Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Three years passed in a flash.
Early July, 1967.
The air is hot in the hot summer. Standing at the edge of the field, you can almost see the heat rising above the vegetation.
In the afternoon, children started to grow up in the shallow water area near the river again. Some of them came to wash clothes, but they ended up washing themselves while washing.
In addition to the riverside, the mountains are also a good place to cool off.
Some old ladies and old men were picking up firewood one second and taking a nap under the shade of a tree the next.
The birds in the trees chirped from time to time, and I didn’t know if they were also complaining that the day was too hot.
At the same time, in a hidden corner in the southwest corner of the mountain, three teenage girls were squatting on the ground blocking a rabbit hole, and a big black dog that looked particularly intimidating was standing next to them.
From the skillful movements of the three people, it can be seen that they must have done this kind of thing countless times.
After blocking the hole, he picked up a handful of branches and lit them.
When the branches are half dry, the smoke from burning is particularly choking. Even people find it choking, let alone rabbits.
Less than half a minute after it was stuffed into the hole, there was movement from the other end, and a light gray figure hurriedly dived into the bag that had been prepared long ago.
Xu Lele, who had grown a lot taller in the past three years, immediately sealed the mouth of the bag.
She grew taller and stronger.
No matter how hard the rabbit struggled inside, the bag was still held firmly in her hand.
Unlike before, she still needed her sister Mianmian to help knock the rabbit unconscious.
Xu Lele stood up with the bag in his hand, shook the bag in his hand, and laughed loudly, "Hehehe, I caught you!"
Almost at the moment she spoke, another large gray figure suddenly emerged from the hole in front of her.
This time there was no bag at the entrance of the cave, and the big rabbit ran straight forward.
Shi Xiaolian widened her eyes and tried to block it subconsciously, but failed. "There's actually another one!"
Mu Mian shouted at the same time, "Eleven, go!"
Almost at the moment she opened her mouth, the big black dog next to her ran several meters away.
The three little girls stood in a row and watched the big black dog chasing the rabbit.
Xu Lele was annoyed, "I collected the bag too early."
Mu Mian has great confidence in his dog, "Eleven will definitely catch up!"
I have helped her chase him many times in the past two years.
The three-year-old dog is in his prime and runs around the mountain every day. It’s just chasing a rabbit, so it’s a sure thing.
Sure enough, within two minutes, Mu Mian had just put out the burning branches in front of him and buried them with soil.
Then she saw her dog Eleven bringing back a rabbit. The big gray figure was motionless, probably because it had been bitten to death.
Mu Mian's smile was as bright as the sun, "Eleven!"
The big black dog ran two steps and put the rabbit down in front of Mu Mian. The rabbit had indeed been bitten to death, and the fur on its neck was stained with blood.
Mu Mian casually handed the rabbit to Shi Xiaolian and rubbed the dog's head. "How come you are so great! You are such a good dog. I will reward you with a rabbit head tonight."
Eleven seemed to understand the word "rabbit head" and rubbed his master's hand happily.
It is very big, much bigger than the big yellow dog in Grandpa Tang's house, and it is said to be a little bigger than its mother as well.
Mu Mian had never seen Shiyi's mother, but Shiyi was so good-looking that she could say without any modesty...
She deserves credit for this!
Raising a dog is just like raising a child. Feed it well, take it for more runs, and it will grow up healthily.
She has achieved both of these points.
Beside her, Shi Xiaolian had already put the rabbit into a bag. She looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting late. Let's go down the mountain."
They ran a long way today, so it would take them quite some time to walk back.
Xu Lele excitedly carried another bag and said, "Let's go, let's go home, I'll ask my mom to give me a hen tonight. Who of you wants this pheasant?"
They went up the mountain this afternoon. Although they walked a long way, they were quite successful. They caught three rabbits and a pheasant in total.
Mu Mian immediately followed up by saying, "Give it to Shi Xiaolian. My family will definitely kill a chicken in two days."
Xu Lele: "Oh yes, Brother Zhuo is coming back."
The three of them walked with the dog, one in front and one behind. Xu Lele continued the next second: "Brother Zhuo hasn't been back for a long time. I almost forgot what he looks like."
Mu Mian curled his lips, "Who said it wasn't? It's just inconvenient to be too far away."
