"These three educated youths are good. After coming to our village, they didn't do anything wrong like the educated youths in other brigades who just caused trouble. They went to work and came home on time every day, and almost always finished ahead of schedule. They knew to go up the mountain to find food, gather firewood, or dig up medicinal herbs first. They were much less troublesome than the educated youths in other brigades," said Secretary Gu.
"Who can argue with that?" Gu Zhenghua said.
"That's right. Leaving aside Li, just look at these two Chens; they handed in quite a few kinds of medicinal herbs this August," Gu Zhengfu said.
"Really?" Gu Zhenggui asked in surprise.
"yes"
"They'll make a lot of money from traditional Chinese medicine alone this year," Gu Zhenggui said.
“No matter how much they get, it’s their money they earned, unlike our fellow villagers who just slack off all day,” Gu Zhengrong said.
"Who can argue with that? Don't underestimate these herbs just because they're inexpensive; the sheer quantity makes all the difference," Gu Zhenghua said.
"Given the way those three educated youths behaved, when the New Year's bonuses are distributed, the villagers in this area will realize what's going on, and things will be much easier when work resumes next year," said Secretary Gu.
"The grain supply might not be enough then," Gu Zhenghua said.
"That's easy, just clear the land," said Secretary Gu.
"That's true. Next year, we'll see how far ahead everyone can finish their tasks. If most of them can finish two hours ahead, then we'll clear out several dozen acres of wasteland and give them an extra hour to use as they see fit," Gu Zhengrong said.
I think it's a good idea.
I think it's a good idea too.
"Let's do it this way."
"However, the work points will need to be increased by then."
"Of course! Everyone volunteers when clearing land, and the work points earned from completing the task will be calculated the same as during the autumn harvest."
"This is a good idea; it will prevent people from causing trouble again later."
"That's right."
"Alright, since we've made up our minds, let's take advantage of the free time to measure the land and get it ready before it freezes."
"It's my father."
The autumn harvest was over, and after resting for two or three days, everyone went back to work as usual. This time, everyone was very enthusiastic about going to work. I originally thought it was because everyone wanted to receive their grain in a couple of days, but I overheard a conversation among some of the women next to me and realized that.
"Fourth Aunt, how much firewood do you plan to stock up on this year?"
"Sixth sister-in-law, the autumn harvest has just been finished. In the next couple of days, after we bring the crop stalks from the fields home, the whole family will go up the mountain to chop firewood. To be honest, the firewood in the fields is simply not enough to last until the heavy snow closes off the mountain."
"Who can argue with that?" said Aunt Hua, who was standing nearby.
"So we need to prepare plenty of firewood before the snow closes the mountain."
"My family is large, so we need to prepare more of these."
"Who says otherwise? There are over ten people in my family, we need at least six or seven flowers."
"No matter how many people there are, as long as they go up the mountain every day to chop firewood before the heavy snow closes the mountain, that's all that matters. When I went back to my parents' home this year, I heard that someone in the next brigade to my parents' home froze to death last year."
"Really?"
"Really, and not even the older ones."
"Why would that be? It's not like they can't work. It's not like they don't know how cold it is here in winter. Not having enough firewood can be fatal."
"Sigh, it's really no one else's fault. The wife had just given birth not long ago, and the man did all the housework. There were no elderly people in the family, and they had prepared the same amount of firewood as before, thinking it would be enough. But didn't they realize that they would need more firewood when the child was small? So, they ran out of firewood not long after the New Year, and then it started snowing heavily, so they couldn't go out to collect firewood and ended up freezing to death."
The whole family got up.
They're all dead.
"After the snow stopped, the neighbor went to the woodshed in the yard to get firewood. He didn't hear the child crying or the adults talking, so he climbed over the wall to take a look and found out."
"Oh, I see."
"So, regardless of whether we have enough firewood, as long as we can get into the mountains before the snow closes them off, we should prepare plenty of dry firewood. Our area isn't as warm as the south, and the winters are long, so we should stock up."
You mean it?
Wow, someone actually froze to death. It's not that this family wasn't diligent, but simply because they weren't prepared enough. Just because they had a baby in the house, the whole family ended up freezing to death.
On his way home from work, he ran into Chen Enpeng and Chen Junjie, and told them what he had overheard in the fields. Chen Junjie was so frightened that he kept saying, "What are we going to do about those things? What are we going to do?"
"What's the rush? We can just stock up on firewood."
Yes, yes.
"I think since there are only a few of us, we shouldn't take on any more tasks after work for the next few days. Winter is just around the corner, and preparing firewood and food is the most important thing."
"Mianmian is right, do you have any ideas?" Chen Enpeng
"If you have feelings for Mianmian, just say so," Chen Junjie said, as if he had found his backbone after hearing this.
"There's no other way. After work, we just have to rush up the mountain to prepare food and firewood. Right now, we have plenty of walnuts, pine nuts, corn, chestnuts, and hawthorns on the mountain—anything edible—we can't go wrong with that. We can't forget about firewood either. Besides, there's not much work in the fields. It'll be done in three to five days. Then we can go up the mountain every day. If necessary, we can just carry baskets and make a few more trips."
"What you're talking about isn't just about firewood; we also need to prepare plenty of food. People can freeze to death without firewood, but they won't starve to death without food."
"By the way, I'm planning to trade some cabbages and radishes with the villagers this year. Would you like to trade?"
"I'll change it, but I don't know how to save it!"
“That’s easy. We’ll ask Grandma Huang to come and teach us. They have plenty of cabbages and radishes. I talked to Hu Niu this morning and asked her to ask Grandma Huang for us. Besides, Grandpa Huang brings a truckload of cabbages or radishes to the city to visit relatives every year around this time.”
"Okay, I'll do as you say. Is there anything else?"
That's all I can think of for now.
"When do you plan to go to the city? I heard that heavy snow can not only close the mountains but also the roads, making it difficult to get out. You should prepare some things for the New Year in advance."
"Let's ask Grandpa Huang about that later."
"He often drove the oxcart out, so he must know more than we do."
"Okay, please let us know when the time comes."
"It's alright. Didn't I hear that even if you can't drive an oxcart, there are still ice sleds?"
"Will it work?"
"Whether it works or not, the roads definitely won't be closed before the next heavy snowfall, and we can go out then."
"Besides, with enough firewood and food prepared, it doesn't matter whether we buy New Year's goods or not. We can just make something else later."
You're right.
After working for less than five days, the work in the fields was finished, and everyone started heading up the mountain.
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