The First batch of Phoenixes Flying Out
In 1953, Maple Ridge underwent a significant change. A group of young people went out and joined the ranks of the Gong Party. They entered the town and ate the imperial food.
When the party first established its regime, there were many things to do. All walks of life needed manpower, especially cultured young people. Even if you were just illiterate, you were still a cultured person at that time and would be put in an important position.
Qimou had studied a lot of books. He went to elementary school and middle school in a new school. After coming down from the North Korean front line, the government arranged for him to work in the food department at Shaxi Street.
The night before work, Qi Mou came to Sui Chu's room and said to Sui Chu,""Master, I'm leaving tomorrow. Do you have any other instructions?”
"You're leaving tomorrow? When have you ever been by my side? What's the difference between leaving and not leaving?"
Qimou said," Old Master is right. Please forgive me. Times are different now. Old Master must understand."”
Sui Chu said," That's right. When I was young, I also worked as a clerk in the township government for almost twenty years. Who did I care about at that time? I still did what I wanted!”
Qimou said," There's a difference between me going out to work now and my master going out to work in the past. My master went out to establish his authority in the local area. I'm going out now for the cause of the party. The party wants to liberate all mankind. This is a great cause, and I'm going to do this great cause.”
Sui Chu said,"It's nice to hear, Meng Gui! Would you still say that if I didn't pay you? No matter which era it was, doing business was just a profession. In the end, it was to support the family. No matter how noble you said it, it could not be separated from the fact that you had to support the family.”
"Master's eyes are still sharp. Master is right!"”
Sui Chu said," I used to be a civil servant in the government. Fortunately, I didn't manage a leader. Otherwise, I would have been a landlord." Look at the rain in our house. He only served as the head of the security guard for a year, and he was already regarded as a landlord and an enemy of the party. Although the party didn't declare me as their enemy, they secretly regarded me as a bad person and sent people to monitor me. Do you know who is monitoring me? One is the Sheng Group, and the other is your Uncle Man Guo Chu.”
"Really? Why didn't I know?"”
Sui Chu said," But I used to be a family member of a soldier. Now that you're working in a government agency, I'm a family member of a cadre. I'm in such an awkward position. How will the party supervise me?”
"That's true, but isn't it a beautiful phrase for Uncle Man to supervise you?"”
Sui Chu said," Son, you are the only one in our family. I want to warn you that you should not be the leader of the organization. You should only do some odd jobs. Remember the lesson in the rain."”
Qimou knew that his master was afraid that the regime would not last long and that there would be a change of dynasties. He could not refute his master and only said,"I know, I know."
Sui Chu said," Once you settle down at work, you will get married. You are already twenty-five years old this year. Many men of your age have already been masters for a few years.”
Boson's wife gave birth to another daughter this year. He already had two daughters, and the family burden was not light. Coincidentally, at this time, the township government transferred him, saying that they saw his talent.
When Borson was about to leave, his wife said,""The government is really dead. They actually want you to do something.”
Borson said," What's wrong with me? I'm not only a young man with aspirations, but I'm also a promising person!"”
When she flew, she said,"What are we going to do if you leave? Are you going to beg?"
Boson said," You have to believe in one thing. It's better now than in the past. The party is better than the Guomindang, the city is better than the village, the cadre is better than the peasant, and it's better to wear shoes than to go barefoot.”
Fei Shi said," I think you're talking nonsense. In the past, Maple Ridge was a small Changsha. Now, there are only two noodle shops that are still breathing. In the past, virtuous people were in charge, but now it was rogues who were domineering. So what if you're a cadre? Aren't you still given food as salary? Is the food given more than what you cultivate?”
Boson said,"This is what a woman sees. You only see what's in front of you and can't see what's in the future.”
Fei Shi said," Alright, alright. Let's not talk about it anymore. What if there's no rice tomorrow? What if there's no firewood tomorrow?”
Borson said," That's easy. You'll be the one to solve it. You're the head of the family, so it's only right for you to solve these problems. I'm a cadre. You can't give me orders anymore.”
"Where did you learn to speak like a hooligan? Did you learn all this just because you came out to mess around?"”
Xiuxin had also been transferred to Shaxi Street Student Resources Station. He had brought his wife along.
