Chapter 174 Schools will be closed and the commune will plow the land

Chapter 174 Schools will be closed and the commune will plow the land

Chapter 174 Schools will be closed and the commune will plow the land
9 month.

New January, new day.

As usual, Li Kailang went to the transport team.

I met a little boy selling newspapers on the road.

The little boy was wearing a faded blue jacket and a pair of worn cloth shoes.

"Little comrade, give me a newspaper!" Li Kailang shouted, handing over 2 cents.

After receiving the money, the little boy took out a newspaper from his bag and gave it to Li Kailang.

Li Kailang simply flipped through the newspaper. The articles in the newspaper were full of passion and fighting spirit, calling on the whole nation to contribute to the development of the steel industry.

Calling on the whole nation to strive to produce 1070 million tons of steel.

"The steel industry is the foundation, the backbone and the marshal of the entire industry."

"Other parts must stop and make way for the Iron Marshal to ascend the stage."

"Making every effort to double steel production is the most important task for all the people at present."

The series of contents in the newspaper made Li Kailang feel excited.

After briefly flipping through it, Li Kailang got on his bike and went to the transport team.

Along the way, he noticed some new changes.

A striking banner hung on the wall, which read:

"Take steel as the key link and make comprehensive leaps forward."

Slogans such as "One horse takes the lead, and thousands of horses gallop".

Compared with those in August, these slogans are more vivid and powerful, and they inspire people who see them.

"Everyone, do we have a big mission today?" Zhang Jinwu said to everyone while standing in the lounge.

Everyone looked over there.

"A batch of coal has arrived at the railway station. Today we not only need to bring back the coal for the factory, but also send some to power stations and transportation stations."

"I'll arrange a place for everyone now."

Zhang Jinwu began to divide areas among the masters.

"Xiang Bang, Su Daxun, Ning Chaoyong, you are responsible for transporting the coal to these places as soon as possible."

"Yu Dasheng, Li Yuanbao, Yan Shuding, you are responsible for these places."

Under Zhang Jinwu's deliberate arrangement, Li Kailang, Lu Wenjiang and Zhang Fen were assigned to the same area.

"The workload in this area is not easy. You should make more trips, complete the task as soon as possible, and come back to rest early." Zhang Jinwu reminded.

"Got it." Lu Wenjiang replied.

Taking Li Kailang and Zhang Fen, he drove away from the steel mill.

Their mission is a bit far from the steel mill, but fortunately they all run on fixed routes and there are not so many factories to deliver to.

Sijiucheng Coal Construction Company.

Lu Wenjiang and two other people came here with a carriage of coal.

"Comrade, you came at a great time!"

As soon as he arrived at the coal factory warehouse, someone ran over hurriedly and held Lu Wenjiang's hand tightly.

"No, no!" Lu Wenjiang said politely.

After a few words, Duan Guojiang shouted to the crowd not far away:

"Hey, all of you go get some coal from the car."

The three of them followed the reputation and saw about 20 to 30 young people.

These young people still have childish faces and their height has not yet fully developed. It is obvious that they are all students.

Hearing the shouts, they ran over excitedly, got on the carriage and started hauling coal.

Li Kailang asked Duan Guojiang: "These are all students, right?"

Duan Guojiang explained: "Yes, these people are all students. They were sent by the school to haul coal and bring it back to make steel."

The four watched the students carry the coal.

Some of them carried a bag with two wooden sticks, while others made an A-shaped wooden frame, put a small wheel on the tip and placed a bag of coal on it.

Lift and pull, push and walk.

The crowds walked out of the Coal Construction Company.

Zhang Fen looked at him in confusion: "Are these students not attending classes? Are they all out hauling coal?"

"Attend class?"

Duan Guojiang explained: "You don't know, now primary school students are mobilized to pick up scrap metal and hand it in to the school."

“The same thing goes for middle school students, they still have to come out and haul coal.”

"Schools are not closed yet, but they will be closed soon."

Hearing this, the three of them felt a little unbelievable.

Zhang Fen was puzzled and asked, "Is it necessary to do this? If students don't attend classes, the school will be closed. Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?"

Duan Guojiang looked at Zhang Fen as if he were an idiot:
"How could it not be? Now schools have a task to hand in scrap metal. If you don't complete the task, I heard there will be no education funding next year."

