Chapter 113

Ideals are full of hope, but reality is cruel.

The sisters-in-law's enthusiasm and energy were gradually fading in the high temperature of 40 degrees.

Not long after the work started, some sisters-in-law wanted to back out.

Under the scorching sun, bent over in the half-man-high weeds, sweat pouring down my face.

The air was so hot that my lungs hurt with every breath.

From time to time, a frog or a bug would jump out of the grass to scare people.

Both body and mind are tested.

Xu Wen also felt that he had some heatstroke.

It's not that she is spoiled. Southern sisters-in-law are okay. At least they are a little more accustomed to this temperature.

Sisters-in-law in the north, especially those in the northeast, when have you ever felt such hot weather throughout the year?

For a while, I felt exhausted just standing here, not to mention working.

After working for two hours, Xu Wen announced that the team should disband and go home to rest.

Not only did she herself feel dizzy, but she also saw several of her sisters-in-law staggering and unable to stand steadily.

It's even more troublesome that you get heatstroke when you haven't done much.

The work start time in the afternoon is set at 3 o'clock, and try to avoid noon.

When it was time to gather, Xu Wen called the roll and found that several sisters-in-law were absent, saying that they had asked for leave due to feeling unwell.

Xu Wen didn't say anything and led everyone to continue working.

Song Baoying stood beside Xu Wen and asked her, "Do you regret it?"

Xu Wen sighed softly: "A little bit. You think too much about building a school."

"Normal. If it were easy, men wouldn't always be the main force in this job." Song Baoying wiped the sweat from her forehead, "I'm quite happy!"

Xu Wen exclaimed and turned to look at her.

"When I felt wronged in my hometown before, I always thought about how difficult it was for me, and I always felt that I was tolerant and understanding enough of Shi Lei's difficulties. But now I suddenly realized that imagination and reality are two different things. I thought I understood his difficulties enough, but that was just imagination. In fact, he suffered much more than I imagined. Like building this house. The wooden house we live in and the camp where they live are all built by themselves.

They leave early and come back late, working more than ten hours a day, and never complain. They never mention being tired in their letters home. We keep saying that we are no worse than them. Look, after only half a day, some people have already backed out. In my opinion, I am afraid that not even half of them will come tomorrow."

Wang Lingling said silently: "I will come again tomorrow."

Seeing Xu Wen and Song Baoying looking at her, she still smiled shyly, "I am from the countryside, I don't have much education and I don't understand the big principles like you. I only know one thing, you have to pay as much as you want to get. For example, if you want to earn ten centimeters, you have to do ten centimeters of work. Squad Leader Wang and his men have been given subsidies, and my children and I have benefited from them, not because they are favored, but because they have paid more.

This is what they did, and I think if they can do it, so can I!"

Xu Wen gritted his teeth and said, "I'll come too!"

This is no longer a question of willingness or unwillingness.

She and Song Baoying were the ones who jointly organized the school building, and even if everyone else backed out, they couldn't back out.

If I return it, I will give her family a lot of money to travel far and lose face? !

When it was time to finish work in the evening, only a few sisters-in-law, led by Wang Lingling, were still working at the same speed as in the morning. They seemed not to feel the heat or tiredness.

The others were too exhausted to slack off, but their work speed had obviously slowed down.

Song Baoying was amazed and said, "Aren't they really tired?"

"How can they not be tired?" Xu asked, "They are just more persistent."

We are all human beings, who is not afraid of heat and who is not afraid of tiredness?

But rural people have no choice. If they don’t persist, the crops won’t grow and there will be no harvest. Without a harvest, there will be nothing to eat.

It’s the same with eating based on work points. You have to go to work on time and finish work on time. If you don’t finish the work before time, you still won’t get any work points, and at the end of the year you won’t even have enough food for the population.

After all, it's just the pressure of life.

The habits formed by daily labor are more painful than those who have never suffered. It just becomes a habit after persistence for a long time.

Xiaoyu was sitting under a tree drawing. Xu Wen and Song Baoying both felt it was too hot outside and advised her to go back home to draw.

Xiaoyu said she wanted to share the joys and sorrows with her sisters-in-law. After hearing their conversation, she thought for a moment and sighed, "Life is full of different things!"

As soon as Xu Wen got home, he fell directly onto the sofa.

Dongsheng was eating snacks at home when he saw her frowning and protesting: "Mom, your clothes are so dirty!"

Normally, if he did this, Xu Wen would order him to change his clothes before he could lie down on the sofa.