Her elder brother had said he would be able to come back for the Chinese New Year last year and had already taken his vacation, but when he was about to leave, a snowstorm blocked the road.
Then I didn't come back, and it took another half a year before I could take my vacation.
But this time I can stay at home for more than two months, almost three months.
She would not forget what her eldest brother looked like, but she hadn't seen him for nearly five years.
Mu Mian deeply doubted that her elder brother would not be able to recognize her by then.
She has changed a lot.
She has grown taller and has less flesh on her face, but she is still very pretty. She is also on the list of pretty girls in the area! !
Xu Lele seemed to have remembered something, and turned to ask Mu Mian, "If you and Auntie go to the city to pick up Brother Zhuo, do you need a letter of introduction? Will you come to my house to see my father later?"
There is no train station in their county, so if you want to take a train you have to go to the city.
Mu Mian shook his head, "My mom said she'll go and open it, I don't have to worry about it."
Xu Lele said "Oh", then laughed again, "I'll come to see you after dinner tonight. I still have two dollars to spend. Sister Mianmian, please bring me some nice hairbands. The things in the city are definitely better looking than those in our commune!"
Mu Mian nodded, "Okay, I'll pick the best one for you then!"
Then she looked at Shi Xiaolian and said, "Do you want to bring anything?"
Shi Xiaolian shook her head, "I don't need it."
Mu Mian: "Really? If you miss this opportunity, you will never see this store again."
Shi Xiaolian: "I can't tie my hair up again."
Mu Mian's gaze first moved to Shi Xiaolian's head. This person seemed to be addicted to cutting her hair short. She would cut it whenever it was long.
The length of my hair is still about the same as it was in 1963.
Xu Lele also turned her head and looked over here, "I like long hair, I can wear a beautiful hair flower."
Mu Mian agreed, "I like it too."
Shi Xiaolian: "Don't you think it's troublesome to wash?"
Mu Mian saw through it at a glance, "You are just lazy."
This person is only interested in money and feels that anything else is slowing her down in making money.
Her parents always say that she is a little money-grubber, but she thinks Shi Xiaolian is the big money-grubber!
Shi Xiaolian showed an expression of noncommittal.
The three of them chatted and laughed all the way, and soon reached the foot of the mountain, where they met an old woman who was collecting firewood.
Mu Mian greeted her warmly, "Grandma Yang, you're collecting firewood again."
Old Lady Yang smiled and said, "Yeah, it's too hot at home anyway, it's cooler in the mountains, why are you running in the mountains again? Didn't you hear your grandma say you were going to take the high school entrance exam?"
Mu Mian replied with a smile, "The test is tomorrow."
Old Lady Yang said, "Ouch!" "That's because I did the splits."
The three of them didn't talk to Old Lady Yang for too long. After a few words, they went about their own business.
When the paths were about to part, Mu Mian said to Shi Xiaolian, "Come early tomorrow."
They are going to take the exam together tomorrow, riding her father's bicycle so they don't have to get up early.
Shi Xiaolian waved her hand, "I know."
After saying that, he walked towards her home.
---
A lot of things have happened in more than three years.
First of all, the atmosphere outside became visibly tense, but they were not greatly affected in the countryside.
In addition to being more cautious in daily life, everyone should still eat and drink as usual.
Immediately afterwards, the college entrance examination was suspended. Now universities are admitted based on recommendations, but junior and senior high schools remain the same as before.
During these three years, Mu Mian finished elementary school and was admitted to junior high school.
Shi Xiaolian did not attend elementary school, but did take the entrance exam for junior high school.
Xu Lele's grades were a little bit lower, but with the help of Mu Mian and Shi Xiaolian, they successfully got her into junior high school with the last-place grades.
Junior high school knowledge is still quite simple for Mu Mian and Shi Xiaolian, who have studied it once.
So when they reached the second half of the second year of junior high school, both of them skipped a grade and went directly from the second half of the second year of junior high school to the second half of the second year of junior high school.
I just got my junior high school diploma a few days ago and am about to take the high school entrance exam.
It was not a unified exam, but a borrowed exam, and they were the only two taking it.
These days the management of academic qualifications is not so strict and anyone with the ability can get a diploma.
Although borrowing a school to study is not a common thing, some people do it every year.
