Chapter 119 Fellow Villagers Meet
After listening to Song Lubai's words and seeing the large ditches and new land cleared by the 25th Company, Commander Ma nodded: "Everyone has worked very hard."
Yang Zhong, standing nearby, said, "This isn't even the worst of it. What was it like here when we first arrived? The soldiers who came ten years ago endured all the hardship."
Song Lubai nodded and said, "It's not as hard as it used to be, but we've never done such tiring work before."
“Yesterday, thirty-two young men who had escaped from the First Division came to the camp. They wanted to stay in our 25th Company because our company is building brick houses. The houses are very attractive to everyone. I think if everyone can live in brick houses, there will definitely be no more escape incidents.”
When Yang Zhong heard that someone had deserted, his eyebrows shot up. "Where are those people now?"
The man's tone was a bit harsh, so Song Lubai quickly replied, "He was taken to work in the fields by our company commander."
Yang Zhong lowered his eyebrows. "That's more like it."
Song Lubai boldly said, "Actually, we can't entirely blame them."
Yang Zhong interrupted her: "No matter what excuse you have, you can't be a deserter!"
Song Lubai wanted to say something, but then thought it would be stupid to go against her boss, so she simply kept quiet.
However, Ma Shou and Zhang Chang said from the side, "Say what you want to say, Lao Yang. Tune your fiery temper. You're scaring the young comrade."
Yang Zhong snorted, "That's just how I am. I've had this temper for most of my life, and I'm not planning to change it."
He glanced at Song Lubai and snorted, "Keep talking, say what you have to say, don't be scared into silence as soon as I open my mouth."
In their brief encounter, Song Lubai had already discerned the personalities of these two high-ranking leaders.
One leader appears approachable and unpretentious, while the other has a fiery temper that is readily apparent, but both are people who listen to the people.
Song Lubai continued, "When everyone signed up, they were told that they would be given housing and a salary upon arrival. But when we got here, we were living in dugouts or mud houses. We only received five yuan a month, and we were always hungry. We were doing endless sweating work in the fields. Who could stand that?"
Yang Zhong snorted, "All this talk is just because you can't endure hardship! Back when we were fighting the devils and the midnight demons, we ate grass when we were hungry, we gnawed on mud, we slept on grasslands and in earthen huts, and none of us ever complained."
Song Lubai began to feel ashamed.
She only saw the suffering of the people in front of her, but not the hardships of the old revolutionaries.
She fell silent. Yang Zhong glanced at her and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Song Lubai: "..."!
What else do you want to hear from her? She's already starting to feel ashamed.
Song Lubai said honestly, "I think you are right. I am reflecting on myself, and my awareness is indeed not enough."
Yang Zhong was taken aback by these words, and suddenly found this woman quite interesting.
Chief Ma couldn't help but chuckle, "After all these complaints, haven't you noticed any good things about our place?"
Song Lubai immediately said, "Of course there are good things about this place. The fruits and vegetables are sweeter than those in other provinces, and the land is more expansive. Land is a resource. If we keep working hard like this, it's not a dream for us to become a major agricultural province and a strong province! I absolutely believe that everyone will be able to live a good life with plenty to eat and comfortable living conditions in the future."
These words were pleasing to the ear, and Yang Zhong nodded, saying, "So those of us who came to scout the way must continue to work hard, and we must work even harder!"
Song Lubai acted as a guide, leading everyone to visit the fruits of the 25th Company's labor over the past few months.
These ditches and the turned-up land are proof of their hard work.
Upon seeing the labor team in the distance, Commander Ma said, "Doesn't the 25th Company have more than 200 people now? It seems like there aren't enough people over there."
Director Zhang said, "There was a heavy rain before, and the Guhekou area was flooded, which submerged a village. The 25th Company is now responsible for digging and widening the canal there."
Ma Shou, Chang, and Yang Zhong have been inspecting the various sub-farms for quite some time now, and they haven't heard of any flooding here.
Yang Zhong asked, looking slightly anxious, "Is anyone alright?"
Just then, the company commander, covered in sweat, finally arrived.
After saluting, the company commander answered Yang Zhong's question.
The 25th Company participated in the rescue, and the company commander naturally has the right to speak on this matter.
He first described the casualties, then recounted the difficulty and process of the rescue, and glanced at Wei Yang following behind, saying, "Actually, the comrades from the Armed Forces Department worked the hardest for nearly a day and a night, and were exhausted. What impressed me most was that after we went underwater, the flooded house suddenly collapsed, and Comrade Wei rushed to the front and shielded the child with his body. He was injured himself, but the child was well protected by him."
Chief Ma turned to look at Wei Yang, his eyes full of admiration: "I know you. I saw you at the commendation meeting when I returned to the capital three years ago. A good comrade should be like you, shining wherever he goes and serving the people."
Wei Yang instinctively stood at attention to salute, and then said a few words from the bottom of his heart, full of fighting spirit.
Chief Ma waved his hand with a smile: "Alright, alright, don't be so serious. Although it's working time, you can relax a bit."
Wei Yang was not at ease; his duty today was to protect the safety of the leaders and superiors, and he had to be on high alert the entire time.
Seeing his tense expression, like a drawn sword, Song Lubai smiled slightly.
Seeing her smile, Wei Yang remembered that she had a boyfriend and wouldn't let him see her, so he expressionlessly shifted his gaze elsewhere.
The sun grew increasingly scorching, and the uneven dirt road was difficult to traverse. However, Chief Ma and his group of leaders did not complain about the heat or the fatigue. They walked all over the land reclaimed by the 25th Company, learning about the development plan and offering their own opinions.
When they returned to the camp shed, everyone's clothes were soaked with sweat.
Watermelons chilled in well water are cool and sweet, while cucumbers that aren't very big are crisp and refreshing.
Wei Yang stood beside the leaders and watched Song Lubai and Chen Weiliang chatting and laughing easily not far away, then casually looked away.
When people from the same hometown meet, they naturally have a lot to say.
Chen Weiliang was worried about his family situation. Coincidentally, Song Lubai had stayed at her aunt's house for many days before leaving and had met Chen Weiliang's relatives. She knew about his family situation, so she naturally had to tell them when they asked.
While the two were talking, Yang Zhong appeared nearby without them noticing.
After reading the words on the bulletin board, Yang Zhong turned to Song Lubai and asked, "Did you write all of this?"
Song Lubai nodded, "The company is busy reclaiming land and digging ditches; the cultural and educational work only started recently."
Yang Zhong nodded: "Not bad."
Yang Zhong himself was a rough and uncultured man, but he admired people with good handwriting because his wife was an intellectual. In Yang Zhong's view, people with good handwriting were also likely to be of good character.
Hearing the company commander call her, Song Lubai greeted the two men and then left.
After Song Lubai left, Yang Zhong looked at Chen Weiliang and said, "You've been with me for several years now, and you're not getting any younger. It's time to settle down. Song Lubai is from the same place as you, so you know each other well. If you're interested, I'll help you put in a good word."
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