Xie Dapao would say to everyone he met," Look at me, I'm a gigolo. Other people go out to work alone, but our Xiuxin can take care of her family. This shows that he's capable."”
Old Lady Wang said behind her back,"Xiuxin is bright. Xie Dapao is right!"”
The demoness said," Right my ass. Xie Dapao was the one who wanted to go. The government didn't arrange for her to do anything." This Xie Dapao was very cunning. She was just afraid that her husband would play tricks on her.”
Old Lady Wang said,"A woman should guard against her own man. Xie Dapao is right!"”
The beauty Sala said," You're not open-minded. Go to Shanghai and see which woman can trap a man. Women rely on men to earn money to support their families. If you trap a man, you'll starve yourself."”
Old Lady Wang said,"That's Shanghai. That's the tone of a wild chicken."”
The demoness said," Old Lady Wang, you better watch your mouth. I've been a good man for more than ten years, yet you're still talking about me like a wild chicken. Aren't you afraid that the government will arrest you and send you to jail?"”
Old Lady Wang laughed and said that the demoness was a fool.
Mei Jun was also about to leave. His problem was the placement of his son Xiurun. He worked in a military enterprise in the distant northeast. He was not familiar with this place and this unit at all, so he did not dare to bring his son there.
Yan Ai 'ai would definitely be happy to take care of his son, but the problem was that he could not let her take care of his son. He wanted his son to cut off his relationship with his mother from now on so that he would not remember this unchaste mother. Hence, a difficult problem arose. He could not bring his son to the northeast, nor could he hand his son over to Yan Aiai. How should he deal with this problem?
At this moment, Mei Jun thought of Big Brother Li Ren. He felt that only Big Brother Li Ren could help him solve this problem. In the past, Big Brother Liren had taken care of him. Now, he wanted Big Brother Liren to take care of his son. Wasn't he a little too much?
Mei Jun couldn't care less. He went straight to Li Ren's house and said to Li Ren,""Brother Liren, I'm really embarrassed to ask. I'm going to the northeast and can't bring Run-er with me for the time being. I can only entrust Run-er to you.”
Fang Fang stood in front of him and said,"It's not good for you to hand Run-er over to us. His biological mother is still in Maple Ridge. You should hand him over to his biological mother."?”
Mei Jun said," I can't hand my son over to that woman. I can't let my son know that he has such a mother. I can't let that woman have any improper thoughts either."”
Fang Fang said," You can't harm us anymore. We raised you, but you still want us to take care of your son. What right do you have? Look, I can't even see now. My two sons aren't by my side, and my daughters are all married. There are only two old people at home, and I can't even take care of myself.”
Mei Jun said," I have no choice. This time, it's different from bringing me along. I'll send you half of my salary. As long as it's settled there, I'll definitely bring Run-er away as soon as possible."”
Li Ren said to Fang Fang," That's the only way. Mei Jun has practical difficulties, and he doesn't have any other relatives to rely on. We can only help him."”
Fang Fang did not say anything. Her husband had always been the one who had the final say in the family. Her words were of no importance.
Liren's eldest son, Hideki, was still learning radio technology in the army. His youngest son, Hidehara, had been discharged. He had been in the North Korean front line for three years and was already eighteen years old. He had become a real man. Xiuyuan had a good education and medical skills, so the government arranged for him to work in the county health bureau's epidemic prevention station.
Fang Fang said,"Do you know how I became blind? I cried myself blind."
Hidehara said,"Why are you crying? Aren't I fine?" Look, look, I've been in the North Korean front line for three years, and I haven't even gotten hurt. I've even grown taller and fatter. I've earned it!”
Fang Fang said,"I'm not crying for you. It's your brother's departure that made me cry until I went blind."”
Xiuyuan said,"I know, I'm not in my heart, only brother is in my heart."”
Fang Fang said," What do you think? If you leave, I still have a son by my side. Once your brother leaves, I won't have a son by my side. Tell me, how can I not cry?”
Hidehara said," My brother didn't go to North Korea. He's fine. He's still learning skills. Why are you crying?"”
Fang Fang said,"I didn't know at first. When I found out, my eyes went blind from crying."”
