Chapter 58 57 Mid-Autumn Festival

As soon as the sky was bright, there was excitement outside the primary school gate.Someone cut pine branches from the mountain, and the stage was crowded with people, and they erected the wooden sticks here.The red paper flowers also came, and they were tied into a tall colored card.A large red cloth horizontal plaque hangs above the colored plaque, and there are several large characters on the plaque: "Celebrate the return of the land to the home".Reed mats were hung on both sides of the back, and red and green paper strips were pasted on the reed mats, with slogans written on them: "Abolish feudalism completely", "Support land reform", "Return the land to our hometown, everyone has food", "Unity is powerful ", "Chairman Mao is our savior", "We will always follow Chairman Mao", "Support the Eighth Route Army", "Long live the Communist Party".Then the gongs and drums from the elementary school were also brought out, and they kept beating on the stage.Some people came to watch the excitement, and some people hurried back to eat.Many people drink and eat dumplings.

Wen Cai and the others also had a meal of dumplings, and the host said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, we didn't buy meat, but zucchini stuffing." Wen Cai stopped by a few shops to see some of them, and some of them were good, so why not eat pumpkin gnocchi.Many people sent them fruits, such as pears, apples, and grapes. They refused to accept them, and the senders got angry and had to put them there.Before breakfast, they had held a cadre meeting and got everything ready.One hundred young and middle-aged people will leave as soon as the meeting is over, and they can return in three days.Everyone in the village knew what meeting was going on today, and they were all willing to have fun. They changed into new clothes, cleaned up the house early, and some people knew about the current situation, but they didn't care.Some people went to Shacheng to buy explosives and came back. They let go of the three-eyed gun. This kind of gun has been out of use for many years. It is specially used for birthdays and when marrying a wife. The sound is loud and crisp, but it sounds good. .There are old folks in the village who have a class to play, and they also gathered together to form a music troupe. They also complained that they were too busy a few days ago, but they didn't expect that if they didn't have a meeting last night, it would not be difficult for them to perform a stage play.This group of people tidied up a corner on the stage, and they began to play there. Everyone on the street knew that they liked to play, so they surrounded them and asked them if they would sing or not.

The old man Hou Zhongquan also came to watch the fun. The elders all remembered his youthful appearance and told everyone that he was handsome, with a crisp voice and good skills. Nuanshuitun counted him as outstanding. Young people all looked at his thin monkey With a smile on his face, he asked him: "Uncle! Let's do it again, sing bad luck, wash away the bad luck of the past few decades, what do you think?" , listen to them playing. Everyone came, and a few hawkers also set up stalls against the wall at the back, and many people ate fruits and melon seeds. After a while, the yangko team from the elementary school set off. They turned around a few alleys and two streets, and then turned back to the front of the stage. They opened the Bawang whip on the field. The formation changed so much that everyone was stunned. Thanks to these children, they have a really strong memory.

Like New Year's Eve, people opened their mouths and asked each other. The cadres all came after the meeting, and they brought a portrait of Chairman Mao, which was painted by a painter temporarily. At the meeting, some people wanted to light incense, but everyone objected, saying that Chairman Mao did not like superstition.People stood on tiptoe to watch, elementary school students crowded in the front corner and sang "Dongfanghong, the sun rises, China has a Mao Zedong..." The number of militiamen has increased to about fifty, all wearing white coats of the same color, with towels on their heads and belts around their waists. Each of them has a bullet belt and a grenade belt hanging diagonally. There are two grenades in it. With the cross on their chests, they are valiant.Zhang Jidi also dressed up in the same way. He and Zhang Zhengguo directed them. They lined up and stood together. All of them participated in the meeting. They sang, "March of the Eighth Route Army", their singing was majestic and mighty.

All the cadres crowded on the stage, Cheng Ren stood up and announced the opening of the meeting.Cheng Ren said: "Fathers! Folks! Our meeting today is to celebrate the return of the land to our hometown. We have suffered, and our ancestors have worked as cattle and horses for generations, but we have no land, we have no food, no clothes, where is our land?" "It was exploited by the landlords." The audience agreed to him in unison. "The current policy of the Communist Party is that the tiller will have the land, and the land will be given to the suffering people. Do you agree?" Cheng Ren asked again.

"it is good!" "We're going to hand out a note later. The note says land. The old land deed is useless. We're going to burn it." Whispers of joy passed through the audience. Cheng Ren went on to say: "This method was conceived by our Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao is the savior of the world's poor. He sits in Yan'an, worrying about us day and night. Let's invite him out today. You see, this is the portrait of his old man, we have to bow to him to show our hearts." "Bow! To Chairman Mao." "It is right to bow to Chairman Mao!"

