Back to 1978

Chapter 196: I have three strategies:
When Xie Hushan rushed to Han Laoer's house to join in the fun, he found that he could not even squeeze into his yard. The villagers who got the news had already surrounded Han Hongbing's house. After all, in the countryside, people who come to watch the fun do not care about letting the leader go first.

The officer from the Veterans Resettlement Office of the county armed forces department who had sent Han Hongjun back had been escorted out by the commune armed forces minister and several elders of the Han family and was put on a car back to the county. Without outsiders, the villagers had no scruples and swarmed in to see what the eldest son of the Han family had become now.

Xie Hushan was aware of his physical fitness. If he was not really anxious, he would definitely not be a match for those aunties and ladies who could carry wheat and corn and walk two miles without stopping, or even perform giving birth while doing half of their work in the fields.

So he retreated to a distance, found an old millstone, squatted down and started smoking. Anyway, the Han family would definitely have a dinner party in the evening. He was the captain of the third team and would definitely be on the invitation list. Even if his parents forgot to invite him, Han Lao Er would probably be able to find a seat for him to eat.

He can just sit here and smoke while waiting for the feast.

Dahei was also frightened by the scene. Perhaps he was afraid of being trampled to death if he stayed in the Han family's doghouse, so he came out of the crowd and squatted on the millstone next to Xie Hushan.

"These old women are good at nothing but watching the fun. They are like idiots, they will never go anywhere where there is fun." Ma Laowu walked over with his hands in his pockets, looked at the crowds of people at the old Han's house, muttered a few words, and then shouted loudly:

"Make way, make way, let me in and take a look!"

Ma Laowu wanted to squeeze in to take a look, but no one in the courtyard was willing to help him. He tried to squeeze in for a long time but failed. However, a woman's words almost made Ma Laowu so angry that he almost fell over:

"The captain of the third team is squatting far away. How dare you, a deputy captain who was ousted by the crowd, be so shameless? Do you still think you are the captain? Go home and wait for the second-hand noise!"

A group of women burst into laughter. Ma Laowu was so angry that he pointed at the women who were making fun of him and said, "How dare you talk like that? How dare you talk like that to me when you two came to the team headquarters yesterday to ask Fenglian and me for sex?"

The middle-aged woman snorted, "How dare you not give it to me? It's from the country! Besides, it will take two or three months to use up so many bubbles, and I can't ask you for anything!"

"Haha~" Xie Hushan was amused by the conversation between Ma Laowu and the woman. The so-called bubbles are a very unified name for condoms among adults in rural areas. Because there are children in the family, when the children ask what this thing is, they usually say it is a balloon or bubble.

In fact, when middle-aged women go to the team headquarters to get this thing, they don’t use it for themselves, but for their sons and daughters-in-law. The young couples are shy, but the older ones are not afraid and can even ask for a few more to let their children blow bubbles and play with them as balloons.

The production team leader and the women's team leader would hold family planning meetings for adult members every six months to teach everyone how to use contraception and take measures. Ma Laowu would hold meetings for the men, and women's team leader Liu Fenglian would hold meetings for the women.

Xie Hushan had thought about taking back power. He said that he could also hold a family planning meeting without the help of the deputy team leader and the women's team leader. He was almost tied up by Ma Laowu and Liu Fenglian and sent to the commune to be taught a lesson by Feng Chunlai.

In their opinion, how can a grown man do such a thing? Young people are thin-skinned. It takes at least five to ten years of marriage before they can say embarrassing things in public.

Ma Laowu is not afraid of Xie Hushan's thin-skinnedness. He can take the initiative to request a family planning meeting, which shows that he has no shame.

Ma Laowu doubted whether Xie Hushan could explain the physical health and precautions of married life. After all, these are things that only people who are married can understand.

After all, to be honest, many young people in rural areas wish they had their parents teach them secretly how to have sex on their wedding night.

Because rural areas lack systematic physiology and hygiene courses, there was a case in a rural area of ​​Bingyang where a couple had been married for a year but had not gotten pregnant. They went to the hospital for a physical examination, and the doctor found out that the couple had never had a wedding night.

If two of them lie on the same kang every day and do nothing, it would be strange if his mother could get pregnant.

