The Era of Hard Work

Less than ten days before the new year, the weather is getting colder and colder every day, the heavy snow is melting and freezing, and there are a long string of ice skates hanging under the eaves, long and sharp transparent ice cones, which look gratifying.

The weather was too cold, and few people came out for breakfast in the University City in the morning. After the temperature dropped again, Lu Dong simply stopped making breakfast and went to the University City Market at 10:30.

Originally, only braised pork biscuits were sold for breakfast.

Lu Dong got up early that day, had breakfast, left the old house, saw ice skates nearly a foot long on the eaves facing the street, went back and took out long bamboo poles, and knocked on them.

It's not a joke that this thing thawed and fell on people's heads.

After knocking down seven or eight, Lu Lanlan came from the north on a bicycle with her schoolbag on her back. Before she arrived, she yelled at Lu Dong, Brother Dong! Brother Dong! Leave one for me!

Lu Dong continued to knock, and said at the same time: Don't eat everything, be careful of stomachache!

Lu Lanlan didn't listen at all, came over to set up the bicycle, picked up a piece from the ground, wiped it on her gloves, and bit it into her mouth with a bang, like eating popsicles in summer.

Lan Lan! Lu Dong came over and flicked her forehead, It's not clean!

Lu Lanlan didn't care so much, she let out a sigh of relief, and said, I haven't had a stomachache while eating snacks.

Lu Dong pointed at her, Lu Lanlan put on a grimace, got on her bicycle and ran south: Brother Dong, I have to go to school!

It is true that many people have eaten this food since they were young. Lu Dong heard from Hu Chunlan that his grandfather Lu Zhenshan used to make wine with ice skates.

Lu Jianshe pulled a trailer out of the house, and it was full of broken green onions.

A while ago, green onions were cheap and no one sold them, but now they don’t even accept them.

Uncle, where is this going? Lu Dong asked.

Lu Jianshe looked at the wall, where Lu Zhenlin's slogan It is strictly forbidden to throw onions anywhere was still there, and said, Throw it into the river.

Lu Dong went home and put down the bamboo pole, pushed out Little Jialing, and said, Drag it!

The trailer was hung on the frame of Jialing's cart, and when Lu Jianshe got into the back seat, Lv Dong turned on the fire and headed north, left the village and went up the slope to the embankment, parked on the bank, and threw rotten onions into the river.

The river is very small, and some places are frozen. If you look around, there are green onions everywhere in the river.

People from Lujia Village here threw it, and people from Majia Village on the opposite side threw it. In the section of Lujia Village alone, at least a hundred thousand catties of green onions were thrown into the river.

In some places, they are even piled up like hills.

There is also the old embankment, which is still the same as it was when it was fighting the flood last year. I don't know when it will be renovated.

Yang Liewen, who had been watching this matter all along, was transferred away, and no one could guarantee whether the new town leader would take it seriously.

It is said that relying on others is worse than relying on oneself. Lujia Village has such a long river bank, and it is impossible to rely on one village alone.

After going through so many things, Lu Dong has a bad feeling. He hopes to have news in the spring of next year, but don't wait until Li Qima.

It's true that the village has no money and no confidence to do anything.

Lu Jianshe wiped his hands with hay and said, I won't grow onions next year!

Suddenly, there was a flash of fire, but it was Nail and a few children who were playing with fire on the embankment.

Nail! Lu Dong walked a few steps towards that side and shouted, Why don't you go to school!

Nail picks up a hibernating worm with a stick and throws it into the fire to roast: Brother Dong, I'll roast a worm and go!

The fire burned a large area on the river bank, and no one cared whether Lu Dong or Lu Jianshe.

Most of the men in Lujia Village come here like this.

Setting fire to the embankment in winter is a basic entertainment item.

Lu Dong was about to go back, and reminded: Tail, it doesn't matter if we burn long worms for fun, don't eat them!

Nail promised: Absolutely do not eat!

He and a few friends beat the long worm with sticks, and the skin of the long worm burst open, revealing the eggs inside and the worms that looked like white threads.

Nail and others are not afraid of snakes, but they are disgusted by insects. They throw away their sticks one by one and go down the embankment to go to school.

As for the poor long worm, it was almost cooked by the fire.

Lu Dong took Lu Jianshe back to the old street, and Hu Chunlan made the meat and sauce, and put them into the cart together with the soup made yesterday.

Your third grandma just came here. Hu Chunlan said, Your third grandpa told you to go to the brigade when you leave.

Lu Dong said, Understood.

He hung up the trailer, loaded the car with Hu Chunlan, went back to the house to change clothes, remembered the long worms that Nail and others were playing with, took the long tea box from the window sill, opened it to look inside, and caught it before the cold weather A few scorpions lay motionless on their stomachs.

Unlike tickles, scorpions live longer.

It was winter, and there was no place to look for worms, so Lu Dong simply raised these scorpions.

There is no stove in the house, and the scorpion's life is not easy.

When Lu Dong slept, he had to cover two quilts, and he had to pour a thermos pot to warm the quilt.

Scorpions certainly don't get that kind of treatment.

At 9:30, Lu Dong set off from his home. The old street was still frozen, which was much easier to walk than the cement road.

As soon as he turned onto Ji Street, there was a loud bang in front of him, as if a cannon was being fired, and a puff of white smoke rose from the side of the street.

The pot of popcorn burst open, Lu Dong walked by, and the popcorn popped out of the bag.

In the winter, the rural people are not idle, and this is not the Northeast, it is not cold enough to need cat winter.

