Half a morning was enough time for Wang Ying and Old Lady Xu to sort out their things, lock up everything that was not used frequently, and move the food and the grill stove in the kitchen to Wang Ying's side.
After packing up, Wang Ying went to the back foot of the mountain to visit Qian** and Cheng Shufen, and then went up the mountain to see the medicinal fields.
The place where Cheng Shufen and Cheng Yu lived was fine. Cheng Yu was smart. She woke up in the middle of the night and moved all the things outside the house in with Cheng Shufen. Cheng Yu also went to find Qian ** with a board on his head, so the two families only had some broken tiles, but no one was hurt.
The situation in the medicine fields is very dire.
The newly transplanted seedlings were all twisted and crooked, and in serious cases even their roots were smashed out.
Cheng Yu felt extremely guilty: "I didn't take a good look at it... I'm sorry, Sister Ying."
Wang Ying: "I can't blame you for this. No one could have imagined that such heavy hail could fall in spring."
Even the experienced farmers in the brigade said that they had seen hail in early spring, but hail of this size was not common even in summer.
Wang Ying looked at the fields one by one. Cheng Yu handled the situation quickly and had already picked up the hailstones in the fields. Wang Ying gave each of them some spiritual spring water, hoping to save at least a few.
If it really can't be saved, we can only accept it.
After saying goodbye to Cheng Yu, Wang Ying went to her own private plot, where she planted all kinds of vegetables, and the vegetable seeds were broken. Wang Ying had an idea and watered the vegetable seeds.
After tidying up, Old Lady Xu and Wang Ying went to see the team leader and told him that their family could take in two educated youths.
As soon as these words were spoken, Tian Youfu immediately nodded in agreement. He had been having a headache for the entire morning.
Of the sixteen educated youth, seven were settled in the families of cadres, and several prospective party members were mobilized to settle the rest, including some militia families. In the end, a total of thirteen were arranged.
There are still three educated youth who cannot be sent out. Now that the Xu family can come forward and say they will accept two of them, the remaining one will be easy to deal with. At worst, Tian Youfu can just take in another one himself.
Tian Youfu: "When we commend you after the autumn harvest, I will definitely record you as an advanced person."
A meeting is held every year after the autumn harvest to commend activists. Tian Youfu feels that it would be unjustifiable not to give someone like Old Lady Xu the title of advanced worker.
Old Mrs. Xu seemed to have unloaded a huge burden. Being an advanced element might not mean much to others, but it was the best thing for her.
After the members got off work, Tian Youfu gathered the families that had received the educated youth in the conference room and began to discuss how to divide the sixteen educated youth.
Of course, we also have to take into account the circumstances of the educated youth and their families. For example, in Song Dagui's family, there are few women. His two sons are married, and he has four or five grandchildren. The oldest grandson is 19 years old and has not yet been engaged. In this case, female educated youth cannot be allowed to live in the family.
For families like Wu Guihua, who had a daughter of school age, it was basically impossible for them to accept a male educated youth.
After much calculation, the allocation of the sixteen educated youth had to take into account gender and age, while also trying not to make things difficult for either side.
The old educated youth are relatively the most popular because they have been there for a long time and have some good reputation with the people in the team. Most importantly, after several years of rural life, they no longer have any bad habits.
But it is hard to say about the new educated youth.
These seven educated youths had just arrived for less than three days when they were hit by a hailstorm that was rare in decades. They had not yet experienced the hardships of life and their troubles were still there. Such people would be a problem no matter where they were placed.
After choosing and selecting, the old educated youth were all very easy-going, but the seven new ones were hesitant and didn't know how to choose.
This is the problem. The new educated youth have just arrived and don’t know many people. However, most of them are impressed by Wang Ying.
Wang Ying was outstanding in appearance, and was one of the most outstanding in the countryside. In addition, the respect shown to her by the people in the brigade when she first arrived, and the decisiveness and efficiency with which she reattached Jiang Lei's arm last night, had earned her the trust of most of the new educated youth.
Imagine that you are living in a doctor's house. If nothing else, at least your safety is guaranteed.
Not to mention that they had also vaguely heard from the old educated youth that Wang Ying was not only capable, but the man she married was a chef in a state-owned restaurant in the town.
