Li Qiang pulled Li Ping out the door. Being late would result in a deduction of points. Ye Chenming had already written all the rules down on paper yesterday. He not only read them aloud but also crushed the paper with rice grains and pasted it on the door.
These three people can't shift the blame even if they want to, so let it be; life will teach them a lesson.
Village Chief Ma was the one who paid the most attention to the educated youth. When he saw that there were only eight educated youth on the ridge of the field, he quickly came over to ask them questions.
Tian Fang said in a serious tone, "Reporting to the village chief, they said they want to be teachers, village chiefs, and accountants."
Village Chief Ma believed Tian Fang's words without a doubt, because every time he went to the town for a meeting, the village chiefs from other villages said the same thing.
Those educated youth considered themselves cultured and knowledgeable people. They came to build and change the countryside, and they wanted to shine and contribute their meager strength to this vast land of rural areas.
"Accountant Ma, did you hear that? Tell the scorekeeper to keep a close eye on these three people." Village Chief Ma left; he also had a lot of work to do.
Accountant Ma chuckled inwardly, thinking, "They want to take my position? I'm looking forward to it."
The three men stood in the courtyard, looking at each other in bewilderment. Had they said something wrong? But even so, they still had to eat. They went to the woodshed, brought back firewood, and began to cook.
There were no vegetables available, so I could only find some pickles in my luggage to eat a few bites, then I picked up my hoe and went to the fields.
The scorekeeper glanced at his watch, then turned to a new page in his scorebook to record their arrival time and their dawdling attitude.
In fact, the three of them did put in effort, but due to their lack of skill and improper movements, they experienced pain in their hands, feet, and backs, which slowed down their movements and reduced their strength. However, in the eyes of the scorekeeper, they were just going through the motions without putting in any real effort.
The sun slowly rose, and by 10 a.m., it was scorching hot. The three educated youths forgot to bring straw hats and long-sleeved jackets, and were so hot from the sun that they had to drop their hoes and run back to the educated youth settlement.
Well, I'm out of points for today. The scorekeeper marked it with three X's.
At 10:30, the villagers finish work and go home. The afternoon work doesn't start until 3 or 4 o'clock, so they can take a good nap and have lunch. They have plenty of time.
Back at the educated youth settlement, Li Ping got into an argument with Pan Gaozhi: "Did you take our firewood?"
Pan Gaozhi was somewhat puzzled: "Isn't the firewood in the woodshed for burning? Does that firewood have a name, and is it divided into yours and mine?"
Li Ping was furious: "We made it clear the day you came that everyone should use their own things. That firewood belongs to my brother and me. Why are you using it without even asking? That's stealing."
The two male educated youths, one named Li Xiangyang and the other Yang Wei, felt uncomfortable upon hearing this: "Li Ping, you need to be responsible for your words. Using a little firewood is considered stealing, but what about when I saw you take Comrade Ye's sweet potatoes the day I arrived?"
“Oh right, isn’t that Ye Chen’er? She’s still looking for sweet potatoes, but she’s been looking around and hasn’t found any. I was going to tell her, but I didn’t know the situation and didn’t dare to say anything.” Pan Gaozhi immediately chimed in.
Li Ping was speechless for a moment, and her gaze involuntarily turned to Ye Chen'er. Ye Chen'er's face was full of disappointment and contempt, which made Li Ping feel ashamed. She covered her face and ran back into the house.
Li Qiang was genuinely angry. He pointed at Yang Wei and said, "You used my firewood, so you'd better make it up to me, whether you pick it up yourself or buy it. Otherwise, don't blame me for using your grain to pay off the debt."
Liu Limin and the others are now glad they listened to Tian Fang and Wang Yan. The day before the new educated youth arrived, they moved all their firewood into their own houses. Although it was a bit dirty and troublesome, it was better than buying firecrackers for others to set off.
Zhang Dali also spoke up: "The male educated youth are to take on the task of carrying water. We will each take one day. Ye Chenming will be the first, and Li Qiang will be the last. You two will be in line after Li Qiang."
Zhang Wei looked up at Zhang Dali and said, "Zhang Dali, right? We both have the surname Zhang. So, when are you going to collect firewood next time? Could you take me with you?"
Zhang Dali was speechless. There were countless people with the surname Zhang, and he didn't owe you anything.
Tian Fang took out her own food, firewood, and thermos to boil water and cook rice while she had some free time, otherwise it would be a waste of time to squeeze together.
Wang Yan handed over a bundle of firewood and some coarse grains: "Tian Fang, why don't we join in?"
Tian Fang glanced at Wang Yan, sighed, and said, "I'll cook and you wash the dishes."
Wang Yan nodded, "It's just washing a few dishes."
Pan Gaozhi quickly stepped forward: "Tian Fang, why don't I join in?"
Tian Fang shook her head: "You should find someone else to share with. The two of us are just right."
Pan Gaozhi rolled his eyes and saw Ye Chen'er washing clothes: "Comrade Ye, let's do it together."
Ye Chen'er shook her head: "I'm in a group with my brother."
Yang Wei and Li Xiangyang exchanged a glance and nodded, clearly indicating that they had formed a team.
Pan Gaozhi was filled with resentment. Even if Li Ping wasn't in a group with her brother, he still didn't want to team up with her. He could just be alone; cooking and boiling water weren't difficult tasks anyway.
October arrived in the blink of an eye, and the busy farming season was upon us. Since corn and sweet potatoes did not require the payment of public grain, the villagers' enthusiasm was clearly high. Last year's sweet potatoes sold well, and every household had some extra money. Even the households with deficits were almost out of money.
The eight educated youths clearly knew this, and their enthusiasm increased considerably. Even Wang Yan, a girl who liked to cheat and slack off, became much more serious, since it was directly related to money.
Last year, when the group needed to add another person, Wang Yan strongly requested to join.
"Wang Yan, do you have any money left?" Zhang Dali asked with a smile.
Wang Yan nodded. She was usually quite frugal.
“We’ll eat better during the busy farming season, so we’ll have to split the money. Also, Chen’er needs to finish work an hour earlier to cook, and we’ll have to take turns filling in an hour earlier in the morning. Can you do that?” Liu Limin asked, while also looking at Tian Fang.
Last time, Tian Fang prepared her own meals and did not join their group.
The two nodded in unison. A few months ago, during the busy farming season, Ye Chen'er cooked rice and braised meat, and the aroma was so enticing that it almost drove people crazy.
The two watched with envy, for money was nothing compared to the scarcity of fine grains and meat.
Li Qiang clenched his fists secretly, turned around and went into the house. This life was really suffocating.
The three new educated youths were still a little confused as to why they needed to eat better during the busy farming season, and where their meat came from.
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