Chapter 43
Black bread
It was not until the end of the year that the mining district decided on the punishment for Sun Dabao.
Labelled as a Soviet revisionist, he will be inseparable from labor reform for the rest of his life.
Of course Huang Huacai cried her heart out. The most terrifying thing was that she couldn't find the temple gate with the pig's head in her hand.
She prepared a huge sum of 500 yuan, but she didn't spend it and couldn't get Sun Dabao out.
The most terrifying news was brought by Sun Ainan.
"What? What do you mean Jiefang's position as the farm director will be removed? And what do you mean our farm will have a new director?" Huang Huacai jumped up in fright when he heard the news.
Sun Ainan was furious about more than just this. "Mom, from what Director He said, I'm afraid the new director is not friendly to us."
"Who will be the new director? To be honest, besides Jiefang, who else can be the director of our Mulan Farm? Your sister is still the warehouse keeper, and Fusheng is in the personnel department. No one in our grandson's family agrees to change the director. No, I have to go to District Chief Gao to mediate this matter."
"Okay, Mom, just go to Umay less often. Although it's embarrassing for my elder sister, District Chief Gao can't say anything, but he was just transferred from Daqing and doesn't have much affection for my elder sister. He was upset when he heard what you said. My elder sister is a hero, and we should cherish her reputation. If you make trouble again, the leaders will avoid us, and that won't work."
"So what do you say we should do?"
"I guess it should be my brother-in-law's new wife, Chen Lina. You haven't seen her when she visited District Chief Gao's home. She was dressed so neatly. She is a college student, so she probably regards our farm as an experimental field and wants to realize her own ideals in life." Of course, she said this sarcastically.
"No matter if it's Chen Lina, or the Black Mountain King or the Red Mountain King, whoever dares to be the site manager, I will chase her out. Otherwise, I won't be called Sun."
"Your original surname is not Sun, your surname is Huang," said Sun Xiangnan.
As for whether Chen Lina is a stinky old ninth, Sun Ainan is simply looking for someone to find out.
The base is like a solid fortress. She couldn't find out anything. Isn't that infuriating?
It's just the beginning of spring, and the weather in Umayyad is like a face in the desert. People who get sunburned at noon have scalp pains, and at night, the cold wind blows and people are shivering with cold.
The newly opened Base No. 3 was very busy, and Nie Bozhao had been away for half a month and had not returned.
With her face flushed from the sun at noon, Chen Lina picked up two experts from the Agricultural University who were transferred from the Yili Farm and brought them to the mining area. She watched them report to the public security office and waited by the roadside.
This car with license plate number 0002 brought Chen Lina tremendous convenience.
For example, if anyone wants to go to Uru, there will be many checks and checkpoints, but she will basically not be subject to any checks.
The road to Ulu is just too difficult to travel on. Thanks to the solid construction of today's cars and the fact that it is still freezing, there aren't too many road collapses. Otherwise, it would be impossible to make a trip from Ulu to Umay.
The three children followed her outside all day long, and there were always some unfamiliar uncles who were dressed in rags and got on their cars like they were fleeing famine. As soon as they got on the car, they would talk about their experiences working on the farm.
For example, how to roast a vole to make it delicious, and what sparrow meat tastes like. The three children were very curious to hear it.
Just now, another uncle came to report. My mother took him to the police station and took his household registration to report. They were sitting in the car, waiting outside.
"Mom, I'm hungry and want to eat black bread."
The bread sold in the supply and marketing cooperative is baked to a crispy golden crust. When you cut it open, you can see that it is filled with walnuts and raisins, layer upon layer, sweet and fragrant. This is also a kind of bread from the Soviet Union. It is soft, fluffy and delicious.
The car stopped right outside the supply and marketing cooperative, and Erdan's saliva was all over the car windows.
"Egg, it's not that mommy doesn't want to buy it for you, it's just that our pocket money this month has exceeded the limit. Oh, these uncles and aunts have used up a lot of mommy's money."
"Then why should we help them? Isn't it better to keep the money and spend it on ourselves?" Nie Weimin couldn't understand.
"Because they are all good friends of your father. Moreover, next year and the year after, they will bring us a lot of fresh fruits, so that our base will have endless bread and cotton. Then, I can vacate the small warehouse and give it to you as a bedroom."
Nie Weimin's heart was moved. After all, he was grown up and would soon become an elementary school student. He really wanted some private space.
"It's OK now. The maintenance fee for the three of us is 30 yuan per month, and you are in charge of it."
"Comrade Xiao Nie, do you think thirty yuan is a lot? Do you know that the little leather shoes on your feet cost ten yuan a pair?" Because the new little leather shoes were too expensive, only one pair was bought for Nie Weimin.
As for shoes, you can wear smaller ones after you wear the bigger ones, and the same goes for clothes. After the Chinese New Year, the three brothers were short of clothes again, and they had to make new clothes, but Chen Lina hadn't found any cloth yet.
Three years new, three years old, and another three years of patching up, and now we can only make do with it.