But the two of them had naively believed what the elderly had told them since they were young, that they would have a child as long as the couple slept in bed together. Their parents did not tell them that there was something else to do besides sleeping.

But Xie Hushan dispelled Ma Laowu's suspicion, and made Ma Laowu so angry that he wanted to send him to the commune to let Feng Chunlai take action.

Because that bastard Xie Hushan told him and the women's team leader that there was no need to talk for a long time when teaching boys and girls of school age. All they had to do was take Dahei and a few female dogs to the meeting, and let everyone watch the dogs mating a few times in public, and they would understand everything.

Those young girls and boys who don't even know how to have a wedding night have rarely seen dogs, unlike Xie Hushan, who has been watching since he was a child.

After hearing this, the women's team leader felt that all her years of work and all her words about promoting physiological hygiene were in vain. If she had listened to Xie Hushan earlier, she would have taken the dog with her...

While Ma Laowu was joking around with the women, Han Hongbing came out of the yard with a cigarette in his mouth and a long string of firecrackers on a bamboo pole in his hand and hung them at the door. Han Laosan took the cigarette from his second brother's mouth and was about to light the fuse.

Seeing that firecrackers were about to be set off, the people watching the excitement at the door immediately dodged. Ma Laowu seized the opportunity and rushed in with the two cunning guys, Accountant Zhao, covering their ears.

It's not that they like gossip like rural women, but they do have serious business. Han Hongbing is from Production Team 3. Team leader Xie Hushan may have just taken office and doesn't understand the specific work, but Ma Laowu has to get what needs to be done done, such as finding out whether Han Hongbing's household registration will be returned to Team 3, whether he will continue to farm after returning to Team 3, or whether he will be a non-agricultural household with a job and salary like Zhang Cheng and Xie Qimao.

As Ma Laowu and Accountant Zhao entered the yard, firecrackers exploded behind them. Han Hongbing took the cigarette returned by his brother, walked to Xie Hushan, and squatted next to him. The two of them and the dog squatted against the wall and watched the firecrackers popping in the distance.

Xie Hushan asked cheerfully, "Is your mother very happy?"

"Of course... My eldest brother is the apple of my mother's eye. He's still crying. He's cried himself to death twice." Han Hongbing smiled helplessly.

There is a reason why Han Laoer is not valued by his parents at home. It is mainly because when comparing the eldest and the second oldest, the second oldest is really not as good.

The eldest son in their family, Han Hongjun, was the kind of other people's children that the rural people always talked about. He was three years older than Xie Hushan and Han Hongbing. He was a good student and obedient. He graduated from junior high school and was three points away from being admitted to a technical secondary school. After that, he did not go to high school. He taught in the brigade primary school for a period of time and also worked as a cashier and timekeeper in the production team, earning work points every day. At that time, Xie Hushan and Han Hongbing were still climbing walls and trees all day long, doing nothing but wasting food.

Later, when he was old enough, Han Hongjun was drafted into the army. It seemed that he served in Shuzhou Province. In the second or third year, he became a squad leader. He earned six yuan a month as a soldier, and Han Hongjun was able to save four and a half yuan to send back home, thinking that his parents would buy something for his two younger brothers. To be honest, even though Han Laoer was his brother, Xie Hushan could not say against his will that Han Laoer was better than his brother.

"What do you think? Your brother doesn't have the same temper as our company commander. He certainly won't serve in the army for a few years and then come back to farm. He must solve the problem of work and household registration." Xie Hushan asked Han Hongbing.

So many people came to join in the fun, didn't they just want to know about this matter, to see whether Han Hongjun will come back to farm or rest for a few days and then go back to live in the city. As for whether he will be a cadre or a worker, it depends on the allocation of the county armed forces department's demobilization and resettlement office. However, no matter what the arrangement is, it is better than staying in the brigade to farm.

Among those who were drafted into the Zhongping Brigade over the years, the one who ended up doing the worst after retiring was someone like Zhang Cheng, who became the armed forces minister of the commune.

Most of the soldiers were discharged from the army and went to work in factories, became city dwellers, or stayed in the army to be promoted and continue to defend the country. It was purely accidental that the armed company commander Ge Baosheng came back to continue farming. If he had not been impulsive, he would have been placed in a factory to work and enjoy a good life.

