Lu Dewen, who had just returned home from work, silently ran through the Chinese characters he had learned in his mind,
He was not like Lu Mingwen and Lu Jianxun who could examine each other when they were working,
They studied together and made progress together,
He wanted to review, so he had to rely on his own willpower,
Eliminate external interference and concentrate on studying,
After a day,
He probably concentrated a little more on the way to and from work.
However, just as he arrived at the edge of his courtyard dam, a dark-skinned woman rushed out of the central room. Her eyes were shining as she grabbed his arm and asked him for scriptures. What she asked for was not the scriptures of learning,
But the scriptures of dealing with Zhao Chenggang.
What should he say? He didn't want food, but he wanted his life?
No matter what, he was also eliminating illiteracy,
He could be considered half an intellectual,
He should abandon the rogue behavior of a rogue when he spoke and did things,
He should try to get close to an intellectual, present facts and reason,
He should calmly discuss and have a good deal,
Wouldn't it be shameful to directly give advice to others and lose his life? He must not spread similar ideas,
He thought seriously for a while. Seeing Zhao Caiping waiting with her head raised, his eyes flickered twice. "Caiping,
This matter can't be explained in a few words,
The sun is shining,
Let's go inside and talk. "
The entire production team,
Other than their own family, no one knew why Zhao Chenggang and his wife ran away as if they were possessed by a ghost. Lu Tong asked him if the couple was crazy. He nodded hesitantly. He would rather let others believe that it was Zhao Chenggang and his wife's problem than let others suspect him.
Zhao Caiping saw hope. There was hope on her tired face, just like a cancer patient who had been sentenced to death and heard that her disease could be cured. Her ashen face instantly lit up. She was really at her wit's end. Her family had a good appetite, and no matter how much food they had, it was not enough for them to eat. She had looted dozens of catties of food from her in-laws' house for half a month, and she came again yesterday afternoon.
Her mother-in-law was so angry that she rolled on the ground and shouted that she wanted to jump into the river and commit suicide. She felt guilty. Thinking that Zhao Chenggang really did not give her a way out, she would just die. The conditions of her in-laws' family were not good, but the annual food could barely be eaten until the autumn harvest and the new food came. Ever since she entered the family, her mother-in-law's family robbed them every three to five months. The cabinet that her in-laws' family used to store food had long been empty. She did not know what to do in the next few months.
She had made up her mind not to compromise. When she saw her elder brother, she was ready to die. Unexpectedly, Zhao Chenggang came empty-handed. He sat quietly for a few minutes and did not mention her parents' illness at all. She had a bad premonition and could not help but ask. Her elder brother's eyes became hot, and tears fell down like broken beads. He tearfully accused Chao Caizhi and Lu Dewen of being heartless and not caring about their parents' lives and deaths, and not giving them food and so on. Her elder brother was the best at crying.
Her eldest brother was the best at crying. He could make all kinds of cries, and once he opened his mouth, his tears would burst out. She was so used to it that she couldn't get used to it anymore. Yesterday, her eldest brother's cries were different. Not only was his crying heartbroken, but his complaints were also mixed with unwillingness and grievances. It was so shocking that her mother-in-law crawled up and ran into the house to ask what happened. Her tone was very direct, asking if her parents were dead.
Her elder brother wiped his tears and told her that he came to Yan'an Village Production Team to ask for food. He skipped the specific process and only scolded Lu Dewen and his wife for not caring about their parents' lives and forcing them to die. In the end, he even asked her to find time to persuade Chao Caizhi. "Our parents have worked hard to raise us up, and there is no reason for us to let them die when they are old. She also said that the wicker baskets and carrying baskets are in the Lu Family, and if they need food, they should just bring the wicker baskets over. It is easy to talk to sisters, and Chao Caizhi will not refuse her words and will definitely give them food."
She doubted the truth of the matter. Her sixth sister's character was similar to hers. She could not do anything to her maternal family. Besides, the Lu Family all looked listless and listless. How dare they refuse to give food? She repeatedly confirmed the truth of the matter with Zhao Chenggang. It was not until Zhao Chenggang raised his hand and swore that she hurriedly accepted the matter with ecstasy. She worked in the field for a while in the morning, and when it was almost noon, she came over.
Her sixth sister was the hope of her family. She could not let her maternal family bully her in-laws anymore.
Chao Caizhi was holding Dongdong and feeding him milk. Xixi was sitting on the ground rubbing the mud. When he saw Lu Dewen enter the room, he raised his head and shouted "Daddy". He raised the mud in his hand and handed it to Lu Dewen. Lu Dewen bent down to take it and skillfully pinched an A. Xixi happily took it and pressed it against the wall. Zhao Caiping's mind was full of learning from Xixi. She was not in the mood to ask what Xixi was pinching. As soon as she sat down, she urged Lu Dewen with eyes full of hope, "Brother Dewen, hurry up and tell me."
Lu Dewen opened his mouth, not knowing where to start. He asked Chao Caizhi, "You didn't tell Caiping the details?" This kind of thing, when told by others, was as wonderful as telling a story. If he told it himself, he would not feel embarrassed.
"I told Caiping, but she didn't believe me."
"Uh …" Lu Dewen paused. "Caiping, what your sister said is true. It's right to listen to your sister." After that, he ran into the kitchen. Thinking back to the scene of him grabbing Zhao Chenggang and hitting him, it was too embarrassing. Why did he risk his life at that time? Fortunately, Zhao Chenggang did not have a machete or hoe in his hand. Otherwise, he would have been in trouble.
