Across the ridge, Father Zhang watched the rice seedlings flourish in the paddies, his heart filled with unspeakable joy. For an old farmer, nothing is more exciting than a bountiful harvest.
It won't be long before the rice flowers become fragrant and the ears of rice begin to fill with grain. When autumn comes, the sweet rice also arrives.
Uncle Zhang looked up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He saw his second brother bending over in front of him, caressing the rice ears with a silly smile. He couldn't help but roll his eyes. He was so idle.
"Why are you so silly? You have no part in this."
Father Zhang straightened up and walked towards him with a chuckle.
"Did you look for me this morning? What's the matter?"
"It's nothing serious. I just haven't seen you for a few days and I wanted to chat with the three of us brothers. Big brother, when you get off work, come over to my house with the youngest one."
"You didn't wear your red armbands to patrol the streets today?"
"Hahaha...someone needs to rest." Father Zhang couldn't stand the sour taste in his words. He looked ahead and immediately quickened his pace. "I'll go find the old captain first. We'll talk later."
The old captain had long heard the loud voices of Zhang Dad and the others. Seeing him hurriedly walking towards him, he took a few steps forward to greet him and said with a smile, "What good news is there now?"
No wonder the old captain asked this.
Zhang Laoer's family has never been without happy events. Ever since his three sons went to the county town, either his sons and daughters-in-law have been admitted to university, or his grandsons have gone on to college; when others gave birth to sons, they had twins; when other families were recognized as advanced by the commune, theirs would celebrate with great fanfare and get first-class merit.
Father Zhang looked around and said, "It's not a big deal. It looks like we'll have another bumper harvest this year."
The old captain looked off into the distance and nodded cheerfully, "This should be enough to fill everyone's stomachs. What's the matter? Don't you want to eat commercial grain anymore?"
Father Zhang smiled and said nothing.
"Did Xiaowu send a letter?"
"No, he's still studying at the military academy. Now it's our Jiaojiao who writes back."
What a blessing! The old captain smiled and said, "Are you going to that end this year, or are they coming back?"
"It's hard to say. The couple is urging me and his mother to go over, but how can anything compare to our hometown? Let's see if they have any vacation time. Xiaowu's twins haven't come to visit my father's grave yet."
The old captain smiled and shook his head. This man was truly unpredictable. Who could have imagined that Zhang Laoer, facing the loess and the north sky, would have such a day?
"If it's convenient, we should ask them to come back. This year, I plan to demolish all the thatched houses in the village, build new courtyards along the village entrance, and thoroughly tidy up the village. I'll also plant all the extra land."
Zhang's father wasn't surprised at the captain's idea. With the beverage factory, the village had a lot of cash in its account, and after the busy farming season, every family would get a good share.
Thinking of this, he pulled the old captain away.
The old captain knew something was wrong as soon as he saw it, but he didn't say anything. After the two of them found a place, they waited quietly for him to speak.
"I heard some rumors, but I don't know if they are true." Father Zhang thought for a while and decided not to mention his brother Zhao Chuangguang.
"Tell me about it."
Father Zhang glanced at him and said, "I heard they're planning to reconcile the accounts."
"Oh, that's the matter." The old captain laughed, "It's okay, Shitou manages all the accounts in our village very clearly."
How could it be that simple? Father Zhang was thinking even more than the old team leader. While other production teams were starving, your accounts still had a surplus. What if someone with ulterior motives came along and tried to frame you?
The old captain looked at him, hesitant to speak, "Is there something else? We have been poor for generations, so there is nothing to be afraid of."
"Ah... you do have a point." Father Zhang thought about it and decided not to mention the account again, but he still emphasized, "I don't plan to tell anyone else about this except you."
That means it must be kept secret, and the old captain promised that he would not publicize it.
After Father Zhang left, he took out his long pipe, squatted on the ground, pressed some tobacco, lit it, took a deep breath, and looked at the members of the cooperative who were bending over in the rice fields, pulling out weeds with their hands non-stop.
Just now, in front of Zhang's father, the old captain didn't show any surprise, but in fact he was very annoyed. What kind of person is Zhang Dayou?
How could he not count!
The fact that Zhang Dayou came back specially to say these two words showed that he knew very well that this matter was not just "heard" and might be very serious.
Sigh… After all the trouble, I finally managed to get a good harvest. I hope it won’t be another one of those 10,000 catties per acre. There’s still no surplus in the account.
Uncle Zhang, standing in the distance, washed his hands and frowned as he watched his second brother run to help his third brother. He was already so old, and he didn't know how to take it easy.
He strolled over to the old captain and asked quietly, "Did the second brother give you a problem?"
The old captain smiled and shook his head, secretly thanking himself for not rushing to check the accounts. He was the captain, so he couldn't panic. No matter what happened, only if he could keep his composure could everyone else be at ease.
Uncle Zhang looked at him suspiciously.
"Stop guessing. What else could his family need from a peasant like me? Your second brother is doing well in the county town, not to mention the commune."
"Besides, you know his personality. He's cheerful all the time and doesn't like to make enemies. It's impossible for him to get us to join a fight."
Uncle Zhang laughed happily when he heard this, "You might as well just say that the second brother is a coward."
Cowardly? The old captain chuckled disapprovingly. As the saying goes, "The eldest is simple-minded, the second is cunning, and the third is the smartest." Even if Zhang Laoer wasn't cunning, he still had a lot of stuff.
"When my father was alive, he always said that my second brother was too gentle. I think that's a good thing. His children all have the same temper as him. If he really had a quick temper, we would be fighting every day."
Over there, Zhang Dad felt relieved after finishing his work. He rubbed against Uncle Zhang and said, "Third brother, drink some water first. I'll do it for a while."
Uncle Zhang looked at him with amusement, "Is it really that serious?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Look at you, you're sweating all over. Come over to my house for lunch. Your sister-in-law made catfish and eggplant stew. How about the three of us brothers have a drink?"
"Okay, why not go for such a good opportunity." Uncle Zhang was not polite. Seeing that his second brother had already started, he bent down and continued.
"When will you be back this time?"
"Let's go when it's almost dark."
"Then what are you doing here? You're just messing around." Uncle Zhang said, looking around and lowering his voice, "No matter how much you work, you won't get any food."
"You don't understand. I feel comfortable with my feet in the mud."
After hearing this, Uncle Zhang looked up at the red sun in the sky and shook his head.
He really couldn't understand what kind of people were these?
How can it be comfortable to wait for an hour or so, sweating profusely under the scorching sun? The sweat runs into your eyes, stinging them, and your arms and back are burning with pain. How can it be comfortable?
"Third brother, are you happy to see a large field of crops? I feel the same way. With a good harvest, not only will your life be better, but everyone's life will be better too."
"Now, there are no more devils coming to rob us, and no more bandits coming down the mountain to steal our grain. As long as we are not forced to requisition more, all of this will belong to us ordinary people."
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