The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 91: When workers and peasants unite as one, who in the world can rival them?

Begging for food in saline-alkali land is truly a tough job.

This type of land needs to be tilled every year because its surface crusts over every year.

Qian Jin picked up a clod of earth covered in salt frost, squeezed it, and crushed it into powder with a hiss.

Wang Dong turned his head and said, "It's like the new peach shortbread from the supply and marketing cooperative."

This is completely different from peach shortbread.

Qian Jin shook his head.

It's very uncomfortable when rough dirt gets stuck under your fingernails.

The north wind, carrying the salty smell of the near sea, pierced people's noses like rusty blades, cutting into their nasal mucosa and causing pain.

The production team laborers who came to work together were already used to it, chatting and laughing while working, and their progress was much faster than that of the young people in the shock brigade.

Of course, this is normal. Good laborers can't compare to old laborers. There has always been such a saying in the production team.

In particular, several veteran workers in the production team would smoke their pipes and wield their shovels and hoes like windmills.

The commando, a young man in his early twenties, clutched his back and panted, "Uncle, you guys have some tricks up your sleeve! Teach me your secrets!"

"I can't teach you!" The old man spat out his cigarette butt, revealing a missing front tooth.

"This skill is something you learn when you're a child. When I was your age, I used to sleep on this ground every day like it was a warm bed and to serve it like a new bride. It's all about practice makes perfect."

As he spoke, he slammed the shovel into the frozen ground, and with a clang, a lump of salt the size of a fist fell off.

Qian Jin worked in the saline-alkali land for more than an hour, then put on his clothes to check on the team gathering firewood.

Local firewood mainly comes from two sources: one is accumulated crop waste, such as corn stalks, wheat stalks, peanut shells, and corn cobs.

Secondly, they collected fallen branches and cut oak trees in the forest.

Oak trees are quite common in coastal areas; they can be found in clusters on any small hill.

Liu Wangcai pointed to the sea and explained to Qian Jin, "There's an island over there; it's great for beachcombing."

"It's called that because there are many oak trees on the island, so it was originally called Oak Island. But we locals aren't very educated, so over time it became known as Sitting Island, haha."

The labor commando team contains talents from all walks of life.

Zhao Weiguo came from a forestry background; he went to the Xinganling Forestry Farm when he was sent to the countryside.

He taught several young people how to identify the age of a tree: "The branches that are five years old are the most vigorous, and if you leave a stump about three fingers wide, it will still grow well next year..."

The axe clanged loudly, startling the crows in the woods into flight.

The team members tightened the sleeves of their cotton-padded jackets and slid down the mountain, dragging the thick oak logs.

This is not only tiring but also dangerous.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Weiguo waved his hand and said, "Use your brains more! What did the leader say? The working people have a lot of wisdom!"

When he taught his team members how to bundle oak logs, he would shape them into a near-cylindrical form and then roll them down the hillside.

As the oak logs rolled down, the team members cheered with joy.

Zhao Weiguo proudly tossed his hand and said, "That's what they call Deng Ai rolling down the hillside!"

Is a character.

Qian Jin gave a thumbs up: "Using the past to serve the present, today we're rolling up the firewood of socialism."

Cutting oak trees is a labor-intensive farm job, no easier than digging the ground.

One reason is that they grow on hillsides, requiring people to climb and cut them down.

On the other hand, it was a bundle of oak logs, trunk and leaves included, and it was quite heavy.

After the money came in, he worked up a sweat.

As the captain, he must lead by example.

This made him somewhat regretful.

Get a chainsaw for him later; that guy's a master at chopping down trees.

However, after considering the size of the chainsaw, he realized that the gold box he was holding was only 40 centimeters long, and it wouldn't fit!
Zhao Weiguo selected oak trees, marking the ones suitable for felling, and the commune members and team members followed suit.

Liu Youyu stayed by his side, keeping a close eye on safety.

Cutting down trees is the easiest way to cause accidents!
Qian Jin noticed that Zhao Weiguo had marked quite a few trees and asked, "Isn't this part about sustainable development?"

Zhao Weiguo asked in confusion, "Huh? What do you mean, Chief?"

Qian Jin explained, and Zhao Weiguo waved his hand: "Don't be fooled by how big the oak tree is. It's actually like a shrub. It's not afraid of being cut down. You could even say it's stubborn. The more you cut it down, the more it grows."

