When Wang Wanchun heard the news that Maixiang Village had decided not to harvest in advance, he was so angry that he immediately rode his bicycle and went to Maixiang Village himself.
"Didn't you receive the order to seize it?" Wang Wanchun couldn't help but question Wang Zhong as soon as he saw him. Wang Zhong said: "I received it, but the wheat is not ripe yet. If I harvest it early, the loss will be too great."
"When the heavy rain comes, the losses will be even greater!" Wang Wanchun said excitedly. Wang Zhongdao: "The weather forecast only said that there will be heavy rainstorms in some areas, and it did not mention it by name in our Maixiangling area. There will be losses on both sides. More or less does not make much difference, but if we accidentally Isn’t there a heavy rainstorm here?”
"Who do you think you are, that you are better than the experts from the provincial and county meteorological bureaus?" Wang Wanchun cursed, hating that iron is not as good as steel.
Wang Zhong didn't say anything. He pulled Wang Wanchun to the end of the field. He looked at the wheat fields that were beginning to mature all over the mountains and plains and said, "Wan Chun, look at it. The wheat is growing so well. Now is the time when the grains are ripe. If they were cut in advance, , the loss is at least 20%, if it is more, 30 to 40% is not impossible!"
"That's 30% to 40%. How much food is this? The villagers have worked hard for more than half a year and exchanged it with their sweat bit by bit."
"If it hadn't rained, wouldn't it have been all in vain?"
"But what if it rains!" Wang Wanchun also said with a very serious attitude: "It will be a heavy rainstorm. When it rains heavily, how much wheat will be left in the ground?"
"You are also an experienced farmer. There are not many people in the whole Maixiangling area who can compare with you. Don't you understand such a simple truth?" Wang Zhong said: "Even if there is a heavy rainstorm, it will only last for a few days at most. Even if there is a loss, it will only be 40 to 50 percent of the total. If we handle it well, it may be even less. I still believe that there will be no heavy rainstorms in our Maixiangling area."
"You idiot, how come I didn't realize you were so stubborn before!" Wang Wanchun was so angry that his teeth itched, he pointed at Wang Zhongji and cursed.
"Wang Wanchun, Deputy District Chief Wang, there is no need to discuss the early harvest." Wang Zhong said firmly.
"Even if it rains heavily and the wheat in the field suffers heavy losses, that is our Maixiang Village's business. Our village will not miss a grain of public grain this year, and we will never use the covered wheat to make up for it. No. It will make things difficult for you. If the higher ups insist on pursuing you, no matter what the consequences are, I will bear the consequences. Whether it is killing or beheading, I will admit it."
"You..." Wang Wanchun said angrily, pointing at Wang Zhong's nose: "Am I afraid of taking responsibility? I am thinking about the villagers. It would be a pity to lose such good wheat if it is soaked by a heavy rain. ." Wang Zhong pulled Wang Wanchun's hand down and smiled slightly: "Don't I know who you are? You are also doing it for our own good, but we just want to take a gamble. After all, so much wheat will be harvested early. , the loss is too big, everyone feels like they are fried."
"We have had good harvests every year in the past few years. Even if it rains heavily this year, we can still afford this loss. But if there is no heavy rain, look at the wheat in this field, look at its growth, this But it’s another good year with a bumper harvest.”
"Wan Chun, Deputy District Chief Wang, please let us bet this time!" Wang Zhong spoke sincerely, his eyes full of sincerity: "If we don't bet this time, none of us will be willing to do it!"
"Hey!" Wang Wanchun's full words came to his lips, and they all turned into a sigh: "Just be stubborn, you have the temper of a donkey and the courage of an ox! I can't do anything with you." Wang Wanchun couldn't defeat Wang Zhong and got angry. The man on the bicycle rushed away.
In the next few days, except for a light rain, it was sunny continuously. The villagers were worried about a heavy rainstorm, but Wang Zhong did not send a message to harvest in advance. The villagers were reluctant to part with the little wheat and wanted to harvest more. Amid the uneasiness of the villagers, time passed day by day, and the wheat ears also disappeared. Gradually it was dyed with a layer of golden yellow, and the mountains and plains were filled with yellow, orange, and golden colors, one after another.
The heavy ears of wheat bent their backs, and the villagers' faces also showed smiles. Without Wang Zhong saying anything, the villagers began to prepare intensively for harvesting.
