Chapter 113

Ideal is rich, and reality is bone dry

The zeal and vigor of the sisters-in-law were lost in the forty-degree heat

Not long after the start of the work, some sisters-in-law wanted to quit

Under the sun, bending down in the half-half-high grass, sweating like rain

The air was so hot that every breath made my lungs hurt

Every now and then a frog or a bug pops out of the grass to scare people

Both body and mind were put to the test

Xu Wen also felt more or less a bit of heat stroke

It’s not that she’s delicate, her sister-in-law in the south is fine, at least she’s a little bit more comfortable with this kind of temperature

Northern sisters-in-law, especially those from the Northeast, have never felt such hot weather all year round

For a while, just standing here was a bit unbearable, not to mention working

After two hours of work, Xu Wen announced to dismiss and go home to rest

Not only did her own eyes go dark, but she also saw a few of her sisters-in-law staggering around, unable to stand up

Don’t work too much and get heatstroke, it’s even more troublesome

The afternoon start time was set for three o’clock, trying to avoid noon

When they arrived at the assembly point, Xu asked for a roll call and found that a few sisters-in-law did not show up, saying that they were not feeling well and had taken a leave of absence

Xu Man did not say anything and led everyone to continue working

Song Baoying, beside Xu Man, asked her, “Do you regret it?”

Xu Man sighed lightly, “More or less I thought about building a school too idealistically”

“Normal If it was easy, this job wouldn’t have been dominated by men” Song Boying wiped the sweat from his forehead, “I’m a little sore!”

Xu Wen let out an ah and turned his head to look at her

“When I was aggrieved in my hometown before, I thought about how difficult it was for me, always thinking that I was tolerant enough to understand Shi Lei’s difficulties But now I suddenly realized that imagination and reality are two different things I thought I understood his difficulties, but I imagined it In reality, he has suffered much more than I imagined Like building this house The huts we live in and the camps they live in, they built them themselves

They work more than ten hours a day, and they never complain They don’t even mention the word “tired” when they write home We keep saying we’re no worse than them Look, it’s only been half a day and some people have already backed out, and I’m afraid even half of them won’t come tomorrow”

Wang Lingling silently said, “I’ll still come tomorrow”

Seeing Xu Wen and Song Baoying looking at her, she smiled shyly, “I’m from the countryside, I don’t have much culture unlike you guys who know a lot of things I just know one thing, you have to pay as much as you want to get For example, if you want to earn enough for ten centimeters, you have to do ten centimeters of work Captain Wang and his men have received allowances, and my children and I have benefited, not because they are favored, but because they have paid more

This is the work they’ve done, I think they can do it and so can I!”

Xu Man gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll come too!”

It was no longer a matter of willingness

To build the school was something she organized in partnership with Song Boying, and even if all the people backed out, the two of them couldn’t back out

If they backed out, it would be more of a setback for her family, Lu Yuanzheng!

At the end of the night, the only ones who were still working as fast as in the morning were a few sisters-in-law led by Wang Lingling They looked like they couldn’t feel the heat or the fatigue

The others were exhausted, not to the point of laziness, but the speed of their work had obviously slowed down

Song Boying looked surprised, “Are they really not tired?”

“How could they not be tired?” Xu asked, “They’re just better able to persevere”

They were all human beings, who wasn’t afraid of the heat and who wasn’t afraid of being tired?

It’s just that people in the countryside don’t have any extra choices, if they don’t stick to it and don’t do it, the crops won’t grow and there will be no harvest There is no harvest, and there is no rice to eat

Eat by labor points is the same, according to the point of labor according to the point of collection, not to the point to finish those jobs, the same no labor points, the end of the year, even the population of food are not enough to share

In the final analysis, it is just a matter of necessity

The habit of day-to-day labor, than those who have not suffered more suffering, insisted on a long time into a habit

Xiaoyu sat under a tree and drew a picture Xu Wen and Song Baoying thought it was too hot outside and urged her to go back to her drawing

Xiaoyu said she wanted to share the pain with her sisters-in-law, but when she heard their conversation, she thought for a moment and sighed: “Life is full of different kinds of people”

Xu Man goes home and falls straight onto the sofa as soon as he enters

Dongsheng happened to be at home eating a snack and saw her frowning in protest, “Ma Ma, your clothes are so dirty!”

Normally he would have been ordered by Xu Man to change his clothes before he could lie on the sofa

“I’ll just lie down for a while” Xu Man said breathlessly, she couldn’t even move a finger

It was really too tiring!

