Chen Zhiyuan and his wife looked around the house. They had cooked a meal earlier but hadn't had time to eat it, leaving behind a large pile of food.
At the same time, the food they brought was not left for them.
The meal was rather bland and tasteless for the two of them.
That night, the window of their cave dwelling was smashed, and the bricks thrown at them shattered the glass and fell into the pot.
Moreover, two bricks were thrown in, which startled the couple. They knew it was retaliation.
The two smiled wryly. Luckily, the weather was a bit better now. If it hadn't gotten hotter and the window hadn't been smashed, they probably would have been freezing all night.
Although I knew that retaliation was inevitable, I didn't expect it to come so quickly.
The next day, when the two went to work in the fields, the person assigning tasks was the scorekeeper.
The middle-aged woman in her thirties saw that the two men had gloomy faces and red eyes.
"Go and fetch manure to irrigate the fields, and clear away all the loose stones over there."
Chen's mother pointed to herself in surprise.
"Me, go and collect manure?"
"Of course it's you! How delicate are you? What's wrong with you being a labor reformer?"
You're still not satisfied even though I asked you to carry manure.
"Is there something you're dissatisfied with about us, your comrades?"
Chen's mother defended herself in a low voice.
"It's not that I'm dissatisfied with the work you assigned me. Isn't this work traditionally done by men?"
When Captain Liu was in charge, these tasks were usually done by the men. After all, carrying manure was a heavy and smelly job, and he would at least take care of the women in the village.
The scorekeeper sneered.
"Why aren't you happy to do it?"
You are here to receive labor education and reform.
Don't think of yourself as someone superior. I'm telling you, you should reform yourself properly and do your job of carrying out the excrement properly. That's what you're supposed to do.
Why do you look down on those who carry manure?
Carrying manure is also a form of hard work serving the people. Without manure, where would the food come from?
"Your thinking is very dangerous and very problematic."
After being bombarded with accusations, Chen's mother could only whisper in response.
"I understand. I will definitely accept reform and education."
Picking up the carrying pole, Chen's mother almost vomited when she smelled the stench of manure.
Those two manure buckets looked dirty and smelly.
Everyone around them watched them do all this in silence.
However, there was no trace of sympathy in his eyes.
To be precise, these people who were sent down to the countryside were not locals at all.
There was absolutely no emotional connection between them and the villagers; everyone treated them like outsiders.
Chen's mother gritted her teeth and endured the stench as she carried the excrement.
I ran back and forth again and again, gritting my teeth and telling myself that none of this mattered.
One can imagine the kind of life one's children are enduring right now.
How could they, as parents, not be strong?
Three days later, Captain Liu returned from the county and saw Chen's mother carrying manure.
Mr. Chen's fingers are now so red, swollen, and ulcerated that they are unrecognizable; he has to pick up stones entirely by hand.
He couldn't help but get angry.
"Stop it, you two! Who gave you permission to do this?"
The scorekeeper rushed over.
"Captain, those two caused the militia captain next door to be arrested. You know, people from the neighboring village have been causing trouble in our village for a while now."
To quell my anger, I had no choice but to let them do it. Seeing them suffer, the villagers had nowhere to vent their anger either.
"Captain, if you think they're not good enough for this job, I can't find any harder or more tiring work for them."
"It's not time to build the dam yet."
The scorekeeper knew, of course, that the team leader was angry because of this. The two villages were now at odds, and every household was hostile to each other.
But there was really no other way; the work of repairing dams could only be done in winter.
Captain Liu glared fiercely at the scorekeeper. If the scorekeeper wasn't his brother-in-law, he probably would have slapped him across the face.
"Alright, Lao Chen, you two stop working and go back to rest for a couple of days. Look at the state your hands are in."
Mr. Chen hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"Captain, let's do it. It's okay, we can handle this job."
It would be dangerous to stop them from working. As long as they have work to do, no one can find fault with them. If they dare to rest, we'll have to hold a big meeting tonight.
For the sake of their family and children, the couple must persevere and absolutely cannot be like Brother Meng's son, who couldn't bear it and jumped into the river.
There is hope only if we survive.
"Brother-in-law, just let them do it. What if the people in the next village see this?"
The scorekeeper hurriedly said to his brother-in-law, "Does he think this isn't enough? But I really can't find a suitable way to punish them right now."
Suddenly an idea struck him.
"Brother-in-law, how about this? You're so smart. Let's hold a big meeting tonight and put up nameplates for them."
The manure bucket that Chen's mother was carrying fell to the ground with a thud. You have to understand, hanging up signs for a large meeting is an unimaginable process.
The stench spread, and the scorekeeper, covering his nose, jumped aside.
What are you doing?
I think you might be dissatisfied with our handling of the matter!
"I'm telling you, you're here for reformation. If you don't work properly, I'll make you carry another 20 buckets as punishment."
"Shut your mouth. And you two, Old Chen, take your wife back and rest!"
Mr. Chen said helplessly.
"Captain, we will reform you properly."
Please don't hold any more meetings. We'll definitely do our best to complete the tasks you've assigned us. We'll do as much as you ask, and we're not afraid of working hard.
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