Tang Guiying sneered, "Do you still think that you're in high demand and that everyone is fighting for you?"
Xie Huaxiang rolled his eyes at her and did not say anything else.
They quickly returned to Anji Village on the ox cart. There was a large locust tree at the entrance of the village, and there was a large open space under the tree. The ground was smooth, and there was not much grass. It looked like it was often stepped on. There was a loudspeaker tied to the middle of the locust tree. When the ox cart passed by, the loudspeaker suddenly sounded, and the three educated youths were shocked.
Captain Shen told them that the village would broadcast a one-hour broadcast every day at six o 'clock in the morning and six o' clock in the evening. It would broadcast revolutionary songs, study documents, and announcements. The brigade's cadres and members were all very concerned about the current situation. They loved learning and pursued progress.
At this time, a young man wearing glasses passed by and greeted them enthusiastically, "Brigade Captain, you're back? Yo, what did you buy? This is a big cart.
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Captain Shen said loudly, "You little four-eyed idiot, can't you see the three living people on the cart?"
The three educated youths sat in the pile of luggage. The sky was starting to darken again. If they did not look carefully, they would not have seen them. "Yo, it's true. Who are these three?"
"They're the new educated youths in our village. I'll introduce them to you later. Go and inform them first. After dinner, all the members will have a meeting." Captain Shen said.
"Okay!" The bespectacled young man readily agreed and left in a hurry.
Captain Shen then told them, "This is our brigade's accountant, Shen Hongbing. He just finished high school in the county and came back. He's the most educated person in our village."
"Wow, he's so good!" Xie Huaxiang said from the bottom of her heart. These days, not to mention the rural areas, even the students in the city did not study well. The schools did not teach well either. Usually, they only attended classes for half a day and did exercises for the rest of the day. Everyone's heart was scattered, and not many people really wanted to study.
She and Tang Guiying both graduated from high school. Only Cheng Likun was better. He was a university graduate. When Xie Huaxiang heard about it, she felt it was strange. University graduates were supposed to be cadres. Why would they cut the queue? However, in this world, it was hard to say. Perhaps something had happened to his family!
Seeing that Cheng Likun didn't seem to be willing to say more, Xie Huaxiang didn't ask further. These days, there were many people who had difficulties that they couldn't talk about.
Not long after, the voice of Shen Hongbing, the accountant of the brigade, came from the loudspeaker at the entrance of the village, informing the members to meet under the big locust tree at seven o 'clock for a meeting. Xie Huaxiang finally understood why the ground under the big locust tree was so slippery. It turned out that the meeting was held all day for the members to step on it!
"Let's go home for dinner first. After dinner, I'll arrange accommodation for you during the meeting." Captain Shen said that there were no extra houses in the village for the educated youths to live in, so they could only be arranged to live in the homes of the community members. However, the specific arrangements had to be discussed at a meeting before they could decide.
As for dinner, for the time being, they could only take them home to eat. As the brigade leader, he could only accept this loss. He couldn't let them go hungry as soon as they arrived.
The brigade leader drove the ox cart into a small courtyard surrounded by a low wall made of mud bricks. He shouted at the mud-brick house that was also low, "My child's mother, there are guests at home. Make more food. Hurry up and eat. We'll hold the meeting later."
A group of children ran out noisily from the dark doorway. The oldest girl looked to be around seventeen or eighteen years old. She was wearing floral clothes and had two shiny black braids. Her skin was a little dark, but her eyes were big and bright. She looked very energetic.
This girl was also the shyest. After running a few steps, she stood at the door and looked at them timidly without speaking.
The rest of the children were all boys. The oldest was around thirteen or fourteen years old, and the youngest was only as tall as Xie Huaxiang's thigh. He sniffled and rushed over to hug Captain Shen's thigh. "Dad, did you buy us something delicious to eat?"
Captain Shen happily rubbed the child's head and took out a handful of orange candies from his pocket. They were sold in large glass jars in the supply and demand cooperative. They didn't come with cellophane packaging, and they were the cheapest kind. He stuffed one candy into each child's mouth. In the end, he had one left in his hand. He waved to the girl standing at the door. "Eldest Girl, come here. This is for you."
The eldest girl shyly shook her head. "Dad, no need. Give it to my younger brother!"
"Your younger brother already has one. This is for you." Captain Shen walked over and stuffed the candy into her hand without any explanation.
The eldest girl was a little embarrassed. She carefully licked the candy, pursed her lips, and finally put the whole candy into her mouth. Her face was full of happiness and satisfaction.
