60s: I have a store

Chapter 559 Harvesting Wheat
The August sun is like a blazing fireball, baking every inch of Zhoujiazhuang hot.

In the early morning after the pork feast, as soon as the sky turned pale, Zhoujiazhuang woke up from its slumber.

The roosters in the chicken coop crowed at the top of their lungs, the sounds rising and falling as if urging people to hurry up.

Smoke slowly rose from the chimneys of the village houses, the wooden doors of each household creaked, and the villagers came out of their homes one after another.

The men carried sharp sickles on their shoulders, the blades gleaming coldly in the faint morning light, while the women were busy packing dry food and water bottles into cloth bags, preparing for the work that was about to begin.

The children also got up early and followed the adults, eager to try. Although they didn't quite know what a difficult battle they were about to face, the tension and anticipation in the air made them very excited.

The crowd pushed the creaking carts and hurried towards the vast golden wheat fields.

As the breeze blew, the wheat waves rolled, making a rustling sound, as if welcoming them and reminding them of the urgency of time.

For the villagers of Zhoujiazhuang, the wheat harvest is the most important moment of the year. If the harvest is not good, after working hard for a whole year, there will not even be enough food for the whole family to eat. That would be troublesome.

Zhou Yimin stood in his yard. This wheat harvest was of great significance to him. Those high-yield seeds that he secretly replaced carried his expectations for the future of the village.

Although he is uncertain about the final yield, he can feel that this year's wheat ears are fuller and the stalks are taller than in previous years.

Today, Zhou Yimin did not go fishing as usual, but instead prepared to help harvest wheat as a form of exercise.

After a quick wash, he put on a straw hat, picked up a sickle and walked towards the wheat field.

The old Party Secretary's hoarse but powerful voice came from the loud speaker at the entrance of the village: "Attention all members! Today is the official start of wheat harvest! Everyone, work harder and strive to complete the harvest before the rainy season!"

The sound echoed through the valley, startling the birds in the treetops, and they fluttered away into the distance.

In the wheat fields, golden wheat waves rise and fall with the wind, the heavy wheat ears bend the stalks, and emit bursts of fragrance.

The old branch secretary stood on the ridge of the field, looking at the scene in front of him, tears flashing in his turbid eyes.

After experiencing so many disasters, they finally had a good harvest, and the joy made his hands tremble slightly.

He cleared his throat and shouted, "Fellow villagers, it's time to start harvesting!"

As soon as the words fell, the villagers, who had been ready to fight, swung their sickles.

The sound of harvesting wheat is like a passionate symphony.

The men bent over and skillfully cut the wheat, stacking it neatly behind them. The women followed closely behind them, tying the cut wheat into bundles with swift movements.

Sweat slid down their cheeks and soaked their clothes, but everyone's face was filled with a happy smile.

Zhou Zhigao took the children to the wheat field and said to them, "Today, you will also experience for yourself how hard it is to get food. Everyone should listen to the teacher and do what they can."

The children nodded excitedly, their eyes full of anticipation.

Xie Yumei and another teacher also joined in to take care of the children's safety.

The children's task is to carry the wheat harvested by the adults to the thresher.

Zhou Zhiming stood in front of the thresher, operating the machine skillfully.

As the machines roared, golden wheat grains cascaded down like a waterfall.

The children lined up and carried the wheat one batch at a time. Although they were exhausted and out of breath, the smiles on their faces never disappeared.

All we can say is that there is no unexpected event in the world. However, the threshers that were tasked with harvesting were the first to "get angry".

The wheat was being threshed smoothly when suddenly an unusual noise was heard. Zhou Zhiming was afraid that if he forced it to operate, the wheat machine would be damaged, so he could only wave his hand immediately to signal to stop.

When the others saw Zhou Zhiming's command, they stopped immediately.

Zhou Zhiming stood anxiously beside the thresher, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling down his forehead, soaking his blue cloth shirt that had been washed so much that it turned pale.

He held the wrench tightly in both hands and turned it rapidly, trying to find out what caused the unusual noise.

But this old thresher seemed to be deliberately against him. No matter how he checked it, the machine always made a harsh "creaking" sound, which was sharp and dull.

The thresher was operating much slower than usual. Each rotation seemed extremely strenuous, and it would jam from time to time. The originally smooth and efficient threshing process now became stumbling, like an ox cart stuck in a quagmire.

