With Yang Deng'er in charge, Ma Renli's bad mouth didn't cause any more trouble.
General Chang also came over, brought a lot of things, took Ma Renli's hand and sincerely thanked him, and gave Ma Renli a medal.
All of a sudden, Ma Renli changed from a disciple of the landlord to a hero who contributed to the Anti-Japanese War. The county and the commune suddenly began to pay attention to Ma Renli. County Magistrate Zhang even came down personally to visit Ma Renli's home and talk to him. Ma Renli ate and drank, chatted for a long time, and said a lot of words of encouragement and praise.
The villagers' attitude towards Ma Renli has also changed. In the past, although Wang Zhong and Ma Renli made suggestions for the village, their attitude towards Ma Renli improved a lot, but after all, there was still a lot of prejudice because of Ma Renli's background.
Now that General Chang has happened, Ma Renli has suddenly gone from a poor background to a hero of the war of resistance and national salvation, and his mood is completely different.
Fortunately, after so many years and experiencing so many things, Ma Renli is no longer the college student who just came back from Peking. He knows what it means to speak out and what it means to be a lowly person.
Hiding minions and enduring them is like a tiger lying on a barren hill.
After putting away his sharp edges and becoming more tactful and shrewd, reading more and talking less, and with Yang Deng'er always by his side to give him advice, Ma Renli's life became easier.
Ma Renli's life was getting better, but God was not very kind to him. It didn't rain much throughout the summer.
During the autumn harvest, the crops in the fields invariably decreased in yield, and a large part of the vegetables among the villagers were sunburned and dead. Fortunately, there was water in the rivers and weirs and ponds, and they were irrigated from time to time, so a lot of them were preserved. .
In front of the warehouse, Wang Zhong led everyone to weigh the peanuts, soybeans and rice that had been collected one by one. While Ma Renli was recording, Wang Zhong also kept the numbers in his mind. When the last bag of soybeans was weighed, Wang Zhong couldn't help but feel He sighed: "This is not a good sign!"
"Peanut and soybean yields have both been reduced by nearly 30%, and corn production has been reduced by nearly 40%. Only the sweet potato yield is slightly higher, with a reduction of about 20%." Listening to Ma Renli's statistics, the villagers felt a little heavy.
This is the first time since Wang Zhong became party secretary that production has been reduced.
Ma Renlian couldn't help but sigh: "There has been too little rain this year. Although there is water from the river, it is still a drop in the bucket."
The total output has been reduced, so the work points of the villagers are naturally not as valuable as in previous years, and the things given to them are naturally less than in previous years. However, the villagers are relatively simple and know that this matter is God's fault, and everyone is also He pinched his nose and admitted.
After the rations were distributed, Wang Zhong and others gathered at the team headquarters for a meeting.
Wang Zhong was still the first to speak: "Renli, tell me about the results of your observations during this period!"
Ma Renli said: "According to my observation, our Maixiangling area will not see much snow this winter, and there is a high possibility of drought in the coming spring."
"Is there really going to be a drought next year?" Niu Dangda was the first to feel uneasy.
Ma Renli said: "I can only say that the possibility is very high!"
"Ren Lian, is there any news from the weather station?" Wang Zhong asked.
Ma Renlian shook his head: "Not yet, but according to Secretary Wang, it seems that the meteorological observatory is not sure either."
"Since we are not sure, it is useless to say more. We still have to plant when we need to plant." Although we know that there will be a drought next year, and it will be a severe drought that will last for several years, we just tell the villagers that, even though Wang Zhong's prestige No matter how high it is, it will be difficult to convince everyone.
"Whether there is a drought or not, we can always make more preparations."
"What are you preparing for?" Everyone looked at Wang Zhong curiously.
Wang Zhong glanced at everyone angrily: "Prepare as you like. Get more buckwheat seeds and prepare them. There is still water in the river. If we change the water channel, we can pump a lot more. Let's find a way to get more." Save some water, say hello to the folks in advance, and ask everyone to tighten their belts. Don’t live in such luxury. With food in hand, we are not afraid even if there is a drought.
Especially now that the Chinese New Year is approaching, I would like to tell everyone earlier so that everyone can be mentally prepared. "
"Buckwheat seeds are all
That’s easy to say, but how do we store water? Ma Renli asked.
"Do you have any good suggestions?" Wang Zhong asked.
Everyone bowed their heads in thought.
"How many more weirs and ponds should we dig?" Zhao Youtian suggested.
Ma Renli said: "It makes no sense. The reservoir on the upper reaches of the Maixiang River is almost finished. If the drought really reaches the point where even the reservoir is dry, it won't be of any use no matter how many weirs and ponds we dig."
