Chapter 101
Girl's Heart
"After review, all those who were wrongly criticized, wrongly struggled, wrongly arrested, and wrongly sentenced from 1958 to 1977 have been vindicated. In our Umayyad mining area, there are a total of 855 such people. Now, I will read out the list, and I also ask these comrades to go to the mining area from now on to submit information and present their grievances..."
The radio was filled with enthusiastic reports.
It's the season of blooming sand date flowers again. There are crackling sounds of firecrackers outside. Nie Gong is brushing his teeth when someone bangs on the door. "Nie Gong, why don't you come out and take a look? The farm is sending off Professor Qiu who has been rehabilitated. He wants to take a ride at our base. Go and have a look."
It’s Harbin Institute of Technology. It looks very excited.
"Okay, you go first, I'll go later."
They want redress and their original jobs back. Even though these years will not be counted as wages, they will be counted as years of service. Of course the old professors will be happy about this.
After a while, the sound of gongs and drums came over. This time, it was Professor Qiu who knocked on the door of the Nie family. "Hey, Mr. Nie, you are so kind to open the door for me yourself."
Nie Gong thought to himself, I eat and dress myself, so what's so strange about me opening the door by myself?
"Is Director Chen really not here?" he said.
"No, she has gone to the autonomous region government. I'm really sorry that I can't see you off," said Nie Gong.
Professor Qiu actually didn't care whether he was welcomed or not. He said, "Nian Gong, you know, if it weren't for Director Chen, I probably wouldn't have survived until today. I really can't leave without seeing her once."
"It's not a matter of whether she can leave or not. Before she left, she told me that you will be in Hongyan in the future, and if she needs help with anything related to agriculture, you just need to not refuse," said Nie Gong.
Professor Qiu smiled and said, "How can that be possible? Don't worry, as long as she calls me, I will rush to the border immediately. But does she really not want to be the farm manager? I think the whole farm should be managed by Wang Hongbing now.
Although the work is in an orderly manner, you know, if the farmers of Mulan Farm really want to have enough food, they still have to take the lead and create. Otherwise, they will just be free laborers in the mining area. "
Having lived on the farm for a long time, although there are bigger battlefields waiting for them, their feelings towards the farm are the same as their hometown or their children.
"I don't know about that, but I think she will go back to work after she has rested enough," said the worker.
After wiping his mouth with a towel, the worker pushed the door open and said, "Ms. Chen, the children have already gone to school. You must be so sleepy that your head is almost flat. Are you really not going to get up?"
"I've already prepared dinner for them this morning, and the kids left after eating. Let me sleep a little longer. I have nothing to do anyway." Miss Chen turned over and went back to sleep. "I'll have a good sleep, and when I get up I'll make lunch for them."
"I think the mining district has no intention of raising your salary. The elementary school principal is also a human being, Anna. Are you really going to give me some free time?" Nie Gong pushed open the window and said, "Look, the chaos you wanted has really arrived ahead of schedule. We don't have to beg Grandpa for funds for the laboratory anymore. But why did you suddenly lose your enthusiasm for struggle?"
Xiao Chen turned over and sat up, pulled out a small mirror with a red plastic cover and looked at himself. He said, "Ah, I can't accept myself like this. I'm just like a golden lion king."
"Who is the Golden Lion King?"
"It's little Simba, a very cute little lion." Chen Lina sat up, stretched her back, and said, "Okay, why don't you go to work today?"
"I see that you've been a little depressed lately, and students can do the morning work, so it's okay to go later. I can help you with the chores at home," said the laborer.
"Okay, that's perfect. Let's build our drying room. I want to increase the drying rate of grapes. Let's start the experiment at home."
An authentic air-drying room is made of earthenware and built with a combination of earthenware and wood. Don't be fooled by the fact that it has ventilation on all sides.
However, due to the sunshine, orientation and light, the grapes must not be directly exposed to the sun for 24 hours, and ventilation must be guaranteed, which is a difficult problem.