In the entire Maixiangling District, except for Maixiang Village, dozens of other villages all harvested in advance. Although the losses were not heavy, the gap was immediately apparent whether compared with previous years or with Maixiang Village, which had a good harvest. Out.
Even Zhou Yihu, the top leader in the county, personally led his team to Maixiang Village for inspection and praised Wang Zhong, Niu Dadan and others.
"Secretary Zhou, in fact, the main credit for this time is Comrade Ma Renli, the vice president of our village west club. If he hadn't been observing and recording the weather over the years, he got the information that there will be no heavy rainstorms in our Maixiangling area this year. We don’t dare to make such a decision.”
"Ma Renli?" Zhou Yihu was a little surprised: "Does he still have this ability?"
"Secretary Zhou, after all, Ma Renli also went to the Agricultural College in Peiping and worked as a librarian. He is quite capable. Not to mention other things, it was Ma Renli who followed me for the few water conservancy irrigation ditches in our village. Designed together, our Maixiang Village has had good harvests every year in the past few years, and Comrade Ma Renli is indispensable."
"It seems that Ma Renli is really a talent." Zhou Yihu said with deep approval. Zhou Yihu is the kind of person who is relatively open-minded and dedicated to public service.
Wang Zhong led Zhou Yihu and everyone to the oil pressing workshop again. Looking at the three large old-fashioned wooden oil presses lined up in the big house, Zhou Yihu's eyes showed a strange look: "Last year I heard that your Maixiang Village set up an oil press workshop. Not only did you press the oil yourself, but you also gave it to Shili The folks from Baxiang are extracting oil on a large scale."
"Originally I only planned to make one, but I got lucky when I went into the mountains and found some good wood, so I made three. The more there are, the faster the oil extraction will be." Wang Zhong explained.
"I'm a little curious, what do you think, leading the villagers to start an oil mill?" Zhou Yihu asked curiously.
Wang Zhongdao: "In recent years, our production has been good. We produce a lot of peanuts and soybeans every year. It would be a pity to sell them directly. If they are used to extract oil, it will not only solve the problem of the villagers eating oil, but also the remaining oil The slag can not only be used as rations, but can also be used to feed livestock. If we grow in scale, we can raise more pigs, cows and sheep. If there are more livestock, won't there be more excrement? As the old saying goes. Okay, a flower in the banker relies entirely on excrement. We have solved the problem of fertilizer, and the output may be even higher!" Zhou Yihu looked at Wang Zhong in surprise: "You kid has such a big head. You can think of this method no matter how long it grows." Wang Chong said with a smile: "Isn't it a new era now? We farmers can't always hold on to the few things left by our ancestors. We are called on to increase our efforts in production and increase grain output! We also have to keep pace with the times, right?"
"Hahaha!" Zhou Yihu happily patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder with his remaining hand.
"You are really good at production. Come on, I'm waiting for you to start the production in Maixiang Village. If you have any difficulties, just tell me. If it can be solved, I will definitely find a way to solve it for you. "
"I really have something I want to ask the secretary for help with," Wang Chong said with a smile.
"What's the matter? Just tell me!" Zhou Yihu is also very resolute and doesn't like procrastination. He always says whatever he wants.
Wang Zhongdao: "There are still a lot of mountainous areas in our village that are inconvenient for watering. When winter comes, we can't grow so many cabbages and radishes. I want to try planting some rapeseed. Once it comes, the rapeseed seedlings It can be eaten as a vegetable, and secondly, the oil yield of rapeseed is not low, and it can be grown in rotation with sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn.”
"You want me to help you get some rape seeds?" Zhou Yihu looked at Wang Zhong and said with a smile. Wang Zhongdao: "I saw in the newspaper that our country has introduced some highly adaptable cabbage rapeseed varieties from abroad in recent years, and the yield is not low!"
"Sure!" Zhou Yihu said cheerfully: "I'll help you look for it later!"
"Thank you, Secretary Zhou!" Wang Zhong said this sincerely.
"I heard from Wanchun that your oil shop has a work-point system?" Zhou Yihu asked curiously again.
