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Chapter 164: Wheat Harvest

It was not until after three in the morning of the next day that the Zhongping Brigade gathered to officially start the wheat harvest. The members were still talking about the strange news that the harvester was actually brought over by another brigade.

Ever since the year harvesters were introduced in Bingyang County, there has been no incident of other brigades being kind and helpful.

So everyone wants to figure out why the bastards who were such good-for-nothings in previous years have changed their nature this year.

After learning the whole story, everyone in the Zhongping Brigade, from Han Laogou down, believed that this was the result of the Zhongping Brigade's kindness, loyalty, strict self-discipline and leniency towards others over the years.

Relying on the simple and honest character of Zhongping, those brigades were influenced, so those brigades were grateful and took the initiative to help the Zhongping Brigade to get the machines. Although their faces looked as if their father had died, it was good that they were willing to help. What was the point of asking for a bicycle?

As for the rumors that the steel rolling mill militia and Xie Hushan threatened and frightened people, and even used tractors to pull red-hot steel to burn people, those were all malicious rumors spread by the jealous people of Zhongping.

How could our Zhongping Production Brigade have that kind of stuff? Impossible, absolutely impossible.

It was three o'clock in the morning, and it was still dark. At the gate of Yaowang Temple, all the strong laborers of the third production team had gathered. Xie Hushan was glaring at Taozi, who had changed into worn-out long clothes and trousers, wrapped a scarf around her face, and wore a mask. She was holding a sickle and standing with Han Hongzhen, who was dressed in the same way.

"Go home! The Zhongping Brigade is harvesting wheat, what business do you have as a Yakou native? You're just standing here making trouble! You want to steal our brigade's wheat under the pretext of harvesting wheat? No way! Go away!"

Frightened by Xie Hushan, Taozi lowered her head in embarrassment in the crowd, but did not move.

When the people from the nearby Production Team 3 heard Xie Hushan's words, they began to join in the fun and laugh in good faith:
"What's the matter, Hu San'er? Are you reluctant to let your partner cut wheat for our team?"

"You are so tired of leading the guys in our team to run the brick factory in Laozhang's team, but you are reluctant to let your wife help our team harvest wheat. How sensible! What kind of consciousness do you have? You are a traitor to the third production team!"

Xie Hushan listened to the teasing without blushing. Seeing that Taozi refused to move, he simply stepped forward and took her out, responding to everyone:
"This is my own daughter-in-law, I definitely can't bear to part with her. I worked so hard to make her fairer, taller, and with a more delicate face. Do you know how much I spent on her? If she gets cut on her hands and face by the stubble again, all my money will be wasted!"

These words were the truth. Xie Hushan was willing to spend money on Taozi and Grandma. Ever since the steel mill started making money, Grandma was sent to the health center for a physical examination every two weeks.

The recipes were a set of recipes for veteran cadres that he asked Yang Liming to copy from the sanatorium. He would feed Grandma and Taozi three meals a day according to the recipe.

Thanks to dietary supplements, Taozi has grown taller now, and her hair has changed from yellow and dry when they first met to long, shiny black hair now. In addition to helping the aunt in the factory cafeteria and delivering meals to grandma, Xie Hushan does not let Taozi do any heavy work. Finally, he has made his wife look a lot fairer.

Now when she goes out, she changes into clothes bought in Hong Kong and looks prettier and more fashionable than the girls in the city.

After all the effort to raise a wife who looked like a decent human being, could Xie Hushan bear to let Taozi go to the fields to harvest wheat?
"Third brother, Fifth Uncle said that I can work with Team Three, and that the work points I earned from helping out can be counted towards you..." Taozi lowered her head in embarrassment, listening to the whispers of Team Three members around her, and whispered to Xie Hushan.

She will get married sooner or later. Although her household registration has not been moved here yet and she does not get work points for her work, Taozi does not work for work points.

What's more, Ma Laowu had already told her that she would not help in vain. When the time comes, she would be scored according to the adult female labor force, and all the work points she earned would be added to Xie Hushan's work point book.

"If Han Laogou hadn't said that the brigade cadres must play a leading role in labor production, I wouldn't have come to harvest wheat. I would have gone to the steel mill office to rest. I don't want to work, so how can I let you do it?" Xie Hushan said to Taozi:
"Go home and discuss with grandma what to have for lunch. Keep an eye on Erxi and don't let him run into the fields, otherwise Dahei might die suddenly."

