Chapter 139 Guaguagua Two-in-One
I originally thought that it would take some time for the brigade to come to a conclusion, but unexpectedly, just two days later, Huang Guofu called Xiang Yao to attend a meeting in the afternoon.
This was a meeting between the brigade headquarters and the team leaders of each production team. All the people sitting there were familiar faces.
Nie Baichuan also came along. When he entered the room, he greeted everyone first, then found a stool, wiped it, asked Xiang Yao to sit down, and sat down next to him.
Because everyone knew that Nie Baichuan could get fertilizer, the team leaders were very enthusiastic about the young couple.
After all, in addition to the competition among the brigades every year, the production teams within the brigades are also full of competition. At this time, production resources are a major factor in the competition.
Xiang Yao smiled and greeted Nie Baichuan. When she saw the scene, she knew that whether everyone could grow peanuts and tomatoes depended on today's meeting.
In fact, when the team leaders asked about the specific situation, she knew that this was not a problem at all.
"Can you really give us this kind of seeds for free?"
"Yes, but each team needs to control it well and not take it all back and eat it all in one meal."
"Of course. Every year when we distribute grain seeds, we mix them with pesticides before we distribute them."
This was not the common practice in the past, but during the years of famine, many people could not bear it and secretly ate the grain as soon as it was distributed.
Later, there was really no other way, so the brigade mixed pesticides in the crops before distributing them. This stopped the bad habit and prevented people from having no crops to plant.
Xiang Yao thought about it for a moment and understood the whole process, then nodded.
"Are all the seeds given to us such good varieties?" asked a team leader, holding a peanut in his hand.
"Of course, I will never cheat anyone." Xiang Yao said with a smile.
Someone said, "Our team held a meeting last night, and most families were willing to set aside some of their private plots to grow peanuts, but only a few families were willing to plant tomatoes."
Xiang Yao had anticipated this situation. After all, tomatoes are not a necessity. They cannot be pressed for oil like peanuts, and they cannot be preserved for long once grown. It is normal that he is unwilling to grow them.
Moreover, if it is planted on a large scale, it can also represent the entire Shitang Brigade to find sales channels. Whether it is sold to a cannery or a supply and marketing cooperative, it is a very good choice.
But if there are only a few people growing it, there will definitely be no such market for it.
Xiang Yao already had this in mind and expressed her understanding: "It's okay, those who want to plant can still get seeds from me."
But she also said: "Regarding growing peanuts, I suggest that everyone not only plant them on existing private plots, but also reclaim some extra wasteland. This thing doesn't require much land. Planting more will also increase the harvest and produce more oil."
Among those present, Yang Youliang was the most enthusiastic about land reclamation. During the years of food shortage, he organized people to reclaim wasteland every year during the slack season. When he heard this, his expression brightened.
"This is a good idea!" He slammed the table and immediately began to plan the land reclamation in his mind.
The other production team leaders looked at each other and thought, here it comes, it’s time for everyone to open up wasteland again...
The captains had a lot of questions, and Xiang Yao answered each one seriously. He would say more about the ones he knew, and honestly say he didn't know the ones he didn't know.
Her sincere attitude actually earned everyone more trust and they became more concerned about the matter.
She knew that what everyone in the brigade coveted most was the oil squeezed from peanuts, so she tried her best to talk about this point, making everyone imagine what the days with plenty of oil and water would be like.
Hiss, the fried vegetables are shiny with oil, and taste moist and fragrant in the mouth. They are no longer dry and tasteless like before.
Not to mention ten or eight kilograms of oil, even two or three kilograms more would be great!
I heard from the little girl Xiang Yao that the peanuts she provided, about three pounds in shells, can produce one pound of oil!
If they plant more, they can harvest more. By then, they will have more oil than they can eat and can even sell it secretly to others.
It’s so beautiful just thinking about it!
Just thinking about peanut oil was enough to make the team leaders' hearts surge with emotion, so the second half of the meeting went unexpectedly smoothly.
The meeting was not too long. Everyone was efficient. After asking all the questions they wanted to ask and discussing all the topics they wanted to discuss, they dispersed neatly.
