Chapter 244 Self-improvement

Since Wei Ling introduced Sister Lin to the newspaper to draw propaganda paintings and comic strips, her relationship with Lin Shu has become closer than before, a closer relationship than the interviewer and the interviewee.

She and Lin Shu usually exchange letters, exchanging recent thoughts and opinions on some issues.

They regard each other as good friends.

This time, Wei Ling came here to do routine interviews to understand the changes in Lujiazhuang and to send Sister Lin the next issue of painting tasks, and also wanted to talk to Lin Shu about her heart.

She found that Lin Shu had a skill that others did not have, and she could always put forward some valuable opinions from another angle on the problem.

For example, in the previous discussion on eugenics, many people hated the government's family planning policy that prevented them from having children, but she took a different approach to explain the problem from the perspectives of focusing on raising children, favoring sons over daughters, and even caring for the elderly.

At this time, she also talked to Lin Shu about Wei Lan's problem.

She knew that her brother had a crush on Lin Shu and respected her very much. If Lin Shu advised him, he might listen.

She said helplessly: "I don't know why Wei Lan is so obsessed. She insists on doing this."

Lin Shu squeezed out the pit of the apricot and handed it to her, smiling: "Reporter Wei, are you really against Wei Lan and Teacher Yu?"

Wei Ling: "I have never been against it. I just... can't convince my mother. She is bothering me."

Lin Shu: "Obviously Wei Lan is the person involved, why doesn't Auntie pester him but you?"

Wei Ling smiled bitterly: "Maybe because... I care about her?"

Lin Shu: "Reporter Wei, not only do we have limited time and energy, but also limited emotions. If someone always imposes negative emotions on us, it will not only affect our mood but also our work and life. Sometimes we should be a little harder. I'm just curious, if you just don't care about your brother's affairs, will Auntie be unable to live?"

Wei Ling was stunned, Then she shook her head and laughed, "Actually not. She just likes to complain to me because I understand her better and like to care about her since she was a child."

Lin Shu: "I think Wei Lan is an adult. He is 25 years old this year. Why does auntie think that he can't be responsible for his own life at the age of 25? What was auntie doing when she was 25? Or does auntie think that children can only do well if they listen to her and are under her control and arrangements? If they don't listen to her and are not controlled by her, their lives will be ruined?"

Wei Ling actually understood these principles, but everyone said that there are no perfect parents in the world, and that we should be filial and listen to our parents, etc., so there are few people around her who can speak. As long as she opens her mouth, the other party hopes that she will consider her mother's feelings and say that her mother always does what is best for her children.

Lin Shu always speaks to her heart!

That's what she meant, but she couldn't express it clearly.

She smiled and said, "Actually, I have met Teacher Yu. I sympathize with her previous experience and I admire her as a person."

Lin Shu encouraged, "Then why don't you include Teacher Yu in your interview? Give her an issue space later to introduce her strength and difficulties to the world. I believe that Auntie will understand her."

Wei Ling's eyes lit up, "Yes, I only complained that my mother was annoying, but I didn't think about how to resolve this problem. Lin Shu, you are awesome. You gave me a new idea."

Lin Shu felt that fate was a very powerful thing. In the original plot, Wei Lan fell in love with Teacher Yu at first sight, liked her and tried to pursue her. However, after knowing that she was married, he buried his love in his heart. However, Gao Hu used her to force Teacher Yu to death, causing him to carry a sense of guilt for the rest of his life.

Now that Gao Hu has been arrested and Teacher Yu has regained her freedom, Wei Lan has fallen in love with her again, and it seems that Teacher Yu also has feelings for him.

As long as they overcome the obstacles of Wei's mother, they can be united by love.

No matter what the future holds, no matter whether they will be together or not, and whether there will be conflicts after marriage, at least their beginning is pure and beautiful.

Lin Shu feels very beautiful, and hopes that they will eventually get married.

