Chapter 9

At dawn the next day, Zhang Qiaoer went to Zhao Donglin’s room to urge Zhao Donglin to get up.

“Don’t you have to go to the commune to inquire? Hurry up and get down to business first..”

Zhang Qiaoer didn’t sleep all night. She was worried and flustered. It was like something was scratching her heart. She managed to stay up until dawn and hurriedly urged her son to finalize the work.

Zhao Donglin laughed helplessly. The way his mother wanted things done immediately, has not changed at all after so many years.

When he was young, he felt that his parents were too controlling and annoying. Now that he has become older, his mentality has changed. He now knew that the reason for his parents’ nagging was always to care about their children.

Zhao Donglin got up and patted Heidan’s buttocks. Heidan slept with him last night, and Yingbao slept with Zhang Qiaoer. Heidan did not sleep honestly at night, so Zhao Donglin would wake up from time to time to cover him up.

Zhao Donglin ate breakfast and went out. On the way, he met his elder uncle, Zhao Mancang, who gave him a bicycle.

Zhao Mancang and Zhao Manzhu look very much alike, and they are the kind of brothers that can be mistaken for each other when they see each other on the road.

“I heard from your father that you’ve been discharged from the army?”

“Yes.”

Zhao Donglin respectfully answered. His father had three brothers. The third uncle died in his early years. This eldest uncle is now the only blood relative left in his father’s generation. For so many years, the two families have been watching each other. Their relationship was very good.

In those days, Zhao Donglin went to the army to become a soldier, which was also the person Zhao Manchang helped find.

Many people want to join the army these days, but there are only a few people that can be recruited in the commune. Aside from that, under the same conditions, there is a wide range of options for recruitment.

When it comes to physical quality, the physical quality of rural children is not poor. When it comes to political positions, the three generations of most families are middle and lower class peasants, whose roots are Miao Hong^[1]the roots are Miao Hong refers to people from the good family background. The term used during the Cultural Revolution is generally used to refer to the children of workers, poor and lower-middle … Continue reading.

Everyone wants to join the army, and the competition was very stressful.

Everyone wants to join the army and there is a lot of competitive pressure.

When Zhao Manchang was young, he worked as an apprentice and could do carpentry. When he was idle, he did repair work in the Revolutionary Committee of the brigade and was very familiar with the cadres of the Revolutionary Committee.

After the draft of the conscription examination, Zhao Donglin’s physical quality passed, but no one could guarantee that he would be chosen. Zhao Mancang took his teeth and took out a bottle of Baijiu he had not been willing to drink for a long time. He also took a package of peanuts and secretly took Zhao Donglin to the committee to put out good words for the cadres.

When the draft was over, Zhao Donglin became one of the new recruits as he wished.

He didn’t know if the two bottles of wine played any role in his becoming a soldier, but he always remembered the goodness of his uncle to him.

Before he left home, his aunt gave him ten cornmeal pancakes, and his uncle gave him ten yuan, telling him to mix well in the army and to make a good living.

“If you’re discharged from the army, it’s good to come back.”

Although there are some regrets, since his nephew has made a decision, his family should still support him. Moreover, the army also arranges work for Donglin. These are the honors won by Donglin’s own efforts.

It’s not that he, as an uncle, is boasting. Over the years, there have been many boys in the village who went to the army as soldiers, but there are very few people who are able to become officers like his nephew.

Zhao Donglin rode his bicycle all the way to the Revolutionary Committee, where he had been several times before. Putting the bicycle in place, he took his file and followed his previous memories and knocked on the office of the director of the Revolutionary Committee, Director Zhong

Director Zhong also just arrived at the office. He was doing the work that must be done every morning, drinking tea and reading the newspaper, drinking tea and reading the newspaper, when he heard the door ring, he looked up from the newspaper, only to see a young man in uniform standing at the door, his posture upright, all righteous. At glance, he can make your heart feel comfortable.

Zhao Donglin became the secretary of the brigade, Zhang Qiaoer glowing, walking with the wind, almost smiling at everyone.

“Director Zhong said that my family’s Donglin was an excellent revolutionary soldier and a pillar of the country under the command of the party. Only by arranging important posts to serve the masses can his importance and enthusiasm be brought into play.”

To recite such a long and complicated paragraph without missing a word. It was difficult for Zhang Qiaoer, who had never attended school.

Whenever she saw the amazing look of others after she finished, she was very happy and her mood jumped with joy.

In the 1970s, a three-level organizational structure was implemented in rural areas, including communes, brigades and production teams, a secretary, a deputy party secretary, a director of the Reform Commission, a brigade accountant, and a militia company commander and director of governance and security.

For example, women directors, League branch secretaries, and brigade cashiers do not belong to the formal sequence of brigade cadres, but to deputy cadres of the brigade.

Don’t underestimate the brigade cadres. These days, the brigade cadres still have great power.

Director Zhong of the Revolutionary Committee originally wanted to arrange for Zhao Donglin to work in the commune. Unfortunately, the Secretary of the former brigade of Shanghe village was dismissed because of his work style. There was a shortage of people and coincidentally, Zhao Donglin appeared.

After Secretary Zhong solicited Zhao Donglin’s consent, Zhao Donglin, the brigade secretary, began to take up his post.

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Two months have passed. The time has come for July. Zhao Donglin was busy with his work in the brigade every day. He must do everything by himself. A summer harvest made everyone accept this responsible brigade secretary from the bottom of their hearts.

“Yazi, you see, Donglin is busy and tired every day. There was no woman around him to know whether he was cold or hot.^[2]to know whether he was cold or hot – no one would be considerate to him or worry for him “

Yadi, or “Yazi”, was the nickname of Zhang Qiaoer. In rural areas, many families who gave birth to a daughter but did not give birth to a son at the beginning will give their daughter a meaningful name, such as “Yadi” and recruiting younger brothers, so that their son can come quickly.

“I mentioned it to him, he said he did not want to find it now.”

“How can this be? The woman at home is not decent. He said he didn’t want to find it. He couldn’t still think of thinking about his first wife, right? “

When she heard they mentioned Wang Mei, Zhang Qiaoer’s face immediately darkened.

“Nonsense! Why does he need to worry about that woman?”

She drained her clothes and said so, but in her heart, she was actually anxious. Donglin has been reluctant to find a wife. He can’t really still be thinking about that Wang Mei, right?

“You, as a mother, should advise Donglin. He is now the secretary of the brigade. He still had a strong vigor, even with two children. There were many young girls who were willing to marry him. He has to think for his children if he doesn’t think for himself. Can you, as a mother, manage your grandchildren all your life? It’s the stepmother. That’s not the mother.”

These words are said to go straight to Zhang Qiaoer’s heart. She went home with a wooden basin for washing clothes. In the yard, Heidan and Shitou were playing with slingshots. Yingbao sat in a bamboo frame for self-entertainment, holding a tomato in her hand. There were red spots on her clothes. Near the well, Meixiang was washing Yingbao’s wet pants.

Zhang Qiaoer sighed and thought that she had said that she could help Donglin take care of her children. In fact, she couldn’t be busy alone. If Meixiang wasn’t there, she must be busy.

But Meixiang is not too young anymore. The eighteen-year-old girl can stay for a year or two. She can’t be an unmarried girl.

It seems that she has to talk about this topic with Donglin.

notlucia: Hi! In case you are confused, the locked chapters exist for those who wanted to read it in advance and yes, it will be unlocked eventually at their regular update time. 2-3 Chapters will be unlocked every week (Friday – Sunday).