At this time, a tanned, thin, short-haired woman walked out of the house while wiping her hands. "Look at how spoiled you are. I told you not to buy these for them. They won't gain any weight after eating them. It's a waste of money!" As she spoke, she slapped the eldest girl to vent her anger. "Hurry up and water the vegetables in the field. Do you want to wait for dinner?"
As she spoke, the woman glanced at Xie Huaxiang and the other two. Although she didn't say anything, it was obvious that she was very reluctant. However, it was understandable. Captain Shen had said that their team was poor. Even though he was the captain, his family was definitely not well-off. Moreover, there were so many children at home. It was already difficult to fill their stomachs. Who would be willing to let others eat for free?
Captain Shen's kitchen stove was set up in the shed outside the house. As the woman spoke, she opened the lid of the big pot. She scooped some water from the water tank beside her and stirred it a few times. Then, she squatted down and added a handful of firewood. "The meeting will start at seven o 'clock later. There's no time to cook anything else. Let's just make do with this!"
Cheng Likun was the most sophisticated person among them. He immediately said, "We have a rule. We can't take a needle or a piece of thread from the people. If we eat at the people's house, we have to pay for the food." After he finished speaking, he took out the money first.
Captain Shen was unloading the luggage from the ox cart. When he saw this, he hurriedly stopped Cheng Likun. "It's just a few pairs of chopsticks. Why should we pay? It doesn't make sense!"
While the two of them were rejecting each other, Xie Huaxiang had already taken out the money and handed it to Captain Shen's wife. His wife put on an act and casually refused for a while. Then, she casually accepted it and said, "Auntie, this is the money for the meal for Comrade Cheng and me!"
Xie Huaxiang glanced at Tang Guiying, who was indifferent, and deliberately said this loudly.
Tang Guiying's face darkened. She had thought that it was only right for the commander to treat them to a meal. She had no intention of paying at all. It was one thing for these people to be stupid, but they had even dragged her down with them on purpose.
She walked over reluctantly. As she took out the money, she muttered in a low voice, "Why? It's just a ladle of water."
The captain's wife was a little embarrassed after taking the money. So, she chopped half a pumpkin, chopped it up, and threw it into the pot to boil it together.
After eating a meal of porridge made with cornstalks and pumpkin at Captain Shen's house, they were half full. The captain then took them to the meeting.
Many people had already gathered under the big locust tree at the entrance of the village. They were all dressed in ragged clothes. Their trousers were rolled up, and they were barefoot. Their calves were covered with mud. The more elegant girls brought a small folding stool. The uncouth men sat on the ground, spread their legs casually, and smoked a cigarette rolled with tobacco paper. They were very happy.
The women didn't want to be idle. They either brought a sewing basket to sew a patch on their children's worn trousers or carried a basket of dry corn cobs. They chatted while peeling corn kernels.
The three educated youths from the city stood under the big locust tree. They were fair and clean, and their clothes were neat and tidy. They were simply cranes in a flock of chickens. They immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.
The people below immediately began to whisper. Xie Huaxiang's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Shen Tingsheng's figure. Suddenly, he was happy. From afar, he saw Shen Tingsheng carrying a small stool in each hand. Beside him was a young girl around 12 or 13 years old, and in her hand was a gray-haired old woman. The three of them were slowly walking towards him.
Xie Huaxiang happily waved his hand in that direction. He opened his mouth to call out to him, but he was still a little embarrassed in public, so he didn't call out. He just stared at him with burning eyes.
Unfortunately, Shen Tingsheng's attention was all on the old woman next to him. He didn't notice the movement under the locust tree. He found a place outside the crowd, put down the stool in his hand, and let the old woman and the young girl sit down. He sat on the ground next to them.
Seeing that the other party didn't see him, Xie Huaxiang was a little disappointed. His shoulders slumped in discouragement.
"What's wrong? Do you know anyone here? "Cheng Likun asked.
"They're just poor relatives from the countryside." Tang Guiying said disdainfully. Of course, she also saw how excited Xie Huaxiang was just now. Last time, Tang Guiying met Shen Tingsheng at the Xie family's residence. That man even pushed her. She was a person who held grudges. How could she forget?
Xie Huaxiang rolled his eyes unhappily at her. "Don't look down on a young man because he's poor!"
After counting the number of people, almost everyone was present. Captain Shen asked the brigade's accountant and political commissar to write down the name list of those who didn't attend the meeting. Then, he hit the gong in his hand. "Dong!" After a loud sound, Captain Shen shouted loudly, "It's time for the meeting! It's time for the meeting!"
It was a common occurrence for the commune to hold a meeting every few days. Everyone had long been accustomed to it and didn't take it seriously. They continued to talk and peel corn kernels.
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