Erxi was left at the cliff's mouth before. When Taozi came, she gave it to Lao Meng and Han Hongzhen. This time during the wheat harvest, Lao Meng and Han Hongzhen came back and brought the pregnant Erxi back to Xie Hushan's home.

Taozi insisted: "Please let me do some work. Working together can also help me get to know the female comrades in the third team. Grandma also told me to talk to them more... Otherwise, people will think I am a delicate lady who has never touched women."

"That's why I raised her. I don't want people to see that I raised a spoiled girl, but to see that I raised a Lu Zhishen." Seeing that Taozi insisted on staying, Xie Hushan sighed, took off the white gloves on his hands, and put them on Taozi:

"Don't take off your gloves when you work, or you'll get pricked by the wheat awns. It hurts, especially when they break in the flesh. You'll have to use a needle to pick them out."

"Yeah." Taozi felt a little embarrassed when she saw Xie Hushan putting gloves on her in front of everyone, and said in a low voice.

Xie Hushan continued to instruct, "Take a rest when you are tired. You are not from the Zhongping Brigade. If you want to rest, take a rest. Do whatever you want. Don't work all the time. If you have nothing to do, go catch grasshoppers and whistle with Daxiu."

"This daughter-in-law you raised is as good as a landlord's daughter. She whistles when she catches grasshoppers. Is she a daughter-in-law or a child?" The person next to him looked at Xie Hushan helping Taozi put on gloves and said:
"Taozi, why don't you stop working? Why waste your gloves? You can use them to unstitch and knit socks."

The militiamen from the third team who came back to participate in the wheat harvest all looked the same, all wearing blue work clothes, blue hats, green rubber shoes, white gloves, and cotton masks on their faces. It was said that these were all labor protection for the sideline group set up by Xie Hushan.

Ma Laowu's evaluation of this is that it is a waste of money.

How could farmers wear such luxurious clothes when working in the fields? If a family has a work suit, they would think of washing it, altering it, and giving it to their children as new clothes.

These little bastards, on the other hand, wear work clothes, white gloves and cotton masks when they go to work in the fields.

It would be great if I could take this apart and knit a sweater or socks.

Han Hongzhen looked at Taozi being taken care of like a child by Xie Hushan and smiled at first, but after a moment, she felt a little regretful and turned her head to look at the night sky in the distance.

If my mother-in-law had agreed at the beginning, I would be the one being treated like a treasure by Xie Hushan now.

But then she changed her mind and realized that even if Xie Hushan and she were really together, they would inevitably quarrel and fight. Taozi could keep her cool when Xie Hushan did something, but she couldn't keep her cool with her personality. She would want to get to know him as soon as there was something wrong.

"Hu San'er, come up and say a few words." Ma Laowu was explaining various matters to the driver not far away. After he finished, he stood on the steps of the Medicine King Temple and said to Xie Hushan. Then he said to the people who were talking: "Be quiet, Hu San is now a team leader and the director of the steel rolling mill. Everyone, listen to him."

"Laowu, I'm very happy that you remembered to let Third Brother come up and say a few words, but you just called me Hu Saner, Third Brother..." Xie Hushan walked up the stairs in a pretentious manner and said to Ma Laowu.

Ma Laowu was so angry that he picked up his pipe and pretended to hit him: "Fuck you! Are you going to tell me or not? If not, get out! Are you still showing off in front of me?"

"Tell me! Tell me!" Xie Hushan immediately raised his hands to beg for mercy:

"Pay attention to your image. After all, I am a brigade cadre. I see that the leaders all speak like this. Uncle Wu, give me some face."

The group of people below burst into laughter.

Xie Hushan cleared his throat and looked at the more than one hundred members of Team 3 below:
"Ahem, as the saying goes, an official should serve the people and seek benefits for his family. What I want to say is that I have discussed with my fifth uncle that if our team is the first among the 19 production teams to complete the wheat harvest this year, the steel mill will pay to buy three pigs from the pig farm of the third team and treat the whole team to meat!"

After this sentence was said, everyone was already boiling with excitement:

"Our team finally got the upper hand over the big team! Good boy, Hu Saner, I've known you since I was a kid and you never forget your roots."