Yes, although the reservoir just built upstream has not been completed yet, it stores a lot of water. Due to the construction of the reservoir, the current flow of the Maixiang River flowing through the Maixiang Brigade is much smaller than before. Fortunately, irrigation was started at the beginning. During the project, Wang Zhong and Ma Renli had considered this point in advance. The location for the waterwheel construction was found after careful selection. Although the water flow is now small, after a square canal is opened, the water flow of the Maixiang River will be reduced. Water can still flow into the ground.
Niu boldly said: "What should we do? Shall we dig a few more big wells?"
Wang Jian nodded: "It's okay to drill wells. Drilling wells is already on the agenda, but it's useless to drill too many wells. There's only so much groundwater, and there's not much difference between two wells and three wells."
[An app that has been running stably for many years, comparable to the old book-chasing tool, used by all old bookworms.
Vegetarian dishes.
The disgust on Zhang Defu's face was undisguised. Even Wang Wanchun was a little embarrassed and glanced at Wang Zhong angrily. His eyes seemed to say: I asked you to do something casually, but you can't be so casual.
Wang Zhong cupped his hands and said apologetically: "Zhang County~, Secretary Wang, the situation this year is not good, the grain production in the fields has been severely reduced, please forgive me! Just have a meal!"
If Zhou Yihu comes, Wang Zhong will not say anything, and the villagers are willing to put big fish and meat on the table, but who is Zhang Defu? If you don't tell me, it will waste time and delay production.
Wang Wanchun glanced at Wang Zhong and hurriedly explained to Zhang Defu: "Zhang County~, the weather is hot this year and it doesn't rain much. Most of the young men in the brigade have gone to support the construction of the reservoir. None of the brigade in our commune has Those who don’t reduce production will suffer heavy losses!”
Wang Wanchun took advantage of the situation and suffered a lot.
"Really?" Zhang Defu was a little bit weird, with a slightly weird smile on his face. He turned his head and glanced at Wang Zhong: "But I heard that the oil pressing workshop of Maixiang Brigade is quite famous. In recent years, it has been supplying and selling The company provided a lot of oil."
"The oil provided to the supply and marketing cooperatives comes from dozens of brigades in our commune. It is for the convenience of the villagers, and also for the convenience of the supply and marketing cooperatives to purchase and reduce labor costs and time costs. Our brigade has just discussed with the supply and marketing cooperatives. Each brigade The squeezed oil is first stored in the warehouse of our brigade's oil shop. Buyers from the supply and marketing cooperative come to our brigade regularly to take the oil away. Other brigade companies only need to send people to our brigade to settle accounts regularly. There is no need to specialize. We arranged for people to push the oil to the county supply and marketing cooperative to increase the cost, and our brigade received a token fee for labor and firewood."
"So that's what happened!" Zhang Defu nodded pretendingly. In fact, he had already figured out the secrets here, but he was just looking for an excuse to attack.
"Although the food is a bit crude, the wine is enough!" Wang Zhong said, picking up the opened bottle of Baigan and filling it up for the two of them.
After drinking a few drinks, Wang Zhong took the opportunity to ask: "County Magistrate Zhang, I recently read in the newspaper that the drought in Northeast and Hebei is quite serious. We are in the same situation again this year. Did the meteorological observatory say what it will be like next year? scene?"
It's a pity that Zhang Defu is not a practical person and does not pay attention to these things at all. How can I ask anything useful from his mouth.
"Bah! What the hell!"
Seeing Zhang Defu and Wang Wanchun gradually disappearing from sight in their jeep, Niu Dadan spat on the ground, gritted his teeth and cursed: "I have known how to do these stupid things all day long. Ever since he came to power, the county has I’ve never lived in peace.”
Wang Zhong said: "Okay! Just say a few words, I won't kill you."
Ma Renlian, who was standing next to him, also said, "Be careful that trouble comes from your mouth."
"I'm not stupid!" Niu Bingdao stared at those bull's eyes with an angry look on his face: "I just can't stand that guy, a second-rate guy who climbed up because of his eloquence. He doesn't do anything serious, but he knows how to be blind every day. Come on, Qiu Bo is too busy to deal with all these nonsense."
"Even Secretary Zhou can't do anything to him, we can't afford to offend him!" Wang Zhong sighed, sighed deeply, shook his head and turned away.
Ma Renlian looked at Niu DaDang and said, "Da Chong, Da Chong is right. Let's just plant our land well. Don't think about the things that are there or not."
After struggling for a long time, the villagers went to the fields again in the afternoon and started working on autumn sowing.
