"Is the food in the camp so bad now? It shouldn't be like this!" Ji Xia was a little puzzled. Could it be that the funds for the Marine Division were gone because of the need to maintain the ships?
"The main problem is that there's not much pork on the market. The normal supply is the same as before. We can eat meat once or twice a week, but it's just too little. We have so many people, and the logistics department can't buy meat even if they get the money."
The last time they ate meat was during the Chinese New Year, when Ji Xia got them a few trucks of supplies. Later, there were two times when they were so greedy that they organized an expedition into the mountains and brought back some wild goods.
Ji Xia didn't say anything. Zhang Tie thought he had said something wrong and scratched his head. "Sister-in-law, we are already lucky enough. This time we ate more meat than all the previous times combined."
Ji Xia said, "I'll think of a solution for you guys later. Don't tell anyone for now."
Zhang Tie also knew how powerful it was. What if he failed to get it? Wouldn’t that bring shame to his sister-in-law? Although he knew that his sister-in-law had great magical powers, Zhang Tie would definitely not tell anyone.
The roads in the entire Bing County are well built. The road from the military camp to Jijia Village was really difficult to travel on before, with potholes everywhere. It took two hours to get there in good weather and almost three hours in bad weather. Now it only takes less than an hour.
The entire route is paved road.
Zhang Tiedao said, "The roads in Bing County are very easy to travel now. Almost all the areas close to the county seat have access to highways, and roads are being built in more distant areas. Bing County has even built a road leading to the provincial capital."
Ji Xia also saw it. After the car turned into the road leading to Jijia Village, he soon saw the village not far away. What surprised Ji Xia was that almost every household had a brick and tile house, the school had an additional teaching building, the factory was very grand, and a five-star red flag was raised high on the flagpole in the yard, fluttering in the wind.
Suddenly, someone appeared out of nowhere and came towards the car. Zhang Tie quickly braked. Looking at the smiling faces, even a tough guy like him felt a little jealous. "Sister-in-law, I'm here to welcome you!"
Ji Xia also saw it. She didn't tell the villagers that she was coming today. She must have informed Commander Liang about it.
"Xia Xia is back!"
"Xia Xia is back!"
"Xia Xia is back!"
Almost everyone was running around to tell others that some were leaning on crutches, some were being held in someone's arms, some were pregnant, and some were carrying shoulder poles. They all came towards Ji Xia, all with smiles on their faces.
"Xiao Xia is back, but she didn't even tell us. Luckily, someone informed me yesterday. How could you, kid, launch a surprise attack?" Ji Changgeng said.
"Uncle Chang Geng, I'm back!" Ji Xia was helped down from the car. She was surrounded by people, and everyone wanted to talk to her. She didn't know who to answer.
"Xia, come to my house for dinner!"
"No, go to my house, go to my house. I just bought some meat this morning."
"Tsk, your cooking skills are not good, and the meat is not tasty, so come to my house!"
They all rushed to invite Ji Xia to their house for dinner, but Ji Xia smiled and said, "No, I have to go to my mother's house at noon. I came here to see everyone and talk to Uncle Chang Geng and other village officials to see if there is anything I can help with!"
After a lively moment, Ji Changgeng drove everyone away. He is now the secretary of the commune. In Jijia Village, Yang Muchun also retired. Now their sons are leading the whole village to prosperity and are doing a good job.
Ji Xiaozu is the team leader and Yang Dazhuang is the secretary.
Leaders of both the old and new generations accompanied Ji Xia to the brigade headquarters. Yang Dazhuang and Ji Xiaozu were very attentive, one lighting the kang and the other serving tea and water.
"Uncle Dazhuang and Brother Xiaozu are village cadres now. How do you feel about that?" Ji Xia smiled while holding a hot teacup.
The two of them had been through so much, and they had become quite good at dealing with people and speaking. They were both wearing brand new cotton-padded jackets and sitting around the kang table.
Yang Dazhuang said, "The village has established a road construction team, and now they go out everywhere to build roads for people. The car I used to drive is now driven by someone else. I mainly manage the factory and the road construction team, and I also manage production on a regular basis. Every day is very busy, but it's also very fulfilling. The lives of the villagers are getting better and better, and we village cadres are proud of it.
Xia Xia, you brought us all these things. I always tell the villagers that even though we have a good life, we must not forget our roots.
Yang Muchun kicked his son and said, "Isn't this what I taught you? If it weren't for Xia Xia, many people in the village wouldn't have survived that winter. Over a dozen people died in the Tanshan Brigade next door that winter, all starving to death! The same thing happened in the Dongshan Brigade over there. They all lost their lives!"
Yang Muchun was wearing a large cotton-padded jacket that was neither old nor new, a cotton hat on his head, and a pipe in his hand. The jacket looked quite thick, and he looked quite energetic. Perhaps because he had eaten his fill, his face had gained some flesh, and he looked much better than the African refugee he used to be.
"Yes, we are doing so well now, other teams are quite envious of us, it's all thanks to Xia Xia!" Ji Changgeng's face was beaming.
With Ji Xia around, he was able to secure the position of commune secretary. Back then, there were people competing with him, but the higher-ups directly named him.
No one can compare with him in terms of background or performance.
Don’t you see how prosperous Jijia Village is!
"I was born and raised here, so I naturally want to give back to my fellow villagers whenever I have the chance. Uncle Chang Geng, Uncle Muchun, you've worked hard all your lives. If you can have enough food and warm clothes when you're old, it will bring honor to us, the younger generations."
Ji Xia has never been fond of sentimentality, but being with these people, the nostalgia for home made her feel comfortable.
These people, who have been working hard all their lives, grow the food that feeds everyone. We should never forget our roots.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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