Three days before the high school entrance examination, the day of delivery came. The person in charge of the township education committee and Principal Wang of Hanwangchuan Middle School came with two teachers to inspect and see the brand-new desks and chairs neatly stacked in the warehouse. , Teacher Wang was a little excited, with red eyes. She said that from the time she started teaching in Hanwangchuan until now, she had never dared to think that her students could still use such good desks and chairs. These dolls really came at a good time.
This was also the first time Yang Liufang met Principal Wang. This educated youth from Shanghai went to the countryside. Due to the times, he came to Hanwangchuan on the Loess Plateau when he was old enough to study. Later, he was betrayed by his boyfriend, who was also an educated youth. He took his children alone to complete university studies. After decades, the Hanwang River was filled with peaches and plums. Now her thin figure is still upright, seeming to reveal some kind of stubbornness and unyielding. Even though her hair has grown on her temples, she still cannot conceal the gentle charm of Jiangnan women.
"Dear leaders, you are welcome to come to our factory to inspect the desks and chairs. Do you think it is a sampling survey or a one-by-one inspection?"
"Let's take a sample."
"Okay, sampling."
"Okay, just listen to the leader."
"Okay, our factory is very confident in its products. We have always used Secretary Lu's words to warn the workers: no matter how poor you are, you can't give up education, and no matter how miserable you are, you can't give up on your children. So they are all genuine willow wood. You can take a sample at will, and I will let the workers I’ll help you bring it up and inspect it on site.”
A few people started randomly sampling, and two workers moved like monkeys among hundreds of sets of tables and chairs, trying not to knock off the paint film. The new tables and chairs were placed individually, and the paint surface shone under the light. The leaders moved them around, smelled them, and kept nodding. The two accompanying teachers also stood on the table and stepped on it, and then rode on the stool and shook it. It was not loose at all, which was quite satisfactory. Immediately, sampling continued, and more than 50 sets were inspected continuously. The workers who moved tables and chairs as required were so tired that they had to change the tables before it was over.
Yang Liufang promptly handed over two acceptance forms that had been prepared. He asked his elder brother Li Tongfu to print them at an advertising place when he went to Xizhou. The official seal of the company was stamped on them and signed by the legal person Li Tongfu. name. After asking the leaders of the Education Committee and Principal Wang to sign, keep one copy for yourself and ask the two leaders to take the other copy back.
At noon, everyone ate in the factory cafeteria, which was a daily work meal. However, the master chef served the four guests meals in a lunch box specially designed for entertaining guests, and did not eat with the workers. But many workers in the cafeteria still recognized Principal Wang. Every rough man in the factory would still lower his head, straighten his work clothes, and call Teacher Wang hello when he saw the teacher who taught him in elementary school. Teacher Wang responded one by one.
"Teacher Wang is the one who has students all over the world." The leader of the Education Committee praised.
"The leaders have given me awards. They are all good students. Although I don't remember clearly, it was indeed delayed due to poor conditions. But it's good that everyone can work in the factory now."
"How is everyone working here? How is the food?"
"good."
"Very good."
"eat well."
"It's good to work."
Teacher Wang was also very pleased to hear that the workers were very satisfied with their answers. During the meal, she chatted with Yang Liufang about her son-in-law and daughter.
"Xiao Yang, I heard that you and Jiajun are friends?"
"Well, he's a brother, I guess. When I first came to Xizhou to do small business in the countryside, I didn't have money to take a bus. Occasionally, he would catch up with him when he opened the army, so he gave me a ride, and we became familiar with him after going back and forth."
"Oh, that's it."
"Teacher Wang, how are you doing, Brother Qin and my sister-in-law Yanhua?"
"Okay, everything is okay."
Because the superiors were there, we didn’t talk much to avoid suspicion. After finishing the meal, the master chef brought a few clean bowls and poured boiling water for everyone. Yang Liufang chatted with everyone for a while.
"Boss, do you think I should send a car to the school, or you should send a car to pull it over?"
"Xiao Yang, we have finished the inspection. You can send a car and it will arrive at school tomorrow. Principal Wang means that all students taking the high school entrance examination this year can use new desks and chairs during the examination."
"Yes, many students now have poor family conditions, and this may be their last exam at school." Principal Wang said pessimistically.
