Chapter 85: Defectors who can only share the good times, not the bad. ...
At the hydroelectric power station, Zhong Ying was busy working with the educated youth to figure out where the problem was. Of course, Yu Jing and others were the ones doing the brain work, while Zhong Ying mainly acted as a cheerleader to encourage and boost morale.
However, after neglecting his family for just a few days, the Li family unexpectedly erupted into a second family dispute.
As soon as Zhong Ying entered her home under the stars and moon, she heard the arguing inside. She arrived just in time for the most heated moment of the argument.
"What's going on?" Zhong Ying couldn't help but look at the ghost next to her and asked in a low voice.
Little did Li Linshi know that he had been by Zhong Ying's side the whole time and was completely unaware of what was happening at home.
The puzzled man and ghost decided to go into the main room to see what was going on.
Last time it was the second brother arguing with Dad, this time it's the second brother arguing with the eldest brother.
Li Rongshi was furious. He glared at Li Gangshi and said, "Hasn't the adoption thing happened some time ago? Why are you bringing it up again now? And you even said you were willing to be adopted!"
“I mean it sincerely. My third uncle and aunt are so old and it hasn’t been easy for them. How can they manage without a child of their own…”
Zhong Ying quietly walked up to Li Rou and asked, "Sister, what's going on? It sounds like... eldest brother wants to be adopted by third uncle and the others?"
Li Rou was also confused. She lowered her voice and said, "I don't understand either, but judging from my sister-in-law's expression, she didn't know about this beforehand, and I don't know why my brother suddenly said that..."
Tian Mei doesn't understand her husband, Li Ming and Liu Hongyan don't understand their eldest son either, Li Rou doesn't understand, Zhong Ying doesn't understand, and even Li Linshi, who has become a ghost, can't understand.
Li Rongshi, however, felt that his elder brother was deliberately causing trouble, using a feigned retreat to force him to back down and make him sensible enough to voluntarily be adopted out.
"How can the eldest son be adopted out? If you can't stand it, just say so!" Li Rongshi was filled with grief and indignation once again. First, his father didn't want him as his son. It was only after the father and son had a heart-to-heart talk and resolved their differences that his older brother was now forcing him to be adopted!
Was it really necessary? Li Rongshi asked himself. Although his relationship with his eldest brother was just so-so, it wasn't like that of Uncle Zhong and Second Uncle Zhong, where brothers had a feud. Why would they kick him out of the house like this?
Li Gang tried his best to look sincere, "Second brother, you're overthinking it. I didn't mean it that way."
Li Rongshi glared at him fiercely. Bah, scheming man!
In fact, the others present also agreed with Li Rongshi's words, which made Li Gangshi's behavior reasonable.
But unexpectedly, Li Gang himself repeatedly stated and gave various reasons to prove that he really wanted to be adopted out, and that he was not playing any tricks.
With the situation at a stalemate, everyone went home to calm down. As soon as Zhong Ying returned to her room, she asked Li Lin, "What happened to your older brother—no, what happened to him?"
Zhong Ying couldn't understand it anymore; she didn't get it.
Li Linshi frowned, as if he had encountered an unsolvable problem. He shook his head and said, "I don't understand it either."
Li Gang was exceptionally persistent. What Li Yang and Shan Shuhui thought was hopeless suddenly took a turn for the better. Someone was eager to become their son, and how could they refuse?
With his own son on one side and his own younger brother on the other, they were both eager to become father and son. Li Ming had no choice but to agree to the adoption.
Li Gangshi quickly moved out with his wife and children to live with his third uncle and aunt—no, with his new parents.
Li Ming and Li Rongshi had similar thoughts. They both felt that although their son had been adopted by someone else, they still lived in the same production team. At most, the only difference was the way they addressed each other and they no longer lived together. Blood ties were an unbreakable bond that the word "adoption" could not sever.
Zhong Ying and Li Linshi's private whispers had changed from "Why? Why did he do this?" to "Could it be that my brother really just felt sorry for my third uncle and aunt and wanted to take care of them in their old age?"
However, Li Gang soon made another move, or more accurately, he instigated his new parents to take action.
Li Yang and Shan Shuhui approached Li Ming, saying they wanted to leave Tonggan Production Team and start a new life in another production team. They were still worried about Chang Gui's death, so they wanted to leave this place that caused them so much grief. Moreover, the production team that was going to take them in had already issued the necessary permits.
Li Ming found it hard to believe.
Li Changgui has been dead for over a year, so why is it only now that the third brother says he wants to leave this place of sorrow?
Li Ming wasn't stupid, but he quickly figured out the answer to the question and directly found the mastermind behind it all.
