Xu Ningyan thought for a moment and said, "How about this? My private plot is close to the cowshed, and I rarely come back. Why don't we ask the brigade headquarters to let the people in the cowshed cultivate my private plot? That way, they won't steal from it! Besides, since they're cultivating my land, they might as well help me look after the yard."
The brigade leader thought about it and realized that it made sense. Since the other side was closer, he could keep an eye on the yard and private plot every day.
It would also prevent Aunt Xie from constantly running over there; it's better to keep those people in the cowshed and the people in the brigade at a distance.
After exchanging a glance with the Party Secretary, he nodded and agreed.
Xu Ningyan seized the opportunity and said, "I don't know when I'll get news about the cotton. But I have an idea. Brother Gu went back to Beijing, and he'll rarely come back. His bedding is just sitting in the closet getting moldy. Why don't we take it out and have the brigade headquarters lend it to them so they can take good care of my private plot? Brigade leader, Party Secretary, what do you think?"
The brigade leader and the village secretary didn't think much of it. They weren't stupid; they knew that Siya probably felt sorry for the people in the cowshed and wanted to help them.
Sigh, this girl, she's probably what city people call someone who likes whatever they want.
Fortunately, the girl was still clear-headed and didn't associate with the people in the cowshed in private. Instead, she got the brigade headquarters to come forward, which saved her a lot of trouble.
They didn't want to see the people from the cowshed die in their own brigade, so they could only grit their teeth and accept it.
With the approval of the brigade leader and the party secretary, Xu Ningyan finally felt half relieved.
The brigade leader followed Xu Ningyan back to get the quilts and took a look at the private plot of land.
Fortunately, the private plot was mostly planted with vegetables. Even if Xu Ningyan didn't harvest them now, it wouldn't be long before the last batch of sweet potato seedlings were planted.
At this time, everyone's private plots were basically used to grow various cash crops, especially sweet potatoes and potatoes, which could be used as food.
Vegetables are grown in small plots of wasteland around the houses, since there's not much else in the countryside but plenty of land.
It's because Xu Ningyan went to work in the city and didn't need this, so she used her private plot to grow vegetables.
After the harvest, turn the soil over and let it dry in the sun. There's still time to plant sweet potatoes. In November, we can harvest the last batch of sweet potatoes. Many families with large members survived the second half of the year and the spring famine by relying on these sweet potatoes and potatoes.
The bedding Gu Zhiyuan used in the cowshed was a second-hand military bedding that Sun Zhou had gotten from elsewhere. Although it felt a little thin, the cotton inside was really good cotton.
It felt quite heavy when I picked it up; the quilt and mattress together weighed a good seven or eight pounds.
Moreover, the quilt also has a quilt cover, and although it looks old, it has no patches, which is extremely rare.
The brigade leader, clutching the quilt in his hands, couldn't help but mutter, "This is good cotton. Giving it to them would be too easy on them. According to Old Li from the next brigade, even if they don't have quilts, they can just stuff more straw into their quilt covers and get through the winter!"
These beddings are better than the ones at his house; he really can't bear to part with them.
After thinking for a moment, he discussed with Xu Ningyan: "Your bedding is too good. It might be too conspicuous for the people in the cowshed to use it. Why don't we take this bedding to the brigade and exchange it with everyone for a couple of older bedding? That would probably be more suitable for them."
"Even if you manage to get cotton in the city, you can't give them such good stuff! Any old stuff will do, as long as it's not too filthy! Just don't give it to anyone who sees it!"
This is a reminder to Xu Ningyan to be on guard.
After all, even though most of the members of the Unity Brigade are from the Xu family, the brigade leader couldn't guarantee that no one would complain or report them.
Xu Ningyan thought about it and decided that she should listen to the captain in this matter.
After all, heeding advice leads to a full stomach!
The captain wouldn't joke about something like this.
Or perhaps she was being too presumptuous. After all, she had grown up in a modern society where material wealth was abundant, and she didn't think that the old cotton quilt was anything special.
But in this day and age, such old cotton quilts are treasures.
He nodded immediately: "You have more experience in this than I do, I'll listen to you! I'll leave the bedding to you, see which family in the brigade is willing to replace it."
The brigade leader chuckled and said, "To be honest, I have a few old quilts at home. This set of bedding looks old, but it's full of good stuff. I shamelessly took it back, intending it to be perfect for your Third Brother Xiong's wedding."
Xu Ningyan chuckled: "That's perfect, I won't trouble two people with this, I'll leave it all to you!"
The brigade leader happily went home with his bedding, and soon after, he returned with his third son carrying several old quilts.
The quilts were all black and yellowed, and they looked quite old.
There were also two old, patched sheets and duvet covers.
They were all taken to the cowshed at the same time.
All the workers who had been working in the cowshed returned and became nervous when they saw the team leader standing at the entrance.
After cautiously approaching, they saw several old quilts placed at the door. Although they looked dirty and tattered, they were a precious thing to them.
The brigade leader didn't say much, but pointed to the old quilts: "These old quilts were exchanged by Comrade Xu with his own quilts from the people in the brigade. He exchanged several quilts. Although they look a bit old, they are more reliable, aren't they?"
"Take it out and air it in the sun whenever you have time, pat it a bit, and it'll be usable! Or when you have some free time, have someone help you fluff the cotton, and it'll be almost as good as new."
"These are all donated by Comrade Xiao Xu to our brigade headquarters, and our brigade headquarters has allocated them to you! But you must remember the kindness of Comrade Xiao Xu! And you must also remember the kindness of our brigade! You are lucky to be assigned to our brigade! As long as you focus on reform and don't think about causing trouble, you can live in our brigade with peace of mind."
"If you have any wicked thoughts, I, Xu Zhiguo, will make this clear in advance: every single one of you, regardless of gender, age, or gender, if even one of you violates the rules or breaks the discipline of our Unity Brigade, your good days are over! Do you understand?"
"If you don't understand, during the autumn harvest and winter, I'll take you to see how other brigades treat you monsters and demons, and you'll understand immediately!"
After Xu Zhiguo's reprimand, everyone held their breath, heads bowed, listening meekly.
Deep down, however, they understood that Xu Zhiguo had made it clear beforehand that if one person made a mistake, everyone would be implicated, and that they should keep an eye on each other internally.
After his initial reprimand, Xu Zhiguo dropped another bombshell: "Knowing that you people don't even have complete bedding rolls, and none of you can lift a finger or carry anything, with the work points you've earned, I'm afraid you'll be starving by the end of the year."
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