After seeing off the leaders and teachers who had accepted the goods in the afternoon, Yang Liufang planned to go to Xizhou to find Zhang Feng, but the village head Shitou, the only one with a donkey cart, took Li Tongfu to the countryside. If you go to Xizhou, you have to walk five or six kilometers to the three-way intersection to wait for the bus. Thinking about it, it feels hard. I don’t know how I got here last year. Maybe this is the fear of climbers when they look back. Since he couldn't make the trip, he had to continue working in the factory and wait for them to come back.
The next day, Yang Liufang got up and washed up, then got on the donkey cart that Brother Shitou brought to bring water, and set off for Xizhou. Originally, Brother Ahfu said he would make a trip for him, but he saw that Ahfu had been blown away by the wind in the past few months. His face was dry due to sun exposure, and two clusters of plateau red had already appeared. I couldn't bear it, so I asked him to rest for a while and then took action myself. Walking on the road specially built for the factory by Brother Shitou and the villagers, Yang Liufang was very pleased to see the leafy willow trees on both sides like guards.
"By next fall, we will be able to harvest the first crop of willow branches."
"What are you doing collecting willow branches?"
"You don't know, these cut willow branches, the thin ones for weaving baskets, the thick ones for pickaxe handles, and the strong ones for pressing branches, are very, very good."
"It turns out that these willow trees were beheaded because of this."
"Yes, even if you don't cut it, it will be blown off by sandstorms. Sometimes even the main trunk will be broken."
"Hey, Brother Shitou, what did you mean by pressing a branch just now?"
"Oh, in autumn, cut the straight and good-looking pieces into sections of about two meters, soak them in water, and in February or March of next year, take them out and plant them on the ground. Water them and they will live. No. In a few years it will be another big willow tree.”
"Oh, so that's it. If we do it this way, we won't have to buy saplings in the future."
"Emon (we) can't."
"Why?"
"We don't have that much fat (water) surface."
"Can Wang Shan and the others do that?"
"He is near the river, so he can dig a pond and replenish fertilizer (water) at any time."
"Well, I'll tell him when I have time and see if I can crush the branches myself."
"By the way, Brother Shitou, I'm going to be beheaded in autumn. Is there anyone selling these branches?"
"Yes, they all go to the village fairs to sell them. For example, in places where we are far away from the countryside and have inconvenient transportation, we take them home and save them. When we are busy after autumn, we buy tables, chairs, doors and windows by ourselves."
Yang Liufang thought of how the tables and chairs at Brother Shitou's house came from. Thinking of this, he also remembered that he had promised to make a set of tables and chairs for Brother Shitou's house. He had been busy with this for almost a year and had forgotten about it. He said casually: "Brother Shitou, I have a surprise for you in the next few days."
As they spoke, they arrived at the three-way intersection, and their willow trees only reached the three-way intersection. Yang Liufang said goodbye to Brother Shitou and told him that he didn't have to wait for him. He took Zhang Feng's car and went directly back to the factory.
Soon a tractor pulling bricks came out, and Yang Liufang hitched a ride and headed straight for Yantan. When I arrived at Yantan, I hurriedly went to the vegetable field of vegetable farmer Uncle Han to take a look. It was still lush and lush. The uncle was busy grafting in the field. He was very happy to see Yang Liufang arriving and hurriedly picked cucumbers for him to quench his thirst.
"Uncle, I'm going to the city to find Zhang Feng to drive to the factory to pick up goods. I can't stay too long, so I just came to see you. I have to leave as soon as I say this." Yang Liufang talked to his uncle while nibbling cucumbers.
"Eat slowly, don't worry about this moment. The neighbors praise you for making good doors and windows, and for making furniture for the whole house. I will take them to the factory when I deliver the food later."
"Thank you so much, Uncle Sou. You can also make a list of what we need in our new house and make it together when the time comes."
"Thank you. Have another melon."
"Senior, I can't eat anymore. I'll come here to eat later."
After devouring two cucumbers, I burped myself, said goodbye to my uncle, and went to catch the bus back to the city. It was already ten o'clock in the morning when I saw Zhang Feng like this. Two more cars that Zhang Feng was familiar with were hired, and a group of three cars headed back to the factory.
When I first arrived at the factory, I saw that one of the teachers who was responsible for the acceptance yesterday was also there, and Li Tongfu was chatting and drinking tea with him. It looked like the two of them were having a great time chatting.
"Brother, you are back. The leaders of the township education committee have been waiting for you for a long time."
"Hello, teacher, I'm sorry, I went to Xizhou to hire a car. What are your instructions?"
"I can't talk about instructions. They are instructions from the leader. Let me convey them to see if you have any difficulties."
"Please speak."
