Chapter 19

Li Dong stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

Li Dong's proactive pursuit of progress greatly pleased Han Guofu. Before the New Year, the commune had issued a document aiming to solve the long-standing problem of bachelors in the community by the end of the year, calling on all production teams to actively cooperate to resolve the marriage issues of bachelors aged between 25 and 35.

As for the older bachelors, that was a historical legacy issue and was not within the scope of the solution. Han Zhuang had a small population and a relatively good geographical location near a reservoir. Moreover, a few capable people like Han Guofu led the team to become one of the few production teams in the Lishan commune where people could eat their fill. In particular, there were not many bachelors in the team, most of whom were older, around 40 to 50 years old. In those days, 60 was considered old age, and their issues were no longer a problem.

For this reason, Han Guofu was very pleased. Other villages had several bachelors under 35, ranging from three to twenty. In contrast, Han Zhuang currently had only one eligible bachelor, Comrade Li Dong.

Seeing Li Dong's proactive attitude and his application to increase his workload, Han Guofu was very gratified.

"Go find Guohong to get your tools," Han Guofu instructed. Han Guohong was not only the scorekeeper but also responsible for tool management, distributing tools for work. "By the way, don't forget to have Guohong update your work content."

"Got it, Uncle Guofu."

Li Dong found Han Guohong to get the water-carrying tools, which surprised Han Guohong.

"Good boy, thinking about a wife, huh?" Han Guobing, who was leading the sweet potato picking team to get their tools, laughed and patted Li Dong on the shoulder. "Work hard, and you'll have a wife and kids by winter."

"Our village is great; there have been no bachelors for over ten years."

"That's because our team leader is smart. Work hard, and let the team leader pick a capable wife for you. His eye for choosing wives is well-known far and wide."

This was not an exaggeration. Han Guofu had a lot of experience in finding wives, especially from refugee groups, where his unique perspective was evident. Even his own wife, Li Chunhua, was a refugee.

With personal experience, Han Guofu inquired every year about where there were disasters and where there were many refugees. Indeed, half of the village's wives were refugees.

This earned Han Guofu the nickname "Refugee Matchmaker," though it wasn't a flattering title, it was practical. The fact that there were few bachelors in the village over the past ten years was undeniable.

The group joked and hummed as they followed Han Guobing away, leaving Li Dong both amused and embarrassed. "Uncle Guohong, I'm going to carry water today, and Uncle Guofu asked you to update my work content."

"Don't worry."

Han Guohong smiled. "I won't forget. By the way, I have your work log here. Come to my place to pick it up and copy the work points from the past few days."

Every laborer had a work log, and since Li Dong had recently moved in, the village didn't have one for him, causing a few days of delay. The work log recorded the work content and points. The work log and the scorekeeper's records were different, similar to a general ledger and a personal account.

The scorekeeper recorded points based on the work content provided by the team leader. The team leader usually arranged the work content the night before, and the scorekeeper recorded it. Based on the day's situation, as long as no one skipped work, the records generally remained unchanged.

Every ten days or half a month, or during idle times, the scorekeeper would visit each household to verify the work points to avoid errors, which were rare. People in those days were simple, and if they missed recording something, they would add it later, or if the work content was wrong, they would correct it.

Han Zhuang had never had a conflict over work points. Han Guohong had already recorded Li Dong's work, and Li Dong could just go to pick up his work log and copy the points.

"I'll come over once I'm done."

After getting the buckets and pole, Li Dong joined the water-carrying team. Today, the team was led by Han Weijun, and Li Dong shrank back, knowing he would have to work hard. Han Weijun, now the deputy team leader, was preparing to take over from Han Guofu and led by example in everything. Li Dong was afraid of being assigned to work with him.

Sure enough, Li Dong regretted it by noon. Working in the sun was one thing, but why be a hero? Carrying water was not a job for him. Even with a cloth on his shoulder, it still chafed, causing him great pain.

"I won't do this tomorrow," Li Dong gritted his teeth and endured the morning. Han Weijun and Han Guofu, seeing Li Dong's enthusiasm, smiled. "I said it, as long as a person has a goal, their strength is endless."

"Exactly, for a wife, look at him, he works hard."

Hearing this, Li Dong wanted to throw the bucket. "Whoever wants to do it, go ahead. I'll find Uncle Guofu later and ask to dig sweet potatoes instead. Eight points for digging sweet potatoes, twelve points for this, I can't do it."

At lunch, Li Dong saw his daughter Xiaojuan waiting for him and put on a pained face. "Xiaojuan, quick, massage Dad. I can't take it, I can't live like this. Why can't I have a stepmother?"

Xiaojuan rolled her eyes and started massaging Li Dong. "Dad, I talked to Grandpa Guohong. Tomorrow, I'll go collect pig grass, which counts for five points, not two points for child labor."

"What?"

Li Dong sat up, surprised. "Collecting pig grass is a full day's work. In a few days, I'll send you to school in the commune. How will you have time to work?"

Xiaojuan lowered her head. Earlier, Grandma Wu and others had said some things, and Xiaojuan thought they were right. Girls should work hard, not waste money on school.

