Chapter 166 - 165: Eat as Much as You Can

Chapter 166: Chapter 165: Eat as Much as You Can

The conversation then shifted from Zhao Dashan’s injury to the topic of hunting in the mountains. Several villages in the Qianjin Commune were nestled against the mountains, and there were quite a few hunters. Yang Wenxue couldn’t help but sigh.

"In the dead of winter, prey is hard to find in the old forests. It drains your stamina fast, and with wild beasts on the prowl, it’s really not easy to get something to eat. A lot of people from the villages go up the mountains, but very few come back with anything. Big game is even rarer, and a good number of people get injured. That’s why I say, Comrade Wendong, you’re this!"

As he spoke, he gave Zhao Wendong a thumbs-up before his expression turned worried again as he added.

"Comrade Wendong, didn’t you catch two tons of fish not long ago? After everyone heard about it, families with fishing boats all rushed out to sea, but they all came back empty-handed. One family even disappeared, boat and all. They still haven’t returned. It’s almost certain they’re gone for good."

Everyone fell silent after Yang Wenxue finished. Though they hadn’t witnessed it, the thought of more lives lost filled them with sorrow. But these were the times they lived in. Dirt-poor and starting from scratch, they could only survive by struggling against the heavens and the earth.

"So you see, getting food from the mountains isn’t that easy, and going to sea is even harder. Comrade Wendong, this brings us back to our earlier question. Are you really confident you can get that much food?"

Jiang Weimin admitted that Zhao Wendong was lucky, but luck runs out eventually. He couldn’t help but bring the topic up again.

’If I didn’t have my golden finger and had to rely only on my experience from my past life, I really wouldn’t be so sure,’ Zhao Wendong thought. But as things stood now, he was brimming with confidence. He flashed a self-assured smile at Jiang Weimin.

"I’m not entirely certain," Zhao Wendong replied, "but if there’s a real chance to build a brick-and-tile house, I’d stay on that mountain all winter to give it my all."

Jiang Weimin smiled. He’d asked a question, and Zhao Wendong had immediately turned it back on him. He nodded, looked at Zhao Wendong, and gave him a firm answer.

"You’ll definitely get your chance. I’ll do my best to fight for it for you. Before, it was Li Dalian who was always obstructing things, but now that he’s gone, I don’t think there will be any problems! If you really manage to build it, remember to be low-key. Otherwise, people will constantly be coming to Old Yang and me, and that would be a headache. Or perhaps we can see if there are other solutions that work for everyone. But there’s no rush on that. It’s not too late to talk about it once the house is actually built."

Zhao Weiguo was still a little worried, mainly that it would be too conspicuous.

"A house is a huge thing just sitting there. You can’t be low-key even if you want to. Won’t it be too eye-catching and attract trouble?"

"Well, first, is this a problem within your production team? If you all have no problem with it, then at the Commune level, isn’t there Old Yang? And at the county level, isn’t there me? If we all agree it’s not a problem, then it’s not a problem!"

Although Jiang Weimin’s words were rather subtle, no one present was a fool. Everyone understood his meaning. He was openly siding with Zhao Wendong. Even Wang Defa looked at Zhao Wendong with a hint of envy. ’He’s truly Secretary Jiang’s number one favorite,’ he thought.

"But now, it all comes down to your own abilities, Comrade Wendong. No one can twist right and wrong about things you’ve earned through your own skills. But if you try to take advantage of the collective, that’s absolutely not allowed. Understand?"

Zhao Wendong nodded happily.

"I understand, Secretary Jiang. I won’t take a single thing from the collective. I’ll rely on my own skills. The size of my bowl will depend on my ability, and the size of my house will depend on how many bricks and tiles I can trade for!"

Jiang Weimin nodded in satisfaction. Although Zhao Wendong was young, he sometimes handled matters with a veteran’s touch, as reassuring as if he’d lived for several extra decades.

On the production team committee, Zhao Weiguo and Third Master Zhao were also beaming. If Zhao Wendong could really trade for grain in the team’s name, not only would some benefits "stick to their fingers," but just offsetting the resold grain quota as they’d discussed would solve a massive problem for the village. That was a full ton of grain.

Once they had the grain, they could continue using the work-for-relief model to motivate everyone. It would solve the villagers’ food problems and, at the same time, allow the production team to make ample preparations for next year’s production.

Listening to their enthusiastic discussion, Jiang Weimin’s interest was piqued.

"What’s all this about a work-for-relief well repair project? Can you take us to see it now?"

Seeing that everyone was about finished with their soup and meat, the committee members nodded. Zhao Weiguo called over Zhao Lao Nian and a few others who had participated in the well repair to give a tour and explanation at the team’s old well. Before leaving, Third Master Zhao glanced at Granny Liu, then shouted to the surrounding villagers.

"Ahem, we’re taking the leaders for a tour. We’ll be back in a bit. All of you who’ve eaten your fill, help clean up the place! We’ll start the meeting as soon as we get back!"

"You got it, Third Master."

"Understood!"