This condition is very tempting. Not to mention living in Wang Ying's mother-in-law's house, wouldn't living in Wang Ying's mother-in-law's house also bring some benefits? At least you won't lose money on food.
Several new educated youth were hesitant about going, but were worried that their opinions would be too obvious, which might look awkward, so no one spoke for a while.
But there are still people who come out to jump.
The first person to step forward was Jiang Lei, who lived up to everyone's expectations.
Jiang Lei took it for granted: "Let Bai Ling live in Xu's house. She is not in good health and it will be convenient for her to see a doctor when the time comes."
He looked righteous and awe-inspiring, as if he was talking about something very ordinary.
He also knew that Wang Ying didn't like him, so he didn't mention moving in. He was only thinking about finding a good place for Bai Ling.
Bai Ling is so weak that she fainted on the first day. What if she gets an inappropriate accommodation again this time
Bai Ling's eyes flickered, and she said softly, "Jiang Zhiqing, you don't have to worry about me. I can live anywhere. Even if I get sick, I can go see Doctor Wang Ying. I'm not that delicate."
Wang Ying raised her eyebrows. Bai Ling's way of addressing Jiang Lei was really intriguing. She vaguely remembered that this person called Jiang Lei by his name when he came here on the first day. But now he called him Jiang Zhiqing
Jiang Lei was completely unaware and continued to show his consideration: "You are weak, how can you live in a bad place? Don't worry about it, just listen to me, live in the Xu family, and let Doctor Wang Ying take a good look at you. I think she is quite capable."
Wang Ying: …
Do you want to listen to what bullshit you are talking about? You look like a domineering president, can you be the boss
Old Mrs. Xu also frowned, which made Bai Ling feel worried.
She really wanted to live in the Xu family, and what she said just now was a retreat to advance. After all, she was in poor health, so it was only right for her to live in the Xu family with the best conditions.
But Jiang Lei’s words are really a hindrance!
Just talk about the matter. Why do you have to talk about whether someone's medical skills are good or not? It's not your place to say whether someone is good or not.
Bai Ling's anxiety made her even more upset. She shouldn't have pretended to faint when she came. She thought Jiang Lei looked average, but he was from the same place after all. Although his family was not well off, he was the only one among his brothers and sisters who went to the countryside. His family must have prepared a lot of things.
Her plan was to show the unusual relationship between the two to the outside world, but she must not give a definite answer and keep him hanging to spend his money. The time of fainting was also perfect. One was to instill the impression of her weakness in everyone, which would also make it easier to work in the future. Another was to catch Jiang Lei to prevent others from taking a fancy to him.
Now it seems that the latter considerations were obviously unnecessary. Just based on Jiang Lei's mouth, no woman would be interested in him.
Bai Ling regretted it. Jiang Lei's stupidity was unique and reached a new level.
There is no one he cannot offend, and no thing he cannot mess up.
If Jiang Lei had just mentioned it, it would have been a sure thing for her to move into the Xu family, but he insisted on continuing to persuade her, and his words were harsh.
Bai Ling felt deeply that she had to think carefully about what to do next.
Jiang Lei's things were all collapsed, but he still had this kind of personality. I can't be tied to the same boat with him.
Thinking of this, Bai Ling spoke up: "Jiang Zhiqing, don't say that. The choice still depends on everyone's common opinion. You can't decide everything. We are already causing trouble for others by living in our fellow villagers' homes. It's better not to put forward too many conditions."
Jiang Lei was stunned by his sweetheart's words. Bai Ling was always gentle and had never said anything that would offend him. But after she said this, it seemed like she was trying to draw a line between them.
At this time, Old Lady Xu finally understood what was going on, and she looked at Bai Ling meaningfully.
This girl looks weak, but she has a lot of tricks in her mind. She is always trying to show off her power and is not a peaceful person.
She wouldn't want someone like that to live in her house.
"You are blessed. There is one thing I haven't told you yet. The two educated youths assigned to my house this time need to cook for themselves. I plan to live with Wang Ying, so I will leave a room in the old house and separate the food. The two educated youths will have to cook and clean together, and I will not interfere with the lives of the young people."
When Old Lady Xu explained her situation, several educated youth immediately began to hesitate.