"As long as the roots are still there, they will grow new branches the following spring, year after year, in an endless cycle."

After hearing this, Qian Jin exclaimed, "I've learned something new!"

As they were busy working, the woods shook violently, and suddenly a yellow-haired wild rabbit darted out.

"We've got a rabbit!" The team members were so excited their voices cracked.

It's too late to say.

A yellow dog darted out from beside one of the commune members, its ears tucked in and its eyes wide, and pounced on the rabbit like an arrow released from a bow.

The commune member laughed and said, "We've been waiting for this moment for a long time. We always bring our dogs with us when we come to cut oak."

Generally speaking, Chinese rural dogs are not very good at catching wild rabbits.

But this yellow dog was incredibly fierce. It ran, jumped, and rolled around, crashing into trees several times before changing direction, and finally managed to pounce on the wild rabbit and knock it down in a patch of grass!

It brought back a rabbit.

At Liu Wangcai's call, it obediently handed itself to him:
"Let's go check on the winter water storage area and take care of the rabbits while we're at it."

Winter water storage refers to drawing water from reservoirs in farmland.

The production team had both carrying poles and buckets, as well as water carts made from converted handcarts; the job was simple.

However, this was the biggest problem for the production team.

Qian went inside to take a look.

The natural conditions in Liu's production team were really bad.

There are no rivers near the village.

We rely entirely on wells for drinking water and irrigation.

However, people living by the sea know that the groundwater in such places is subject to seawater intrusion, so the water drawn from the wells is not good to drink; it tastes astringent and bitter. People in coastal rural areas call it "fa yan" (发盐).

The Liu family's farmland is saline-alkali land, which is not only a historical problem, but also related to the fact that it is always irrigated with this kind of saline groundwater.

Therefore, storing water for winter is an important issue for the team.

The crops in the fields haven't grown yet, so there's not much water, but the river has plenty of water. Villages like Liujia Production Team need to take advantage of this time to store water for their crops.

Qian went in to check the situation and found that the reservoir had some problems.

Water storage is not something that can be solved by simply digging a hole in the ground; otherwise, the water will seep into the soil and run away.

The reservoir of Liu's production team was covered with a layer of cement. This was sponsored by a unit in the city during the period when the country was vigorously developing water conservancy construction projects in the 1950s.

Now, twenty years later, cracks have appeared on the cement surface.

As a result of evaporation and leakage, the reservoir became a useless resource.

After inspecting the situation, Qian Jin gave Liu Wangcai a suggestion: "Actually, we could dig a new reservoir..."

"Where do we get so much cement?" A fellow villager working nearby asked bluntly, "Our team doesn't even have enough cement to plaster houses right now."

Qian Jin said, "We don't necessarily have to rely on cement; we can cover the pool with a large plastic sheet."

He had seen many such reservoirs in the countryside during his 27 years there.

Liu Wangcai, who was squatting on the ground skinning a rabbit, burst out laughing: "Where do you find such a big plastic sheet? It's harder to find than cement!"

"Last winter, the commune gave us a piece of plastic sheeting as a reward. We cut it into more than ten pieces and gave it to the elderly living alone to cover their windows, but it wasn't enough."

Qian Jin pondered: "Let me try to figure it out for your team. I've been assigned to work in Jiagang by the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. There are many warehouses, supplies, and ships coming and going from the north and south there."

Upon hearing this, Liu Wangcai jumped up excitedly: "If you could get some cement or large plastic sheeting, that would be a huge help to our team!"

Crops cannot live without water.

Fertilizer is indispensable.

There's a saying in the countryside that goes, "A good crop depends entirely on manure."

Several members of the commando team went to assist in transporting the ash fertilizer.

This job is the dirtiest.

Fortunately, the labor task force was responsible for unclogging toilets and digging cesspools on the streets, which the team members could accept.

On the contrary, Qian Jin couldn't stand it.

He stood beside the waist-deep cesspool, feeling terrified.

If this thing falls in, it could really have a good meal.

Next to the latrine was piled-up manure.

Qian Jin took the shovel and started working. The manure, which had been fermenting for three months, was emitting white steam, and the pungent smell of seaweed ash mixed with it was so strong that it made people unable to open their eyes.

