Chapter 34 bright morning

No matter how late he goes to bed at night, the breeder Heng Lao Bazhun will wake up at five o'clock.When you wake up, you mix grass and feed, and finish feeding the first trough of the day by dawn, so that the livestock can be harnessed. He woke up and the room was dark.Usually, the lights in the breeding room are kept on all night. Did the power go out in the middle of the night?The room is extremely quiet, there is no sound of rein chains hitting the concrete trough, no commotion of mules and horses kicking, and no sound of cows grinding their teeth while chewing.On the other side of the kang, the thundering snoring of Yang San, the cow-feeding partner, was gone, only the rustling of mice could be heard from the wooden building where the wheat straw was stored.

Well!When Mr. Heng sat up, he suddenly remembered that the brigade had already brought the livestock to every household after a while yesterday.The two troughs for mules, horses, cattle and donkeys have now been distributed to members of the commune to raise them.Oh oh oh!He slept here last night, and the team leader sent him to watch over the farm tools, fodder, and sundries that were too late to be removed, in case someone would steal them at night. The eighth old man turned on the light and stood in front of the trough.The livestock pen, once crowded with cattle and horses, was empty.The bottom of the cement trough, which has been licked smooth by the mouths and tongues of the cows and horses, remains the wheat straw and grain stalks that the livestock gnawed.The excrement in the pen was frozen hard, and there was a layer of thin ice in the water tank.

What are you busy getting up for?It was very dark outside the window, and there was a faint sound of rooster crowing, and I could still sleep for a long time.There was no regenerated fire in the house and it was cold.He got into bed again, turned off the light, lay down with his clothes on, and closed his eyes, but he couldn't fall asleep again... The numbered pieces of paper, stamped with the captain's personal seal, were rolled into a ball, mixed with the balls made of many blank pieces of paper, put together in a bowl, shaken and stirred.The team leader took the bowl and walked up to the head of each household, and they picked one at random... The person who caught the blank paper sighed loudly, and even cursed himself for being unlucky and his hands were too smelly!The person who caught the solid paper ball immediately squeezed away the crowd and rushed to the trough to pull the livestock against the number.A cow, a mule, and a horse were led out from the gate, walked across the field where the autumn grass was piled up, and walked into the village along the downhill path.

The team checked the price of the livestock, which was much lower than the price in the livestock trading market, and the price was paid off in three years.Such a beautiful thing, who would not want to catch a horse, even a cow!Mr. Heng loves cows. If he can catch a cow, he will give birth to a calf next year. After three years, he will earn a cow for nothing!Alas, what a pity!It's a pity that what I caught was a blank paper ball with neither a number nor the captain's seal... I don’t know which dynasty passed down the wonderful method of drawing lots, which has always been the only magic weapon for the old captain of Yangzhuang to deal with the shortage of supplies.In the past, sows in the team gave birth and drew lots.Occasionally, the superiors will assign bicycles, sewing machines or wood, and draw lots.Divide private plots, responsibility fields, and draw lots.A recruitment quota that has not been seen in ten years is still drawn by lot.Whether it is fair or not, only lots know.Many disputes and disputes can be settled authoritatively.The good old man was the captain, and in order to avoid being scolded and angry, he helped by drawing lots.Although he failed to get a livestock, Heng Lao Ba did not blame the captain.The captain himself didn't catch it either!

"Old man, tonight... sleep in the breeding room for another night." After dividing the animals, the captain said. "Why are you still sleeping here?" Elder Heng watched the cows go to the empty breeding shed. "Guarding the property." "You send someone else!" Lao Ba suddenly thought of what it would be like to sleep at night in a breeding room without livestock! "Your bedding is still there, so as not to trouble others..." After dinner, Lao Ba, as usual, walked along the path to the farm far away from the village under the dim starlight.He sat on the kang, smoking pot after pot, hoping that someone would come here to gossip, until he took off his clothes and fell asleep, no one knocked on the door.In the past, the breeding room was a gossip station in the village.Only the son of his partner Yang San hurried in, took away his father's quilt, turned around and left without stopping.Yang San has caught a good cow, and he must be busy in the house at the moment cleaning up the shed and fodder, and taking care of his precious livestock!