Xue Hanshan secretly listened to Lin Shu and Wei Ling chatting, and couldn't help muttering in his heart. He used to think that Lin Shu was just a beautiful vase, but he didn't expect her to say such an alternative thing.

This was the first time he heard this, and he couldn't help but look at Lin Shu straight in the eye. Could it be that she had a deep soul hidden under her beauty? Perhaps

he looked at Lin Shu too eagerly, which made her notice something.

Lin Shu turned her head and glanced at him, "Writer Xue, you are welcome to visit Lujiazhuang more often in the future, speak for our members and the brigade, and help us promote it like reporter Wei did."

Xue Hanshan smiled and said, "No problem."

Lin Shu knew that he was not sincere. A man like him with a lot of philandering thoughts was full of romantic thoughts and men's sexual fantasies. He could not see the hard work and way out of the working people. So she deliberately provoked him and said, "Writer Xue, you should learn more from reporter Wei. Although reporter Wei did not write those hypocritical articles, she cared about the farmers and was truly working for us farmers. "They speak for us, help us spread the word, and truly seek benefits for us. This is what a real literary and artistic worker is."

Xue Hanshan heard the sarcasm and bullying in Lin Shu's words, and couldn't help but refute: "Literature is multifaceted. It's not that it's not good literature if it doesn't speak for the farmers."

Lin Shu: "But I think that as long as it can reflect the characteristics of the times, it is good literature. Each era has its own destiny and responsibility. It is the responsibility of writers to speak for the era and record the characteristics of the era to facilitate future generations to understand our era."

Wei Ling clapped her hands and said: "Lin Shu is right!"

Xue Hanshan: "..."

Bullshit!

The era will eventually be abandoned by time, only love is eternal, no matter it is love five thousand years ago or love five thousand years later, as long as it captures love and human nature, it will be enduring.

He thought that instead of promoting Lujiazhuang seriously, Lin Shu might as well write a love story about Lujiazhuang. As long as it was erotic and tragic enough, it would be profound enough and would last for many years.

Lin Shu didn't want to see Xue Hanshan making trouble. This man had a pair of seductive eyes and would want to flirt with any female, even a hen.

She said to Lu An, "Go and see if your aunt and uncle are home. Tell them that Xue, the writer they admire very much, is here. Ask them to come and keep him company."

Lin Shu had seen them at a party. A group of people sat together and chatted. Most of the time, they were flattering or praising each other, which was very sour. People

who were not in the same circle couldn't stand that smell.

Soon Xu Shihua and Lu Hehuan came together.

Lu Hehuan was very happy when she saw Xue Hanshan, "Teacher Xue, nice to meet you, I didn't expect to see you here."

She stepped forward enthusiastically to shake his hand.

Xu Shihua originally thought that she and Xue Hanshan were closer and should shake hands with Xue Hanshan first before it was his wife's turn. Her face froze, but then she smiled and greeted Xue Hanshan and complimented him.

With Lu Hehuan, a fan who was willing to flatter him, Xue Hanshan immediately became more cheerful, which made Xu Shihua a little uncomfortable.

At first, Xu Shihua had close relationships with people in the County Writers Association and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and brought Lu Hehuan into the circle. Later, because of Lin Shu's guidance, Lu Hehuan published several articles in succession and became famous in their circle.

Now Lu Hehuan has successfully joined the county writers' association and literary association, and has also joined the city writers' association and literary association. His fame in the circle is no less than Xu Shihua's. In fact, because female writers are relatively scarce, especially beautiful female writers, Lu Hehuan's fame has vaguely surpassed Xu Shihua.

Although Xu Shihua was famous before, there is another handsome young male writer, Xue Hanshan, who has higher status and more talent than him

. At this moment, Xue Hanshan actually talked more and closer to Lu Hehuan than to himself.

Xu Shihua tried to change the subject and asked Xue Hanshan about his new works.

Xue Hanshan started chatting with them.

Compared to chatting with Lin Shu, he naturally prefers chatting with Lu Hehuan and Xu Shihua. Chatting with people in the circle who know his talent and status can give him greater respect and sense of accomplishment, and he will not be as indifferent to him as Lin Shu does.