Zhao Caiping turned to Chao Caizhi in surprise. "Brother Dewen said that, and as a big brother, he retreated? Impossible. Last time, my mother-in-law used a similar method. My big brother and the others hit her without mercy. My mother-in-law was bedridden for more than half a month. " It was also at that time that her mother-in-law was completely afraid of her big brother. When her big brother came back to ask for food, no matter how her mother-in-law cried or howled, she would obediently take out the food.
If the food was gone, she could borrow it, but if she lost her life, she would lose everything.
Chao Caizhi did not see Zhao Caiping's mother-in-law being unreasonable with her own eyes, but she saw Lu Dewen being unreasonable. Her big brother was so scared that he ran away from the door and even gave up the new basket. His fear of Lu Dewen was clearly written on his face. She did not know why Zhao Caiping's mother-in-law used the same trick, so she thought about it and asked, "Isn't your mother-in-law a little exaggerated? My big brother thought she was deliberately scaring people, so he didn't think too much before he took action."
How could Zhao Caiping figure out the reason? She thought that she would gain something from this trip, but she did not expect this result. Her face which had just become better turned completely pale in an instant. "My big brother asked for dozens of kilograms of food. How can I take it out? He is forcing me to die. My mother-in-law scolded me as a jinx. My family was fine before I got married, but after I got married, my family has never been at peace. Sixth Sister, what do you think I should do?"
Thinking that the situation of her husband's family was all because of her, she felt so depressed that she could not breathe. She even thought of jumping into the well and committing suicide. Finally, she plucked up her courage and stood by the well. Looking at the dark bottom of the well, she felt as if there was a huge whirlpool sucking her. Boundless fear rose from the bottom of her heart. She couldn't help thinking what would happen if she died. Her husband's family would probably blame her husband's family for asking for more food. The situation of her husband's family would be even worse. The production team would also say that she was useless when talking about her. She would be the one to die, leaving her husband's family to face the unreasonable family alone.
After thinking too much, she did not even have the courage to die. All she could do was to live with one breath.
Chao Caizhi could not answer Zhao Caiping's question, and Lu Dewen also did not know what to say. Xue Huahua saw that Zhao Caiping was pitiful and came up with an idea. If Zhao Chenggang came to ask for food again, they would go to the production team leader and report him for robbery. The production team leader would definitely protect his members and intervene in this matter. People like Zhao Chenggang could not be afraid of him a second time after being subdued once. If he dared to come again, they would directly fight with the male comrades in the production team. A strong dragon could not defeat a local snake. Zhao Chenggang and his men would definitely not win. Once their arrogance was restrained, they would not dare to be arrogant in the future.
The reason why Zhao Chenggang dared to bully Zhao Caiping's in-laws was that there were few people in the in-laws' family and they were easy to bully. After he had seen the power, he would naturally be quiet in the future.
Zhao Caiping had no other way. She went back to the production team and told her mother-in-law about this matter. Her mother-in-law hurriedly went to the team leader to explain the situation. In this day and age, every family was not rich. The team leader could not just watch as his members were bullied and do nothing. He immediately found a few tall members and asked them to pay attention to the Li family's situation. If the Zhao family dared to cause trouble, they were to immediately go over to help.
Therefore, when Zhao Chenggang and Fang Xiuju leisurely stepped into the Li family's house, the male comrades in the production team shouted for everyone to go to the Li family's house. Those with the surname Li in the production team were more or less related, so they ran very fast.
Zhao Chenggang of the Li family did not know the situation. They had discussed it at home. If Zhao Caiping really could not persuade Chao Caizhi, it meant that she did not do her best. Since she did not do her best, she should pay for the food that should be paid by Chao Caizhi. Let's see if she dares to be perfunctory next time. The door of the Li family's house was locked, and there was no one at home. Zhao Chenggang shouted at the top of his voice twice.
Zhao Caiping did not appear. The first people who appeared were a group of men with carrying poles. Zhao Chenggang did not think that it was him. He pretended to greet them warmly. "You also came to find my Seventh Sister." As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Zhao Caiping timidly appear behind the crowd. Next to her were her husband, parents-in-law, and mother-in-law.
Without saying much, Zhao Chenggang first asked Zhao Caiping if she had brought back the basket of his family. Seeing Zhao Caiping shaking her head, his face immediately changed. First, he scolded Zhao Caiping for being useless. She could not even do such a small thing well. Then, he cried and complained that it was not easy for his parents. They were waiting for life-saving food, but no one was willing to care about their lives.
Finally, he mentioned the food. He stretched out five fingers and said that he wanted 50 kilograms of food for the time being. If it was not enough, he would ask for it later.
The leader of the production team of the Li family's village was furious. The food of the Li family fell from the sky. Why should the Li family give it to Zhao Chenggang just because he said he wanted it? He scolded them for a while and then asked someone to drive them out. On the way, he mercilessly punched Zhao Chenggang twice and threatened him that if he dared to come and be unreasonable again, he would go to the commune to sue the Zhao family and make them eat in prison. Everyone in the production team ate as much as they earned. Only the Zhao family had a big appetite and needed to be fed. Fine, they could go to prison and be fed by the state.
Once in prison, they could eat as much as they wanted.
Before Zhao Chenggang came to his senses, he was driven out. He was not convinced, so he rolled up his sleeves and was about to hit someone. The leader shouted again, and several male comrades came forward, waved their shoulder poles and hit Zhao Chenggang. Those who did not have a shoulder pole were punched and kicked. It was rare for everyone to be united. The strength that fell on Zhao Chenggang's body was not weak at all, and the beating made Zhao Chenggang cry out.
