After taking the measurements, Jiang Xile went to a state-run restaurant for lunch, packed some things to go, and then rode her bicycle back to the educated youth settlement.
Ten days have passed in the blink of an eye. Although the autumn harvest is over, there is still a lot of work to be done in the fields!
Everyone was busy at work as usual. This time, instead of weeding, Jiang Xile took on the task of drying corn.
Drying corn is the easiest job right now. You just sit on the threshing floor with a rake, turn the corn over in a few minutes, and that's it.
However, this job is quite time-consuming; you have to watch over it from morning till night, for fear that the grain will be stolen by insects, birds, and rats.
Thinking about the new clothes Zhou the tailor had made, Jiang Xile took advantage of her lunch break to ride her bicycle to the commune.
The round trip, which used to take an hour, was compressed into forty minutes by her, and the bicycle pedals were practically sparking.
The clothes fit perfectly, just as Jiang Xile had imagined. Having finally found a good tailor, Jiang Xile used her handbag as a cover to take out the fabric for two more sets of clothes and handed them to the tailor, Zhou.
There was no rush for the clothes this time, so Jiang Xile and tailor Zhou agreed to pick them up in half a month.
Time flies and winter has arrived. This year's snow came exceptionally early. Since the last time the mountain was closed, Jiang Xile went up the mountain several times, but he never saw Zhang the hunter again.
Jiang Xile made some inquiries indirectly and only then received news of Zhang the hunter's death. After asking around, she learned that Zhang the hunter was over sixty years old.
It was obvious that the old hunter who died of illness in his sixties was not the one she had met in the mountains before.
Although the man had a full beard and was dressed very sloppily, her intuition told her that he was no more than thirty years old.
Jiang Xile's suspicions were confirmed once again. Now that the troops had left, it meant that there was no danger in the back mountain. So, whenever he had time, Jiang Xile would travel back and forth between the back mountain and the educated youth settlement.
By chance, she discovered the small black market in the commune. Although it was not as large as the county town, its purchasing power was just as astonishing.
Jiang Xile's pockets, which hadn't seen any income for a long time, started to bulge again. All the game he hunted in the mountains was sold on the black market and was very popular, especially towards the end of the year when the wild game was in short supply.
Before we knew it, it was New Year's Day. The brigade was bustling with activity lately, with winter fishing, winter hunting, delivering grain to the state, calculating work points, and slaughtering pigs for the New Year – all of these activities were very popular.
This is Jiang Xile's first time participating in winter fishing, both in her past and present lives. Of course, women are not allowed to go down into the ice, but they can wait near the ice cave to collect fish.
The enormous fishing net was pulled up by a horse-drawn cart. It wasn't just the horses that were straining, but also dozens of strong young men standing on both sides.
Seeing this scene for the first time, Jiang Xile was very excited, his eyes fixed on the ice. When the first fish in the fishing net appeared, everyone's faces showed visible excitement.
As the fishing net was gradually pulled up, more and more fish appeared below. The more fish there were, the heavier the net became, and the onlookers on the shore couldn't resist joining in, with many people going up to help pull the net.
"One, two... one, two... one, two... one, two..."
The men pulling the fishing nets shouted slogans as they worked hard to pull them up.
Finally, with everyone's concerted efforts, the entire fishing net was pulled out of the water, and the lively carp, grass carp, bighead carp, and catfish were scattered on the ice.
"Ah...so many fish..."
The onlookers were all incredibly excited; so many fish—that was collective property!
The atmosphere was lively. Before long, the accountant led everyone to tally the quantities, and the team leader excitedly shouted:
"This year, our reservoir has had a bumper fish harvest. After the brigade's calculation, the fish harvest in our team this year is calculated per person."
Children under ten years old are all given half a jin (250 grams), children aged ten to sixteen are given one jin (500 grams), elderly people over sixty years old are given one jin (500 grams), and able-bodied adults are given two jin (100 grams).
Those who want to collect their fish, please line up and collect it from the accountant. Do not make a fuss or nitpick.
As for the remaining fish, the brigade will sell them to the purchasing station, and then the money and grain will be distributed to everyone!
"good!"
As soon as Li Tiejun finished speaking, the people around him began to clap and cheer. The commune members had no objections to the brigade's decision.
Over the years, although Li Tiejun has occasionally had some selfish motives, overall he has done a pretty good job as the brigade leader, and is well-received and has a certain prestige.
The educated youth were naturally included in the category of able-bodied laborers, and each person received two catties of fish, which together amounted to quite a lot and was enough for them to have a good New Year.
About a week after the winter fishing season ended, the brigade started clamoring to sign up for winter fishing again. Last year, there was a hunter named Zhang leading the team, but this year everyone had to rely on themselves.
Li Tiejun's eldest son, Li Defu, had participated in the winter fishing for five years, so Li Tiejun entrusted him with the task of leading the team this time.
Upon learning that Jiang Xile was going to participate, Qiu Wenbin, Mao Gang, Duan Chengyu, and Mu Tianye all signed up.
You should know that although there are certain risks involved in participating in winter fishing, each person receives a reward of three pounds of meat upon returning!
The reward naturally comes from the prey they hunt.
Although there are some dangers during the winter fishing season, nothing major has ever happened, so there are quite a few people who sign up.
Even without the experienced hunter leading the way this year, the enthusiasm of the people for winter fishing has not diminished in the slightest.
This is the time of year when we can eat more meat, so everyone has been craning their necks and waiting for this day!
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