Hearing Xie Hushan's question, Han Hongbing shook his head:

"How can he be like our company commander? My brother is so honest and obedient. He has won a second-class collective merit and two third-class individual merits. According to previous years, he will definitely be able to stay in the army and be promoted."

"But this year, his troops went to the south to fight monkeys. This achievement is not very impressive. There are too many troops and comrades who have made contributions. So when the leader talked to him, he didn't have much chance to stay. If he took the initiative to report, the army could consider his feelings and help him fight for local retirement resettlement treatment. You don't know him yet. He was obedient and listened to advice. Isn't he back now?"

"I was accompanied back by the County Armed Forces Department's Demobilization and Resettlement Office. I've already been told that my work unit has been contacted. I'll go to the personnel department of our county's newly built No. 1 Fertilizer Plant in a couple of days to complete the formalities. I'll be assigned to the No. 1 Fertilizer Plant's Public Security Department. I'll be treated as a worker, but I'll be forced to work at the Public Security Bureau as a labor substitute."

"What a winner in life." Xie Hushan listened to Han Hongbing talking about his brother's retirement arrangements and said with emotion: "The country has made really good arrangements for these soldiers who defend the country."

Xie Hushan had never been a soldier, but after two lives, he found that the country's arrangements for soldiers were very good. In his previous life, he had a buddy who often played basketball with him on Saturday afternoons. This guy couldn't even recognize words, and he even pronounced "jingjingye" as "kekeyeye". But such a rough guy was actually a career teacher in a school. Although he didn't teach classes and was responsible for logistics, he was still a teacher. So Xie Hushan laughed at him at that time, questioning what back door he had used to allow an illiterate person to sneak into the teaching team and eat public food.

As a result, my golfing friend just said one thing: it's nothing, I just served as a soldier for two years in 1997 and 1998 to stop floods. As a result, the state issued a document that those who served the country in those two years must be arranged jobs by the local government after they are discharged from the army. It is a must.

Therefore, the job he got as a logistics teacher after retiring from the army was like a back door granted by the state.

The golfer himself did not expect that after serving as a conscripted soldier for two years and never fighting in a war, the country would arrange a stable job for him after he retired.

Also, Han Hongbing told me about Han Hongjun's arrangement, which was also pretty good. He would have a stable job in a factory after retirement. It was just a pity for the Han family that because two third-class merit awards could not be made to allow Han Hongjun to continue to stay in the army.

Normally, if it were peacetime in previous years, Han Hongjun's two third-class individual merits would have made it a sure thing for him to stay in the army and get promoted. But this year, because he beat up the Vietnamese monkeys and had so many amazing comrades, Han Hongjun's contribution was not significant.

His leaders advised him to carry forward his style, and he did so. Then the army treated him well, and between the two newly built fertilizer plants in the county, he went to work at the First Fertilizer Plant, enjoying the high salary and benefits of workers, but he did not have to go to work at the First Fertilizer Plant on the outskirts of the county. After he reported for work and completed the on-the-job training, the county public security bureau sent a transfer notice to the fertilizer plant, arranging for him to work at the public security bureau.

Working in lieu of work is an employment policy that many government agencies in Bingyang County and even across the country have been forced to introduce in this era.

Because a large number of retired soldiers choose to work in factories and refuse to work in government agencies as state cadres, many front-line units are short of staff.

The situation is particularly serious in units like the Public Security Bureau, where the salary is low and the work is heavy. However, the public security system has high requirements on the physical condition, obedience, and political awareness of its staff. In fact, the most ideal recruitment target is retired and transferred soldiers.

But the veterans would rather work as security guards at factories than go to the police station and wear guns and uniforms. After all, the workers are treated too well.

The policy of working in lieu of work was only introduced as a last resort. Almost every year, the Veterans Resettlement Office of the County Armed Forces Department would give the county bureau a copy of the files of outstanding veterans who transferred to factories, and let the county bureau secretly select them. The armed forces department would then help with ideological work among the factories and veterans, and try to send a few people to the Public Security Bureau.