Afanti did teach Chen Lina a lot of knowledge, but it was easier said than done. After the laborers came back, they made a lot of formulas before they figured out how big the adobe bricks should be and where to build the drying room.
"Hey, the laborers are at work again today. In our base, you two are the most active ones. You never have a single day of leisure." Mother Ham is wearing a floral dress today, looking very beautiful, and is preparing to take a ride to the farm.
I heard that a widow came to the farm recently. She has a child, but she is very pretty, hardworking and diligent. She is planning to go and ask for Harbin Institute of Technology, as it seems that the child is not willing to marry Harbin Institute of Technology.
"If you ask me, Harbin Institute of Technology should find an unmarried woman. Why does it have to be a widow?" The worker said this while Chen Lina was helping him drive nails and shovels while he was piling.
"Harbin workers are shy when they see girls and can't talk. Widows are more direct and know that couples go to the kang. Young girls don't understand this and need some love."
"Love? Love is bullshit. It's like a solitary puff of smoke in the desert. It's not as real as the smoke in the chimney."
"Comrade Xiao Chen, I've noticed that you've been sluggish in every aspect lately. Is it because the mine hasn't increased your salary or asked you to return to be the site manager, which has discouraged your enthusiasm? It turns out that you don't believe in love the most. You say you can survive without food, but you can't survive without love?" The worker showed off his strong chest and said, "Look, I've been working hard to help you find love."
"Tsk, love, stop joking, Nie Gong. You've grown up and you're so depressed that you don't even know what love is." Miss Chen stayed at home for a whole winter. Her skin became whiter and her smile became lazier. But she gradually became indifferent to Nie Gong.
"I examine myself three times a day: Have I said sweet words? Did Miss Chen call me sweetly? Have I handed over all my wages? Miss Chen, I feel so wronged when you say that to me."
Miss Chen curled her lips, and seeing that the laborer was really angry, she quickly said, "Okay, okay, you can build a drying room and take the initiative to do housework. Our laborer is still very good. If you can take charge of cooking for us starting tomorrow, at least I will vote for you when our mining area selects the March 8th Red Flag Bearer next year."
"Who are you voting for, Chen Lina? I will be the next March 8th Red Flag Bearer. Is there anyone else in the entire mining area who is more advanced and willing to work besides me?"
Without knocking on the door or bringing any gifts, He Lanshan just came to the door casually.
"Hey, Sister He, please come in and sit down. But why are you here?" Chen Lina hurriedly let He Lanshan into the house.
"I just finished my second mother's work. Since your No. 1 base didn't want her, she has another place to go. And it's much better than your No. 1 base." He Lanshan was a man who never gave up. He sat there and handed over a few books. "The Heroes of Jin Yong, my sister-in-law got it from Hong Kong. I guess not only the guards like it, but the workers will like it too."
Of course, there is no one who is a descendant of the Yellow Emperor who dislikes Jin Yong's books.
However, it would take a lifetime for this kind of martial arts culture to flood the market, or it would take until after the reform and opening up. Chen Lina saw Nie Gong pick out a book and flip through it, and she guessed that this man might be obsessed.
Nie Gong had been a martial arts fan his whole life, and of course, all his sons were too.
After Chen Lina married him, Nie Weijiang once told her in person that he felt that if she were in Jin Yong's martial arts world, she would be a mix of Princess Xiangxiang and Huo Qingtong.
Well, that's a compliment.
But seeing this, Chen Lina rubbed her temples and felt a headache, because the two sons of the worker were involved in gangs, which were inseparable from knights, justice, and Shanghai Beach.
But these things will inevitably flow into the market along with the rectification of chaos and reform and opening up.
In short, being a parent seems to be a matter of endless worry.
"How's it going, Xiao Chen? Have you had enough rest? The revenue target assigned to our mining area by the autonomous region this year is exactly twice as high as last year. Of course, the number of workers assigned recently is only about one-third of the original employees in the mining area. Their livelihood depends on the farms."
