Chapter 36 Poor Zhang Yuehong
It was already past three in the morning when Qin Jue returned to the factory, and his heart was in his throat.
Since she was born, Doudou has never been away from me for such a long time. I don’t know if she will cry if she doesn’t see her mother for a whole day?
There is a guesthouse in the factory area. When the factory leader heard that the expert came from the provincial capital, he immediately arranged accommodation for him and instructed Qian Fusheng to do a good job of reception and escort, and to try his best to meet all of Professor Zhong's needs. Of course, Professor Zhong just listened to it. He didn't care about where he would stay next. He just threw his luggage and checked in.
After Qin Ju settled him down, he hurried home.
The family area was extremely quiet at this time, with only the occasional barking of dogs. But after seeing their old acquaintance Qin Ju, the dogs stopped barking, lay on the ground, wagging their tails, and fell asleep again.
Xiao He was not at home these two days, so the child should be with her grandmother. Sure enough, as soon as Qin Jue entered the room, the lights came on, and a fair and tender little girl was lying on the kang!
"Tsk... just fell asleep."
Qin Ju tiptoed to the kang and couldn't help but kiss the little face that smelled of milk. "Are you in a bad mood?"
"It wasn't a big deal, just a few hums. It fell asleep after drinking enough milk, but it was a restless sleep. It woke up several times during the sleep. It hummed a few times half an hour after you came back."
Qin Jue, the old mother, was suddenly heartbroken, feeling sorry for her little Doudou.
The next morning, because Qin Ju came back late, Lao Qian gave him a day off. Qin Jue slept until noon, but Dou Dou had already been taken out by his grandmother. He had drunk enough milk and was playing with his fingers in the sun.
When she saw her mother, she took out her fingers and let out two “ahhh” sounds, with her saliva dripping all over her body!
Qin Guihua herself is not as dirty as widow Liu. She pays great attention to hygiene when taking care of her children. She has several small handkerchiefs at home for Doudou to wipe her saliva and hands, because she loves to bite her hands.
After each use, I would boil them in water, wash them thoroughly, and put them in the sun to dry before putting them away.
As soon as the little hand that looked like a lotus root node was taken out, the grandmother wiped it with a handkerchief and said, "It chews too much. I think it's teething."
Qin Ju was just about to go and see if there were any signs when Zhong Weimin came over and said, "Xiao Qin, you're finally awake. Let's go and check out the medicinal fields."
Qin Guihua curled her lips. This professor really didn't treat her as an outsider at all. He came to see the third brother at dawn. Fortunately, she was there. What's going on? No matter how anxious he was, he couldn't stop him from getting some sleep. He didn't get home until three or four last night. Even the donkey in the production team wouldn't do that, right?
Professor Zhong is also a weirdo. When others asked him to accompany them to see the show, he refused and insisted on waiting for the third brother. Why is he so stubborn?
"To the west of our factory is a regularly shaped rectangle. Excluding the 5 mu of private land promised to the families, we can use a total of 25 mu." Qin Ju pointed to him from a distance.
Zhong Weimin stood on the edge of the field with his hands behind his back, looking around for a while, then ran over excitedly... Not only did he walk, he walked a whole circle, from noon on until the sun went down, and Qin Jue's legs were almost broken!
But Zhong Weimin seemed tireless. He walked, asked questions, and took notes in a notebook. He also took soil samples from many different places and measured wind direction and speed. He was busy until Xiao Zhang came to find them, and then he realized that it was dark.
"Look at me, I forget the time when I'm busy. Are you hungry, Xiao Qin?"
Qin Ju was almost crying from hunger, her legs were no longer her own. She finally understood why Long Wen said that Lao Zhong was a complete farmer. Just like a lion patrolling his territory, if time was not limited, he could probably patrol for three days!
"Get in the car, Grandma Qin has prepared dinner." Xiao Zhang leaned his head out of the car window and said. He had just gone to the guesthouse to get Professor Zhong's meal from the cafeteria as arranged by his leader, only to find out that he hadn't come back. He was worried that something had happened to him. Qin Guihua happened to be worried about her granddaughter, so she asked him to look for her.
