Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 835 834 Heatstroke
Xiao Wang heard a little trick at work today.

This female colleague had been on maternity leave for a while and recently returned to work.

Since they were at work, the group of female colleagues naturally had to go and offer their condolences.

The conversation started with the child, discussing his weight, whether he was well-behaved, and whether he was cute, among other things.

While satisfying her colleague's curiosity, the female colleague also grumbled a few things, such as the supply of non-staple foods not keeping up, meat and eggs being less and less each month, and grain rations not being enough to eat, etc.

"Do you have any elders in your family who also have twins? Did you have twins this time because of your elders?" The addition of a new member to the family is a joyous occasion, but there are also challenges ahead. And with two children at once, the challenges are magnified. While other colleagues sympathize with the situation, some are also curious about this question.

In their minds, twins are related to family genetics; families with a history of twin births have a higher probability of having twins in their offspring.

The term "heredity" appeared around 1900, which is the same as the Chinese word "随" (suí).

"No, it's just a coincidence. I only had one child when I had my first one." The female colleague shook her head, denying her colleague's guess.

"Sigh, children are all debts. Since they're here, just take good care of them. This period will pass, and when they grow up, you can just wait to enjoy life." Since they've already given birth, there's no reason to abandon them, and there are staff members from the National Library of China there to help.

"If you ask me, twins are better. As the saying goes, childbirth is like going through hell, you have to go through it anyway, so having twins at once means you suffer less." Someone else next to me expressed their envy.

What is population? Population is power! There are quite a few husbands pressuring their wives to have children. If it weren't for my job, I probably would have had two children in three years.

"Hey, you've had one child and twins before, do you have any tips for twins?" someone asked, seeking advice.

"There's no trick to it. It's just a simple matter." The women present were all married, and the colleague didn't blush when talking about having children.

"Oh dear, is there any difference between being pregnant with twins and being pregnant with a single baby? My husband is planning to have another one, so I have to be careful. If I have twins at once, my belly will look like it's going to explode, it's scary." The female colleague made a gesture, one hand below and one hand above, rubbing the upper hand back and forth, making it clear to the other female colleagues present what she was referring to.

"Haha, are you really trying to avoid this, or do you want to learn something new?"

Faced with such a private question, some of the women became interested, and the speed of the cars behind them gradually increased...

After getting off work, Xiao Wang talked with his mother-in-law for a while, ate dinner, and then helped Fengzhi with her homework for a while before returning to his room to rest.

After washing his feet, Xiao Wang took out his diary and began writing in it.

A few days ago, while learning English with her husband, Xiao Wang learned a new word: romantic.

According to the husband, this kind of thing cannot be done in public or let others know, but the couple can do it at home when they are away from others.

What things can be considered romantic?
Xiao Wang thinks she can prepare a diary to record her longing for her husband when he is not at home, and then show it to him after a while.

In his diary, Xiao Wang briefly wrote about what he saw and heard at work that day. The female colleague eventually remembered the difference between being pregnant with twins and being pregnant with a single child, thanks to the kind reminders from other colleagues.

Others might genuinely want to avoid it, but Xiao Wang wanted to give it a try. She felt that with her height and hip width, she could probably fit two at once without much trouble.

Tang Zhitong was unaware of what Xiao Wang was thinking; he was currently lying flat on his back, looking at the stars.

The southerly wind blowing tonight carried the floating particles in the air northward, bringing back a clear and sunny sky to this area.

Nowadays, not only in rural areas, but even in the capital city, there is little light pollution. As long as the visibility is good, you can look up and see a brilliant starry sky, which is no worse than what you can see on the plateau.

Looking at the boundless starry sky, someone lay on a straw and said to his colleague, "Do you think there might be people among all those stars in the sky?"

"Who knows? We'd have to launch a satellite to take a look." The colleague next to me was already showing signs of falling asleep, and answered in a drowsy voice.

"When will we be able to launch a satellite? The Russians have already launched several." The colleague looked up at the sky, eager to know the answer.

"It'll take at least three to five years, right?"

"Three to five years? Three to five years is a long shot. This thing requires a lot of advanced technology!"

"Hey, hey, hey, that's a dangerous way of thinking! So what if they're technically skilled? They're technically skilled, but we have guiding principles! Guided by the principle of invincibility..."

"How is my thinking dangerous? We have to be realistic, right? I didn't say that we researchers aren't working hard!"