Zhao Chenggang did not expect that they would be so arrogant to hit him, and it was even led by the leader. He did not dare to be unreasonable again. He climbed out with difficulty, pulled up his pants and ran away.
Fang Xiuju was also hit twice. The couple did not realize what was going on at all. Zhao Caiping's in-laws were easy to bully, but suddenly it was different. The couple did not get the food and got hurt when they returned to the Zhao family, which made Zhao Chenggang's mother very distressed. She spat and scolded Zhao Caiping for being evil. She should have strangled her when she was born, so that she would not have a chance to bully her. After scolding her for more than ten minutes, she remembered to ask Zhao Chenggang what was going on.
How could Zhao Chenggang understand the reason? He endured the pain all over his body and carefully told the story of him going to Li's Village. Zhao Chenggang's mother was smart.
When she heard that Zhao Caiping went to Renan Village, she knew that it must be Chao Caizhi who instigated it. No, Chao Caizhi was a yes-man and could not do this kind of thing. It must be her mother-in-law's credit. After Zhao Chenggang did not get the food from the Lu Family, she went out to inquire about the Lu Family with her acquaintances. It was okay if she did not inquire about it, but after she inquired about it, her back was full of cold sweat. Fortunately, it was Lu Dewen who argued with the eldest brother that day. If it was his mother, Zhao Chenggang might be half dead.
The old woman of the Lu Family was not a fox assuming the majesty of a tiger. She was really powerful. Even if the eldest brother was not reconciled and wanted to take the second brother, the third brother and the fourth brother to go to the Lu Family to get the wicker baskets and carrying baskets back, she firmly refused. The old woman of the Lu Family did not care about her life. Whether it was the shrew in the production team, the educated youth, or the people in the production team next door, she would beat them without blinking. She was cruel and merciless. People were afraid of her. She did not want her son to die for nothing.
For example, in this case, even if she hated Xue Huahua for being a busybody, she did not dare to confront Xue Huahua. Thinking of her little daughter, in case of another accident, she hurriedly asked the eldest brother and the others to go to the little daughter's house to prevent her little daughter from contacting with Chao Caizhi. Otherwise, there would be no one who sympathized with them in the future, and the neighbors and relatives around them would not lend them food. How could they live?
Zhao Chenggang called his three brothers and hurriedly went to his little sister's house, but they were still too late. When he saw the black mass of heads standing on the courtyard dam with shoulder poles, Zhao Chenggang did not even say a word and ran away. Based on his experience, no matter what he said, it would be useless. If he was not careful, he might even get beaten up. The other three had no experience, so they just shouted and cursed …
The result was predictable. The three brothers were carried out of the production team like pigs and thrown away.
The Zhao family did not have the support of their daughter, and there was not much food left at home. Zhao Chenggang's mother cried every day in the yard. She cried about how hard it was for her, how miserable it was, and how she did not even have a caring daughter. As she cried, she scolded her daughter and son-in-law for not being filial and not coming back to see them. She also scolded Xue Huahua for being a busybody and teaching her daughter bad things.
After cursing for two consecutive days, no one came to ask what happened even when her voice was hoarse. Zhao Chenggang's mother had to stop shouting and go to work in the field with a gloomy face.
To be honest, Xue Huahua admitted that it was Zhao Caiping who came up with the idea. As for Chao Caizhi's little sister, she had never seen her before, so she really could not be blamed. There were many intermarried families in the surrounding production teams, and the news spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Some things could be known clearly by just asking a few questions. The Zhao brothers were definitely beaten up because they had gone too far, and the other party could not bear it anymore.
Thinking about it this way, Lu Dewen could be considered good to Zhao Chenggang. At least he did not cause any harm to Zhao Chenggang. Instead, he begged Zhao Chenggang to beat him. What a caring brother-in-law! Why didn't Zhao Chenggang know how to cherish him?
Xue Huahua sighed in her heart. She did not gossip too much about the Zhao family. After the sweet potato vines were dried, Lu Jianguo asked someone to grind them into powder and pile them up. Meanwhile, the fresh sweet potato vines were dried in the yard. Xue Huahua and Li Xuemei were much more free. Taking advantage of the time, Xue Huahua asked Li Xuemei about the exam questions. Lu Dewen and the others could calculate all the addition and subtraction within 20, and they were also familiar with the strokes of Chinese characters.
In order to cope with the exam, Lu Mingwen and Lu Jianxun stayed in their room to revise until late every day. The power of rice and eggs was really strong.
The questions that Li Xuemei set were very standard. Xue Huahua made some slight improvements. For example, the simple writing of Pinyin letters from memory, Xue Huahua gave three letters in the front, four letters in the back, and the middle five letters from memory. It was almost the same for Math.
That evening, Xue Huahua returned home early. She took out the burned branches and bamboo sticks she collected and divided the yard into five small areas. In each area, the left area was for Chinese and the right area was for Math. She wrote down the questions quickly. In order to prevent copying, she deliberately left a certain distance between the areas. There were 40 questions for Chinese and 50 questions for Math. Just writing down the questions took Xue Huahua a lot of time.
Lu Dewen and the others had already known about today's exam. The three brothers racked their brains to find out how Xue Huahua would test them. The table was too small. If the questions were dipped in water, it would dry quickly. They probably didn't expect that the questions on the table would be dry. When they were working, they saw that Xue Huahua had finished work early. The three brothers were very nervous. To be fair, Lu Hongying was also in the field. The weeds in the private plot had grown again. She left Xixi aside and pulled the weeds by herself.
