Chapter 62

Two to Five

"Sun Duoyu, are you looking for death? You stole the big squash and the sweetest and best grapes from the farm, and even let those kids accuse the farm manager of this. I think you don't want to live anymore."

In order to find the melon thief, Wang Guanghai, the leader of the production team, set up a special task force.

Well, after searching for a long time, I finally found the high-quality large squash grown by experts in the cellar of Sun Duoyu's house.

"No way, I, I, I work hard every day, I have never stolen any melons." Sun Duoyu was anxious.

In fact, ever since Sun Xiangnan moved away with his daughter and his mother went to visit, she was the only one left in the Sun family. Chen Lina took good care of her and even gave her several pairs of rubber shoes that she couldn't wear out of them herself. How could she steal pumpkins from the production team?

"Then tell me, are you the person in our team who disrespects the director the most?"

"Well, not really." Sun Duoyu didn't respect the director, but she felt that there were some people who respected the director even less than she did.

"I think that only the Sun family would dislike our director Chen. Let's arrest this Sun Duoyu, criticize her in front of the crowd, and step on her with ten thousand feet. We can't let her ruin the reputation of our Sunjiazhai." said member Sun Zhenxing.

"No, the director said that those who criticize others will eventually be criticized. There is a thief in the team and he must be sent to the mining area public security bureau for severe punishment. We cannot criticize him privately." Wang Guanghai was the team leader and of course more rational. He carried a large pumpkin and drove a tractor, and went to the mining area with all the goods.

After Wang Guanghai and the few people who were escorting Sun Duoyu left, a few figures sneaked out from behind Sunjiazhai.

There were children no more than five or six years old. Among them was one who looked short. His surname was Li and his given name was Li Ye. No one knew who gave him this name, but everyone gave him a nickname, Li Daye.

This child looks short, but he is actually 15 years old this year. He has been Sun Dabao's apprentice and lackey since he was a child. Of course, he is also a born bad boy. He is also the king of the children in this farm.

The big squash on the farm were really big and beautiful. Well, he took the children to steal all of them and hid them in an abandoned cave. What were they going to do with them?

Kick it, smash it, or just throw it against the wall.

The improved grape varieties grown at the base are high in sugar and resistant to diseases and pests. They are the result of experts' painstaking grafting and more than half a year of waiting. They could have been taken to Uru for an exhibition and used to ask the farm for funding, but they stole them and ate them all in one gulp.

As soon as they saw that the production team was going to search, they were afraid that their plan would be exposed, so they gave the stolen big pumpkin to Sun Duoyu, and they actually escaped danger.

Early in the morning, these kids were wandering around like stray dogs.

As soon as they saw the manager's car come in, a group of children stopped.

One of them said, "That's not right, Da, didn't you say you put a nail in the manager's tire? How come it's still running fine?"

Another person also said, "Of course, I've seen the manager's tires never burst."

Li Daye also found it strange. In 1958, during the steel smelting spree, all the iron was used for steel smelting.

Iron is so scarce now that it is hard to find even an iron nail. He only has a few nails that were passed down from his master Sun Dabao.

Why didn’t the director’s tire get punctured?

"Your name is Master Li?"

A few children were wandering around in the poplar forest when they were stopped by a tall, thin, fair-skinned, and very gentle-looking boy.

Well, a fair and clean little boy, quite tall and thin, followed by two chubby kids, one fat and one round, who look like they deserve a beating.

…

After dropping the children off at the edge of the grape field, Chen Lina went to the warehouse as usual.

The sun is shining brightly today. Of course, it is Saturday, which is also the day when the democratic life meeting will be held in the farm.

The democratic life meeting was held in the barley field in front of the warehouse. People sat on rollers in groups of three or four, or squatted in the field.

In the past, a few old professors would tell everyone about the difficulties before liberation, recall the good and bad times, and then sing a few songs with the accordion, and everyone would sing along with the rhythm. That was a real life experience.

Now that He Min is here, the situation has of course become much more complicated.

"Comrade Tian Jin, someone posted a big-character poster about you last night, saying that you are a member of the five black categories and have refused to repent. You are even engaging in exaggeration. Not only do you eat noodles every month, but you also drink milk powder. I want to ask you, where does the milk powder come from?"

"I'm not in a position to reveal this."

