Huang Cuilan found it amusing. She said that the second family was very slick, loved to chat and be lively without delaying earning work points. She herself couldn’t manage that and had worried several times, her heart pounding with anxiety.
The weather was gradually getting colder, and now the men who were coming and going, except those out to spread fertilizer and dung, were working everywhere. They had no choice but to rush before the ground froze, making tremendous efforts to tidy up the fields. This way, when spring came next year, they could plant more crops and everyone could get more rations.
As for the old farmers, they had nothing much to hope for, only wishing for a bountiful harvest next year, so the kids at home had plenty to eat, and they could have some money to buy things, and save some for their sons and grandsons to marry good wives. If luck was bad and they encountered a drought, all the farming for the year would be wasted. But not working meant even less grain harvest, so they had to work hard with hope, depending on the heavens and the earth.
The brigade had only one cow and two donkeys, treasures of the entire village, and no one dared suggest using the cow for plowing.
Regarding the fieldwork? They did it manually. The strength was inexhaustible. After putting in great effort, resting for a day would bring them back. If the cow got tired, who would be responsible? Didn’t you see that all the trips into town from the village were by ox cart? Even when marrying in a new bride or sending off a maiden, they had to tire out the ox cart?
Mr. Zhang was teamed with the second son, Zhang Guoqiang, the father and son working together to pull the iron plow. Every time they finished plowing, they were exhausted, and even the food at home tasted bland. It’s just that Mr. Zhang and his son were honest while you see others slacking off. They went back and forth and plowed twice more, while some others stopped halfway occasionally, with the villagers behind picking roots leisurely. Not everyone cared about gains and losses, but many families had insufficient rations and went to work after only having a drink of water in the morning, making it hard to keep up due to lack of strength.
Zhang Guoqiang was clever. He knew that his father would work hard in the fields. If his elder brother accompanied his father today, they might finish this field and help others again. During heavy work, he volunteered to accompany his father, so he could keep an eye on things.
His father didn’t realize that working so fast might get others, who were taking it easy, to resent him for showing off. He put in so much effort and got no good words in return. He kept watching his father, and when they were faster than others, he would let his father rest, smoke a dry pipe, and drink some water, while he himself took over and plowed slowly.
Mr. Zhang paused, caught his breath, looked at the long two furrows he had plowed, and nodded with satisfaction. Then he looked beside him, where even half a furrow was absent, and frowned but said nothing. It was none of his business. He just couldn’t stand seeing the land being ruined. Why didn’t they think that by tilling the land well now, the crops next year would yield better? Lingering on and having a poor harvest next year would mean everyone suffered because there would only be so much on the land, and if there was less, everyone would get less.
Zhang Guoqiang took out a water bottle and poured a bowl of water for his father, taking the opportunity to rest. Following his father around could wear him out. No wonder, during the busy farming season, no one teamed up with his father except for his uncle’s family men, who accompanied his father in their commotion. Who knew if his uncle secretly cursed his father in his heart?
With a sigh, if Xiao Wu was home working, it would have been different—his strength alone was worth three people. Who knew how this silly kid was doing in the army with the old man? Hopefully, he wasn’t swept up in fervor and became a soldier.
Joining the army was a good thing for others, but for Xiao Wu, there was no need to push himself—he didn’t lack food or clothes, had plenty of money, and his mother-in-law’s support. He just needed to find a decent job in the city. He hoped nothing would go wrong in the army. Just thinking about how earnest he was worried him to death; there wasn’t even time to sneak some words of advice to him yesterday.
Zhang Guoqiang looked at his father, unable to resist nagging, "Dad, do you think Xiao Wu might want to become a soldier there? I don’t want another martyr in the family. You have to quash that idea when you get a chance."
Mr. Zhang gave him a scornful look, "You’re usually pretty sharp, aren’t you? No way, absolutely not a soldier. If he wanted to go, he would have gone long ago. He can’t rest easy leaving his little wife alone with the child. Just yesterday, he specifically asked your mother to take care of his child, saying he was afraid his mother-in-law and Jiao Jiao would sleep so soundly they wouldn’t wake even if the kid cried. He specifically wanted your mother to watch his child until he returned. Do you think someone with such a meticulously thoughtful nature would join the military?"
Zhang Guoqiang amusingly looked at his father. He couldn’t believe his father wasn’t worried, "Xiao Wu just loves kids. You see, the young ones in the family are closer to him than they are to me, their own father. He’s not afraid others won’t handle his son well. Dad, Xiao Wu is just like you, hah, that’s what my mom says."