Siheyuan: Yan Jiekuang's carefree life

As the roosters crowed, the sky gradually brightened. Su Zihao got up, washed up, and just walked out of the house. He saw Su Zihui also coming out of the house. The brother and sister looked at each other. Su Zihui looked at the things in Su Zihao's hand and asked, "Are you leaving now?!"

Just as Su Zihao was about to speak, Yan Jiekuang came out of the kitchen and said, "Breakfast is ready. Eat first before leaving!"

Su Zihao wanted to refuse, but seeing Su Zihui's pleading eyes, he couldn't say "no". Su Zihao sighed and walked into the kitchen. Su Zihui followed him in with a smile.

After breakfast, Su Zihao left with his luggage, and Su Zihui followed silently. Yan Jiekuang walked beside Su Zihui with a travel bag in his hand. Not long after, Su Zihao met up with Gao Jianjun. The team that sent people away also expanded.

Although the distance from Gao Junsong's home to the village entrance is not long, it took an unusually long time to walk today. When they arrived at the village entrance, a jeep had already stopped by the roadside. Su Zihao and Gao Jianjun walked to the jeep, waved to the people who saw them off, and got into the jeep swiftly. Yan Jiekuang walked to the side of the car, stuffed the travel bag in his hand into Su Zihao's arms, and said, "Write more letters to Xiaohui when you have time." After that, Yan Jiekuang turned and left. At this time, the jeep had already started moving.

After watching the jeep go away, Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui followed Gao Junsong's family to the village. When they arrived at the door of Gao Junsong's house, Gao Junsong suddenly stopped and called Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui, saying, "Jiekuang, you have made a great contribution this time. But due to some special reasons, we cannot reward you openly. The commune discussed and decided to give you and Yan the educated youth a year's leave to visit your family. You will be able to celebrate the New Year at home next year."

"Thank you, Uncle Captain." Yan Jiekuang greeted him with a smile and said, "Uncle Captain, if there's nothing else, Xiaohui and I will go back first!"

"Go!" Gao Junsong watched Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui leave before returning to his home.

Time passed quickly without us noticing, and it was only a week away from the Spring Festival. The brigade raised six pigs, and three of them had completed their missions, while the remaining three were also at the end of their lives. Although it was already very cold, the joy of distributing meat could not be dampened.

In previous years, after the meat was distributed, the remaining meat, except for some wealthy families in the village who would buy extra, would be sent to the black market in the town before dawn to be disposed of. But this year, the brigade opened a sugar-making workshop. Every household had an extra income of 90 yuan. So this year, the brigade not only did not have any extra meat, but also had some that were not enough to sell.

After the villagers left, Tian Dazhuang, Gao Junsong and Wu Haiwang returned to the office. Gao Junsong asked impatiently, "Old Wu, how much surplus does our brigade have this year?!"

Wu Haiwang smiled and looked at Gao Junsong and Tian Dazhuang, saying, "I was worried that our brigade's sugar-making workshop might lose money because the wages were so high. Unexpectedly, after three months, not only did we not lose money, but we actually made more than 7,000 yuan."

"What?!" Tian Dazhuang and Gao Junsong were dumbfounded when they heard the figures Wu Haiwang reported. Wu Haiwang said, "Most importantly, it's Lao Meng who's awesome. Without the continuous supply of beets they've sent us, we wouldn't have made that much money. There are still more than 30 tons of beets left in the warehouse."

Gao Junsong said: "More than 30 tons of sugar beets are enough for our production for one month. So, we will open the workshop after the 15th day of the first lunar month. We will try to turn more than 30 tons of sugar beets into sugar in one month. We will make more money before the spring ploughing. In addition, after the Chinese New Year, we will reclaim more wasteland to plant sugar beets. We will try to double the output of our brigade's sugar workshop next year."

Tian Dazhuang said, "I have no objection to this. But Lao Gao, our team has money now. Shouldn't we put school matters on the agenda?!"

Gao Junsong said, "I have thought about this problem a long time ago. The house behind our brigade headquarters was originally the ancestral hall of our three families. When the four olds were destroyed, the tablets were hidden. The house was empty. It is not suitable to use the ancestral hall for other things, but it is no problem for children to study. The office next door is empty, so it can be used as the teacher's office. I will ask Carpenter Wu to make some tables, chairs and benches. The school framework will be built."

Tian Dazhuang asked: "What about the teachers?! It won't work if there are only schools and students but no teachers!"

Gao Junsong said, "We have quite a few junior high and high school students in our brigade, right?!" Seeing Tian Dazhuang nod, Gao Junsong continued, "There are still so many educated youth. Do you think we are still short of teachers here?! I will go to the town school and ask their principal to get a set of exam papers. We will hold an open recruitment for teachers. Anyone who wants to be a teacher can take the exam. Except during the busy farming season, everyone will go to the fields to earn work points. During the rest of the time, we will subsidize the teachers with eight work points per day."

Tian Dazhuang said, "Since you have thought of everything, I will take care of the rest. After the New Year, I will go to the commune and complete the procedures for opening a school. You don't have to worry about the test papers, I will take care of that."

Gao Junsong tapped his forehead and said, "How could I forget?! The principal of our commune school is your brother-in-law. Don't wait until the New Year is over. On the second day of the New Year, you can go back to your wife's home and solve this problem directly."

Tian Dazhuang rolled his eyes at Gao Junsong and said, "My brother-in-law's wife doesn't have a family?! Do you think the whole commune should revolve around you?!"

Wu Haiwang said, "Okay! If you two want to bicker, go somewhere else. I have things to do!"

"Okay! We won't bother you anymore!" Gao Junsong stood up and left the office with Tian Dazhuang. When they got outside the office, Tian Dazhuang handed Gao Junsong a cigarette and asked, "What did the higher-ups say about that matter?"

Gao Junsong said, "What else can I say?! A lot of people were arrested this time. Didn't you see that the president and Shuji looked unhappy during the meeting a few days ago?! Anyway, this time, Xie Laozhuan screwed a lot of people. Ge Yunfei and Dai Aimin were originally going to be transferred, but because they had run our Shengli Commune well, they were only given a warning. The Xishan Brigade had finally recovered, but this time it was implicated by Xie Laozhuan. I guess it won't be easy to recover again."

Tian Dazhuang said, "Ever since the Xishan Brigade's scandal, the girls there can't get married and the boys can't find wives. Anyway, they have to suffer." Then he asked out of the blue, "When will your family invite Yan Jiekuang and Su Zihui to dinner?!"

Gao Junsong asked back: "Why are you asking this?!"

Tian Dazhuang said, "Yan Jiekuang helped us with the plan. As the branch secretary, I should show some appreciation, right?!" After a brief pause, Tian Dazhuang continued, "Last time when Gou Wa and my daughter San Ni got married, Su Zihui also helped a lot. They are a couple, I can't invite them separately, right?!"

Gao Junsong said: "I plan to treat them both to a meal on the third day of the New Year."

Tian Dazhuang said hurriedly: "You will be there on the third day of the New Year, and I will be there on the fourth day. It's settled. I'll ask my wife to inform them later." After saying that, Tian Dazhuang left in a hurry as if he was afraid that Gao Junsong would go back on his word.