He decided to go back and prepare masks for his team members.

Meltblown fabric medical masks cannot be used now, but traditional masks made of waterproof non-woven fabric and cotton can be worn.

He noticed that as the weather got colder, many workers started wearing masks while riding their bikes; they were wearing cotton masks.

Wheelbarrows loaded with manure were being transported to the wheat fields, with Qian Jin leading the way, singing "Returning from Target Practice" as he guided the team.

When they reached a steep slope, the wheels suddenly slipped. Qian Jin hadn't expected to be caught off guard by the ground and almost overturned the car.

Fortunately, Liu Wangcai was leading the way. He lunged forward and braced himself against the back of the vehicle, his cotton-padded trousers being ripped open by the iron hook at the front of the vehicle.

What a disgrace!
Qian Jin chuckled awkwardly, "This ground is really slippery."

Liu Wangcai led him back and had him take off his shoes. After measuring the size with his hands, he handed him the new woolen slippers his wife had just made for him.

"Wear these! The soles have eight layers of fabric, so they're slip-resistant!"

He and Liu Wangcai were as close as relatives, so he didn't stand on ceremony and put on the hand-sewn cloth shoes with multiple layers of soles, which felt both comfortable and warm.

Back at the team, Liu Wangcai refused to go to work: "I wanted to slaughter a pig for you to eat last time but I couldn't. This time we can't wait. There are so many of us, we have to slaughter two or three pigs!"

Then he shouted outside, "Is Ganzi's butcher knife sharpened yet?"

Someone shouted, "It's been sharpened for a long time. Captain, if you give the word, we're ready to go in and out at any time!"

Qian Jin anticipated that the production team would slaughter the pig.

The production team's pigs were meant to be sold to the state and used to subsidize work points for the members at the end of the year. If they slaughtered an extra pig, the production team would face difficulties later.

That's why he brought meat with him when he came.

The team members parked their bicycles on the drying ground, and the urea bags tied to the back seats had already been taken down.

Qian went to find a few meat bags: "Open them all."

“This is…” Liu Wangcai’s hand, which was about to open the bag, suddenly froze.

The cut pieces of pinkish-white pork glistened with oil; they were all good cuts of meat with a good balance of fat and lean.

Some of them even had fat that was two fingers thick, with the fat frozen solid, making them look incredibly tempting.

The whispers on the threshing ground suddenly turned into a commotion as the women and elderly doing odd jobs gathered around, their Adam's apples bobbing on their withered necks.

A woman wearing a headscarf askew exclaimed, "My goodness, this body is as thick as the kang (heated brick bed) at home!"

An old lady remarked, "The last time I saw such good meat was the year the commune commended the '10,000-jin grain pacesetters'..."

The old team leader poked his rough hands into the greasy fat, rubbed his fingers on it vigorously, and when he picked it up, it was glistening with oil, like it had been dipped in honey.

"It's a token of appreciation from our comrades in the city." Qian Jin took out a handkerchief to wipe the grease from his hands, and his watch flashed on his wrist, making the young women in the team unable to resist glancing at him with his dashing demeanor.

“When I was working at my unit, my colleagues heard that I was going to support agriculture and that the conditions in our countryside were not good. They insisted on giving me all the meat and grain coupons they had saved up so that I could support the villagers.”

“In particular, there is a female teacher named Wei Qinghuan. Now that the college entrance examination has been reinstated, many young people in the city want to take the exam, and the value of books, pens, ink, paper and inkstones has risen accordingly.”

"She took her years' worth of books to the black market and exchanged them for a batch of food and meat coupons, specifically entrusting me to donate them to our team..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Wangcai grabbed his wrist: "You can't do that!"

"If anyone should be killed, it should be our pigs!"

The old team leader's palms were like sandpaper, and his fingernails were stuck with dirt that couldn't be washed off: "Ganzi! Tell the pig farmer to drag all the pigs out of the west pen!"

Qian Jin said, "Captain, don't be so polite, and don't waste the good intentions of my comrades."

"There's another thing. Winter is coming soon, and there's a shortage of vegetables in the city."

"I was thinking that my colleague delivers food and meat to the team, so could our team deliver some vegetables to them?"