After getting in the car, Zhong Weimin started writing and calculating in his notebook and talking to himself. Qin Ju listened for a while but could not understand anything.
"I have a plan for now, but it's not mature yet. We need to wait until the soil test results come out tomorrow to find out." He was a little annoyed. "If I had known earlier, I would have brought two more people with me so that we could test directly in the field."
"Professor Zhong, don't be in a hurry. Let's take our time. We don't want to tire you out right away."
"No, no, the seasons wait for no one, we have to race against time with nature." As soon as the car stopped, he immediately loaded the sample and began to add and subtract things in the glass tube of the machine. Qin Ju and Xiao Zhang looked at each other and smiled helplessly.
What a planting maniac!
Qin Ju brought the dinner to him. He ate his fill and put down his bowl and chopsticks. "That's enough. You guys go back to sleep."
"It might be cold tonight, I'll go to the front desk and get you a set of bedding. It's a little old, but it's all clean. You can put it down..."
"It's okay. I won't sleep tonight. I need to watch the samples for testing. Do you have strong tea or coffee tomorrow morning? Give me a cup."
Qin Ju was speechless: "..."
She found that compared with these workaholics, she was really too lazy.
"Okay, I'll prepare strong tea for you." She estimated that in Lenghe Town, she wouldn't be able to find a single coffee bean even if she dug deep into the ground, but she would go directly to Qian Fusheng for tea. He had used his connections to buy cigarettes, alcohol, sugar and tea.
*
In the following days, Qin Ju became even busier. He was either helping Professor Zhong or on his way to deliver him meals. The old man thought it was a waste of time to come back for lunch at noon, so he built a thatched shed on the ground. Except for going back to the guesthouse to wash his face and feet at night, he stayed in the shed all the time, wearing a straw hat, a red vest, and a white towel around his neck. He looked more like a farmer than the locals.
Even the old ladies headed by Qin Guihua were curious, "Laidi, what kind of expert did you find? Is he a real expert, not a fake one?"
Qin Jue didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Why do we need to find experts to grow crops? We have been doing farming for decades, but you don't even need experts."
However, Qin Ju had to arrange other things and had no time to chat with everyone. "Grandma, go and call people. Let's divide the private plots."
As soon as everyone heard that they were going to divide up their own plots, their backs and legs suddenly stopped aching. They ran around to tell each other, and within ten minutes all the family members, holding their children, gathered together. Whether they had participated in the land reclamation operation or not, all came to watch the excitement.
Qin Ju took out the plan that he had discussed with Political Commissar Liu and Director Qian in advance. According to the area of wasteland reclaimed, each household could redeem one mu of private land for every six mu of wasteland reclaimed. Those who worked hard, such as Qin Guihua and Qin Pan, could get a small private land, and the least could get three or four mu. The plots were arranged in order according to Arabic numerals, and everyone drew lots in turn. Whichever plot was drawn was a matter of luck.
Zhang Dama, who loves playing in the wild, was lucky enough to get to the plot closest to her home, which only takes a few minutes to walk to. She was so happy that she said, "Six mu of land! I won't have to go to the desert to dig wild vegetables anymore!"
Six mu of private land, those who did not participate in the reclamation of wasteland are really upset. Although there is no shortage of food here, it is only coarse grain. If we can grow some fine grain, it will be great...
This news immediately inspired the other old ladies. They rushed to draw the plot near the cold river, near the factory, or at the doorstep of their homes. No matter which plot they were, each had its own merits. Finally, it was Qin Guihua's turn. She drew the plot near the highway!
The old lady suddenly cried out "Ouch!"
Liu Baozhu, who had been watching the excitement from the side, was very happy. "Ah, Auntie, it's by the highway. You have to walk for 20 minutes to get to work. It's far from the river, and it's not convenient to water the plants. You're at a loss."