Coupled with the fact that the green onion market is not good this year, many people have packed up the old stuff and started some profitable business, hoping to have a good year.

Not to mention anything else, during Chinese New Year, when relatives come to the door, there must be at least chicken and fish on the table.

In many places like Qingzhao, braised soup is also a must-have dish at the New Year banquet.

For example, in many nearby villages such as Lujia Village, Majia Village, and Liuwan, stewed soup plays a leading role in the New Year banquet.

Pig ears mixed with cucumber, scallions mixed with pork liver, braised trotters, pork head and cheek meat, etc., can account for half of the main course.

The rural banquets these days don't pay attention to the healthy combination of vegetables and vegetables, they are all based on meat and hard vegetables.

If you get half a table of vegetables, someone will definitely gossip, even if vegetables are more expensive than meat in winter.

Lu Dong rode his bicycle into the courtyard of the brigade, got out of the car and entered the office. There was only Lu Zhenlin in the office, and accountant Li was not there.

Third Grandfather, are you looking for me? Lu Dong asked.

Lu Zhenlin first pulled down the cabinet next to him, and took out the envelope to Lu Dong: Your letter! Also, at 8:00 am on the 27th, I'm going to hold a meeting that concerns our whole village. Dongzi, you are an advanced county. I have won honors in the city and have been doing business outside, so I have to come to participate.

Lu Dong nodded: 8:00 am on the 27th, all right! I'll be there on time!

He had some guesses, and it might be a major event related to the next step of Lujia Village.

Lu Zhenlin added: This meeting should have been held a long time ago. Who would have thought that this year Cong will be like this, and the matter called Cong will be delayed until here...

Hearing the scallions, Lu Dong didn't know what to say, he sighed and said, Third Grandpa, I'm going to the market first.

Lu Zhenlin waved his hand: Go.

His eyes fell on the notebook in front of him. There were many things densely recorded on it. There were thoughts since Xia Tian, ​​what he had seen and thought when he went out to investigate a few times, there were several possible options for the next step, and the urgent needs of Lujia Village. some things to do.

There are some matters that the higher-ups will not approve, but Lujia Village can't just wait.

For example, the elementary school has been dilapidated for more than ten years, and the weather is so cold that people can’t stretch out their hands. The coal money for heating the stove is all cash from some good conditions in the village. Many children have frostbite on their hands.

We must leave a spacious and bright learning environment for our children and grandchildren.

For example, on the river embankment, the report was sent up a long time ago, but there was no movement. The leader has been transferred, and the new leader may not know what the meaning is. We can't wait indefinitely, in case there is another flood.

Even if we don't tear it down and start over, the village still has to repair it, and the openings made last year have to be firmly plugged.

It all takes money.

Lujia Village has no money on its books.

Lu Dong went out, looked down at the letter, thought it was from Liu Zhaodi, but unexpectedly it was an address in the south.

This address gave him a bad association, so Lu Dong didn't leave in a hurry, he stood by the car and opened the envelope to read the letter. The person who wrote the letter turned out to be Tian Chuanjie!

Letter from Tian Dabang! Lu Dong was quite surprised.

Lu Dong, you meddle in your own business with a mouse! Why do you stop me from bringing my classmates to the South to make a fortune? You ruined my reputation everywhere in your hometown, do you still have a conscience? You didn't pursue it, and you are willing to spend your whole life in the countryside without any future. Why don’t you let your classmates get rich? You are so bad that you are in the stinky ditch! Tell you, you are sabotaging the national project! Obstructing the country’s development! Destroying the national plan! It’s a crime!”

Seeing this, Lu Dong patted his head, thinking that I have such great ability? Why don't you say that I am destroying the entire universe?

Solemnly, don't spread rumors in my hometown! I'm not afraid to tell you that I'm already a middle-level cadre of the national project. It won't take long. I will drive a car, bring a lot of money back, build a house and start a factory... ...

Lu Dong read the boastful words at a glance, took the letter back in the envelope, threw it into the bag, and rode to the market.

Tian Chuanjie has been completely brainwashed. Without his phone number, he simply wrote a letter.

This also shows that he asked Heidan and Li Wenyue to spread the news about Tian Chuanjie among his classmates, and it really worked.

Denied, Tian Chuanjie would not write such a letter in a panic.

Although Tian Chuanjie was not brought back, no matter what, some people could always be prevented from falling into the trap of pyramid schemes.

Going out of the brigade's courtyard, he found a red star car parked in front of Lu Kun's house diagonally opposite. Lu Dong remembered that the winter conscripts were about to leave, so he stopped the car and went over.

On the other side of the car, many people came to see Lu Kun into the car.

Lu Kun's mother led Lu Kun's car and wiped away the tears from her eyes.

Go to the army and work hard! Lu Kun's father urged: Don't embarrass our Lu family village!

Lu Kun also had tears in his eyes: I know!

Li Lin didn't go to the construction site today, so he came here to see Lu Kun off: Go, don't forget to write to me.

After several months of renovation work with Uncle Li, Li Lin also calmed down, not as frizzy as before.

I can't forget it! Lu Kun said.

Lu Dong leaned over, and Lu Kun shouted, Brother Dong!

Behave well. Lu Dong said more pragmatically: There are many people in the army in our village, so try to stay in the army.

Lu Kun's father has already found someone.

It wasn't going to the battlefield, and there wasn't so much parting sorrow, Lu Kun and his father quickly got into Hongxing's car to rush to their own future.

Watching the car go away, Lu Dong said hello to others, and rode on the car to the University City.