What does this mean? Didn't the educated youth who lived there eat together? Did they have to cook for themselves
Wu Guihua smiled and said, "That's great. You two can live together, and Wang Ying won't have to run around for meals every day."
Now that everyone in the brigade is familiar with each other, it is common knowledge that Wang Ying doesn't cook and goes to Old Lady Xu's place for lunch every noon. Although it is said that there is no need for the two of them to cook separately, people like Wu Guihua, who are close to her, know that Wang Ying is really not good at cooking.
Last winter, he almost burned down the kitchen. How could he be a cook? But Wu Guihua thought it was okay. After all, he could treat illnesses. Besides, there was Xu Shuang. If there was a cook at home, it didn't matter if the other one couldn't cook.
Old Lady Xu: "That's right. It's much easier for us to live together. My house is vacant now. As long as the people who move in take good care of it, I won't attract attention."
Old Lady Xu's words were clear: we'll lend you the house and provide you with food, but you need to take good care of the house and have less trouble. In this way, she would turn a blind eye to other things.
As soon as Old Lady Xu said this, a female educated youth immediately raised her hand and said, "I want to go to the Xu family."
The educated youth who was speaking was the youngest of the group, with a round apple face, and her name was Zhang Ping. She lived up to her name.
Bai Ling coughed twice, her mind racing. If the Xu family was the same as what Old Lady Xu said, then their appeal to her would be greatly reduced.
She didn't bring much with her when she went to the countryside this time, and she really couldn't do it without someone to help her.
Originally, she had chosen Jiang Lei as her supporter, but now she wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. The Xu family was not reliable...
Bai Ling quietly observed Zhang Ping without making any movement.
Zhang Ping remained silent after she had said that bravely, waiting for Old Lady Xu to make a decision. Others thought it was not a good idea for the Xu family to move in now, but she was very happy with the Xu family's non-interference.
She actually had no shortage of money and food. When she came here, she brought mostly national food coupons and money. Her family felt sorry for her going to the countryside at such a young age, and they were also afraid that she would attract attention if she brought too much stuff. So they sewed a cloth bag for her. Last night, when she saw that the house was about to collapse, she didn't take anything else with her. She only took the clothes she had sewn for 200 yuan and food coupons and ran out.
So she was not worried about having nothing to eat, but was worried about living with the other members and showing off her wealth and being slaughtered like a pig.
Old Lady Xu and Wang Ying looked at each other and both thought this girl was okay. Although she looked young, she knew how to speak appropriately and she seemed to have good upbringing. So they decided on her on the spot.
Bai Ling now sensed something was wrong and she wanted to raise her hand as well.
Since there was no hope for the Xu family and Wang Ying, she wanted to gamble on Zhang Ping's family fortune.
At this time, the educated youth team leader Yang Hong spoke up: "Zhang Ping is young, I suggest that we have an old educated youth guide a new educated youth this time. This will also make it easier for everyone to integrate into the new environment."
Zhang Ping's cheeks were red: "Sure!"
Wang Ying and Old Lady Xu had no objections, and soon they picked a female educated youth who had been there for two years, named Jiang Li.
Zhang Ping was very satisfied. Jiang Li was older, already twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and she felt at ease seeing someone like her.
Old Mrs. Xu had known Jiang Li for a long time and told Wang Ying that she was an honest person and not a cunning person.
In no time, all the educated youth were divided.
Only one left.
Jiang Lei.
Logically speaking, Jiang Lei should have been assigned to the accountant, but the accountant got a headache when he saw Jiang Lei and really didn't want him.
Jiang Lei didn't want to go to the accountant's house either, he wanted to be with Bai Ling.
Bai Ling and another female educated youth were assigned to Wu Guihua's home. Originally, Wu Guihua's family only accepted one person, but after a few calculations, one more person was added due to the gender of the educated youth. Wu Guihua still liked Bai Ling very much, so she thought it was a good idea to have one more person. Anyway, her daughter had her own room, and she was about 15 or 16 years old, about the same age as the educated youth, so they got along well.
Jiang Lei wanted to be grouped together with Bai Ling, but not only would Wu Guihua disagree, even Tian Youfu wouldn't agree either.
"Either you live with the accountant, or you stay at the educated youth camp."
