Chapter 25: Teaching Jiang An’an a Lesson

Jiang An’an put away her smile and spoke with righteous indignation: “Are you punishing my parents, Brigade Leader? You clearly have their best interests at heart; it’s for the future of our Nanxi Brigade to earn the flowing red flag.”

“Even if it means bearing the reputation of ‘making a big deal out of small matters for personal gain’ and not being understood, you still want the members to establish a spirit of not fearing hardship. You must endure a lot of heartache in silence.”

Luo Jiawang’s heart trembled slightly; it turned out there were still people in this world who could understand him!

Since becoming the brigade leader, a distance had grown between him and the members. Although everyone respected him on the surface, they secretly criticized him for taking trivial matters too seriously, which made him feel quite bitter.

At this moment, facing Jiang An’an’s serious expression filled with admiration and sympathy for him, he felt both touched and a bit embarrassed.

He even felt somewhat ashamed because he indeed wanted to use his power for personal gain to heavily punish Jiang Degui and his wife.

“I believe that punishing them by making them clean the toilets is very inappropriate,” Jiang An’an countered. “Think carefully about the purpose of punishment.”

Luo Jiawang’s tone was uncertain: “To make them reform?”

“Exactly!” Jiang An’an licked her lips and continued, “So we should have them work in a place where the public can see them, somewhere all the members can supervise them at any time. Only then will this educational activity have meaning.”

Luo Jiawang found her reasoning very sound and thought carefully: “Isn’t that just the work of spreading grain on the drying ground? It’s a flat area where everyone can see. But that work is already being done; if they do it, what will the others do?”

Jiang Degui & Lin Meiru: !!!

Oh my, is there really such a good thing?

Spreading grain only requires using a rake to flip it three times a day, usually done by pregnant women or older ladies as a light task. Once the grain is flipped, they can even rest in the shade.

Jiang Degui looked around and suddenly met the fierce gaze of the brigade leader, which made him shiver and not dare to speak.

“This is the important matter I came to discuss with you today, something that can help all the village women earn extra money to support their households!”

Jiang An’an skillfully painted a bright picture: “Every household in our Nanxi Brigade relies on work points to get by. This year’s harvest is good, and if we save and be frugal, we can make it to the autumn harvest next year. Besides the food provided by nature, the rest is the result of the brigade leader leading all the members to work hard.”

Luo Jiawang unconsciously straightened his chest; that’s right, he was indeed an excellent leader!

“However, the New Year is approaching, and this amount of grain is not enough for everyone to live well. Moreover, as winter sets in, besides the men working in the fields, the women will basically have nothing to do at home. Isn’t that a loss?”

“What a loss!”

“So I have an idea. Through the Women’s Federation, we can have them help the women in the Nanxi Brigade take on some odd jobs, like folding paper boxes or sewing buttons. Although the pay isn’t much, it can buy a needle or a piece of candy for the kids, which is still great.”

Jiang An’an wasn’t just talking nonsense; in her previous life, during a training session, a senior who had been involved with the Women’s Federation since the 60s and 70s shared this experience.

The purpose of the Women’s Federation is to provide women with opportunities to increase their income, thereby enhancing their voice in the family and helping them become independent.

Over the past few days, she had been at home perfecting her plan and figuring out how to persuade the Women’s Federation. Originally, it was to help her older sister Jiang Shulan find a light and legal job, but unexpectedly, it was first used to save her parents.

Life is truly unpredictable; no one knows who will face the next unexpected event first.

Luo Jiawang wasn’t swept away by the excitement and still retained a bit of rationality, but his chest was filled with the grand vision Jiang An’an painted for him. He said, “The matter of the report will take time for the brigade to verify the truth. Jiang Degui and his wife should continue with their original work.”

The implication was clear: I’ll wait for good news from you!

Jiang An’an smiled: “I’ll also need you to issue a letter of introduction from the brigade; I’ll head to the county this afternoon.”

After getting the letter of introduction, the three of them happily went home for lunch.

In the office, Accountant Huang, who had been invisible all morning, finally couldn’t help but complain: “Brigade leader, you’re too soft-hearted; you’ve easily been handled by a little girl.”

Luo Jiawang rolled his eyes, stubbornly saying, “How could that be? Jiang An’an is such a sincere comrade, doing practical things for the brigade. Would I really hold onto a trivial mistake of her parents and disappoint such a talented young comrade?”

Accountant Huang replied, “…Hehe.”

“However, if Jiang An’an really succeeds in this matter, it would be a significant achievement.” In these tough times, even Accountant Huang was quite tempted.

“Not only that,” Luo Jiawang said proudly, lifting his ceramic tea mug, “the year-end report might even earn us praise from above; we might have a chance at the red flag!”

The flowing red flag was his obsession; if Jiang An’an helped the brigade earn that honor, he would be willing to support Jiang Degui and his wife!

–

Jiang An’an successfully brought her parents home, drawing many curious glances along the way, especially from the neighbor auntie, who was so angry she was throwing things in her yard.

“Why haven’t they been arrested by the police even after being reported? What benefits has the brigade leader received to constantly favor those two old fools? I must go ask this afternoon.”

“Don’t go!” Uncle Jiang slammed his pipe. “Xiao Wu’s factory is about to be regularized; don’t cause trouble.”

Hearing this, Aunt Jiang deflated.

“Dad, it’s because you’re timid and afraid of trouble that the second branch has gotten on top of us.” The youngest son, Jiang Yongsheng, sauntered out of the room, stretching on the steps, clearly having just woken up late in the sun.

“That little schemer Jiang An’an has tricked our family twice now, causing me to lose my engagement to the Qin family. If you can swallow this anger, I can’t.”

Uncle Jiang was cautious: “You little brat, what scheme are you up to again?”

“Dad, why do you think so badly of your son? I’m a law-abiding citizen.” Jiang Yongsheng raised both hands, his narrowed eyes gleaming with mischief.

Several brothers had long wanted to get to know the beauty of the Nanxi Brigade, and he was just helping facilitate that.

Hmph! No matter how capable Jiang An’an is, she’s still just a young girl. If her reputation is ruined, let’s see how she continues to act proud!

Uncle Jiang still looked suspicious: “You little rascal, if you dare do anything illegal…”

He raised his pipe as if to hit his son, but unfortunately, Jiang Yongsheng slipped away too quickly, vanishing in the blink of an eye. “Mom, I’m off to do something big; I won’t be back for dinner tonight.”

Looking at the empty doorway, Uncle Jiang felt uneasy, caught between worry and resentment.

He knew his youngest son planned to teach the second branch a lesson, and he hoped that his son could do it decisively without leaving any evidence.