The cow Yang San caught was bred by a local cow and a purebred Qinchuan bull. It had a big frame, thick legs and a short neck, and it pulled a big plow by itself... The eight old man had long prayed in his heart that if he could It would be nice to catch this cow, but it's a pity... this cow will definitely gain weight when it arrives at Yang San's house, and it will definitely give birth to a calf next year.What kind of lively atmosphere should it be in his small courtyard... He was jealous of Yang San. With all his efforts and calculations, Yang San only fed livestock for two years, but he caught a good cow.Old man Yang Heng has been feeding livestock for nineteen years. In the year of "Melon and Vegetable Generation", more than half of the livestock in the team died. In order to keep the remaining seven or eight animals, the captain privately assigned them to the members' homes for maintenance.The raising is done, but the superiors come and don't allow it to be divided, and they are called to join the slot immediately.Everyone unanimously elected him as a breeder.After the discussion of the cadres and members, in order to fertilize the fields on the plateau slope, gritted their teeth and moved the farm from the village to the slope.

From the newly built farm to the small Yangzhuang, there are two Lipo roads.On the grassy ground, he stepped on a narrow path.The rain had softened the path, and there was mud on the feet.The wind dried the path again, hardened it, and flattened the foot sockets again.Day and night, the sound of cows and horses chewing grass is as harmonious and sweet as music.The mixed smell of cow and horse manure and grass fodder poured into the nostrils and seeped into the cloth holes of the clothes... This kind of life is over today!Starting tomorrow, he will be working in his own field of responsibility.At night, I got into a quilt tube with my wise wife and kicked my feet to sleep!For nineteen years, he slept in this breeding shed on the plateau slope, and in summer he slept on the flat field outside the door, often hearing the calls of wolves and foxes in the hillside gullies.Thinking about it, he felt that there was nothing he could do to the members.The seven or eight animals that were gathered together have now become twenty, and the mules and calves that were sold are already lost.pity!Didn't catch one...

Wisps of light shone through the gaps in the straw curtains hanging on the wooden lattice windows.Heavy groaning sounds came from the mountains, accompanied by the creaking of wheels, and came to the path behind the house.Who gets up so early to work?guy! Hearing other people working, Mr. Heng couldn't lie down anymore.He turned on the light, slipped down from the kang, tied the cloth belt around his waist, and walked to the door.He opened the door latch, and a gust of early winter wind rushed towards him, shivering, and walked out the door.There is a layer of frost on the grass spread out on the field.The elms and Chinese toon trees on the ground had a thick layer of hoarfrost on their branches that had lost all their leaves.The gray mist pervades the sky above the slope, and the treetops in the village are invisible. On the small road leading from the village to the plateau, there are people bowing their waists and pushing a wheelbarrow, with a woman or daughter in front of them. Pulled by a rope hanging from the shoulder.That's Yang Yunshan!Dog thing, the No. 1 lazy man in Yangzhuang, a mixed-work division expert, just pushed the dung uphill as soon as the package was delivered to the household.Hardworking people are not conspicuous, lazy people are more active than ordinary farmers.it is good!

The eighth old man watched with contempt until the lazy man and his wife turned into a terraced field.He wanted to laugh and scold that kid, but he didn't say anything after thinking about it.Lazy people can earn the first team points when anyone is the captain, and the contribution is the least.The most prosperous era of lazy people was when the villages started to rely on singing and dancing to determine work points... Good!A package of production to each household, lazy people can no longer find a gap in mixed work!Look, that kid is really doing it, and his whole body is full of energy!Now that the lazy people are hurrying to apply winter fertilizer to the responsible fields, can a serious farmer like Heng Laoba still stop?Go back, go back quickly. "Gold in winter, silver in wax, and dung in the first month are deceiving people."If there is another snowfall, it will be difficult for the dung to enter the ground.

