After glancing at Qin Qinghuai, Jian Dan deliberately raised her voice.
"Sister-in-law, you also think things are getting better and better, right?"
When this was mentioned, the sister-in-law couldn't stop smiling.
"Oh, that must be it. Back then, we farmed at home and earned a few work points a day, but at the end of the year, we could only get about ten yuan. The grain we received wasn't enough to feed the whole family. We saved and saved, but in the end, it was hard to even get our parents and children a meal or a piece of meat for the New Year."
As she spoke, her smile widened, and nearby family members gathered around.
"Since I came here, although it was quite difficult at first, look at me, it's the same as at home. I work and earn work points, right? And my family can be together all year round. I won't say much more, but I get much more than I did back home."
The other family members who had gathered around chimed in, and they seemed quite happy to be talking about it anyway.
"Isn't that right? I never expected that among so many soldiers, we, their families, would get to share some meat. My husband, he's been discharged for several years now,"
"Yes, last year, my family made some dumplings with meat in them. My mother-in-law almost cried, saying she hadn't eaten them in years. The kids were eating dumplings for the first time too, and they were drooling over them."
"That's right. You say we adults can eat whatever we want, or we can not eat anything at all, but what about the elderly and children? My child has never eaten refined grains since birth. Every day he drinks corn porridge and wild vegetable soup with the adults. He has never eaten anything good. He has gained weight in the few months he has been here."
"Really, really! My child is the same. He can still go to school. Mine already knows quite a few words and even teaches me when he gets home. Oh my, I never thought such a good thing could happen!"
"Yes, yes, tell me, we work ourselves to the bone, isn't it all for the sake of our children?"
......
As more and more family members gathered, and given their shared interests, the conversation quickly became lively. Jian Dan and Qin Qinghuai, the two instigators, quietly slipped away from the crowd.
"So, do you still feel like you haven't done anything?"
"I was somewhat expecting it, but also a little surprised."
I didn't expect that something I thought was quite normal would have such a big impact on them, and I was also a bit surprised by their reaction.
Ultimately, it's just like in the village: working and recording work points. I think this is a very normal process, since clearing land and farming here also requires people, which is an obvious fact. I didn't expect everyone's reaction to be so excited.
Their behavior actually made me a little uncomfortable; I felt like they weren't doing enough.
"Why do you insist on taking the blame upon yourself?"
Jian Dan was wondering if she had overdone it, and why she couldn't get back to her normal thought process.
“You’re a political commissar, a human being, not a god. You can’t be like Guanyin Bodhisattva, holding a jade tablet and scattering willow branches to save all living beings. Besides, everything takes time, right? What can you achieve in one step?”
Even if you're in a hurry, you still have to take it one step at a time, right?
As the books say, a good beginning is half the battle.
Look, last year started off really well, so what are you worried about?"
Qin Qinghuai, being quick-witted, had actually figured it out by now. He had been too hasty and gotten stuck in a rut. He had calmed down now, but seeing Jian Dan's serious tone as she lectured him, he still nodded and agreed with a smile.
"Yes, yes, my wife is right, I'll listen to you."
The couple hadn't gone far from the family compound when they ran into Commander Lin, who was out walking his child. The two groups mingled, and Xiao An came over and took Jian Dan's hand. The two men naturally chatted, and Qin Qinghuai casually turned towards the back compound. Commander Lin assumed it was intentional and followed.
"Political Commissar, you look a bit off. What happened? Did someone cause trouble?"
Looking at the similar atmosphere here and over at the family compound, with children running around everywhere, Qin Qinghuai shook his head.
"Commander, would you say that our efforts over the past year have been a success?"
"ah?"
This sudden question caught Commander Lin off guard. Following his gaze, he seemed to understand what he meant, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Of course it was a success, Political Commissar. You saw the state of things here when you first arrived. Look at how it was then and how it is now. The change is very obvious. Not to mention, back then there were only a few families in the residential compound, and everyone was pale and thin."
The period after you arrived was the most difficult time. The military supplies from above were delayed. It was only thanks to your sister-in-law's generosity that the brothers were able to pull through.
You were there at the time, so you were aware of it too.
Over the past year, with so many of us, Cheng Chao has been running around looking for people and equipment, and you've been searching for information and arranging to join the army.
People come in batches, and the land is turned over little by little. The land is irrigated, the ridges are prepared (that is, the soil is sorted and compacted to form ridges before planting crops), and then the seeds are planted one by one. We watch them grow with great anticipation. It's not like raising a child.
To have achieved what it has now is a respectable achievement, not only supporting the brothers, but also their parents, wives, children, and elderly parents. It provides these brothers with a place to live, giving them the opportunity to support themselves and their families even if they are physically disabled.
Political Commissar, I feel satisfied with what I've accomplished in just over a year.
real. "
Qin Qinghuai listened quietly.
"But it still doesn't solve the fundamental problem, does it?"
Commander Lin looked at him with a puzzled expression, then turned back to meet Jian Dan's somewhat helpless gaze, and suddenly understood.
"No, Political Commissar, is it because of that tofu? Did you hear them talking?"
Hey! I was wondering why I suddenly became so sad yesterday.
Yes, they had a tough time before, but who isn't suffering now?
Go ask around in the troupe, and you'll find that ten out of ten people have gone through this kind of hardship. Out of tens of thousands of people, those who haven't experienced hardship are less than a handful.”
He stretched out a hand and flipped it over.
Do you believe it or not?
Qin Qinghuai hesitated for a moment, but still nodded. He believed it. The war had only ended twenty years ago, and some of these soldiers were veterans who had participated in the war. Let's not talk about the past.
Even the new recruits who joined the army after the founding of the People's Republic of China were from poor families, and when they joined the army, everything was in ruins and rebuilding.
I believe you.
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