When confronted with questions, Li Gang remained calm. He had been prepared for either his father coming to his door or leaving.
It must be said that the current timing is very favorable to him. The hydropower station is shut down, and the end of the year is the off-season for farming, which gives Li Gang plenty of time to make his moves.
Tian Mei's father was always proud that his eldest son-in-law was an educated man. When he heard that Li Gangshi came to the house saying that he wanted to stay with his father-in-law, Tian's father immediately patted his chest and agreed, taking the initiative to persuade the leader of their Yuqianwa production team.
The production team leader of Yuqianwa was surnamed Nie. At first, when he heard Tian Laosi's opening remarks, he wanted to refuse. Although more people in the production team meant more strength, those who had gone to Fu Da Brigade in the past had provided a cautionary tale for every production team leader. It was hard to say whether an extra pair of hands or an extra mouth was better. When it was difficult to judge, it was better to simply refuse.
It wasn't until Tian Laosi praised his son-in-law to the skies that Captain Nie became somewhat interested. He was educated, having completed junior high school, which meant his educational level was higher than that of the average commune member.
Captain Nie also had his doubts. Since this person was so good in every way, and his father was the captain of the Tonggan production team, why would he move into their production team?
Following what his son-in-law had told him, Tian Laosi recounted the story of the adoption and Li Ming and his wife's desire to leave the place of sorrow.
Upon hearing this, Captain Nie realized that this was a loyal, filial, and righteous person, and immediately issued the certificate without hesitation.
Of course, he wasn't without his own selfish motives. The Tonggan production team's construction of the hydroelectric power station was such a big undertaking that the commune even held a special water conservancy meeting. The production teams of Liwangou, Shenjiagou, and Panpokou were willing to buy the electricity that the Tonggan production team would sell to the commune's power supply bureau in the future. Captain Nie didn't express his opinion at the time.
As for water resources, Yuqianwa has them too. Their production team even raises fish in the lake to make a living. If building a hydroelectric power station were so easy, they could just build one themselves instead of buying electricity from others.
So after Tian Laosi left with the certificate, Captain Nie secretly rubbed his hands together, thinking to himself, "This educated man who moved from Tonggan Production Team should know about building a hydroelectric power station, right?"
Li Gangshi, who only knew how to build factory walls for hydroelectric power stations, was pleased to hear from his father-in-law that the production team leader there was very welcoming to his arrival. He felt that his decision to "get off the ship" was correct, and that he could achieve more in a new world.
So when faced with his biological father's questioning, Li Gang felt he had done nothing wrong and wasn't afraid of being asked, saying, "I just listened to my parents."
Li Ming blurted out instinctively, "When did your mother and I ever say that—"
He suddenly stopped, only then realizing that the "parents" Li Gangshi was referring to were no longer him and Liu Hongyan, but Li Yang and Shan Shuhui.
Li Ming's face fell instantly. Why was he being such a villain, stopping a family from leaving and starting a new life?
Li Ming quickly issued the certificate.
Both production teams issued certificates, and Li Gangshi transferred his entire family, along with their household registration and grain ration records, to the Yuqianwa production team.
This is arguably the biggest news from the Tonggan Production Team before the Lunar New Year!
First, Captain Li gave his eldest son to his younger brother for adoption, and this first "bombshell" caused the commune members to discuss it for many days.
Then Li Gangshi brought his family to join the Yuqianwa production team, another "trump card" that made people excited.
Zhong Ying didn't understand, and her private discussions with Li Linshi turned back to "Why? Why did he do this?"
Li Linshi couldn't understand it at all.
Because, in the eyes of the man and the ghost, the failure of the hydroelectric power station was nothing. They were very confident in their success. The Tonggan production team was a ship about to set sail, only encountering some storms along the way. So Zhong Ying and Li Linshi never imagined that Li Gangshi's actions would be motivated by the thought that the ship was about to sink and that he should run away quickly.
However, the other members of the production team secretly pooled their wisdom and uncovered the truth.
"Coward! I even thought about the boss taking over before!" Hu said angrily. Although she had been having doubts because of the failed test run of the hydroelectric power station, she had no intention of running away!
Zhong Ni was also furious about Li Gang's "betrayal." She said indignantly, "Sharing hardships is what makes a production team a great collective! It's better that he, who can only share the good times but not the bad, is gone!"
Lai Hunzi chimed in from the side, "That's right, even I, who don't have a family to support, haven't been rushing to other production teams like this!"
“Uncle, even if you’re willing to leave, no other production team would be willing to take you in, right?” Zhong Ni’s younger brother, Zhong Shuanzhu, spoke the truth.