Old man Heng turned back and walked back to the house, rolled up the quilt, held it under his arm, and walked through the narrow passage between the heated kang and the side of the trough. After fulfilling his duty of guarding the breeding room for the last night, he was about to say a permanent farewell up.Looking back, the ground was covered with grass clippings, as well as the soil and pieces of paper thrown away by everyone when the livestock was divided by lot yesterday, which made people feel too uncomfortable.The old man turned around, threw the quilt on the kang, picked up the bamboo broom with a long handle in the corner, and cleaned up the remaining grass in the livestock trough, then swept from the west end all the way to the door.He put down the broom and picked up the shovel again, trying to shovel out the pile of dirt.As soon as he bent down, his shoulder was hit hard, and the shovel fell to the ground—a red horse, with its head raised, rushed in through the door and into the pen.

Heng Laoba stood there blankly, staring at the red horse breaking into the pen, ran straight to the No. 3 slot where it was usually tied, put his head into the slot, swayed from side to side, looked for hay, snorted, and slammed He raised his head and looked at Lao Ba, probably complaining why he didn't add grass and seasonings to it? The old man's nasal cavity was sore, he couldn't move his feet, and stood there blankly.The red horse ran out of the pen in disappointment, dragging the rein under its hooves, and stood in front of Lao Ba, lowered his furry head to his shoulders, pressed his warm mouth against Lao Ba's hands, and kicked his four hooves on the ground coquettishly. tread. The eighth old man looked at the red horse's broad cheeks, slowly bent down, picked up the reins that were dragged on the ground, and quietly wiped away the tears that had welled up from his eyes.When the red horse was born, the old horse died, and he fed it with his own goat's milk (the team decided to pay him fifty cents a day for the goat's milk).This mare has already given birth to three mules for the Yangzhuang production team. "Why, I expected it to be here!" As soon as the eighth old man looked up, Yang Dahai, the owner of the red horse, was walking in from the door, and said with a smile: "It's been a whole night of kicking. Hey! I can't sleep a night because of the noise. Good uncle, do you think, eight hundred yuan, can I sleep?" Yang Dahai grinned and narrated with emotion , "At dawn, I fed it a ladle of food, and when it settled down, I lay down. As soon as the doll opened the street door for school, it broke the rein and ran straight here!" "Hmm!" Hearing this, Heng Laoba felt a sore feeling in his heart again, and faltered.The red horse probably isn't used to living in Dahai's small room. Horses are very affectionate! Yang Dahai said that he caressed the mane of the red horse around his neck affectionately.The red horse shook its head vigilantly, refusing Dahai to move his hands or feet.Dahai laughed and said, "It kisses you! Eighth Uncle." "Feed the horse better, and you'll get used to it gradually!" Heng Lao Ba handed the rein to Da Hai and said, "Go back!" "Oh! If only I could catch a cow!" Dahai took the rein and said regretfully, "'800 yuan' is tied to the pen, and I worry about going out. People say that horses are like embroidery. Put my hands and feet together." It’s tied up, so I can’t get out! It’s okay for a woman’s house to feed cows, but it’s hard to serve tall people..." The words are the truth, the old man believed Dahai's words.Dahai is a carpenter. He works in building houses in other villages all year round. Most of the time he is not at home. It is difficult for a woman in the house to raise a horse.In case of poor care, the loss is not three yuan or two yuan. "It would be great if you could catch this red horse. You don't go out all year round, and you are good at livestock. How can you earn a little foal a year?" Dahai said, "but you caught it again. in my hand." lie!The eighth old man was sure in his heart.As soon as Dahai caught the red horse yesterday, he didn't even stop a step, and pulled him back to the house.Even if he really didn't want to raise the horse, he would not transfer the horse to others for fear of delaying his way of building a house and earning money.Dare to say that first-class livestock like red horses