The four siblings were constantly paying attention to the movements in their house. When they heard Xue Huahua calling their names, the siblings acted as if they had been injected with stimulants. Lu Hongying threw Xixi into the basket and carried him home. Lu Dewen was even more exaggerated. He was watering the seedlings with fertilizer. When he heard Lu Hongying's words, he lifted the manure bucket, tilted the end of the bucket and splashed it on the seedling field. He then left the bucket and ran home.
As for Lu Mingwen and Lu Jianxun who were pulling weeds in the seedling field, they didn't even care about the weeds that were thrown into the basket. They climbed up the ridge and ran. The two of them were shoulder to shoulder. No one was willing to give in. "I was the one who carried the basket at noon. It's your turn now." Lu Mingwen complained.
The basket was on the ridge below. If they went down to carry it, they would have to walk a few more steps. It would definitely be a waste of time. Lu Jianxun was unwilling. "I was the one who carried it yesterday. Today, you carry it all. Hurry up." Lu Jianxun was also unwilling to carry it.
As they spoke, the two brothers quarreled again until their faces were red. Lu Jianxun said ruthlessly, "If you don't carry it, mom will definitely scold you and not give you any food."
"It's your problem. Why should I carry it? If mom wants to scold someone, she should scold you." Lu Mingwen was also unwilling. He angrily ran home. If he didn't carry it, he would see who would get scolded.
"Humph, you are talking about second brother. If mom doesn't scold you, who else will she scold? If you don't believe me, just wait." Lu Jianxun didn't give in at all. He pushed Lu Mingwen and ran as fast as he could. It was Lu Mingwen's problem to travel the world. He didn't care about it.
Seeing that Lu Jianxun was determined to not carry the basket on the ridge, Lu Mingwen stomped his feet in anger. His mom always said that Kong Rong would give in to pears. As an older brother, he should give in to his younger brother and sister. A basket of straw could be used as firewood after it was dried. If he didn't carry it back, he would definitely be scolded. Thinking about how Lu Jianxun carried the basket so enthusiastically yesterday, he was furious. How was this brotherly love? It was clearly a scheme. Lu Mingwen turned around and walked back. He was too lazy to take the normal path. He directly passed through the rice paddy field and shouted at Lu Jianxun's back, "I carried the exam this time. Next time, it will be your turn. If you don't wait for me, don't expect me to wait for you next time."
He swung the basket on his shoulder and walked very slowly on purpose.
Lu Jianxun, who had run far away, stopped and had no choice but to wait for Lu Mingwen. The two of them returned home late. Lu Hongying, Lu Dewen, and Chao Caizhi stood outside the yard and stretched their necks to look inside. The two of them rushed over impatiently and heard Lu Dewen shouting, "Mom, Mom, Mingwen and Jianxun are back. Should we start the exam?"
Xue Huahua said that for the sake of fairness, they could not enter the yard to look at the questions. They had to wait for everyone to arrive first. Although the three of them came back quickly, they had to wait.
Xue Huahua carried Dong Dong in her arms and instructed Lu Mingwen to put down the basket and wash the mud off his hands and feet. After resting for a few minutes, she took out a few burnt branches and said, "Whoever is more attentive will get to eat rice and eggs. The exam is not about who can answer the questions faster, but who has the higher accuracy. Use this as a pen and answer according to the questions. After you are done, check it carefully. If you feel that there are no problems, call me and I will grade you. Remember, if anyone peeks at your answers, you must not let them see. If he sees your answers, he will get to eat rice and eggs while you get nothing."
The three brothers looked at each other, warning each other with their eyes not to peek at their answers. Holding the black branches, the three brothers were very excited and stretched their legs towards the yard. Xue Huahua waved her hand and said, "Let's start."
The three of them screamed and rushed to the nearest exam room. On the other hand, Lu Hongying and Chao Caizhi were much calmer and took the initiative to go to the furthest area.
Xue Huahua couldn't help but laugh. She coaxed Dong Dong to sleep and put him on the bed. She went to the kitchen to cook. She cooked three eggs, kneaded a bowl of dough, chopped the wild vegetables that Lu Hongying brought back, made a wild vegetable cake, steamed two bowls of white rice, and cooked half a pot of porridge. While lighting the fire, she observed the situation of the yard through the door of the kitchen. Other than Chao Caizhi, who was still writing Chinese in the left area, the four siblings had already started on the Mathematics questions.
Chao Caizhi had given birth to a child, so her brain was definitely not as smart as them. These questions were unfair to Chao Caizhi. Since it was the first exam, she didn't treat them differently. She wanted to let Lu Dewen and the rest have a taste of the benefits.
Lu Dewen was the first to finish. He was afraid that others would copy his answers, so he looked around and was very alert. After a while, he called out to Xue Huahua in the kitchen. "Mum, I'm done. Come out and take a look."
Xue Huahua added a few bamboo sticks to the stove and strode out. Lu Dewen had a good foundation, so he definitely had an advantage in the early stage. He got all the Chinese questions correct and got one Mathematics question wrong.
Next was Lu Hongying. She got 100 points in Chinese but got two Mathematics questions wrong.
When Xue Huahua was setting the questions, there were three Mathematics questions that they had not learned before. She wanted to see if they could think differently. Lu Dewen got two questions right, and Lu Hongying got one question right. It was considered not bad.