"I'll just lie down for a while." Xu Wen said weakly. She couldn't even move a finger.

I’m really tired!

Not only am I tired, but my hands and feet also hurt.

It's still hot and I'm thirsty, no matter how much water I drink.

She had rarely done this kind of purely physical work in her two lives, and for a while she was really a bit overwhelmed, and her palms were covered with blisters.

Dongsheng listened to Xu Wen speaking weakly, and when he leaned over to look, he saw that Xu Wen's face was red.

He walked up to Xu Wen and touched Xu Wen's forehead, then touched his own forehead, "Mom, your head is so hot, do you have a fever? I'm going to find Dad!"

"I'm fine, I was just sunbathing." Xu Wen said this and then he didn't hear anything. He tried to open his eyes, but Dongsheng had already run out.

She didn't have the energy to chase after him, so she closed her eyes again.

After a while, she felt a chill on her forehead. She raised her hand in a daze, and found a towel wrapped with ice cubes on her forehead. She opened her eyes and saw Lu Yuanzheng's enlarged face. She felt relieved immediately, and closed her eyes again, only whispering: "You are back?"

Before she fell asleep again, she felt a slight pain in the palm of her hand. She hissed, opened her eyes, and saw Lu Yuanzheng holding an embroidery needle and stabbing her hand.

Xu Wen pulled his hand back abruptly, and said in disbelief, "Lu Yuanzheng, you actually secretly stabbed me with a needle?"

"I'm not that perverted!" Lu Yuanzheng said unhappily, "I'll pop the blisters on your hands, otherwise it will hurt more tomorrow."

Xu Wen said "oh" and then returned his hand to him, not forgetting to instruct him: "Then be gentle!"

"Now you know to let me be gentle, but why didn't you know to be more restrained when you were working?" Lu Yuanzheng scolded her, but his hands were very gentle.

The woman who you hold in your palm for fear of dropping her, and who you hold in your mouth for fear of melting, runs out to work under the scorching sun and makes herself so exhausted that she almost gets heatstroke.

Dongsheng said that Xu Wen had a fever and was so scared that he ran back quickly. He didn't expect to see Xu Wen like this. He was so heartbroken that he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Xu Wen in Wei Zhuang Commune is quite different from Xu Wen on Rainbow Island. Xu Wen in Wei Zhuang Commune is hardworking, down-to-earth, quiet, filial, and a very bookish girl.

Compared with Xu Wen from Rainbow Island... Lu Yuanzheng thought for a long time and remembered the word that Xu Wen often said, salted fish.

She didn't have any great ambitions and wasn't very hardworking. The most she did was cleaning the house and preparing desserts and drinks.

In the rest of the time, even when I am studying or doing research, I am still studying how to make my life more comfortable.

For example, wind power generation and solar energy can purify seawater.

On weekdays, unless it is necessary, Xu Wen would never go out as soon as the sun comes out. The longest distance he walks is from the bedroom to the living room.

Even when cleaning the room, she would ask Dongsheng to help, and Dongsheng might even do more.

This girl who was a bit lazy and didn't know how to enjoy life, worked all day under the scorching sun in the weeds with the surface temperature exceeding 40 degrees Celsius just to build a school, and ended up in her current state.

How could I not feel sad for the long journey? Not only did I feel sad, but I was also a little moved.

Because it takes the burden off him.

Once the school is built, more sisters-in-law will come to the island, alleviating some of the soldiers' worries and helping him complete some of the infrastructure work.

Lu Yuanzheng popped the blister lightly, blew on her, and then gently squeezed out the liquid in the blister. His brows were furrowed with worry, more than when he fell into the enemy's trap.

"It hurts! It hurts!" Xu Wenjiao cried out in pain, then sighed softly, "So that's why we can't just put up flags randomly! There's always a price to pay?"

"What blessing has come?"

"It means that people should not make empty promises or set goals that they cannot easily achieve, otherwise they will easily get slapped in the face."

Lu Yuanzheng pricked the blisters on Xu Wen's palms one by one. He then fetched a basin of water and took off her shoes to wash her feet.

"Itchy!" Xu Wen smiled and shuddered.

The skin on the soles of her feet was delicate and tender, and his palms had coils on them, rubbing her feet and making her feel itchy.

Xu Wen smiled and then stopped.

Previously, Lu Yuanzheng also trained and worked in temperatures like this or even hotter than today, and built the wooden houses they live in now.

What did she do for him then?

