Chapter 44.3: Director Zhao has ill intentions

The next day, Zhao Ke spent the morning organizing her notes, consulted Uncle Ban, who had experience raising pigs, and prepared the training material.

Unfortunately, the women had no awareness that lessons should be listened to quietly and attentively. Only two women brought their children to take notes, while the rest cracked sunflower seeds, whispered, and laughed…

Zhao Ke used the loudspeaker several times to remind them that “how well you listen affects your results,” and only then did the women pay a little more attention.

But it usually didn’t last more than three minutes before they started losing focus again, making learning extremely inefficient.

At this rate, they would just be picking the tallest among the short ones—there was no way to select outstanding pig farm workers.

So, at the end of the first day of pig farming training, Zhao Ke suddenly announced, “Since your learning efficiency is too low, we will adopt an elimination system. Tomorrow, we will test today’s material, and the three people with the most wrong answers will be eliminated.”

The women immediately burst into complaints—

“How can you suddenly change it like this?”

“You didn’t say beforehand?”

“Aren’t you just making things difficult for us?”

Zhao Ke turned a deaf ear, “Fair and just, reasonable and logical. Instead of complaining, you’d better recall what I just taught.”

The women who hadn’t listened carefully started panicking and asked Zhao Ke, but she ignored them. Then they turned to the two women whose children had taken notes, but those two had already made up their minds—not a chance they were going to help.

For a moment, there were quite a few complaints, some complaining that Zhao Ke was “too troublesome,” and some complaining that other women were “not considerate.”

Zhao Ke ignored their noisy voices, raised her hand to check the time, “Those staying for the midwifery training stay, those not participating can leave.”

Some women got up and left, while others entered the courtyard—it was Aunt Jin.

Jin Li saw her and spoke harshly, “What are you here for!”

Aunt Jin kept a straight face and replied, “Why can’t I come!”

Jin Li was displeased. Seeing that the surrounding women were all looking at the two of them, she simply stood up and refused to listen anymore, “I can’t afford to lose face with you!”

Aunt Jin didn’t seem to take it to heart and sat down.

After ten minutes, Granny Qian still hadn’t appeared. The women began to ask Zhao Ke when she would arrive.

In this situation, something had likely gone wrong.

Zhao Ke stared at her watch for a while, then told everyone to go home and come back tomorrow.

After the women left, Zhao Ke tidied up the brigade office, locked the door, and headed to Granny Qian’s house.

Old Man Qian was still sitting on his rocking chair. Seeing Zhao Ke, he spoke irritably, “What are you here for? Stop pushing my wife to do those ridiculous things. She doesn’t have time!”

Zhao Ke spoke politely, “Qian Ye Ye, this is also supporting our brigade’s work. It only takes up one hour of Qian Nai Nai’s time each day, it won’t interfere with household matters.”

Granny Qian’s daughter-in-law, Li Mei, came out. Because her nine-year-old daughter didn’t go to school and wasn’t selected as a pig farm worker, she spoke to Zhao Ke in a sarcastic tone, “We support the brigade’s work, but the brigade has to understand our difficulties too. My mother-in-law really doesn’t have the time, she can’t go.”

Zhao Ke had previously checked Granny Qian’s records at the brigade—her name was Feng Qiaohe.

She maintained her smile and said, “Today, I am here as the Women’s Director to find Comrade Feng Qiaohe. You have no right to decide for Comrade Feng Qiaohe.”

“What do you mean no right?” Old Man Qian sat up straight, acting high and mighty, “She’s my wife, she has to listen to me.”

Zhao Ke’s smile faded, “This is the new society now. Women have independent personhood and their rightful rights and freedoms. I’ll say it again—I want to speak with Comrade Feng Qiaohe. You have no right to decide for her.”

Old Man Qian didn’t take it seriously, “Don’t talk to me about that useless nonsense. I just won’t agree…”

“Bang.”

A loud noise interrupted Old Man Qian’s words. He was so angry his hands trembled as he pointed at Zhao Ke, “You, you, you, what are you doing?!”

Zhao Ke withdrew her foot from the fallen courtyard gate, “I’m polite because I have manners. What? You don’t take the Women’s Director as a real cadre? I’ll say it one last time—this is the new society. If you keep playing those old society tricks, go to the commune and sort it out there.”

