Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

They stayed up all day, extinguishing any sparks that occasionally drifted up in the heat. As the sun began to set, all they could see was darkness; no open flames could be seen, only wisps of smoke rising from various places.

"Zhou Rui, is this all set? Should we call everyone to call it a day?" Liu Jianguo asked hastily, noticing that it was getting dark.

Zhou Rui closed his eyes, feeling the scorching heat in the air. "I'm afraid it's not going to work yet. It looks like there's no fire now, but the temperature is so high that no one can go in to check. Look at those places that are still smoking; I reckon large pieces of wood have burned to charcoal and are slowly burning in the ash. If a strong wind blows, it might burst into flames again."

Liu Jianguo frowned deeply after hearing this: "But we can't stop everyone from working. How long will it take to go in and check once the temperature goes down?"

"Easy. Select ten people to keep watch at night, give them work points, and the rest can go home. The water and soil are right here. If a fire starts, just put it out. There's nothing more to say. It's easier to put out a fire at night; you can spot even a small flame." Zhou Rui said calmly, as if nothing was a problem.

"That's a good idea, it's feasible. Why don't you stay too, and I'll give you full work points." Liu Jianguo turned his head to look at Zhou Rui.

"No way, the kids at home are so young, how can I feel at ease if they don't come home at night?" Zhou Rui quickly declined. It wouldn't be human to let his younger siblings live in fear at home just for ten centimeters. If he didn't come home, An'an wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

"Alright then, I'll choose ten people to keep watch, and the rest of you can go home. We've been sitting here all day under the fire, we're all burnt."

The people on duty were all personally selected by Liu Jianguo, and no one objected. Guarding the fire for a day only earns eight work points, but a night shift gives you a full ten. After Liu Jianguo finished explaining the precautions, he led the remaining people back to the village.

By the third day of clearing the land, the burned weeds had cooled down, and the dark earth was dotted with people. The elderly, the weak, and women were digging for stones, while the able-bodied men were carrying them outside on shoulder poles. Everything was going smoothly, except every now and then, someone would stomp too hard or swing a hoe too vigorously, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Brother Jianguo, what happened to you? You went to work the mill last night, and you have such dark circles under your eyes." Zhou Rui teased Liu Jianguo when he saw his haggard appearance.

This is because he has become closer to Liu Jianguo these past few days, which is why he speaks like this. Zhou Rui tries to have as little contact with others as possible to avoid causing trouble.

"I was worried after I got home last night, so I came back after dinner and stayed here all night, barely closing my eyes."

"Nothing much to do today, just clearing stones. If you're tired, find a place to take a nap. I'll call you if I need anything."

"Okay, I'm going to find a place to rest. I really can't take it anymore. Keep an eye on things and call me if anything happens."

There were just too many rocks in this field. So many people had only managed to remove a third of them after a whole day's work. It looked like they would have to work hard for another two days. By the time they finished work, everyone's faces were covered in soot and their bodies were covered in dust, as if they had rolled around in a coal pile.

"This is so filthy. Groups One and Two said we had an easy job and were lucky enough to get meat yesterday. Tell her to come and do some work today," a plump woman said to the person next to her as she walked.

"You're right. Look at these clothes, how are we supposed to wash them? The color is completely gone."

"I felt incredibly thirsty, and my mouth was full of dirt. The dust that was being kicked up kept getting into my nose and mouth."

"That's right, look, even my spit is black."

"Did you see that? Today, that kid Rui asked Pingwa to bring him a cloth to cover his face. It's really useful; it keeps him from getting dusty."

"In the city, that's called a face mask. It's just a piece of cloth with two strings tied around it, which you can hang on your ears."

"Ruiwa is smart; he knows how to find a solution when problems arise."

As they were talking, they reached the crossroads leading back to the village and ran into villagers from the other two groups.

"Hey, who's this? Is it Sister Xiangxiu? She's out mining coal today instead of hunting. I almost didn't recognize her."

"It's Yumei? Didn't you envy us eating meat yesterday? How about we switch? I'll go clear the silt, and you can dig up the rocks."

"No way, I couldn't do that. Look at you, you've been working all day, and you're covered in coal dust just talking. Haha..."

"You little brat, how dare you insult me ​​like that! I'll tear your mouth apart!"

The group, bickering and joking, made their way home. In this era without entertainment, these rural women had nothing left but their mouths. The men were alright; they were all out splashing around in the river. The women bathed at home, changing the water countless times; even their ears were full of dust. Now, the women from groups one and two stopped complaining that group three's work was easy and started demanding to switch jobs.

By noon on the fifth day, another problem arose. All the stones that could be moved by manpower had been picked up, leaving only a dozen or so large stones weighing several hundred kilograms each scattered across the fifty acres of land.

"If you ask me, let's just forget about it. It's such a big area, and just a dozen or so stones won't make a difference. Let's finish work early today." Zhou Chen felt like he was back to his old self after his injuries from being whipped had healed, and he started talking big again.

"My brother Chen is right. What can a few stones have to do with anything? We can still grow crops."

"I think Liu Jianguo is just someone who brags and begs for everything."

"To nitpick"

"Yes, being nitpicky is just a way of showing off."

Zhou Chen and his gang were downstairs scoffing at Liu Jianguo. "Damn it, you tricked us!"

Others might think the large rock was harmless and wouldn't cause any problems, but Liu Jianguo couldn't think that way. He had only recently taken office as production team leader, and the success of the brigade's tasks directly impacted his reputation; he couldn't afford any flaws. At this moment, Liu Jianguo called Zhou Rui aside and humbly sought his advice.

Zhou Rui thought to himself, "No, are you treating me like a strategist? You always come to me for advice, don't you have anyone else to consult?"

However, since Liu Jianguo had humbled himself to ask for advice, Zhou Rui didn't hold back: "That's simple, just get a sled and bring over the village's cattle to pull it."

"That won't do. This big rock weighs several hundred pounds. It might break the sled. Besides, it hasn't snowed yet. The ox might not be able to pull it."

"Are you stupid? Don't you know how to take two logs, sharpen one end, and make a simple sled? As long as it's fixed in place and usable today, it's fine. It's not like we use it all the time. If one ox can't pull it, we can use two, or one ox and a few people to pull it together."

Liu Jianguo thought the strategist's idea was excellent, so he decisively led his men back to the village to prepare a sled. Before long, they returned with two oxen, one of which was pulling a sled.

Finally finished, Liu Jianguo, with gray-black sweat dripping from his forehead, looked at the flat land with great satisfaction. He even brought along the village chief, accountant, militia captain, and other influential officials, ostensibly for a task inspection.

However, the village chief was still satisfied, and when it was time to finish work, he gathered all the villagers in the brigade to praise the third group.

"Fellow villagers, after five days of hard work, the third production team has successfully completed its land reclamation task. This time, a total of 53 mu of land was reclaimed, which was originally expected to take more than half a month. Under the leadership of Comrade Liu Jianguo, the third production team worked together, brainstorming ideas and persevering, using new land reclamation methods to complete the task ahead of schedule. The task has been inspected and approved by the village committee, and the results are gratifying. It has added 53 mu of arable land to the village, which will result in a significantly higher grain yield each year. Here, on behalf of the village committee, I commend Liu Jianguo and the third production team. Let's give them a round of applause."

Clap clap... Applause rang out, and Liu Jianguo's eyes narrowed with laughter. What was this? It was ability, it was reputation, even though there were no certificates or prizes. Zhou Rui was a lucky star indeed; he should try to befriend him more in the future. Even in his moment of triumph, Liu Jianguo didn't forget Zhou Rui's contributions.