It seemed like she was just preparing a sumptuous meal and waiting for him to go to sleep together.

No one has ever provided such good service as him.

After returning from a long expedition, he never lay on the sofa like she did. He only looked tired occasionally, and most of the time you couldn't tell that he was tired.

I also wash clothes and dishes when I come back.

Xu Wen was used to his strength. In her eyes, Lu Yuanzheng was incapable of doing anything.

Today I suddenly realized that he has always suffered more than her, but he just doesn't say it.

Just like Wang Lingling said.

Why is the policy for accompanying the troops so generous?

Why do other people only make 30 or 40 yuan a month at work, while military wives do nothing but still get ten yuan for food and lodging?

Because their enjoyment is based on the long journey and the efforts they have made, which are several times more than those of ordinary people.

Xu Wen suddenly felt a little sad, "It's a long journey."

"exist."

"sorry."

Lu Yuanzheng looked up and sized her up. "Are you really out of your mind? Why are you apologizing for no reason?"

"I just feel like I'm not good enough to you! At least not as good as you are to me."

"Then you are such a contented girl! Didn't you say that in the future men have to buy women bags, cars and houses in order to marry them? I didn't give you anything."

"But you can wash my feet and pick my blisters. You are obviously tired too. I never made water for you to wash your feet when you were building the house before."

Lu Yuanzheng raised his hand and gently touched her face. "Silly wife! How can men and women be the same? According to me, you should not bother to build a house. That is a man's job. I promised you that I would build this school sooner or later and I will not break my promise."

Xu Wen was quiet for three seconds, then suddenly raised her hand and slapped Lu Yuanzheng's hand away, shouting, "Lu Yuanzheng, did you touch my face with the hand that washed my feet?"

Lu Yuanzheng: "..."

He silently put his hands behind his back and lied calmly: "How could that be? I just wiped it!"

Xu Wen let out a short snort, obviously not believing it.

The warm atmosphere was instantly destroyed.

Lu Yuanzheng clapped his left hand on his right hand and whispered, "Let you owe me!"

"What did you say?"

"I said I'll carry you upstairs."

Lu Yuanzheng poured out the foot washing water, and this time he remembered to wash his hands thoroughly before coming back. He carried Xu Wen back to the bedroom and took off her clothes.

"Don't touch anything with your hands." Xu Wen warned.

Lu Yuanzheng sneered, "I'm not such a beast that I wouldn't even spare the sick."

"I'm not sick, I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine tomorrow."

"You will feel more pain tomorrow! Your waist and legs will hurt more after a night's rest." The experienced Lu Yuanzheng put some eye drops on her eyes in advance so that she could be mentally prepared. Then he took a blanket and covered her waist and abdomen. "Have a good rest. Don't go tomorrow!"

She is so delicate, she will be in pain tomorrow.

Xu Wen did not agree, and asked him: "Are you going back to the camp?"

Lu Yuanzheng nodded, "Well, I have to go back. The work is not finished. Dongsheng said you have a fever."

"What about him?"

"He stayed in the camp and played with the new guys. You can sleep well, I'll bring him back later."

Xu Wen then closed his eyes again, "Then I'll go to sleep first."

The room with fans and ice cubes is so comfortable that you don't even want to move a finger.

The next day, more than ten sisters-in-law asked for leave.

There were originally only forty-five applicants, and now the number has been reduced by one third.

Song Baoying frowned and discussed with Xu Wen, "Sister-in-law, should we continue?"

Xu Wen nodded without hesitation: "Go on."

She turned to look at the sisters-in-law who had insisted on coming, "Sisters-in-law, I know everyone is very tired now. Not only tired but also hot, waist and legs ache. But, we always complain that it is the same whether they are here or not. Now it is not the technical part yet, it is just weeding, and we back out, won't we be laughed at? In the future, we will have no confidence when we quarrel with our husband and wife.

I'm going to say this here. Even if I'm the only one, I will definitely build this school. I won't waste my money just to save face!"

Wang Lingling raised her hand: "Well said! Count me in!"

Song Baoying also raised her hand: "Count me in!"

The other sisters-in-law also raised their hands one after another: "Count me in!"

After the early morning pep talk, it's time to get back to work.

It's easy to say, but life is really hard.

After a while, the sun was shining down on them again, and even their clothes began to burn.

Before, when people said that life on Rainbow Island was tough, she thought it was pretty good.

This time I finally got a taste of working under the scorching sun.

