Chapter 294 Don't Rush
Wei Yang had been busy all morning and was already starving.
He sat there shoveling large mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, eating very quickly.
Song Lubai served him a bowl of sweet mung bean soup, which he drank in one gulp.
After barely finishing his meal, Wei Yang sat on the stool in a daze. Song Lubai said a few words but received no response from him, so she waved her hand in front of his face.
Are you very tired?
Wei Yang said absentmindedly, "I'm thinking about what to do."
Song Lubai handed him a piece of watermelon and asked, "What are we going to do?"
Wei Yang shook his head, not wanting to bring up the problem and upset her as well.
Thinking of that female comrade, Song Lubai said, "Another batch of educated youth arrived today, and I saw a heavily pregnant woman in the group being sent to the vegetable-growing class. Why didn't the 14th Regiment accept them? Our regiment certainly doesn't have much money; can we even accommodate them all?"
This is exactly what Wei Yang is worried about.
This year's grain yield is already set. Although the more people working in the group, the better, the timing of increasing the number of people is wrong.
He said, "There was serious factional infighting within the 14th Regiment. The person was sent there but no one took care of him, so the division headquarters sent him here."
Song Lubai said, "You have to ask the higher-ups for grain! Back in the 25th Company, when people who had fled came to the 25th Company, our company commander would ask the companies to which those people belonged for grain. Whether it was sweet potatoes or potatoes, we would ask for as much as we could get."
Wei Yang said, "I will take it, but the grain from the division headquarters will definitely not last until next year. The scale of the vegetable planting team will have to be expanded. If there is no grain to eat, we will plant more vegetables."
Wei Yang's mind raced with ideas. With a slight smile and shining eyes, he said, "I can trade my corn and wheat for high-yield grains like sweet potatoes and potatoes! I'll suffer this year, and next year, humph!"
Having grown accustomed to his composure these days, feeling that he was confident in everything he did, Song Lubai suddenly realized that he was only twenty-six years old this year when she saw him like this.
Most of the leadership team in the group were older than him, but Song Lubai felt that he had the qualities of a leader!
"What about next year?"
Seeing his ambitious look, Song Lubai couldn't help but laugh.
Wei Yang snorted, "With the increasing population in the regiment, once the canal is completed, water will no longer be a problem, and everyone in the regiment will be able to have enough to eat!"
Song Lubai smiled, pursing her lips.
Wei Yang's ears turned red from her laughter, and he felt that he didn't look like a capable cadre at all just now.
After laughing, Song Lubai said, "Don't rush, take it one step at a time, you can definitely do it!"
If it were nighttime, Wei Yang would definitely carry her to bed.
After the couple talked for a while, Wei Yang's anxiety and anger subsided.
After finishing the watermelon and washing his hands, he started stirring the lime water.
I told you a long time ago that I was going to paint the walls, but I only got around to it today. I'm afraid that Song Lubai will think that I lied to her before.
Song Lubai tore the newspaper off the wall that wasn't next to the bed. She said, "After we finish painting the walls today, let's go sleep on the floor next door and do the other side tomorrow."
That was Wei Yang's plan.
"You just mentioned that there was a pregnant woman among the female comrades. I looked at the list, and this batch of women includes not only pregnant women but also those who brought their children. Including the previous batch, our regiment now has nearly 150 more single women. When things calm down in winter, before or after the New Year, our regiment will organize a social gathering. Most of the people in the Armed Forces Department are unmarried bachelors..."
After tearing up all the newspapers she could, Song Lubai took the soaked beans out and prepared to start making watermelon bean sauce.
"Commander, Commander's wife, let's go dig some dirt."
Recently, the neighbors have been helping each other build their courtyard walls, but this does not include Song Lubai and Wei Yang.
Wei Yang was very busy every day and never got involved.
The work of building the courtyard wall was all done by the men, and Song Lubai didn't join in.
Not wanting others to help for nothing, Song Lubai cooked a big pot of mung bean soup and added a lot of sugar.
It was the hottest time of day, and Lao Li and his men, sweating profusely, dug back several flatbed truckloads of soil. By then, Wei Yang had finished painting the walls.
He carried a bucket to the water point to fill the water tank, so that he could mix mud and build the wall that night.
Song Lubai gave each of Lao Li and the others a bowl of mung bean soup, then went back into the house and brought out dried apricots, giving a handful to each of the men who had helped.
"Take it back for the child to eat."
Old Li waved his hand, saying, "Don't mention it. If it weren't for the regimental commander, we wouldn't have been able to build the wall. We're all helping each other out, no need to thank me."
Song Lubai forced the food on him, saying, "If you don't want it, give it to the child. We don't have anything to thank you for. If you don't accept it, we won't dare ask you for help in the future."
Song Lubai's polite words were appreciated by the neighbors.
Each family helped each other build the courtyard wall. No one had anything to offer everyone, so they were willing to build a wall for the regimental commander's family, even though the commander hadn't been working with them these past few days. The commander's wife cooked sweet mung bean soup and brought dried apricots, which made them even happier.
The task was considered complete once the soil was hauled away by noon. Everyone had to work in the afternoon, so the bricklaying work could only be done in the evening.
After Wei Yang filled the water tank, he went to the government office. Song Lubai didn't need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative at the moment, so she put the ingredients she had prepared for making watermelon sauce into the pot in order.
She had never made watermelon and bean sauce before; she had only ever seen her mother do it.
She knew the general order of things, and she also knew that the key to keeping fermented soybeans from spoiling for a long time was to boil off the moisture, and it was best to use more oil.
She cut the watermelon into pieces, crushed it, and picked out all the seeds. After putting it into the pot, the pot instantly turned red.
The smell of the fermented soybean paste wasn't very strong, but it still attracted a group of women.
Most of the neighbors are from Gansu and Shandong, and none of them have ever seen watermelon and soybeans used to make sauce. They are all very curious about it.
Miao Feng looked at the pot and asked, "Can this taste good? It tastes weird. If it doesn't taste good, it's just a waste of oil."
Song Lubai was also afraid of wasting food, so she tasted the salt after adding it, adding it little by little to minimize the risk.
Actually, it's better to make sauces a little saltier, as it can extend their shelf life, but Song Lubai still prefers sauces with just the right amount of salt.
“In my hometown, we eat this. It tastes perfectly normal. It’s salty with a hint of sweetness when cooked, and it’s also spicy when you add some chili. If we don’t have any vegetables next year, we just eat it with cornbread. It’s convenient and delicious.”
The pot was bubbling and sizzling with red oil, looking very tempting.
Zhao Hongying swallowed hard and said, "It looks delicious. If my family could buy fatty pork, I would make some and store it."
The mere mention of fatty meat makes some people envious.
Noticing the furtive glances from some people, Song Lubai said, "My Weiyang hasn't had a good life before. He has many scars on his body, from gunshots and knife cuts. The wounds are gruesome and frightening to look at. Back in Shicheng, if he really craved something, he could go to a restaurant to satisfy his cravings. But here, we can only buy fatty meat once a month, and even when we do have meat, we can't bear to cook it. I have to find a way to make life better for the family so that he can eat better in the future..."
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