"Then do you know that drinking milk powder is an extremely extravagant and capitalist behavior?"

The gray-haired old expert fell silent.

Tian Jin is the expert who helps Chen Lina improve various varieties and cultivate grains.

Because he knew Nie Bozhao, Nie Bozhao would give him milk powder coupons every month.

The old professor is old, and the living conditions in the frontier are poor. It would be good for him to have some milk powder to replenish his health which was damaged in Yili.

However, this matter was kept secret. After all, current ideology was such that if one wrote a big-character poster for someone, he would inevitably be criticized by the masses.

"I realize my mistake. From tomorrow on, I will never drink milk powder again." Tian Jin stood up, took off his glasses, and bowed deeply to everyone.

He Min held the big-character poster in his hand, turned around and looked at the members and team leaders around him, raised his hands, and said, "Now it's your turn to speak up, criticize and guide. Why aren't you speaking up?"

Since no one was talking, he cleared his throat and said, "Let's put it this way. Just saying that he won't drink milk powder won't achieve the purpose of recognizing his mistakes. We also have a cowshed on our farm. The leader is right. We can't lose the form. Starting tonight, Mr. Tian will move into the cowshed."

"Secretary He, I was the one who gave Mr. Tian the milk powder. What's the matter? Is there a problem?" Chen Lina happened to walk over and took up the conversation and asked.

"Director Chen, you should know Mr. Tian's background. You should also know that intellectuals like him need to be reformed and re-educated."

"Yes, he needs to be educated, so he has been working hard to research and improve the genes of our farm, changing the seedlings, and trying to make up for his crime. Then let me ask you, Secretary He, without a healthy body, how can he make up for his crime?"

"The border guards fighting on the front lines don't have milk powder to drink. It's wrong for him, a member of the "five black categories", to drink milk powder, even if it's Director Chen's milk powder."

"Secretary He, I think there's nothing wrong with an old man drinking some milk powder, right?" At this time, Anna shouted loudly in the crowd.

Someone immediately agreed, "Yes, we have never seen a squash weighing several dozen kilograms since we were born, but Mr. Tian got one just by grafting. If a person like us is not in good health and really dies of illness, where can we find such a big squash?"

"And there are grapes. They are big, nice and sweet. Don't look at me. I didn't eat them secretly. They smell sweet to me. Even if the manager doesn't give him milk powder, I will buy it for him. When you drink milk, you should think of your mother. When you eat, you should think of your father. When you drink water, you should remember the person who dug the well. That's it."

Well, He Min originally wanted to liven up the atmosphere and launch a big ideological movement on the farm, but she didn't expect that the people on the farm were so negative in their thinking?

He was so angry that he threw the big-character poster away and said, "Director Chen, there is a big problem with the awareness of your farm."

"Secretary He, you take care of the thoughts, I only take care of the work. I only know that it is time to start picking cotton. Comrades, since the cotton fields are over, let's go to the fields and pick cotton."

In a rush, all the members, including the educated youth, put on sleeves or hats, picked up their cloth bags, and left in an instant, leaving the stunned He Min standing there.

"Director, I find Secretary He's behavior disgusting. He is fine, so why does he have to hold a criticism meeting? Didn't he say that he respects knowledge?" Anna trotted over to catch up with Chen Lina and asked.

Chen Lina sneered, "What he respects are beautiful, young, energetic educated youth like you. In his eyes, these experts and professors are just on the path to advancement, so of course we have to fight them."

"Then what should we do? Should we just let him give orders around the farm every day?"

"If you want to climb high, be careful not to break your legs. Don't worry, let him jump first. We need to ask the mining area for money to buy equipment. We can use him to make requests to the mining area. When he dares to touch us experts and professors..."

Chen Lina didn't say the rest of the sentence. After all, as long as He Min didn't leave, she couldn't brag in front of the educated youth.

The cotton fields are covered in snow-white and the cotton picking season is approaching.

Picking cotton is a real chore compared to harvesting wheat.

First, by the time the cotton can be picked, the branches and leaves of the cotton plants have already dried up, so the thorns are very prickly. Second, the cotton wool will get into clothes, which is so itchy that it makes you crazy.

At the beginning, whether it was Liu Jiefang or Sun Zhuannan who was the director, they did not provide the educated youth and members of the commune with gloves or protective sleeves to prevent their hands from being cut.