The villagers responded with gusto. If a meeting meant a meal, they’d be happy to have one every day. Just as the group stepped outside, they saw Er Gou arriving with three dogs in tow. When General and the others saw Zhao Wendong, they leaped up and circled around him. Zhao Wendong patted each of their heads before letting Er Gou take them inside for their feast.

[The old master is here. Master is in a good mood, too. Happy.]

Zhao Wendong’s steps faltered for a moment before he hurried to catch up with Jiang Weimin and the others. ’The "old master" General mentioned must be Little Bastard’s maternal grandfather,’ he thought. ’Even though the little guy hasn’t been with us long, he’s such a caring and considerate dog. I’m really lucky to have a lead dog as smart, brave, and loyal as General.’

Soon, the group arrived at the well. When he saw that there wasn’t a speck of ice around it, Yang Wenxue’s eyes lit up. At the Commune’s well, someone had fallen and broken an arm just two days ago while fetching water. Seeing the proper well platform in Dragon King Pond Village, he was filled with admiration.

Zhao Weiguo described the well platform’s previous condition in detail to Jiang Weimin and the others. He explained how Zhao Wendong had proposed repairing it, and how they had combined that with their home visits, discovering that several families, like Zhao Lao Nian’s, were on the brink of running out of food. Zhao Wendong then suggested using his own grain for a work-for-relief project.

In the end, not only did they clean up the well platform, ensuring the villagers’ safety and convenience and eliminating the risk of injury, but Zhao Lao Nian and the others also earned grain through their labor, allowing their families to overcome the threat of starvation. At the same time, it greatly boosted the prestige of the production team committee and the morale of its members.

CLAP CLAP CLAP~

Upon hearing the conclusion, Jiang Weimin couldn’t help but lead a round of applause. Yang Wenxue happily clapped along. It seemed like a small matter—fetching water in winter—but it was a case of seeing the great in the small. A minor issue held a major principle. As the old saying goes, "How can one sweep the world if one cannot sweep a single room?" Zhao Wendong was a man of great wisdom.

"Excellent! You’ve done a truly excellent job here in Dragon King Pond. You have ideas, you take action, and you get results. The committee of the Dragon King Pond Production Team is a capable fighting force! Comrade Zhao Wendong has effective methods. I commend you for your work, and I’ll be waiting for more good news from you."

Zhao Weiguo was thrilled by the praise, his face flushed with excitement. Thinking of the brick-trading agreement between Zhao Wendong and Jiang Weimin, he puffed out his chest and made a guarantee.

"Next, as long as Dongzi—ahem, Comrade Wendong can first secure that ton of grain to cover our team’s resold grain quota, our committee is confident we can continue applying the work-for-relief principle to handle all subsequent work and arrangements. We’ll deploy our plans for this at the meeting when we get back."

As the group returned laughing and chatting to the production team’s public canteen, the villagers of Dragon King Pond were already waiting. Many were still busy stuffing the last bits of soup and meat into their mouths, unwilling to let a single scrap go to waste. This infuriated General and the other dogs, who were barking in frustration. It was really nothing but bones; not a shred of meat had been left for them.

"See that?" Zhao Wendong suddenly said, his words like a riddle. "When the public canteen serves food, eating even a little less feels like a loss, so people eat as much as they possibly can! But when they cook for themselves at home, they’re afraid of wasting even a little extra, so they eat only as much as they need!"

Zhao Wendong had spoken what sounded like a tongue-twister, but everyone understood him instantly.

With the implementation of the public canteens and their "big pot" meals, everyone had discovered that the biggest problem was waste. Now, as they mulled over Zhao Wendong’s single sentence, they realized the profound wisdom it contained. What a staggering difference in grain consumption that was! For a dirt-poor New China, only founded ten years ago, waste was practically a crime.

In the crowd, the villagers waiting for the meeting whispered amongst themselves, discussing what tonight’s meeting would be about.

"What else could they talk about? It’s just the same old useless nonsense. It’s not like they can magically conjure up food for us, right?"

Zhao the Sixth said with a look of disdain. A few people beside him were about to chime in, but they immediately shut their mouths when they saw Zhao Wendong’s gaze sweep over them. The group of officials accompanied Jiang Weimin and the others to the center of the room. Once everyone was seated, Zhao Weiguo cleared his throat.

"Today, our production team is holding the first general meeting of this winter. First, to all our member comrades, please give a warm round of applause to welcome Secretary Jiang from the county and Secretary Yang from the Commune!"

ROAR~

Thunderous applause broke out. If nothing else, after all these years, everyone was well-practiced at clapping. Jiang Weimin and Yang Wenxue stood up and waved amicably to the crowd.

"And next, let us thank our Civilian Militia Captain, Comrade Zhao Wendong, for providing us with this sumptuous dinner tonight. We now invite him to speak to everyone first."

ROAR~

This time, the applause was even more fervent, peppered with shouts of "Brother Dong is the man!" Zhao Wendong stood up, mimicking the secretaries by waving to the crowd, and the cheers grew even louder.