Chapter 93

Braised Pork

"The eggs from our forest farm are good, aren't they?" Chen Lina said as she began to take eggs out of her pocket. After taking them out, she thought for a moment, went out and closed the gate, then came back and took things out of the bag made of wheat straw.

"Let me ask you, are you hungry? Do you want to eat it?" Oh, a huge piece of pork, with fat at least an inch thick. It must have been freshly slaughtered, and the fat was still shiny.

"Why, was it raised by your mother?" The worker was also excited when he saw the fresh pork belly.

"Of course, my mother kept it in a den in the wasteland for almost a year, and my sister was really hungry so she killed it. I took half of the pork belly myself, and I gave the other half to your cousin."

"How is my cousin? Is she okay?"

"The doctor said she had a habitual miscarriage and couldn't get pregnant again. If she wanted to get pregnant again, she would have to have a hysterectomy," said Chen Lina.

Yuan Hua was the daughter of Nie Bozhao's second sister, the one who married the scumbag He Min.

Look, in order to have a second child for that scumbag He Min, my body couldn't take it anymore and I had a miscarriage. I've been lying in the hospital for the past two days.

"I want to talk to He Min about this. If he really makes a fuss again and asks my cousin to give birth to his child, I will beat him to death."

"Don't worry about it. Let him make a fuss. Sooner or later, your sister will divorce He Min." Chen Lina said.

"In your opinion, divorce is a good thing?" Sometimes Nie Gong really thought Chen Lina was extreme. "Although the marriage is like that, there are still children. Isn't it okay to live together?"

"Ren Hemin hasn't wanted your sister for a long time. It's because you are the one who manages this matter that he doesn't dare to get a divorce. I want to ask you, what's wrong with divorce? Is there anything shameful about it? Just ignore it and let them get divorced. If Yuan Hua starves to death after the divorce, you can chop me up and feed me to Yuan Hua." Chen Lina said.

No, Nie Gong always heard other couples quarreling, but he had nothing to quarrel with Chen Lina because he was no match for her.

"Nie Weimin, I clearly closed the door from the inside, so how did you get in?"

"Climb over the wall. Our wall isn't that high."

"I heard that you got 97 points. How do you feel about that? You have always scored 100 points, but suddenly you only scored 97 points. What do you think?" Nie Gong asked.

"Dad, I tell you, if you are a student under Wang Geming, you can't even get 80 points in the exam. I am already very good, okay?"

"But I heard that He Junqiang scored two 100s. In Wang Geming's words, he is so outstanding that no other elementary school student in the mining area can compare to him. By the way, I also heard that in your first grade, only Liu Xiaohong scored two 100s. How come she is better than you?"

"Hypocritical and pretentious, He Junqiang is a hypocritical gentleman."

"Comrade Xiao Nie, your attitude is not right. You should at least talk to me and find out where the problem lies. Then we can solve it accordingly." Nie Gong was still trying to persuade his son with good intentions.

However, Nie Weimin was not in a good mood today. He kicked off his shoes and said, "I'm going to sleep."

"At least correct the mistakes in your homework. Come, let daddy teach you. If you learn math, physics and chemistry well, you won't be afraid of going anywhere in the world. I want to see how you got 97 points on the test."

Nie Weimin slammed the test paper on the table and said, "Okay, okay, it's better to have a good father than to be good at math, physics and chemistry. He Min is the good father of He Junqiang. You see, I'm going to sleep anyway, so I won't eat today."

"Mom, I smell so good. Do you want me to light a fire for you?" One is a poor student, the other is disobedient, and now Sandan is the most obedient one.

Chen Lina shook her head. "You can't do it. Find your second brother. He belongs to the wood element and is the best at adding fire."

It's already January, and even if this year is a warm winter, it's actually cold enough.

"Mom, what is this? Why did you burn the sugar? It would be such a pity if it burns."

"This is called sugar color. Mom is going to make braised pork for you."

"Oh, pork?"

"Really?"