When it came to Chen Lina, it just so happened that Sun Xiangnan had come down to take 360 ​​feet of homespun cloth home. So she decided not to report the property and made all of it into gloves and sleeve guards.

At this time, everyone can get good protection by wearing gloves and protective sleeves.

Picking cotton requires quick hands. With the bag hung around your neck, you walk through the cotton field, grabbing cotton with both hands and filling the bag at the same time. Looking out at the endless cotton fields, this is the most important job in the next few months.

After all, the workers in the entire mining area are all waiting for the new cotton to come down so that they can make quilts and clothes for their children.

He Min probably went to the mining area to develop some photos, and when she heard that the film was ruined due to overexposure, she was so angry that she stood by the Baiyang River and jumped up and down.

Seeing that the social gathering was about to begin, he really wanted to choreograph a dance to please his superiors, but unfortunately, the educated youth were all in the cotton fields and refused to listen to him.

"Lina, Lina." It was actually my elder sister Chen Lili, who rode her bicycle to the outside of the cotton field, waving and calling out.

"Sister, it's not time to get off work yet, why are you here?"

"Sister, don't worry, I have something to tell you. Your three little brats... beat someone up!"

We drove back to the 12th birth team and found Chen Lina's three eggs in the cave in Chen Lili's house.

No, they should be three naughty kids. Except for Sandan who is still clean and white, Nie Weimin and Erdan, one has a swollen nose, and the other has a black eye. Well, Erdan is covered with weeds.

As for Nie Weimin, his nose was still bleeding.

"Look up." Liu Xiaohong took the cotton and dipped it in water, preparing to wipe Nie Weimin's nose.

Nie Weimin was so stubborn. "It doesn't hurt, no need to wipe it."

"You don't feel any pain, but your clothes are dirty. If they are dirty, my aunt will have to wash them." As she said this, Liu Xiaohong hesitated and pressed Nie Weimin's nose.

Well, the boy was tall, and in order to accommodate the little girl, he stretched out his legs in a big splay, raised his nose, and asked Liu Xiaohong to wipe his nose for him.

"Director Chen, don't just look at your child, look at our child as well." A woman sitting in the corner lifted up her son's head to show Chen Lina.

Well, it should no longer be called a human head, but a pig's head, because the child was fat, and because of the swelling of his head, his eyes were narrowed into slits and could no longer be opened at all.

There is more than one, there are several others, their injuries are less serious but they are also staggering, all waiting for an explanation at Chen Lili's house.

"Who are you?" Chen Lina asked the one who was most seriously injured first.

"Director, I'm Li Ye's mother. My child is usually very well behaved. He doesn't steal, rob, or cause trouble for others. Even though you are the director, I still have to say something. My child has been treated very unfairly."

"Yes, my children don't usually fight. I don't know what's wrong with these children of Nie Gong's family."

Nie Weimin suddenly became angry. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Liu Xiaohong wiped him with cotton and he closed his mouth again.

Erdan was careless and said, "Bullshit, he hit my brother, so I hit him back."

"Okay, parents, right now, I'll send someone to drive a tractor to take you to the mine hospital. The children are injured, and I'll pay for all the medical expenses. I'll also visit them soon. As for my children, they're also seriously injured. After I treat them and find out the cause, we can talk about other things, okay?"

"What's the reason we have to pay for their medical treatment?" Erdan was so anxious that he jumped up and down, and it looked like he wanted to fight.

Chen Lina glared at him fiercely. Well, he finally froze.

When Chen Lina heard that the three children had a fight, she was really anxious. She was afraid that they would get hurt or have their heads smashed.

But the moment she entered the cave and saw the wounded soldiers on the ground, she actually wanted to laugh and couldn't help laughing.

Well, now she finally understood the feelings of the naughty child's parents. That is, it doesn't matter if I lose money, my family won anyway, and this is victory.

I brought the three wounded soldiers back to the base, and the military truck that had been out for training also came back.

Right at the doorstep, Nie Bozhao was still in his military uniform, with his sand-shot hunting rifle on his shoulder and two big fat rabbits in his hands. One man got off the car, his face bruised and swollen, and another got off, limping. His originally smiling face instantly turned murderous. "What's going on? Was there a fight?"

Sandaner rubbed his head and started counting on his fingers, "Dad, we beat five people today."

