Chapter 30: Land-for-Work
When Qin Jue arrived, the woman had already left, but Director Qian looked unhappy. "Director, what's wrong with you?"
"It's okay, Xiao Qin, I'll go to the Corps this afternoon to ask about the Chinese medicine we talked about last time."
It is not September yet, and before the temperature drops, there is still time to plant a batch of medicinal herbs. Maybe in a few months we can use the first batch of medicinal herbs we planted.
*
I don’t know if it was because of Lao Qian’s promotion for her, or what, but after the child’s ascariasis was cured, several patients came to her one after another, and Qin Ju was much busier every day than before.
The old ladies are seeing a doctor. One second they are complaining about how they feel uncomfortable, and the next second they are talking about the Zhang couple having a fight, the old lady of the Wang family talking about her boyfriend, the old woman of the Li family torturing her daughter-in-law, the son of the Liu family being unfilial... and they can talk for a long time once they start.
Qin Ju is originally a professional doctor. She must have professional qualities and be able to correctly guide patients to inquire about their main complaints, but... unfortunately, she also has the desire to watch the show!
In addition, most of the time there are no patients waiting at the door, so listening to a few more words will not affect others. As time goes by, everyone says that Dr. Qin is patient (loving) and kind (eating) and always chats with patients. Going to her for treatment can not only treat physical diseases, but also mental diseases.
For example, some old ladies had a quarrel with their daughters-in-law. They left their hometown alone and were embarrassed to show off to other old ladies of the same age. They were almost suffocated in their hearts. But unlike Dr. Xiao Qin, she really listened patiently and sometimes even said a few fair words to persuade them. Wouldn’t they feel better? The disease was not serious in the first place. She went outside to dig some herbs and cured the disease without spending a penny. She is simply a miracle doctor!
Qin Ju was also at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She didn't want to be a "miracle doctor".
In the afternoon, Qian Fusheng did not go to work on time. He did not return until after three o'clock, but the news he brought was not good news. "The land that has been reclaimed, the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau said that we applied too late, and the land has been planted. We can't move it this year..."
It would be a lie to say that she wasn't disappointed. Qin Ju didn't expect that her plan would fail at the first step.
"But after consulting the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau and factory leaders, they agreed to approve the wasteland to the west for growing Chinese medicinal herbs." Not all places can be reclaimed these days. It has to be approved by the Agricultural Reclamation Bureau and, after surveying and research, only areas deemed suitable for reclamation can be reclaimed. Especially given the nature of the 412 factory, there are also work areas underground. If you dig and open them randomly and leak secrets, you will be punished.
Qin Ju was delighted, "Really?"
"Of course it's true. I went to check the land this morning. It's wide and flat, but..." There are only weeds.
"There's more. You young people don't know how difficult it is to reclaim land. In the past, our division's reclamation fighters suffered a lot before they could grow anything. They have a large number of people and strong combat effectiveness. We only have a few doctors in our station, and I'm afraid..." I don't have their ability.
Not long after the founding of the People's Republic of China, in order to accommodate a large number of soldiers and soldiers and to alleviate the national food shortage situation, the central government established the Ministry of Agricultural Reclamation in addition to the Ministry of Agriculture. More than 30 of Longguo's established divisions were converted into construction divisions, carrying guns and carrying pots to many places across the country to build state-owned farms and oil fields. The division headquarters where Qian Fusheng was located was one of them.
He himself was a soldier who carried a backpack and a shovel to dig holes in the ground. He knew how difficult it was to reclaim land. "There are only seven or eight people in our company. We don't have the manpower or money. The factory is also overwhelmed with production tasks. It's impossible for them to spare any manpower to help us."
Qin Ju understood, "Of course we can't let the people here go to waste."
She has always firmly believed that professionals should do professional things. The current medical task is not easy. The medical staff are already busy, and they still have to go to reclaim wasteland. What should they do if the people get sick? Can they recover on their own?
What if you need help urgently? This is nonsense!
The two discussed for a long time but could not come up with a solution, so they simply put Qin Jue aside and went home to eat.
Qin Pan made dinner. Qin Ju had just completed her academic records a few days ago and had already enrolled in the school.