Especially in such a beautiful and elegant farmyard, the vegetable plots are neatly arranged, and the bases and corners of the walls are decorated with small flower beds of different heights and colors. When the wind blows, the fragrance of flowers and herbs fills the nose, and the fragrance makes people feel refreshed.

Xue Hanshan is in a good mood.

Lu Hehuan excitedly said: "Teacher Xue, are you going to stay in our brigade for a few days? Why don't you stay at my house? We can talk about literature all night long, which is really the happiest thing in life."

If Lu Hehuan and Xue Hanshan were not so familiar with each other, Xu Shihua would also invite Xue Hanshan to his house and then introduce him to his family, but now... he felt it was so dazzling!

Lu Hehuan's courtesy to Xue Hanshan was so dazzling!

Lu Xiuxiu and Hongdou listened to them chattering about things they didn't understand, and decisively finished their steamed cakes and went to the brigade to continue working.

Hou Ying naturally followed, because she was also paid for making hats and hair flowers.

The brigade had electric lights, and they could light them to do their work!

Hou Bo and Lu An were also in a hurry to go out. It was summer again, and the attraction of finding cicada monkeys was greater than the sky. They had to go.

They called Panpan, Tiantian and Hou Wei to go with them.

Panpan and Tiantian were still a little reluctant to leave Lin Shu. Since Lin Shu came back, they had been hanging out with her day and night.

Lin Shu smiled and said, "Go, find a few more and fry them for Aunt Wei to eat."

The three children shouted happily, "Let's go, find more!"

Lu Hehuan and Xu Shihua accompanied Xue Hanshan in the yard to drink tea and chat, but Wei Ling wanted to chat with Grandma Fang, Fang Dihua, and Sister Lin.

Anyway, the lights in the cooking shed in front had to be turned on, so Lin Shu simply set up two tables.

Sister Lu was not at home. As soon as she got home, she went to the fields to plant corn.

Sister Lin is helping Jing Caixian to button up her new dress. This is the dress that Lin Shu promised to give to her sister-in-law for her wedding.

Lin Shu designed the style, Sister Lin drew the pattern, and Xiuxiu made it.

It is not the common rustic style, but it has a little design sense without being out of line.

Lin Shu taught Xiuxiu how to use the sewing machine that was just shipped back these two days.

Xiuxiu put her knowledge into practice, and this dress was sewn by machine.

Wei Ling found it novel and picked it up to have a look. She smiled and said, "Your craftsmanship is not worse than that of the clothing factory."

She opened her military uniform and said, "Take a look."

Sister Lin: "Reporter Wei, our Xiuxiu is also worthy of your interview. She is a shining woman of the new era."

She took out the clothing pattern book that she and Xiuxiu had drawn and showed it to Wei Ling.

Wei Ling also felt that she had discovered a new character. Each of the Lu family members was very interesting. Not to mention Fang Dihua and Lin Shu, even the old lady Fang next to them was very attractive. And the shy Lu Xiuxiu, who had little presence, could not only make beautiful clothes and hair flowers, but also make very nice hats.

Lin Shu: "Let's go, I'll take you to see."

The feeling at night was different from that during the day.

Lin Shu took Wei Ling to visit the brigade, while Grandma Fang and Sister Lin continued to button.

Grandma Fang asked: "Aunt, are you really going back to the city in a few days?" Sister

Lin smiled and said: "My third brother-in-law said that my father-in-law might be rehabilitated, and I want to go back in advance to keep an eye on it."

She knew that Lu Shaotang must help, otherwise it would not be so easy for her father-in-law to come back with his background.

In this era where birth is everything, it is not about what you have done or what abilities you have, but what class you are born into and what your family background is.

Considering that my father-in-law is a big landlord and big capitalist, it is unlikely that he can turn things around.

If my father-in-law can be rehabilitated, Sister Lin will be very grateful, not for herself, but for her children.

