novelraw Chapter 71 It doesn't matter how much or how little you do, the important thing is to participa
Chapter 71 It doesn't matter how much or how little you do, the important thing is to participa
"Big sister, I want to live in a room by myself." Xiao Wu prefers quiet. She spends most of her time with Yu Yao, and the two academic high-achievers basically just read books or tinker with their own things.
"Alright, I've designed a room for everyone. You can group together if you want, or live alone if you want. I'll give you plenty of personal space!"
She is, after all, a modern person who values the development and cultivation of individuality. As her younger sisters grow up, they need their own private space to do what they like.
Now that the walls are higher, people outside can't see what's happening in their yard. It's easier for Grandpa and the others to sneak over through the tunnel after dark to help her process the medicinal herbs grown in the space.
"Where did you get these medicinal herbs? They are really excellent. After processing, they will be top-quality." This deep-seated fondness for fine medicinal herbs is a common trait among traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, and he asked the question without even realizing it.
"Hehe, I have my own channels, Grandpa, please don't ask," Tong Yuheng said with a smile. She currently has no intention of revealing her spatial abilities.
"Haha, I'm not asking where the herbs came from. I just really like them because they're so good. I've prepared the herbs you asked for last time, and they're all in those little bottles you gave me. Keep them safe."
"Don't worry, Grandpa. I won't use it recklessly." The small blue cloth bag contained poison, aphrodisiac, and antidote, all wrapped in small paper packets. The other small green cloth bag contained hemostatic agents, anti-inflammatory drugs, and some powdered medicine for treating typhoid fever and diarrhea.
After packing up his things, Tong Yuheng called Linglong and Xiaowu over to learn new knowledge. He didn't have many requirements for Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi; they only needed to learn some very simple and basic pharmacological knowledge and methods for treating external injuries.
Linglong studied very diligently, working hard to memorize pharmacological knowledge. Xiao Wu didn't discourage them; even though she had already learned it, she still quietly flipped through medical books. In reality, she wasn't interested in studying medicine; she just used it to pass the time.
Liu Fengyi's current status made it inconvenient for him to come often, and besides, he was very busy, having not visited for half a month. Finally, he had some time and rode his bicycle to Chenjiatun. When he saw the wall, which was taller than a person, he thought he had mistaken the gate for someone else.
After looking around and realizing he hadn't gone to the wrong place, he quickly knocked on the door.
"Hello, Uncle Liu!"
Today is Sunday, and only the three little girls who go to school are at home. The production team doesn't take Sundays off for labor. Yuheng and Linglong went to work.
When Liu Fengyi saw that Tong Jiahui was not there, he assumed that she had gone to work. Later, when he heard that she and her second daughter had gone to help out at the army base, he didn't ask any more questions.
He conscientiously put down everything he had brought, swept the front and back yards, and saw rice, noodles, and seasonings in the cupboard in the main room. He then started a fire to cook.
My eldest daughter has worked so hard, taking care of everything at home and outside. He can't help much right now, but he occasionally comes over to cook them something to eat so she can rest a little longer. Sigh, it would be best to reunite with them as soon as possible.
Yu Han and the others also felt that Uncle Liu seemed familiar, but they couldn't quite place where they had seen him before. They didn't stop him from cooking, but instead lent a helping hand.
The warehouse was filled with various vegetables, all placed there by Tong Yuheng two days in advance. They ran over to get them; outsiders weren't allowed in there, as discovering the tunnel entrance would be disastrous.
Tong Yuheng and Linglong heard the gong signaling the start of work in the morning, so they went to help the villagers clean the village ditches. The three of them were assigned a 20-meter section of the ditch, which had been divided up by the team leader.
This time, they were assigned to work in the group of educated youth. Everyone formed their own groups and worked together on their assigned section. Once they finished, they could come back early.
Two female educated youths wanted to work with them, but Tong Yuheng politely declined, saying that her two younger sisters were still too young to do much, and she would have to help them instead of being a burden.
She knew perfectly well that these two people had heard that the sisters were very capable and wanted to take advantage of them so they could do less work, but Tong Yuheng wasn't buying it.
You only get half a work point for cleaning one meter. The area is overgrown with weeds and is completely withered. You have to clean up the grass roots, broken stones, and bricks. The work isn't too strenuous, but it's not easy either.
They didn't plan to do much that morning. Linglong would do six meters for each person and eight meters for herself. After cleaning and inspecting, they would each be given three or four work points and then they would return.
"Oh, Uncle Liu is here!" Linglong greeted Liu Fengyi happily. They liked this uncle very much, though they couldn't explain why. In fact, this was only their third meeting.
"I'm off today, so I came to visit you. How many days have your mother and the others been gone?" Liu Fengyi asked.
"It's been five days, they'll be back soon. We just went to clear the furrows and earned ten work points!" The value of one work point varies from year to year, depending on how much grain is harvested and how much income the brigade has.
Most of the work points earned each year were exchanged for grain. After handing over the work points, the team had to keep a portion as emergency reserves and a minimum ration per person. Only then could the remaining grain be divided equally among all the work points. Money was calculated in the same way.
Therefore, the difference in work points between a bumper harvest year and a year of disaster is enormous. At the end of the year, grain is distributed according to the work points registered for each household. If there is not enough food during this period, people have to borrow grain from the brigade, and it will be deducted when the grain is distributed after the harvest.
Every year, the educated youth who came had to borrow grain. When they first came, they received subsidies as stipulated by policy, but those subsidies were not enough to eat. They had to participate in labor to earn work points so that they would have enough grain to eat for the following year and to repay the grain they borrowed that year.
However, the subsidies stopped in the second year, and they had already gone through the adjustment period. The second year was the hardest to get through. Every year, some people would cry and complain to their families, asking for money and coupons.
This was Linglong's first time working in the fields, and also her first time earning work points; they were quite excited. The fifth child also became interested and said she wanted to participate in the afternoon's work. The children would also receive work points for their work.
"Let's go too! Big sister, is that work difficult? Can I earn two work points?" Yu-xuan saw how happy her sister was working and wanted to join in as well.
"Sure, let's lock up the door and go together this afternoon! It doesn't matter how much or how little you do, it's all about participation!"
Tong Yuheng agreed to the requests from the younger women. However, she didn't plan to take on any more tasks in the afternoon; these were enough. The whole family earned twenty work points a day, so they certainly weren't doing the least work.
Liu Fengyi wanted to help the sisters with some chores, but Tong Yuheng stopped him, saying, "You should skip it, so the village won't gossip about you. My mom's not home anyway, why don't you stay and help us with some other chores?"