The youth camp site collapsed a long time ago, how can we live there
Jiang Lei reluctantly moved into the accountant's house, and Yu Pengcheng lived with him.
Tian Youfu finally took care of the affairs of the educated youth and immediately assigned them to their respective places of residence.
Zhang Ping carried her luggage and went to Xu's house with Jiang Li.
Bai Ling bit her lower lip. Although Wu Guihua's family was not bad, she still regretted raising her hand too late.
She said weakly to Zhang Ping, "Ping Ping, can I still come to see you after I'm settled?"
Zhang Ping was confused: "Looking for me? Don't we see each other every day at work?"
Bai Ling: …
Zhang Ping: "Besides, we'll only be living here for four months. When the youth education center is built, we can still live together."
Wang Ying almost laughed out loud on the side. Bai Ling's green tea tricks didn't work against Zhang Ping. Zhang Ping was still a simple person. Facing someone as cunning as Bai Ling, it was easy for her to throw a turtle punch and make the opponent unable to find the entrance.
Wang Ying was very satisfied with the candidates assigned this time and took the two of them to the Xu family.
Old Mrs. Xu was not a mean person. She left behind not only the furniture inside, but also the water tank at the door, a basin for washing face, and the firewood in the woodshed. She also moved a table in.
Zhang Ping was shocked when she entered the room.
The house is antique, with hollow patterns on the window frames at the door. The house is clean and tidy, with a large bed, a small bed, tables, chairs and cabinets.
Old Lady Xu happily handed the two of them a key: "This is the room you two are in. Remember to lock the door when you go in and out during the day. There are pots and stoves in the kitchen. I will send you ten kilograms of food in a while. You can eat it first. There are also two cabbages in the kitchen, which are given to you as a gift."
Zhang Ping was very touched: "Thank you."
She came here thinking of getting some peace and quiet, but she never expected that the other party would handle it so comfortably.
Jiang Li was also very happy. She had been here for a long time, so she naturally knew what other members' homes looked like. Some families were extremely slovenly, with fleas everywhere in the house, and rats even appeared on the kangs where they lived. It was really scary to think about it.
Fortunately, I followed Zhang Ping and chose this place this time. Apart from other things, at least it is clean.
Zhang Ping and Jiang Li cleaned the house happily. They found that there was a mattress that Old Lady Xu had put on. They discussed and decided to sleep on the big bed together. It was a bit cold today after hailstorm last night. But their beds were wet and they were not dry yet.
Jiang Li cut half a cabbage to make soup, and rolled the coarse grain flour that Old Lady Xu sent into the soup into dough sheets and threw it in to cook. She added some salt and the taste was surprisingly not bad.
The two of them ate in peace and went to bed early.
But the educated youth on the other side did not have it so easy.
Jiang Lei had been frowning ever since he entered the accountant's house, and he almost fainted when he saw the earthen kang room allocated to him and Yu Pengcheng.
"It's so hard, there's not even a mattress!"
The accountant's wife was not lenient with him and said immediately, "Jiang Zhiqing really came from the capital and can't stand any hardship. Of course he doesn't have a mattress. Go ask the brigade which family has extra mattresses? It would be great if they can allocate a room for you."
Jiang Lei's face turned black, and he muttered, "Troublemaker!"
When Yu Pengcheng heard him say this again, he had lost the mentality to correct him.
"You sleep over there, and I'll sleep over here."
After tidying up his side neatly, Yu Pengcheng changed his clothes, swept the bed, and spread a thin layer of clothes on his side. This was the only way now. When the quilt was dry, he wouldn't have to use clothes as a mattress anymore.
No one supported Jiang Lei when he got angry, and he gradually lost the desire to cause trouble. He tidied up his side just like Yu Pengcheng did and went to sleep quickly.
…
In the few days after the educated youth settled down, the brigade was very busy. Everyone was busy planting spring crops, and when they had free time, they had to work on their private plots.
In the middle, there was also news about the disaster.
This rare spring hailstorm not only affected their commune, but also affected several surrounding communes. The downstream Fenjin commune was the worst hit, as their spring seedlings had grown early, but all of them were ruined.
The Seventh Brigade has been busy with replanting these days, while the Fenjin Commune said that there is not enough grain for planting and is making a fuss.