are guaranteed to sell for more than a thousand and two as soon as they go on the market, and the net catch is four hundred. Is Dahai a fool? "Then...you can transfer it to my uncle!" Lao Ba deliberately wanted to test the shrewd Hai Hai, "How is it?" "Hey hey hey hey!" Dahai laughed, stopped talking, and hesitated for a while before saying, "Let's make do with it for now. Hey hey hey hey..." "Come on, we're both busy." Seeing Dahai pulling the red horse out of the door, licking the staggering red horse, and going downhill, he turned around, locked the door with a bang, and walked out of the large yard of the farm with the quilt under his arms. It was dawn, and the gray fog that was common in early winter mornings seemed to be thicker.On the road leading from the village to the terraced fields on Yuanpo, men and women have already shuttled back and forth as members of the commune pushing carts to carry burdens.The land is down, and the cadres are idle.No need to ring the bell, no need to remind, just look at the crazy energy on the legs and feet of each man and woman! Mr. Heng went down the slope, and as soon as he arrived at the entrance of the village, his wife walked up to him: "If you don't look at it, everyone is throwing manure on the wheat field. You are good, you can sleep until this time!" "Let's do it too!" Lao Ba said, "We'll do it when we get back." My wife is wise, and she stopped being talkative, turned around and left. "Uncle Ba—" Yuqin ran and shouted, standing in front of her, "My yellow cow doesn't eat grass, go and show me—" Seeing Yuqin's disheveled hair and frightened expression, Heng Laoba softened his heart.The man works in the county supply and marketing cooperative, and she and her mother-in-law are dragging two dolls, and they are determined to raise cattle.A middle-aged daughter-in-law in her early thirties has probably never fed livestock!Now he raises cattle. Before Old Ba could speak, Aunt Ba turned around and said, "Every family grows their own land, and they have lived their own lives. If he goes to your family's cattle disease, who will give him work points?" "You—" Lao Ba stared at his wife with wide eyes, how could he say such unkind words, and even said that she is wise! "Good eighth aunt! Eighth uncle sees the cow and delays working. I—" Yuqin said embarrassingly, "Even if I give you the soles of Laona's shoes——I will do the job!" "Nonsense!" The old man shook his head and waved his hands, "Where did the words go?" "Hi! I was joking!" Eighth Aunt forced a smile, smoothed things over, turned and left. In the light room between the three large rooms, one light and two dark, it used to be a place to entertain visitors, but now there are big yellow cattle hanging, the forage is temporarily stirred in the wooden basin for washing grain, and the excrement and urine of yellow cattle are piled on the ground. Yuqin's mother-in-law stood in the yard, and complained to Lao Ba about her daughter-in-law in a panic: "I said that our family has no male labor, so we can't raise cattle. The hay is set up in the ring, and weeds are mixed in the middle of the night. You live alone in the house. How can you afford it! Yuqin refuses to listen, and insists on drawing lots. Look, it’s so bullshit right now..." "Don't mutter to me first, let Eighth Uncle show Niu." Yuqin contradicted her mother-in-law: "If your son can earn seventy or eighty dollars a month, I don't like this trouble!" The old woman pouted, stood aside and said nothing. Yuqin's man works in the county supply and marketing cooperative, earning forty or fifty yuan.The house is old and young, and the overdraft is more than 100 every year. This strong daughter-in-law raises pigs and chickens at home, and goes to work to earn points. She suffers more than a man.Seeing that others were scrambling to draw lots, she knew that the price of cattle and horses was cheaper than in the market, so she also caught them, and she caught a scalper as soon as she caught them.Uncle Ba is very appreciative of this pungent and hardworking young daughter-in-law.He didn't want to participate in the dispute between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, so he went to the scalper. Lao Ba grabbed the cow's nose plug, pulled out the cow's tongue with the other hand, looked at the color, let go, pinched the cow's belly, touched the ears, turned around, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stood there in a daze, full of air. not out.He took out a cloth clip from his waist, pulled out a three-edged needle, grabbed the cow's ear, bled it, and ordered: "Take two rotten shoe soles and light a fire." The old man took the sole of the shoe from Yuqin and roasted it on the straw fire lit by his wife until the sole was scalding. "You follow my method, just iron it like this." Lao Ba told Yuqin, "I'll come over to have a look when it's time for breakfast. It's all good. If it doesn't work, take it to the veterinary station." "Don't go, Ba Shu—" Yuqin said worriedly, "I'm afraid—" "Don't be afraid. It's okay." Lao Ba smiled and said with relief, "Niu suffered from a bit of cold at night, and he is not seriously ill. Clean up the house more strictly in the future." "It's fine. Old Ba, don't leave!" The old woman had already come from the kitchen with a bowl in her hand, "Eat something." "What are you talking about!" Lao Ba Yi took a look at the bowl that was handed over to his chest, calmly declined with three poached eggs.How many times he cured minor injuries and ailments of cattle and horses in the breeding room, that's all.The eighth old man really felt sorry for receiving such hospitality when performing minor operations on the livestock of the members.He said loudly, "Give it to the baby! I'm an old man, what do I do with eggs?" The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law couldn't keep them, so they followed each other from left to right, saying thankful words, and sent them to the door.The eighth old man felt awkward after receiving such a sincere see-off. As soon as he left the street, he waved his hands and strode away without looking back. Heng Laoba walked with his hands behind his back in the streets of Yangzhuang.Walking to the gate of Yang Shewa's manor, he saw Shewa's old man Yang, who was nearly seventy years old, coming out of the door with a basket.The heartless Yang Shewa left the lonely old man in the old house, and led his wife and son to live in the three newly built houses. For more than two years, he did not give the old man a penny of pocket money, so angry that the old man went to the commune sue.Why did old man Yang come and go in and out of his son's new house?Didn't he yell at his son as a "bad bastard" in the streets of Yangzhuang? Yang Da threw down the basket and waved to Lao Ba. "Look if the dog is a ghost!" Yang Da said, "I caught a cow in the afternoon yesterday, and ran over before it got dark, and pulled me over, asking me to live with him!" "Oh!" Lao Ba was really unexpected. "I want us to be his groom!" The boss pointed out sharply, "You think that kid has a conscience? Ghost!" "Then why did you come here?" Lao Ba asked with a smile. "Hey! It's always our seed!" The boss said rudely, "Seeing that he can't serve livestock, we can't bear it. Besides, the baby bowed his head and admitted his mistake, and the woman... oh! Angry!" "Yes, yes, yes!" Lao Ba agreed, "It's always my own flesh and blood!" "He wants someone to take care of the livestock, and I want to be able to eat a mouthful of hot food." The boss said, "It's okay to mess around to death!" The boss's tone is pleasant, and the eighth can hear it and see it. This is really a piece of news in Yangzhuang!Everyone was scrambling to work, and Lao Ba felt an unusual atmosphere floating in the alleys of Yangzhuang Village. "Just now, Secretary Zheng of the commune met me at the door and asked you!" The boss said, "Maybe he is waiting for you at your house right now." "Secretary Zheng? What do you want me to do?" Lao Ba said, "What business is there now?" Lao Ba smoked the cigarette ash and walked towards the west of the village. From afar, he saw Secretary Zheng standing in front of the dung pile in front of his house, helping his wife break up the frozen dung lumps, and talking about something with a smile.As a model breeder, Secretary Zheng once wore flowers for him and gave him certificates, which are still posted on the front wall of the house.Now, the land is planted by households, and the livestock are raised by households. Secretary Zheng has come to the village. What else can we do? "Old Yang, I heard from Dahai that you cried when you saw the red horse?" Secretary Zheng laughed, "Really?" Lao Ba grinned and smiled embarrassedly. "I believe it! You have worked hard for those