These mechanical failures brought the already tight harvesting progress to a standstill.

The villagers stopped what they were doing and looked at the stopped machines, their eyes filled with helplessness and anxiety.

Time passes by every second, and every minute of delay means that more food may be lost due to failure to harvest in time.

Since the rainy season has arrived and it may rain at any time, we can't delay too long.

After the old branch secretary learned about the situation, he quickly came to the thresher and paced back and forth beside the machine. His weathered face was knitted into deep pimples, and he kept urging: "Zhiming, work harder and find the problem carefully! We can't afford to delay!"

Zhou Zhiming was very anxious, but he couldn't find any problem. At this time, he suddenly thought of Zhou Yimin. This thresher was invented by Zhou Yimin. He was familiar with the structure of the thresher and would definitely be able to find the problem with it.

He hurriedly invited Zhou Yimin over. Zhou Yimin, who was still cutting wheat, was invited over.

Zhou Zhiming quickly explained the problem with the thresher.

Zhou Yimin realized the seriousness of the matter, so he did not delay and immediately took action to check what was wrong with the thresher.

After more than ten minutes of careful inspection, the problem was finally discovered. Since the thresher had not been used for a whole year and had not been properly maintained, the gears lacked lubricating oil, which caused the abnormal noise.

After Zhou Zhiming learned about it, he immediately ran back to the village and brought the oil over. However, when Zhou Yimin saw the oil handed over, he was immediately dumbfounded, because this was edible oil.

Zhou Yimin could only shake his head helplessly: "Brother Zhiming, wait a moment, I'll go get the oil!"

In order not to waste time, he trotted back home, picked up the lubricant placed aside, and ran to the field to harvest wheat.

Sure enough, after adding the lubricating oil, the strange noise of the thresher disappeared.

Zhou Zhiming and the old branch secretary finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it didn't take much time.

At noon, the sun was high overhead and the temperature reached its highest point of the day. When the old Party secretary learned that the meal was ready, he immediately arranged for the villagers to go back and eat. Without a full meal, how could they have the energy to work?
In order to ensure a smooth wheat harvest, the old branch secretary also arranged for the remaining bacon and cured fish in the village to be distributed.

It’s such hard work, but if you don’t eat well, you won’t have the energy to work.

In the afternoon, the clear sky suddenly changed. The azure blue sky was quickly covered by dark clouds, the bright sunshine was completely blocked, and the world suddenly became gloomy and depressing.

The strong wind swept in with a heat wave, and wherever it went, the ears of wheat were blown to and fro, like soldiers struggling in the strong wind.

Raindrops as big as beans followed closely behind, crackling down and hitting people's exposed skin, causing pain, and also hitting the wheat that had not yet been harvested heavily.

The women in charge of logistics were extremely anxious when they saw the sudden bad weather.

While they shouted loudly, reminding the villagers working in the fields to be careful, they also acted quickly to distribute the rain gear prepared in advance to everyone.

Aunt Zhao nearly fell down in her haste, but she didn't care about herself. After steadying herself, she continued to pick up a pile of raincoats and ran towards the villager closest to her.

The old branch secretary stood on the ridge of the field, looking at the storm, his brows furrowed and his eyes full of worry.

This rain is coming with great force, which may not only cause large areas of wheat to fall over, increasing the difficulty of subsequent harvesting, but also make the wheat grains damp.

Once the wheat grains become damp, the quality and yield of the grain will be seriously affected, which is a loss that the entire village cannot afford.

The villagers ignored the rain and speeded up their work, trying to harvest more wheat before the rain got heavier.

However, the wind and rain were merciless, and in just a moment, the fields became muddy, people's feet were deeply stuck in it, and every step was extremely difficult.

The sickles in their hands became heavy and difficult to swing because of being soaked by rain and stained with mud, making the harvesting work even more difficult.

Some wheat ears were ruthlessly broken by the strong wind and scattered in the mud. The villagers looked at the damaged wheat ears and sighed with heartache, but they did not retreat at all. They gritted their teeth and continued to work tenaciously in the wind and rain.

The women in charge of logistics were also busy.

They set up a big pot in the dining hall, poured the mung beans that had been soaked in advance into the pot, brought it to a boil over high heat and then simmered it over low heat.

"We need to cook more mung bean soup. Everyone is working under the sun and they need to cool down the most." Aunt Zhao said as she stirred the mung bean soup in the pot.