"This is called the exchange of surplus goods, and it is also a form of mutual assistance between workers and peasants."

Liu Wangcai said, "It's only right. As long as they don't mind, I'll pack some for you before they leave."

Qian Jin said, "There are quite a lot of people on my side."

Liu Wangcai looked at the meat and then at the bags of rice, flour, and grains, and smiled: "No matter how many people there are, we're not afraid, our team has enough vegetables!"

"There's nothing fancy, but we have plenty of cabbage, potatoes, winter melon, spinach, radishes, and lotus roots!"

Qian Jin considered it.

can.

He said, "Then chop up all the meat and have a good lunch!"

He beckoned to the poleman to bring over the large iron basin.

Large chunks of meat were carried out in basins.

For Qian Jin, meat, eggs, and dairy products are no big deal now.

The gold box has enough space to allow for the large-scale purchase of rice, flour, meat, and even oil.

Qian Jin also brought seasonings that are scarce in the countryside, mainly dried seasonings.

Half a bag of star anise, half a bag of Sichuan peppercorns, and all sorts of other spices including cardamom, fennel seeds, cumin powder, chili powder, cinnamon, bay leaves, etc.

Liu Wangcai clapped his hands as he watched:

"These are all in-demand items. We'll distribute them to the commune members. Just wait and see, when we're stewing meat at the end of the year, the aroma from the whole commune will attract people from other communes!"

"All the meat ingredients are ready. We'll stew meat for lunch!"

The news spread that they would be having stewed meat for lunch.

The entire fishing village was in an uproar.

In front of the abandoned production team canteen, there is still an earthen stove built during the era of communal dining.

An old woman was stuffing dried seaweed into the stove.

Flames leaped out, and amidst the swirling smoke, the lively, bustling atmosphere of daily life was carried around the production team by the sea breeze.

The commune members were happy to smell this aroma.

The squeals of pigs came from the neighboring livestock shed.

They looked unhappy with the rope and the knife.

Many children ran around excitedly, shouting, "They're slaughtering a pig! They're eating meat!"

Wang Xiulan led the women to scrub the large eight-seal iron pot, the bottom of which was covered with years of salt stains.

"This pot was given to the team by the commune when we were building a satellite collective farm and eating from the same pot. When was the last time we used this pot to stew meat? Was it sometime in the 1960s?" She laughed as she scraped the soot off the pot with an oyster shell.

The widow who was helping shook her head and said, "You're mistaken. We used it to stew meat in 1974. That year, the commune secretary led cadres and model workers from other communes to inspect the area, and they ate two of our pigs."

As she spoke, she quietly wiped away her tears.

Liu Wangcai whispered to Qian Jin, "Her husband died at sea that year!"

Qian Jin sighed. Before modern weather forecasting, making a living as a fisherman was tough.

Why is the religious faith of fishermen stronger than that of people in inland areas?

Because they had no other choice, faced with the terrifying power of nature, they could only pray to the gods and Mazu for psychological comfort.

The butcher tested the blade and smiled with satisfaction. He spat and said, "Shall we get started?"

The black pig, starving to the point of collapse, was a pig with a brain. As soon as it saw the knife appear, it sensed something, broke free of its ropes, and knocked over the reed mat used to dry shrimp.

The laborers are all in the fields.

Qian Jin saw that he was the only able-bodied young man on the scene, so he quickly tightened his belt and prepared to fight the pig.

As a result, he didn't even need to lift a finger.

The kids in the team are very capable.

When they discovered the pig had escaped, they quickly grabbed sticks and ropes and began a chase to intercept it.

Seeing this, Qian Jin also had to show off his skills. He picked up the water-carrying pole and used it to snatch the pig's leg, preparing to give it a sliding tackle.

As a result, the black pig nimbly jumped over, leaving his hand covered in pig droppings.

Qian Jin was about to give an awkward laugh.

Liu Wangcai shouted, and a yellow dog came running at the sound, pouncing on the pig's neck and tearing at it.

The black pig screamed in pain and instinctively rolled on the ground trying to shake off the yellow dog.

The yellow dog is clever and agile.

Once the black pig got up, it pounced on it again and bit it.

The black pig was forced to keep getting up and lying down, then lying down and getting up again.

After doing this several times, the black pig was so tired that it grunted and puffed and refused to move anymore.
Love so much.

