Chapter 43: Director Zhao brings the pigs back to the village

The road conditions were poor, and the journey was long. Zhao Ke and the others got up early and hurried on the road all day, barely stopping. Finally, they returned to Zhao Village before nightfall.

The deafening sound of the small truck’s engine broke the silence of the village.

The village roads were too narrow, making it inconvenient for the truck to drive in, so it stopped under the old locust tree at the village entrance.

Zhao Feng and the others were in the truck bed, not in a hurry to get down, greeting the women standing below.

The piglets kept grunting, and the women craned their necks to peek into the truck bed—

“Wow, did you see that? They’re all pigs.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen so many piglets.”

“How many are there?”

“There’s even a calf!”

…

On the way, many commune members also came over, attracted by the sound of the engine.

As the weakest among the group during this trip, Zhao Ke enjoyed the privilege of sitting in the cab.

The driver opened the door, jumped out of the truck, opened the passenger door for Zhao Ke, and asked, “Comrade Zhao, are you alright?”

Zhao Ke waved her hand, declining his help, and slowly climbed out of the truck. When her feet touched the ground, they still felt soft and unsteady, and she had to hold onto the truck to stand firm.

The road was just too bad.

Riding in the truck was worse than riding a bicycle. Although cycling was tiring, at least she had control of her body, and at most, her bottom would bounce a bit.

In the truck, she was shaken up and down, left and right, as if her brain matter had been blended evenly.

And that diesel smell—it had completely marinated her. Zhao Ke suspected that if a spark came her way, she might instantly ignite.

She raised her swollen feet, leaned on the truck’s hood, walked around it, and sat under the old locust tree.

From a distance, the air smelled much fresher.

“Stop showing off,” Zhao Ke called to the four people in the truck bed. “Get the pigs down first.”

Zhao Ke turned back and saw the flat ground behind the old locust tree, which was now completely open with no shelter at all.

Where would they put the pigs after unloading them?

Zhao Xinshan hurried over to answer her question. “First send them to the brigade. They’ll stay in the warehouse for a while, and once the pigsty is built, we’ll move them over.”

Zhao Village was isolated, with few visitors. Whenever something lively happened, the entire village would show up.

The commune members scrambled to carry the piglets. With more than thirty piglets, there still weren’t enough to go around.

Zhao Xinshan arranged for the driver to stay at his house for the night. Before leaving, he told Zhao Ke, “Your Aunt has prepared food. You all come to my house for dinner tonight.”

Zhao Ke nodded. “I’ll sit for a bit, then come over.”

The adults went to the warehouse to work, while the children gathered around the truck, circling it curiously.

They had never seen a truck before and reached out with their little hands to touch it, exclaiming as they did—

“The wheels are huge!”

“Is the whole truck made of iron?”

Niu Xiaoqiang even turned to ask Zhao Ke, “Teacher Zhao, how fast does it go?”

Zhao Ke explained with facts, “If you take an ox cart to the commune, it takes about four hours. The truck only took a little over an hour, and it could have gone faster if it weren’t for the piglets.”

The children marveled, “Wow—”

In the vast, sparsely populated North, it was common for villages to be separated by ten or twenty li.

Of the twenty production brigades in Shuangshan Commune, Zhao Village wasn’t the farthest from Shuangshan Commune, but it was still nearly fifty li away. Some production teams were even farther than Zhao Village.

The entire route was dirt roads, full of potholes.

The village itself was no better. If it rained, going out meant wading through muddy water, dirty and difficult to walk on.

Zhao Ke rubbed the soles of her rubber shoes on the ground twice, leaving a streak in the dust.

The road was truly too rough…

While Zhao Ke was lost in thought, the children suddenly went quiet.

When kids get unusually quiet, it’s a sure sign they’re up to no good.

Zhao Ke looked up and saw the group of rascals hanging off the truck bed like monkeys, climbing upward.

Niu Xiaoqiang was even more outrageous, having Shu Gen’er boost him as he climbed up from the truck’s front.

Zhao Ke: “…”

She couldn’t yell—if she startled them and they fell, they could get hurt.

So Zhao Ke held back until the kids in the truck bed had shifted their weight inside before speaking up. “Stop messing around, get down quickly!”

The children had already been sneaking around. Zhao Ke’s sudden shout gave them a scare, and two of them fell straight into the truck bed, landing on pig manure.

