Back to 1978

Chapter 208: The winding road
To be honest, what Zuo Jing saw and heard in Zhongping made him feel a little surprised, even unexpected.

During this period, various leaders of Yaoshan visited the grassroots, and he also went to several production brigades in other districts and counties. To be frank, the living conditions of the farmers can be described in four words: just getting by.

This is the result of the commune and brigade cadres' efforts to whitewash it.

Of course, judging from the visits, the farmers are still satisfied with the current situation, but Zuo Jing feels that this is not something that the cadres should be happy about, or even think is an achievement.

On the contrary, he believes that the reason why the peasant masses are satisfied with the status quo is that they have experienced too much suffering during the turmoil and are now more tolerant.

The commune and brigade cadres are stable and pragmatic. They no longer delay agricultural labor to engage in various so-called political activities that are meaningless to the farmers. They do not owe the production teams and the country famine. The annual output is enough to fill the stomachs of several people in the family and prevent the elderly from serious illnesses.

These are the praises he saw and heard from most farmers during his visits to the grassroots.

To put it simply, if the commune cadres stop making trouble, the brigade cadres stop showing off, the elderly at home don't get sick, and the crops in the fields are abundant, then 90 percent of the farmers will praise the national policies and the leaders for doing a good job.

The sincere expressions of gratitude from those rough-faced, dark-skinned peasant comrades made Zuo Jing feel uncomfortable, because he felt that there was nothing wrong with the policy of gratitude, but the expectations of the peasant masses seemed to have nothing to do with the cadres.

Moreover, the brigades he visited were the ones that were reported by the lower districts and counties for the leaders to visit, and they were the grassroots units that the district and county leaders felt had good performance in their jurisdictions.

If this is the case with production brigades that have achieved results, what about those brigades that district and county leaders dare not allow the prefectural committee to visit and feel they cannot be seen in public?
After visiting several places, Zuo Jing simply changed his tactics. He no longer asked his comrades from the county to accompany him. He took two attendants with him and rode bicycles to the countryside. However, he would not cross the line and embarrass the county leaders. He still only went to the production brigades reported by the county, but wanted to learn the truth directly from the masses and not let the commune cadres try to whitewash the situation.

The leaders of Bingyang County seemed to be confident in Zhongping Commune and actually cooperated with Zuo Jing, allowing him to conduct a disguised investigation and sneak into Zhongping to chat with the masses.

Zuo Jing visited so many production brigades, and the road in Zhongping Production Brigade was the best maintained. The ballast was almost a foot thick, so even a tractor or tank could pass through without worrying about getting stuck.

Zuo Jing estimated that Zhongping Brigade might not be able to buy large amounts of asphalt, cement and other building materials due to the reconstruction of Yaoshan. Otherwise, if the cost of ballast was converted, Zhongping could build asphalt or cement roads in key sections.

Other cadres might not pay attention to such details as the road surface, but Zuo Jing, who presided over the work of the Planning Commission, had been studying every day how to allocate various materials to complete the reconstruction of Yaoshan since his reinstatement. His sensitivity to reconstruction work and materials and building materials enabled him to judge at a glance from the road surface that the Zhongping Production Brigade was worthy of its name and was worthy of being the first one reported in Bingyang County.

Because infrastructure cannot be faked. Whether it is shoddy work or genuine materials can be concealed from outsiders, but not from people with discerning eyes.

Another thing is that the overall appearance of the farmers in Zhongping Brigade is completely different from those in the brigades he visited before. He rode his bicycle all the way and found that in comparison, the people of Zhongping were really at ease.

That person was so generous that he had no limits. If he were in any other production brigade, he would have been dragged out as a lazy person and beaten to death.

There are no farmers who can really do nothing during the slack season. The longer the slack season is, the more worried the farmers are.

Because it is the slack season during farming, it means that the production team has no work to assign to everyone. Without work, there are no work points, and without work points, there is no income.

Farmers can only live off their savings and count on the production team's year-end dividends. During the slack season, they watch their family's grain reserves decrease every day, with their physical strength but nothing to do. Farmers can only feel anxious, not at ease.

Even when visiting those brigades that had been whitewashed before, the farmers remained silent when the slack season was mentioned.

But what he saw in Zhongping was a different scene. When he passed an old farmer squatting at the door to watch his grandson, he stopped and asked:

"Brother, are you free?"

"During the slack season in farming, you have to take some time off. After a year of hard work, shouldn't you take a good rest?" It is said that people from Zhongping are difficult to beat, and the reputation is well-deserved. The old farmer spoke with a condescending tone.

Zuo Jing smiled and continued to ask, "The captain of our brigade is asking us to look for work all over the world. Doesn't your brigade have any arrangements? Can't we just sit there doing nothing all the time? Don't we have any income?"