Not only was she tired, her hands hurt and her feet hurt

It was also hot, thirsty, and she couldn’t drink any amount of water without getting thirsty

She had rarely done this kind of purely physical work in her two lifetimes, and it was indeed a bit overwhelming for a while, with blisters all over her palms

Dongsheng heard Xu Man speak breathlessly, and then probed to see that Xu Man’s face was red

He walked to Xu Man and touched Xu Man’s forehead, and then touched his own forehead, “Ma Ma, your head is so hot, do you have a fever? I’m going to find dad!”

“I’m fine, I’m just sunburned” Xu Wen didn’t hear any movement when she finished speaking, and struggled to open her eyes, Dongsheng had already run out

She didn’t have the strength to chase after him either, and closed her eyes again

After a while, feeling a coldness on her forehead, she raised her hand in a daze, a towel with ice wrapped around her forehead When she opened her eyes, she saw Lu Yuanzheng’s enlarged face, and instantly felt much more at ease, and closed her eyes again, only murmuring softly, “You’re back, huh?”

Before she could fall asleep again, a bit of stinging pain in her palm, Xu Man hissed and opened her eyes to see Lu Yuanzheng holding an embroidery needle right into her hand

Xu Man jerked her hand back, not daring to believe it, “Lu Yuanzheng you even secretly took a needle and stabbed me?”

“I’m not that perverted!” Lu Yuanzheng didn’t have the heart to say, “I’m picking the blisters on your hand, otherwise it’ll hurt even more tomorrow”

Xu Wen let out a cry before returning his hand to him, not forgetting to instruct, “Then be gentle!”

“Now you know to ask me to be gentle, why don’t you know to hold back when you’re working?” Lu Yuanzheng admonished her, but his hand movements were very gentle

The woman he held in the palm of his hand for fear of dropping and in his mouth for fear of melting, and who worked under the scorching sun and made such a mess of herself was on the verge of a heat stroke

Dongsheng said Xu Wen fever scared him to rush back, did not expect to see such Xu Wen, a time of heartache do not know what to say

In the Wei Zhuang Commune Xu Man and Rainbow Island Xu Man is quite different, in the Wei Zhuang Commune Xu Man hard-working and pragmatic, few words, filial piety is a very heavy girl scrolls

Rainbow Island’s Xu Wen is more Road expedition thought for half a day to remember Xu Wen often said the word, salted fish

She does not have any lofty aspirations, and it is not considered diligent, and the most work she has done is to clean up the house as well as tossing those dessert drinks

The rest of the time, even reading and doing research is to study how to make their lives more comfortable

For example, wind power generation and solar energy to purify seawater

On weekdays, if there is no need, as long as the sun comes out, Xu Man will never go out, and the furthest he walks is from the bedroom to the living room

Even if she cleans her room, she will ask Dongsheng to do it with her, and maybe Dongsheng will do more

This kind of girl who was a bit lazy and could enjoy herself, in order to build the school, worked all day in the sun, in the barren grass where the surface temperature was over forty degrees, and got herself into the current state

How could Lu Yuanzheng not be heartbroken? He was not only heartbroken but also a little touched

Because this is for him to reduce the burden

If the school is built well, more sisters-in-law will go to the island, alleviating some of the worries of the soldiers, and also helping him to complete part of the infrastructure work

Lu Yuanzheng gently poked the blister and gave her a huff, before gently squeezing the liquid out of the blister, his brows wrinkled with more worry than when he was caught in the enemy’s trap

“Ouch! Ouch!” Xu Wenjiao was so angry that she cried out in pain, then sighed softly, “So flags can’t be set indiscriminately! It all comes with a price?”

“What flags?”

“It means that people can’t just talk big and set goals that they can’t easily achieve, otherwise it’s easy to hit their faces”

One by one, Lu Yuanzheng picked through the bubbles in Xu Wen’s palms He fetched another basin of water and took off her shoes to wash her feet

“Itchy!” Xu Man smiled and cringed

The skin on the center of her feet was delicate, and he had calluses on his palms that tickled her

Xu Man laughed and stopped laughing

Previously, Lu Yuanzheng had also trained and worked in temperatures like this or in weather that was hotter than today’s, building wooden huts, including the ones they were living in now

What did she do for him at that moment?

