Chapter 51 Chapter 51 (Part 1)
The mountains are about to be closed off due to heavy snow, so the houses on the labor camps in the river valley need to be built quickly.
Fortunately, the Buxiantun Production Brigade had no shortage of laborers. Liangzigou now had more than the hundred strong laborers who had been repaid with debts. Even many skilled women and young wives joined the men, leaving early and returning late to work here. Although neither side shared a share of the wages, the families were still quite relieved. There were few flirtatious affairs in Buxiantun; everyone worked blindly, like donkeys. In the few days they had been here, they hadn't noticed any of them had any unfaithful intentions.
Liangzigou, on the other hand, is taking advantage of some bachelors. These guys used to love hanging out with women in their own brigade, but when they arrived at Bushan Village, they all became obedient, like completely different people. Of course, it wasn't just the threats from the golden-ringed bees and wolves, but more importantly, they themselves said, "We can't afford to find women in Bushan Village, let alone get involved with them! If we really mess with them, we'll have to work like slaves during the day and plow the fields at night. My goodness, look at how tough these women are. I'm afraid they won't be happy until we plow the fields until late at night! We can't afford to mess with them. In less than half a month, our faces will be covered in rubbish..."
It's true that she's a bit of a talker, but it's also the truth: for example, Wei Chunfeng, a divorced woman who's not ugly, has a straightforward personality, and is less than 30 years old, has already turned down several matchmakers from other villages who came to propose marriage after the autumn harvest this year. It shows how popular she is, but the men from Liangzigou really don't come after her.
After a month of hard work, the grain finally arrived at the warehouse. The Liangzigou commune members thought their days would be easier, only to be dragged back to the Songwazi River gully to build houses. Their brigade's sixth uncle glared at the old Party secretary, "You're going to build houses there! You've stuffed your brains with sweet potato flour! Every family in your village already has two brick houses, so why aren't you satisfied?"
The old branch secretary introduced He Qing to the six uncles from Liangzigou and Captain Liang who he had left behind. He Qing was not so friendly to them. He sat behind the desk in the brigade headquarters and did not stand up. He just pointed to a bench by the door and said: "This is a political task assigned to Bushan Village by the county. Now we need your assistance. Why are you asking for advice?"
The two of them hurriedly and hesitantly agreed, not daring to say another word until they returned to Liangzigou, where Captain Liang said, "Just building a house is no big deal. The key is what to do with the foundation in the river valley. If we really have to fill it with earth, won't it be exhausting?" Buxian Village was too smart. When they built houses for the members, they could use the old foundation. Building a house was nothing more than laying bricks and building walls, so they handed such light work to the people in their own team. Now, they were building a house in a river valley that was not suitable for building a house at all, and they assigned this heavy work to them?
Captain Liang had another concern: if the buildings built by his brigade failed to hold up and collapsed under the weight of the snow, would it become a "political incident"? That would be a real life-threatening situation!
The next day, the two leaders, with heavy hearts, took more than one hundred of their own laborers who were working to pay off their debts to the Songwazi River. These men even asked why they didn't stay with other team members?
The Sixth Clan Uncle's face was gloomy. This was a heavy responsibility, and he was still expecting his own people from Buxiantun to come? He felt bad. Over the past month, he had really gotten along well with the members of Buxiantun. Several reliable fathers in his own brigade were even thinking about marrying their daughters here. And then, suddenly, this matter was thrown out - Old Man Chen was so cunning and so dishonest!
Finally, they finally reached the river valley. Sixth Uncle's sparse eyebrows were almost raised. He stood on a place that was obviously flat and stomped on it, and then jumped up and stomped on it. He called to Captain Liang: "Move a stone and tamp it a few times. Let me see..."
"What are we tamping?" The old Party Secretary and his group, who had just finished measuring the area, pointed to where they were standing and said, "We're going to build the house right here."
"What are you looking at? We have laid the foundation for this area. All we have to do is build the house!" The old branch secretary put one hand behind his back and used his pipe to gesture to the five-acre area with the other hand, as if he was giving orders.
The sixth uncle opened his mouth and said: "Old Chen, are you kidding me? There is not even a lime line on the ground, how can you build a foundation?" Whoever builds a house must first lay a baseline with lime before starting construction. How can such a large area be compacted?
What should the old Party Secretary say? Can he just tell them that this is the result of the village's little fairy's overnight work?