However, what shocked Xue Huahua was Lu Mingwen. He got all the Chinese and Mathematics questions correct, including the addition and subtraction questions within 30. She had taught them about addition and subtraction, but she didn't explain it in detail. She was afraid that they wouldn't be able to catch up if she explained too much. She couldn't believe that Lu Mingwen had this talent. She even looked around to see if he had any clay balls or small wooden sticks with him, but he didn't have any.
Did he get the questions right based on his ability?
After getting double 100 points, Lu Mingwen was grinning from ear to ear. He didn't dare to show a proud expression and only covered his mouth with his eyes. Lu Jianxun, who made more mistakes, was also shocked by Lu Mingwen's results. He ran over to look at Lu Mingwen's answers. "Second Brother, why did you get all the questions correct?"
He had made three mistakes in spelling, mixed up his BDP, and made his heart ache. He had also made three mistakes in math. He had calculated his results. He had no hope of getting rice and eggs. He was just curious about how Lu Mingwen had done it. The two of them usually reviewed together. Why did he make so many mistakes when Lu Mingwen scored double 100?
Lu Mingwen didn't dare to move his hand away from his mouth. He was afraid that Xue Huahua would scold him if he made too much noise. He covered his mouth and said in a muffled voice, "I learned it on a daily basis. We eat, drink, and defecate together. Don't you know how I learned it?"
Speaking of this, Lu Jianxun thought of something. It was addition and subtraction. Xue Huahua taught him the formula for quick calculation and subtraction, and Lu Mingwen was especially interested in it. Before sleeping, he practiced it on the bed. He didn't want to take any exams, so he didn't waste time learning it. Could it be that Lu Mingwen got double 100 points because of this?
Didn't he miss the chance to eat rice and eggs?
Lu Jianxun regretted it. Why didn't he practice more? If he practiced more, he would be the one who got double 100 points, and he would be the one who ate rice and eggs.
Lu Dewen and Lu Mingwen had the highest scores. They ate rice and boiled eggs. Xue Huahua cooked three eggs, and one was for Xixi. Xixi felt the atmosphere in the house and was very happy. He stood on the stool, clapped his hands, and started to memorize the Pinyin alphabet. He even pointed at the letters on the wall and said which one was the A and which one was the O. Xue Huahua gave him a thumbs up and praised him for his hard work. In a few years, he would be better than his father.
Lu Dewen did not feel the slightest pressure of being surpassed. If he could eat plain rice, then his son could eat plain rice too.
He decided to have a few more children and use this method to encourage them to study.
Chao Caizhi made a lot of mistakes. Xue Huahua told her not to feel too much pressure. Since she couldn't eat rice and eggs, she gave Chao Caizhi two more flatbreads. Due to Lu Dewen's strong request, Xue Huahua still divided the food on the table. She ate as much as she got, and no one said anything.
The two bowls of rice were steamed, and it smelled fragrant. Lu Jianxun sat at the side and couldn't help drooling. He held his chopsticks and begged Lu Mingwen, "Second Brother, can I have a taste?"
It was too fragrant, and he was craving it.
Lu Mingwen was reluctant, but when he saw Lu Jianxun's pitiful look, he picked up some rice and put it in Lu Jianxun's bowl. "Do well next time, and you will get to eat rice too." When he saw Lu Hongying looking at him, he reluctantly picked up another piece and gave it to her. "Little Sister, try it too."
It was his first time eating steamed rice, and it was much more fragrant than when it was cooked in a big pot. He gave it to Lu Hongying, and Lu Mingwen couldn't bear not to share it with Xue Huahua, so he picked up another piece and gave it to Xue Huahua. Xue Huahua tasted it and praised him for doing the right thing, saying that he had the temperament of a big brother. Lu Dewen was wolfing down the pancake, and when he heard that, he quickly picked up the rice for everyone to taste. Xue Huahua told him not to pick up the rice for Lu Hongying and Lu Jianxun, and to pick up more for Caizhi. As for Xixi, he was completely full with eggs and wild vegetable pancakes.
There were pancakes, eggs, and rice. According to Lu Dewen's principle of saving the best for last, the rice was the last. It wasn't that the eggs weren't delicious, but the rice was too fragrant. It was glutinous, and the texture was just right. It was so delicious that there wasn't even a grain of rice left at the bottom of the bowl. He couldn't bear to leave any leftovers. Lu Mingwen was the same. He felt that the rice was too fragrant, and it was even more fragrant than the eggs.
Xue Huahua had made enough pancakes. Even if it was paired with porridge, it would still be enough to fill their stomachs. This meal lasted more than half an hour longer than usual. Xue Huahua had said that they wouldn't study during the night of exams, so they could relax and go to bed early. After eating their fill, how would they be willing to lie down in the room? They sat around the table and reminisced about the taste of their dinner. At the same time, they talked about the next exam. To be honest, Lu Mingwen didn't think that he would get the highest score. Lu Dewen had a good foundation, and Lu Hongying was smart. He thought that he had no chance …
Hard work pays off. Fortunately, he stayed up all night, especially the formula for addition and subtraction. He just wanted to relax after learning it, but he didn't expect that it would come in handy. When Xue Huahua came out of the kitchen after washing the dishes, Lu Mingwen asked, "Mom, will we be asking about things that we haven't learned before in the future?" There were three math questions that Xue Huahua hadn't taught before.