There was no bread to eat, so Chen Lina sent Professor Qiu from the North Agricultural University to the outside of the farm, gave him a few instructions, and told him to go into the farm to report on his own. Then she turned around and walked back.
"Mom, why are you driving so slowly? Do you remember that night when Sandan had a fever, you drove so fast that the car seemed to fly." Erdan was very unhappy when he saw the snow-capped mountains outside and the slow driving of the car.
Chen Lina said, "Mom wants to, too, but your Uncle Xiao's car is equipped with imported snow tires and anti-skid straps, so it won't slip. If the car goes too fast, we'll all fall into the sand."
"Well, let's buy some snow tires, we have the money."
"What's the money?"
"About alimony, we have alimony." Nie Weimin said affirmatively, "That's your money too." His tone was really generous.
Chen Lina chuckled and said, "A snow tire costs more than a dozen dollars. It's not something that can be purchased with your support money. Your mother risked her life to buy it for you. She can only use it on you."
Thinking of his ex-mother, Nie Weimin would recall how she took him to visit the chief engineer's house and the district head's house. That mother was very tall, with long legs. She always walked very fast and had a stern face. But he still loved her very much. After all, she was his real mother.
The child was very sad, so he stopped talking.
Just at this time, Sun Ainan also came out of the farm. Her husband was only a personnel section chief in the mining area, so of course he had no car to ride in. He had to take Liu Jiefang's tractor to the base, and then take the base's truck back to the Umayyi mining area.
Coincidentally, Daylily was also sitting on the tractor.
As soon as I saw Chen Lina's car, I looked at the three children in the car. The tractor was too noisy and I couldn't hear what she was saying.
But Huanghuali pointed and clung to the tractor and started shouting. Needless to say, he was definitely cursing.
The three children opened their mouths and started crying almost at the same time.
Chen Lina used all her strength and threw the tractor far away.
The old lady was so angry that she died in the back and sighed at the sight of the car.
"In fact, our support money was more than 30 yuan. I was there when the leaders came to mediate. I know we had 5,000 yuan, but that money was taken away by my grandmother." Nie Weimin said only after the car had left them far behind.
Good boy, this kid finally got it.
"Yes, I also heard that your mother has a pension of 5,000 yuan. That money should be saved for your college education. If you put it in a credit union and put it in a fixed deposit, we can get an extra 19 yuan in interest a year. But, do you want that money?"
"Yes." Nie Weimin and Erdan said in unison.
Who doesn't want money?
"Okay, as long as you want it, let's go to the base and talk to the leader now. Mom will get the money for you." Chen Lina said.
In fact, she should have asked for the money back last year.
However, at that time, both Nie Weimin and Nie Bozhao were very wary of her, so Chen Lina kept postponing it.
She had to support these children to go all the way to college, instead of following their parents' old path of going out to work in society in their teens. In this case, education funds were an unavailable sum of money.
No matter what Sun Zhuan'an thinks about this money in his grave, Chen Lina feels that the money she earned with her life should be used for her son's education.
When they arrived at the base, she carried Sandan on her back and asked Nie Weimin to change into a pair of cloth shoes. It happened that the three children had grown taller during the Chinese New Year, and their most beautiful navy uniforms were too short, so the four of them ran to the base's office building again.
"Inside information, I heard that Comrade Xiao Chen will take up the position of director of our Mulan Farm right away?" This was the first time Chief Engineer Wang met Chen Lina in private. He pointed at her nose and said, "It's true that a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, but Xiao Chen, a farm is not like a base. It's a world of its own. Do you know what the world of its own is?"
"That's how it is in the underworld. You know there are other reasons why the production can't be increased, and you also know that Sun Dabao is a bully on the farm, but no one dares to intervene."
"Xiao Chen, I'm going to tell you something from the bottom of my heart. You know what the national situation is like. Sun Dabao was not only the head of the security team, he was also the head of the revolutionary squad. Do you know the revolutionary squad? If he puts a random hat on you, our base will probably have to close down. If we want to ensure production, we really can't mess with him."
"I understand what the leader means, but I think nothing is more important than keeping everyone well fed."
No one dared to offend Sun Dabao, who was best at putting accusations on people. However, his brother-in-law put the accusation of being a Su revisionist on him. He was knocked to the ground and stepped on by ten thousand feet, so that he could never get up again.
Born to fight, ended up being fought by others, how ironic.
"Okay, from now on we are equals. If you have any difficulties at work, just come to me. I will help you in any way I can. Of course, I also hope that you can take over the farm and make sure we all have enough food within three years." Chief Engineer Wang said.
Chen Lina smiled. Before the deed was done, the news had spread throughout the entire mining area.
Hearing what Xiao Nie Weimin said, Chief Engineer Wang's smile froze on his face. "Comrade Xiao Chen, the money has already been paid out and Comrade Huang Huacai has taken it. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to ask for it back. Besides, our base is also based on the principle of less trouble is worse than more trouble, and we want peace and quiet. Even Lao Nie didn't ask for this money."