Didn't you see Huang Dazhuang still carrying a bag of lime? They really had gotten up early to determine the boundaries first, then have the Liangzigou people haul in earth to fill in the gaps and temporarily create a space outside the yard. The old Party Secretary and Huang Dazhuang felt that even if they needed to rely on Lin Xinghuo, they had to wait until the house was built. She could just get a house-guarding stone like the ones everyone else in the village had and bury it deep inside.
When the house was first built on the southern slope, the foundation was tamped by the commune members themselves. Today was the first time I had witnessed the fairy lady's ability. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be seen, so the three of them could only stare at each other in amazement.
Uncle Liu refused to believe it, so he asked the strongest men in their team to tie large stones with ropes to make a temporary tamping hammer on the spot. The men shouted slogans and lifted the stones, but the large stones only made a small hole in the ground, and there was not even a shallow pit.
"Isn't this too solid?" Captain Liang exclaimed.
He Qing displayed an inscrutable expression as he added, "We informed Buxiantun of this mission several months in advance, and even allocated several bags of cement." He twirled his hands behind his back in a serious manner, "Not bad. The preparations have been good."
But after carrying the people over, He Qing became anxious and hurriedly instructed: "Don't build the house too high, make it shorter and smaller. Just use the adobe bricks taken down from building houses in your village. Not a single brick can be used! Not even those broken bricks are allowed, understand?" He was now fully assured about the safety of the house, but the house had to be repaired to make it dilapidated and inconspicuous.
In fact, He Qing wanted to stay here and wait for the house to be built before leaving, but he had a lot of things to do in the county. This year was a bad year and the commercial grain ration in the city was not enough. He could only look back every few steps to help his precious bicycle onto the donkey cart and be sent back to the city by Wei Chunxing.
On Lotus Peak, Lin Xinghuo's mood was gloomy. Her master had allowed her to ascend the mountain once a month on the first day of the month. Last night, she waited until midnight, but the fox pine appeared for only a quarter of an hour before disappearing. Worse still, the tree pit vanished afterward. It was clear her master was trying to get rid of her. Lin Xinghuo's temper flared up, and she spent half the night digging in the river valley, working with the caracal to drain the water from the foundation. She then swung a withered vine, two men thick, until the ground was harder than stone. After venting her anger, she returned to Baiwu's camp just as daybreak was about to break, but still found nothing.
The caracal called the fox cubs out of her backpack, asked Lin Xinghuo to take out a wicker nest from the storage bag and place it in a windproof place, ordered the three fox cubs to squat there and watch, then jumped onto Lin Xinghuo's back, grabbed the back of her collar, and chased her to do her business.
The big cat, who had finally grown up to be as big as a leopard, still acted like the head of the family. Lin Xinghuo had no choice but to go down the mountain.
He Qing, exhausted and exhausted, had just arrived at the office and hadn't had time to catch his breath when Director Zhang pulled him into his room and asked him, "How's it going?"
Minister He unceremoniously poured the remaining hot water from the thermos into his large teacup. Director Zhang, anxious, pinched his arm and said in a deep voice, "Old He, don't keep us in suspense! Did it work?"
He Qing finally nodded. "The Buxiantun Brigade has always been very cooperative with our work, and the atmosphere there has always been relatively relaxed. However, I was still worried about too many people and too many eyes, so I chose the river valley as the location."
"River valley?" Director Zhang gritted his teeth in worry. "Five days at most. After five days, we have to move overnight!"
So urgent? He Qing was surprised.
Director Zhang pointed upstairs. "There's a commotion going on in the conference room. They're gathering outstanding student representatives to conduct inspections of each unit!"
I can’t even comfort them anymore, these guys are just looking for trouble because they have nothing better to do!
"Why are you suddenly making a fuss again?" I finally managed to calm him down the day before yesterday.
Director Zhang pulled a large-character poster from his pocket and sneered, "Look at this good news! The anti-Confucian movement in the region has made tremendous progress..."
He Qing read ten lines at a time, shaking the paper, and trying to keep his voice down: "It's the agricultural school's own orchard. What does it have to do with anti-Confucianism? How can it be considered 'respecting Confucianism and opposing legalism'?"
They used a bunch of ridiculous rules and regulations as an excuse, saying that the agricultural school did not observe discipline and that capitalist trends were emerging. They also criticized the teachers for taking advantage of the collective, and finally knocked down the fruit tree that "symbolizes the teachings of Confucius and Mencius", and that was considered a huge achievement?
What kind of theory is this? Director Zhang pointed to the phrase "Pupils and plums all over the world" and He Qing was so angry that he felt uncomfortable. Isn't this just forced and fabricated?