Chen Lina sneered and thought to herself, just see, when chanting sutras doesn’t work, you’ll think of me.
"Why, Sister He, I heard that you have been trying to stop me from joining the company, saying that it's just a farm and it won't work without someone to sow the seeds. Anyone can be the farm manager. Why do you think I'm important now?"
"Xiao Chen, I never said that. You must have heard it as a lie." He Lanshan was of course unwilling to admit something he never said.
"But there are still many people in the mining area who say this. Moreover, as the chaos is rectified, a large number of intellectuals have flocked to various positions. There are also many people vying for my position and wanting to manage the farm. I am right, am I not?"
"At this time, Lao Gao was able to eliminate the abnormalities and still let you stay as the director. That's because he really appreciated the troubles you helped the mine solve during the most difficult days. Besides, you have been at home for three or four months. I want to ask you, are you comfortable staying at home?"
Chen Lina looked at her two soft and tender fingers and said, "I have a warm bed, plenty of coal, and three sons who say sweet words to me every day. It's so comfortable."
"But if you don't work, you will become a housewife with no vision and no consciousness. You only know how to raise children and cook, and you don't know the outside world. Gradually, you will be disconnected from the laborer. Of course, he is now the only senior engineer in our mining area. I am afraid that if you continue like this, you will not be worthy of him. A housewife like Yuan Hua is no different from a useless person. Do you want to be like Yuan Hua and let your husband sweep the floor and go out to work?"
Yuan Hua, from Nie Gong's second aunt's family, divorced He Min. However, He Lanshan was a very generous man and found a job for Yuan Hua in a plastic factory. There was a single dormitory to live in and a small salary. Although Yuan Hua was discouraged, at least she had no worries in life.
He Lanshan is a very straightforward person, except that he has a bad mouth.
Chen Lina turned around and asked the worker, "Old Nie, I just want to ask you, where is the water you boiled all this time?"
It was nearly twenty years ago that Nie Gong first read Jin Yong’s works. He was reading very seriously, then raised his head and said, “Burn it, burn it, burn it right away.” Then he buried his head in the book again.
"Sister He, you said that housewives are useless, but I don't agree with this. Your family of three has a canteen to eat, and there are attendants to take care of hygiene. Even if you occasionally cook a meal at home, there is a long line of women willing to help you, so you can concentrate on your work. But not to mention the mining area, there are very few women in families like yours in the entire republic. Three meals a day, feeding several children, tattered clothes, and housework are enough to tire a woman to death.
Moreover, most women are not like me. When I have my period, all three children will run away. Do they really grow up by drinking wind and farting? You can look down on housewives, but you can't be like all men, denying their dedication and ridiculing them. "
"I have never denied Comrade Xiao Chen's dedication to her family. The mining district wanted Xiao Chen to work, so they sent you, Director He. You don't want to increase her salary, do you?" Worker Nie finally raised his head.
"The entire mining area is facing a huge financial problem right now. There are more than 800 cases of wrongful convictions that need redress. None of them deserves compensation or a job. Lao Gao really has no place to squeeze Xiao Chen's salary."
Director He, oh no, now she is the team leader of the special team for false and wrongful cases in the mining area. She should be called Team Leader He. It is estimated that the next step will be to join the core leadership team of the mining area, so she speaks in an official tone.
"Our mining area's oil production ranks first in the entire republic, which is equal to the total economic income of a province. Now you say you can't pay wages, isn't that a joke?" Chen Lina asked back.
"So if the salary doesn't increase, you're really going to quit?"
"Sister He, there are only three farms in the mining area. Although they have been formally organized, they are only given the rank of village chief, or even lower than that of village chief. This means that you have never really considered the farms as part of the mining area. Of course I don't want to do it. I work so hard, but what do I deserve?"
"Didn't I tell you that Lao Gao can't make this decision?"
"He just thought it was too much trouble and didn't want to go all the way to the autonomous region for such a small matter. Don't think I don't know that the farm directors of the Corps Farm are treated like county clerks."
