Chen Jianshan waved his hand and immediately decided: "Starting tomorrow! The scoring method will be changed! The quota will remain the same, but any extra work done after the quota is completed will be recorded as work points based on the actual workload!"
"Those who do a good job and are efficient should be rewarded! Those who slack off and coast along should be punished! Our Production and Construction Corps doesn't tolerate lazy people! What we need is this kind of hard-working and dedicated spirit! Did everyone understand?"
"Listen carefully!" Wang Tieniu was the first to shout, his face flushed with excitement.
"I heard you right! The company commander is brilliant!"
"Good! That's how it should be! The more you work, the more you earn!"
"Let's see who dares to dawdle now!"
The crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers, sweeping away their previous frustration and anger.
The siblings Ma Jinbao and Ma Chunmei, their faces as black as soot, stood among the cheering crowd like two wilted eggplants, looking utterly pathetic.
Finally, Du Jianshan's work points were personally recorded, and the farce came to an end.
The dinner clock rang urgently and loudly, like it was demanding a death sentence.
The company canteen was a large adobe house with a thick layer of straw on the roof.
The place was noisy and filled with the smells of sweat, earth, cornmeal porridge, and bland vegetable scraps; the air felt heavy.
The long tables and benches were packed full.
The educated youth, the soldiers of the Production and Construction Corps, and a few local Uyghur commune members were all holding large, rough porcelain bowls, slurping down the gruel and gnawing on the hard, crumbly cornbread.
Du Jianshan and Wang Tieniu occupied a corner of the bench. As soon as they sat down, before they even picked up their chopsticks, they smelled a sweet, fruity aroma.
Looking up, Ayiguli walked over with a smile, carrying a small basket of crystal-clear mare's milk grapes and a few big red apples.
"Comrade Du, Comrade Wang." She gently placed the basket on the table in front of them.
“My father asked me to deliver this. He said you’ve come all this way to help us with the construction, thank you for your hard work, and please try some of our local fruit.”
"Oh! Thank you so much!" Wang Tieniu's eyes lit up as he stared at the juicy grapes, his mouth almost watering.
Du Jianshan smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Captain Halikzi, and thank you too, Comrade Ayiguli."
"You're welcome." Aygul blushed slightly and turned to distribute fruit to the other tables.
"Hey! Brother Shanzi, these grapes are so sweet!" Wang Tieniu couldn't wait to pluck one and pop it into his mouth. The sweet and sour juice made him squint his eyes in satisfaction.
Looking at the juicy fruit, Du Jianshan felt much more at ease.
Seeing that no one was around, he quietly took out a small oil paper package from his spatial storage.
The paper package wasn't big, but as soon as it was opened, an extremely rich aroma of meat, with a smoky and smoky flavor, burst out!
Like an invisible hand, it instantly captured the sense of smell of the people at the surrounding tables!
This flavor is incredibly strong, instantly suppressing all the blandness and vegetable stalks in the cafeteria!
It was a few slices of thinly and evenly cut, oily, dark red and translucent smoked meat jerky!
It looks substantial and chewy!
"Here you go." Du Jianshan handed it to Ayiguli: "Try the taste of Northeast China."
Aygul was taken aback. Looking at Du Jianshan's sincere smile, a more pronounced blush rose on her face, and she whispered, "Thank you..."
Then, Du Jianshan pulled out two more pieces and stuffed them into Wang Tieniu's mouth, whose eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets: "Here, chew them sparingly!"
"Ouch! Brother Shanzi! This..."
Wang Tieniu was both surprised and delighted, almost jumping for joy. He quickly clutched the dried meat tightly in his hands, as if afraid the aroma would escape.
Du Jianshan quickly wrapped up the remaining half-package and stuffed it back into the depths of the bundle.
Although there were only a few pieces, the overpowering aroma had already spread, and several people at the same table and the next table couldn't help but swallow their saliva and glance in this direction.
In this bland and watery mess, a touch of oil is the ultimate luxury!
"Hmph! What did I tell you? Some people just can't shake off their bourgeois hedonism!"
"Only a few days here? And you're already serving fruit and meat! Are you addicted to giving special treatment?"
A sarcastic, laced-with-sour voice rang out from the other side, like a thorn in the side, abruptly shattering this rare moment of warmth.
It's Ma Jinbao again!
He and his sister, Ma Chunmei, sat opposite each other.
Ma Jinbao held a bowl filled with clear porridge and half a cornbread, but his eyes were fixed on Du Jianshan, filled with jealousy and malice.
He slammed his chopsticks on the table, his voice rising with deliberate indignation: "Du Jianshan! What kind of behavior is this? Taking advantage of capitalist luxuries while seeking special treatment in the austere canteen of the Production and Construction Corps!"
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