novelraw Chapter 257 Even if she stayed up all night and worked non-stop, she still couldn't keep up wit
Chapter 257 Even if she stayed up all night and worked non-stop, she still couldn't keep up wit
As soon as Zheng Lihong finished speaking, a group of family members below started discussing:
"Why is it manual labor again? We're always doing physical labor. Those who have jobs must have it so good, they don't have to do anything."
"What can we do? We're just uneducated. Every job opening requires an exam. I only went to school for two years; I'm lucky if I can recognize a few characters. Do you think I can pass the exam?"
"You're doing alright. I learned to read in a literacy class! My family has been poor farmers for generations! A few years ago, they'd be looking for workers like me!"
"Hey, things aren't like they used to be. Now, many people with questionable backgrounds are getting good jobs!"
"Hmph! Anyway, there are two leaders' family members here. If they slack off, I'll slack off too!"
"Keep your voice down, it's not good if someone hears you. Besides, Sister Zheng never slacks off..."
Tong Yuheng: Just say it directly, do you think I'm the kind of person who would slack off?
Zheng Lihong cleared her throat, stopping everyone's chatter: "Our task as military dependents is to dig drainage ditches in front of and behind our houses. Here are the requirements: one meter wide, one meter deep, and the inner walls and bottom must be smooth. After they're dug, the soldiers from the engineering department will have to lay bricks and plaster them with cement."
"Okay..." Everyone's answer was completely unenthusiastic.
"Don't let the lack of pay lukewarm reception deter you; this is for our better living environment. Our compound is clean and tidy, with no puddles, and fewer mosquitoes in the summer, so adults and children suffer less, right?"
"We understand, Sister Zheng. Just tell us how to divide the work!"
"Yes, yes, even though it's team work, let's assign tasks to everyone, so that some people won't always be so delicate and refuse to work! They'll be lazy!"
"Yeah, how long will this job take? What's the standard workload for one person per day? Even if we don't pay wages, shouldn't we at least give them an award for being an 'active participant'?"
"Yeah, it's always us unemployed people who have to do the work, while those who have regular jobs just wait to be done!"
The family members are obsessed with their jobs, and they feel that they are not confident without a job. Sometimes they even go home and complain that their husbands are incompetent and don't know how to handle things, and can't even find them a job.
The military also faces a dilemma in this regard. Apart from positions requiring specialized skills, there are too few ordinary jobs available, making it difficult to accommodate all the families. Most of the families work on the military's reclamation fields, which is not much different from farming in the countryside.
Seeing that some people were about to complain again, Zheng Lihong quickly said, "The military dependents who are on duty this time also have tasks, but their area is over there in the office building. They'll go and do it during their day off tomorrow. He Xiufang, do you have any more questions?" Zheng Lihong was determined to deal with this troublemaker first.
"Isn't it said that the standards for cadres' families are high? I'll just follow the example of Xiao Tong from Deputy Brigade Commander Li's family. I'll do as much as she does!" He Xiufang said sarcastically. She didn't believe that Tong Yuheng, with her spoiled and pampered appearance, could do much work.
"Why are you trying to get close to Xiao Tong? How do you know she can't beat you?"
Ever since He Xiufang spoke rudely to her and even hit her, Aunt Sun has been constantly berating her. It's estimated that she won't let this go until her grandson is safely delivered. Her daughter-in-law, Wang Xiaonan, is pregnant and can't work, so Aunt Sun came to fill in. Because she's familiar with the locals, she was transferred to this work group.
"Sister-in-law Chen, are you sure you're doing the same amount of work as me? I advise you to give up. I'm afraid you won't be able to finish the work I do in one morning in a whole day!" Tong Yuheng said with a smile, his face laced with sarcasm.
"Who are you trying to scare? With your skinny arms and legs, I'd rather do the same work as you, so no one will accuse me of slacking off!" He Xiufang retorted stubbornly.
"Ladies, you all have to be witnesses, so don't let Sister Chen renege on her promise!" Tong Yuheng said with a smile, as if he were joking.
She hadn't intended to be too far ahead of everyone, but He Xiufang insisted on challenging her, so she decided to show her just how big the gap was between them. As a leader's family member, she naturally had to take the lead in the work, and also shut some people up from constantly criticizing her!
Zheng Lihong quickly assigned everyone a spot. She had already measured the width of the drainage ditch and marked it with lines. Everyone then started digging in their designated spots.
Tong Yuheng sat next to Granny Sun, chatting with her as he gently shoveled the soil, the entire shovel disappearing into the ground. With a press of the handle, a large clump of soil was scooped up and loosely piled aside.
"Xiao Tong, you're really strong! You dug up such a big chunk! I can't even lift it!" Grandma Sun praised. The girl had shoveled up such a big chunk of soil that it would probably take two people to lift it.
Grandma Sun glanced at the other people around her and saw that they weren't much better off than her! Because the ground was very hard, each shovel only dug down less than half the depth, and the amount of soil dug out with each shovel was pitifully small.
They weren't deliberately being lazy; they genuinely didn't have the strength. Even if they could step the shovel down, they didn't have the power to dig it up!
However, Tong Yuheng remained calm and composed, continuing to dig shovel after shovel with rhythm. Half an hour later, she sat down to rest. She was now doing more than twice the work of other military wives.
He Xiufang was dumbfounded. Why did she have to be so cheeky as to say she wanted to keep up with her? With Tong Yuheng's work speed, even if she worked non-stop all night, she still couldn't catch up with her pace!
Other family members also realized they had misjudged her; Tong Yuheng wasn't lazy, she was incredibly capable, one person could do the work of several!
Later, when the pit was dug deeper, Tong Yuheng asked Granny Sun to fetch two baskets. She filled them with soil from below, and Granny Sun pulled them up with a rope, then dragged them aside to empty them, and then took them back to continue filling. In the end, even the two baskets weren't enough to keep up with her load!
"Xiao Tong, come up and rest! I can't even drag this basket of soil anymore!" Grandma Sun was happy to see the envious looks from the people around her, but she was old and just dragging the basket of soil back and forth on her two legs was exhausting her!
"Okay, Aunt Sun, let's have some water and rest for a bit! Everyone, don't rush back to work, be careful not to twist your backs!" Tong Yuheng jumped out of the ditch, patting the dirt off her hands and clothes. She was carrying a small shoulder bag when she came out, took out a water cup from it, unscrewed the cap to use as a cup, and poured herself half a cup of water to drink.
"Do you have a cup with you? Let me pour you some from mine," Tong Yuheng asked.
"No need, no need, Xiao Zheng brings water to everyone every time!" said Aunt Sun. At this time, Zheng Lihong also told everyone to take a break.
"Everyone, take a break. Come over here, I asked the cafeteria to make some mung bean soup for everyone, come and quench your thirst!"