Xue Huahua shook off the water on her hands, pulled out a stool, and sat down. With the moonlight, she looked at the people in front of the table. After a good meal, everyone was full of vigor and energy. If she asked them to work in the fields now, they would be able to get up and run without any tiredness. She pondered and said, "I want to see how far everyone has learned. It's important to consolidate the knowledge that you have learned, and to digest the knowledge that you are not familiar with as soon as possible. You did very well in this exam, so keep it up. Don't get carried away just because you did well once, understand?"
Lu Mingwen hurriedly agreed. He still wanted to eat rice and boiled eggs, so he had to keep it up and practice more. Who knows, you might be the next one to eat rice.
Xue Huahua's gaze fell on Lu Jianxun, who didn't do well in the exam. "Don't be discouraged. Study hard, and ask more questions if there's anything you don't understand. Practice more, and who knows, you might be the next one to eat rice."
Lu Jianxun nodded without losing heart. Xue Huahua encouraged Lu Dewen and Lu Hongying again. When it was Chao Caizhi's turn, Xue Huahua comforted her. "You have a child, so your memory is weaker than theirs. It's only natural that you can't compare to them. Take it slow. Next month, I will give you a separate exam. As for the rice and eggs as a reward, you won't get them." As she spoke, she looked at the others. "Caizhi's exam questions are different from yours. Do you have any objections?"
No objections. Of course, they had no objections. With one less competitor, they would have a higher chance of winning.
Xue Huahua continued. "Luckily, there wasn't a situation where all of you scored the same number of points. I thought about it, and in order to prevent the same situation from happening, I will change the rules. If all four of you scored the same number of points, and all of you got two hundred points, all of you will eat rice and eggs. If all of you got the same number of points, the one who called me to mark the answers first will win. Do you understand?"
With limited conditions, it was impossible for them to eat as much as they wanted. It was better to stimulate them a little more.
The four siblings still had no objections.
The whole family sat around the table and chatted. When the moon rose outside, Xue Huahua urged everyone to go back to their rooms to sleep. Tomorrow, they would wake up early to work and earn more points. Only then would there be food for them to eat.
As they ran as fast as the wind, everyone in the team was curious about what happened to the Lu Family. When they arrived at the storage room, many people asked them why they couldn't wait to go home. Lu Mingwen and Lu Jianxun pretended to be ignorant and refused to say much. Lu Dewen, on the other hand, smiled and played dumb. He was determined not to reveal that he ate rice and eggs during the exam. One must know that his father-in-law's family was still concerned about their food. If the news of them eating rice and eggs reached his father-in-law's ears, wouldn't he bring the whole family to their house to ask for money?
He wasn't afraid of thieves stealing, but he was afraid of thieves remembering. He couldn't afford to provoke the thieves of the Zhao Family. Not saying anything was the safest choice.
After the exam, the whole family threw themselves into new lessons. With the black branches to write and draw on the ground, Xue Huahua shoveled the mud letters on the wall of the central room, leaving a large area for the blackboard. In order to let them get used to holding the pen, she specially picked branches longer than the middle finger, so they had to write in the posture of holding the pen.
With the foundation, the rest of the process was much faster. In a few days, they finished teaching addition and subtraction of less than 100. The focus was on Chinese characters.
After tasting the taste of rice, everyone's enthusiasm was high. Not only did they study at noon and at night, they also began to study in the morning. They got up at dawn and used the gray light to write and draw on the eaves. They wrote and memorized, and wrote and memorized. Lu Hongying dipped her hands in the water when she went to wash clothes by the pool in the morning. The learning atmosphere was unprecedentedly strong.
As time passed, the textbooks sent by Luo Mengying's family arrived. There were 12 books for Chinese and Mathematics from Grade One to Grade Six. Some of the covers of the books were damaged, and some pages were obviously torn and glued. Even so, it didn't affect the reading. The siblings surrounded the textbooks excitedly, as if they were looking at a rare treasure. Their eyes were shining, especially when they opened the textbook for Grade One and found that they knew the Pinyin alphabet. They didn't hide the pride on their faces. All Chinese characters had Pinyin annotations. Even if they didn't know individual Chinese characters, they could use Pinyin to recognize all the characters. They surrounded the textbooks, and their heads were so close that their eyes were almost glued to the books.
For some reason, Luo Mengying was moved to tears. There was even a period of time when she did not want to go to school. She even pretended to be sick and skipped school. What she did not cherish was an unattainable dream for many people in the production team. Seeing the eager attitude of the siblings, she only felt extremely ashamed. "What I don't cherish is an unreachable dream for many people in the production team. Seeing the eagerness of the siblings to learn, I only feel extremely ashamed.
She sighed and turned to Xue Huahua, who was flipping through the senior textbook. "Auntie, you can use the primary school textbooks first. If you want junior and senior school textbooks, I'll ask my family to send them." She had mentioned that Lu Hongying helped her with the work in the letter a long time ago, so the Lu Family still had an impression of the Lu Family. This time, her father's letter also praised Xue Huahua's positive attitude and positive attitude, and said that she was a role model for many farmers. Xue Huahua had the ideological awareness to eliminate illiteracy at her age, and the children taught by her would definitely become talents in the socialist Jian She. Even if they stayed in the countryside, they would have great achievements in the future. Her father's letter also mentioned that the counties and towns around the provincial capital were actively organizing to eliminate illiteracy. Fenggu Township was too remote, so it was unlikely that it would be carried out here. If Xue Huahua was in the production team around the provincial capital, the cadres would definitely publicize her initiative to eliminate illiteracy and encourage more people to join the army of illiteracy.
Luo Mengying felt honored to be able to help the people around her eliminate illiteracy. Unfortunately, she was not with Xue Huahua every day like Li Xuemei. Otherwise, she would also want to help.
