of course it would be nice to have a car, but none of us can repair it."
Geng Yunye put his hands on the table and said, "Uncle Mancang, as long as the car is not broken into pieces, I can fix it."
Since he took the initiative to treat the truck as collective property, several elders praised and thanked him.
"When you earn money, pick a good day to repair your parents' graves and let them enjoy the blessings."
Geng Yunye nodded: "I know. During the years I was in the army, my uncles and aunts helped me clean the grass in front of the grave. I will always remember this kindness in my heart."
Geng Yunye suddenly changed the subject: "The brigade now has sufficient funds. I suggest expanding another garment factory."
When several uncles and aunts who were envious of the dividends heard about the new factory, they immediately came forward and asked excitedly: "Tell us about it!"
Geng Yunye said calmly, "When I was running orders, I found that a type of jeans was popular in the city. Young people love bell-bottom jeans. The price of ordinary jeans is about 50 yuan, and the cost is 15 yuan. Finely made bell-bottom pants cost more than 100 yuan a pair, and the cost is 48 yuan."
Geng Guohua was amazed: "Are these pants inlaid with gold?"
Cheng Xin had just finished calculating the bills when she turned the pencil around her fingertips. She was very familiar with jeans. She had worn a lot of jeans in her dreams. There were also ice silk jeans on the market in summer. She had bought at least fifty pairs of jeans, and there were also denim skirts and denim jackets in her wardrobe.
She interjected, "There is also a kind of denim jacket that can be sold for about 200 yuan each, and the cost is 69 yuan."
Geng Mancang held his forehead and thought for a while: "How much will it cost to build a factory?"
Geng Yunye was well prepared. He asked Cheng Xin to hand him the bag and took out a black leather notebook. He had been sorting out information for the past few days. "The main purpose of building a factory is to give everyone a job. Sericulture only solves the employment of some middle-aged and elderly people. If we want to build a small garment factory, we need 30 sewing machines, three overlock machines, two cutting tables, and five irons and ironing tables. These costs will cost about 55,000 yuan."
Geng Mancang breathed a sigh of relief. The cost was acceptable. "None of us knows how to make jeans. Should we hire a master?"
"I can make it. I can let people learn from me. They can get started in three days. After they learn, they can teach two more people. Jeans are charged by piece, and the basic process is 30 cents a pair. Within six months, the production capacity will be put into operation and 60 members will be employed. The annual profit can reach 150,000 yuan."
Seeing his detailed plan, Geng Mancang nodded first: "I think it's feasible. Let's hold a member meeting tonight to vote. If more than half of the members agree, we can build a garment factory."
The torches in the drying yard were lit, shining brightly on everyone's faces, and everyone's faces were filled with joyful smiles. In previous years, I worked so hard that I could not earn 500 yuan a year, but this year I received 1,500 yuan in April.
Many people were discussing rebuilding their houses with bricks and tiles, and some were asking others for TV and plane tickets.
Geng Mancang announced the news that the brigade would build a garment factory. The vote was passed almost unanimously, and the construction of the garment factory was decided immediately.
When the meeting was over, someone suddenly shouted, "Uncle Mancang, the name of our village has not been decided yet. Should we change it to a more resonant name?"
The crowd was instantly excited. Some said that "Fumin Village" sounded auspicious and could make money, some suggested that "Xiangyang Village" was full of hope, and finally when people voted by raising their hands, "Jiangbin Village" received the most votes.
The day after receiving the dividends, Geng Yunye hired a small truck and brought back a washing machine and a refrigerator from the city.
The villagers all came over to watch the fun. Aunt Wang circled around the washing machine several times: "Yun Ye loves his wife so much! As soon as he got the money, he thought about buying a big item for the family!"
Aunt Zhao wiped her hands before she dared to touch the refrigerator door: "I've seen this thing on TV. I heard that you can put things in it for a long time without them going bad."
Aunt Zhang patted the refrigerator vigorously. "It's so magical? I'm afraid it must be the stove of Taishang Laojun."
Aunt Zhao felt very distressed: "Oh my god! Electrical appliances are so delicate."
Geng Yunye moved the washing machine under the eaves, with the drain pipe facing the gutter.
Aunt Wang followed and couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in her heart: "Just leave it in the yard like this? Don't let it get damaged by the wind and sun."
"It's hard to drain water indoors, so the eaves will protect it from rain. And connecting a water pipe will make it easier to fill the washing machine with water."
Aunt Wang wanted to say a few more words, but seeing that he was making very clear points, she had no choice but to go and look at the refrigerator with her hands behind her back and a sigh.
Geng Yunye moved the refrigerator into the main room. As soon as he plugged the refrigerator into the socket, the light on the inner wall lit up, causing the onlookers to exclaim "Wow".
Cheng Xin and Huang Cai were correcting homework in the office when a child came to tell her that their family had bought a washing machine and a refrigerator. She did not go home immediately for fear that the aunts would stop her and ask her questions.
Huang Cai teased her: "Your lover feels sorry for you doing laundry, so he bought you a washing machine and a refrigerator."
Cheng Xin was not to be outdone: "How dare you say that to me? Comrade Wu is so busy all day that he can't be seen. Isn't it just to build a new house for you? Have you chosen the homestead?"
"I've chosen several places but I'm not satisfied with any of them." Huang Cai pulled the end of her braid and whispered, "You know I'm not good at talking. I can't talk to the aunties in the village. I either dislike them or I'm too shy."
The aunts always spoke in a threatening manner. After all, Huang Cai was an educated city girl and she really couldn't get along with them.
Cheng Xin took Huang Cai's arm and pointed to the open space next to their house: "How about this place? It's close to the mountain, so it's convenient to pick wild fruits and vegetables in the future. It's just a short walk to the beach. Don't think I'm noisy when we become neighbors."
Huang Cai's eyes lit up: "How could I dislike you? This is your vegetable garden in the middle, right? I'll leave a piece for you as well. You grow tomatoes and I grow cucumbers, and we can take turns eating them." She immediately decided on the location for the new house.
Summer has arrived, and people are busy planting rice in the fields. The scorching sun makes people sweat.
Geng Mancang held up a loudspeaker and shouted from the edge of the field: "Everyone, work harder! Plant the rice seedlings evenly so that the harvest will be good in autumn!"
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