There are people like this in their team, such as Shi Xiaozhu.
In recent years, under Shi Xiaolian's lobbying, Shi Xiaozhu went back to high school, but she couldn't leave her family, and was reluctant to give up the work points as a primary school teacher, so she adopted the method of borrowing to study.
You don't have to go to class, but you have to go to every school exam.
As long as you reach the passing score set by the school every time, you will be issued a graduation certificate.
Shi Xiaozhu has already received her high school diploma.
Mu Mian and Shi Xiaolian were also after that certificate. After all, even if one completed two years of classes in school now, one would still have to study on one's own when the college entrance examination was resumed in ten years. It was essentially the same.
In comparison, Xu Lele was very methodical and it took her a lot of effort to get into junior high school.
It is impossible to skip grades. It is impossible to skip grades at all.
But the little girl has a good attitude. Her two sisters have been very capable since they were young, so she has long been used to it.
She didn't feel like she was falling behind at all. She just felt happy that these two powerful people were her best friends!
Doesn’t this mean…she’s also incredibly powerful? !
---
On the brigade trail.
Xu Lele took Mu Mian's arm and walked to the other side, muttering, "Is the high school entrance exam difficult?"
Mu Mian thought for a moment and said, "I've seen Sister Xiao Qiu's previous exams. It shouldn't be difficult."
Xu Lele was very happy, "Then you will definitely be fine!"
Mu Mian: "After Shi Xiaolian and I finish the exam, I will tell you what we got. Maybe it will be useful to you next year."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lele immediately shook his head like a rattle, with a terrified expression, "No, no, I won't take the exam. I won't pass it. Once I finish junior high school, I won't read those crappy textbooks anymore."
She had a headache reading her junior high school textbooks every day, and before every exam she needed her sister Mianmian and Shi Xiaolian to mark the key points so that her grades would not look so bad.
It is impossible for her to go to high school, she is just not cut out for studying!
Mu Mian smiled and didn't force it.
Although reading more books opens up many paths, studying is not the only way out for a person.
There are top talents in all 360 professions. Lele is just not good at studying.
The two little sisters chatted and laughed all the way and soon arrived at their home.
Xu Lele walked towards his home.
As soon as Mu Mian walked in with the rabbit in her hand, she saw her younger sister Xiao Wan talking to the old lady.
The grandparents and grandchildren chatted with each other and looked very happy.
Mu Mian knew what her little sister Xiao Wan was talking about without asking. She must have come to learn from her grandmother again.
Speaking of this, we have to talk about a major event that happened in the team recently.
For their family, the biggest happy event recently is that Mu Zhuo is coming back.
For the entire brigade, there is also a great joyous event, that is...
The city is going to build a machinery factory in their commune! !
Their commune did not have any machinery factories before. There were only small factories such as food processing factories and textile factories related to food, clothing, housing and transportation. There were also relatively few people in each factory, which could not be compared with the large factories in the county and city.
Their commune simply could not run a machinery factory that required both sophisticated machines and technology.
This recently built factory is said to be a branch of the city.
The preliminary work has been prepared and we will start recruiting workers soon. We will recruit more than 200 people from the entire commune! !
As soon as the news came out, the whole commune was in an uproar.
More than two hundred people! !
Every position needs people, and it is so difficult to get a worker position!
It's like pie in the sky. You may not come across such a great opportunity once in ten years or so! !
So everyone has been working hard recently, and some people have even become so obsessed that they read and review while walking.
The recruitment requirements have been posted long ago.
Although we recruit a lot of people, many of them need to take exams, and it will be a waste of time if you fail.
Some positions even have educational requirements. For example, jobs that require sitting in an office and holding a pen require a high school diploma.
At this point, I have to sigh that reading more is really useful, like Mu Wan’s elder sister Mu Qiu.
He caught up with a good time. After finishing junior high school, Mu Qiu was successfully admitted to high school.
I just got my diploma this month and immediately caught up with the job recruitment.
It is better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early.
Compared to her sister, Mu Wan is indeed not very good at studying, and she even hates studying more than Xu Lele.
Mingming has an older sister, Mu Qiu, who is in high school, and a cousin, Mu Mian, who has excellent grades, and both are willing to teach her.