The two kids froze for a moment before realizing their situation. They flailed in disgust, but the stench of pig manure still clung to them.

The surrounding kids pointed at them and laughed.

The two, humiliated and angry, burst into tears.

Zhao Ke walked to the truck’s front, pulled down Niu Xiaoqiang, who was sitting on top, and scolded the children in the truck bed. “It’s almost dark, and you’re still not going home? Waiting to get a beating?”

The two tearful kids sniffled while the other children laughed and climbed down one by one.

Zhao Ke herded them and headed toward the village together.

They were about to part ways at the crossroads—Niu Xiaoqiang’s house was nearby, Shu Gen’er’s was to the west, Zhao Ke needed to go south, and the other kids could head off in any direction.

Zhao Ke grabbed Niu Xiaoqiang’s ear. “Don’t lead Shu Gen’er into trouble again, got it?”

Niu Xiaoqiang yelped in pain and protested, “What trouble? We were having so much fun! Ask Shu Gen’er if you don’t believe me!”

Zhao Ke looked at Shu Gen’er.

Shu Gen’er grinned sheepishly.

Zhao Ke shook her head helplessly, pinched Niu Xiaoqiang’s ear, and said, “As the oldest, you need to lead your little brothers to improve. Just playing around doesn’t make you a qualified leader.”

“How are we supposed to improve? Study?” Niu Xiaoqiang looked resistant. “I’ve already finished my homework.”

The current elementary school curriculum had so little content. Kids spent five years in school, which felt more like a way to keep them supervised than an actual education—it was a bit of a waste of time.

Zhao Ke asked them, “Isn’t there anything you’re curious about? You can come to me, and I’ll explain it to you.”

Niu Xiaoqiang, suddenly intrigued, eagerly asked, “Can you teach us martial arts secrets too?”

Martial arts secrets…

Zhao Ke was speechless for a moment but didn’t dismiss their whimsical ideas. She nodded affirmatively. “I can teach martial arts secrets too.”

At worst, she could talk about fitness and health or even make something up. Who knows, maybe she’d recruit a few apprentices for her dad.

Hearing her agreement, Niu Xiaoqiang was about to run home with Shu Gen’er to fetch something.

Zhao Ke stopped him. “Tomorrow. I just got back; let me catch my breath.”

“Alright~”

Still not satisfied with playing, Niu Xiaoqiang reluctantly waved goodbye and went home.

Zhao Ke turned to Shu Gen’er, raised her hand to pat his head, but suddenly noticed he seemed taller. She gestured between them and said, “You really have grown. If you get any taller, I’ll have to tiptoe to pat your head.”

Shu Gen’er bent over, lowering his head for her to pat.

Zhao Ke chuckled and rubbed his head. “You’ve been keeping clean lately, Shu Gen’er. That’s great. Go home now.”

Shu Gen’er straightened up, imitated Niu Xiaoqiang’s wave, and jogged off.

Feeling cheerful, Zhao Ke headed to Zhao Xinshan’s house.

At dinner, Zhao Xinshan warmly hosted the pig farm driver and asked about their experiences on the trip.

Zhao Ke didn’t talk much, leaving most of the conversation to Zhao Rui and the others, who couldn’t stop once they started.

They spoke so vividly that many commune members gathered to listen.

After finishing her meal, Zhao Ke couldn’t hold out any longer and went home first.

Yu Xiulan complained about the stench on her and boiled a pot of water, scrubbing her from head to toe before letting her go to bed.

Zhao Ke fell into a deep sleep as soon as she hit the kang. Even when Zhao Feng returned and was also scrubbed by their mother, Zhao Ke didn’t wake up.

The next morning, Niu Xiaoqiang brought Shu Gen’er and a group of children to find Zhao Ke.

Yu Xiulan held a finger to her lips. “Shh,” she whispered. “She’s still sleeping. Come back at noon.”

The children had no choice but to leave.

No matter how fancy a place might be, it’s never as comfortable as one’s own home. Zhao Ke slept soundly and woke up to find it was already past noon.

Zhao Ke walked out of the house, stretching lazily, and immediately noticed the house frame to the east. She was surprised, “It’s only been a few days, and the beams are already up?”

Zhao Feng emerged from his room and said, “If they weren’t going to work and just kept building every day, the walls would probably already be finished.”

Under the scorching sun, some people were working. Zhao Ke, not feeling particularly hungry, carried a bucket of cool water and strolled over leisurely.