Li Mei was instantly too scared to make a sound.

Old Man Qian was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. He didn’t dare to go head-to-head with Zhao Ke and turned his head toward the house, shouting, “Come out and talk to her! Or the cadre will think this old man is bullying you.”

Inside, Qian family’s son, Qian Fu, looked troubled as he spoke to Granny Qian, “Mother, you also have to think about your son. With Dad’s temper, I’m really stuck in the middle.”

After a moment, Granny Qian lowered her head and came out of the house, walking up to Zhao Ke, “Director Zhao, I didn’t make it clear before, that was my mistake, but the household really can’t do without me for even a moment. I can’t go.”

No matter how busy, it was impossible that she couldn’t even have an hour of freedom.

Zhao Ke asked her, “Granny Feng, is this your own will? If you have grievances, as the Women’s Director, I definitely won’t stand by and do nothing.”

The other members of the Qian family all stared at her with burning eyes. Granny Qian’s voice lowered even more, “I’ve lived like this my whole life, what grievances do I have? This is how it should be…”

Old Man Qian seemed certain that Granny Qian wouldn’t dare defy him. Holding his tobacco pipe, he took puff after puff, his expression particularly smug and particularly irritating.

Zhao Ke glanced at him, suppressing her temper, and said to Granny Qian, “Grandma Feng, I don’t know if you’re aware, but you absolutely don’t owe anyone in this family.”

Granny Qian looked up in confusion, as if unable to believe what she had just heard.

Zhao Ke looked into her somewhat cloudy eyes and said word by word, “A person’s lifetime is limited. Are you sure your words come from your true feelings? If you were drowning, I could try to save you, but I can’t help someone who doesn’t want to climb ashore.”

In the courtyard, Old Man Qian impatiently shouted, “Are you done talking? If you are, hurry up and cook!”

Granny Qian instinctively responded and quickly ran toward the kitchen. But after taking a few steps, she suddenly remembered that Zhao Ke was still there, and her feet stopped uncontrollably.

Old Man Qian annoyed, urged her even more impatiently.

Granny Qian lowered her head and hurried off to work.

The other members of the Qian family looked at Zhao Ke with unwelcome expressions, so Zhao Ke left without even saying goodbye.

The next day, Granny Qian still didn’t come for training.

Zhao Ke couldn’t take everything on herself, training both in pig farming and in childbirth assistance.

She was even less likely to spend her own money to hire Granny Qian and let the Qian family take advantage.

For the time being, Zhao Ke had no suitable solution.

During dinner, Yu Xiulan mentioned what happened at school today: “Something really unusual happened today. That Fu Zhiqing went to Principal Gu, saying he wanted to use his free time to give lessons to the children, and he doesn’t even want work points!”

Zhao Ke was surprised, “Why?”

In the novel, Fu Zhiqing never did such things.

“Isn’t it because of Niu Xiaoqiang and the others? They pestered Fu Zhiqing so much, asking all kinds of questions about the sky and the sea, and even talking about blowing up the commune. Fu Zhiqing probably couldn’t handle it anymore, so he went to the school.” Yu Xiulan found it strange. “I don’t even know where they heard all these strange things.”

The instigator, Zhao Ke: “…”

That… might have been her… But when did she ever say anything about blowing up the commune?

Zhao Feng was curious, “Did Principal Gu agree?”

“It doesn’t cost any money, and the children get to broaden their horizons. Why wouldn’t Principal Gu agree? He agreed right away, no hesitation at all.”

Zhao Ke bit the tip of her chopsticks, her eyes gradually lighting up.

Zhao Feng noticed and involuntarily shivered. “Jie, what are you planning? Why do you look so… scheming?”

Zhao Ke rolled her eyes at him, but the corners of her mouth couldn’t help rising.

It had to be Comrade Yu Xiulan, always giving her inspiration.

Didn’t Zhuang Lan want to integrate into the production team?

Fu Zhiqing, an educated youth from a highly educated family, even knew physics—what a talent.

And the other educated youth, no matter what, had at least gone to school. There had to be some untapped potential…

Were the educated youth afraid of not being able to return to the city? Well, they couldn’t go back yet anyway. How could she just leave such cheap and useful labor sitting idle?

Wouldn’t that be a terrible waste?

She had to put them to good use!