But Mu Wan himself just refused to learn, saying that he couldn't concentrate and his headache came when he read.
So I only got a primary school diploma and didn’t even get into junior high school.
The little girl put her whole attention on the stove and enjoyed preparing some food.
When recruiting workers this time, Mu Wan immediately set his sights on the jobs in the cafeteria. This position does not require any exam, but the test is on cooking.
So, because he was afraid that he didn’t have enough experience, he came to ask the old lady for advice every day.
Seeing his cousin coming in, Mu Wan turned his head and asked casually, "Xiao Mian, what are you carrying?"
Mu Mian shook the bag. "The rabbit is so big, so big, so fat!"
Mu Wan looked very surprised, and her eyes sparkled as she looked over, "Rabbit! Can I roast it for you?"
Meat dishes!
Her family rarely has the opportunity to cook meat, so she needs to practice more!
Mu Mian smiled, "Sure, I'd love to."
However, before doing that, they had to peel and clean the skin first. The two sisters didn't let the old lady do it, and they squatted together and talked while doing it.
As the official recruitment time got closer, the usually carefree girl became visibly nervous. "Xiaomi, do you think there will be many people who want to work in the cafeteria? I'm sure many aunties would want to try. What if I'm not selected?"
Mu Mian didn't stop working, and said as he worked: "It will be fine, you cook better than many aunties!"
This is not an exaggeration, her younger sister Xiao Wan really did a good job.
And she really felt from the bottom of her heart that there was a great chance that Mu Wan would be admitted.
There is really no educational requirement for this position in the cafeteria, but basic literacy and calculation skills are required.
Otherwise, you need to record how many dishes are brought in and how many are used every day. You cannot be without a clear idea in mind.
She has no problem with these things, the only disadvantage is probably that she is too young.
Although there is no concept of child labor these days, Mu Wan is indeed just fifteen years old and her birthday is in July.
At this age in the countryside, he is considered a major labor force in the family, but in the city, he may have to start as an apprentice to work in these positions.
Being an apprentice is not bad, earning more than ten yuan a month.
If you have good skills, the leaders of the logistics department will definitely notice it, and it will probably take about a year to become a regular employee.
This is what Mu Mian thought in his heart, and this is what he analyzed to Mu Wan.
Mu Wan listened very carefully and thought about it thoughtfully. Then he leaned over and rubbed his little cousin's round head.
"That makes sense, but I still think it would be more practical for you, Xiaomian, to give me more blessings."
Her elder sister was also very nervous when she was taking the junior high school entrance exam. She pinched Xiaomian and performed exceptionally well. She seemed to have done the same when she was taking the high school entrance exam.
Mu Mian, who was almost rubbed to the point of being furious, said, "………………"
Okay, even though she didn't think she had that role.
But if Xiao Wanjie felt that this would make her feel more at ease, she was willing to contribute her brain.
What else can I do? My dear cousin, just spoil her~
---
It was late in the evening.
When Comrade Liu Shuangcui came back from work, the kitchen was already filled with fragrance.
A dog as big as Eleven was squatting at the kitchen door, staring intently, looking very intimidating.
But it's just an appearance. If you look closely, you will find that the big dog's drool is almost falling to the ground, and its eyes are almost popping out.
Mu Mian was sitting in front of the stove making a fire. When he looked up, he saw his biological mother coming back through the open window.
Mu Mian stood up quickly and leaned over to the window, sticking his head out, "Mom, did you get the letter of introduction?"
Liu Shuangcui was scooping water to wash her face. "I haven't left yet. I'll clean up first and then go. What is your grandma doing? Why does it smell so good?"
Mu Mian: "Grandma didn't make it. She went to Grandma Li's house for something. It was Xiao Wan who made it. In the afternoon, Shi Xiaolian, Le Le and I went to the mountains to catch rabbits. Xiao Wan said she wanted to practice."
Liu Shuangcui smiled, "Xiao Wan doesn't need to practice this skill, she is much better than me and her mother."
Mu Wan stood in front of the stove and replied, "It's always a good idea to do more. What if someone asks me how to fry a rabbit?"
Liu Shuangcui came in with a smile and took a look. "It seems that I don't need to do anything. I will go to Guizhi's house first."
Mu Mian waved her hand, "Mom, go quickly. The sooner you start, the sooner you can get things done."