"..." The people below agreed one after another. Cheng Ren turned around, looked at the portrait of Chairman Mao respectfully, and shouted, "Bow!" The men and women under the stage all lowered their heads without making a sound.I bowed three times in total.Cheng Ren turned around again, and had to continue talking, but whoever led the audience shouted slogans: "Support Chairman Mao! Long live Chairman Mao!" Then Li Baotang reported the situation and problems of land distribution, and explained to everyone why Qian Wengui and the others had to leave enough land for living. As long as he bowed his head to everyone, did not do evil things, and was willing to work, he should also give them land. Yes, are you telling him to beg for food or steal people?If you don’t plant the land for him, he won’t work. Doesn’t he eat us by begging?He explained it so that everyone laughed, and he didn't insist on the original opinion, leaving nothing to him.

When it was time to hand out the slips, no one in the audience spoke. They listened attentively to the number of acres and the four sides of the land on the note, and everyone nervously sent everyone who went to pick up the slip with their eyes.When he walked back, the people next to him stretched out their heads to look at him, and he held the little red note tightly, as if the note weighed a thousand catties.Some put it in their belt purse, and then pressed their hands outside.Some quietly asked again, showing it to those who can read to see if it is correct with what they just read. The names were called one by one.It took a long time to share the money for selling the fruit, and no one was in a hurry.After the notes were scattered and no one left, Cheng Ren shouted loudly: "Celebrate with drums and cannons!"

Li Chang led the way in shouting slogans, and the sound of the slogans shook the mountains.The gongs and drums were also opened, and the drums and gongs were beaten indiscriminately, and the suona was also played.Three-eyed guns fired one after the other.People were still shouting.The pupils sang again, but no one could hear what they were singing.People seem to have become children, rejoicing in this kind of chaos.They are excited by a kind of extreme joy, excited by a very meaningful emotion, and plunge into a seemingly unconscious excitement. What a carnival it is! But Cheng Ren shouted again on the stage, and many people helped him shout: "Everyone, don't talk, don't make noise, don't sing." The voice still didn't stop easily, and after a while, when it became quieter, they heard him shout. :"parade to protest!"

The red cloth horizontal tent on the stage was threaded on two pennies and taken down. This horizontal flag was the pioneer, followed by the silk string team, followed by the militiamen, and behind the militiamen were the whole village. In front, women in the back, and finally pupils.They crossed the alleys from the main street, and walked from the alleys to the outside of the village. The team stretched very long, and a few people who stayed at home came out to watch on both sides of the streets and alleys.Whenever they passed a landlord's house, they shouted the slogan "Down with the feudal landlords", and the sound shook the house.The doors of those landlords' homes were all wide open, and no one came out. Only a few of them stood outside the door, staring at the roaring crowd.

When the team passed Qian Wengui's house, the team shouted loudly: "Down with the bully!" Qian Wengui's wife didn't dodge, she stood there cowering, looking at the passing crowd expressionlessly, as if watching There was no sense of excitement, as if the people passing by had nothing to do with her, and she didn't know anyone.Later, she suddenly found something strange, she shook her head in surprise, her hands trembled, and she shouted tremblingly into the team: "Ni! Hei Ni!" But no one answered her, and the team rushed to the front up.She touched her head and walked back with a limp.She felt that the world had really changed. The team walked around the village for a while, and when they were about to turn back, suddenly Liu Man led some people to stand outside the team, and Liu Man regained the spirit he had at the struggle meeting that day, and he had rested from his fatigue , he shouted: "Those who come to dig trenches stand up!" The team stopped, and people walked towards him one after another, including cadres and militiamen. Liu Man asked again: "Did you bring any guy?" Everyone raise the shovel, ah!They are all ready. "If you don't bring a quilt, why don't you bring a cotton coat? It's very cold at night." Zhang Yumin looked at some people who only wore a jacket and asked. "Stand in line!" Liu Man yelled again: "Hurry up!" They immediately formed a small team, all young and strong, there were hundreds of people. "We are going to build fortifications to protect our land? Go!" Liu Man led them to the road outside the village.They shouted slogans, and the rest of the group stopped and watched them off. Zhang Yumin and Li Chang also led and shouted: "Defend our land, defeat the reactionaries! Support the Eighth Route Army!" The elementary school students began to sing again.The small team goes farther and farther, how strong, how fast and full of energy they are!When they were out of sight, they turned back, and when they returned to the stage, there were fewer people.Zhang Yumin also said something about going to the field tomorrow, everyone has to be in the harvest team, and everyone has to obey the organization.Everyone was very happy to hear that, and felt that they were thoughtful.Only a few people asked quietly behind their backs: "What's going on, there is going to be a war in the east again?" But most of them were confident, they broke up the meeting, and went home to eat dumplings for the festival.