Come and trample on me to your heart's content!

Liu Wangcai and Ganzi took the opportunity to go up and tie the black pig up again with rope: "You son of a bitch, all you ever do is pee on shoes, tie it tight this time!"

The man huffed and puffed, "You know, comrade, running away is stupid! The good comrade is the one who runs to the stove!"

The money went in to tease the yellow dog.

The yellow dog glanced at him sideways, then ignored him and ran off to sunbathe.

Qian Jin asked, "Captain, is this the dog that was catching rabbits on the hillside ahead?"

Liu Wangcai said, "It's this one, the Yellow Hammer."

"This is a good dog. Its mother had seven puppies in one litter, and it's the only one that survived to this age."

He waved to the big yellow dog.

The big yellow dog wagged its tail and came over to let him pet it.

Qian Jin asked, "Whose house is this?"

Liu Wangcai laughed and said, "These dogs, who owns them these days?"

"Anyway, if someone has food, they'll feed them a couple of bites. If not, they'll go out and find their own food, eating mice, grasshoppers, fish, shrimp, and crabs. I don't know when they mate, but every now and then in the spring, a few more puppies appear in the team."

Qian Jin immediately became interested: "I think it's pretty powerful. Our security task force needs a dog, so give it to me."

Liu Wangcai replied without hesitation, "Okay, I'll take it later."

"But dogs bite, so be careful in the city. City people are delicate, and getting bitten could be a real problem."

Qian Jin said, "I will keep a close eye on it."

"Alright, Huang Chui, the team is processing your agricultural-to-urban transfer today, so you'll be eating commercial grain from now on." Liu Wangcai tied Huang Chui up and handed the rope to Qian Jin.

Qian Jin took out a piece of steamed bun he had taken on the way from his bag and fed it to the dog.

It gulped it down in two bites.

Then continue to make money at an angle.

I'll eat anything given to me.

You're dreaming if you think you can take advantage of me.

Huang Chui was very vigilant.

Upon seeing this, Qian Jin took it to see the pig being slaughtered.

The black pig was killed.

When the pig's blood sprayed into the enamel basin, the pig's squeals could be heard throughout the entire production team.

The villagers breathed a sigh of relief.

Knowing they would have meat for lunch, they worked even harder.

Ganzi is skilled at slaughtering pigs. He makes the right-sized incision in the pig's neck artery, and the dark red blood gushes out without splattering.

At most, some blood foam would splatter onto Liu Wangcai's patched-up trouser legs, but he was completely unaware, only concerned with dipping the wooden spoon used to collect the blood into the basin.

Huang Chui took the opportunity to lick it clean, removing all the blood and foam.

"Stir it while it's hot!" Liu Wangcai muttered to himself. "The key to making tender blood tofu is all in the skill of your hands."

The pole led the women to begin processing the pig bristles.

In the rising steam, pig hair swirled in the rosin pot, the pungent smell mingling with the aroma of pine resin, making Huang Chui sneeze incessantly.

Qian Jin brandished the knife in front of it a few times, thus successfully gaining the right to pet the dog's head.

He fed Huang Chui another cornbread, and Huang Chui even started rubbing his head against his crotch.

This is the essence of combining kindness and severity!
Qian Jin is now well-versed in the art of leadership.

The sun is getting higher and higher.

The flames in the earthen stove burned brighter and brighter.

Both large iron pots were used; one was used to render lard, and the snow-white fat sizzled in the pot.

A pot of pork bone soup is simmering, the snow-white broth bubbling and churning.

After rendering the lard, you still need to stew large chunks of meat.

Qian Jin brought so much meat that one pot wasn't enough to stew it all, so we had to make another pot.

The coastal city does not have the habit of eating pickled cabbage. Locals tend to stew meat with a lot of salt and soy sauce, turning it into braised meat.

This way, it tastes good and can be enjoyed with both alcohol and rice.

The braised meat is simmering in boiling water with dark soy sauce.

Wang Xiulan tested it with a chopstick: "Okay, it's mushy!"

She used her chopsticks to pick up the large, trembling piece of pork belly and put it in her bowl, handing it to Qian Jin first: "Enjoy this!"

The children in the team gathered in small groups, arms around each other, swallowing their saliva as they sat around the stove.