Before leaving the brigade headquarters, Huang Guofu stopped Xiang Yao and said, "Let's give it a try next year. If we can really have a good harvest, I will report it to the higher-ups and strive to make our Shitang Brigade a pilot for planting rice and carry out large-scale planting."
After hearing this, Xiang Yao realized that Secretary Huang also had a big heart.
She nodded heavily: "Don't worry, Secretary, it will definitely work."
Huang Guofu looked at her and admired the young man's enthusiasm, so he said a few words of encouragement and let her go.
On the way back, Xiang Yao smiled and said, "I didn't expect it to be so smooth. I thought it would take a lot of effort."
After all, the leaders of the production teams were all smart people, and they shouldered the responsibility of the entire production team. When encountering such a matter, they would definitely think twice.
Nie Baichuan said, "They all know what needs to be decided quickly and what can be delayed."
Xiang Yao put her arm around his waist and nodded when she heard this: "That's right, they are afraid of falling behind in things that can benefit the whole team."
Just now when she was at the brigade headquarters, she had already felt that there was a lot of tension between the production teams. When one team said it could guarantee a certain number of households to participate in planting, the other team immediately said that their team could mobilize more people. The competitive spirit was very strong.
The bicycle went around a puddle that had accumulated after the rain, and ran over a protruding rock. The bumpy ride made Xiang Yao's buttocks leave the back seat, and then suddenly fell down, causing her to let out a light cry.
Nie Baichuan immediately braked, looked back, and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Xiang Yao grimaced in pain: "Of course it hurts! I was thrown three feet high!"
Nie Baichuan slammed on the brakes and said in a calm voice, "Go home and massage it."
Xiang Yao: "I don't want to rub your big head, you big ghost. Let's go home."
Nie Baichuan didn't say anything, just rode all the way home. After Xiang Yao got off the bike, he rummaged through the drawers looking for something.
Xiang Yao asked curiously, "What are you looking for?"
Nie Baichuan: "Find a piece of cloth and some cotton, and ask mother to help sew a cushion."
Xiang Yao: "Ah, there is no cloth left. I took it all to my mother's house to make quilt covers and bedding a while ago. There is still some left, and I asked her to help make a school bag for He Guoqiang."
Nie Baichuan pursed his lips and thought for a moment, then said, "Then take off one of my clothes. That should be enough to sew a cushion."
Xiang Yao was speechless and rolled his eyes: "There's no rush, why would I take off your clothes? My butt isn't that valuable, don't do it!"
Nie Baichuan didn't say anything and kept searching. Finally, he found a thin summer shirt and thought it was a good one. But when he looked up, he saw Xiang Yao pouting and looking very unhappy.
He was stunned and realized that he was only thinking about sewing a cushion and the other party's words did not register with him.
Nie Baichuan silently put the clothes back as they were, walked over to Xiang Yao who was sitting on the bed, and coaxed her softly: "Don't be angry, I'll listen to you."
Xiang Yao turned her head and ignored him.
Nie Baichuan changed his position and squatted down gently, holding his wife's face. His voice was extremely gentle: "Don't be angry, okay? I put the clothes back. Tomorrow I will find a piece of cloth to make a cushion, and you don't need my clothes."
Xiang Yao finally looked at him and said unhappily, "I'm not mad at you. You're about to use your own clothes to make a butt cushion for me. I'm so happy that I don't have time to be angry."
Seeing that she said she wasn't angry but her face was actually red with anger, Nie Baichuan couldn't help but feel a little amused. However, due to the current atmosphere, he didn't dare to really laugh. He just suppressed the corners of his lips and said, "Well, it's my fault anyway. Yaoyao wasn't angry with me, I just misjudged it."
Xiang Yao wasn't really angry. In fact, even she felt that she was being a bit hypocritical by putting on such an attitude. But for some reason, the moment Nie Baichuan ignored her and insisted on finding a piece of clothing, she was in a bad mood and wanted to show off.
Now that Nie Baichuan was coaxing her so gently, she felt guilty again.
I did this out of love and respect for her, but she turned around and became unhappy...
Xiang Yao placed her hand on Nie Baichuan's shoulder and whispered, "Nie Baichuan, will you always be this good to me?"
Nie Baichuan stared at her quietly, his eyelashes were clearly visible in clusters, and his deep eyes were like a dark pool with no bottom to be seen, in which was reflected the rosy face of Xiang Yao.