"That's right. We can see that Aunt Qin works the hardest, but how come she got the worst one?"
"Doctor Qin, you are the same. You don't give your own grandma a piece of meat that is closer to you."
Qin Ju said seriously, "Everyone saw the note written by our nurses and drew the lot with their own eyes. Do I have the final say on which lot you draw?"
Everyone shook their heads quickly. There really was no room for maneuver at all... It seemed that the young comrade was truly straight.
Qin Guihua is different from others—she is happy!
Although the roadside is far from water sources and family areas, the soil is rich! The yellow mud in other places is covered with a layer of white alkali, but the few acres near the road are the only ones she knows because she dug them herself. The deeper she dug, the black soil she dug up was much better than that of other places!
"Besides, it's still more than nine points. You three grandchildren can't finish it." Another young wife said sourly.
Nine fen of land is equivalent to more than 600 square meters of land. What is the three fen of private land in my hometown? Because the person who did the measurement was sent by Political Commissar Liu, if he loosened the tape a little, there would be an extra row of space for planting melons and beans. In name, it is more than nine fen, but in fact it is already one mu.
Qin Guihua rolled her eyes and said, "There are two working people in my family. Look at my granddaughter, her hands were so tender, and now they are in such a state!"
Qin Pan felt sorry for his grandmother. He worked with her day and night. Except for taking a nap at home at noon, he was busy clearing land all the time. Who could not see her skinny back, like a little chicken?
For a moment, no one said anything, after all, it was earned by the other person himself.
Qin Ju originally expected more than 20 people to participate, and the ratio of land-for-work was set high, thinking that everyone would share a share, but only half of them participated. Isn't this a bargain for them? One mu of land, they finally have one mu of land! This is a wonderful thing that they dare not even dream of!
So, the old ladies began to discuss what to plant with great interest, and discussed when to go to Lenghe Town to buy seeds and fertilizers. For a while, the joy and anticipation of planting filled the entire family area.
Of course, there was another person who was also allocated land, someone Qin Ju had not expected, and that person was Liu Baozhu. She seemed not to have seen her during the reclamation, but her two plots of land were listed in the register. After asking Qin Guihua, she found out that it was she who asked the soldiers under Zhao Qingsong to help, and her name was finally recorded.
The family members here had all asked for help, and Qin Jue couldn't say anything, but she hated Zhao Qingsong even more. In her previous life, she had never troubled his subordinates with any private matters in order to protect his career, but he always accused her of not being a good wife.
"I don't know when Qingsong and your Xiaohe will be back. I heard that they are on a business trip in the provincial capital. By the way, didn't you just go there a few days ago? Did you see your Xiaohe?"
Qin Ju was too lazy to talk nonsense with her, but she seemed to want to show off how well-informed she was. "Oh, I heard that they arrested people who were reselling equipment this time. Those people sold the equipment to two foreigners. Your Xiao He went there to help with the interrogation. Didn't he tell you?"
Qin Ju listened calmly. So that's how it was.
Guessing that the person had been caught long ago, Zhao Qingsong wanted to take all the credit, but he didn't understand foreign languages... Well, Xiao He deserved to be the one to pick up the slack!
Liu Baozhu talked about this and that, but seeing that she didn't respond and wasn't aroused by him, she felt like she had punched cotton and left in a huff.
*
Qin Ju had no time to ponder her idea, because soon the test results from Zhong Weimin came out. He divided the 25 acres of land into several areas according to the soil characteristics and fertility, and then divided them further according to the dryness and humidity. He then numbered each plot and allocated the planting range and area of several Chinese medicinal herbs in turn.
"The remaining issue is the water source. The Leng River runs through the middle of the land. Irrigation is convenient along the river, but far away from the river, we can only plant drought-resistant varieties as much as possible..." Zhong Weimin said while writing and drawing, while Qin Ju and Qian Fusheng listened attentively.
When it comes to drought-resistant Chinese medicine, Qinjiao blurts out: "Adenophora, Platycodon grandiflorum and Licorice!"
