Chapter 144
Yu Wanxia was happy for Zhou Jiani, but also worried: "Will I be living alone from now on?"
Zhou Jiani: "Not really. I go to work at the commune and stay here at night."
There are dormitories in the commune, but they are shared dormitories. Zhou Jiani would only go back to the dormitory to rest at noon. She still liked to come back and stay at night, but she had to ride her bike back and forth.
But I can buy a bicycle openly now.
Hearing that she was not moving away, Yu Wanxia felt relieved.
Zhou Jiani washed and cut vegetables while Yu Wanxia went to the kitchen to boil water and cook porridge. While they were busy, Sun Ping came in carrying a bundle of tender purslane and said, "I'll have lunch with you..."
Then he said, "Liu Ailing is back."
Yu Wanxia emerged from the kitchen, exclaiming in surprise, "Oh!" "Yes, her punishment is over!"
Sun Ping nodded, scooping water from a basin to wash the bundle of purslane. She began, "Blanch it later, mash some garlic, and eat it cold." Then she spoke of Liu Ailing. "When I got back at noon, I saw a pile of luggage in the dormitory. I didn't realize it was her. I thought someone new was here. It wasn't until I saw the familiar sheets that I remembered. You don't know, my scalp went numb..."
In Sun Ping's eyes, Liu Ailing was a former thief, and she felt a little uncomfortable living with her. Without even waiting to see Liu Ailing, she said something to Meng Jiandi and came over with her things.
Meng Jiandi and the others were also feeling uncomfortable. Not only them, but some old educated youth at the educated youth center had already started making a fuss when they knew Liu Ailing had returned.
Once the impression of stealing is established, everyone feels that their belongings are no longer safe.
Sun Ping on Zhou Jiani's side also had this concern, but she was embarrassed to express it.
Zhou Jiani was not much affected by Liu Ailing's return. Now she had moved on and had established a solid mass base in the Qianjin Brigade. She would transfer her household registration and food supply in the afternoon. Liu Ailing could no longer threaten her.
As for Liu Ailing, because of the impression that she colluded with other brigades to steal things, she wanted to change the local villagers' impression of her. She didn't know how much effort it would take, and no one had time to consider her.
If she were Liu Ailing, she would find a way to apply for a transfer and start a new life in another place.
If she were the Liu Ailing of the past, she would indeed choose to change places and start over, but after being tortured on the farm for half a year, her punishment has finally ended. When she came back and saw that Qianjin Village had developed so well, with roads built and factories established, she could earn a salary working in the factory, and if she had good skills, she would have the opportunity to become a formal worker. She no longer wanted to change places and start over.
Nowadays, the conditions in the various brigades under the commune are not good. I heard people on the farm say that it is easiest for the young men in the Qianjin Brigade to find wives, and girls from other villages are willing to marry into the Qianjin Brigade.
In the Qianjin Brigade, the homes of families with daughters were also visited by matchmakers.
When she first arrived at the farm and mentioned the Qianjin Brigade, many people on the farm had heard of the village for the first time and now started talking about this kind of gossip. Since people from outside were trying their best to get in, she had to stay no matter what.
More importantly, there is no room for her to develop in the weaving industry now. Even plastic greenhouses have become a typical feature of the entire Zhengfeng City. It is not easy to get a bargain, and she has missed the best opportunity.
It would be better for her to get up where she fell. As long as she worked hard and performed for a period of time, people would see her strengths and forget her past flaws. If possible, she even planned to find a suitable family in the village and marry her directly.
After she officially becomes the daughter-in-law of Qianjin Village, after a long time, no one will remember who Zhou Jiani is.
In fact, Zhang Baosheng was also troubled by the arrangements for Liu Ailing, but he still remembered that Liu Ailing was a traitor. In the words of the common people, she was a traitor.
She definitely won't get any of the good work, so she's asked to pick up manure... Liu Ailing had already been punished, so it wasn't appropriate to do anything too excessive, so he told her to go back and wait, and he would hold a meeting and discuss before making any arrangements for her.