He promised earnestly: "I will, I will always be good to you."
He thought that when he was in his seventies or eighties, he would still love his wife so much.
The two of them stared at each other for a long time, and finally Xiang Yaoxian couldn't help it, and threw his head back and laughed out loud.
"How corny! What the hell are we doing? But Nie Baichuan, you look so handsome when you're serious!"
Nie Baichuan looked at her seriously, raised his eyebrows, and suggested, "Then, a kiss?"
Xiang Yao pointed at him and said, "Good fellow, just because I praised you for being handsome, you immediately wanted to take advantage of me, right?"
Nie Baichuan stood up, leaned over, placed his lips on her eyes, and said softly, "How can you take advantage of someone in a relationship?"
Xiang Yao closed his eyes, opened them again, blinked, and asked, "What's that called?"
Nie Baichuan pecked her other eye again, his tone filled with an unconcealable smile: "It's called interest."
Xiang Yao was shocked and thought to herself, you are a country bumpkin from the 1970s, and you actually know the fashionable word "interest"!
Of course, she didn't say this out loud, and she didn't have the chance to say it out loud.
Nie Baichuan's next target was her lips, which were as soft as jelly and as red as cherries.
By the time Xiang Yao finally woke up from his slumber, it was already dark.
It must have rained again, the air was moist and a little sticky.
Staring blankly at the beams above the house, Xiang Yao suddenly felt a sense of being lost, as if he didn't know what day it was.
Sometimes the feeling of missing life in the afterlife will suddenly surge up at a certain point in time, at the mildest, like a spring breeze on the threshold, at the worst, like an overwhelming tide.
At this moment, that subtle and dense melancholy is like a spring breeze, silently eroding people.
Every time this happened, she felt a little confused, wondering whether she belonged to this era or the future era.
Is this era before us a dream, or is the era in the future a dream?
But at the same time, Xiang Yao knew very clearly that no matter what, she could not go back, and she belonged here now.
Here she has her own relatives and her own significant other. These are her bonds, bonds that she cannot break away from.
“Crack—”
The door was gently pushed open from the outside, and the "bond" that I was just thinking about appeared before my eyes.
In the dim light, he was broad-shouldered and long-legged, tall and extremely reliable, which instantly freed Xiang Yao from the vague feeling of being there and not there.
"What are you thinking about?"
The deep voice echoed in the room, sweeping away the last bit of melancholy in Xiang Yao's heart.
"I was wondering what kind of fate it was that led me to meet you."
Xiang Yao raised her eyes to look at him and said half seriously and half jokingly.
Nie Baichuan sat on the edge of the bed and gently rubbed her head, as if he understood what she was saying, but also as if he didn't.
After a while, he said, "No matter what kind of fate it is, I should be grateful. Thank you for appearing in my life."
Nie Baichuan is a man who can always casually say something touching, Xiang Yao thought.
"Nie Baichuan, have you ever thought that I'm actually a very strange person?" Xiang Yao's eyes contained a hint of uneasiness, but she thought it was dark and no one could see her.
However, the wrinkles formed by the hand tightly gripping the quilt revealed a little of the owner's thoughts.
Nie Baichuan turned his gaze away from the wrinkles as if nothing had happened, smiled, and said, "It doesn't matter whether you are strange or not. What matters is that you are my wife. It's okay if you are not strange, but it's also okay if you are strange."
He doesn't care.
He didn't care about the secrets Xiang Yao tried so hard to hide, or the occasional out-of-placeness she showed...
"Nie Baichuan, hold me."
Xiang Yao wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing. She loosened the quilt she was clutching, stretched out her hands, and threw herself into the other man's arms like a young swallow flying into the forest.
The dusk grew thicker, creeping into the house, and the two could no longer see each other's expressions.
But the sound of each other's heartbeats was extremely clear, passing through the skin, through the clothes, and reaching the skin that was pressed against each other, gradually unifying the frequency.
Nie Baichuan didn't know why Xiang Yao suddenly became sentimental, but he keenly captured her mood. Without asking anything, he just patted her thin back, his movements lightly and slowly, with a smooth rhythm.
After an unknown amount of time, there was a gentle knock on the door. It was Liu Qiaoyun calling the two of them out for dinner.