With a grandfather who was overthrown, Hou Bo, Hou Ying and Hou Wei will be greatly affected in their studies, work and finding a partner.

If there is no special relationship, people with high class background can only marry people with high class background.

For example, the children of landlords can only marry the children of landlords and rich farmers.

They were protected by Lu Shaotang, so they lived a normal life. Many children who were overthrown had to be humble no matter where they went, and dared not speak loudly. If there was any disturbance in the unit and someone needed to be criticized, they would be the first to be criticized.

Now her father-in-law was expected to be rehabilitated, and Hou Jianwen was busy with work, so she had to go back to keep an eye on him.

Grandma Fang nodded: "We have to keep an eye on her."

Sister Lin then advised Grandma Fang: "Grandma, although you are not my biological grandmother, I feel that we get along well. You see, Aunt Fang is filial to you, so you can live here permanently in the future and stop worrying about taking care of this one's children and cooking for that one. You should also take a rest so that Aunt Fang can rest assured. When you were not here, Aunt Fang was worried about you all day long. Although she didn't say it, she was in a daze from time to time."

Grandma Fang patted her hands, "Good child, I know, I know everything."

She knew that Hua'er was filial to her. Although Hua'er didn't like her very much when she came, and she didn't look very happy, she knew that as long as she ate more and wore more new clothes, Hua'er would be happy.

As a mother, she didn't leave anything for her daughter in her life. She felt that it was better to let her daughter feel at ease, not let her worry, and not leave her with regrets.

This is her blessing.

Compared with other people who are abandoned by their children when they are old, and their children shirk their responsibilities and don't want to support them in their old age, she felt that her life was worth it.

Every day she lives is earned.

Young people should walk more and go out more, but the old woman just wants to stay by her children's side and see them more.

Wei Ling and Xue Hanshan stayed in Lujiazhuang for two days, doing a lot of interviews and taking a lot of photos.

The key is that she firmly supported Wei Lan's confidence and determination to convince her mother.

Lin Shu continued to be busy. The vegetable plots were mature and did not need her extra care, but the flower racks, vines, and small flower beds needed more attention. Sometimes they would easily grow leggy if left alone.

Lin Shu had to take care of them and her green manure pit.

The vegetable plots and flower beds at home were so pleasing to the eye, all thanks to her green manure pit. After all, the farm manure at home had to be used to feed the private plots and farmland, but not much was allocated to the vegetable plots.

In addition, Lin Shu also studied the grafting technique. She tried a batch in the spring, with some successes and some failures. The successful ones have now seen results.

Grafting flowers and fruit trees is the most effective.

On this day, she was taking Cuicui to prune fruit branches at home when Zhou Xiulan came over with a pile of linen.

Zhou Xiulan has not been pregnant since Qiu Jintian had a sterilization. Although working and doing housework is very tiring, her health is better than before. In addition, she and the two girls can get some extra food to fill their stomachs by helping the Lu family with chores. Her face is flushed. She

is a quiet and a little timid woman. She rarely goes out in front of people and speaks softly to people for fear of scaring people.

Lin Shu turned around and saw her and was quite surprised.

Although Zhou Xiulan helped the Lu family with chores, she used Daya to speak for her and things were also passed on by Daya.

Lin Shu smiled at her and said, "Sister-in-law, is there something?"

Zhou Xiulan moved her lips and mustered up the courage to say, "Sister, I wove some linen and made a few linen bags. Can you see if they can be used?"

Lin Shu was curious, "Let me see."

She took the linen from Zhou Xiulan's hand and looked at it. After feeling it, the linen was woven with dense warp and weft, and it looked very strong.

Of course, this stiff fabric must be uncomfortable to wear, but Zhou Xiulan made a cloth bag.

This cloth bag is quite strong, and it can save a lot of cost compared to making cloth bags with fabric for clothes.

Now it is not only the Lujiazhuang Brigade, but also many other brigades in Linjiatun are planting jute and ramie. The hemp fiber is handed over to the commune and collected in the factory, and then made into sacks.