Director Zhang said, "There are a lot of old leaders over there who are accused of 'making things up'!" What else can we do if we don't move them quickly?
"I'll ask Xiao Chen to go to Buxiantun again and let them know so that they can be prepared." He Qing said.
"Ask Xiao Chen to work harder these two days and travel back and forth." Director Zhang sighed. Buxiantun is remote and rich, which is good, but on the other hand, it is too remote, there is no electricity, and communication is too inconvenient.
He Qing suddenly remembered something and grabbed Director Zhang's sleeve, shaking the ridiculous good news, and asked, "Where are the fruit trees?"
"They can't survive!" Director Zhang pointed outside: "What kind of weather is this? How can the fruit trees survive after being completely knocked down? I heard that several old professors hugged the trees and cried, and they were almost caught by those people and paraded through the streets with signs on their shoulders!" I heard that there were more than ten jujube trees that had finally survived, but they were all destroyed!
Others might not be able to keep the crops alive, but that little fairy lady from Buxian Village might be able to! Yesterday, I was looking at Lao Peng's experimental plot plan, and one of his apprentices said they were looking for fruit tree seedlings. There were so many varieties in the plan; they were trying everything, wanting to plant everything. It's obvious it wasn't the work of an agricultural technician like Lao Peng, so it must have been the work of another person in charge, Doctor Lin.
"Old Zhang, can you help me find out what they want to do with these fruit trees? Otherwise, give them to our county." He Qing said, "Buxiantun is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is much warmer than other places. Maybe they can be saved, but we have to wait until next spring. These fruit trees can only be used as firewood." No matter who you deal with, it must be a two-way, mutually beneficial relationship, otherwise it will be over sooner or later.
He Qing was well aware of the principle of "if you cause trouble, you have to make up for it with some benefits". When Xiao Chen came to Buxiantun again on the borrowed donkey, he brought two pieces of news, one good and one bad.
Xiao Chen was also an acquaintance. He'd been the junior staff member who'd accompanied He Qing on the spring planting team. "...they pushed the trees down, and those people just patted their butts and returned victorious. However, quite a few of the old professors were so angry they became sick, and no one was cleaning up the orchard. The principal said that if the county wanted to remove the trees themselves, they could just let them go. Otherwise, the nearby residents would have secretly chopped them down for firewood."
"It's extremely cold this year. All units in the county are having a hard time. Some units have insufficient output, while others have excess output..." Xiao Chen suddenly talked about another matter.
Huang Dazhuang said, "That's right. The County Textile Mill No. 2 is such a big factory, but they just took a look and haven't heard anything about our cotton." Selangor Province isn't a cotton-producing area, and the supply and marketing cooperatives don't buy cotton. They'd hoped the County Textile Mill would buy nearby, but that didn't happen. Cotton cloth was supposed to be easy to sell, but the workers were organized and engaged in some kind of protest. No one was working, and the cotton mill's own warehouses were full. Due to insufficient output, the Second Cotton Mill hadn't settled their accounts with the brigade, leaving the villagers, who had hoped to receive a share of cloth, with little hope.
Xiao Chen had no choice but to explain it more clearly: "You know the Lin County Coal Mine, right? They are selling coal there. They have inferior coal that does not require a ticket. Does our team need it? They are in charge of the transportation." The local forests are lush, and except for the city, no one in the countryside is willing to burn coal for heating. Unfortunately, the food supply is insufficient this year, and most families in the city would rather save their money to buy expensive food on the black market. Few people would take coal tickets to have coal delivered to them.
Lin Xinghuo understood that this was a roundabout way to solve the problem of transporting saplings.
The old Party Secretary immediately agreed to order half a truckload of coal, and Xiao Chen was delighted, saying the leader had given permission and they could buy it on credit. Lin Xinghuo waved her hand. She had a photographic memory: "The coal mine has requested pine wine three times, and the bill is still outstanding." Just like the Jinjiayao Brick Factory, they were eager to use their products to settle the bill.
Xiao Chen felt that the people in this village were better off than their public institutions. The boilers in the Revolutionary Committee's family compound were now being burned at a lukewarm rate, just to get by.
"Is Leader He quite familiar with the coal mine?" Lin Xinghuo asked.
What could Xiao Chen say? He definitely knew a few people, but it depended on the business. Xiao Chen figured there wasn't much else to do there besides buying coal and getting people to work as miners. But being a miner wasn't easy. Even though they got paid and rationed food, anyone who could make a living didn't want their children or grandchildren working as coal miners.
