roccoschili Chapter 68 I Think
Chapter 68 I Think
Lu Yuanqing was tidying up his various account books and statistical tables.
These things cannot be lost.
He was the brigade's financial cashier, and he kept the accounts crystal clear. Every month when the brigade's cadres held a meeting, he would make his accounts public, ensuring complete openness and transparency.
This move by him left several of Zhao Zhongcai's cadres with a very good impression of him.
A person who is capable and attentive to detail will be respected by others wherever they go.
"How's it going? Are you done cleaning up? Come to my house for dinner!" Zhao Zhongcai asked.
Lu Yuanqing shrugged, "Right away!" He had too much stuff!
Eating is fine! He could eat a little faster!
After packing their belongings and moving the table into the warehouse, the group chatted and laughed as they walked toward Zhao Zhongcai's house.
"You're here! Come in quickly, the food is ready, you can eat right away!" Aunt Chunhua warmly welcomed them.
Zhao Laosan's youngest son, Zhao Zhenghao, brought over a basin of water. "Wash your hands!"
I don't know who told them, but they knew that the little guy had been busy all day and his hands were covered in dust and needed to be washed. He carried the water and staggered over.
Lu Yuanqing quickly took it, "Haohao, thank you!"
Zhao Zhenghao was only four years old, an age when he was naturally shy. After being thanked so earnestly by Lu Yuanqing, his little face turned red, and he ran back to the kitchen to find his mother.
Lu Yuanqing smiled. How cute!
After washing their hands, they were invited inside for a meal.
We need to eat quickly, otherwise we won't be able to see anything when it gets dark.
They didn't have electricity, and they weren't shameless enough to let the brigade leader's family eat by the light of oil lamps.
Therefore, the usual small talk was reserved for after the meal.
"The moon is so round!" After finishing his meal, Lu Yuanqing stood on the threshing floor by the door and looked up at the full moon in the sky.
"Are you full?" Zhao Zhongcai also came out.
"Ok!"
"Eating so fast!"
"Hehe, young people eat so fast!" Lu Yuanqing said with a smile.
"Tch!" Here we go again!
"The moon is so round!" Lu Yuanqing looked at the sky, where there were many stars.
This was the first time he had ever looked at the night sky so intently.
But the sky tonight is truly beautiful.
"Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here, how can it not be round?" Zhao Zhongcai didn't understand the romance of appreciating the moon and stars. He brought over two stools. "Here! Sit down!"
"Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here!" Lu Yuanqing took the stool, somewhat surprised at how fast time had passed.
This is his first Mid-Autumn Festival since he came here.
"Hmm, about ten more days!" Zhao Zhongcai crossed his legs, took out his precious cigarette, and lit it.
The match was lit in the night, and only a faint red glow remained.
In a good mood today, Zhao Zhongcai decided to smoke a whole cigarette.
"Uncle Zhao is so happy this year!" Lu Yuanqing said with amusement.
Every time he saw Zhao Zhongcai smoking, he would take a few puffs to satisfy his craving, then carefully put the cigarette away after it was extinguished, so he could smoke again next time.
He was quite surprised when he first saw this stingy way of smoking.
I actually smoked a whole cigarette today, wow, that's rare.
"Of course I'm happy!" Zhao Zhongcai didn't argue.
"I've been the brigade leader for five years, and today is the happiest day of my life."
Lu Yuanqing smiled because he was happy that the villagers received a lot of grain!
He's a good captain!
"Uncle Zhao, are you satisfied with this?" Lu Yuanqing teased him deliberately.
Zhao Zhongcai, however, did not pay any attention and said, "I wouldn't say I'm satisfied!"
Who doesn't want a better life?
Moreover, people are never satisfied.
Once you have this, you start wanting that!
Lu Yuanqing raised an eyebrow. "If you're not satisfied, then keep trying next year!"
"It's not that easy!" Zhao Zhongcai chuckled, then sighed, "We're still too poor here."
“I’ve been to the county. There are factories there, and I’ve seen the workers there. They were all wearing the same uniforms, and everyone looked so smart and glamorous. I was so envious back then.”
"You tell me, we're all human, so why are some people born to be city dwellers while we're relegated to the countryside, where we can't even get enough to eat!"
“I envy those workers, but I’m not jealous. I just want to change our situation. I want everyone in my village to have enough to eat. But when I came back from the county and looked at the impoverished land, my fighting spirit, which had just risen, was like being doused with a bucket of cold water. And then, I’ve been living in a daze for so many years.”
Whether it was the right timing or not, Zhao Zhongcai suddenly felt the urge to speak out about the things he had kept hidden in his heart this year.
Lu Yuanqing, on the other hand, was seen by Zhao Zhongcai as a very good listener.
But he just isn't.
Lu Yuanqing said, "It's not too late! Uncle Zhao, it's not too late for you to still have that idea from back then. I'll help you!"
It's all about making everyone's life a little better!
He had long been fed up with poverty, unable to even eat rice whenever he wanted.
The more Lu Yuanqing talked, the more feasible it seemed. "Uncle Zhao, how about we give it a try?"
Wouldn't it be better if everyone got rich?
Zhao Zhongcai: "..."
What to try?
He was just saying what was on his mind, how did it become a trial?
What kind of trouble is that brat Lu Yuanqing up to now?
It was too dark for Lu Yuanqing to see Zhao Zhongcai's tense body. Inspiration came to him in a rush. "Uncle Zhao, I think that if we only grow grain, our village will never be rich. I read in the newspaper that in other places, their production teams usually have side businesses and they are doing very well."
"Therefore, we can't just focus on the land; we also need to look into side businesses."
"There are always a few months each year when we're not too busy, so we can think about doing a side hustle. We can sell the products and split the profits. I think that's a great idea, we should give it a try!"
“Our village has a lot of bamboo, and every household has bamboo weaving skills. We can find markets and sell our produce. Actually, our local fruits are quite good, like plums, peaches, and pomelos. Fruits are more expensive than grains, so if we grow fruit, we can make a lot of money by selling them…”
Lu Yuanqing couldn't stop talking. Zhao Zhongcai was stunned at first, but when he heard that they were not planting grain but fruit, he immediately objected, "No, we can't waste land to grow fruit. That's not allowed. Grain should be the main crop!"
No, none of the others will work either!
Zhao Zhongcai was speechless. Why did this kid like to cause trouble so much?
Wouldn't it be better to just farm the land peacefully, increase yields, and get more food?
Lu Yuanqing nodded, "We won't grow fruit; we'll focus on grains."
"What about bamboo weaving?"
Zhao Zhongcai sighed, "Yuanqing, you are also a village cadre. I understand and sympathize with what you want to do for the villagers, but it will be very difficult at the beginning."
During a grain distribution reform, his family was either pelted with excrement or he was ostracized by the villagers for months.
“What’s so difficult about it?” Lu Yuanqing disagreed. “It’s precisely because it’s difficult that we should overcome it!”
"Uncle Zhao, I think that in the future, the grain distributed in the village will mainly be refined grains, not millet, but rice, so that everyone can eat rice."
The wish is not big, but it is very difficult.