You can't stay in a guesthouse in the city without a letter of introduction, otherwise they won't let you stay.
Her brother called and said that he would be there the day after tomorrow afternoon.
So after she finishes her exam tomorrow morning, she will go to the city with her mother in the afternoon, stay overnight and pick up her brother the next day.
If she didn't go to pick him up, her brother would surely come back on his own, but hasn't they seen each other for more than five years? Everyone in the family had already flown to the city and could not wait any longer at home.
When the rabbit was out of the pot, Mu Fugui just arrived home and the old lady also came back from Grandma Li's house.
Mu Wan did not stay to eat. The old lady scooped out two bowls of food for her and asked her to take one bowl to her uncle's house on the way.
Comrade Liu Shuangcui took a long time to get the letter of introduction before coming back.
Mu Mian was serving food at the moment. When she saw her mother come in and put the bowl on the table, she ran over and said, "Is it finished? Let me see what it looks like?"
Liu Shuangcui handed over the paper in her hand. "It's just a piece of paper. I asked Lao Xu to open it for three days. I'm afraid your brother won't be able to arrive tomorrow afternoon."
"I heard from Guizhi that this train is prone to being delayed. If your brother arrives at night, we will probably have to stay in the city tomorrow night, so we can only come back the day after tomorrow."
Mu Fugui also came over and said, "Good three days. You can still go shopping in the city when you have time."
Mu Mian quietly approached her father, "Dad, is there anything you want to buy that you can't let my mom know about? I'll buy it for you!"
Mu Fugui immediately raised his eyelids, looking like he was really thinking about it.
Liu Shuangcui, who was standing nearby and hadn’t left yet, said: “………………”
Liu Shuangcui snorted, "I, your mother, am not old enough to be deaf."
Mu Mian chuckled, "It's just a joke~"
Mu Fugui also replied righteously, "No, no, there is nothing about me that your mother shouldn't know."
At most, he would secretly drink a few sips occasionally. Unlike Lao Pan, he was so addicted to smoking that he used all his private money to buy cigarettes.
Zhao Meihua called out to the family of three, "Stop dawdling and eat! Don't you have an exam tomorrow? After you finish eating, clean up and go to bed early."
Mu Mian handed the letter of introduction to her mother and kept it. "Here it comes. I'm starving. I can eat three big bowls!"
I've been running in the mountains for a whole afternoon. I'd be damned if I wasn't hungry.
Mu Wan’s cooking skills are really good. The rabbit was cooked very tenderly. After eating it, Mu Mian slumped in the chair for a while in satisfaction.
Less than two minutes later, Xu Lele came in with her two dollars.
"Sister Mianmian, please help me pick out a few more, including hairpins and hair ties. I'm sure what you buy will look good."
Mu Mian took it and said, "Okay, I'll buy it."
Her younger sister is very easy to understand. She likes colorful things. Every time she helps to bring something, she chooses it according to this aesthetic.
Xu Lele didn’t stay too long, after all, it was almost dark.
After dinner, the old lady took charge of cleaning up the pots and pans.
Mu Mian washed his hair with the water that had been dried during the day, then brought a basin into the house and wiped his body.
It was too hot that day. I was sweating all over after running for the whole afternoon. I had to wipe it off before going to bed at night.
While his hair was drying, Mu Mian packed his bag, which mainly contained pens and paper for the exam, as well as money he might need to go to the city.
Mu Mian took out thirty yuan from his small box and stuffed it into his bag.
It should be enough. If not, there is still her mother. This is the only amount of money she has at her disposal.
However, there is still a lot of savings.
Since the end of last year, Mu Mian has been staying at home quietly. Apart from attending junior high school for one year, he has done nothing else.
I would occasionally go to the mountains to buy some mountain products.
But she was very hardworking in the two years before that. She published more than a dozen articles and earned nearly three hundred yuan.
I also drew three picture books. One of them was so long that it was divided into three volumes: upper, middle and lower. My royalties increased by nearly 100 yuan.
The three books combined earned me more than 500 yuan.
Adding the money she had in 1963 and subtracting the money she had spent in the past three years, she still has 1,200 yuan in savings left with her mother!
I'm already a 1,000 yuan household!
If you work hard, you will become a millionaire soon!
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