The recruiting NPC shouted through a loudspeaker, "Line up! One by one!"
Men, women, and children from the village, regardless of whether they came to register or not, all came out to watch the excitement.
Some of the older NPCs even had tears in their eyes, saying, "We were like that back then. The army came to the village to recruit soldiers, but unfortunately I wasn't heavy enough to meet the requirements, otherwise I could have joined the army too."
Liu Xiaozhuang stood in the queue looking determined to win.
Liu Dazhuang and Liu Sizhuang stood to the side, somewhat hesitant. "No, are you really sure? If you join the army, you definitely won't be able to earn ten thousand yuan anymore, right? How will you make money later?"
Liu Xiaozhuang pouted, "How could that be? I'll definitely make money again. Don't be too envious of me then."
Upon hearing this, a recruitment NPC from a patrol team nearby suddenly remarked, "Joining the army means enlisting; how could they possibly have time to go out and earn money?"
Liu Xiaozhuang was suddenly stunned. "Huh?!" The production team isn't really going to do this for real, is they?! There isn't even a military camp on this little island, can't we come out and make money?
"If you're hesitant, you can step out of the line and think about it first."
At the back of the line, Shi Hongmei pulled her NPC sons, Xiao Wu and Xiao Er, saying, "Line up properly and do your best to enlist later!"
Shi Hongmei thought to herself, "Don't novels always say that soldiers have high salaries? If it weren't for the work we still have to do at home and the extra money we need for work points in the fields, I would really like to send all my sons and daughters here."
Xiao Er hesitated for a moment, "Mom, can I join too? Does the army require girls?"
Shi Hongmei shouted, "Yes, of course we want to! Chairman Mao said that women hold up half the sky. Besides, we still have the cultural troupe. Go for it! I believe in you!"
Xiao Er and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, never expecting that the production team would not only target the contestants but also the NPCs!
It's bad enough that they put these NPCs in the same family, but then they parachuted in a contestant's mother who's even younger than them! What do they take them for?!
The two are very dedicated; they haven't had time to slack off these past few days. Several NPCs in the house take turns following the contestant's mother so that the other NPCs can have time to rest and relax.
[Haha, this is hilarious! These past few days, Shi Hongmei has been followed everywhere she goes by these NPC sons and daughters, and she hasn't even had a chance to look for the black market.]
Why didn't they send all these NPCs to the army?! New recruits get six yuan a month, and with five kids, that's thirty yuan.
[Wait, new recruits only get six yuan a month?! That's so low?! Where do the male protagonists in novels get so much money?!]
[It is true that new recruits receive six yuan a month, but it includes food, lodging, and clothing, so basically you don't have to spend any money on six yuan.]
[I asked my dad, and it's true. The first year it's six yuan, and the allowance increases with years of service. Plus, once you're a platoon leader, it's 52 yuan. My dad said that serving in the army used to be a source of great pride; having one in your family was practically an unparalleled honor.]
Were military salaries really that low in the 1960s and 70s?!
[The height only gradually increased in the 1980s. Before that, it was indeed not tall. Back then, they couldn't even recruit enough soldiers. Most people didn't have enough to eat and couldn't even pass the physical exam. You can see this in old photos; people back then were thin and small, unlike us now who eat better and are tall and big.]
Liu Xiaozhuang watched the team advance step by step, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.
Liu Wumei suddenly dropped a bombshell: "I'll let you in on a little secret, the grocery stores are going to increase their stock. I reckon the communal cooking is going to stop. You all know how much food you have at home, right? You all take turns cooking these days. You also know how much you can eat with a dime, right? The old lady probably doesn't have much money on her. The production team isn't going to leave us such a big loophole."
Liu Dazhuang was stunned. "What will happen when there's no more food in the communal kitchen?!"
Liu Sizhuang also fell silent, while Liu Sanmei looked somewhat melancholy. Compared to the other contestants who already had jobs or were in the army, the two of them were still unemployed. "Why don't we pool our money to buy more food? We can't expect the NPCs to feed the six of us young adults."
Liu Wumei nodded, "That's exactly what I was thinking, so I'm letting you know in advance."
Liu Dazhuang hesitated. He was currently working at a meat processing plant, carrying, slaughtering, and moving meat every day. Although the work was not much easier than working in the fields, there was a canteen, the salary was high, and the food was good. He was okay with his NPC mother, but he didn't want to share his younger siblings who were older than him with them at all.
Liu Erzhuang watched the expressions of these people change and sneered, "You guys take care of yourselves. Aunt Liu, I'll handle this."
Liu Erzhuang especially disliked Liu Xiaozhuang. Liu Xiaozhuang was the first to call her "Mom," but when the communal dining was about to stop, these people hesitated. I really don't know what they were doing.
Although he couldn't find a job, he looked down on these people.
As for joining the army, Liu Erzhuang didn't plan to go. Suddenly, he made eye contact with Aunt Liu in the crowd. Seeing her smiling brightly, he blushed. The other contestants didn't seem reliable. He wasn't worried about Aunt Liu; he simply felt that rural development was more suitable for making money. That's exactly it.
After hesitating for a while, Liu Xiaozhuang finally went home for dinner and asked, "Mom, do you think I should join the army?"
Aunt Liu put down her bowl and began to ramble on, "Why join the army? Just stay home and behave yourself. Your older brother and fifth sister will find connections and maybe one day they'll become factory workers in the city. Listen to your mother, don't join the army. We don't need that kind of money."
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