One advantage of the schools here is that learning about industry and agriculture is entirely voluntary. Even if some students are unwilling to participate, the school and teachers will not pursue it. There is even an unwritten rule that if someone's family has something going on, they can just find a few people to ask for leave and not participate. After Qin Pan knew about this, she was unwilling to participate. She wanted to stay at home and help her grandmother with work.
Qin Ju didn't force her, but she also didn't let her neglect her studies. She let her read books and do homework at home for the past few days. Because she had a talent for science, Qin Ju also borrowed two junior high school physics and chemistry books from Lao He for her to read.
Girls of her age like to read novels, poems, literary works, etc., but Qin Pan is an exception. She can fall asleep in three seconds when reading literary works, but if she is reading physics, chemistry, biology, etc., she can stay up all night unless her grandmother wakes her up in the middle of the night and orders her to turn off the lights.
"What are you eating today?"
"Corn steamed bun mixed with piyazi." Piyazi is what they call onions in the south. The onions here are very juicy, thick, sweet and tender. Add a little vinegar and chili, it's sour, spicy and refreshing, and is the best appetizer when the weather is hot.
Children of poor families have to grow up early. The nine-year-old girl can steam steamed buns very well. Each one is big and round, which makes people hungry just by looking at it.
After the two sisters finished eating, they cleaned the table and washed the dishes. Qin Guihua came back sweating all over, with a brand new green headscarf wrapped around her head. "Hurry up, Pan Di, pour a bowl of cold water for grandma. It's so hot in this damn weather."
"Grandma, you're going to pick wild vegetables again. Be careful of getting heatstroke in such a hot day." Qin Jue bought two kettles, one for hot water and the other for cool water. The highest temperature here is almost 40 degrees Celsius, and drinking a sip of cool water is simply refreshing and comfortable.
Qin Guihua drank it all in one gulp and wiped her mouth, "This damn weather can melt people."
Soon, Qin Pan brought out the reserved steamed bun skins, and Qin Guihua ate them voraciously. Qin Ju felt both distressed and amused.
The old lady used to be very lonely in the village. It was not because she was unsociable, but because she had to flee from famine when she was young and was looked down upon along the way. She could not feel warm to anyone. Later, she became a widow at a young age and lost her son in middle age. She really had not felt much kindness, so she was on guard against everyone and had to stuff anything edible into her arms... But it was different here. She was a family member, and was honored. She was on an equal footing with those old ladies who came here to live with their sons. She did not feel inferior to anyone, and she no longer wanted to be the first to rush out and take advantage.
Just within a few months, I made many old friends and they would invite me to go pick wild vegetables with them whenever they had nothing to do.
Having friends is a good thing, and Qin Ju was happy to see such a change, so she never stopped her, but just told her not to go to dangerous places.
Qin Ju took out the book on Chinese medicinal herb cultivation that he had borrowed and began to select varieties suitable for planting in Lenghe Town. Wolfberry, jujube, scutellaria, salvia miltiorrhiza and Magnolia officinalis are absolutely suitable. They can even be found wild in the mountains dozens of kilometers away. The only drawback is that the quantity is very small. As for the varieties that cannot be grown, they can be purchased from the medicinal material company and then the formula can be formulated.
Just as she was thinking about it, Qin Guihua finished her meal and tore off her green headscarf, "Oh my, I'm so tired from not moving for a few days, my old waist..."
Qin Ju quickly put down the book in his hand and said, "Grandma, come and lie down on the kang. I'll give you a massage."
Her technique was very unique. She kneaded the acupoints specifically for treating low back pain and relieving fatigue. She controlled the strength well, and every kneading made Qin Guihua feel sore and numb, and she cried out in pain. But after a while, all those places felt comfortable and the bloating and pain were gone.
"Our Lai Di is still amazing and her techniques are professional."
Qin Guihua closed her eyes and enjoyed it for a while. "In the blink of an eye, I have grown up. I have a stable job and a family. Now all I need is a big fat boy..."
"What a pity! Xiao He's job requires him to go out every day. Did you hear yesterday that something was lost in the factory and Zhao Qingsong asked him to help?"
Qin Ju naturally knew this, but based on her understanding of Zhao Qingsong, he would never give up such an easy opportunity to make a contribution to others. He probably had to ask Xiao He for help because the situation was really difficult.