"Yes, that's what I was thinking of."
Among them, licorice is a very commonly used Chinese medicine. Almost every doctor has this ingredient in more than 98% of prescriptions. It is used to relieve pain and harmonize the properties of medicines. It is like using cement to build a house and adding oil to an engine. Although it looks small, it is indispensable.
Qian Fusheng didn't know much about Chinese medicine, but he felt vaguely that the term sounded familiar. "Licorice... it sounds familiar to me. By the way, what does it have to do with the licorice tablets we bought last time?"
Qin Ju smiled and said, "Licorice tablets are licorice extracts. In addition to being able to make licorice tablets, it can also be made into licorice syrup."
"Well, last time I went to buy medicine, I wanted to order more licorice tablets because the weather was dry and there were many patients suffering from coughing. The people at the pharmaceutical factory refused to give me any, saying they were also in short supply. It was really a bully." He clearly saw that there were still several large boxes in the warehouse, but before he left, a related customer from the sales department had already moved out two boxes.
He begged and pleaded for only ten bottles, yes bottles! They easily got two boxes! He didn't know what two boxes meant, he only knew that it could help all the factory employees, their families and the residents of Lenghe Town cough less, prevent them from developing lung infections, and avoid intravenous drips and hospitalization.
Qin Ju saw that he was angry and could probably guess what was going on, but this was the current situation. The sellers had the final say in the seller's market, and all they could do was try to find some easy-to-obtain substitutes.
Originally, if in later times, many patients with cough and phlegm used Chuanbei and Ambroxol, and they could be bought at any pharmacy, but at that time, Chuanbei and Ambroxol were rare, especially Chuanbei, which was a precious Chinese medicine sold by gram, so licorice tablets became a very affordable substitute and were very commonly used in clinical practice. And if they could grow licorice, it would be a substitute of substitutes.
"Last time I had a cough for half a month and there was phlegm in my throat. Xiao Qin taught me to put two tablets in my throat, and I was cured the next morning. Isn't that amazing?"
Zhong Weimin also said, "That's right. In the past, we couldn't buy Western medicine for coughs, so we used this."
"Okay, then we have to grow more licorice, and then we won't need those Western medicines anymore."
Qin Ju just smiled. She never thought that Chinese medicine or Western medicine could replace the other and exist independently. It was like a person's two legs. Only when they exert force at the same time can they walk steadily. They can walk with only one leg, but they cannot withstand wind and rain. If the two legs can coordinate perfectly, then it is not only a matter of health, but also beautiful and harmonious.
As agreed, at 2:30 a.m. the next day, the driver took Professor Zhong to the Botanical Institute in the provincial capital to pick up seedlings of various medicinal herbs. Qin Jue had no time to go to the clinic to work, so he walked around the medicinal fields wearing a hat, preparing to dig ponds and lay base fertilizer.
On the way, I met several old ladies who were busy tidying up their private plots. The plots were not very large, so they were kept next to the medicinal field. They gathered a lot of red willow and saxaul branches, piled them up, and wove them into a bamboo fence-like barrier to separate the private plots from the medicinal field.
"Aunt Zhang, you're really quick. You planted it right away?"
Aunt Zhang wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "I went to the black market near Lenghe River early today and saw someone selling vegetable seedlings, so I bought two and will plant them first. We old farmers can't bear to see the land go to waste..."
Qin Ju looked closely and found that they were actually cabbage seedlings and cauliflower seedlings. She remembered that they could be grown in these places in her previous life, but they were relatively thin and skinny, but tasted much sweeter than those in the mainland.
When the cabbage grows bigger and just forms a heart, the leaves are tender green and very sweet. The cauliflower is even better. After frying dry, pair it with free-range beef and mutton and sprinkle a handful of cumin. The taste is absolutely amazing. If there is some tea tree mushrooms, it will be even better!
Qin Ju couldn't help swallowing as he thought about it.