Wang Zhong explained: "It's like this. Our oil mill is owned by the village collective. The villagers who come to the oil mill to press oil, whether they are from our village or from outside the village, have to charge a certain labor fee. However, we press oil The process is relatively complicated and requires a lot of manpower. Moreover, when the oil mill was originally built, the whole village was mobilized, which cost a lot of manpower and material resources. We cannot let the villagers work in vain. But we have no money. , there was no food, and there was nothing to distribute to the villagers, so I discussed with Renlian, Renli, and Daudao, and we used the work point system in the cooperative in the oil mill. The same is true when we work. Accumulate work points, and then convert the work points into grain, oil or money every year based on the profit of the oil mill, and then distribute them to the villagers. In this way, the labor of the villagers will be rewarded, and the oil mill will be operational."
"It sounds a little different." Zhou Yihu gave a thumbs up: "Tell me more about your work point system, how it is accumulated and how it is calculated!" The work point system originated from Big Brother's collective farm. At present, Although it has been implemented in many places in China, it has not yet been fully promoted. It was only after the establishment of the People's Commune in 1958 that it was fully implemented nationwide. It is still several years away.
"It's like this. We define work points based on the intensity of work and the length of working hours. For example..." Wang Zhong continued to talk about Zhou Yihu and a group of people from the county. The leaders all pricked up their ears and listened carefully. The young man accompanying him, who was either a secretary or a recorder, kept writing down Wang Zhong's words in a notebook with a pen.
That's more than half an hour. After sending Zhou Yihu and a group of leaders away, Wang Zhong turned around and plunged into the fields. The summer harvest had just ended, and it was the time to rush for plowing and planting. The villagers were eager to stay in the fields all day long, so that this crop of crops would be planted. Peanuts and soybeans can be used to squeeze oil after they are sown in autumn.
After enjoying the dividends from the oil pressing plant last year, the villagers are full of energy this year. They are all working hard, waiting to buy more peanuts and soybeans to use for oil extraction.
Jiang Hongguo didn't rest at home either. He took Ziping and Zian to the fields and let the two brothers play on the field by themselves, while Jiang Hongguo worked with the villagers.
Looking at the entire Maixiang Ridge area, dozens of villages have all advanced their wheat harvest time. Each village has suffered varying degrees of losses. The only Maixiang Village has resisted the pressure and did not harvest wheat in advance. On the contrary, it has Had a great harvest.
Although Wang Zhong's move earned him a lot of prestige and gave the folks in Maixiang Village another bumper harvest, Wang Zhong's act of disobedience was also genuine.
Fortunately, this was not during a war or on a battlefield. Otherwise, Wang Zhong would probably have been shot at that time for his behavior.
Following last year's precedent, this year the villagers are particularly enthusiastic about planting seeds. Some people even proposed to plant all the fields with peanuts and soybeans.
Fortunately, not everyone is blinded by this short-term gain. Wang Zhong understands that food is the foundation of this era. If he can't even fill his stomach, what else can he think about.
Before the wheat harvest even started, the matter between Ma Renli and Yang Deng'er was settled. Yang Deng'er didn't agree with it at first, but Ma Renli's conditions were too tempting. Not only did the old donkey head treat Ma Renli like All the grudges were gone, and instead he focused on promoting the marriage between Yang Deng'er and Ma Renli. After struggling for several days, Yang Deng'er agreed.
As soon as the wheat harvest was over and all the new wheat was put into the warehouse, Ma Renli and Yang Deng'er arranged the happy event.
For this purpose, Ma Renli specially borrowed two donkeys and a cart from the club. On the wedding day, almost everyone in the village came to watch. Ma Renli wore a brand-new gown, made of satin. The fabric was extremely soft and had red flowers on the chest. Yang Deng'er also wore a brand-new scarlet gown. Not only did she wear a red flower on her chest, but she also had a small red flower on her head. Her face was clean and except for the black spots, she even looked a bit more handsome than Qiao Yue.
On the afternoon of the second day of the wedding, Ma Renli came to the house in person and invited Wang Zhong's family to have a drink at home. In the evening, it was still early, Wang Zhong and Ma Renli were sitting on the kang, brothers Ziping and Zi'an were also crawling around on the kang, and Yang Deng'er and Jiang Hongguo were busy outside on the stove.
After a while, the food was served on the table. There were three vegetarian dishes, one cucumber, one stir-fried bitter melon, and one scrambled egg with chives. The staple food was a large plate of dumplings and a grate of white flour steamed buns.
"Deng'er, you two have spent a lot of money!" Wang Zhong looked at the sumptuous meal and said as if he was teasing.