……

As soon as this issue came up, more and more people joined in, and they almost got into an argument.

Chinese people love to talk about these things, whether it's politics, economics, culture, or military affairs. As long as someone starts a conversation, they can talk about it enthusiastically and argue until they're red in the face.

Tang Zhitong lay on the floor, neither participating nor stopping it.

For ordinary people, discussing these things is not very meaningful except for wasting time and energy.

Just like Hai Zi said, "Facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming, starting tomorrow, I will care about food and vegetables."

That's well said, but Hai Zi ultimately failed to live up to it. Three months after writing this poem, he committed suicide by lying on the railway tracks.

The argument eventually subsided, and the night remained silent, as if nothing had ever happened...

Tuesday, May 24th, the second day of actual work.

Qu Yi got up the earliest today, lighting candles and preparing breakfast with several female colleagues.

The employees of the postal and telecommunications system didn't get up late today, but most of them walked with a weak and grimacing gait.

Whether they are employees or students, the intensity of their daily activities is not high. Yesterday's labor intensity was quite high, and many people developed blisters on their hands. Blisters are just a little painful, but muscle soreness is what is most uncomfortable.

Although the team was divided into several companies yesterday, in order to boost morale and distract everyone, no one was prohibited from chatting and laughing.

As long as the conversation isn't about complaining, and everyone is chatting and laughing happily, the fatigue and pain can be effectively dispelled, which can also be a boost to the work.

Tang Zhitong had nothing to do in the morning. Although his muscles were a little uncomfortable, he still came to the wheat field. However, in order to conserve his energy, he did not bend down to cut the wheat today, but instead chose to bundle the wheat and transport it to the threshing floor.

Looking at the bustling scene of labor before him, Tang Zhitong felt that this kind of labor was quite good. After such a physical purification, when he returned to his work post or classroom, probably no one would say anything contemptuous to farmers anymore.
(The photo shows Beihang University faculty and students participating in labor activities, taken around 1960.)
Silkworms mature in a short time, but wheat ripens in a flash.

Although the staff and students had tried their best, they still seemed a bit slow in front of the actual members.

For the commune members, the wheat harvest was a "battle" to snatch grain from the dragon's mouth and fight against the weather.

The wheat fields rippled like waves, and as the wind blew, the wheat swayed, revealing the male commune members who were bent over.

The strong and robust male commune members took the lead, forming the main force in harvesting wheat. Their sickles swung, reaping not only wheat but also the hope of feeding their families. Between every two male commune members, a female commune member would accompany them, responsible for binding this hope together with straw ropes and transporting it to the fields.

The elderly and children were not idle either. The old man held onto the bamboo basket, his back, already bent by the weight of life, hunched over even more, so that he could reach out and pick up the ears of wheat that had fallen on the wheat field.

The younger brother had better eyesight. He scattered across the fields, carefully searching for any overlooked ears of wheat. Whenever he had collected a handful, he would clutch his spoils and run to the old man to present them to him.

Tang Zhitong carried bundles of wheat to the threshing ground time and time again. As the sun began its workday, the threshing ground became lively.

Since there is no threshing machine, the most primitive method is still used here to crush the wheat ears.

After the wheat bundles were scattered, they covered most of the threshing floor. Some people were pulling rollers to press them down, while others were swinging flails and beating them.

Seeing this scene, Tang Zhitong felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had returned to a summer in his childhood, when he would pull the stone roller for only a few laps before getting tired and begging his father to make him a small stone roller...

This was originally work for livestock, but at that time, the family had little land, and raising large livestock would be a waste.

The reason why the stone roller is pulled by people is probably because the production team is too poor to afford too many livestock.

The flail is a double-edged sword used in wheat harvesting. It is an ancient farming tool that strikes the wheat ears, producing a series of muffled sounds, and as the wheat grains fall off, a cloud of dust is kicked up.

The dust was even greater on the other side of the threshing floor, where winnowing was underway.

As the commune members used wooden shovels to toss the grain mixed with chaff into the air, the plump wheat grains fell heavily back to their original positions, while the chaff, carried by the wind, fluttered and drifted to the side like light fluff.

Winnowing may not be the most tiring part, but it is definitely the dirtiest part of the wheat harvest.

Although standing upwind can minimize the chances of wheat awns, chaff, and dust blowing on you, no one knows when the wind might suddenly turn and blow you back as if it's had a couple of drinks.