Chang Shan, who was busy laying bricks, saw Zhao Ke and greeted her cheerfully, “Director Zhao, did you have a good rest?”

Zhao Ke picked up a gourd ladle, scooped some water, and handed it to him, joking, “I sneak off for a break, and it’s not even a secret anymore?”

Chang Shan chuckled, “It’s all because of Teacher Yu—she even wants sparrows flying by to keep it down.”

The other two members of the production team, Kong Lao Liu and Yang Da Niu, burst into laughter. “Exactly! She even told us to work quietly, saying it’s because you’ve been working hard for the team.”

Zhao Ke had been sleeping so deeply that she wouldn’t have heard anything anyway, but Yu Xiulan’s actions were indeed a bit domineering.

Still, being doted on by a mother is a blessing. Zhao Ke’s lips curled into a smile as she motioned for the others to come over and drink some water.

Kong Lao Liu and Yang Da Niu put down their tools and walked over.

Zhao Ke looked around and asked, “Why haven’t I seen Xu Dage?”

Chang Shan replied, “It’s hot, so he doesn’t usually come at noon. He only shows up in the evening.”

Yang Da Niu added, “Even the owner of the house, Fu Zhiqing, doesn’t come by much. There’s a female Zhiqing surnamed Fang who’s more diligent than him.”

After speaking, he and Kong Lao Liu exchanged a knowing laugh. Zhao Ke noticed but didn’t ask. Once they finished drinking, she headed back.

After eating a bit, Zhao Ke planned to visit the team committee the next day. But as she tidied her desk, she noticed the registration form for the midwife training program and realized she’d forgotten to handle it.

She grabbed the pamphlet and registration form and headed to Granny Qian’s house.

Granny Qian’s house was next to Zhao Jianfa’s. Under the eaves, an elderly man with graying hair sat in a wooden rocking chair, leisurely smoking and sipping water.

Zhao Ke knocked on the courtyard gate and called out, “Is that Grandpa Qian? Is Granny Qian home?”

The old man opened one eye, glanced at her, and grumbled, “What’s a Women’s Director doing here bothering my old lady?”

Zhao Ke raised the pamphlet in her hand and replied politely, “I’m here about the midwifery matter.”

The old man frowned impatiently, “She’s already so old, why bother with midwifery? Isn’t it bad luck? Don’t come looking for her anymore.”

Zhao Ke knew that Granny Qian had helped with many deliveries in the past to make ends meet, but now the old man called it unlucky.

Without showing any emotion, she replied, “Granny Qian is a senior in this field. If I’m going to reassign someone as a midwife, I should at least inform her.”

The old man grunted, “I already know. Isn’t that enough?”

Zhao Ke kept smiling and stayed put.

The old man, annoyed, tapped his smoking pipe against the edge of the table and called back, “They’re here for you. Hurry up and come out.”

A moment later, a frail elderly woman emerged from the house, carrying one child on her chest and another on her back. Before stepping over the threshold, she bent down to adjust the child on her back and then hoisted the one on her chest higher.

The old man didn’t even glance at her, let alone offer help.

Granny Qian’s face was deeply lined as she approached Zhao Ke, head lowered and looking lifeless. “There’s too much work at home. I’m not doing midwifery anymore. Arrange it however you like.”

Zhao Ke glanced at her dry, rough hands, then extended her own. “How about I help with the kids? I also have a few questions about midwifery I’d like to ask.”

Granny Qian declined, “No need. You wouldn’t be able to carry them.”

Not wanting to stand around pestering an elderly woman burdened with children, Zhao Ke asked a couple of quick questions before saying goodbye.

Next door, Zhao Xiaocao hissed twice and waved Zhao Ke over. “Jie, what were you doing at Granny Qian’s house?”

Zhao Ke didn’t hide anything and explained.

Zhao Xiaocao tugged at her sleeve, leaning in close to whisper, “There’s a lot of work at the Qian household. Both of her sons and daughters-in-law go out to work and don’t lift a finger at home. Granny Qian does everything.”

Zhao Ke turned her head to glance at the Qian family courtyard. “She’s so old, and her sons and daughters-in-law don’t help?”

“I’ve heard that old man curse her, saying she’s useless and might as well be dead if she doesn’t work hard enough. Her sons and daughters-in-law pretend they don’t hear and don’t say a word. They even order her around like a servant.”

“She’s just the family’s old maid!”