It seemed like she just prepared a good meal and waited for him to sleep together at most

There was no such service as he did

He never came back from a major road trip as bone-weary as she was on the couch; he only occasionally looked tired, and most of the time he didn’t even look tired

He also washes clothes and dishes when he comes back

Xu Wen is used to his strong, in her eyes, Lu Yuanzheng is omnipotent

Today, she suddenly felt that he had never suffered more than her, but just didn’t say so

Like Wang Lingling said

Why is the policy of following the army so favorable?

Why do other people work for only thirty or forty dollars a month, but military wives get ten dollars for doing nothing but being fed and housed?

Because their enjoyment is based on the fact that Lu Yuanzheng and the others pay several times more than ordinary people

Xu Man’s nose suddenly turned a little sour, “Lu Yuanzheng”

“In”

“Sorry”

Lu Yuanzheng raised his head and sized her up, “Did you really lose your brain in the heat? Why are you apologizing for a good reason?”

“Just thought I wasn’t good enough for you! At least not as good as you are to me”

Bao Shu Net w w w x b a o s h u c o m

“Then you are really a girl who is easily satisfied! Didn’t you say that in the future a man has to buy a woman a bag, a car, and a house in order to get a daughter-in-law? I can’t give you anything”

“But you would wash my feet and pick my blood blisters It’s obvious you’re tired yourself I didn’t even wash your feet when you built the house before”

Lu Yuanzheng raised his hand and lightly touched her face, “Silly daughter-in-law! Can men and women be the same? According to me, you shouldn’t bother building the house That’s a man’s job I promised you that I’d finish the school sooner or later, so I won’t go back on my word”

Xu Wen was quiet for three seconds before she suddenly raised her hand and slapped away Lu Yuanzheng’s hand that was touching her, roaring, “Lu Yuanzheng, did you touch my face with the same hand that washed my feet?”

Lu Yuanzheng: “”

He silently put his hand behind his back and lied without changing his face, “How could I? Wiped it!”

Xu Wen gave a short heckle, obviously not believing it

The warm atmosphere was suddenly destroyed

Lu Yuanzheng slapped his left hand down on his right hand and muttered in a low voice, “Let you owe!”

“What did you say?”

“I said I’ll carry you upstairs”

Lu Yuanzheng poured the foot washing water, this time remembering to wash his hands before returning, carrying Xu Man back to the bedroom and undressing her

“Don’t touch with your hands” Xu Man warned

Lu Yuanzheng snorted, “I’m not that much of an animal to even let go of a sick person”

“I’m not the sick one, I’m just a little tired, I’ll be fine tomorrow”

“You will be in more pain tomorrow! Resting for a night will make your back hurt more and your legs hurt more” The particularly experienced Lu Yuanzheng gave her eye medicine in advance to make her psychologically prepared then took the blanket and covered her waist and abdomen, “Get some rest, don’t go tomorrow!”

She was so delicate, she would have to grunt in pain tomorrow

Xu Wen didn’t agree and asked him, “Are you still going back to the battalion headquarters?”

Lu Yuanzheng nodded, “Well, still have to go back The work isn’t done Dongsheng said you have a fever”

“Where is he?”

“He stayed at the camp to hang out with the new kids Don’t worry about sleeping, I’ll bring him back later”

Xu Man then closed his eyes again, “I’ll sleep first then”

The room with the fan and ice was so comfortable that one didn’t even want to move a finger

The next day, more than a dozen more sister-in-laws took leave

There were only forty-five enrolled in the first place, and this was basically one-third less

Song Boying frowned and discussed with Xu Man, “Sister-in-law, should we continue?”

Xu Man nodded without hesitation, “Continue”

She turned her head to look at the sisters-in-law who had insisted on coming, “Sister-in-laws, I know that everyone is very tired right now Not only are they tired but they’re also hot and their backs and legs hurt But, we usually complain that it’s the same whether they’re here or not It’s not even the technical part yet, it’s just a matter of weeding, and we’re backing out, won’t that make people laugh? In the future, the couple quarrels have no confidence

I Xu asked to put down the word here, even if I’m the only one, this school I have to build Do not steam buns to fight!”

Wang Lingling raised her hand, “Good point! Count me in!”

Song Baoying followed suit: “Count me in!”

One after another, the other sisters-in-law raised their hands, “Count me in!”

After the early morning morale boost, it was time to get back to work

The words were good, but the work was really hard

After a short while, the sun was once again overlooking them, and even the clothes on their bodies started to burn

Whoever had said it was hard on Rainbow Island before, she’d thought it was fine

This time she finally got a taste of what it was like to work in the hot sun

Her mouth was a bit thirsty, and she was about to head towards the place under the tree where she was putting water, when she heard Dongsheng’s voice: “Ma Ma, we’re here to help you!”

