Chapter 62 University
Qiao Yadong stopped talking and became even more silent.
However, when Xiao Aiyun returned to the dormitory and found out that Tao Nanfeng and Xiang Bei were in love, she was surprised and happy and started shouting about it in the dormitory.
"Oh my god, how dare you date Xiang Bei? I get scared whenever I see Director Xiang. My legs go weak whenever he glares at me. You are worthy of being my Nan Feng!"
Seeing Tao Nanfeng smiling without saying anything, Xiao Aiyun approached her and asked, "Is he nice to you? He won't bully you, will he? He won't act like a leader in front of you, will he?"
Tao Nanfeng nodded, then shook his head: "Don't worry, we are fine."
When it comes to the word "we", Tao Nanfeng feels sweet in his heart, the corners of his mouth slightly rise, his eyebrows and eyes are curved, and his whole body is filled with joy and happiness from the inside out.
Seeing Tao Nanfeng so radiant, Xiao Aiyun felt relieved, took her hand and said, "That's good, that's good. I know that Director Xiang is a very good person. I also know that you are a very good person. You two will be happy together."
Tao Nanfeng was somewhat moved, patted the back of Xiao Aiyun's hand, and assured her again: "Don't worry."
After crossing Minglu, Tao Nanfeng and Xiangbei often met in the office during the day due to work opportunities. Tao Nanfeng would occasionally go to Xiangbei's house for dinner. The two of them had affectionate eyes and stood together like a perfect couple.
Everyone on the farm knew that they were in love.
Even though Xiang Bei and Tao Nan Feng are not talkative people, they have endless things to talk about when they are alone together.
Tao Nanfeng would complain about the bullying by Feng Chun'e and Tao You, recall the love his mother showed him when she was alive, and imagine building Xiufengshan Farm into the most beautiful farm in the country in the future.
Xiangbei told her about the funny things that happened when he was a child, the lessons he was taught by his instructors after joining the army, and the battles and sacrifices of the Sharp Knife Company that he had never told anyone else.
Tao Nanfeng felt sorry for the hardships Xiangbei had gone through, so he held his hand tightly and comforted him, "It's okay, it's all in the past. You're still alive, so live well for them and live out your life to the fullest."
Xiangbei's throat choked with sobs. The guilt that once weighed heavily on his heart, kept him awake all night and made him unwilling to face a peaceful life gradually disappeared, and was replaced by a spirit of refusing to admit defeat.
Yes, cherish the present and live a wonderful life.
Xiangbei also felt sorry for Tao Nanfeng who had experienced the pain of losing her mother at such a young age. He was even more angry at her stepmother's unkindness and Tao You's bullying. He hugged Tao Nanfeng, gently stroked her thin shoulders, and said softly: "My mother is your mother. We all love you. No one will bully you anymore."
Ever since his father divorced Feng Chun'e and Tao You changed his last name, Tao Nanfeng had already gotten rid of his anger. Now, listening to Xiang Bei coaxing him gently, he felt happy and the last bit of grievance disappeared.
Liang Yinzhen and Tao Nanfeng have a mother-daughter relationship. They love and care for each other, just like a family.
Later, Tao Nanfeng learned that Xiang Qian on the tablet in the main hall was Liang Yinzhen's daughter, who died at the age of three. When Tao Nanfeng saw her now, he felt that his own daughter had returned, and he wished he could hold her in his hands and protect her.
One lost a daughter, the other lost mother and daughter. Liang Yinzhen and Tao Nanfeng are now very close. Liang Yinzhen made several beautiful clothes for Tao Nanfeng. Looking at her in the flowery clothes, she looked more beautiful than the flowers, and she could not get enough of looking at her.
Before Tao Nanfeng's period came, Liang Yinzhen stewed black chicken and red dates soup for her to drink, and told her to go to bed early and get up early to keep warm. When her period came, she would come over to help her wash clothes and cook sweet soup, which made the other girls at the educated youth center very envious. They all felt that Tao Nanfeng had fallen into a lucky nest.
Only Qiao Yadong watched coldly from the side, secretly comforting himself: caring and cherishing are just small matters, if a man and a woman want to be together for a long time, they still have to be well matched and have a common language.
The days passed slowly, and by the end of March, construction of Xiufengshan Farm started.
The old clinic has been renovated. The brand new blue and white terrazzo floor, sky blue window frames, and beige curtains make it look much brighter than before.
The new outpatient building was constructed according to the drawings, and everything went in an orderly manner. Site leveling, trench excavation, rough stone foundation, wall construction, lintel installation...
According to Tao Nanfeng's idea, the farm does not have strong financial resources at the moment, so infrastructure costs should be saved as much as possible.
Building a two-story building in the mountains will not only increase the width of the foundation, but also require the laying of prefabricated reinforced concrete floor slabs and stairs. If earthquake-resistant treatment is required, structural columns and ring beams must be added. As a result, the amount of main materials such as cement, sand, gravel and steel bars will increase sharply.