"Then I have to close all the windows in our house. It would be terrible if Mama Hama and Uncle Ma smell it." National taboos must still be maintained.

"Don't worry, I've already closed the door. Call Tiantian over later and let her have something to eat too."

"Okay, Mom." The delicious smell of braised pork couldn't arouse Erdan's enthusiasm. It seemed that his illness was really serious.

"But, you know, the day after tomorrow our mining area will be honoring labor models and advanced workers, and mom and dad will have to go on stage to receive the awards. Didn't you say you would perform for us? Your sister Xiaobing is going to dance, how about you? Have you signed up?"

"Mom, there are only three places in our school. One is for Sister Xiaohong and He Junqiang to sing together, another is for He Junqiang to recite poetry alone, and the other program is a chorus led by He Junqiang. I was not even selected for the chorus." Erdan said, squatting in front of the stove, his head almost hanging down to his buttocks.

"He Junqiang again. We are all elementary school students. How come he is so outstanding?"

"He is Wang Geming's grandson, but we are not." Erdan said in despair.

Chen Lina used a kitchen knife and chopped it onto the chopping board with a clang.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you scaring the child like that?" Nie Bozhao thought that Chen Lina had beaten Erdan again, so he rushed in and asked.

Chen Lina said nothing.

He Junqiang, after He Min falls from power in the future, will always be by Nie Bozhao's side because of his relationship with Yuan Hua, Yuan's sister-in-law.

That child is more promising than He Min. It is said that he was a well-known figure in the mining area when he was young, and was highly regarded by teachers and admired by his classmates.

But it was a typical case of starting high and ending low. After entering society, there was no one to protect him, and no one to praise him, so he found that he was just an ordinary person.

Xiao Nie had been arrogant for a long time, and finally someone came along who was equally powerful as him. This must have been a big blow to him.

The most important thing is that Chen Lina feels that Nie Weimin’s wrong path in his previous life was closely related to Wang Geming’s attack. That old woman is not an excellent people’s teacher at all. She is just an old witch who is harming the future flowers of the motherland.

"Wei Min, come out for dinner. We have braised pork today."

"No, I'm not hungry." Nie Weimin shouted in the small bedroom.

"Brother, come here, there's a lot of sugar fried in it." Erdan was unwilling and also shouted.

"Oh, I said I don't want to eat it, so I don't eat it." Nie Weimin's attitude was extremely bad.

"What's going on? He got so angry even though he didn't do well on the test. Does he need to be beaten with a big stick before he can calm down?" The worker was about to lose his temper.

"His self-esteem has been hurt, and I don't think he will realize it for a while. Okay, let him calm down first. Your son is too popular, and it's time for him to suffer a little." Chen Lina said.

"Lina, Lina, hey, is the braised pork ready?" The person knocking on the door was my brother-in-law Wang Hongbing.

"Oh, brother-in-law, you smell like milk. You must have held Niuniu a lot, right?" Chen Lina said.

"Niuniu is only your sister who can hold her. She is five months old, and your father and mother have only seen her twice. I can see her once every night, but because my hands are dirty, I dare not hold her." Having a biological daughter is a joy and a worry, but this worry is not something that can be told to outsiders.

"You have handed in the public grain and inspected it, right? You should know that we washed and dried the wheat again and again. To be honest, we handed in all the best ones, and only kept the ones with bran, dirt and rottenness on the farm," he added.

"It's been paid, but have you figured out how long the farm can supply the remaining supplies?"

While Chen Lina was stewing braised pork, she also did not forget to calculate this year's harvest and output.

"Cotton will be abundant. We have enough this year. I calculated the wheat supply. Eight hundred households, not counting the newly relocated households, can eat it until April if they save a little and add miscellaneous grains."

Winter wheat can be harvested in late June. That means after paying agricultural taxes and the public grain to the mining area, the remaining grain will be needed to supply the farm for three months.