The old lady kept talking about "giving birth to a big fat boy". Qin Jue was only 19 years old. Even if she got married, she didn't want to have a child so early. So she changed the subject: "Grandma, where did you go to dig today? Why are you so tired?"
"It was that person, your Aunt Zhang. She said there were a few small hills across the desert, and she took us old sisters there." Qin Guihua paused, pointed to the red willow basket in the outer room, and said proudly, "Your grandma ran faster than those old ladies and grabbed a lot of chicory and ground moss. Even though they are old and mossy, they are still tender if you blanch them in water."
Qin Ju nodded. It was good to eat some wild vegetables. She had been eating potatoes for a while and yams for the rest of the day. She had been suffering from indigestion and bloating recently. Chicory can be fried or boiled, and can also be made into pickled vegetables. When eating noodles, add a small dish of it. It is sour and appetizing. As for the ground soft, it is crisp and tender. It is a rare commodity in the later generations. People in the city love to taste it. Many rural old men and women dig it up and sell it when they have nothing to do. It is often seen on the roadside at the junction of urban and suburban areas.
"It's delicious, but it's quite dangerous there, and you have to cross the desert. You should go there less often in the future."
Qin Guihua closed her eyes and responded perfunctorily. She had been hungry since she was a child, so as long as there was food, she would not hesitate to pick at the teeth of a tiger.
Qin Ju knew at a glance that she had definitely not taken him to heart. The woman who took her to pick wild vegetables today, Aunt Zhang, also came from her hometown in the south to live with her son and daughter-in-law. Because she was used to picking wild vegetables in the south, she had not realized the harsh environment in the north of Shilan, and she always liked to go out for a walk. It was undeniable that she had found a few snacks, but if she remembered correctly, several old ladies in her previous life had disappeared under the leadership of this "leader" Aunt Zhang.
On one occasion, when they were out digging wild vegetables, no one knew whether they were buried in a sandstorm or carried away by wolves or leopards, but none of the four old ladies who went out ever came back. The police, soldiers, and militia organized by the factory, the Corps Division, and the local government searched for more than half a month, but they only found a few red willow baskets and shoes. People were panicked at the time, saying that the desert would eat people, so adults and children did not dare to go there again.
Those old ladies may be greedy and nagging sometimes, but their real intention is to reduce the burden on their children and improve their lives. They are also someone's wife, mother, and grandmother!
Qin Ju wanted to stop this tragedy, and she suddenly knew how to solve the problem of land reclamation.
One of them turned over and sat up, "Grandma, I'm going to go out for a while before it gets dark, ah."
*
Political Commissar Liu also lived in a similar adobe house, but Li Yuhua was a cultured person and loved to tidy up, so the house was very clean. "Doctor Qin, please sit down. Have you eaten?"
"After eating, sister-in-law, I just prepared two packets of medicinal tea for strengthening the spleen and eliminating phlegm. Hongqi can drink it with boiling water, three times a day." Qin Ju cured Liu Hongqi's cough for many years with just three doses of medicine a few days ago.
Li Yuhua smiled so hard that his teeth were showing. "Hey, little comrade, why are you still thinking about our red flag?"
"Hongqi, come and thank your Aunt Qin."
Liu Hongqi's complexion has improved a lot recently. It is no longer pale and swollen. It is dark and his eyes are very bright. "Thank you, Aunt Qin."
Qin Ju asked a few questions about his health and took his pulse. Under Li Yuhua's expectant eyes, she said that his cough was basically cured, and as long as he paid attention to recuperation and strengthened his resistance, it would basically not recur.
Li Yuhua patted her thigh happily, "Great, that's great, I don't know how to thank you enough, Xiao Qin, from now on you are my sister, if you have any problems just tell me and your brother, okay."
Qin Ju agreed with a smile. She knew her limits, because if it was a personal matter, she would never use this favor, as it was not in line with her professional ethics. But now it was a public matter, something that would benefit the people if accomplished, so she was not restrained and spoke openly.
"Today I have something to trouble you, sister-in-law. You know that our clinic is short of doctors and medicines. Director Qian has applied for a piece of land from the higher authorities, which is the wasteland to the west of our factory. I plan to plant some Chinese medicinal herbs that are suitable for the soil and climate conditions here. In this way, when our factory employees, their families and children get sick in the future, they don't have to go all the way to the provincial capital to get medicine. Do you think it's okay?"