There is a shortage of steel in the country at the moment, otherwise the practice of using bamboo branches instead of stirrups would not have occurred in the provincial steel plant last time. Prefabricated reinforced concrete floor slabs also had to be purchased from prefabrication factories hundreds of miles away, which greatly increased the cost.
There isn't much else on the farm now, except for many mountain slopes. All we have to do is flatten the slopes and build the house.
With this calculation, a one-story building is more suitable. The two-story building proposed by Hu Huanxin was based on the impression of Jiangcheng Hospital. Jiangcheng is a big city with limited land and relatively simple acquisition of building materials.
After comprehensive consideration, Tao Nanfeng's design drawings attracted everyone's admiration as soon as they came out.
This one-story building is laid out in the shape of an “I”.
The front row is equivalent to the first floor of an ordinary hospital, including the lobby, pharmacy, laboratory, X-ray room, surgical outpatient clinic, treatment room, and operating room.
The back row is mainly outpatient clinics, including internal medicine, ENT, pediatrics, gynecology, obstetrics and other clinics.
The front and back rows of buildings are connected by a corridor. On both sides of the corridor there are ponds, flower beds, ornamental flowers and trees, stone bridges, stone chairs, pavilions and other landscape features, creating a leisure and beautiful environment.
The farm workers had never seen such a beautiful hospital before and couldn't help but praise it.
"A hospital can be made so beautiful? This is really the first time for me to be a bride."
"Isn't it? After seeing the doctor, I can enjoy the scenery of the small bridge and flowing water. It's just like visiting a park. Our farm is really nice."
"Chief Tao, your design concept is absolutely first-rate!"
Because of the high expectations, farm workers now come to take a look after get off work and ask when the new hospital will be completed.
Being watched like this every day, the construction team of the Infrastructure Department is full of energy and enthusiasm.
Tao Nanfeng's amazing power is now only useful when excavating the foundation trench. Her usual job is to wear a safety helmet and inspect everywhere to control safety and quality.
What she was worried about now was that Li Huilan and Wei Minyi had been in Jiangcheng for two months, but had only sent back two telegrams, reporting that the purchase of medical equipment was progressing smoothly, but she didn't know what this smooth progress referred to.
By mid-April, I saw the golden cherries and oil tea trees in bloom, and the azaleas blooming all over the mountains. I didn't wait for Li Huilan to come back, but I received the recommendation notice from the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University.
The educated youth from Jiangcheng arrived at Xiufengshan Farm in September 1973. According to previous requirements, they could only apply to go to university after three years. It is now April 1976, and if you count the enrollment in September of the same year, you also meet the application requirements.
There are a total of six educated youth sites, and each educated youth site has a recommendation indicator. As soon as the notice came out, heated discussions began at the No. 6 Youth League Site.
"Tao Nanfeng, I support Tao Nanfeng to go to university. She is both red and professional, and has made great contributions to the farm. This quota should be given to her."
"Yes, I heard that our farm has three recommended names this time, and now is the preliminary round. If Tao Nanfeng signs up, she will definitely be able to go. In terms of ability, mass base, and contribution, who can compete with her!"
Qiao Yadong said nothing, his eyes lowered, feeling mixed emotions.
He knew this would be the outcome. Whenever there is such an opportunity, Tao Nanfeng will definitely be in the front. She is indeed excellent and has indeed made great contributions to farm development. Moreover, she is also the girlfriend of the farm director.
Just look to the north to see if he is willing to let her go to college.
Qiao Yadong admitted that he was a bit selfish in this regard. He even wondered that Xiangbei had a low level of education, so how could he be so generous as to send his girlfriend out to see the world?
Once a girl goes to college, sees the new world and broadens her horizons, why would she be willing to return to this hard-working farm and spend her life with a farmer's son?
Everyone unanimously recommended Tao Nanfeng, but Tao Nanfeng waved his hand.
"The farm hospital probably won't be completed by September. After the hospital is built, I plan to build a middle school. I have so many things to do, how can I have time to go to college? I recommend squad leader Qiao. He used to have excellent academic performance and has worked diligently since he became the squad leader of the educated youth camp. Moreover... he has always wanted to go to college."
After saying this, Qiao Yadong slowly raised his head.
There was no expression on his face, but a storm was brewing in his heart.
Tao Nanfeng, how can... you have such magnanimity and broad-mindedness!
My mother once said that if a person does not work for himself, heaven and earth will punish him. Anyone can betray you, except your parents. However, Tao Nanfeng broke through his mother's definition of human nature.
She was willing to give up such a good opportunity to go to college to herself!
I had once annoyed her, and for a long time she didn't like me very much and was very cold and indifferent to me.