"Dad, I won't go to school."

"Not go to school?"

Li Dong sat up, put on his shoes, and pulled Xiaojuan to sit beside him. "Why not? You can't stay in the village forever. Education is important for your future."

"School costs money, and I can't earn work points. I need to earn work points."

Xiaojuan's chin lifted, and her stubbornness showed. Li Dong slapped his forehead. "Do you think Dad can't support you? Don't worry, I have the skills. You'll never go hungry."

"But Dad needs to build a house and get married. Grandma said it costs... 150 yuan."

Xiaojuan's words stunned Li Dong. "You're planning to earn work points to help Dad build a house and get married?"

Ridiculous, but Li Dong was also touched by this silly child. "150 yuan is nothing. Dad plans to build a three-room brick house with a large yard, paved with bricks, and a small garden."

However, Xiaojuan seemed unhappy.

"Wow."

Xiaojuan suddenly froze, then burst into tears, thinking Dad was crazy. She was scared.

A brick house, Xiaojuan had heard of it, but only city people could afford it. Li Dong's grand plans frightened her into tears. "Dad, there's no mom, no brother to send me off."

Xiaojuan thought more and more sadly. She earned five points a day, and Grandma said the second rice crop this year would be poor, so one point was worth at most two cents.

Earning ten cents a day, three yuan a month, and 36 yuan a year, it would take a lifetime to save enough for a brick house. Dad would be a bachelor, unable to get married or have a brother. She would have no one to carry her when she got married.

Li Dong didn't know about Xiaojuan's rich inner world; otherwise, he would have scolded her. "No mom? When Dad has money, I'll take you to find your mom."

Regarding Xiaojuan's biological mother, Li Dong had some mixed feelings. She was heartless, but according to the village, she still cared for Xiaojuan. This was a sensitive issue, and Li Dong had no right to interfere.

However, taking Xiaojuan to see her mother didn't seem inappropriate. She was, after all, her biological daughter.

Xiaojuan looked at Li Dong, then burst into tears again. Dad was a lazy, boastful man. What happened to people who boasted? The village's 40-50-year-old bachelors were a good example.

They were now childless, and Xiaojuan was scared. Aunt Qiujun said that a girl without a brother was looked down upon and would be disrespected in her in-laws' home. Xiaojuan was afraid and felt very pitiful.

Her biological father was gone, and now she had a new father who was lazy and boastful. Li Dong was confused. "Why are you crying? Dad is tired from the morning. Look, my skin is chafed."

"Where? Let me see."

Xiaojuan, who had been sad, suddenly stood up and tugged at Li Dong's clothes. "It's a little chafed. Dad, remember to bring Yunnan Baiyao. You help Dad apply it."

Yunnan Baiyao, Li Dong had some. He originally brought ten boxes, 100 band-aids, and cold medicine in a large bag, but many were lost during the time travel. Now, he only had one box of Yunnan Baiyao and cold medicine, no band-aids at all. But having medicine was better than nothing. After applying the medicine and padding the wound with a cloth, Xiaojuan, though reluctant to use new cloth, feared infection and made sure it was well-padded.

Xiaojuan brought out the rice and meat, and the smell of meat made Li Dong's appetite grow. He ate two large bowls of rice, which were as big as modern soup bowls. After two bowls, Li Dong felt more comfortable and burped.

Seeing Xiaojuan only eating rice with a little meat broth, he couldn't help but pour all the meat into her bowl. "Eat more meat, you'll look cute and plump."

"Too much, I'll eat it tonight."

Xiaojuan shook her head. There were still five or six pieces of meat. Grandma had said not to be wasteful like Dad, or they would face famine. The thought of famine scared Xiaojuan, as hunger was the most terrifying thing in the world.

"Just a few pieces of meat. If you want more, Dad will buy it in the city tomorrow."

Li Dong found that some meat didn't require meat coupons, just a bit more money, especially for ribs, which others didn't want but he did. He knew how to cook well with seasonings. "Eat quickly, or Dad will be angry."

Xiaojuan wiped her tears, and Li Dong muttered about her being a crybaby.

In the afternoon, Li Dong found Han Guofu and mentioned his idea of building a brick house. Han Guofu's eyes widened. "A brick house, Li Dong, don't be unrealistic. Work hard, earn more points, and make more mud bricks. After the autumn, everyone will help you fix your house."

"Uncle Guofu, you're underestimating me."

Li Dong was upset. Everyone looked down on him, but he was from the 21st century. Could he not even build a brick house?

"Do you know how much a brick house costs?"

Li Dong shook his head. He didn't know. In the future, he had bought several houses, and both he and his wife had housing funds. They had no other investments, so they bought houses, a total of three. During the divorce, Li Dong only kept one small one.

It was perfect for a family of three. The daughter got the largest, the wife the second, and he the third, but those were all apartment buildings.

"A brick house, I really don't know. Even in my hometown, my parents and brothers built a two-story house."

"At least 500 yuan."

Li Dong almost fell over. How much? 500 yuan? He couldn't believe it.

Han Guofu, seeing Li Dong's shocked face, was worried. The young man didn't understand the value of things.