"Xiao Chen, what do you mean they beat up five people today?"

Chen Lina rolled her eyes at Nie Bozhao and said, "Ask your son."

So, Mom sat in front of the vegetable garden and peeled the rabbit skin, while Dad used alcohol and cotton to treat the wounds of the two bear cubs.

"There was a man named Li Ye who threw a stone at the Baiyang River and hit Dandan's head."

Sandan ran to his father, turned around and showed his father the swollen spot on the back of his head. He used his two little hands to describe it, saying, "It's smaller now. It was much bigger at noon."

"Well, okay, the younger brother got beaten up, and the older brother went to avenge him. He did a good job, but why did he beat five people at once?"

"Because he said his name was Li Daye, Erdan and I thought, we should only hit Li Daye and not others, and then I butted Li Daye."

"Well, then?"

"I asked Li Daye to apologize to Sandaner, but he refused and said that sooner or later his master Sun Dabao would come back and destroy our entire Mulan Farm. I said, Sun Dabao is still my uncle, I have to tell you, he wanted to escape and become a traitor to the Republic, so he was killed a long time ago. So Li Daye got angry, and we started fighting."

"How did the child behind come here?"

"Li Daye begged for mercy at first and said that from now on, he would no longer be called Daye. He would change his name to Li Sunzi and give me the two characters of Daye."

"Silly boy, that was a delaying tactic, but you have no experience and you let him go?"

Nie Weimin raised his head and sniffed his red nose. He looked like he was really deceived. "Yes, I said that we should stop fighting from now on. We still have friends to do it. But when we arrived at my aunt's house, we found Xiaohong. He brought four children with him and came again."

"Well, this is what happens when you don't tell adults and deal with things alone. How come Sandan wasn't hurt?"

"Li Daye caught Sandan first. He was catching insects in the private plot of land at my aunt's house when Li Daye caught him. Then Li Daye asked the two of us to call him grandpa before he would let him go."

"Well, you are worthy of being Sun Dabao's apprentice. You are flexible and resilient. How did you protect your brother from being hurt?"

Erdan rushed to describe it as "Liu Xiaohong came out with a kitchen knife, saying that fighting was a matter for grown-up kids, and she would draw blood from anyone who dared to touch Sandan."

So, Nie Weimin and Erdan were pushed out of the door by Liu Xiaohong, and they fought two against five, and finally defeated Li Daye and his four lackeys.

"Two against five, tell me how you fight, Nie Weimin." Nie Bozhao knew that although Erdan was a tiger, when it came to really defeating the enemy, it would definitely be Nie Weimin's skills.

Nie Weimin gritted his teeth and shook his head, "I can't tell you even if I die."

"Don't you have the slightest intention of admitting your mistakes?" After Nie Bozhao applied alcohol to his son's face, he was afraid that the disinfection was not enough, so he applied some iodine. Both of them had bruises and purples on their faces, just like flower insects.

Nie Weimin had a determined look on his face. Well, just like the anti-Japanese fighters captured by the enemy in the movie, "I will never apologize."

"Very good, you have ambition. Don't eat tonight. Both of you should stand under the grape trellis until you realize your mistakes."

The fat wild rabbits on the Gobi Beach were stewed in the pot. Because the meat was tender, it was cooked almost quickly. When wild mushrooms were added, the delicious aroma drifted out with the wind and reached Erdan's nose. His eyes became wet. "Brother, I'm so hungry."

"I will never apologize to Li Daye even if I am hungry."

"Okay, I can bear it."

Inside, Nie Bozhao was reading a book in the study. After finishing the book, he saw that his sons had no intention of surrendering, so he took out the old Type 54 rifle from under the table and disassembled and reassembled it over and over again.

A big pot of hot rabbit meat was served on the table. The fried buckwheat flour pancakes had to be eaten hot to be soft and fragrant. They would not taste good if they were cold.

"Okay, call them in for dinner," said Nie Bozhao.

Chen Lina was surprised. "Didn't you say that if they didn't apologize to the farm children, they wouldn't be allowed to eat?"

"I mean, if they don't realize their mistakes, they won't be allowed to eat. Those kids also made mistakes, so they should all be punished. My son at least did nothing wrong in protecting his brother, so they don't need to apologize to anyone."

Well, Chen Lina thought she was protective enough, but she didn't expect that this man was even more protective than she was.