Time passed day by day, and the New Year was approaching in a blink of an eye. The biting north wind swept across the entire Qilu land, and the Maixiangling area naturally could not escape.
Since the end of summer last year, not a drop of rain has fallen in the entire Maixiang Ridge.
At the west end of the village, at Ma Renli's house, Wang Zhong and Ma Renli were sitting outside the kang playing chess, Jiang Hongguo and Yang Deng'er were knitting inside, and brothers Ziping and Zi'an were squatting in the infant Ma Gongshe. It's like a new world, I can't get enough of it.
"I heard from Sister Jinhua that your family, Zi Ping and Zian, were very obedient when they were little. They didn't cry or fuss at night, unlike my family, who cried and fussed all night long." Yang Deng'er and Jiang The red fruit pours bitter water.
Jiang Hongguo said: "They really didn't cry much at night when they were little. They fed them a meal before going to bed every night and they slept until the next morning."
"If you have any special skills, please teach me!" Yang Deng'er looked at Jiang Hongguo expectantly.
"I don't have any tricks up my sleeve!" Jiang Hongguo said, "Just try to let them sleep as little as possible during the day, and they will naturally sleep more at night."
"When you see that he is about to fall asleep, just hold it with both hands and rub it from top to bottom near the creaking hole. Rub it a few times and tease it more. If you make the baby laugh, the baby will naturally stop falling asleep."
Seeing Jiang Hongguo talking and gesticulating, Yang Deng'er nodded as if he had some understanding.
"General!" With a hindsight, a smile appeared on Wang Zhong's face: "Taking care of children is a subject that cannot be explained clearly in just a few sentences!"
Ma Renli was completely out of ideas and quickly put the chess pieces in his hand in front of Wang Zhong and continued to greet him: "Come again, come again."
"No matter how many games you play, it will still be the same!" Wang Zhong said with a smile: "With your chess skills, you can only bully Niu Daudao!"
Ma Renli was not convinced: "I don't believe it."
Wang Zhong smiled and said, "But your perseverance and your spirit of fighting against repeated defeats are good."
The two rearranged the dishes and started fighting again.
Yang Deng'er and Jiang Hongguo next to them laughed in unison. Ma Renli was defeated after repeated defeats.
Wang Zhong also wanted to give him a few sons, but Ma Renli refused.
Yang Deng'er suddenly said: "By the way, Da Chong, the medicine you prepared for my father is really good. My father's health has improved a lot recently!"
Wang Zhong kept his eyes on the chessboard: "It's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Your father's asthma, if he stops smoking, he will never have a chance to recover in this life."
"Hey!" Yang Deng'er sighed: "But my father won't listen! With his donkey temper, my mother can't stand him."
"If you ask me, you can just sell dad's cigarettes quietly and save him from worrying about it!" Ma Renli then came up with an idea.
Yang Deng'er was stunned: "But what if my father makes trouble?"
Ma Renli said: "Then do you think it is more important to make dad happy for a while, or dad's body?"
Wang Zhong raised his eyes and smiled, and said: "Behead first and then show off, and draw fuel from the bottom of the cauldron. You have a lot of tricks up your sleeve."
"Is there any other way to deal with her father's stubborn temper? If you don't kill him first and deal with him later, you'll be able to draw out the fuel from the bottom of the cauldron?" Ma Ren said politely.
"Although it's a bit extreme, it's a good idea! But it's not good enough." Wang Zhong said: "Deng'er's father is famous for his donkey temper in our brigade. After removing the fuel from the cauldron, we can recruit him with emotion and reason. , it is best for Deng'er to hold your commune and cry in front of your father-in-law, as well as your mother-in-law, grandparents and grandchildren, pleading with rain, he is the golden cudgel of Sun Dasheng, and it has to be turned into a finger-wrap soft."
"That's right!" Ma Renli slapped his thigh: "Why didn't I think of this trick?"
"The authorities are confused!" Wang Zhong sighed, and shot down Ma Renli's horse with a cannon.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Ma Renli immediately looked regretful: "I was distracted just now."
"No regrets!" Wang Zhong had no intention of giving in.
"It's done!" Ma Renli waved his hand.
With his eyes rolling, Ma Renli had an idea. He suddenly changed his voice and said, "By the way, judging from the current situation, the drought will definitely not be alleviated after spring starts. What are your plans?"
How could Ma Renli hide this little thought from Wang Zhong: "What else can I do? Just take it one step at a time!"
"If there is a drought, we won't be able to do anything. We will do whatever we have to do then."