"Suspending classes to collect scrap metal is better than having no money at all. Besides, it's not just one school doing this."

The three were a little surprised when they heard this.

Li Kailang muttered to himself: "Even the school has to hand in scrap metal, so our street office should also hand in scrap metal."

"I think there should be." Lu Wenjiang agreed.

"Okay, I won't say any more to you. I have something else to do. Just unload the coal here." After giving the order, Duan Guojiang left.

Leaving three people behind, Lu Wenjiang decided: "Okay, let's get started and complete the task quickly."

The three men swept the coal off the car like they were sweeping up garbage.

Half an hour later, the coal in the carriage had been unloaded, and the originally bright carriage became pitch black, as if it was stained by the ink color of coal.
"My new car has become so dirty after only driving it for a short time!" Zhang Zhangfen muttered in pain.

Lu Wenjiang patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Okay, stop crying. There are still a few cars behind us."

After a short rest, the three of them set off again back to the train station.

"Hey, comrade, can I trouble you with something?" Duan Guojiang stopped Lu Wenjiang and the other two who were about to leave.

Lu Wenjiang leaned out of the car window: "What's the matter?"

Duan Guojiang explained: "Comrade, it's like this. Something happened in Yonghua County and I can't come. I would like to trouble you to transport a batch of coal over there."

"Yonghua County?" Lu Wenjiang muttered, and began to wonder where it was.

Duan Guojiang said quickly, "Yonghua County is not difficult to get to, but it's a little far. Go straight along this road, and there is a stone tablet with the words Yonghua County written on it outside the county town."

Hearing this, Lu Wenjiang nodded and said, if the road is easy to travel, he could help.

He looked at Li Kailang and Zhang Fen and said, "Xiao Li, please help me with this."

"Okay!" Li Kailang agreed.

Zhang Fen is too young, and Lu Wenjiang is worried about something going wrong, so he thinks Li Kailang would be a better choice.

After loading a new truckload of coal, Li Kailang went to the Coal Construction Company again. After getting the certificate, he drove to Yonghua County.

Li Kailang is a substitute for transportation, so he needs proof. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, they will have to argue with each other.

Half an hour later, Li Kailang found a stone tablet with the words "Yonghua County" written on it.

Soon, they arrived outside the county town. Li Kailang looked at the specific address of the mission, which was at the school. He had some doubts in his heart, but he still drove there.
Along the way, Li Kailang noticed that various slogans were posted everywhere on the streets and alleys.
These slogans, like the mark of the times, are deeply engraved in everyone's heart.

Finally, Li Kailang arrived outside the school.

"Comrade, is there anything I can help you with?" asked the school security guard.

"Comrade, I'm here to deliver coal." Li Kailang said, taking out his certificate.

After a quick look, the security guard said to Li Kailang, "Comrade, drive the car to the playground." Then he let Li Kailang in.

Li Kailang went straight to the playground.

On the school playground, there were steel furnaces of various sizes, and a group of students were working busily, pulling bellows.

The rumbling sound of the truck also attracted their attention. They stopped what they were doing and looked at Li Kailang curiously.

Li Kailang drove to the side and got out, and a leading director came up to him.

"Comrade, thank you for your help in transporting it." The leading director came to Li Kailang.

"You're welcome. I'm just serving you all. It's not a big deal, not a big deal." Li Kailang replied politely.

"What are you doing?" Li Kailang pointed at the steel furnace in the playground.

The director explained: "This is steelmaking. The school is big, it can't be left idle. We can make some contribution."

"That's true. It would be a shame not to practice some skills in such a large place." Li Kailang agreed.

The director shouted to the students who were standing in the distance and watching, "Don't just stand there and watch. Come over and move the coal."

Immediately, the people from Ulala rushed over, picked up bags and carts, and began to busily unload the coal.

"Comrade, you really helped us a lot. Without your truckload of coal, these steel furnaces would have to shut down at night," said the director.

Li Kailang turned to look at him: "Why? Are you going to continue making steel tonight?"

"Yes, there are so many people, and there is still a lot of iron materials in the warehouse. We have to smelt them as soon as possible." The director explained.