Wang Ying naturally also heard the news, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.
If the spring crops are not planted well, then by the time of this autumn harvest, there will be a shortage of food.
She felt that this was not good news and planned to discuss with Xu Shuang whether to make preparations as soon as possible.
The problems caused by the hail were not only food, but also injuries. The injured people in her own brigade were concentrated there with the educated youth, but people from other brigades were not so lucky. People from the neighboring brigade came to Wang Ying for medical treatment, and Wang Ying became very busy for a while.
When they finally had some free time, Wang Ying and Xu Shuang each took a leave and prepared to go up the mountain to look for ginseng.
Xu Shuang carried two pots of hot water, matches and dry food. The dry food was cakes baked in a hanging oven. The method was as Wang Ying taught. After mixing the dough with hot water, add five-spice powder, flour, salt and oil to make the pastry. Knead several layers of pastry cakes, then wrap the rabbit meat filling in the middle and bake in the hanging oven. The cakes that came out were not only crispy and crumbly, but also the meat filling was perfectly integrated.
Xu Shuang brought five or six sesame cakes, a bag of flour and a kitchen knife.
Of course, he could have walked down the mountain just by eating sesame cakes, but Xu Shuang still thought that if he caught any wild animals, it would be nice to kill and roast them right in the mountains.
The two got up early and went up the mountain, following the path they were familiar with.
The further they went in, the more wild animals they saw. Both of them were alert and pushed in carefully.
Such cautious efforts paid off. Wang Ying first found the prickly ash buds, and then found a wild cherry tree.
Unfortunately, cherries cannot be picked at this time, but the prickly ash buds are in their best season. Wang Ying was dazzled when she saw the clusters of prickly ash buds.
The thorny old buds are covered with sharp thorns, making them extremely difficult to pick. Only the tender buds on top can be eaten, and they are extremely delicious. They are called the "king of wild vegetables."
Xu Shuang temporarily cut two long sticks and tied a kitchen knife to the front part, then he successfully cut off dozens of prickly buds.
Xu Shuang: "Take it back and make you some scrambled eggs with prickly ash."
Wang Ying added: “Making dumplings!”
Xu Shuang laughed: "Okay, let's make dumplings."
The prickly ash sprouts are also delicious when used to make dumplings. The freshness of the wild vegetables mixed with the meat filling is far more delicious than other meat fillings.
After picking the thorny old buds, Wang Ying found a few rare medicinal herbs. But after searching for a long time, she couldn't find any trace of wild ginseng.
Xu Shuang comforted her: "It's okay if you can't find one. My master said he could recommend one to me so that I can take the Level 2 certificate this year. When I pass the exam, I can get a raise."
It can increase by five dollars a month.
The two men spent a long time in the mountains and caught a stupid pheasant and a not-so-small snake.
It was a coincidence for the two of them. At that time, the snake was coiled on a tree, hissing and spitting out its tongue. When it saw people, it opened its mouth wide, and it was obvious that it was very ferocious.
Xu Shuang hit the opponent right in the vital spot with his knife. Wang Ying then picked up the snake. It was so heavy that it took up half of the backpack.
Wang Ying: "The gallbladder of this snake will probably sell for a good price."
Wild ginseng is hard to come by, and getting good snake gall is also a matter of luck.
Wang Ying finally felt that the trip was not in vain.
The two of them ate a meal of sesame cakes and roast chicken in the mountains, and started to go down the mountain when it was getting late.
The place down the mountain was no longer within the scope of the Seventh Brigade. Xu Shuang took Wang Ying's hand, and the two of them identified the direction and followed it.
Halfway through the walk, Wang Ying seemed to be tripped by something.
She squatted down and looked again and again. There was a very strange big stone on the ground, and next to the stone was a big tree.
Wang Ying felt her heart burning: "Xu Shuang, help me move this stone."
The two men moved the big rock with great effort, and sure enough, they found a tiny ginseng on the edge.
Wang Ying's eyes sparkled: "Look around again. This one is only three years old. There must be bigger ones around."
Xu Shuang and Wang Ying searched around with flashlights and soon found something.
Wang Ying was overjoyed and pointed at a large ginseng plant: "Guess, how old is this one?"