"Renli is where he is today thanks to your support and care over the years. He has long wanted to treat you to a meal to express his gratitude. It's just that his cooking skills are not good and the food he cooks is too unpalatable, so he has been putting it off until now." Yang Deng'er said with a smile.
Wang Zhong's eyes flickered back and forth between Yang Deng'er and Ma Renli, and the smile on his face became brighter: "If you really want to thank me, just put more thought into it and let's get the production started together."
"That's necessary." Ma Renli also said with a smile. After marrying a wife and becoming a man, after the yin and yang were reconciled, this man felt different: "Come on, come on, drink!" He picked up the wine bottle and helped the king. Zhonghe each poured a bowl for himself, while the brothers Ziping and Zi'an had already begun to nibble on the dumplings Yang Deng'er had given them.
Although the two brothers are usually a little naughty, they are particularly active in eating. When the two brothers were one and a half years old, Wang Zhong began to teach them to eat by themselves. Although they didn't need the kuaizi yet, the spoons were already used quite a bit. Quantity.
Seeing the tiger-headed brothers burying their heads in eating, Yang Deng'er's face was also full of smiles. Wang Zhong and Ma Renli ate dumplings and drank a whole bottle of Baigan. Wang Zhong's expression remained normal, but Ma Renli's face was already red from the alcohol, his eyes were hazy from drunkenness, and he started talking nonsense.
"Deng'er, since you have married Renli, you two will be a family from now on, so I will say some things directly."
"That's all you say!" Yang Deng'er said. Wang Zhong looked at the drunken Ma Renli and said, "Renli is good at everything, educated, capable, and kind-hearted. Although he is a little timid, it doesn't hurt. The only thing is that his temper has been suppressed for too long. Of course, Well, I can't blame him, but he has such a background and can't help it. Although he has performed very well in the past few years, it is because he has not made any mistakes. There are so many pairs of eyes staring at him behind his back. In the future , you have to keep your eyes wide open, keep an eye on him, and hit him as often as possible, so as not to let him make any mistakes, otherwise he will be caught by his pigtails, which will be troublesome." Yang Deng'er looked solemn. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will keep an eye on him." Yang Deng'er also knew the seriousness of the matter.
Wang Chong said with a smile: "Actually, he knows all these benevolences. After all, he has been here for so many years, but it is always right to be careful." Yang Deng'er is a kind-hearted person, a good wife and mother, how should I put it? She is a bit too stubborn and stares at Niu DaDang without letting him go. However, there is a deep hatred between Niu DaDang and her family. Even if she and Niu DaDang can let go, her father, Lao Donkey Tou, can't let him go and will never let her go. She married the ox boldly.
Instead of dragging it around, finally taking advantage of Zhao Youtian, and letting Qiao Yue, a scheming man, cut off Hu, it would be better to let Ma Renli marry Yang Deng'er. At least Ma Renli's talent and learning are real, and he only waited for this period. Difficult times have their own place to show off their talents.
Moreover, with Ma Renli's caring and caring nature, he would definitely treat Yang Deng'er well. The most important point is what Wang Zhong and Ma Renli said just now. Ma Renli has some shortcomings in terms of character. He has endured humiliation and lived a miserable life. After so many years of suffering, once he gains power, he will not be able to maintain it. What does it look like, given his status, he is still sensitive now. If he is really big, and someone grabs his tail and stabs him, he might cause some trouble.
Although Yang Deng'er hasn't read many books, he has a good mind, a good personality, and is still strong. He can definitely control Ma Renli.
Behind this successful man is the help of a woman. According to Wang Zhong, Yang Deng'er is far more suitable for Ma Renli than Qiao Yue, who only knows how to draw eyebrows and act like a monster.
In fact, it was not that Wang Zhong had not had his eye on Yang Deng'er at first. After all, Yang Deng'er was the most handsome girl in Maixiang Village. It was not an exaggeration to call her the village beauty, surpassing the three generations of old, middle-aged and young people.
It's a pity that Yang Deng'er's obsession with Niu DaDang was too much, and only Niu DaDang was left in his mind. Wang Zhong didn't have any chance to make a move, so he happened to catch up with another Jiang Hongguo who came to his door. Jiang Hongguo was quite suitable regardless of his temperament and appearance. Although Wang Zhong's spleen and stomach were married to someone before, Wang Zhong even accepted Ma Suqin, so he didn't particularly care about this.