It is equivalent to still being a worker, but doing the work of a cadre in the Public Security Bureau. The Public Security Bureau will generally give some sweet treats to such people, and fool them if they can, play the emotional card, and then fool them into becoming a cadre within one or two years, and completely work for the Public Security Bureau, so they can forget about going back to the factory to enjoy the good life.

"I don't know if it's good or not." Han Hongbing sighed and said with a pained face: "You said my brother came back, but my mother didn't forget to scold me. I also admire my brother. Eye drops are effective."

Xie Hushan asked curiously, "Can I apply eye drops to you right after I came back?"

"What I'm wondering is, how can my brother solve his marriage problems by writing letters while serving in the army? I'm concentrating on finding a girlfriend and I haven't found one yet, but he can get married at any time. How can it be logical? When my mother heard that my brother had a girlfriend, she scolded me, saying that I was not good at studying, and I was not good at finding a girlfriend, and I was not as good as my brother." Han Hongbing flicked away the cigarette butt and said, touching Dahei's head.

"You have found a partner?"

"My brother's female classmate in junior high school, both of them were good at studying. The girl was admitted to a technical secondary school, but my brother missed the admission by three points. As a result, the two kept in touch with each other through letters during the time when my brother was in the army. After graduating from the technical secondary school, the girl was assigned to the current county No. 1 Middle School as a teacher, and my brother went to work at the county public security bureau. Isn't this a perfect match? Otherwise, my mother would be crying and laughing, and the Han family would be so happy to squeeze into my house?" Han Hongbing rubbed his face:
"My brother is back, and my good days are over. My mom will definitely scold me every day again."

"I always wonder if you have any opinion about your elder brother? I have known you since we were little, and you use this tone when you mention him, as if you can't wait to stay away from him." Xie Hushan asked Han Hongbing.

Generally speaking, boys who have older brothers who are not too far apart in age will tend to be closer to their older brothers. For example, the brothers Ma Saner and Cao Ma, Cao Ma follows Ma Saner around and plays with him all day long.

Or people like Han Laosan and Han Laoer, Han Laosan would run around behind Han Laoer whenever they had free time, but as far as Xie Hushan could remember, he had never seen Han Laoer following Han Hongjun all day long. He always played with Xie Hushan's Lao Meng and other peers. It seemed that Han Laoer and his brother had never been on the same page since they were young.

"I don't know. Maybe I feel that he is not like a brother, but more like a mother. He takes care of me for my mother every day. Which brother doesn't take his younger brother to play? Would you be happy if someone takes care of you every day?" Han Hongbing said with a smile.

As expected, Xie Hushan was actively invited to the banquet in the evening. This was a must, as he was the captain of the third team and the brigade's security director. If anyone from the third team invited someone to dinner and didn't invite him, they wouldn't be able to enjoy the meal in peace.

It is a big deal for the family if the children and grandchildren in the family are promising and have changed their class background. In the previous life, it is probably equivalent to one's own children being admitted to a prestigious university. Even being admitted to a prestigious university is not as good as this. After all, in the previous life, college graduates may still need to find a job. But Han Hongjun is in a situation where he has a stable job. If he is willing to change from an employee to a civil servant and give up the treatment of a worker, he can become a state cadre at any time.

So the Han family set up seven or eight tables for the banquet, and even the neighbors on both sides set up tables to entertain the guests. The benches, bowls, chopsticks and tables of half of the three teams' homes were borrowed by the Han family.

Over there, Han Hongjun followed his father Han Chenggui in a proper manner to pay respects to the elders of the Han family, and then came to the table of cadres from the brigade and the third team. All the cadres except Han Laogou sat at this table.

Ma Laowu was still a very sensible old man. When he saw Han Hongjun approaching the table with a bowl of wine, he gave a signal to the people at the same table in advance:
"Pay attention, don't talk nonsense, and say more nice things. I tell you, next time Dajun comes back, he will be the leader of the county. If he doesn't handle it well, even Xiao Feng of the commune will be under his control." Not until Han Hongjun came over did Xie Hushan have a chance to see him clearly. Compared with the gentle and honest eldest brother of the Han family before joining the army, Han Hongjun has changed a lot. It is true that being a soldier trains people, especially after going to the battlefield. Han Hongjun is now more like special envoy Lao Feng. He is extremely vigilant, with a smile on his face and looks like he has drunk a lot of alcohol, but in fact, nothing has happened. When he greets and talks to everyone, his eyes or ears can pay attention to other movements around him.