By the end of the day, you'll always find yourself covered in dust and wheat awns.

Some toddlers wearing open-crotch pants might find the sight of wheat awns and husks flying around fun and try to fly through it from downwind, only to be stopped by the adults who were winnowing the wheat.

The reason for stopping children's naughty behavior is twofold: firstly, children's skin is delicate and they may be pricked by wheat awns; secondly, it is also to protect the wheat awns and husks that have been blown to the ground by the wind.

These wheat awns and husks are not useless waste; they will be collected later and used to make mud. This mud is excellent for making adobe bricks, plastering walls, building stoves, or constructing kang (heated brick beds).

Life was so difficult that the farmers wouldn't waste a single usable thing...

The commune members still eat their breakfast in the fields, and today the workers and students did the same.

To reduce the workload of the workers, Su Qingxiang thoughtfully made arrangements for breakfast last night. Someone will deliver steamed buns and pickled vegetables to the fields at eight o'clock.

Just after eight o'clock, Qu Yi and several colleagues who had been temporarily assigned to the task pushed carts and carried loads to the fields to deliver food and water.

With limited manpower, meals and water were delivered in batches, and work stopped wherever Qu Yi went.

"Oh, my dear family, I've been waiting for you to come."

"This work was really tough, but at least we can finally take a break."

"We arrived just in time; my stomach was rumbling."

Everyone happily put down their work and eagerly headed to the field.

After the labor education, the hungry workers and students didn't even bother to wash their hands. They grabbed the steamed buns with their bare hands and stuffed them into their mouths. The more particular ones would pinch them with two fingers, muttering as they did so, "A little dirt won't hurt."

"Teacher Tang, these pickled vegetables are really good. Do you have any more tomorrow?" Freshly steamed buns are the most delicious, but they also need pickled vegetables to go with them. The pickled cabbage roots that Tang Zhitong made yesterday received widespread praise today.

"That depends on what vegetables the Municipal Bureau delivers today. I'll try to mix a little bit for everyone every day from now on." Tang Zhitong was also hungry, so he ate a steamed bun after everyone else and then stopped.

Besides steamed buns and pickled vegetables, the cooled boiled water brought by the vendor was also very popular.

Two buckets and a gourd ladle were used by the employees who had been working hard all morning to take turns drinking water.

Those who are particular about their appearance will raise the gourd ladle slightly by one centimeter to prevent their lips from touching the edge of the ladle.

Those who aren't particular about it can just drink it directly.

The water was the first to run dry, and Tang Zhitong returned to the temporary dormitory with her colleagues who were carrying water.

As someone who's part of the temporary canteen, I can eat anytime. After filling my stomach a little, it would be more appropriate to deliver breakfast to everyone.

Su Qingxiang's phone call yesterday worked; two more trucks came today to deliver supplies, bringing with them planks of various sizes and construction workers.

When Tang Zhitong returned to the temporary dormitory, the construction workers had already dug pits and erected scaffolding along the ground.

Before noon, the scaffolding had already been erected. Tang Zhitong went over to take a look and found that the scaffolding was of good quality. The top was made of layers of wooden planks stacked together, so even if it rained heavily outside, there would be no situation where it rained lightly inside.

Since last night, a southerly wind has been blowing, and the temperature is gradually rising today.

With the rack in place, exhausted employees and students were finally able to lie down and rest for a while during their lunch break.

In the afternoon, Tang Zhitong did not go to work. The vegetables delivered today were bamboo shoots, cucumbers, and some red radishes.

These vegetables are easy to clean, but they take a lot of time to cut.

Although Shu Qing and Fu Caiyun are not professional chefs, as women, they received education at home from a young age that girls must be proficient in cooking, and they are quite skilled at chopping vegetables.

The three of them each guarded a cutting board. Tang Zhitong cut the food while listening to Shu Qing and Fu Caiyun gossip about the past two days, such as who couldn't hold their pee and who couldn't find toilet paper.

Listening to these amusing gossips, Tang Zhitong was somewhat dazed.

This feeling was familiar, as if I had returned to the days when I was a slave to capitalists.

Even though we all work in the same office, why are the women more informed than the men?

The vegetables were cut in half when someone came running over from outside carrying a bucket of water.

"Slow down, slow down. You're a grown man, why are you still so impetuous?"

"We can't delay! Someone has heatstroke! The doctor says to carry two buckets of well water over to cool them down!"

(End of this chapter)