"Thank you so much. I'll remember your favor. If there's anything you need, just let me know. I'll definitely help if I can." If Lu Dewen and the others really became successful in the future, Luo Mengying would be a great hero. She didn't know how to return such a big favor to her.
"This little favor is nothing. My dad reminded me to learn from you in his letter!" No matter where she went, she had to have an attitude of learning, so that she wouldn't be confused and lose her direction. Xue Huahua's spirit was really worth learning. Even her brother was inspired by Xue Huahua's words and started to pick up books again.
The power of a good example was infinite.
"What's there for me to learn? I just want to eliminate illiteracy and make our production team leader proud." Considering the power of Luo Mengying's family, Xue Huahua didn't dare to take it lightly and reveal what would happen in the next few years. Based on people's mentality, they would definitely treat her as a monster. If she got too involved, she might be in big trouble. Everyone in the production team knew about her literacy. In the beginning, there were many doubting voices, but now there were many people who supported her. The news that Liu Yunfang told her about her family's literacy had also spread in the production team next door.
Speaking of Xue Huahua, everyone gave her a thumbs up. Even the Yan 'an Village Production Team became famous. Even Sun Guixian, who didn't have a good relationship with her, kept saying good things about her in front of outsiders. She didn't expect that Xue Huahua would eliminate illiteracy and make the production team leader proud.
"According to this progress, I believe that you will succeed soon. When the educated youth talk about you, they are all afraid and admire you." The educated youth went to the countryside to support Jian She. Many of them forgot what they had learned in books. They thought about working and farming every day and had no time to read books. Xue Huahua started to study even though she couldn't read a word. How could the educated youth not admire her spirit and courage?
As for the fear, it was purely because they were afraid that Xue Huahua would scold people more fiercely when she was educated. Hooligans were not scary, but hooligans who were educated were scary. When Xue Huahua scolded Liang Lanfen on the hillside, she was as good as an intellectual in terms of logic and diction. She could explain things so fluently without being educated. She might be even better if she was educated.
"The educated youth saw that I picked up the textbooks and brought them here, so they were discussing picking up the books again to study." Luo Mengying didn't expect that Xue Huahua's literacy would have such a big impact on the educated youth. The educated youth felt that they couldn't be outdone by the middle-aged women in the countryside. They decided to study again and always keep a positive attitude. Even if they fell into the hands of Xue Huahua one day, they wouldn't be too embarrassed.
Just think about it. They were intellectuals with high school education, but they couldn't beat the sickle in the hand of Xue Huahua. They couldn't beat the logic of Xue Huahua in scolding people. They were even inferior to Xue Huahua in knowledge. How could they bear it?
"Studying is a good thing. You can work during the day and study at night. If you have a full life, you won't think too much." Xue Huahua agreed that everyone should study. As far as she knew, the educated youth's room was quite noisy. After Liang Lanfen became crazy, the educated youth's room broke the superficial harmony. You could hear people scolding every now and then. If they could really devote themselves to study, there would probably be no quarrels.
Luo Mengying understood the meaning of her words and sighed in her heart. They almost collapsed for Liang Lanfen. They finally stayed up all night to shovel the stove by the side of the yard, but Liang Lanfen made trouble again. She didn't sleep in the middle of the night, but got up to help everyone wash clothes. The sound of pouring water scared the educated youth. They thought there was a thief and shouted loudly to catch the thief. They opened the door in fear and saw a strange figure floating outside the door. "Thief, where is the thief? I didn't see it."
In the middle of the night, several people were almost scared to death.
As a result, the educated youth hurriedly washed their clothes after taking a shower. It was easy to be stolen if they hung their clothes outside, so they hung them wet in their rooms and took them outside the next day.
Liang Lanfen was delirious as if she was possessed, which made everyone in the educated youth's room nervous.
As for Liang Lanfen's change, Xue Huahua had nothing to say. Liang Lanfen completely changed. The production team said it was because she scolded Liang Lanfen to wake up, but she thought it was the opposite. Maybe she scolded her so hard that she became stupid. After work, instead of going back to the educated youth's room, she excitedly went to the back mountain to get bird eggs, saying that she wanted to let the educated youth's room have a sumptuous meal.
Not to mention whether she could get bird eggs or not, even if she did, with the number of people in the educated youth's room, how could she have a sumptuous meal? It would be lucky if she didn't make people greedy for food.
Speaking of Liang Lanfen, both of them were not very happy. Xue Huahua changed the topic and asked Luo Mengying about earning work points. She used to find someone to help her. Recently, it seemed that she was pulling weeds in the rice field alone. Xue Huahua asked her if she had encountered any difficulties.
"My brother said that I should do my own things by myself. Next year, when the quota of University of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers is announced, no one will make irresponsible remarks." Her brother had said it before, but she didn't take it to heart. It was not until Liang Lanfen got the quota of university students and the voices of doubt in the educated youth's room became louder and louder that she felt something. Some things were not good to say in public, but it was not good to raise the voices of doubt. After reflecting, she decided to work by herself when the quota was announced.
"It will save you some trouble in the future. Do you really want to go to the University of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers?" With Luo Mengying's grades, she could definitely go to university if she took the college entrance examination. She felt that it was a pity for Luo Mengying to go to the University of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers. She asked tentatively, "You don't want to go to a serious university?"