"Come on, that's not what you said when Hu Saner blocked your chimney as a kid!"

"Hurry up and start harvesting! Don't waste time, Lao Wu! If you're any later, I'm afraid the pork will fly away before my mouth!"

Seeing that everyone was about to make a scene and not listening to what was said behind him, Xie Hushan immediately quickened his speech and shouted loudly:
"Also, the top three people in our team who harvest wheat every day will receive rewards. The first place winner will receive a Dacron shirt sold at the supply and marketing cooperative, the second place winner will receive plastic sandals, and the third place winner will receive a cool mat."

"Accountant Zhao is responsible for supervising the work record. The top three will go to him to receive the prize."

When the members of the third team heard that there was a wheat-cutting competition and that there would be Dacron shirts as rewards, they could no longer stay and urged each other to go to the fields quickly. At Ma Laowu's command, the members of the third production team quickly rushed to the wheat fields.

When we arrived at the third team's field, we could see the rumbling of the harvesters in the distance already starting to harvest. However, it would probably take until the third day for the harvesters to reach Team Three's field. And even after harvesting Team Three's wheat, everyone couldn't rest. They had to help each other and support other production teams that didn't have the support of the harvesters to ensure that the wheat harvesting work of the entire team was completed as soon as possible.

"Each man shall work six ridges, and each woman shall work ..." Ma Laowu was holding a sickle in his hand and was about to start talking, but a woman had already started to speak in dissatisfaction:
"Women also cut six ridges! From what you said, have you ever thought that we women can also grab a chance at the prize?"

"That's right! Who are you looking down on?" Several women nearby echoed.

"Okay! Women comrades, cut six ridges too!" Ma Laowu knew that he couldn't be so hypocritical at this time and dampen everyone's enthusiasm for work:

"Look, the women in our team are also competing for first place. If all the prizes are won by the women, I wonder how we old men can hold our heads up high! Start cutting!"

As the sound of harvesting began, men and women immediately lined up in a line, squatted down and waved their sickles under the starry sky. The whole field was suddenly filled with the sound of harvesting, and golden fields of wheat were cut down as the sickles were waved.

After harvesting enough wheat to form a bundle, he would pull out a hemp rope from the one that had been tucked around his waist, and skillfully tie the wheat into a bundle and place it behind him.

The reason for choosing to start harvesting in the middle of the night is, firstly, because the wheat is wet with dew and the humidity is high, so the grains are not easy to fall off when the wheat is cut down; secondly, because it is not that hot.

Harvesting wheat is different from picking corn in autumn. When picking corn, people stay in the cornfield and pick it quietly without disturbing each other.

It is best to talk and chat frequently when harvesting wheat. When working in pairs, there are usually two talkative people with a quiet one in between. This way, the three of them can chat while harvesting, so that everyone will try to forget how far they have to go to finish harvesting. In order to chat with others, you must also swing the sickle hard to avoid falling too far behind and not being able to hear what the other person is saying.

By seven o'clock in the morning, when half of the wheat field had been harvested, Daxiu, Han Laosan and other children followed the production team to deliver breakfast to everyone.

The children who go to school do not have to get up early to harvest wheat in the fields. They only need to pick up wheat ears at dawn and help load the wheat into trucks. The team will reward the children who pick up more wheat with a few pencils.

As for breakfast, it was tofu pudding supplied by the production team's tofu workshop, and sesame oil fruits that some old ladies had fried for everyone overnight.

The elderly and children are not eligible to enjoy such a luxurious breakfast. It is given priority to strong laborers who get up in the middle of the night to cut wheat. Wheat harvesting for more than 20 days is heavy physical work, and every meal must be filled with oil, water and salt.

It is also during this time that everyone can take a breath.

Xie Hushan sat there, took out two cigarettes and lit them:

"You said I am a brigade cadre and factory director, but I still have to work in the fields. How can that be reasonable?"

"Lao Zhang is a commune cadre with a non-agricultural household registration, so he has to go back to the team to help harvest the wheat." Han Hongbing took a cigarette from Xie Hushan's mouth, took off the mask, held it in his mouth and said.

Taozi helped Xie Hushan get a big bowl of steaming tofu pudding and three fried cakes, and walked towards him while shouting:

"It's time to eat, Third Brother."

(End of this chapter)