"Uncle Wang, I was there when the support was being discussed. My grandmother had a separate 300 yuan, and this sum is the funding the base gives us for college." Nie Weimin said to Men Qing'er.
"Then this is your private matter. No one in our base will compromise, and no one will persuade the child to get his own support money back. Also, Comrade Xiao Chen, the district chief and the secretary have issued a death order. Your file is locked in the cabinet behind me. In Umay, you are not a stinking ninth. You have the power to kill anyone. Even if someone points a gun at me, I will not hand over your file. Go ahead and do it."
With another spring breeze, the mining area officially notified that Liu Jiefang was dismissed from the position of farm director because he had not done anything for several years, and the position of farm director was taken over by Chen Lina.
As soon as the news reached the base, Sister Wang, holding her shoe pieces, and Mother Ham, embroidering flowers, all came to join in the fun.
Chen Lina is trying to make bread for the children.
There is a natural barbecue next to the fire wall, and there are walnuts collected during the Chinese New Year and Mama Hamama's mare's milk raisins.
But she had no butter. The supply and marketing cooperative also sold butter, but it was always out of stock. The only sheep fat available at home was not suitable for baking bread, so the resulting dish would become a dark dish.
After resolutely buying five kilograms of milk, Chen Lina is now making butter herself.
Hearing that he could make black bread, Nie Weimin worked extra hard to stir the milk with his two small hands. He ate as much as Erdan, and one had a round butt and the other was a skinny little guy.
After stirring a few times, the young man's forehead was covered with sweat and he couldn't stir anymore.
Mother Ham took the bucket with a smile, grabbed the stick and started stirring. It's amazing that the Ham people are used to stirring milk. After half an hour, the oil and water were separated.
This is when the butter needs to be refined.
Put the amusu made from millet into white butter and fry it on high heat. When the amusu is fried dry and the moisture in the oil is gone, the cooked amusu can be left over and used to make milk tea.
Mama Ham is better at making bread than Chen Lina.
Erdan watched the round dough being kneaded and spread out, and the walnuts and raisins coated with brown sugar were piled on top layer by layer. He drooled. "These raisins were all picked by mom one by one."
Chen Lina tapped his nose and said, "If you hadn't sneaked into the small storeroom to eat every time, we would have enough raisins to make at least three large loaves of bread."
"I can eat it without the grapes."
Chen Lina then took the remaining dough and kneaded another one. This time it had a beginning and a end, and she poked two holes on the head with chopsticks.
"Mom, what is this called?"
"Caterpillar."
"The kind that falls from the trees in the spring?"
"right."
Erdan waited eagerly, squatting in front of the stove. For the first time in his life, he wanted to taste the caterpillar that fell from the tree.
"Xiao Chen is really amazing. He can work in Leba and be the manager." After putting the bread into the oven next to the fire wall, several women went into the inner room and started chatting about family matters.
Sister Wang said, "However, many family members at the base don't believe you can be a good director."
"I am the manager, not for them to see. Just follow their words."
"I also heard from my sister that Sun Gong's mother threatened that if you set foot in Mulan Farm, she would serve you with a basket of coal ash and chase you out," said Sister Wang.
"I went there to be the site manager, not to quarrel with her, but if she really wants to quarrel with me, I'm afraid I won't have to say a few words to her, right?" Her family members throughout the base had seen her acting like a spoiled child.
This is also the reason why, recently Nie Weimin always likes to beat other people's children outside, and no one rushes to Nie's house to say a word.
She is too protective, kind of heartless.
After seeing off Mother Ham and Sister Wang, the stove was already filled with the aroma of milky bread.
After dragging it out and cutting it open, Chen Tiantian had already run in after smelling the aroma. "Auntie, I want to eat black bread, too."
"Come, I'll cut a big piece of you first." Chen Lina thought to herself, little girl, you should lose weight. You know, men like thin waists and long legs. Your little fat butt and tadpole belly are not in the mainstream aesthetic.
It is no wonder that when Nie Weimin grew up, he took Liu Xiaohong as his mistress.
It is still early for the next generation's ethical drama, but Chen Lina is already starting to have a headache.
Did her little romantic comrade Nie Weimin marry Chen Tiantian, or did they break up? And how did he get together with Liu Xiaohong, the person she hated the most?
On his first day at the farm, Nie Weimin, still wearing his snow-white navy uniform, had been restless since he woke up in the morning.
The little guy ate a mouthful of bread and a sip of milk, feeling worried.
"Comrade Xiao Chen, do you really want to go?"
"Of course."
"How about I go with you? If my grandmother doesn't give you money, I can help you."
"Use your iron head skills?" Chen Lina looked at this serious guy and couldn't help laughing. "Comrade Xiao Nie, you are still a child. What are the responsibilities of a child? Eat, sleep, grow taller, and asking for money is the business of adults. I can't use you as a shield, nor can I use you as a cover. Go and have fun."