"Da Jun, you have made great progress. Your parents can finally rest assured. During this little year, your parents may have been thinking about you a lot. Come back this time and spend some time with them." Ma Laowu stood up and complimented Han Hongjun and his son.

Han Chenggui was already drunk. It had nothing to do with the alcohol. His son's good news was more intoxicating than the alcohol. There had been no news about his son for more than a year. He only knew that he had gone to the front line. There was no news whether he was dead or alive. The couple had not changed in front of others, but he knew how many times they had shed tears behind their backs. Fortunately, his son was lucky and came back safe and sound with his hands and feet still intact. The country also arranged a job for him and his son even found a wife. This made Han Chenggui feel like everything was like a dream. Suddenly, his life had become almost perfect from the previous difficulties and hardships.

Han Hongjun smiled shyly, raised his glass and toasted the elders at the table one by one. When only Xie Hushan, who was younger than him, was left, Han Hongjun patted him on the shoulder, filled Xie Hushan's glass, raised his glass and clinked it with Xie Hushan's, then raised his neck and drank the wine in one gulp, then put his arm around Xie Hushan's shoulders and said:

"Hushan, I heard from my family that over the past year or so, thanks to you for taking care of our second son. You took him to Hong Kong Island to earn subsidies, and let him work in the brigade factory to earn money. You also helped with everything at home. Thank you."

"Brother, you're too polite. Han Laoer and I are close friends. His business is my business." Xie Hushan picked up the wine glass and drank it all, then said to Han Hongjun with a smile.

"If you have anything to say next time, tell me. I heard from Special Commissioner Feng that the county bureau also tried to get rid of you. I told him that maybe the county bureau couldn't get rid of Xie Hushan, so they kept me in the county bureau to work, specifically to get rid of people in Zhongping." Han Hongjun joked to Xie Hushan with a smile.

Xie Hushan also laughed: "If you want to take me away, I will definitely follow you obediently. As long as the Second Uncle and the team don't object, it's fine. We are all serving the people, so it doesn't matter where I serve."

"It's still the same as before." Han Hongjun laughed and followed his father to the next table:
"There are a lot of people here today. When I get my job and receive my first month's salary, I will definitely invite you and Lao Er to go to a restaurant in the county town. We can have a good drink then."

Han Hongjun stayed at home for three days and then went to report to work in the county. Although he tried to go home once a week, according to Han Laoer, it was probably difficult because his girlfriend worked at the No. 1 Middle School in the county and he had to spend time with her during his rest time, so he had no time to come back.

However, Han Hongjun's return this time has made the majority of Zhongping members more determined to send their children and grandchildren to school or join the army. As long as they can go out, it seems that doing anything is better than being a farmer.

A few days later, uncle Xie Qimao and second uncle Xie Qifeng also hosted a banquet with two tables. The banquet was held in order to start construction of a new house for their nephew Xie Hushan in the next spring. They invited the best carpenters and bricklayers in the area, as well as men in the brigade who had a good relationship with the Xie family.

Treating guests is equivalent to making a reservation. Once these carpenters and bricklayers are reserved, in the spring of next year, these carpenters and bricklayers will no longer accept house-building jobs for other families, but will help start construction on Xie Hushan’s homestead as agreed.

New houses in Bingyang County are usually built in spring. The crops in the fields are all wheat, and there is not much work to do except watering the fields, so there is enough time. The most important thing is that the temperature is suitable, neither too cold nor too hot, which makes construction convenient. Mixing mud or laying reefs dries faster than in winter, and there is no need to worry about rain in summer.

Xie Hushan was not too excited about building a new house. Taozi and grandma had the final say on how to build the new house.

Because the approved land is large, Taozi and grandma have tentatively planned to build three main rooms without kitchens in the north, three side rooms in the west, and three side rooms in the east, and then build a flower wall, a moon gate, etc., so that all the land designated in the land book will be occupied. The remaining private land will be enclosed as a yard, and the old man can grow whatever he likes.