Liu Ailing bit her lip and apologized solemnly, saying, "Captain, I was confused last time. I made a mistake and I recognize my mistake. I admit that I must be punished for making a mistake. Even if you continue to punish me, I won't say anything. Please assign me some work first. I will do it. I will feel guilty if I don't do anything. Captain, just assign me the dirtiest and most tiring work..."
Zhang Baosheng took a leisurely puff from his pipe and said, "Don't worry. You just got back. Go back and make some arrangements first. I'll send someone to notify you after the team has discussed it."
Liu Ailing responded weakly and turned to leave, but Tian Yumei, Han Yang and a group of other educated youth came in. Liu Ailing felt bad instantly.
Tian Yumei and the others protested, saying they had no right to oppose Liu Ailing's return, but that as a thief, she couldn't live with them. She was a thief, a bad element, and bad elements should live in the cowshed and carry manure...
Liu Ailing's ears were buzzing. At first, she could still hear the content of everyone's protest, but later she could not hear anything at all. Her mind was blank. She only saw everyone's mouths opening and closing, and all the sounds became a sharp buzzing sound to her. This sound was like a real thorn, which pierced her heart.
When she came to her senses, the indignant educated youth had been persuaded to leave, and only Liu Tong and Zhang Baosheng were left in the room.
Liu Ailing suddenly realized that she had thought things too simply.
These were just the educated youth. Next came the aunts and sisters who heard the news. They suggested that Liu Ailing be kicked out, and the scolding was endless.
"How dare this traitorous dog come back?"
"Hey, aren't you leaning towards the Pingyu Brigade? Go to the Pingyu Brigade. Our village doesn't want you."
"We don't want traitors or thieves in our village."
"roll!"
Liu Ailing struggled and murmured: "I'm not a thief, I'm not..."
Bang! A rotten vegetable leaf hit her in the face, interrupting Liu Ailing's words. She didn't even see who threw it, but every word she heard was heartbreaking.
"Bah! Didn't you steal that basket? Weren't you the one who helped the Pingyu Brigade to plot against us?"
"I heard the loudspeaker shouting so many times, but you didn't send it back? Are you deaf?"
"Get out of our advancing column."
The Qianjin Brigade is developing so well, we can't keep a traitor here, worrying that he will steal their village factory or greenhouse one day.
Their village is now doing proud things one after another, and everyone is so proud when they leave. But they can't let anyone who is disloyal stay and find another opportunity to bring shame to the village.
It was Zhang Baosheng who stepped forward to stop them and persuaded the indignant villagers to go back, which gave him a headache.
There is an empty cowshed outside the village, but no matter how hateful Liu Ailing is, it would be even more troublesome if something happened to a girl living in a cowshed.
Besides, Liu Ailing had already suffered her punishment. At most, she would not be assigned a good job in the future. She would be ranked last in terms of educated youth visiting relatives and returning to the city. It was not appropriate to make her live in a cowshed. In addition, Liu Ailing's share of the resettlement fee for the construction of a new educated youth site was also included.
He said to Liu Ailing, "I'll take you back and settle you down first. We can discuss this matter in a meeting later."
Liu Ailing knew that her previous plan was not going to work, so she took the initiative to ask, "Captain, can you transfer me to another brigade?"
Zhang Baosheng couldn't make the decision on this matter, so he said, "Go back first, I'll ask the commune."
Zhang Baosheng sent her to the educated youth camp. The educated youths all looked wary, and Liu Ailing's eyes paused at the ground. Someone had thrown her luggage out, scattering it all over the floor. Her eyes suddenly turned red, and she gritted her teeth and said, "I'm an educated youth. I have the right to live here. Why are you throwing my things?"
Someone in the crowd spat and said, "You still have the nerve to call yourself an educated youth? You're really embarrassing us educated youth."
Zhang Baosheng was also angry about Liu Ailing's betrayal, but as the team leader, he couldn't be as indignant as the others. He had to solve the problem first and settle Liu Ailing down. He would go back and ask Director Zhai to transfer Liu Ailing immediately. He said in a deep voice, "Comrade Liu Ailing has realized her mistakes after six months of labor reform. Now that the labor reform is over, we can't keep holding on to her. We have to give Comrade Liu Ailing a chance..."