" Yako Hidehara, when you get to work, you have to be like your brother. You have to be the first to do everything. You have to learn the skills and make the leaders like you."”
Hidehara said,"My lord, I only know how to act according to my nature. I can't learn from others."”
Li Ren said,"How can it be someone else? I'm talking about your brother."”
Hidehara said," I don't rely on my mouth to make a living. I rely on my skills to make a living. If I have skills, I can go around the world to make a living!"”
Li Ren didn't want to continue. He felt that he didn't know his son anymore. Was this still his son? Every time I said something, he would retort, and it was even reasonable.
Fang Fang changed the topic and said," You have to consider finding yourself a wife. You've been studying outside since you were young and then became a soldier. The two of us don't know what you're thinking anymore. It's definitely impossible for us to make decisions for you. Then you have to find yourself a suitable one.”
Xiu Yuan said," I know, I know. Don't worry, I promise to find a beautiful, virtuous, and capable woman to be your daughter-in-law."”
Fang Fang said,"That's good, that's good. We can rest assured!"”
What surprised the Maple Ridge people the most was that Xiu You and Lin Sen had also left. They had not gone to North Korea, nor were they active members of the party. How could they let them go?
Old Lady Yan said to Xiuyou," Xiuyou, you're blind. This is a cultivation technique. You haven't even made a single achievement and you're going to eat imperial food. You must have hit the jackpot, right?"”
Xiu You said," My goodness, this is so strange. The Chinese government came to help us turn things around. If they still want us to work long-term, isn't it equal to zero?"”
Old Lady Yan said," What's so bad about being a long-term worker? Back then, I had meat to eat every day. Now, I only have pickled vegetables to eat every day. My days are getting worse by the day."”
Xiu You said," You only see one aspect, and that is yourself. Us brothers are different. Our days are much better than before. At least, we don't have to roast the sun."”
"Tell me, how did you get so lucky?" Old Lady Yan asked.”
Xiu You said," It's actually very simple. I hid a steamer from the township government's canteen into a cow pen in Pan Shishan. The township government had no food without the steamer. Village Head Fan offered a reward to solve the case. I went to expose the case and easily solved the case. Fan Xiangchang said that the township government still lacked a political and legal cadre. He asked if I was willing to go. Of course, I was willing to go.”
Old Lady Yan smiled and said,"You're really a piece of sh * t. Village Head Fan is really a fool." But you can't tell anyone about this, or you'll go to jail.”
Xiu You said,"I'm not crazy. Why would I talk about it outside?"”
Old Lady Yan said,"You left like this, but why did that Lin Sen leave?"”
Xiu You said," It's even simpler for him. That day, he went to Yueyang to play and happened to bump into a cold factory hiring people. He said that he was a poor farmer, and he was strong and resistant to the cold. He was the ideal candidate for the cold factory, so he entered the factory.”
Old Lady Yan said," Are you trying to coax me? It's like a pie falling from the sky. The cold storage plant isn't blind!"”
Xiu You said," It's also true that the cold storage plant wants people. Of course, they didn't believe Lin Sen's words. They sent people down and checked. Lin Sen was indeed a poor farmer, so it was confirmed."”
Mei Yang saw so many young men from Maple Ridge walking out, and his heart itched. He was a smart person, and he didn't lack limbs. They could work outside, so why couldn't he?
Mei Yang found Sheng Group and encouraged him,""The two of us should also go to the township government and ask if they can transfer the two of us. The times need us.”
Team Sheng said," You go. If I don't go, I can't even recognize two dogs. How can I make any requests?"”
Mei Yang said," Didn't we all participate in literacy? Didn't we all become literate? Look at those officers who went south, how many of them could recognize a dog's paw!”
"They are them, and we are us. There's no comparison."”
Mei Yang said,"If you don't want to go, I'll go. If I succeed, you can't be jealous."”
Mei Yang left after he finished speaking. He went to the township government. At this time, the township head had been replaced. Village Head Fan went to the district. The new township head's surname was Pan, and he was not very familiar with Mei Yang.
Mei Yang said," I'm Mei Yang, the deputy head of the Maple Ridge Farmers Association. I'm here to ask the township government to transfer me.”
"You're Mei Yang? Who's Mei Yang?"”