Grandma liked this arrangement very much, because Taozi basically never expressed any opinions and always coaxed grandma to speak out her ideas. As soon as the idea of ​​the house came out, when Taozi talked about it with Xie Hushan, the old man who was listening nearby chuckled and said, "This is the house your grandma built according to the house she lived in back then. Country people don't know what a flower wall, an east and west wing, or a moon gate are."

Xie Hushan was not excited, but some people were. The most excited one was his future father-in-law, Jin Mancang. As soon as the construction start date was set, Jin Mancang and his wife Li Qiaozhi came to Zhongping with the tractor bought by the Yakou Production Team No. 2.

On the tractor were the finest wood that Jin Mancang had picked out for his son-in-law and daughter one by one by hand since he had gone into the mountains to arrange the marriage.

Grandma, grandpa, aunt, and second uncle were very excited when they saw the cart of wood. They kept telling Lao Jin that not only his father-in-law, but also his biological father had contributed so much.

It was only then that Xie Hushan realized the origin of the truckload of wood after hearing what his grandmother said. To select wood in the mountains, one cannot just go through the motions and choose which wood is suitable. One has to pick them one by one. It takes half a day to get out of the mountain once. And one does not go to the same place every time. If one has picked wood before, one has to go to a farther place next time. Moreover, after picking the wood, one cannot load it onto a truck and transport it out. There is no truck and there may not even be a road. One has to cut the wood into pieces after picking it, and then one or two people use ropes to slowly drag the wood out of the mountain to a place with a road and load it onto a truck.

Just to get the dozen or so pieces of wood on the tractor, Jin Mancang would have to go to Xishan countless times this year to get them all.

Lao Jin has always been thinking about adding something to his uncle's family, but if he wants something expensive, there is not much money at home, and his uncle's daughter doesn't need it either.

Let's add some needles and thread. Old Jin is unwilling to give up. His daughter is marrying far away and it only happens once in a lifetime, so he must buy some good things for the young couple.

So after much thought, Jin Mancang felt that nothing could be better than helping the two of them select the wood. At that time, he was thinking that if Xie Hushan did not build a new house and lived in the old house, the wood could be sold to make some money to fill the pockets of the young couple to live on. If Xie Hushan had money to build a new house in the future, then this wood would be used sooner or later.

When they first got engaged, Jin Mancang thought that he could slowly save up the wood, and in three years his son-in-law would be able to build a new house. However, he didn't expect that the new house would be built before they even got married, which caught him off guard.

Half of the wood on the tractor was picked up by him in the mountains, and the other half was actually bought by him nearby. All of them were top-quality Xishan chestnut wood. Although this wood could not be used to make roof beams, it was the best for making rafters for furniture. Before liberation, only wealthy families would be willing to use chestnut wood for rafters.

As for the beams, they are the backbone of the family and the business of the elders of the Xie family. He cannot steal the limelight.

The beams for the house were eventually obtained by the old man by cutting down two elm trees in front of his house, and then using his connections to buy a few more. This was equivalent to telling outsiders that it would be natural for Xie Hushan to provide for him in his old age, because the beams in the house all belonged to the old man.

When building houses in Bingyang County, the beams are usually made of elm or willow. Usually, good elm is grown and used by the residents themselves.

For example, if Xie Hushan's new house is built, according to rural custom, two elm trees should be planted at the door of the new house that year, and repaired at irregular intervals every year. In this way, when his children grow up and want to build a house, the elm trees can be cut down to use as beams.

"Well, my in-laws, my husband and I are here for one thing. We want to take Taozi back home. We're getting married next year. This year is her last year at home, so let her live well here for the next few months. Besides, even if the conditions at home are not good, we can't let her suffer. We have to prepare something for her. The Jin family is not selling their daughter, so my daughter needs a dowry." Li Qiaozhi told her aunt and grandmother that she wanted to take Taozi back home to live for a while. After all, her daughter would definitely be a member of the Xie family next year, and would be a guest when she went home again. If she didn't live there comfortably this year, she would never have the chance to stay there permanently in the future.

The family was a little sad because they had to be separated for more than two months, but Xie Hushan comforted them on the spot. He said to Taozi in front of everyone:
"Have you forgotten that we have a car? I'll take you home today, and then I'll stay there tonight. Tomorrow morning after breakfast, we'll drive back and continue studying the house during the day. At night, I'll drive you back again, which means we'll stay at your house for a while at night."