"I want to congratulate you anyway. You have definitely got this achievement. I heard that you will be the first to receive the award at this year's commendation meeting. The person who will present the award to you is still confidential. It is estimated that it will be a senior leader of our autonomous region." Wang Hongbing said, "When the time comes, try your best and say a few nice words. I guess your job as the director will be officially established."

"Brother-in-law, the food in the mining area is enough, and everyone can eat big white steamed buns, but the members are not born inferior. If there is a shortage of members in our farm, I will feel guilty."

"You have political achievements and a formal organization, isn't that enough? What else do you want?" Wang Hongbing didn't understand.

Seeing that the braised pork was cooked, Chen Lina scooped up the braised pork from the pot and put most of it into a large enamel pot. She said, "Okay, brother-in-law, don't worry about other things. Go back and ask everyone to distribute the New Year's food. The day after tomorrow night, if the farm members want to attend the party, ask them to come. After a year of hard work and fatigue, everyone should have a good time."

"Okay, then I'm leaving." Wang Hongbing said, took the braised pork and left.

After dinner, the worker found the little princess sitting in the study. She looked very unhappy, with her forehead supported by her hand, staring blankly.

"What's wrong? Your permed hair looks beautiful. You will probably shine again tomorrow night. Why are you unhappy? Is it because Weimin scored too few points or because Erdan didn't pass the exam?"

"Neither. I just feel that my members are having a hard time," Chen Lina said.

"Fishing, woodcutting, farming and reading, Chen Lina, since ancient times, fishing, woodcutting and farming have been under reading. That's why, as long as people have a bite to eat, they are determined to let their children study instead of letting them farm. Our national conditions have been like this since ancient times." Nie Gong enlightened her.

Chen Lina rolled her eyes at him and said, "That's not the case. Modern agricultural technology will definitely change this situation. Moreover, there is a lot to be done in the frontier. However, being a small leader is not my ultimate dream. I think that once the chaos begins, I must lead my members to make good money."

"So, are you serious about being the farm manager? Do you want to be the manager forever? Now the intellectuals are returning to the city one after another. To be honest, as long as we make a little more effort, perhaps the ten years you mentioned for restoring order will come earlier. By then you can return to the city to continue your studies. After graduating from university, you will have a better job. Why should you linger on a small farm?" said the worker.

"I'm going to college to study. Who will take care of your son?" Chen Lina asked back.

"They, they go to their own schools." The worker didn't care at all.

"What about our marriage? Do you mean that it will end when I go to college?" She has been following this man excitedly for so long. Could it be that he still doesn't consider her as a family member?

"I will always wait for you at Base No. 1." Nie Gong said sincerely.

If he had to choose between his lover and the laboratory, he would definitely choose the laboratory first, and then his lover and family. Therefore, as long as he did not go into the sea, he was destined to stay with the laboratory and students he had worked so hard to build.

"Nie Gong, if I were to use the words of the future, you would be a scumbag."

"I support you in further studies, I support you in getting a higher and better job, am I wrong?" Nie Gong didn't know what a scumbag was, but the word "scum" sounded like a derogatory word.

"Yes, you just don't realize that love can transcend everything. I treat you as my lover and you treat me as family. This is the biggest mistake you have made. Okay, from today on, we will sleep in separate rooms. I think we both need to calm down." Miss Chen said arrogantly and coldly.

Look at that look, it's as if he's saying that being able to sleep on my bed is a gift from me, the queen.

"Okay, okay, we just had sex yesterday, so just calm down for a while. Anyway, we both have kangs now, so I won't freeze.

But, can you trim my hair first? Our base is going to hold an award ceremony soon, and I’m afraid the leaders will laugh at my appearance.”

The laborer also has a temper. When she got married, she was still silly, but as soon as she entered the house, she turned into a singing peasant and became the master of the house.

Well, she gradually became more and more spoiled, became Miss Chen, then the little princess, and now she is the queen.

However, being angry is one thing.

She can sew clothes and cut hair, and the laborers have to beg her to cut their hair.