"If there is no income, it means that your team leaders are all useless!" The old farmer spoke loudly. While he was talking to Zuo Jing, his hands were not idle. He was fiddling with his grandson's little bird, making a hissing sound, urging him to pee quickly:
"We are in Zhongping. It was a big town before liberation, and the land is fertile. Besides, our brigade cadres are not useless. Although they are a bit stupid, they can really think of ways to make money for everyone."

Zuo Jing smiled sincerely: "What kind of work is it, brother? Tell me about it. Our team will learn from you too. The New Year is coming soon, and we all want to earn a few more dollars."

"Does that mean you can learn it just by studying? I tell you that you can't learn it. Does your brigade have a steel rolling mill? Our brigade does, so during the slack season, the men take turns to go to the steel rolling mill and the pipe factory to work and earn work points. Does every household in your brigade have a bicycle? Our brigade does, so now women can push bicycles to the market and sell shrimp skins and hairtail fish, which are not common here." When the old farmer said this, he looked proud, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to be shining.

Zuo Jing quickly shook his head: "That's true. The steel mill makes a lot of money every year, right?"

"Who knows? I haven't believed it yet. I estimate it will be soon. At least every family will get a hundred or eighty yuan." Seeing Zuo Jing's admiring look, the old farmer continued to boast.

This time, Zuo Jing did not show the old farmer's satisfied admiration. Instead, he was stunned for a moment: "That's not right. I saw several tractors coming in and out in a short while. For such a large factory, each family only gets a hundred or eighty yuan. Isn't that too much?"

Seeing that Zuo Jing no longer flattered Zhong Ping, the old farmer glared at him:

"Who are you? Which team are you from? Can your team get an extra 180 yuan?"

"We can't divide it. Our team is not doing well and we can't support our sideline businesses." Seeing the old farmer's reaction, Zuo Jing immediately shook his head again.

The old farmer snorted, patted his grandson's butt, motioned for him to run back to the yard to play, and took out his pipe, lit it, and put it in his mouth:

"Why are you still telling me that it's too little? I'm telling you, don't equate us Zhongping people with your other brigades. We have a high level of awareness, and you guys are so hungry for money. We all know that the brigade can't give out all the money. How can we repair the roads and buy farm machinery? Do you know what awareness is? You look like an old-fashioned guy who doesn't know anything!"

After being scolded by the old farmer, Zuo Jing was not angry at all. Instead, he was quite happy, because only a farmer who was truly free would talk nonsense with him like this. If it were a farmer who couldn't make ends meet at home due to the slack season, he wouldn't be able to say such unpleasant words.

So at this moment, Zuo Jing was sitting in the meeting room of Zhongping Commune, looking at the trembling commune cadres and brigade cadres in front of him, and he sighed. They were all good cadres, but they were just messing around with their work. Grassroots cadres should be a good link between leaders and the masses, but most of them only know how to flatter leaders and ignore the masses. Although the cadres in Zhongping did not make such a mistake, they went to the other extreme, colluding with the masses, completely standing against the leaders, and treating the leaders as fat sheep to be slaughtered.

This behavior is certainly wrong, but frankly speaking, Zuo Jing likes them more by standing with the masses than with the leaders.

When cadres stand together with the masses, they can give the masses the confidence to face various problems, instead of being like in other brigades where the farmers look lifeless and numb.

"Secretary Yin, Secretary Feng of the Local Organs Working Committee is your old comrade-in-arms, right?" Zuo Jing took a sip of tea, looked at Yin Qianfeng who was smiling like a smiling Buddha next to him, and took the initiative to talk about this topic in a gentle tone.

Yin Qianfeng was a little surprised, but it was fleeting, and he smiled as usual: "Secretary Zuo, you are talking about Feng Kun, right? Yes, we are old comrades, but we haven't had much contact since we retired. We are all busy. It has been many years since we last contacted each other."

"Really? Secretary Feng didn't say that before I came. He said that you have a good relationship and you can occasionally find time to get together with him. How come you say you have no contact?" Zuo Jing pretended to be confused and asked deliberately.

Yin Qianfeng said without blinking, "Hey, Lao Feng probably thought of me. He knew you might come to Zhongping and said that we have a good relationship. For his sake, even if Zhongping didn't do a good job of receiving you, you can be more tolerant."

Zuo Jing nodded slightly after listening.

Yin Qianfeng is an old fox and is very vigilant. He mentioned Feng Kun at the beginning in order to build a closer relationship and ease the atmosphere. If it was an ordinary grassroots cadre, he would definitely take advantage of the opportunity, but Yin Qianfeng may have been punished too many times and would rather not build a closer relationship. He would never say anything that might affect his comrades, because from Yin Qianfeng's point of view, he doesn't know whether he, the leader of Yaoshan, is a human or a ghost, and whether his comrades really have a good relationship with him.

For more than ten years, the cadres have been worried about the word "bullying".

"Secretary Feng said that you stole his wine. He knew I might come to Zhongping, so he told me on purpose." Zuo Jing smiled and said, "He also stole mine. So, I can collect the debt from you and we'll be even."

