Chapter Eighty-Seven: Breaking the Doldrums

Han Li would usually stand with the others and chat idly at times like this, mostly listening to what everyone else had to say.

Maybe he was standing in the wrong place today, or maybe he had simply arrived at an inopportune moment.

That morning, he had unexpectedly heard all sorts of bawdy jokes and filthy talk. The sort of crude nonsense that made even his ears burn.

Quite a few of the married women around him had covered their mouths and laughed the moment they heard it, proof enough that they were old hands at such things.

But there were also a few who looked completely baffled, the sort of innocent young things who clearly knew nothing at all.

Han Li's body might have belonged to an innocent young man, but he had long since seen through the instructor's lessons, and in his heart he was already very mature.

To be spouting that sort of talk so early in the morning—had the meat they ate the previous two days all turned into energy overnight?

How was a vigorous young man, who bathed in cold water every day and drank chrysanthemum tea, supposed to endure that?

"Comrade Han is here. What did Aunt Liang mean just now? Why don't you explain it to everyone and clear up the riddle?"

Han Li said awkwardly, "I don't know that one. But I do have a few riddles of my own. Aunties, would you like to try and guess them?"

"Go on then. You think we can be stumped by a little brat like you?"

"A very pretty child, dressed in seven or eight layers of clothes, with pearls and treasures hidden in his arms, and a red-tasseled cap on his head. Guess a food."

"Pomegranate. The seeds are just like little jewels."

"Wrong."

"I know! It must be a club. Doesn't a club have a little red cap too?"

"Wrong, though you're getting close."

"Can't guess it. Then tell us what it is."

"It's corn."

"Wrong. Why did you say I was close when I guessed club just now?"

"What else is corn called?"

"Corn on the cob."

"Well, a club and corn on the cob both have that same word for 'stick' in them. Isn't that a little close?"

After that, everyone accused Han Li of quibbling, but more than that, they wanted him to give them another one.

Han Li said, "From the south comes a white-haired lady, with no bones and no blood."

"No bones and no blood? That sounds downright spooky."

"You're like a dazed roe deer. It's obviously tofu."

"You really can't say that. A roe deer's backside is white, but who knows about hers?"

"Hahaha..."

"Get lost. My backside is white enough too. My old man says I look like..."

"Like what?"

"Why should I tell you lot?"

"Hahaha..."

Just then, the three leading men came over with their notebooks, and the scene gradually grew quiet.

But Village Head Zhao and Brigade Leader Liang both looked to be in a decent mood. The accountant, Zhang, looked as though someone had borrowed money from him and still hadn't paid it back.

In truth, ever since he had heard yesterday that there would be a meeting in the county, Zhang the accountant would have preferred it if someone really had owed him money.

His little post as accountant was useful enough in the village, but outside of it, nobody paid him the slightest attention.

Whether it was a meeting at the commune or one in the county, it had nothing to do with him.

If he hadn't been in a foul mood, he wouldn't have ignored the quarrel in the cadre's dormitory yesterday either.

Brigade Leader Liang spoke first. "I'm here today to tell everyone some good news. Yesterday, when we were in the county for the meeting, the higher-ups decided that this year our Shangghe Village will be connected to electricity, fitted with telephones, and hooked up to the radio. From now on, our village will have electric lights that come on with a pull, and we won't need to burn oil lamps at night anymore. That means we've taken another step toward the kind of life where there's electricity upstairs and downstairs, telephones in the home, and everyone can hear the latest instructions from above every day through the radio, along with news and songs from all over the country. Tell me, isn't that a wonderful thing?"

"Wonderful..."

"Our village is finally getting electricity. Last time I went to my cousin's house at the commune, I saw their electric light and I was so jealous."

"Exactly. Electric lights are so much better—bright and clean. With oil lamps, after burning them too long the whole house gets covered in soot. Sometimes you forget to blow out the lamp before sleeping, and when you wake up in the morning your face looks like Magistrate Bao from the opera stage."

"The telephone is the best of all. Even if heavy snow blocks the village in winter, I can still talk to my daughter."

"I say the radio is best. That would be like everyone having a receiver of their own, and we could listen to songs every day."

In an instant, the threshing ground was in an uproar, everyone beaming as they imagined the days ahead.

At last, Brigade Leader Liang led everyone in singing a song and announced the start of work. Just as they were about to follow their team leaders to the fields, several people from the cadre's dormitory asked for leave, and Village Head Zhao approved it without even blinking.

Han Li noticed that among them were Zhang San, Sun Yong, Jiang Xiaoli, and two others whose names he could not remember.

The villagers began whispering whether they were planning to go to the county and make complaints, and whether saying the wrong thing might affect the village's electrification.

The people from the cadre's dormitory knew the situation better. One of them came forward and explained that they were going to the county town to buy a stove.

Otherwise they wouldn't even be able to eat a hot meal, and without that they would have no way to work properly.

Only then did the villagers relax. As long as it didn't interfere with the village getting electricity, that was all that mattered.

They all knew the cadre's dormitory had quarreled half the night yesterday over the order of cooking, so it made sense that they were going to buy a stove today.

No matter what, nobody could stop Han Li from loafing on the job.

But after work, Yun Jingjing, He Mi, and the others dragged him off to help as a strong laborer.

When Han Li went to borrow a cart from the village branch office, Brigade Leader Liang happened to be there, and the cart was lent to him very smoothly.

Just as Han Li was pulling the cart out the door, Brigade Leader Liang stopped him to talk.

"Han Li, before the autumn harvest, do you want to take a trip to the county town?"

Han Li was puzzled.

"When I went to the county for the meeting this time, Director Liu even mentioned you specially. She said you hadn't gone to see her in a long time. When you get to the county, make sure you go pay her a visit, or else she'll think we refused to give you leave."

Though still a little confused, Han Li thanked Brigade Leader Liang sincerely.

He said he would go to the county in a couple of days, and when he did, he would make everything clear, including how he had always been looked after by the brigade leader.

Han Li and the others hauled the borrowed cart up the mountain and, following Qi Zhaodi, found that vast thicket of thorns.

Then they got to work digging, carrying, and planting. The girls handled everything as tightly and thoroughly as they could.

They planted thorns both inside and outside the wall, and even on top of it they chose thick branches and stuck in plenty more.

The amount of work was greater than Han Li had expected. Even with his help, they only managed to finish half of it before dark.

Still, the result looked pretty good. The only question was how it would hold up once the heavy snow came.

Even if it didn't work out perfectly later on, it wasn't much of a problem. After all, they were all planning to raise dogs.

Besides, they lived right next to him. If anything happened, there was no way he would stand by and do nothing.

That night, they brought their things to Han Li's house to cook, since the main task of the day had been helping out in Hao Hongmin's courtyard.

So today she had specially gone to exchange for some white flour...

Thanks to everyone for your support. This book will be featured in the Three Rivers section tomorrow at two in the afternoon.

Thanks to Ancient Beauty Gum for a reward of 1,500 points.

Thanks to the Cool Rainy Night for a reward of 100 book coins.

Thanks to Nanjing's Top Bully for a reward of 100 points.

Thanks to Xiangzi, who loves reading, for a reward of 100 points.