"As long as the mine doesn't raise wages, Xiao Chen won't go to work. I have never denied her dedication to our family. Sister He, your mine has been discussing this for several months and this is the result. To be honest, I am quite disappointed. But I won't invite you to lunch. We still have to build a shelter. What do you think?"
This is a direct expulsion.
He Lanshan was speechless and sat in silence for a long time. Seeing that Chen Lina did not boil water or have any intention of cooking, he licked his lips, thinking that he would not be able to eat his favorite stretched noodles. Feeling disappointed, he turned around and left.
Of course, three days later, the mining area called Lao Nie's office directly and asked Chen Lina to return to the farm to work. Her salary was also synchronized with the leaders of other factories in the mining area, 220 yuan a month. She finally joined the ranks of real cadres.
"Mom, I heard that you are going to start working soon. Does that mean you will never pick me up at the school gate again?" Sandan asked as he jumped out of the school gate.
"As long as it's not the busiest time, I will pick up your brother first and then pick you up. We have a jeep now." Chen Lina said.
When Sandan reached the age, although it was not yet September, he started attending elementary school with his older brothers and sisters.
However, Nie Weimin is already eleven years old after the Chinese New Year, but he is still in the third grade.
Thanks to Anna's efforts, the mining area middle school just resumed classes, so all the eleven-year-old children in their grade took the exam. Those who passed went directly to junior high school, while those who failed went back to elementary school.
The test questions are certainly difficult since it is divided into two levels.
A group of children went to take the exam together, and Nie Weimin and Chen Lina didn't worry, because they knew that one of them would definitely pass.
But what she didn't expect was that Liu Xiaohong also passed the exam with 100 points in two subjects. This girl was simply a surprise and always surprised Chen Lina.
She felt that if things continued like this, Liu Xiaohong would eventually become a top student.
"Erdan, can you really do it? That's junior high school. Why don't you go back to elementary school and learn slowly, okay?" Chen Lina hesitated when she saw that Erdan had 87 in math and 68 in Chinese, which were also above the passing line.
Honestly, it was no wonder that the original teacher didn't trust him. Just looking at the way he just gave notes without thinking, she couldn't believe that he got the high score based on his own ability.
"Mom, you don't trust me anymore." Erdan said eagerly, "Not only did I do well in the exam, I also helped Tiantian."
"What do you mean you helped Tiantian? You copied for her?"
"I, I just sent her a paper egg, and she sent me one too, but I didn't look at it. I relied on my own strength." Erdan looked innocent.
Chen Lina stroked her forehead again, "Sister Wang was just talking about it, saying that Tiantian was so smart that she was able to pass the junior high school entrance exam in the third grade. She couldn't believe it, but she didn't expect that she copied you?"
What is this? Two poor students copied each other's work, and then they blamed each other. Is that right?
But no matter what, the four children were extremely excited about junior high school life and couldn't help wanting to go to school in the city.
At noon, Chen Lina washed her hair and ran to Anna's house to get a perm for herself.
It's the weekend, but as soon as I walked in, I felt the house was so quiet.
The child is so quiet, so he must be doing something naughty.
However, the voices of the two younger ones came from outside. They were obviously playing in the woods outside. The house was very quiet. Nie Weimin's door was closed. Turning to the backyard, Chen Lina found him reading a book. There was something wrong with this kid. You could tell from his face. His little face was very red. When he raised his head and saw Chen Lina's shadow, he subconsciously hid the book immediately.
But Chen Lina has already seen it.
As for that kind of rubbish pornographic novel, the most famous one, which once created a huge craze in China, is "Girl's Heart", in which Chen Lina actually saw a living body, and it was in the hands of Nie Weimin.
For eleven-year-old Xiao Nie, is puberty considered early or normal?
Chen Lina's mind went blank, and she suddenly realized that this was the first time she had encountered such a thing.
At least at this moment, she had no idea how to solve this problem.