The people gathered together burst into laughter, but they were all still holding back their anger. They were determined to build the hydroelectric power station and show the "deserters" what they were made of!
The truth was obvious to everyone else, so how could Li Ming not have guessed it? He just kept all his bitterness inside until he got drunk on New Year's Eve and it finally came out.
Because of the departure of Li Gangshi's family, the Li family suddenly lost five family members. Zhong Ying acted as a matchmaker, saying that it wouldn't be lively with fewer people during the New Year, so she invited Deng Xia, Old Man Zhong, and her younger brother Zhong Xin to spend the New Year at the Li family's home.
The farmhouse wine is made from grains, so it's pure and has a high alcohol content. Li Ming was feeling bitter, so he kept drinking with his in-laws, one cup after another, until they were both completely drunk.
“My dear in-law, I’m not as good at raising children as you!” Li Ming complained to Zhong Chunsheng. “Eldest son, I’ve tried my best to raise him since he was little, how did he turn into such a wretch! Second son, I’m sorry to the second son too, and Rou’er as well, I’m not a good father…”
The listener felt distressed. Li Rou snatched the wine glass from her father's hand, and Li Rongshi moved to sit next to his father, gently patting his already hunched and thin back.
Zhong Ying sighed silently and squeezed Li Linshi's hand comfortingly.
The Li family didn't have a good year. Liu Hongyan secretly wiped away tears several times, and Li Ming quickly showed signs of aging. In the past year and a half, the four children brought one blow after another to the elderly couple: the youngest son died unexpectedly, the daughter married the wrong person, the second son felt wronged and resentful, and finally, the eldest son's "defection" was an even heavier blow.
After the Lunar New Year, Li Ming began to take Zhong Ying under his wing, teaching her by example and instructing her on everything from how to formulate spring plowing plans to how to allocate tasks, how to divide work points according to the hardship of farm work, and even more detailed things like what kind of land is suitable for what kind of crops, how to adjust crop rotation, and how to improve the soil. This wisdom of farmers, passed down orally, was now being passed on to Zhong Ying again through Li Ming's words.
Zhong Ying was completely unaware that Li Ming was mentoring her, so she studied with extra care.
There were too many and complicated points about "how to be a production team leader." Fortunately, Zhong Ying wasn't learning alone; she had a friend who helped her memorize them. Sometimes, when Zhong Ying was dizzy after a day of "classes," Li Lin would give her extra lessons to review and organize the material, helping her to better understand and apply it.
The hydroelectric power station also found the problem: the angle of the turbine propeller and guide vanes was incorrect. All that was needed was to remake the driving wheel.
Zhong Ying gave the educated youth another pep talk. As she walked out of the hydroelectric power plant, she looked at the orange-hued sunset painting the sky and the rippling river. Her mood was as good as the scenery before her, and she exclaimed, "Life is truly getting better and better!"
When Zhong Ying finished speaking and looked at Li Lin, she subtly revealed a hint of excitement, "I feel that if things continue like this, once the hydroelectric power station is completed, next year, or the year after, after Dad retires, it's very likely that I'll become the new team leader!"
Li Linshi nodded, his eyes fixed on her, and affirmed, "I think so too."
However, reality is always somewhat different from what people expect.
In the production team election in April of this year, Li Ming unexpectedly decided not to continue serving as the team leader and recommended a new team leader candidate.
“It’s been more than ten years, and I’ve grown old, both physically and mentally,” Li Ming said with a bitter smile. “Plus, with the things that happened at home, I have no face to continue being the team leader.”
Some people were moved to tears, while others shouted, "Even a tiger has three sons, and there's still Yi Biao! We all know what kind of person you are, Captain. Rong Shi, Rou Ni'er, and Lin Shi are all good kids!"
As soon as these words were spoken, countless echoes immediately followed.
Li Ming waved his hand, "Leaving aside family matters, speaking of public affairs, I don't plan to continue being the production team leader. I'm really getting old, and my energy can't keep up. The future belongs to the young. I dare to recommend a new leader here. She is braver than me and has a more pioneering and progressive revolutionary spirit..."
Zhong Ying couldn't help but hold her breath.
“She will definitely lead everyone to build the hydropower station and help our Tonggan production team get out of poverty and become rich. I believe she has the ability,” Li Ming said sincerely to all the commune members. “I hope that everyone will not judge her based on her age or gender.”
Then Zhong Ying felt as if she heard the sound of boots hitting the ground.
"I would like to recommend Comrade Zhong Ying as the new team leader of the Tonggan Production Team."
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Author's note: I'm getting a promotion!
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