"Okay, this is a great thing!" Li Yuhua continued to fill the two people's teacups with tea. "I am embarrassed to tell you that the prescription you wrote for Hongqi took Lao Liu and I to several places. There was no medicine in Lenghe Town, and when we went to the province, people didn't recognize our prescription. We also found an acquaintance and waited for several hours before the medicine was prepared. Lao Liu has never sought favors or backdoors in his life, but in order to get the medicine, he had to beg his grandfather and ask for help from everyone. It was really..."
Qin Ju nodded. Who said it wasn't? The prescription she wrote was already extremely concise. All the unnecessary ingredients were omitted, and the rest were deleted and reduced after repeated consideration. It took her to go to so many places to get all nine herbs. If she met a doctor who liked to prescribe long prescriptions, the patient's family would go crazy just by getting the herbs.
Life is so convenient in the future. If a public hospital is not well-equipped, you can go to a private hospital or a clinic. If you are too lazy to go out, you can buy food from the hospital online and have it cooked and delivered to your home. Now Lenghe Town has to rely on itself for everything.
Li Yuhua was very smart and knew the whole story. "You mean, you are preparing to open up new land, but you don't have the manpower, right?"
"Yes, the factory has a lot of work to do, and we can't ask the workers to help. Political Commissar Liu also can't ask his soldiers to lay down their weapons and farm the land, so I think we have to be self-reliant and get our family members to work in exchange for land."
Li Yuhua was a little worried that she would ask Lao Liu to send soldiers to reclaim the wasteland. But she didn't dare to ask Lao Liu for help. Those who can do guard work in the factory are all elite soldiers. They guard the radio factory 24 hours a day without blinking, and they are not allowed to put down their guns at any time, okay?
Who knew it was to mobilize family members? "That's simple. What does my husband Liu do? He does ideological and political work. He mobilizes everyone to actively participate in reclaiming wasteland and planting medicinal herbs. This is a matter of benefiting the people, and he has no choice but to do it."
Qin Ju breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked him.
She had just made a rough estimate in her mind. There were quite a few women in the family area, more than thirty in total. If you include the old ladies, there would be at least fifty people. Excluding those with young children who really needed to be left alone, there could be at least twenty laborers every day, which should not be underestimated.
"The key is that we can't let everyone work for nothing, so I'm thinking about whether we can exchange work for land, and allocate a few plots of private land to the families who participate in the reclamation according to a certain ratio. This way, on the one hand, everyone will have motivation, and on the other hand, planting some fruits and vegetables on the private plots can improve their lives and save some expenses. The old ladies will also have something to do in the future, and they don't have to go to the desert all day to dig wild vegetables."
"You also know about Aunt Zhang picking wild vegetables?" Li Yuhua sighed. The superiors had repeatedly warned them not to go to the desert, but these old ladies from the south just wouldn't listen. These tasks were originally under the charge of Old Liu, and he was also very worried. If something unexpected happened one day, Old Liu would be punished.
At this moment, Qin Ju's suggestion really touched her heart. "Your suggestion is really good. I think it's okay. Let's follow the principle of more work, more pay. The more actively you work, the more private plots you will get. The more lazy and cunning you are, the less you will get. Those who don't participate will simply not get any... Well, of course, you can't get too much. There must be an upper limit. We can't do that with capitalism..."
Li Yuhua was worthy of being the political commissar's wife. She spoke in a very coherent and organized manner. Qin Ju nodded repeatedly as he listened.
"Okay, then I'll go back first and wait for news from my sister-in-law."
*
In the evening, when Political Commissar Liu came home from get off work, he smelled a faint aroma of Chinese medicine mixed with tea leaves as soon as he entered the room. His heart skipped a beat, "Is Hongqi sick again?"
Li Yuhua laughed and punched him, "How can you, as a father, not wish for the best for your son?"
She smiled and told him about Qin Ju sending her medicinal tea. "This young comrade is really thoughtful."
