That evening, as the sun began to set, Wu Dagang's voice came from the radio.
He turned on the radio, cleared his throat, and began speaking in his resonant voice: "Attention all villagers, attention all villagers, an emergency meeting will be held at 7 o'clock tonight in the threshing ground. Everyone is requested to attend."
The broadcast echoed over the village, and Wu Dagang's voice could be heard in every corner.
He repeated the announcement several times to make sure everyone got the message.
After hearing the broadcast, the educated youth in the Youth League began to discuss among themselves.
They knew that the meeting was likely related to their protest during the day.
"It seems that the village is finally going to respond to our demands," said an educated youth.
"I don't know how they will handle this. I hope there won't be any bad consequences." Another educated youth said worriedly.
At the same time, other villagers were also curious about this meeting. They knew about the complaints and dissatisfaction of the educated youth and were worried that it would affect the autumn harvest.
Zhou Ziwen heard the broadcast in his yard. He frowned slightly and roughly guessed the reason why Wu Dagang held the meeting.
The complaints and protests of the educated youth were no small matter and, if not handled properly, could lead to bigger problems.
Of course, he was not worried about the village. After all, there were more than a thousand people in Dabazi Village, and the Youth League Home was only that small. No matter how much trouble they made, they would be the only ones to suffer.
The team leader and Wu Dagang have worked in the production team for so many years, and they cannot be team leaders without real skills.
Wu Dagang is a shrewd man. He had a bad temper when he was young, but his temper has become gentler as he has grown older.
But if anyone thinks that he is easy to bully because of his good temper, they are totally wrong.
Zhou Ziwen returned to the house and saw Chen Shiying and Chen Qiaoyi there. He said to them, "It seems the village is going to respond to the protests of the educated youth. Tonight's meeting is likely related to this matter."
Chen Shiying nodded, a worried look on her face. "Ziwen, how do you think the village will handle this?"
Chen Qiaoyi also seemed a little uneasy: "Yes, those educated youth were making quite a commotion today. I hope there won't be any drastic measures."
Zhou Ziwen thought for a moment, then said, "I think Wu Dagang and Captain Zhou are both rational people. They will seek a balance to resolve the issue. We should trust their judgment."
He knew the captain and Wu Dagang very well.
With their methods, it was easy to deal with these troublesome educated youth.
Zhou Ziwen's words made the Chen sisters feel a little more at ease.
Anyway, they were not involved in this matter.
I would rather die than my fellow Taoists, so they can just watch the show.
"Okay, don't worry. Let's get ready first and attend the meeting together later." Zhou Ziwen comforted them with a smile.
While they were talking, Shen Zhaodi, Zhou Chaoyang and Tang Yaoyao from next door also came over.
Shen Zhaodi asked curiously, "Brother Ziwen, do you know the reason for the meeting tonight?"
Zhou Chaoyang also seemed a little anxious: "Yeah, I heard that the educated youth were making quite a fuss today. Will something serious happen?"
Tang Yaoyao looked at Zhou Ziwen with some concern: "Brother Ziwen, you should know something about this, right?"
Zhou Ziwen smiled and reassured them, "Don't worry, everyone. This is a matter of the Youth League Institute. It has nothing to do with us. All we can do now is wait and see what the meeting tonight says."
Chen Qiaoyi also nodded in agreement: "Yes, listen to Brother Ziwen, we just need to watch the show carefully."
Chen Shiying poured everyone a glass of water, trying to ease the tense atmosphere: "Everyone, drink some water first and calm down. We'll go to the meeting together tonight and we'll find out."
As night fell, villagers and educated youth arrived at the threshing ground one after another.
Zhou Ziwen and the Chen sisters also went together, and they were accompanied by Shen Zhaodi, Zhou Chaoyang and Tang Yaoyao.
When we arrived at the threshing ground, the villagers were also discussing the purpose of this meeting.
Of course, some smart people have already guessed what is going on.
As the night deepened, more and more people gathered in the threshing ground.
The villagers were whispering and talking among themselves.
However, after Wu Dagang and Zhou Weiguo came out, the discussions gradually stopped.
The captain stood on the makeshift stage and looked around, his sharp eyes sweeping across every face.
He cleared his throat and spoke again in his resonant voice: "First of all, I want to thank everyone for taking the time out of their busy schedules to attend this meeting. I know that you have heard about some of the events of the past few days."
He paused and continued, "Our Dabazi Village has always been known for its unity. We will not sit idly by and watch any behavior that undermines unity and affects production."
The educated youths could not help but feel nervous when they heard this. They realized that the village leaders were taking this matter very seriously.
Wu Dagang continued, "We understand that the educated youth who moved from the city to the countryside faced various difficulties and challenges. However, this cannot be used as a reason to affect our autumn harvest. The autumn harvest is a major event for our entire village, and no one should let personal emotions affect the overall interests."
When he said this, Wu Dagang's attitude became tough, completely different from his previous image of a good guy.
Zhou Weiguo also added: "We understand everyone's hard work, but we also have to consider the interests of the entire village. We must take measures against any behavior that affects the collective interests."
When Zhou Weiguo finished speaking, the atmosphere in the crowd became more tense.
The educated youth began to whisper to each other, some showed anxiety on their faces, while others showed anger and dissatisfaction.
Suddenly, an educated youth stood up, his voice trembling with emotion: "Captain, Secretary Wu, we know the autumn harvest is important, but we are also human beings, and we get tired! We really can't do this kind of high-intensity labor!"
His words resonated with other educated youth, and many began to echo his words:
"Yes, we are not machines, we need reasonable rest and working time!"
"We are demanding improved working conditions, not coming here to suffer!"
The scene was in chaos for a while, and the villagers began to whisper to each other. Some expressed sympathy for the educated youth, while others expressed dissatisfaction.
After all, everyone had to work during the autumn harvest. The production team even took into consideration that they were educated youth and knew they were not good at working, so they specially let them do some easy work.
When the villagers heard the demands of the educated youth, they began to have disagreements.
Some villagers, especially the older ones, believed that the educated youth should cherish this opportunity to transform their thoughts and exercise their bodies.
"We went through the same thing back then. These kids from the city are just too spoiled." An old man said dissatisfiedly while smoking a pipe.
"That's right, autumn harvest is a big event. Everyone is tired, and they are not the only ones." Another aunt echoed.
However, some villagers expressed sympathy for the educated youth.
"After all, they just came from the city and may really not be adapted to this high-intensity labor." A young villager whispered.
"Yeah, I see they have blisters on their hands. It's not easy." Another villager said with some heartache.
The educated youth felt that they were treated unfairly.
They believe that although they are willing to receive re-education, it does not mean they have to endure labor beyond their physical limits.
"It's not that we don't want to work, but at least we should be guaranteed basic rest, right?" an educated youth argued.
"Yes, all we ask for is reasonable working and rest time. Is that too much?" Another educated youth also joined the discussion.
The scene became more chaotic. Seeing this, Wu Dagang and Zhou Weiguo knew that they had to take measures to control the situation.
They exchanged glances and decided to take a tougher stance.
Wu Dagang slammed the table hard and shouted in his booming voice, "Quiet! Quiet! Please listen to me."
His voice echoed over the threshing ground like thunder, making everyone quiet down.
"I know everyone has their own reasons, but we can't let the production of the entire village be affected by the demands of one individual."
"Anyone who disrupts the production team's autumn harvest is a criminal. We won't accept such people. Either you find a way to return to the city, or I'll send you back to the Youth League Office and write a note saying you're interfering with the autumn harvest. It's your choice!" (End of this chapter)
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