"If it really is the leader of our autonomous region who comes to present me with the award, of course I will be happy. However, what is that kind of honor? It is just a material thing. Let me ask you, worker Ye, how much is your monthly salary now? Two hundred, right? How much does District Chief Gao make? He makes two hundred and twenty now. How about He Lanshan? He makes two hundred and twenty as well. Do you know how much I make a month? I only make sixty a month. I don't steal or take anything. I just want a salary increase." Comrade Xiao Chen said.

"Yes, your salary is indeed a little too low. Among leaders of the same level, your salary is the lowest, right?"

"Of course I am. Just because I am in charge of a farm, I am naturally inferior to others. This time, I have no other thoughts but to increase my salary."

"I can only say that even though you don't want me in bed, I will still support you with all my strength," Nie Gong said.

An hour after the Cold War began, Nie Gong already regretted it, but the words had been spoken and it was hard to take them back. He was destined that this time his journey back to bed would not be so easy.

The next evening, rehearsals were underway in the auditorium of Base No. 1.

Wang Revolution was praising his own army. "It's okay, don't be afraid. It starts with that sound. Do you understand? It must be expressed with emotion. Ah, the frontier, the place where we fought, our blood, our youth and sweat, do you understand? Let's do it again."

He Junqiang coughed twice, took the manuscript, and began to read aloud.

But then he got stuck and pointed behind the curtain. Well, Erdan was looking there.

"Nieh Weiguo, get out of here. Who told you to come here and embarrass yourself today? Ah, I ask you? Get out of here now."

"But grandma, my throat hurts." He Junqiang pointed to his throat and said, "I can't make any sound."

You know, there will be a lot of people coming from the entire mining area tomorrow. All the primary schools have arranged performances. He Min's mother wants to take this opportunity to introduce her eldest grandson to the leaders of the mining area, but what should she do now that her voice is hoarse.

"Really? I don't know who threw a brick into my chimney yesterday. My child was frozen all night and caught a cold." Wang Geming was so angry that he fanned the manuscript paper in his hand and looked at it. Then he saw Erdan hiding in the backstage and pulled him out. "Ni Weiguo, I want to ask you, did you throw a big brick into my chimney?"

"I didn't." Erdan didn't have any in the first place. It was Nie Weimin who threw the brick.

However, Nie Weimin was born with integrity, and no one would have thought that he would do bad things. Erdan, on the other hand, recently shortened his beautiful military uniform and made it rounder. He had the temperament of a natural soldier and looked more like a bad boy.

"Not only are you stupid, but you also have corrupt ideas. Kids like you are the scum of society, I tell you. You are disturbing us here. If the military team cannot get first place, it will be your fault." Wang Geming poked Erdan and said.

"Principal Wang, you can't say that. You don't know how well Gao Xiaobing from the mining area primary school sang the song 'The Grapes of Turpan Are Ripe'. I think if you let someone with a sore throat and who can't speak go up to recite poetry or sing solo, we will definitely not win." The person who came was Liu Xiaohong. She was the only person in the entire primary school who could get a share of He Junqiang's money and perform on stage.

"Liu Xiaohong, I am the principal and you are just a primary school student. All you have to do is obey the assignments," said Wang Geming.

"I can obey the assignment, but I still think you should listen to Nie Weiguo's song 'I Contribute Oil to the Motherland'. He has a very good voice and his stage performance is also very, very good," said Liu Xiaohong.

"Forget it, let him sing. Don't even think about it," said Wang Geming.

Liu Xiaohong was holding the manuscript in her hand when she suddenly felt a chill on her forehead. She looked up and saw Nie Weimin, holding a wheat stalk in his mouth and slipping water into it behind the red curtain at the edge of the stage.

She uttered a cry and pointed at Nie Weimin. He stuck out his tongue and pointed at He Junqiang.

Well, He Junqiang was so nervous that he didn't even notice that his hair was wet. Now, when he comes out of the auditorium, the cold wind from the base will blow, and he may catch a cold even more seriously.