Sacks are very important tools in daily production and life, and the demand is very large.

However, the warp and weft of the sacks are much rougher, and the hemp rope is also slightly rough, not as delicate as Zhou Xiulan's linen.

Zhou Xiulan knows how to weave cloth, but now the land is collective, and most of the cotton has to be handed over to the task. Each family is allocated a small amount every year to save up cotton-padded clothes and quilts, and there is no extra cloth at all .

The simple loom in her family was a dowry. Because there was no material for weaving cloth, her mother-in-law always teased her that she wanted to chop it up for firewood.

But she was scolded by her aunt-in-law, so the loom is still there.

Now the brigade grows hemp and harvests hemp fibers three times a year. She got inspired and processed it according to the hemp spinning skills she learned from her grandmother when she was a child, soaking, pounding, and twisting the hemp thread. It really took her nearly a year to prepare for a bag of hemp thread for weaving.

Zhou Xiulan looked at Lin Shu nervously. How she wished that Lin Shu would say that this cloth bag was useful?

That way she could work for the brigade and earn extra work points and money.

Their family owed the brigade a lot of money. Although her mother-in-law and husband felt at ease and did not want to pay the brigade back early, she and her children felt ashamed and could not even hold their heads up when they went out.

She wanted to pay off the debt as soon as possible so that her children could hold their heads up high when they went out.

She had two biggest concerns. One was that her sons were growing up and had to prepare to get married.

If they kept owing money to the brigade, they would never be able to get married.

The second thing she did not dare to tell anyone, she only thought about it in her heart. She wanted Daya and Erya to go to school for a few years.

Especially Daya was smart and learned things quickly. It was definitely better to be able to read than not to be able to read.

She herself didn't have much knowledge, but she thought it would be enough to learn from the Lu family. The second grandmother always made the children study, whether boys or girls.

She didn't ask the children to do anything after studying. Anyway, studying was different from being blind without studying.

She also wanted to give her children different opportunities.

She was afraid of being laughed at, so she didn't dare to say it out loud, so she secretly tried her best and saved money.

This autumn, she will let Daya and Erya go to school with Tiantian and Panpan.

Lin Shu packed a lot of vegetables in, carried them and walked around, and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, this is good, strong and durable, and saves cloth."

This is more durable than ordinary cloth.

Seeing her praising the cloth bag, Zhou Xiulan smiled shyly, "Sister, you, you can draw beautiful pictures, draw a few more and I will make them for you."

Lin Shu thought about it and gave her some suggestions to make the cloth bag more beautiful and sturdy, so that it can be used in the countryside and seek market in the city.

This kind of linen bag is low-cost, and it is not a pity even if it is damaged. It is easy to keep a few at home.

Of course, it is better to develop a few more styles so that people will fall in love with it at first sight, and those working people with ample money will buy a few more to carry in turn.

The cost of embroidery is too high, after all, it requires time, craftsmanship, colored threads, etc., but it can be added with painting.

Of course, it is impossible to use good pigments for a cheap linen bag. At most, red paint for slogans and white paint that is not easy to fade can be used to paint some simple and clear patterns.

With a good combination, it will naturally look better than the original linen. This...

Isn't there a big sister?

Big sister Lin was painting on assignment at the pictorial agency. When she heard Lin Shu and Zhou Xiulan talking about what to paint,

she came out to see. She said, "It's okay. You can paint a simple pattern with two or three colors."

It's just an ordinary cloth bag, and it doesn't need to be made too delicate. After all, isn't it famous for being cheap?

Lin Shu immediately said to Zhou Xiulan: "Sister-in-law, I will draw a few patterns for you. You can make a few more according to them. I will take them to the city to try them out later." They

can't sell for much in the countryside, so they still have to go to the city to sell.

Zhou Xiulan nodded happily, "Well, I will go home and make it now."