Mei Yang said," Mei Yang is me. I'm Mei Yang. I'm very famous over there. Don't you remember me? We've met before!"”
Village Head Pan said," Really? Have we met before? Why don't I remember? This is the township government."”
Mei Yang said,"I know this is the township government, so I'm here to ask for a transfer."”
Village Head Pan said," A cadre should have the appearance of a cadre, just like me. I have a square face and a handsome face. I can attract women's attention wherever I go.”
Mei Yang said,"Village Head Pan is right. That's what I think."”
"Since you think so, why did you come here to ask for a transfer?"”
Mei Yang said," My idea is very simple. I just want to use the fact that we've been transferred to other posts to show how wise and great the Party is. The Party is here, and we're now officials. We've truly made a comeback."”
Village Head Pan said," You still don't understand? Then I won't be polite. As a cadre, you have to run around the countryside. If you run outside like this, you will only scare people to death."”
Mei Yang said," Do you really think that I don't understand? I'm actually thinking for the sake of the party.”
Village Head Pan said," Alright, alright, don't say anymore. You still have to be a cadre, but it's in your village. The township government plans to form a village with Maple Ridge, Sun Village, and Fan Village. If there's a party branch in the village, we're going to let Sheng Group be the secretary and you be the deputy secretary.”
Mei Yang said," Then let me be the secretary. Sheng Group is the head of the peasant association, so he should be the head."”
Village Head Pan said,"You're still going by the old imperial calendar. The peasant association is going to be dissolved, the land reform is over, and the fields have been distributed to the households. Do you still want this peasant association to go against you?”
Mei Yang said," Then I should be the secretary, and Sheng Group the deputy secretary. My brain is more flexible than his."”
"Because of this, you can't be the secretary," said Village Head Pan."Sheng Group is steady and he's more suitable than you. As for you, there are still some bad comments about you, saying that you have evil intentions.”
Mei Yang said," That's chewing maggots. Village Head Pan, don't believe it."”
"Of course I don't believe hearsay, but I have my doubts," said Village Head Pan.”
Mei Yang said," Then you'd better transfer me. When I'm by your side, you can supervise me." Besides, if a person like me doesn't come out to work for the party, it will be a great loss for our party. It's not worth it.”
"You can go now. Do you want me to repeat what I just said?" Village Head Pan said. A man should know how ugly he is, a horse should know how long his face is, and Mei Yang should know his own shortcomings.”
Mei Yang left in a toot. When she returned, she went to Sheng Group's house and told them about her meeting with Village Head Pan at the township government. Then, she talked about the establishment of the village party branch.
"It's not a good idea for us to form a village with a few houses. I reckon there will be trouble in the future."”
Mei Yang said," The geographical conditions are like this. If we don't form a village with the Sun Village, we will definitely form a village with the Yan Village. There will still be trouble." Besides, this isn't up to us to decide.”
"How many party members are there in these houses? There aren't even twenty, right?"”
Mei Yang closed her eyes and counted with her fingers. Soon, she got the number. There were 18 party members in the village. These people had never been to school before and were typical illiterate poor people.
Sheng Group said," The composition of our party members is very pure. Although they are illiterate, they are the advanced members of the countryside. The cause of the party depends on these people to take the lead.”
Mei Yang said," Leader Sheng, I have something to discuss with you. Look, I can read more than you, and my brain is better than yours. I can speak better than you. Can you let me be the secretary and you be my partner?"”
"Why do you still call me the leader of the Sheng Group?" the Sheng Group asked."Isn't the peasant association going to be disbanded?" You should call me Secretary Sheng. This was appointed by Village Head Pan. You can't change it on your own.”
Mei Yang said," I'm thinking for you. I'm afraid that you won't be able to be a secretary. It's rare for you to suffer losses, so I thought of taking on the heaviest burden. Your family's burden is heavy and you have many difficulties. If I don't think for you, who will?”
"I had a dream last night. I dreamed that a weasel came to my house."”
Mei Yang said," That weasel went the wrong way. Your family is so poor. What good food do you have?"”
"My family is really poor. There are only two chickens in the chicken coop."”