The other private plots were also not idle. In addition to the old ladies, many young wives would also work while it was not too hot. Some planted bean seeds, some planted leek roots, and some planted garlic cloves. Anyway, every time a seed was planted, Qinjiao would think of how they would grow up and how delicious they would be when fried and served on a plate.
Halfway through the walk, the sun was already high in the sky. Seeing everyone shouting and heading home, she followed them.
"Has your little fourth child gone to school?" Aunt Zhang caught up with her, carrying a hoe.
After the spring semester started, Qin Pan entered Lenghe Town Primary School as she wished and studied for the third grade. "Because it was far from home and she had to walk to Lenghe Town, I simply let her eat lunch at school and take the bus back every evening."
Qin Pan was very sensible and was reluctant to take the bus back and forth. If she could use the time she spent walking every day to study, she wouldn't have to stay up late alone at night. Qin Ju adhered to the principle of efficiency first and insisted that she eat in the cafeteria at noon, and after eating, she could lie down in the classroom and take a nap, so that she could be energetic for the afternoon class.
In addition to paying for food and oil coupons, each meal in the school cafeteria now had to be paid separately. Qin Jue did not let her suffer any hardship, so she had to eat one pickled vegetable and two vegetarian dishes every day, so she naturally paid the most in the class.
Aunt Zhang smacked her lips enviously. Eating at home could save a lot of food expenses. In this whole family area, every child went home for lunch. That little girl was so lucky. "It must have cost a lot of money, right?"
Qin Ju smiled and said that she still had this little money for now.
"It's great that you sisters are so harmonious and filial. Your grandmother has really worked hard." Aunt Zhang sighed and suddenly pulled Qin Ju. After most of the troops left, she whispered, "My dear, I want to ask you for a favor. Do you think it's okay?"
Qin Ju actually liked her because she was the first one who was willing to take her grandmother to pick wild vegetables and integrate with them. "Tell me what you want. I will definitely not refuse to help if I can."
"You should be able to help. That is, that... Oh, I want to ask you to help me treat a disease." Aunt Zhang pulled her under a big red willow tree and found a clean stone to sit on. "You can cure the son of Political Commissar Liu and that tractor driver. I think Chinese medicine doesn't distinguish between pediatrics and gynecology, so I want you to try."
Of course, she didn’t know that not long ago, Qin Ju went out and encountered Long Jiaojiao’s “strange disease” in the provincial capital.
This morning, Qin Ju just received a call from Long Wen himself, saying that Jiaojiao's illness has been completely cured, her belly has become smaller, she is no longer nauseous, and even her face has become rosy. She has already started going to school.
Qin Ju took off his hat and fanned himself, "It's okay, tell me." He was also puzzled. Aunt Zhang was full of energy. She was fine when she had a fight with another old lady a few days ago. She didn't look like a sick person.
But Aunt Zhang sighed and her eyebrows drooped instantly, "Alas, it's all because of my troublesome daughter..."
Mrs. Zhang is in her early fifties and has a son and a daughter. Her son works in the security company and her daughter-in-law works as a packaging worker in the 412 factory. Their wages are not low compared to those outside, so life should not be so difficult that she has to go into the desert every day. She tries her best to dig wild vegetables every day, but she has to go there because her daughter-in-law doesn't like her. The thing she doesn't like the most is that she brought her daughter-in-law Zhang Yuehong to live here.
The mother-in-law lives with her son and takes care of the children. Usually the daughter-in-law won't say anything, after all, hiring a nanny costs money, and the mother-in-law doesn't want any salary, she just lives with her son to eat and live... But the eldest sister-in-law also came, and they squeezed into the small house of 20 or 30 square meters together. They see each other every day. The eldest sister-in-law doesn't have a job, and the whole family is waiting to eat the couple's salary. No one would be happy about this.
"I also know that a son has the obligation to support his mother, but a younger brother has no obligation to support a sister with healthy hands and feet and a normal mind." Mother Zhang sighed again, and it seemed that she was clear-headed.