He once confessed his love to her but was rejected by her. At that time, she made a serious statement and asked him to sort out his feelings and not cross the line.
However, she has now given up the opportunity to go to college to herself.
He had always wanted to go to college, she said.
Qiao Yadong's eyes were a little hot, and a sour and bitter emotion surged up. He stared at Tao Nanfeng blankly without saying a word.
Facing such a Tao Nanfeng, Qiao Yadong felt a deep sense of shame for the first time in his heart.
This shame was as deep as a sharp knife, cutting through all his disguises.
This shame was as hot as a pot of hot oil, burning his despicable soul.
Compared with Tao Nanfeng, Qiao Yadong felt that he was nothing.
Tao Nanfeng is the warm sun in winter, and he is an icicle hanging under the eaves in winter.
The icicles look crystal clear, but they are actually condensed from dirty water flowing down from the roof. As the sun came out, the water started dripping, and all the drops flowed into the gutter on the ground, leaving no trace ever.
Why are you afraid to admit your feelings and express them bravely? Isn't it because you think Tao Nanfeng is too outstanding and you are afraid that you won't get the chance to go to university?
However, Tao Nanfeng dared to face his own feelings and fell in love with Xiang Bei regardless of worldly views. He never considered that doing so might tie himself to the farm and he would never be able to return to the city.
Everyone praised Qiao Yadong for his enthusiasm, generosity and eagerness to help others, but he knew clearly in his heart that this was just a means to gain a mass base in order to use this poor and difficult farm as a springboard to study at the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University in three years.
But Tao Nanfeng is not like that. She is kind and gentle, has compassion for the poor, and wants to help everyone from the bottom of her heart.
She worked hard to build the farm with her own hands, and worked with everyone to build houses, roads, primary schools, and hospitals. She shed the sweat of her youth on this barren land, truly integrating with the workers and peasants and embarking on a glorious path.
Compared with Tao Nanfeng, Qiao Yadong felt that he was weak and hypocritical.
He couldn't sit still any longer.
Qiao Yadong stood up and bowed deeply to Tao Nanfeng, his voice trembling: "Yes, I really want to go to college. Since the day I came to the farm, I have been waiting for this opportunity. In this respect, I am not as good as Tao Nanfeng."
Seeing himself clearly and admitting the gap made Qiao Yadong feel sharp pain but also a sense of relief as if he had freed himself from the shackles of his mind.
Qiao Yadong's face looked a little pale, but his eyes looked different from usual, as if they were much clearer and cleaner.
"Tao Nanfeng, we once discussed Paul's story together, and we all agree that the beauty of life lies in self-improvement. Going to college is a very good opportunity. It allows us to systematically receive professional knowledge and comprehensively improve our ability to look at problems and the world. Therefore... I sincerely suggest that you accept everyone's recommendation and go to college outside the farm."
There was deep emotion in his voice and his eyes were full of appreciation and encouragement.
"Farm construction is never-ending, and infrastructure projects are not completed overnight. When you go to college, you can come back to the farm during winter and summer vacations. If you have any questions, you can ask Hu Huanxin to contact you. Going to college does not delay farm infrastructure construction, right?
By systematically acquiring professional knowledge of architecture and structure, I believe you will have a broader world to explore. Your future will not be limited to this small world of Xiufengshan Farm, you will belong to the whole country and the whole world. The buildings you design and the houses you construct will be erected all over the country, allowing more people to praise your skills, abilities and level. ”
At this moment, Qiao Yadong finally said what was hidden in his heart.
"I admire you very much. You should leave the farm and explore a wider world to display your talents. As for me..."
Qiao Yadong looked at Tao Nanfeng and shrugged: "You don't have to worry about what I will think. Opportunities come every year. Maybe it will be my turn next year, right?"
There is a cuckoo calling outside the window.
"Cuckoo--cuckoo--"
The spring breeze blows in from the corridor, and the main room is filled with warmth.
There was a moment of silence among the educated youths, and no one spoke.
We have been together for almost three years, and the hard times have forged a deep friendship.
Qiao Yadong is the squad leader. He led everyone from Jiangcheng to the farm and bravely stood out to fight against the former farm leaders. Although he sometimes seemed a bit serious and old-fashioned when talking about political theory, he was generally a very good organizer.
Not to mention Tao Nanfeng, she is the soul of twenty educated youth in Jiangcheng. Without her, there would be no freedom and prosperity today, and without her, there would be no happy life today.
Tao Nanfeng was recommended to go to university, but Tao Nanfeng declined and gave way to Qiao Yadong;
Qiao Yadong was nominated, but he persuaded Tao Nanfeng to go to college.
At other youth camps, people were fighting over things and quarreling all the time. When we arrived at the Jiangcheng Youth League Center, everyone was pushing and shoving each other, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
Appreciate and admire? Qiao Yadong actually loves Tao Nanfeng!
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