So during the first few days after Taozi returned, Xie Hushan really stayed at the cliff every night. After breakfast in the morning, he drove Taozi back and asked Taozi to continue studying the residential land. At first, Taozi felt quite happy, but after three days, she refused to get in the car no matter what. She told Xie Hushan that her waist hurt from sitting.

In fact, the back pain is not the point. The point is that she feels back pain. Her third brother must also have back pain, but he just didn't say anything to make her happy.

Xie Hushan felt that the most lovable thing about Taozi was her caring nature. Not only had she never ridden in a car before, but after riding in a car, she rushed out with a lumbar cushion and gave it to Xie Hushan, asking him to use it under his body while driving. Now, Xie Hushan has to take off the cushion every time he gets out of the car.

Those animals who borrowed their own cars did not deserve this treatment.

In fact, during this period, there were relatively few times when cars were borrowed. Xie Hushan drove more often by himself, and most of his time was spent driving around the county drinking and socializing.

Originally, he wanted to take Ma Saner to Changchun to do business. There were several factories in Changchun that needed steel pipes. Ma Saner was more reliable in dealing with people than Daxi and could develop into a salesman. As a result, the deputy factory director Lao Jiang had an old co-worker with whom he had known for many years. His hometown was Changchun and he wanted to go back with his family to celebrate the New Year this year. Lao Jiang suggested that Ma Saner just follow his co-worker to Changchun with samples from the pipe factory to get acquainted and understand what models the other party needed. There was no need to rush to buy or sell. Ma Saner had been gone for more than a week and it was probably time for him to come back soon.

So Xie Hushan went to the county almost every day. He did not forget why Ma Laowu asked him to be the production team leader and to find some side jobs for everyone.

At the headquarters of Team 3, Xie Hushan looked at the team committee members sitting in a circle on the benches and shouted outside: "Han Laosan, keep an eye on Dahei. People other than Team 3 are strictly prohibited from approaching. This meeting is of great importance and no information can be leaked."

"Don't worry, Third Brother." Han Lao San said while chewing a sticky rice dumpling outside.

"You are so weird, if you have something to say, please tell me now." Ma Laowu held his pipe in his mouth and looked at Xie Hushan: "I just can't stand your weird behavior."

Xie Hushan cleared his throat and said, "Although according to the procedure, I will take office as the production team leader after the Spring Festival, but because Ma Laowu feels that his talents are not good enough and his morals are not worthy of the position, coupled with his lifestyle and other problems, so..."

"If you have something to say, just say it! What's wrong with my lifestyle? Stop talking nonsense, or I'll beat you up!" Ma Laowu said angrily.

Xie Hushan said, "You are watching the dogs by yourself, but you don't bring everyone to watch it together. This is a problem... Don't be happy, let's get down to business. We can discuss the specific place to watch the dogs privately with Lao Wu later. I will say this at the meeting. During this period of time, I handed in all the work in the factory, sent my wife away, and drank heavily every day. Who the hell am I doing this for? It's all for Team Three."

Several members of the team committee, led by Accountant Zhao, turned their heads away.

"I walked through all the farmland of Team 3, learned about the members' information, and went to the county to build relationships and use backdoors. Now I think we can start a side business."

Upon hearing this, the team committee members of the three teams who were in the meeting immediately turned their heads away, and each of them smiled as big as rotten peaches.

Why did everyone choose this guy as the captain with a smile on their face? Isn't it because this guy is good at side jobs and they want him to use his brain to help everyone improve their lives?

During this period of time, Xie Hushan, that bastard, has been bullying them hard. Not to mention Ma Laowu and Accountant Zhao, even the women's team leader Liu Fenglian has been ordered around like a servant.

"Ten women farm machinery operators don't count. I currently have three strategies that can help the three teams out of their predicament." Xie Hushan took out his notebook, opened it, and said in the tone of Ma Saner's grandfather's storytelling:
"First, dairy farming. Thanks to the relationship between my grandfather's veterinary station and the county animal husbandry bureau, we can do this sideline business. We set up a dairy farm and arranged for someone to be responsible for raising, milking, and collecting milk. Then we deliver the milk to the county food company to make money."