Feng Xian had also returned from North Korea. He was short and stout. He had participated in all five battles in North Korea and had even joined the party on the front line. He was not injured at all. Now, everyone else had gone to the city to be a cadre or a worker. He was still guarding a small piece of land in the countryside, and there were already people who felt unfair for him.
Yue Xing said," Feng Xian, you should go and look for them too. Look, everyone who entered the court has left. You're the only one still at home. Others might think that you're not fighting in North Korea."”
Feng Xian had never spoken much. After hearing this, he said,"Hello, home."
The demoness said,"Feng Xian, are you a man? Are you lacking something compared to other men?" You didn't leave when others left, and you weren't in a hurry when others found a wife.”
Feng Xian smiled and said,"It's good to be alone.”
The beauty Sala teased him," How about this? I'll bring you to sleep for a few nights and let you have a taste. Then you'll know that you want a woman. Then you'll know that you have to be a cadre and earn a salary to support your wife."”
Feng Xian said,"It's good to be at home and good to be alone.”
Old Lady Wang said,"Yao Ji, you slut, you shouldn't harm Feng Xian. Look at him, he's so honest that even a stone mill can't suppress a fart, yet you still use words to provoke him."”
The demoness said," I'm anxious for him. If the Emperor isn't anxious, the eunuch is anxious. I'm anxious for nothing."”
Zu De was Feng Xian's elder brother. He also advised his younger brother to go to the government and ask to be a cadre or a worker. His family was too poor and he could not find a wife if he stayed at home.
Feng Xian said,"I'm not suitable to work outside. The people outside have to be able to talk and read people's expressions. I don't know the ways of the world. It's better to be at home."”
Sooto had also returned from North Korea. He was injured and was an honorary soldier.
Plum Blossom said," Son, you are really blessed. Fortunately, you are only injured. If you were killed, I would become a lonely old man. Who would I rely on in the future?"”
Xiuding said,"It's not that I'm blessed, it's you who's blessed."”
"How did you get injured? Is it serious? Where is it?" Let me see!"
Xiu Ding said," It's a funny thing. That day, when we were about to go into battle, the company commander asked me to check my guns. My gun suddenly jammed. It should be because of the humidity." I was anxious. I picked up the gun and smashed it against the rock. The gun went off and the bullet flew out of my eyes. Look, look, it's right here."
Xiuding pointed to his left eye and showed it to his father. Meihua looked left and right but couldn't see anything. He said,""It's nothing. I'm fine."
"Are you saying I'm lying? Could it be that the military doctor's appraisal was inferior to a farmer's judgment? My eyes looked fine on the surface, but my eyeballs were injured. I couldn't see anything during the month I was injured, and it was only later that I slowly recovered a little bit of my vision.”
Once, when Shi Xian saw Xiuding, he said,""Hidekazu, other people went to work as officials after returning from North Korea. Why are you still holed up at home? You don't have a wife at home.”
Xiu Ding said," I'll go join in the fun. Do you know that I'm an honorary soldier? The country will take care of people like us. I can support myself even if I don't work."”
Shi Xian said,"That's really worth it. If I had known this would happen, I would have let my Song Bo go to North Korea as well."”
Xiu Ding said,"If you kill him in North Korea, it won't be worth it."”
Shi Xian said,"This is gambling. Didn't you come back alive?" I see that you're not missing an arm or a leg. You're even an honorary soldier. How glorious is that?”
Xiuding said," Have you heard of our brother Guoxiong from Shangpo Pass? He froze one of his legs in North Korea. Now he only has one leg. Do you want this result?"”
Shi Xian said,"It's too scary, too scary. Fortunately, our Song Bo didn't go." In my opinion, you shouldn't be a national cadre. The affairs of this country are not good.”
Xiuding smiled. He couldn't answer Shi Xian's question. Shi Xian was sixty-four years old. He was probably old and muddleheaded.
The person who had the best chance of working outside Maple Ridge was Lan Xin. Among their group of young people, he was the smartest, the most educated, and was able to write and calculate. He was a very talented person. The Changsha railway branch and Yueyang railway engineering department had come to transfer him many times, but they were all stopped by his adoptive mother.
Lan Xin said to her adoptive mother, Wu Qionggui," Mother, just let me go. The others have already left. Are you going to leave me at home to be a child?"”