Ma Renli said: "Yes, the water cellar has been dug now, and there are a lot of buckwheat seeds stored in the warehouse. If there is a drought, we can grow some buckwheat to supplement the subsidy."
The meteorological station also gave news that there will definitely be a drought after the beginning of spring. The entire Maixiang Brigade has been living in tight conditions this year. In previous years, the villagers were still willing to buy some meat to eat, but this year they even eat less white-flour steamed buns.
Although he was reluctant to buy meat, the team members
The pigs I raised were ready for slaughter.
Although Wang Zhong has never worked as a butcher, he has experienced so many dungeon worlds, and his ability to kill pigs and cut meat is no worse than that of those old butchers. Even with Wang Zhong's physical fitness and control that are far beyond ordinary people Even if you try hard, it's still too much.
Of the twenty pigs raised in the village, except for the breeding pigs, none of the remaining meat pigs were kept. They were all ready to be killed and none were kept.
Nearly two hundred people in the village, old and young, all gathered in the canteen, boiling water, chopping firewood, and twenty pigs weighing nearly two hundred kilograms were tied hand and foot to a fir tree as thick as an arm.
Wang Zhong and Niu Er, another butcher in the village, had sharpened their pig-killing knives.
There were twenty pigs, ten for each person. The butcher's knife about a foot long was stabbed through the neck. The hot pig blood immediately flowed like a spring, flowing along the butcher's knife into the bucket under the table.
After draining the blood, they carried it to the side, poured hot water on the leg hair, and used kitchen knives and scrapers. Everyone worked together, and within a few hours, all twenty pigs were shaved clean.
Then it was time to divide the pigs, and this was the time to truly show off his skills. Although Wang Zhong's sword skills were not as good as those of a cook and a cow, they were much more skillful than Niu Er.
Of these twenty pigs, only two were kept for the villagers' own consumption. The remaining eighteen pigs, after removing the pig heads and pigs, had to be taken away by buyers from the supply and marketing cooperative who had been waiting nearby for a long time.
There is no way around it. Pork is a material subject to unified purchasing and marketing. Naturally, the price purchased by the supply and marketing cooperative cannot keep up with the price it sells for itself, but the advantage is that there is no risk.
If you directly remove the internal organs and pig head, the speed is still very fast. It only takes more than an hour to do it all.
When the villagers saw Niu DaBang leading a group of young men to put the fans of pork on the tractor of the supply and marketing cooperative on the platform, their eyes were filled with distress, and some of the children even kept swallowing their saliva. .
The remaining two pigs and a bunch of pig heads and internal organs naturally belong to the villagers.
Pork is still distributed according to the number of work points, but it is not a certain time, but the work points throughout the year.
For dozens of households, the two pigs were naturally divided into dozens of pieces, and all the internal organs were also divided. In the end, there was a sumptuous pig-killing feast.
The female comrades have already started preparing all the ingredients, the noodles have been woken up in advance, and all the ingredients have been prepared.
Cut the pork into small pieces, mix with shredded cabbage and radish, follow Wang Zhong's recipe, add seasonings, beat in eggs, and mix evenly.
The large steamed buns with distinct wrinkles were placed in the steamer one by one. Ma Renlian, the deputy party secretary, also known as vegetable buns, also came out in person. On the stove, steam was steaming.
The children in the village no longer cared about playing. They stood in front of the stove one by one, looking at the steaming cauldron and steamer, and swallowed in dismay.
On the other hand, the two little guys Zi Ping and Zi An were quite competitive with Wang Zhong. They each blew up the pig urine bubbles and had a great time playing with them.
In just over half an hour, it was as long as a century had passed. Watching the adults putting the fragrant pork and cabbage stuffed buns on large grates and placing them in the middle of the dining table, the children couldn't wait to surround them.
On the other side, a pig-killing stew with plenty of oil and water is also ready. It's nothing else. It's also pork, cabbage and radish. It's also simple to make.
The female comrades who were cooking, the male comrades who were butchering the pigs, and the children and elderly people who were watching all took their seats one after another and gathered around the table.
"Hoo ho!" Wang Zhong took the microphone and blew twice, and said loudly, "Folks, let me say a few words first."
"Although the situation this year is not good, and after next spring, it is hard to say whether it will rain in the afternoon, but we have worked hard for a year, and we must reward ourselves. However, I still want to remind everyone, after eating this meal, go home From now on, stay in this province and don’t treat it like New Year every day.”
"Brother Big Chong, don't worry, we all know what's going on."
"Yes, yes! We are not fools!"
Villagers expressed their opinions one after another.
Wang Zhong coughed twice and continued loudly: "Okay, I
Not much to say! Let’s eat! "