"The advantage is that we have people at the veterinary station, so the cows are less likely to get sick or die. The disadvantage is that it is costly, requires a lot of investment, and has a low return."

After hearing Xie Hushan's first point, Lao Lu, the leader of the carriage and horse team, couldn't sit still. He thought this was a good idea, so he might as well do it. Good dairy cow breeds are hard to buy, and with Xie Damao's relationship with the county animal husbandry bureau, he can definitely buy good ones. Moreover, he has also found a county food company to collect milk, so he can make cash every day. Where can he find such a good thing?

Just as he was about to say that this was a good idea, Accountant Zhao and Ma Laowu glared back at him, saying that they were country bumpkins who had never seen the world and should at least listen to it first.

"Secondly, our team's tofu workshop has been expanded and converted into a small processing plant. We can't just rely on Er Xiazi and Wang Quezi to make a living. With these two, when can the tofu business become bigger and stronger?"

"The brigade now has three factories, a steel rolling mill, an offset printing plant, and a pipe-making plant, with a total of more than 200 workers. What I mean is that after the expansion, the purchase of soy products for the canteens of the three factories will all be under our tofu workshop. I can make the decision on this matter. If any of the three factories objects, I will deal with them."

"That's not much. Is it necessary to expand?" Accountant Zhao asked uncertainly after hearing what Xie Hushan said.

More than 200 people sounds like a lot, but the cafeteria can’t serve tofu for three meals a day.

"I haven't finished yet. After changing it to a soy product processing factory and being able to do public business, the canteen of the County Animal Husbandry Bureau, the canteen of the County Agricultural Machinery Factory, and the canteen of the County Party Committee. These three canteens are respectively related to Minister Jiao, Lao Zhang of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and Lao Yang. With their help, they agreed to let us deliver soy products to the canteens. However, they settle the bill every three months and usually make receipts. We have to say something unpleasant in secret, but the purchase volume of these three canteens can be very large, because the waste is not noticeable, and we can even not deliver the goods but just make receipts. As long as we have a good relationship with the canteen managers..."

"We have to send it. We can improve the relationship, but we can't do anything evil!" Ma Laowu interrupted Xie Hushan.

"Third, furniture workshops. I asked Hong Kong businessmen in Hong Kong to get me a few product brochures of their small furniture factories in Hong Kong. They are all popular styles there. Lao Wu will take them to the two carpenters in our team to study and see if they can be made. What kind of machines and materials are needed, the team will find a way to solve them. If we can imitate 70% to 80%, I will negotiate with Lao Zhang from the supply and marketing cooperative and give him a large wardrobe. In exchange, he can put our furniture there and try to sell it. If it can be sold, I will register a small furniture factory and I will use my connections to sell it in the county town and Yaoshan shopping malls. I can also let the carpenter take in a few apprentices."

Accountant Zhao scratched his chin and looked at Xie Hushan. He thought for a while before speaking: "Hu Saner, the two factories in the brigade are both related to steel. Can't you think of giving our team some side businesses related to the two factories? The main thing is that the convenient conditions are here."

"Yes, Hu San'er, these three points are all good, but you can also think about a sideline business related to steel, so that the benefits will not flow to outsiders."

"Just these three, I know what you are thinking. You have a way to get scrap steel, you have a way to get coal, you can even build a few furnaces for Team 3 to refine rough billets, right?" Xie Hushan sneered at the two people's ideas and directly pointed out the other party's little tricks in their hearts:

"You're dreaming. That factory belongs to the brigade. If something happens, Han Laogou from the brigade can take the blame for me. Do you two old cunning fellows look like you can take the blame? If something happens, won't you be the first to betray me? Another thing is that the commune can take the blame for Han Laogou, but it may not be able to take the blame for you, Ma Laowu, or me, Xie Hushan. What is your relationship with Secretary Yin, and what is Han Laogou's relationship with him?"

"Then do these three things!" Ma Laowu looked at the other people and finally stood up and made a decision: "The first one makes money slowly, the second one makes money quickly, and the third one learns technology. Hu San has thought of everything. I have nothing to say..."

Han Laosan's voice sounded outside: "Brother San, Brother Ma is back, his arm is in a sling."

(End of this chapter)