four legs, and you have feelings!" Secretary Zheng knelt down and took out his cigarette pouch, "I think, can you do it in Yangzhuang regardless of livestock? Those teams that have already been divided into troughs, There are advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that everyone manages it carefully, and the livestock can be raised well. The disadvantage is that every family has a lot of troubles, especially for families without male labor. Well, it’s a lot of trouble! I’d like to try it in Yangzhuang. Is it better to raise livestock collectively? Here, with you as an old model, other teams can’t compare.” "It's been divided." Lao Ba said, "It's good to divide." "I'm one step late." Secretary Zheng said, "Forget it." "The land is owned by households, so we can't separate the livestock!" Lao Ba said, "It's not easy to distribute when it's used." He cited an example to Secretary Zheng—— Last year, the brigade took out two livestock to plant private plots for the members.When it was Yang Chuanchuan's turn, the guy took away the livestock for no apparent reason and didn't return them until half noon, so anxious that the eighth old man rushed to the field, my God, the old scalper was so tired that he couldn't get up in the furrow, Yang Chuanchuan swung the whip in his hand, and the ox's body was covered with beams of flesh after the whip was struck. There was a foot of saliva hanging from his mouth, and his whole body was soaked. "Think about it, now that the land has been subsidized, there are more households. Does it work?" Lao Ba narrated the incident that made him sad, and told Secretary Zheng, "The day before yesterday, the captain asked for my opinion and asked the livestock Divide or not? I say divide, firmly divide. If we divide, we all know how to cherish the livestock. Otherwise, there will be a lot of wrangling and fighting!" Secretary Zheng nodded, expressing his agreement with Lao Ba's opinion: "This is the main reason why each team divides the livestock." "The problem is that many young commune members in their thirties don't know how to feed livestock, especially high-legged goods (muses and horses)." Secretary Zheng added, "The problem is very common. I'm here today, and I would like to invite you to our commune to broadcast Stand up and talk about the ox and horse classics." "I can't speak..." Lao Ba really panicked. "A lot of people ask you to talk about it!" Secretary Zheng said, "I still want to set up an amateur agricultural school! The land is contracted to each household, and the members are eager to farm scientifically! Once distributed to households, many young people are not even sure about the thickness of the seedlings, let alone high yields." "It's true!" Lao Ba said. "I still have to find the team leader to help the commune members arrange the livestock sheds. I can't just leave it alone." Secretary Zheng said, "It's a deal. Come to the commune tomorrow night. I'll wait for you at the radio station. I will talk for one hour and two minutes." Block, pay at the professor level!" The sun has risen to the blue sky, the fog has dissipated, the winter sun is warm and brilliant, the piles of firewood in the streets, the soil walls of each house, the red or blue roof tiles, and the bare branches are all bathed in In a brilliant morning light. "I want to discuss something with you." Walking into the room, Mr. Heng squatted in front of the stove, lit a cigarette in front of the flames that came out of the stove, and said to his wife, "We have to buy cattle." "Where's the money?" My wife stopped pulling the bellows. "Isn't there!" "That's for the baby's wedding." "Slow for half a year." Lao Ba said, "Buy cattle first. Farmers don't raise cattle, so what are they doing?" "That's a lot of money!" "Tighten it up for now. It takes one year to raise a calf, and it turns over in two years. Now everywhere the production is contracted to the household, and the price of cattle is rising every month." Lao Ba said, "Don't worry, I have no other skills, just feed the cows, hey Hi……" The wife stood up from the stove, lifted the lid of the pot, brought out a bowl of poached eggs, and placed it in front of Lao Ba. The old woman in her fifties said in a flattering voice: "Let's eat! Eat so energetic, and then run around the village to show others cattle and horses..." Lao Ba smiled and narrowed his eyes like a child.