After chatting for a while longer, Han Qingsong asked Director Qian to offer more opinions and requests. If it was anything serious, he would bring the Commune militiamen to meet the Commune’s Public Security and other requirements as much as he could do.
Director Qian smiled and said, “Director Han, if you weren’t the one who suggested it, I would be too embarrassed to ask. However, there is an issue that I think you can really help me with.”
Han Qingsong, “Please go ahead.”
“Sigh, it’s nothing more than an issue in the delivery and purchase department,” Director Qian raked his grey hair, “Our Supply and Marketing Cooperative is responsible for collecting agricultural products, livestock and poultry from the countryside and sending them to the County’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Then, they would also be responsible for transporting the industrial products back to the countryside. It’s quite a strenuous journey for them to go back and forth like that. There are only so many people in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and most of them are women. Although women are capable in their own rights, when it comes to hard labour, I think it would be better to rid that burden off their shoulders.”
Han Qingsong nodded, “If the Supply and Marketing Cooperative needs more personnel, just send someone to the Public Security Bureau to let us know. Our militiamen are all willing to help.”
The Supply and Marketing Cooperative was a system. In fact, the butchering team, blacksmith team and carpenter team of the Commune were all under the jurisdiction of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
Fortunately, the butchering team mostly consisted of men. Women were mostly assigned the tasks of collecting eggs and tending to the poultry in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
The establishment was limited, so when the people who pulled strings and used their connections to enter were mostly women, Director Qian was troubled as well.
After talking for a while, Han Qingsong said goodbye. He thought that it would take at least several trips to pull that many bricks and tiles with a mule cart. To avoid further procrastination, he wanted to handle it as soon as he could. If he waited till the autumn harvest to do so, it would be hard to rent out a mule cart. Besides, he probably wouldn’t have much time either.
He came out of Director Qian’s house and walked around the few vendors that were selling some items. He bought something for Lin Lan, and since he had nothing much to do, he might as well go back to the village to borrow a mule cart and some helpers to pull the goods from the brick factory.
When he returned to the office to get his bag, Han Qingyun happened to be waiting for him in the office.
“Third brother,” Han Qingyun called out in a bubbly tone. He was always in a good mood whenever he saw Han Qingsong— he even addressed him in a way that was closer than him addressing his own brother.
Han Qingsong let him sit down and quietly place the scarf that he bought into his satchel, “Is uncle here too?”
Han Qingyun shook his head, “No, he sent me to run some errands and report the verdict of Han Qinghua and the few thieves,” Although the other thieves were not from his own village, there were those involved from his village as well.
Han Qingsong asked, “Why didn’t they come in the morning?”
When the sentencing was pronounced in the morning, no one came from the Shanzui Village; only Shorty’s and Skinny’s family members attended.
Han Qingyun smiled, “My father said that no one should be missing out work for the autumn harvest, so he didn’t allow anyone from the Commune to be busybodies and sent me over. If anyone is worried or concerned, they can go over to the farm to visit the criminals after the harvest.”