Chapter 210 Taking Off the Hat
"Bang, bang, bang!" Guo Chenzi knocked on the gate fiercely. When he saw Xu Lingjun coming out, he started yelling, "I just ran into Teacher Li when I entered the city. He asked me to tell you something. The local produce company has received a batch of hairtail. You should hurry up and buy them. If you go too late, you won't be able to eat them."
"Okay, I'll go right away!" Xu Lingjun responded, called Li Xiuzhi, took the money and tickets and went to the county town.
He first went to the store to buy some things and wished Li Binggui and Niu Guiping a happy new year. When Niu Guiping heard that he had not prepared new year's goods yet, he took him directly to the warehouse of the local products company. Their company not only collects local specialties to sell outside, but also brings back good things from other places to sell locally.
There were mandarin oranges from Fujian, hairtail from Zhoushan, prawns from Bohai Sea piled everywhere, and even Sichuan bean paste and kimchi. Li Xiuzhi was so happy to see these. People's tastes are cultivated from childhood. She was used to eating these in Sichuan, and it was rare to see them at the ranch. Naturally, she missed them a little, but she couldn't find any for sale in the county town. Now seeing these, she can finally satisfy her craving.
Xu Lingjun spent all the money he had on him. This was his first New Year in this world and also his first New Year after marrying Li Xiuzhi, so naturally he had to celebrate it well.
They got on the bus with a lot of stuff, and the salesperson asked them to buy an extra ticket. They wandered all the way back to the production team, and happened to meet a postman who was delivering mail. "Lao Xu, there's a letter for your family, sent from Sichuan."
"Hey, thank you. Can you come in and have some water?"
"No, no, I still have two more houses to deliver to!" After saying that, he rode away on his horse. Postmen in other places ride bicycles, but it is different in pastoral areas. It is more convenient to ride a horse.
After entering the house, Li Xiuzhi opened the envelope without taking time to light a fire or pack up. She was afraid that something might happen at home. She pulled out the letter and read it for a few seconds before her brows relaxed. "The harvest is good this year. The family has finally recovered. They also asked us to go home and take a look if we have time."
"It's not appropriate now. I'm wearing a hat, so it's not convenient for me to go out. Going to your house might even cause trouble. Let's wait two years and see if we can find a chance to take off the hat and go back together! If you miss home, you can go back by yourself. Find a time when the train is not so crowded. I'll try to get you two tickets. You can go back and have a look." Xu Lingjun calculated the time and it should not be far away.
Li Xiuzhi is in good health now. She plans to give birth to a child after the beginning of the year. Then, when the time comes to take off the hat, she can bring the child with her. The old couple will be delighted to see their grandson coming.
"How are they preparing for the New Year? How about sending some money back? I, as their son-in-law, can't go over to wish them a happy New Year. It would be a shame if they didn't express their gratitude."
"I'd better wait and go back with you." Li Xiuzhi didn't know whether the poverty alleviation would be lifted in two years. She just thought that her husband was so capable that he would definitely find a way. "There's no need to send money. The family has recovered this year. We don't have to worry about going hungry."
"You still have to show some thoughtfulness. I've been busy buying local specialties today and haven't bought any clothes yet. I'll go to the county town tomorrow and send it to you." As soon as Li Xiuzhi's parents sold their grain this year, they sent back the money Xu Lingjun had given them. Xu Lingjun was willing to help people like them and make their lives better.
"Write your letter first. Remember to write about the earthworm method of raising chickens. With more eggs at home, life will be better. I won't write about porcini mushrooms. First, the technology is high and I can't finish it in a letter. Second, the soil and climate are different over there. The same method may not work over there! When I go to your place in the future, I will see if you have any good ideas, right?"
Xu Lingjun remembered that Sichuan's wood ear mushrooms were very famous. Shifang wood ear mushrooms and Qingchuan wood ear mushrooms were both well-known. Jiangyou was not far from these two places, so in theory, it could also grow wood ear mushrooms. He would sort out some methods first and teach them how to grow them when he went to Sichuan in the future.
He did not learn this method while working in the central government agencies, but bought it from a professor at Southwest Agricultural University when he was a reporter at Xinhua News Agency and reselling patents. Xu Lingjun had many similar technologies in his mind, and he could just pick out one or two that were suitable for local development and make them worry-free about food and clothing.
As the Chinese New Year approached, there were always guests at Xu Lingjun's house. Most of the families in the production team had a good New Year this year, and all of these were brought to them by Xu Lingjun. Now that the New Year is approaching, he would definitely come to visit.
Firstly, it is to express gratitude, and secondly, it is to maintain relations. I hope Xu Lingjun will come up with some good ideas next year and don’t forget to bring them along.
Xu Lingjun accepted all the gifts they brought, calculated their value, and then returned them with gifts of equal value and wished them a happy new year. They had also taken good care of Xu Lingjun over the years.
On New Year's Eve, Xu Lingjun and Li Xiuzhi were listening to the radio and eating New Year's Eve dinner at home. Thinking back to the time when she first got married, Li Xiuzhi felt like she was dreaming.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the two not only made dumplings, but also made glutinous rice balls according to the customs of Jiangyou.
After the second day of the Chinese New Year, people can visit each other. They go to one house today and another house tomorrow. During the Spring Festival, almost every family in the production team has held a banquet.
This was unthinkable in the past. Who would have so much food? At most, they would entertain close relatives, but who would dare to treat the guests so well?
It’s different now. Raising chickens with earthworms and porcini mushrooms has made their pockets fatter, and they don’t have to worry about treating them to a few more meals.
In the next two years, this small production team became more and more prosperous. Xu Lingjun also taught them how to grow medicinal herbs and raise Angora rabbits, and every household benefited greatly from it.
At the beginning of 1977, someone suddenly came to the ranch and asked Xu Lingjun to go to the ranch office. Xu Lingjun went there and found Director Dong who called him over.
Director Dong took out a document and read it to Xu Lingjun. The general meaning was that the whole country is now starting to remove the labels, and this work should follow certain principles, how to carry out, etc.
After reading the document expressionlessly, Director Dong looked at Xu Lingjun and said, "There are only a few items in the document. As for your problem, it was marked wrongly in the past, but it has been corrected now. Considering that there is no one left in your hometown, you will be arranged to teach at the Ranch Primary School. You will be given a subsidy of 500 yuan. You can go to the Finance Department to collect it later. The transfer order is with Lao Pan next door. You should report to the school tomorrow."
Xu Lingjun had known that this would happen sooner or later, but when it came, he was still a little excited, because from now on, he could finally resume his normal life.
Taking off the hat is a good thing, but forget it, teacher. Xu Lingjun has other plans.
(End of this chapter)
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