A skinny boy, unable to resist the craving, reached for some pork belly when he saw Wang Xiulan giving out money, only to have his hand smacked with a spatula.

"Aren't you ashamed of having such dirty hands!"

Qian Jin smiled and used his chopsticks to separate the meat: "Here, one piece for each of you, so you can taste it first."

The tender, braised meat melts in your mouth.

The children ate with beaming smiles, exclaiming, "It's delicious!"

"Work's over! Time to eat!" Liu Youyu banged on the plowshare hanging under the old locust tree, the clanging sound startling the sparrows that were foraging for food.

Tables brought from the commune members' homes were set up on the drying ground, with rough earthenware bowls on each table, and dried kelp strips and seaweed sheets at the bottom of the bowls.

The commune members rushed over like a charging army.

In an instant, the drying ground was packed like a frog pit, and the clattering of aluminum lunch boxes and enamel bowls was even more lively than the sound of firecrackers during the Chinese New Year.

The sun, which had peeked out briefly in the morning, has now disappeared again.

The weather is still quite cold.

But when the pork bone soup was poured into the large bowl, the steaming heat drove away the chill.

Sprinkle some chopped green onions and add the pepper powder that Qian Jin brought to this bowl of soup. Whether it's the team members or the commune members, a sip will immediately make beads of sweat appear on their foreheads.

"it is good!"

When Qian Jin was led to the main table, he noticed a shiny pig's tail in the large bowl in front of him.

Liu Wangcai clinked glasses with him using a chipped enamel mug, the fiery sweet potato burning down his throat to his stomach: "Our team may be poor, but we can't break the rules of hospitality!"

"Come on, let's start eating formally. Boss, what's your word?"

Qian Jin stood up, and suddenly there was complete silence.

Whether in the production team or the shock brigade, he now enjoys unparalleled prestige.

From the production team's perspective, the fact that the leader could mobilize fifty or sixty strong laborers to go to the countryside to support agriculture at a single command showed their exceptional ability and leadership.

In the eyes of the assault team, Chief Qian's status in the production team after supporting agriculture was too high. He brought them to the production team and treated them like VIPs. This was too powerful and his ability was too great.

Qian Jin stood up and said two sentences: "Comrades, with the workers and peasants united as one, who in the world can rival us?"

"Eat to your heart's content today, and from now on we'll all be one family, one big family!"

The applause was enthusiastic, and the atmosphere was joyful.

Xu Weidong encouraged Lou Xiaoguang to play the erhu.

Lou Xiaoguang wasn't fooled. He held the large bowl, blew on it vigorously, and drank the hot soup in big gulps.

Zhou Yaozu took out a booklet titled "Discipline and Precautions for Comrades Going to the Countryside" to hand to Qian Jin, but Wang Dong snatched it away and stuffed it under the legs of a few teenagers, placing it under the wobbly table.

First, a bowl of fried pork cracklings was served.

This is a good thing; it's not easy to find in either the city or the countryside.

The team members scrambled to eat them, quickly swallowing the scalding hot cracklings after a few bites, their lips smacking as oil gushed from their mouths.

Wang Dong wiped his mouth and exclaimed, "No wonder the second team was able to stay here while supporting the farmers; it turns out they were eating this!"

"When we went to the rural areas to provide agricultural support, they made us a pot of dumpling soup, but it was nothing like this—just plain watery broth!"

"You are distinguished guests in the city, so we must serve you well," Liu Youyu said with a smile as he served the wine.

Qian Jin brought wine almost every time he went to the countryside.

Last time, when we got the big gold box, we started giving away large plastic buckets of liquor, each bucket containing 10 jin (5 catties).

But he doesn't buy cheap liquor; he only buys pure grain liquor that he can use as his daily drinking drink.

Once the liquor is poured into the enamel mug, experienced drinkers can immediately tell the quality: "This liquor has a really smooth foam, it's good!"

The children cannot sit at the table yet.

However, Wang Xiulan used her apron to carry some roasted potatoes and distributed them to them.

Qian Jin picked up the bowl of fried pork rinds, intending to hand it to the children, but Liu Wangcai pressed him down and shook his head: "Eat yours, they won't go hungry!"

Someone pulled a piece of roasted sweet potato from the stove, broke it open, and handed it to the eager child.