"I'll be there right away!" Xiang Yaoyang replied.
The peaceful atmosphere between the two was broken, as if they had returned from another dimension in an instant, and the smell of fireworks suddenly poured in.
Ever since Liu Qiaoyun moved into the new house, Xiang Yao rarely cooks.
Her mother is a good cook and enjoys cooking. She even finds her own "value" in it. So she happily stepped down and handed over the kitchen stage to her mother.
The four of them were in harmony during the meal, chatting and laughing. After the meal, Xiang Yao and Nie Baichuan took on the task of washing the dishes, while Old Nie also helped to clear the table. Then they leisurely went out for a walk with their hands behind their backs.
Liu Qiaoyun also went out soon after. She had been married for so many years, so naturally she had familiar friends with whom she had good relationships. After moving back to Xiangjiawan, she naturally started to hang out again.
After washing the dishes, the young couple did not go out for a walk as usual.
The atmosphere before going out to eat was so harmonious and peaceful that Xiang Yao was quite reluctant to leave. After cleaning up the kitchen, she couldn't wait to pull Nie Baichuan back.
It’s not that she was thinking about anything romantic, she just wanted to nestle in the other person’s arms. Even if she did nothing, she would feel wonderful.
Thinking so, Xiang Yao did just that.
She hugged Nie Baichuan's well-built waist, rested her head on his chest, and in an extremely comfortable posture, she took herself into his arms and couldn't help but let out a sigh of satisfaction.
"Nie Baichuan, I really want to hold you like this forever." She rubbed him with her eyes closed and said with a smile.
Nie Baichuan chuckled, his chest shaking slightly: "Sure, as long as you are willing."
Xiang Yao: "Of course I do."
Please, no one can refuse such a warm, solid and safe embrace, okay!
The two of them laughed together, and soon the quiet atmosphere changed. An ambiguous atmosphere gradually replaced it bit by bit, and soon the temperature suddenly rose.
…
The next day, while the Nie family was still having breakfast, they received a notice that they had to go to the captain's house for a meeting in the morning.
Xiang Yao guessed that they were talking about reclaiming wasteland and planting peanuts. Yesterday, the team leader was very enthusiastic about the reclamation.
Usually only one person from a family would go for this kind of thing. Xiang Yao was too lazy to look at the expression on Yuan Dashan's wife Li Xianggui's face, so he let Nie Baichuan go.
This woman probably held a grudge against her for testifying for Widow Zhang. Every time she saw her, she would make an expression as if her eyes were not eyes and her nose was not a nose. Her face was full of emotions, which was quite amusing.
Of course, no matter how interesting it is, she has no interest in watching it.
When Nie Baichuan came back and asked, it turned out that this was what he was talking about.
As for the people in Xiangjiawan, using their private plots to grow peanuts was not a problem at all, thanks to the advance warm-up by Yang Xiaohong and others. In fact, everyone was unprecedentedly enthusiastic and looked forward to it.
But clearing the land is hard work. Although there are work points, it is almost winter and not everyone is willing to do it.
Therefore, most of the meeting focused on the issue of land reclamation. Unfortunately, Yuan Dashan was a man with little courage, and it took him a long time to appease and persuade everyone before he could get everyone to reach a consensus after a lot of arguing.
"When does it start?" Xiang Yao asked.
Nie Baichuan: "Tomorrow, the brigade will divide the land. The wasteland that is cleared will not belong to each family's private plot. Instead, it will be used by the production team to grow peanuts. The fruits will be distributed according to the work points contributed by each family."
Xiang Yao nodded, thinking that this method was very good.
She originally thought that the land reclamation Yang Youliang mentioned meant that each family would reclaim their own land, but she didn't expect it to be done this way.
She then asked, "What about the private plot?"
Nie Baichuan: "They also plant on their own plots. It's completely up to each family to plant and harvest for themselves, no matter how much they plant."
Xiang Yao: "Alright, that's good."
Next year, the brigade will harvest plump peanuts, squeeze out fragrant peanut oil, and the children will also be able to eat delicious fried peanuts...
With Huang Guofu's lobbying, it is only a matter of time before Shitang Brigade becomes the hometown of peanuts!
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