Luo Mengying shook her head. She had a phobia of exams. No matter how well she did in the exams, she would fail when it came to the big exams. She almost failed to go to high school, and she got into a good high school through her connections. If she really went to university, she would definitely fail. She told Xue Huahua about her phobia of exams. "In order to encourage me, my parents promised me a bicycle if I did well in the final exam, but I almost got the last place in the exam."
It was not a problem for her to do her homework and practice questions. If her parents did not mention it, she should be able to do well in the exam. The final exam did not affect her studies, so she did not have any psychological burden. However, it was related to the bicycle. She was so nervous. It was a simple multiple-choice question, but she changed it. In the end, she did not even know what she chose. She did not even know how to do the questions she usually did.
No matter what method she used, she could not break through this obstacle. She gave up. Anyway, she would not take any exams in this life. If she did not say it, no one would know.
"Just treat it as usual. I just think, with your studious attitude, it's a pity that you don't go to university."
"Auntie, you should be happy for me. The University of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers can only be admitted by recommendation. If I really pass the exam, I don't think I will have a chance." Luo Mengying did not doubt the truth of the matter. She fainted in the examination room. As soon as she went in, her whole head was dizzy. She could not write or answer the questions. She had experienced too many similar things. She was really scared.
Xue Huahua did not know whether to laugh or cry. She had never heard of such a situation. However, Luo Mengying came from a good family. No matter which university she graduated from, it would be much easier with the help of her family.
After getting the textbook, Xue Huahua taught the first-year textbook to Li Xuemei. She studied according to the textbook. She believed that Li Xuemei would be able to accept it easily. The weather was getting hotter and hotter. The pigweed and sweet potato vines were much older. Some pigs could not chew them. Xue Huahua suggested that Lu Jianguo set up a stove in the pig farm and put a big iron pot to cook pig food. Lu Jianguo acted quickly. The next day, he found two men who knew how to cook and started to work. For this purpose, he even built a house for the kitchen. However, it was a bit difficult to buy a pot. Outside, people were promoting the smelting of steel. The iron pots and the like were all sent to the factories to smelt steel. Fenggu Township was remote and there were no roads, so they did not come here to collect the iron pots.
Moreover, the purchase of the iron pots required industrial tickets. Even though Lu Jianguo was the team leader, it was not easy for him to get the tickets. In the end, he had to find someone to make a big pot the size of an earthenware pot. A pot that could not be lifted once it was put in, so he was not afraid that someone would steal it.
All the sweet potato vines were cut, dried, ground into powder, and packed. There was no work in the fields. The cobs of the corn could not be eaten. It would take more than ten days for the corn to ripen. During this period, the people who were busy with their farm work joined the ranks of collecting firewood. Everyone took a broom and went into the bamboo forest to sweep the bamboo leaves. The entire bamboo forest was swept clean. Even so, there were still fewer people every day. The roots of the bamboos included large pieces of bamboo leaves. People were not afraid of the thorns on their hands, so they picked up the leaves one by one.
Xue Huahua arranged for Lu Dewen and his two brothers to go to the back mountain to collect firewood. Chao Caizhi and Lu Hongying went to the bamboo forest to sweep the bamboo leaves. In the afternoon, they all went to the pig farm to study. Li Xuemei personally taught them. The whole family finished learning the first-year textbooks in about 20 days. During this period, Liu Yunfang joined in the fun every day. She was illiterate, but it did not affect her bragging outside.
"Have you seen the first-year textbooks before? There are pinyin Chinese characters and numbers. I asked Lu Ming's wife what her name is. Lu Ming's wife pointed to one of the pages and said, "Sun, Moon, Water, Fire, Earth. Do you know how to write? The whole Huahua family knows how to write. Lu Ming's wife taught her. " Liu Yunfang sat in the bamboo forest and chatted with a group of women. When she talked about Xue Huahua and Li Xuemei, she could not hide the pride on her face.
When she talked about the books, the others looked envious. "Lu Ming's wife is really amazing. With her level, she should go to the Commune Primary to teach. I heard that the Commune Primary teachers get a monthly salary. They don't have to work under the sun. Isn't it easy?"
Liu Yunfang snorted disdainfully. "How can teaching be better than raising pigs? Raising pigs is so easy. They don't have to work under the sun or rain. They work late and leave early. When they are free, they teach literacy … If the pigs are raised well, they will get fat during the New Year … "Primary school teachers had a salary, but they could not take care of the work in the fields. They could only work during the winter and summer vacations throughout the year. How could that amount of food be enough for them to eat?
It was rare to hear Liu Yunfang say that raising pigs was easy. The previous team leader's wife had asked Lu Jianguo to take turns raising pigs. Liu Yunfang shouted and scolded, saying that raising pigs was a tiring and dirty job. Lu Ming's wife was so tired that she did not even have the strength to hold chopsticks when she went home. She said that whoever liked to raise pigs could raise them. Don't think that Lu Ming's wife was slacking off.
It had only been a short time, but her words had changed immediately.
She was just pretending!
Wasn't it because she saw that Xue Huahua and Li Xuemei's job of raising pigs couldn't be taken away by others, so she deliberately boasted?
Sun Guixian complained in her heart. She sincerely looked down on people like Liu Yunfang who were hypocritical!
However, she did not dare to refute loudly. Not to mention that Liu Yunfang was not someone to be trifled with, Xue Huahua would probably find trouble with her after hearing it. She was too lazy to waste her energy to fight with her. Two days ago, her older brother celebrated his birthday. She went back to the Sun Family Village and asked her about the beating. Her older brother said that she was a disgrace to the Sun Family. She could not even win against Xue Huahua.
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