I was a little thirsty and was about to walk to the watering place under the tree when I heard Dongsheng's voice: "Mom, we are here to help you!"

When Xu Wen looked up, he saw Dongsheng, who was wearing a straw hat, followed by a dozen half-grown children. The youngest one could not even keep up with the pace of the child in front of him. His two short legs kept moving backwards, and he could not even keep up with the rhythm even if he jogged.

Xu asked: "..."

Is this to help her or to cause her trouble?

Working hard and still having to take care of the kids?

Sister Li followed behind, pushing a wheelbarrow with a large bucket on it, and shouted from a distance: "Sisters-in-law, it's too hot, don't get a heat stroke! I've made a pot of mung bean soup and brought it to you."

She runs a small shop and is usually inseparable from others, so she can only provide some logistical support to her sisters-in-law.

Xu Wen came over and Mrs. Li gave the first bowl to him.

Xu Wen thanked him and took it. She didn't like mung bean soup, but took a sip out of politeness. It was sweet and refreshing. It made her feel cool all over and very comfortable.

It tasted better than she had imagined. She gave a thumbs up to praise Sister Li: "Wow! Sister-in-law, the mung bean soup you made is really delicious! Did you even add rock sugar and ice cubes?"

"No, I just put some rock sugar. I know you like it cool, so I put the bucket on the ice." Mrs. Li held the handle and lifted the bucket, which was filled with ice cubes.

Sister Li waved to the sisters-in-law who were still working in the fields, "Sisters-in-law, come over here and drink your mung bean soup before you work, or you'll get a heat stroke!"

Everyone gathered around, took a sip of the mung bean soup and sighed with satisfaction, "I never knew mung bean soup could be so delicious."

Xu Wen nodded in agreement. She didn’t like it before either.

After a short break, return to work.

Except for those who were too young and were taken away by Mrs. Li, all the other children were left behind.

According to the opinions of most sisters-in-law, they wanted to shoot them all back.

This job is tiring even for adults, so why would children come and join in the fun?

Xu Wen didn't say anything. She naturally wanted to do it with Dongsheng and the others.

It's not about being lazy or taking advantage of the kids.

The main thing is that this is the school they are going to attend, so what's wrong with them doing some work?

Isn't it quite educational?

But most of my sisters-in-law are traditional parents who would like to chew it up and feed it to their children, so they would definitely not be willing to do so.

She didn't want to upset her sisters-in-law so she didn't say anything.

Dongsheng patted his chest and retorted: "I won't go back! The elementary school you want to build is our school! We want to build our own school!"

Song Baoying didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You're building the school you go to? Do you think this is just playing house?"

He is worthy of being her son!

Xu Wen raised his thumb to Dongsheng and said, "Well said, son!"

Dongsheng made a face at Xu Wen, then straightened his expression and looked righteous.

Xu Wen understood. This was the teaching of Lu Yuan Zheng Jiao.

The other children also nodded in agreement, "Yes! We will build our own school!"

It was exactly like what Xu Wen and the others had promised yesterday.

The sisters-in-law saw this and did not object. After all, the children would leave when they were tired from work, and it would be impossible to keep them.

What kind of hardship can a child endure?

Dongsheng and his friends couldn't lift the sickles, so they could only help carry the grass their sisters-in-law had cut to the road.

They also spontaneously divided into groups to compete to see which team could carry more grass faster.

Treat work as a game and do it with a smile.

Until the class was dismissed at noon, no child left.

They are very capable, and the sisters-in-law cannot let their children outdo them. No matter what they think in their hearts, they must not be inferior to the children, right?

My sister-in-law, who can sing, sang to entertain everyone.

This sister-in-law comes from a mountainous area. Her clear and loud voice echoes across half of Rainbow Island, making her sound particularly energetic.

In the afternoon, all the sisters-in-law who came to work in the morning came, and three of the five sisters-in-law who had taken leave yesterday afternoon also came.

Their children are here.

The older children still come to work, and the remaining few younger ones who have no one to play with also come here to help.

They were too young to do anything, so they just poured water for their sisters-in-law under the tree.

As usual, Mrs. Li brought a large bucket of icy sweet mung bean soup.

However, the children were still young and became listless by mid-afternoon.

It’s not that they are afraid of fatigue or hardship, it’s just that they are too small and have limited strength, so their energy is exhausted early.

Several sisters-in-law took turns persuading them to go home and rest, but not a single child was willing to leave.

Xu Wen secretly called Dongsheng aside and asked, "What did your father say to you that made you work so hard?"