Qin Ju was also very surprised when he heard this. "Your daughter, is she the older sister with a flowery headscarf who went with you to reclaim wasteland that day?"
"Oh, yes, that's my Yuehong."
Qin Ju had an impression that the elder sister worked very hard. She dug very deep every time and picked out gravel as big as green beans, unlike other people who thought it was troublesome and turned a blind eye. But she saw that she was almost 40 years old at that time, and she didn't expect that she was actually the daughter of Zhang's mother. She thought she was someone who came to help her with the work.
"She also has a hard life."
When she was in her hometown, like many girls of that era, Zhang Yuehong got married at the age of 16. After marriage, she gave birth to two daughters, but she never got pregnant. Her in-laws became more and more dissatisfied with her, and they either beat or scolded her. Her body was often covered with bruises. Zhang's mother really couldn't bear to see her suffer in her in-laws' family, so she simply advised her to divorce.
The two granddaughters from the divorce certainly could not be taken away, and Aunt Zhang was open-minded. After all, the daughter still had a long life to live, and she couldn't waste time fighting with her ex-husband's family over the child. She was also afraid that she would be moved by the scene, so she simply brought her to Lenghe Town to live with her son (brother).
Everything went smoothly here. Zhang Yuehong was pretty and tall, but she was hardworking and serious about everything she did. After a few years, she was introduced to a widower in Lenghe Town. Although she didn't have a stable job, their production team had two team-run enterprises, which paid her wages on time every month. She could also manage the farm work on weekdays, so her life was pretty good. Especially after Zhang Yuehong got married, she took care of the housework and farm work, and occasionally she could go back to her hometown to visit her mother, brother, nephews and nieces. This life was pretty comfortable.
"But my daughter has a miserable life. She has been married for seven or eight years but still has no son or daughter. Later, her husband's family also had objections. My step-son-in-law is already 40 years old and can't wait any longer. He got drunk and beat her twice, leaving a big hole in her head. If she hadn't been sent to the hospital by kind people, she might have died on the way..."
Zhang Yuehong's fate is just like being soaked in coptis water.
However, returning to one’s parents’ home is not a perfect solution, it is just another form of living under someone else’s roof. Due to the limitations of the times and regions, in the eyes of most people, if a woman does not give birth to a child, especially a son, within a few years of marriage, is she considered unqualified and will be “eliminated” from marriage?
Qin Ju got angry just thinking about it. She had been framed by gossipers for not being able to get pregnant in her previous life. She really wanted to hold these people's ears and ask them, is pregnancy the greatest "use" of a woman? Is infertility her original sin?
Many times, harsh remarks like “a chicken that can’t lay eggs” are heard among women: mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, neighbors. Obviously, we are all women, so why can’t we be more understanding of our compatriots?
"I know what you mean, Auntie, but I think you can ask Sister Yuehong first. Does she really want to have a baby? If she does, who to have it with is also a problem. The man in Lenghe Town can't be waiting for her..."
Aunt Zhang cursed, "That bastard, he got married just two months after his divorce, and now his baby is already a year old. If it weren't for this, there wouldn't be rumors in town that my daughter can't have children!"
"So you want me to help her get better and save her reputation?"
Zhang's mother blushed, "Well, not entirely."
Qin Ju found it funny. As a mother, her intention was good, but she might not have figured out what Zhang Yuehong was thinking.
"How about this, Auntie? Go back and ask Sister Yuehong what she thinks. If she wants to be treated, let her come to the clinic to see me. If she doesn't want to be treated, forget it. Oh, of course, I can't guarantee that I can cure her, because the human body is very complicated."
"I know, I know. I also heard from your grandma that you are amazing. You can tell at a glance that your eldest brother-in-law is infertile. That's the eldest brother-in-law from your hometown."
Qin Ju held his forehead and said, "My grandma, she really tells everything to others."
As for which of them is unable to have children or which one of them can, Qin Ju really doesn't know. Anyway, Liu Jiawei had a son and a daughter in his previous life. The two children look very much like him, so they must be his biological children.
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