The golden flesh was steaming hot, so hot that the child kept switching it from one hand to the other, unwilling to let go.

The highlight, braised pork, is served.

The aroma made everyone's mouth water.

Qian Jin gestured, "Stop looking, hurry up and start eating. It's cold, so eat quickly, otherwise it won't taste good when it gets cold."

He was overthinking.

A bowl of meat was served, and the chopsticks were used to tear it apart like wolf's mouths, emptying it in just a few bites.

The team members did more than just eat.

Lou Xiaoguang wrapped a piece of braised meat in oil paper and stuffed it into the soundbox of the erhu.

The young man smiled sheepishly, realizing he had been discovered.

"There are many people in my family, and everything has to be put first for the elderly and children. I have never been able to eat well at work, and my wife has been unlucky because of me. She hasn't seen any meat since the Chinese New Year this year."

Qian Jin patted him on the shoulder and said, "You can trust me. Next month when you get your salary, I'll definitely take your wife out to a state-run restaurant!"

Lou Xiaoguang shook his head: "It would be fine if we could just go to Yangchun Restaurant in our neighborhood and have a bowl of stewed pancakes."

Zhao Bo also brought home a piece of braised meat. He raised his glass to Qian Jin and said, "I had a good meal in the countryside today, thanks to you. You're the one who deserves to be the team leader."

The team members thought that being able to eat white flour steamed buns or noodles while supporting agriculture was good enough.

Unexpectedly, the production team slaughtered a pig to treat him.

People will be treated the same way; you can get what you deserve.

They worked even harder in the afternoon!
They worked until sunset before packing up and lining up in the drying yard.

When we arrived, the back seat of the car was completely full.

When I got back, even the handlebars of my bike were covered in stuff!

Dried kelp, salted dried fish, small seafood...

Liu Wangcai arranged for women to stuff roasted potatoes into each of their military satchels, which burned the soldiers' hands. "We need to fill our stomachs on the road!"

The bicycle had winter vegetables stored on the back seat.

200 heads of Chinese cabbage, ten large bags of bok choy, five large bags each of radishes and potatoes, as well as tender green spinach, garland chrysanthemum, and autumn celery.

As for yams, winter melons, carrots, white radishes, lotus roots with mud still attached, etc., they also packed quite a lot.

What surprised Qian Jin the most was a variety of dried vegetables, including dried green beans, dried bracken, dried radish, dried bitter melon, and even dried eggplant!

Other items include dried radish greens and sweet potato leaves. In short, the culinary wisdom of ordinary people has broadened Qian Jin's horizons!

Anyway, the big bags on the back of every bicycle were bulging.

As they were getting into the car to leave, Liu Wangcai gave an order, and someone came up and handed each of them two boiled eggs.
"Comrades, next time you come, don't bring anything, just come and have some fish dumplings!"

The team members didn't understand what he meant.

They didn't bring any gifts to the production team.

They thought the country folk were warm and generous, which made them feel both touched and ashamed.

Xu Weidong earnestly instructed Wang Dong:
"When you go back, you should arrest more criminals from your No. 6 State-owned Cotton Mill, fine them hefty, and give the money to the villagers to support their construction."

Wang Dong asked:

"Old Xu, why don't you crack down on more illegal and criminal activities and arrest more speculators? Then you can bring the confiscated goods back to the villagers and support their construction efforts, right?"

Xu Weidong: "Our unit has rules!"

Wang Dong: "So our unit is disorganized and undisciplined? Get out of here!"

Zhang Aijun said from the side, "You two should give me some face and go back to work hard and support our fellow villagers in making a living."

The two nodded repeatedly in agreement.

They heard a rumor during their trip to the countryside.

Zhang Aijun is a capable sheep!

The rumor that Qian Jin, the founder of Lenovo, now raises a ewe in the holly belt of the community is deeply believed by them.

As a result, they dared not provoke Zhang Aijun even more.

Brother Jun isn't a normal person. I've heard that people like him can kill without breaking the law because the state protects lunatics.

Qian Jin turned on his flashlight, took his dog, and set off on his bicycle.

The village's outline gradually blurred in the darkness.

Only a single red flag fluttered in the salty evening breeze at the village entrance, still bright and eye-catching.

(End of this chapter)