"Then you won't go back at night?"

The director explained: "Some will and some won't. Those who don't have tasks will go home, and those who have tasks will live directly in the classroom. The desks can be turned into beds and they can rest."

"It's just not as comfortable as home."

"These people don't know how to make steel, so let them make it. Aren't you afraid of something going wrong?" Li Kailang asked.

"The students didn't know anything, so I asked them to pull the bellows, and the teacher was in charge of steelmaking."

Hearing this, Li Kailang nodded and said, "This is really a big event!"

"Yes! The steel we produce is of good quality and in large quantities," said the director proudly.

After a while, all the coal was unloaded.

"Okay, just sign here, and I'm leaving too." Li Kailang handed over the certificate.

The director signed and tried to keep Li Kailang.

Li Kailang declined and drove away.

On the other hand, after the mobilization meeting, they set out on the journey to Mangrove Commune with great ambition and high spirits.

They lined up in neat rows, carrying luggage on their shoulders and washbasins in their hands, singing military songs:

"Forward! Forward! Forward!"

"Our team is heading towards the sun!"

"Standing on the land of our motherland and carrying the hope of our nation, we are an invincible force!"

The loud singing echoed in the fields in the suburbs and all the way to the Mangrove Commune. The atmosphere was quite rich.

"Comrades, you are finally here!"

The commune cadres and members had already been waiting there, warmly welcoming their arrival.

After entering the village, the commune members quickly arranged living accommodation.

A dozen people were assigned to a simple but clean farmhouse.

Although the conditions were difficult, the teachers and students had no complaints.

"Everyone, please clean up your room and move in as soon as possible. We will be staying here for a month, so we can't be careless and must clean it thoroughly." said the squad leader.

Upon hearing this, everyone took action, fetching water, cleaning, and working non-stop.

It was already getting late by the time everything was settled.

People were all lying on their beds to rest, tired.

At this time, a member came over and looked at the tidy and clean room, and nodded in his heart.

"Comrade member, is there anything I can help you with?" asked the squad leader.

All the students stood up and looked at him.

The member pressed his palms together: "Nothing, I just came to remind you that it will be time for dinner soon, remember to eat early."

"Woo, I can finally eat. I'm so hungry that I'm licking my back."

"Yeah, I just had some breakfast this morning. I'm almost starving after walking all the way here."

"Hurry up, go over now and grab a spot."

Everyone was talking about it and was very enthusiastic about eating.

"Don't be so anxious, it won't be that fast. There will be a broadcast reminder when dinner is ready. I'm here to remind you to pay attention to the broadcast." The member explained.

"By the way, do you know your mission this time?"

Hearing this, he shook his head and shrugged, completely clueless.

They came here with the main force, but their specific mission had not been explained to them yet. They were only told that they had to go to the commune.

"Okay, then I'll just tell you briefly. This time you come to the commune to deep plow the land."

"What is deep tillage? Simply put, one is digging sweet potatoes, and the other is turning the soil."

Deep plowing of the land, these tasks can only be carried out after the autumn harvest is completed.

At this time, the corn, millet and other crops in the fields have been harvested, and crops such as cotton have also been picked, leaving only crops such as sweet potatoes (or yams).

The commune members had already cut all the sweet potato vines and transported them away, leaving only the sweet potatoes in the soil.

Dig out the sweet potatoes from the soil and start deep plowing the land.

To put it bluntly, this group of people is a group of unpaid labor.

If Li Kailang knew about this situation, he would definitely feel a sense of familiarity.

Fortunately, he doesn't have to work in the soil.

After hearing this, the students did not back down, but became even more enthusiastic.

"I don't know if it's fun or not. It's my first time going to the countryside and I don't know what to do?" someone asked curiously.

Living in the old city has separated them from agricultural production. They have only heard about farm work but have never tried it themselves.

"Farm work is very simple. You can learn it once you learn it, and it's also very relaxing. I've done it!" someone explained.

If I hadn't seen his rough palms and calluses, I would have almost believed it.

"Really?" the man said naively.

The members smiled slightly, watching him lie, but did not expose him. "Okay, I've told you what I need to say. You can take a rest and wait for dinner."

After saying that, the member turned and left.

(End of this chapter)