Huang Cuilan found it amusing. She said that the second family was very slick, loved to chat and be lively without delaying earning work points. She herself couldn’t manage that and had worried several times, her heart pounding with anxiety.
The weather was gradually getting colder, and now the men who were coming and going, except those out to spread fertilizer and dung, were working everywhere. They had no choice but to rush before the ground froze, making tremendous efforts to tidy up the fields. This way, when spring came next year, they could plant more crops and everyone could get more rations.
As for the old farmers, they had nothing much to hope for, only wishing for a bountiful harvest next year, so the kids at home had plenty to eat, and they could have some money to buy things, and save some for their sons and grandsons to marry good wives. If luck was bad and they encountered a drought, all the farming for the year would be wasted. But not working meant even less grain harvest, so they had to work hard with hope, depending on the heavens and the earth.
The brigade had only one cow and two donkeys, treasures of the entire village, and no one dared suggest using the cow for plowing.
Regarding the fieldwork? They did it manually. The strength was inexhaustible. After putting in great effort, resting for a day would bring them back. If the cow got tired, who would be responsible? Didn’t you see that all the trips into town from the village were by ox cart? Even when marrying in a new bride or sending off a maiden, they had to tire out the ox cart?
Mr. Zhang was teamed with the second son, Zhang Guoqiang, the father and son working together to pull the iron plow. Every time they finished plowing, they were exhausted, and even the food at home tasted bland. It’s just that Mr. Zhang and his son were honest while you see others slacking off. They went back and forth and plowed twice more, while some others stopped halfway occasionally, with the villagers behind picking roots leisurely. Not everyone cared about gains and losses, but many families had insufficient rations and went to work after only having a drink of water in the morning, making it hard to keep up due to lack of strength.
Zhang Guoqiang was clever. He knew that his father would work hard in the fields. If his elder brother accompanied his father today, they might finish this field and help others again. During heavy work, he volunteered to accompany his father, so he could keep an eye on things.


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