After all, Wei Wu's legacy, anyone who has tried it will know all the wonderful things. When Wang Zhong and Jiang Hongguo came out of Ma Renli's house with their two sons, Ma Renli was already drunk and unconscious. He stopped talking nonsense, fell down on the kang, and fell asleep.
Yang Deng'er sent Wang Zhong's family of four out of the house, then turned back to take care of Ma Renli and clean up the house.
Seeing Ma Renli, who was drunk on the kang and already asleep, Yang Deng'er's mood was still complicated.
Just after Ma Renli and Yang Deng'er's good deeds, the village organized a double robbery to plow and sow, and compete with God for time. The entire Maixiang Village, men, women, and children all went out. The strong laborers either drove the animals to plow the fields, or plowed the fields. One person pulls the plow, and the other presses the plow behind. The parents, the elderly, and the children work together at the back to dig ditches and raise ridges with hoes, rakes, and shovels.
Suddenly, more than a hundred people in Maixiang Village fell into a tense and busy life. Everyone got up early and came back late, and even ate lunch in the fields. With the continuous land reclamation in the past few years, Maixiang Village originally had nearly a thousand acres of land, but now it has more than 1,300 acres. On average, each person can There are about ten acres.
The double robbery was over, the public grain was handed over, and the family's private land was left to the elderly and women to work. Wang Zhong led the people to widen and enlarge the cellar dug out last time in the village's grain depot. Ma Renli and Niu boldly led the people to use the squeezed oil. , or the newly planted wheat in the fields, exchanged for soybeans and peanuts from all over the country.
The oil pressing workshop also started work in full swing. Today, Maixiang Village is like a clockwork machine, turning bit by bit. Even the most lazy and slippery eaters on weekdays Even though he was not full, he was still working hard in the oil pressing workshop.
The soybeans and peanuts exchanged for oil and wheat are then pressed into oil. Some are sent to the county supply and marketing cooperative, and some are stored in the village warehouse to be replaced with rice, soybeans and peanuts during the autumn harvest.
Autumn was just around the corner, and the autumn harvest was just around the corner. That evening, a heavy rain suddenly started falling from the sky. The pouring rain kept coming. Many of the houses in the village had thatched roofs, and they were leaking all the time. , the rain was too heavy and it was difficult to repair, so the villagers could only use pots and pans placed in the house to catch the rain.
Wang Zhong was originally the Ma family's mansion, and it was also the main courtyard. The roof was covered with gray tiles instead of thatch, so there was no rain leakage.
While helping Wang Zhong put on his raincoat, Jiang Hongguo warned: "It's raining so hard, the master should be careful." Wang Zhong said with a smile: "I just went over to have a look, it doesn't necessarily need to be repaired." After saying that, Jiang Hongguo had already put on his pocket. After handing the bag over, Wang Zhong put on the bamboo hat and trotted all the way, disappearing into the rain.
Jiang Hongguo closed the door, turned around and entered the back room. Wang Zhong trotted out of the main entrance and headed straight for his second grandfather's house.
"Second Grandpa! Second Grandpa!" Wang Zhong shouted when he came to the door of Second Grandpa's house and knocked on the door.
"It's coming, it's coming!" Second Grandpa's voice was filled with unconcealable old age.
"It's a big insect. It's raining so heavily. Why are you here!" Seeing Wang Zhong outside the door, the second grandfather was confused, but he hurriedly welcomed Wang Zhong into the house: "Come in, come in!"
"With such a heavy rain, I'm afraid your roof is leaking. Come and take a look!" Wang Chong said with a smile. As soon as he entered the house, he saw several urns and wooden basins on the table and on the ground, raindrops dripping from them. Tick-tock fell inside.
"This rain probably won't stop for a while. I'll fix the leak for you first, and you can help watch from the house." After saying that, Wang Zhong turned around and went out.
"It's raining so hard, don't get wet, wait until the rain subsides a little before you do it!" Second Grandpa was about to call Wang Zhong.
"It's okay. I'm young and in good shape. It doesn't matter if I get wet in the rain." Wang Zhong's voice came into the room through the rain curtain, and the second grandfather wanted to persuade him again.
Wang Zhong took the ladder and tools in the yard, picked up the bundled straw and oilcloth, and went up to the roof.
Wang Zhong moved quickly, and within a short time several leaks in the room were repaired. However, Wang Zhong's clothes were basically soaked through, and the rainwater and sweat on his face were mixed together.