"There used to be a printing plant affiliated with the Coal Mine College over there? After it was closed down, it was taken back by the mine and wasn't destroyed..." Lin Xinghuo said, "I want to go into the mine's reading room and take a look." The Coal Mine College was originally privately run by a progressive mine owner. After it became nationalized, it became popular for a while, and then its staff was cut after the movement began... But that's not the point. The point is that the mine owner was very wealthy. The library of the Coal Mine College was rumored to be larger than that of the provincial university. After the college was nationalized, a printing plant was established in this library, called the Coal Mine Printing Plant. The Coal Mine Printing Plant was located near the mine, serving several surrounding areas, and was once an important supplement to the Xinhua Printing Plant in the provincial capital.
Although the college and printing house were both closed, the transfer was smooth, and the sample books owned by the coal mine printing house were all used in the miners' reading room. At this critical juncture, the county library was completely closed, and Lin Xinghuo had no intention of recruiting people there, but the mine was a relatively independent system, so perhaps he could borrow a few useful books to solve his problem.
The warehouses in Buxiantun were filled with mountains of cotton, and everyone watched helplessly. Besides sharing some to replenish their old cotton-padded clothes and quilts, they could only look on anxiously at the mountains of cotton. Again, there was no local cotton production, no one had a spinning wheel, let alone a loom. Without the tools and the skills, how could anyone imagine that harvesting cotton would lead to the freedom of coarse cloth? It was a pipe dream!
After making a new cotton-padded jacket for her master, Lin Xinghuo was running out of cloth. She had mountains of gold, silver and silk, but she didn't know where to get her spring clothes for next year.
Xiao Chen heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. This was easy to do, and he could get it done without any connections from his superiors. "The illiteracy rate among miners is the highest among public institutions... The mine union has always promoted literacy efforts, and the miners' reading room still exists... Actually, no one usually goes there, so even borrowing a few books isn't difficult."
Lin Xinghuo also breathed a sigh of relief, hoping to find some useful books there. Otherwise, she would have to travel all the way to Shandong Province, and she wouldn't be able to wear clothes made of patchwork tattered satin next spring.
The brigade issued a letter of introduction. This time, Lin Xinghuo did not carry a basket on the way to the coal mine and the orchard. There was no other way. This was her last cotton coat that did not wear out her shoulder blades. Before she learned new skills, Lin Xinghuo did not plan to be carried by a basket again.
First, take the brigade's mule cart to the commune, then take a covered horse carriage from Fangmaji Commune to the county town, then take a small passenger bus that only runs twice a day to Linxian County, and then change to a bus in Linxian County... What a hassle.
Even the caracal, who had been sleeping in Lin Xinghuo's arms, looked pale and rarely asked to go to the coal mine by himself.
Lin Xinghuo refused to let go. What about the agreement that they would share the hardship?
The bus to the coal mine was a long one, and some people were using work permits to ride for free. "Everyone, squeeze in and let the others get on!" the female conductor shouted from her chair. The bus was packed head to head. Huang Dazhuang and Xiao Chen tried to protect Lin Xinghuo, a female comrade, but were nearly knocked over by the new wave of people.
It was impossible for her to just lie down on the ground. Lin Xinghuo watched as Xiao Chen, like a stick, was pushed straight up by the people behind him. She couldn't stand it anymore, so she said to Huang Dazhuang with difficulty, "See you at the mine," and was about to get off the bus through the back door that couldn't be closed. Unexpectedly, at this moment, someone suddenly stretched out his hand, as if wanting to touch her hand - Lin Xinghuo was shocked. In this day and age, are there people who dare to act like hooligans on the bus?
Instinctively, he retracted his hand, and a rough, large hand pinched the caracal's furry buttocks...
"Ah?" The dazed cat uncle suddenly refused to do it, and kicked with his hind paws, leaving several bloody wounds on the hand.
Lin Xinghuo heard someone screaming in pain, and could pinpoint the person by the sound. However, people in Snow Province are generally tall, and most of the people in the car are men. If she lowered her head, she could still find a small space for herself, but if she raised it, she would rub against other people's clothes.
Lin Xinghuo continued to squeeze towards the back door without looking back, but her left hand quickly pinched the man's dishonest wrist and squeezed it. When she pulled it back, the storage bag hanging on her wrist had already contained some more things without anyone noticing...
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The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution between 2023-11-25 00:00:00 and 2023-11-29 21:45:00~
Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: shanyangxiezi, everything goes well 1;
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