Wu Qionggui said," Lanxin, you're a well-educated person. Let me ask you. We raised you for our youngest son. How old were you when you came to my house?”
Lan Xin said," I was adopted when I was seven years old. You took me in to support the two of you in your old age and to carry on the family line."”
"Well said, well said. Do you still need me to answer your question?" Wu Qionggui said.”
Lan Xin said," I'm going to work outside. It's not like I'm not coming to see you off."”
Wu Qionggui said," That's different. If you left yesterday and I fell sick today, who would you ask me to find to serve me? If you went to Changsha or Yueyang, would I be able to respond?”
Lan Xin said,"Mother, aren't you a little selfish? You only think about yourself. Why don't you think about your son? Your son has a future too. Your son still has a long road ahead."”
Wu Qionggui said,"Son, you're wrong again. How can I only do it for myself?" You already have two children now, and you still want to have children. It's your responsibility to bring them up.”
Lan Xin said," According to what I've said, I'm living to support the elderly in their old age. I'm raising my children to adulthood. I'm nothing. Am I not doing this for myself?"”
Wu Qionggui said," Why don't you do it for yourself? You'll support me in my old age and bring up the children. Then, you'll have a reputation. People will speak well of you. A person's reputation is so important.”
Lan Xin said," My name is just an empty thing. It doesn't matter if I have it or not."”
Wu Qionggui said,"What are you talking about? Read until you reach the bottom of a cow." Confucius was very particular about names. He said that if the name was not correct, the words would not be smooth, and if the words were not smooth, things would not be successful.”
Lan Xin said," You're wrong again. The reputation you're talking about is not the same as the name Confucius mentioned. Confucius said that if the name is not used properly, the words will not make sense. The reputation you're talking about is a person's reputation.”
Wu Qionggui said," Alright, alright. I won't argue with you anymore. Anyway, you're not allowed to go outside."”
Once, in the rain, he also came to put in a good word for his biological son. Wu Qionggui said,"Little Brother Bin 'er, you are a scholar, and a scholar should know the rules. It's true that Lan Xin is your biological son, but after he was adopted into my family, he is no longer your son.”
"Of course I know the rules. I'm here today as a bystander." Young people have their own futures, and we, as the elderly, can't ruin their futures.”
Wu Qionggui said," You're a scholar, and I'm blind. You're not as useful as I am when it comes to practical matters. Think about it, what's so good about working? You're an example. Didn't you only work as a guard for a year? Wouldn't he become a landlord? It would be fine if you were to take bribes and abuse the law as a security guard, but you were doing your job in this position, mediating the disputes of the villagers, solving the difficulties of the villagers, and in the end, you even became the enemy of the Chinese government. Tell me, is this the outcome of doing business?”
In the rain, he was left speechless by his sister-in-law's words.
Wu Qionggui said," I think you're really pitiful. You've taught for a lifetime, but you've never farmed or hired a long-term worker. You can't even raise your own children. You either adopted your son or sent your daughter to someone else's house to be a child bride. At forty-three years old, you actually became a landlord. Have you ever exploited others? No, he didn't. Have you harmed others? There was nothing. Why? It's all because you've been working for a year.”
Tears welled up in his eyes from Second Sister-in-law's words in the rain. He choked and said," I pity Lan Xin. It's a pity that you left him at home. He can use an abacus on his head, he can recite the number of acres of land and the owner of every household in Maple Ridge with his eyes closed, he can recite 300 poems of the Tang Dynasty backwards, he can read the Guwen Guanzhi by heart, and he can tell every story in Water Margins, Yue Shuo, and Tang Shuo. Is there anyone like him in Maple Ridge?”
Wu Qionggui said," I know all this. The goods in his stomach will still be useful in the future. He can use them to educate his sons. If his birth characters are good, he can also use them to educate his grandchildren." That's a matter for the future. Now, I'll acknowledge one thing. With my parents around, I won't travel far.”
He left in the rain. He was no match for Second Sister-in-law. The books he read were all useless.
Wan Ren usually did not say a word in such an occasion. He had lived with Wu Qionggui for decades and knew his old woman too well. The matters in the family had always been the old woman's word.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。