Xu Man looked up, with a straw hat Dongsheng followed by ten or so half-sized children, the smallest one can not keep up with the footsteps of the children in front of them, two short legs constantly backward, trotting can not keep up with the rhythm

Xu asked, “”

This is to help her or give her trouble?

She’s tired enough to work, but she also has to look after the child?

Sister-in-law Li followed behind, pushing a unicycle with a large bucket on it, shouting from afar, “Sister-in-laws, it’s too hot, don’t get heatstroke! I’ve boiled a pot of green bean soup and brought it over to you”

She ran a kiosk and couldn’t leave the house during the week, so she could only more or less provide some logistical support for her sisters-in-law

Xu Man walked over, and Sister-in-law Li gave the first bowl to Xu Man

Xu asked thanked and took it, she didn’t like green bean soup, but out of politeness she still tasted it, it was sweet and cool, and it was soothing to drink a mouthful of it through and through

It was better than expected, and she gave a thumbs up to compliment Sister-in-law Li: ”Wow! Sister-in-law you made the green bean soup so delicious! Did you also put in rock sugar and ice?”

“No, only put in some rock sugar Knowing that you are greedy for cold, I put the bucket on the ice” Mrs Li lifted the bucket by the handle, and underneath was a basin full of ice cubes

Sister-in-law Li waved her hand towards her sisters-in-law who were still working in the field, “Sister-in-laws, come over and drink the green bean soup before you work, don’t get heatstroke later!”

Everyone gathered around, sipping a mouthful of green bean soup and sighing with satisfaction, “I never knew green bean soup could be so delicious”

Xu Wen nodded in agreement, she didn’t like it before either

After a short rest, they were put back to work

The few children, except for the ones too young for sister-in-law Li to lead away, all the others really stayed behind

According to most of the sisters-in-law’s opinions, they wanted to blow them all back

This work is tiring for adults, so why should children come and join in the fun?

Xu Wen didn’t say anything, she naturally wanted Dongsheng and the others to work together

Not to be lazy or to take advantage of the children

The main thing is that this is the school they are going to attend, so what’s wrong with participating in the work themselves?

It’s quite educational, isn’t it?

But most of the sisters-in-law are the kind of traditional parents, hate to chew up and feed their children, certainly not willing to give up

She didn’t want to upset her sisters-in-law, so she didn’t say anything

As a result, Dongsheng patted his little chest and retorted, “I’m not going back! The elementary school you’re building is our school! We’re going to build our own school with our own hands!”

Song Baoying cried and laughed: “You’re building your own school? Do you think this is a game?”

Worthy of being her son!

Xu Man gave Dongsheng a thumbs up, “Son, well said!”

Dongsheng scowled at Xu Man, then straightened his expression with a straight face

Xu Man understood, this was what Lu Yuanzheng had taught him

The other children all nodded in agreement, “Right! We’ll build our own school!”

It was like the way Xu Man and the girls swore yesterday

Sister-in-laws see this also do not oppose, anyway, the children know that when they are tired of working, they will leave, and then can not stay

Children? What kind of suffering can they endure?

Dongsheng can’t afford a scythe, they can only help to carry the grass cut by their sisters-in-law to the road

They even spontaneously organized themselves into groups to see which team could carry more grass faster

They treated work as a game, laughing and joking

Until they were dismissed at noon, none of the children left

They were full of energy, and the sisters-in-law could not let the children be compared to them, no matter what they thought in their hearts, they certainly could not be inferior to the children, right?

The sister-in-law who knew how to sing, sang a song to cheer everyone up

This sister-in-law’s family is from the mountainous area, and her clear and loud voice echoed in the small half of Rainbow Island, which made people especially energetic

In the afternoon, all the sisters-in-law who had come to work in the morning came, and three of the five sisters-in-law who had taken the afternoon off yesterday also came

Their children were all here

The older children still came to work, and the few younger ones who didn’t have anyone to play with also came to help

They were too young to do much, so they poured water for their sisters-in-law under the tree

As usual, Mrs Li brought a big bucket of chilled sweet green bean soup

However, the children were really young and wilted in the middle of the afternoon

It wasn’t that they were afraid of being tired or suffering, it was just that they were really too small, their strength was limited, and their stamina was exhausted early

Several sisters-in-law took turns persuading them to go home and rest, but none of the children were willing to go

Xu Wen secretly called Dongsheng to one side: “What did your father say to you? Can he make you guys work so hard?”