In order to make the mung bean soup cool down faster, they poured the cooked soup into a large basin and soaked it in cold water drawn from the well.

When the rain stopped for a while, the old branch secretary leaned on his walking stick, raised his voice and shouted: "Take a break first! Eat some dry food and drink some mung bean soup!"

The villagers felt as if they had been pardoned. They straightened their aching backs and dragged their muddy and heavy legs towards the lush shade of the trees beside the ridge of the field.

At this time, their clothes had already been soaked by rain and sweat, sticking tightly to their bodies. Their faces were full of fatigue, but their eyes still revealed a desire for a moment of rest.

Aunt Zhao lifted the lid of the wooden barrel with great effort. In an instant, the fragrance of mung bean soup mixed with the sweetness of brown sugar spread instantly and filled the air.

This alluring scent seemed to have magical power, bringing some comfort to the villagers' tired bodies and minds.

Everyone couldn't wait to pick up the coarse earthenware bowls and gulp down the soup. The cool soup slid down their throats, and the heat seemed to slowly dissipate from their bodies along with the coolness.

Zhou Zhigao wiped the remaining soup from the corner of his mouth, his eyes rolled around, as if he suddenly thought of some interesting idea.

He leaped onto a large rock, waving his arms covered in straw, and shouted, "Don't just sit there! I suggest playing a straw guessing game! I'll start with one: 'A thin and long body, wearing green clothes, useful from childhood to old age, and indispensable in every household.' Guess what it is?"

When the children heard this, they immediately perked up, and their originally sleepy eyes instantly brightened up.

They put their little heads together and chattered about something, with each talking at the same time, and their childish voices echoing under the shade of the trees.

Several young guys were also attracted by the lively atmosphere and gathered around with interest, with expectant smiles on their faces.

"I know! It's wheat!" Lai Fang's eyes lit up and she rushed to answer, her cheeks flushed red with excitement, like a ripe apple.

Zhou Yimin thought it was quite interesting, so he stood up with a smile. He leaned over to pick up a straw from the ground, twirled it lightly in his hand, then cleared his throat and said, "I'll do one too. 'Looks like a mountain from a distance, but not a mountain up close. Water is flowing on top, and people are walking on the bottom.' I read this in a book."

Everyone fell into deep thought. Erzhu scratched the back of his head, looking confused, mumbling, "Mountain? Water? People? What on earth is this?"

Xie Yumei held Xiaobao in her arms and thought for a while. She came up with the answer and whispered a few words in Xiaobao's ear. Xiaobao's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he suddenly realized something. He broke free and jumped out of Xie Yumei's arms, running and shouting, "It's an umbrella! It's an umbrella!"

Zhou Yimin smiled and touched Xiaobao's head, took out a piece of fruit candy from his pocket and handed it to Xiaobao as a reward for him.

Amidst the laughter and joy, the exhausted body and mind seemed to be healed.

The villagers' faces were filled with long-lost smiles, and they temporarily forgot the hard work and pressure of life.

Until the old branch secretary looked at the setting sun, tapped the cane in his hand, and said: "Okay, okay, it's almost time to work! After the wheat is harvested, we can continue to play in the evening!"

The villagers then stood up reluctantly, picked up their sickles, and with rekindled enthusiasm, plunged headfirst into the golden wheat fields.

As night falls, the sunset glow turns the sky a fiery red.

However, Zhoujiazhuang’s busyness is not over yet.

After dinner, the villagers took flashlights and lit torches and went to the wheat fields to continue harvesting.

The lights and fires flickered in the night, like stars scattered on the wheat fields.

The old Party secretary stood at the edge of the field, looking at the tireless villagers, feeling both moved and distressed: "That's enough, go back and rest! We still have a whole day of work to do tomorrow!"

He shouted loudly, but the villagers seemed not to hear him and continued to work hard.

It was not until the old branch secretary got angry that everyone reluctantly put down their tools and dragged their tired bodies back home.

In the next few days, Zhoujiazhuang was like a high-speed machine, never stopping for a moment.

The villagers got up early and worked late, racing against time to harvest the wheat.

Finally, with everyone's joint efforts, all the wheat was harvested.

Looking at the mountains of wheat sheaves, everyone had a gratified smile on their face. After so many days of hard work, they were finally done.

(End of this chapter)