Someone shouted, "We're afraid of losing things."
Liu Ailing's face flushed red as she said, "I don't have a hobby of stealing. I had other motives when I took the team's basket. I've already reflected on it and paid the price for it. Don't keep asking for more. Besides, I wouldn't even consider your stuff."
Zhang Baosheng said, "Okay, stay here first. I'll let you know the specific arrangements once we have a result." He frowned and looked at the others, "Go and do what you need to do. Aren't you going to work this afternoon?"
He walked away with his hands behind his back.
When Zhou Jiani came to Zhang Baosheng to handle the formalities and get a letter of introduction, Zhang Baosheng was just about to eat, and the food was brought to him by his family.
On her way here, she encountered villagers who had already heard about Liu Ailing's exclusion. Seeing Zhang Baosheng looking worried, she asked, "Have you arranged it?"
"It's not that easy." Zhang Baosheng was peeling garlic. "I just called the commune, but no one answered. I guess they were eating at that time."
He continued, "Liu Ailing wants to be transferred, and I'm thinking of transferring her. Didn't you see the situation just now? If I didn't stop her, Liu Ailing would have been beaten to a pulp. The educated youth camp also threw her luggage out in protest. They're all filled with righteous indignation. It would be great if I could give her a suitable suggestion..."
He took a bite of garlic, picked up his chopsticks and took a few bites of food, then put it down and said, "I'll stamp it for you first."
Zhou Jiani said, "No rush. You can eat first. It won't be too late to get the certificate after you eat. I'll also tell you about my plans..." She said, "I plan to rush back and forth to work, and I'll have to buy a bicycle later. As for accommodation, I'll rest in the dormitory arranged by the commune at noon and come back to stay at night. Although my household registration has been moved, this is still my second home..."
Zhang Baosheng found this reassuring and smiled, "Yes, yes, thankfully our brigade isn't that far from the commune, and the road has been repaired, so it's very easy to walk on. I tried riding my bike the other day. It usually takes me over 20 minutes to get there, with bumps and bruises, but now the road is so flat, it only takes about 10 minutes. It saves a lot of effort."
Comrade Xiao Zhou feels good living in the village. Those working in the factory feel at ease, and he also feels at ease.
Zhou Jiani did not give any suggestions on the arrangements for Liu Ailing, as there is a leader.
After dinner, Zhang Baosheng gave Zhou Jiani a certificate and asked her, "Do you have your household registration booklet? Don't forget it."
"I have it."
Zhang Baosheng added, "If you want to buy a bicycle, you should hurry up and order one. Do you have a ticket? If not, ask Director Zhai to arrange one for you and then return it to them later."
He kept giving instructions, just like the elders at home.
This time, Zhou Jiani rode the village bike first, took all the documents and procedures, and rode to the commune.
After the road was built, it was indeed easier to go to the commune. This was also the reason why she did not plan to move away completely. She had her familiar friends, her partner, and the mass base she had worked so hard to build here, so she decided to stay here for the time being.
When they arrived at the commune, Zhao Hongchang took her to go through the formalities. They had certificates from the commune and the brigade, and her promotion had also been approved by the county, so it went very smoothly.
After receiving the food grain register and the non-staple food register, Zhou Jiani breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she had a city hukou again.
Zhao Hongchang took her to the dormitory that was arranged for her. There were six people living in the dormitory, and there was one vacant bed.
Although she is still a small leader, her position is not high enough and her qualifications are insufficient, so she can only live in a dormitory for the time being.
Zhao Hongchang didn't know her plan and said, "Team Leader Zhou, when you're ready to move, tell me. I'll help with everything, even the lifting."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "I'll just bring a set of bedding with me and rest here at noon. I'll go back to the Qianjin Brigade to stay after get off work in the evening. I'll officially move in once I'm familiar with everything here."
Zhao Hongchang said, "That's fine, but we have to rush back and forth."
Zhou Jiani: "That's okay. When I start working, I'll inevitably have to travel around the villages, and I have to rush around. I'm thinking of buying a bicycle for convenience. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative and ask. If it's not convenient there, Accountant Zhao will help me order one. I'll find a ticket myself..."
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