"That's very thoughtful of you." Political Commissar Liu took off his military uniform. His position was not big, but it was not small either. It was during those years that he felt the fickleness of human nature the most. He knew clearly how the battalion commanders and deputy regiment commanders below him treated him, as well as how the brigade commanders and division commanders above him treated him.
He hung up his uniform neatly and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles. "Is she in trouble?"
Li Yuhua deliberately asked, "Yes, do you want to help?"
Political Commissar Liu frowned, "As long as it doesn't violate the principles, doesn't use public resources for personal gain, doesn't..."
"Come on, come on. I'm not your soldier. Stop trying to persuade me. Her coming here is not a personal matter. It's a big thing that will benefit the people of Lenghe in the future..." He kept talking nonsense.
As an old married couple, they knew what he liked to hear. Li Yuhua talked about the benefits of the matter. Political Commissar Liu's brows gradually relaxed, and he actually laughed when he heard the last part.
"Exchanging work for land, this young comrade is quite smart."
Li Yuhua looked at his face and asked, "So... you agree?"
"Why should I disagree? First, it has no impact on the factory's production activities, second, it does not cost the factory a penny, and third, it will benefit the people. If I don't agree... have you forgotten how difficult it is for us at Hongqi to get the medicine?" Fortunately, the medicine was prepared. If it was not, how could the child run and jump and eat and drink like he does now every day?
As a father, he saw it with his own eyes and was happy in his heart.
"I hope that all sick children in this world can get medicine in time like our Hongqi and meet good doctors."
Li Yuhua's eyes also turned red. She really did not make a mistake in choosing the man. She had originally thought that if Lao Liu did not agree, she would cry and make a fuss, or even commit suicide. However, she did not expect that it would be granted without any further ado!
The next morning, Qin Ju got Li Yuhua's approval, and as soon as he got to work, he went to find Director Qian to tell him about his plan. Qian Fusheng thought it was a good idea, and immediately went to apply to the factory leader. Although they had already been approved and could plant however they wanted, he was always cautious and would always ask the leader for permission on everything, especially when it came to private plots.
That evening, the family area held a meeting and required all employees and adult family members at home to attend. Qin Ju happened to be in the office planning land use with Director Qian and did not go. According to his grandmother and Qin Pan who attended, the scene was very lively.
"That's what I said. We farmers should farm. My old sisters have been idle for so long. It's time for them to stretch their muscles."
The factory and the group both agreed, but Qin Ju still didn't know how the land-for-work exchange would work. "Did they say at the mobilization meeting how much land would be exchanged for how many workers?"
"They said that the exchange is based on the area of land reclaimed, regardless of the number of work points. As long as the reclaimed land is inspected and found to be qualified in all aspects, six mu of reclaimed land can be exchanged for one mu of private plot."
Originally, the redemption rate should not be so high, but Qin Jiao thought carefully. If she planted all 30 mu of Chinese medicine, she would not be able to manage it alone. Planting medicinal herbs is not just planting them. She also needs to water, fertilize, catch insects, prune branches, pollinate, and pick them regularly. Will she be busy with farming or seeing patients? So, she simply gave the benefit to her family and only kept 25 mu of medicinal fields for herself, and the remaining 5 mu was all private plots to reward everyone.
If Political Commissar Liu agreed, it meant that this was in line with the policy. Their ancestors and grandchildren only had three acres of private land in the village before, and Uncle Cui's family and Widow Liu's family, with so many people, only had three acres.
"Third sister, you don't know, grandma said she would earn us a large private plot of land!" Qin Pan gestured with sparkling eyes. Political Commissar Liu said that children could also participate, as long as they didn't delay their school time. When the private plots were allocated to each family, she would definitely be able to earn a vegetable plot.
By then, they can grow some vegetables in their vegetable garden. She knows that her third sister has been feeling very uncomfortable with her stomach these days.
What's more, her little rabbits can also eat the cabbage leaves and carrots she grows herself, so the little rabbits can give birth to another nest of little rabbits for her to play with.
"Hey, don't forget that your grandma used to support your dad all by herself. Even the donkeys on the production team back then were not as capable as me."
Qin Ju and Qin Pan laughed out loud.
But at this moment, Qin Guihua thought of something, her face suddenly became a little unnatural, she looked at Qin Ju, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"What do you want to say?"
"You haven't been feeling well lately, have you?"
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