"You must be kidding. When did it happen?"

"A few years ago, we were working on the farm together." Zuo Jing said with a smile, "Several years have passed in the blink of an eye, but it seems like it was just yesterday."

Xie Hushan, Han Laogou, and Ma Laowu all looked at Yin Qianfeng and Zuo Jing talking as if they were wooden sculptures or clay figures. Xie Hushan took the time to look at Yang Limin, who was next to him, and asked in a mosquito-like voice:

"What are the two of them talking about?"

Although Xie Hushan used the term "pandao" as if it was a meeting between two groups of bandits, Yang Liming still nodded slightly, because the two leaders were indeed discussing each other to determine whether they were of the same kind and whether they really had a friendship.

When he heard that he had been to the farm with Feng Kun, Yin Qianfeng's stereotypical smile turned into a heartfelt smile: "That's right, I've been in Zhongping for many years in the blink of an eye. The year I came to Zhongping, Feng Kun was transferred from the county to the prefectural committee. I was just about to congratulate him, but then he went to a more grassroots farm for reform. He was said to have made the mistake of turning right after turning left. I stole the wine at that time. Anyway, he had no chance to drink it on the farm, so I took it away before the house was searched."

"When you were drinking, did you forget two baskets of squash and sweet potatoes at his house?"

"Oh, that's true. I didn't forget it. I'm not afraid that he will starve to death, but I'm afraid that his family will starve. I'll get some food from Zhongping after that..."

"They stole it. He and his brother-in-law." Han Laogou interjected.

"Hold your words."

"There was a basket of his family members who sent it to my house." Zuo Jing said with a smile, "Speaking of which, after all these twists and turns, it is fate that brings us together."

"It's not about settling accounts with him. When Secretary Yin and his brother-in-law were stealing, I was an accomplice. I was the one who let them know and taught them step by step which pieces of land to steal." Han Laogou added.

"This is not the first time I've met Secretary Han. I've met him at a commendation meeting before. His outspoken, daring and responsible style left a deep impression on me. Secretary Han has made an indelible contribution to the current situation of Zhongping." Zuo Jing almost couldn't hold back his laughter and broke down on the spot.

The people of Zhongping ate like this. They didn't say a word, just stared at each other, and even took advantage of the situation to add insult to injury by reporting the commune secretary for stealing food from the people.

However, when he heard that he and Yin Qianfeng were friends, he immediately changed his position and kept watch for his leader whenever he stole something.

"Comrade Xie Hushan, I can't forget the impression of Captain Xie. As for the black and red list..." Zuo Jing looked at Xie Hushan, who was asking Ma Laowu whether he knew about the incident of Yin Qianfeng and Han Laogou teaming up to steal things, and spoke.

Xie Hushan immediately turned around and spoke in a humble tone: "Leader, you can just call me Xiao Xie or Xiao San'er, don't call me by my title. It's too serious and my pants will get wet easily. Today I specially wore urea shorts under my cotton pants. This thing is not a decent fabric. If it gets wet, it will burn my flesh and it will be uncomfortable to wear."

Zuo Jing looked at Yin Qianfeng and Han Laogou in a daze. He didn't quite understand what Xie Hushan meant by "being too serious will make your pants wet"?
After Yin Qianfeng finished his talk, he had completely betrayed the masses and unconditionally sided with the leader. He explained to Zuo Jing in a servile manner:
"Secretary Zuo, ignore him. He is a troublemaker. What he means is..."

"I understand what he means. He changed his clothes because of me. He wanted to pretend to be poor in front of me. But I didn't understand. What's the point of him wearing urea shorts? He was going to take off his pants in front of me?" Zuo Jing noticed that there were no women in the room, so he spoke without too many scruples and was a little more relaxed.

Yin Qianfeng added fuel to the fire: "Don't underestimate him, Secretary Zuo. It's not his age that makes him shameless. Although he is young, when it comes to shamelessness, he is the best in Zhongping..."

"Secretary Qianfeng, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to describe the people like this?" Zuo Jing said to Yin Qianfeng.

When Yin Qianfeng saw that Zuo Jing's words were inappropriate, he immediately found a witness for himself: "Xiao Yang has a say in this matter. I heard that Xiao Yang was a cadre sent from the county, and Xie Hushan did this."

"To be fair, there are differences between the two things and they cannot be confused. When I first arrived, Xie Hushan really couldn't afford to wear pants and he was not pretending to be poor. But today, he is pretending to be poor." Seeing Zuo Jing looking at him, Yang Liming was more loyal than Yin Qianfeng and spoke the truth without completely siding with the leader.

Zuo Jing looked at Xie Hushan with a gentle gaze: "Then what exactly does Captain Xie want me to see by asking the people to pretend to be poor? And what problem does he want to report to the leaders through me?"

(End of this chapter)