Lin Shu continued to instruct: "Sister-in-law, the biggest advantage of yours is that it is cheap and strong. In the future, you don't need to use cotton thread to sew directly with hemp thread, and make beautiful thick stitches, which is consistent with the style of the warp and weft of the linen cloth."

Zhou Xiulan nodded repeatedly: "I will change it when I go back."

When she went home, Mrs. Qiu glared at her and wanted to scold her for being a spendthrift, but she didn't dare to scold her out loud after moving her lips, and she had to cook obediently.

Mrs. Qiu was scared.

After getting sterilized, Qiu Jintian was lying on the kang and was embarrassed. He said that he had no strength after sterilization and could not work in the fields. As a result, the branch secretary and the team leader took turns to come to his house and scolded him every day.

He didn't last for three days, and he jumped up to work. He never dared to lie down and rot again.

The branch secretary's mouth was poisonous!

He not only scolded Qiu Jintian, but also Qiu Jintian's father and mother. When he was angry, he hit his head with a cigarette pot.

Is it so easy to waste his time?

Mrs. Qiu also wanted to scold her daughter-in-law and Daya and Erya, and wanted to take the food and money they earned from the Lu family. As a result, Daya and Erya were advised by Tiantian and Panpan, and learned the crying method from Xu Xiaoyou.

Whenever Mrs. Qiu scolded their mothers, they would cry and yell together.

They would not cry at home, but go to the alleys and streets to cry and yell, so that all the neighbors would know.

Mrs. Qiu chased them out and beat and scolded them, which alarmed the branch secretary.

The branch secretary gave Mrs. Qiu a scolding, so that Mrs. Qiu dared not raise her head and behaved herself.

Now that Mrs. Qiu did not dare to interfere, Zhou Xiulan worked very efficiently.

The next day, she took three new cloth bags to show Lin Shu. One was for carrying heavy objects. The linen straps were folded and quilted in multiple layers and nailed directly to the main body of the cloth bag. For strength, it could be wrapped around the bottom.

The other two were both beautiful and practical, and could be used to hold vegetables and books.

Sister Lin mixed red paint on the spot and painted a flag fluttering in the wind on one side of the cloth bag.

On another side, she painted a few simple line flowers.

On the last side, she painted a sketch of a cat and a child.

Zhou Xiulan looked at it in amazement, "Amazing, all of a sudden..." After the painting was finished, she felt that she couldn't afford it anymore.

Lin Shu smiled and said, "It will be easier to sell this way." She fiddled with it and said affirmatively, "Sister-in-law, I'll give you 40 cents for each one at first. You make 30 first, and I'll take them to the city to test the sales."

Zhou Xiulan was relieved and her face flushed with excitement. She, she could finally make money!

40 cents a piece, even if there was not enough twine at home, she could still make some money by collecting twine from other people's homes.

Lin Shu gave her another idea, "Don't weave the hemp thread yourself, let other aunties who don't work in the fields do it, and you can buy their hemp thread, which will save labor and time."

Zhou Xiulan hadn't thought of this before, and only wanted to do it from beginning to end. Now that Lin Shu has pointed it out, she feels that she is really stupid and not active at all.

She applied what she learned flexibly, and planned to go back and ask her mother-in-law to weave the cloth. Linen is easy to weave, and her mother-in-law can definitely do it.

In this way, she can give her half of the money she earns!

With her mother-in-law weaving the cloth, she will be able to make bags much faster!

That way, she can save enough money for Daya and the others to go to school earlier!

"Thank you, sister, thank you all!" Zhou Xiulan was so excited that her eyes turned red. She was afraid that Lin Shu would laugh at her, so she quickly put down the cloth bag and ran away.

Sister Lin looked at her from behind, feeling both sad and proud.

Who could have thought that the cowardly third sister would grow up to be so successful and bring a better life to so many people?

She put her arm around Lin Shu's shoulders and said softly, "Life is full of twists and turns, and it becomes more and more interesting."

Lin Shu chuckled, "Sister, why are you like a philosopher?"

Sister Lin also laughed, "I call this feeling."