Ever since he began listening to the radio, Sanwang had followed his gege in tuning into broadcasts about warfare and hunting down secret agents. Combined with the regular immersion from Lin Lan’s propaganda team programs, Sanwang’s desire to perform had grown incredibly intense.
Dawang led him forward, pushing open the courtyard door as they went inside.
Liu Chunfang only felt aggrieved. Originally, this was her man, she was the one who should have been the director's xifu, but Lin Lan got a bargain.
The two of them were affectionate for a while before Lin Lan pushed Han Qingsong away. "Come, help me chop the filling, we're making dumplings to eat."
Zhiqing Chen was unwilling to be arrested and sentenced just like this. He knew that once sent to the public security bureau, nothing good would come of it.
Liu Guifa was completely silenced.
"You, you, shrew, shrew, how can you hit people!" He reacted and immediately wanted to fight back.
The autumn air was crisp and the white clouds drifted leisurely. Lin Lan really liked this pastoral scenery. If it weren't for the busy autumn harvest, such days would be beautiful and full of poetic charm.
Luo Haicheng frightened Zhao Jianshe, then bid farewell to Han Qingsong and escorted them away first.
Han Qingsong asked, "What is it?"
Lin Lan had originally wanted to pretend nothing was wrong, but his sudden question instantly made her cheeks turn beet red. "Cough, cough, cough..."
Han Qingsong nodded. "Zhao Anpin bit the bait?"
Luo Haicheng grinned. "Director Han, I truly admire you. You really predict things like a god."
Watching Lin Lan wake up, Xiao Wang looked at her with pleasant surprise, "Mother, you're awake?" He cautiously reached out and hugged Lin Lan, "Mother, you're sick, please get some rest. I'll go bring you some food."
After saying this, he climbed off the kang and ran to the main room to fetch food for her.
Han Qingsong’s tone remained as steady as ever, but Han Er-ge detected a hint of coldness in it. Knowing that his brother was angry after hearing what had just been said, he felt too embarrassed to follow, so he could only say, "Third, don't be angry. You've built a brick-and-tile house while Die and Niang are still living in a dilapidated thatched hut; surely you can see why they would feel a bit of discomfort and resentment."
He did not hear Han Qingsong respond, so he stopped talking and turned to head home.
The "Big JJ" incident was not like the usual exposés of personal privacy where everyone would share a laugh, the parties involved would blush, and then it would all blow over.
This had escalated into a "my dad is better than yours" competition. Many fathers in the village ended up soundly spanking their children at home, while the women grumbled endlessly—first about the kids, then venting their own frustrations: "If you're not as good as the next man, why take it out on the kids?"
Lin Lan felt heartbroken seeing the children, still so small, already busy helping with the autumn harvest, so she racked her brains to find ways to improve their meals.
The half a jin of meat Han Qingsong had brought back earlier was long gone, and he refused to keep buying unticketed offal, at most going to buy some every few days just like the ordinary commune members.
Mother Han and Yu Wazhe ultimately did not dare to go make a scene at the commune, and her desire to go find Han Qingsong to weep about it did not come to fruition either.
Han Qingsong led a group of people to help transport bricks and tiles, borrowing two carts from the slaughtering unit and another one from the commune. Han Qingyun borrowed two more from the production brigade, making a total of about a dozen people going to help haul the bricks and tiles.
“Chief Han, Chief Han, let’s talk this over rationally.” Huang Weizhong hurriedly stepped forward to mediate, trying to get Han Qingsong to calm down and not take a grudge against Zhao Anpin.
Han Qingsong finally released Zhao Anpin. Although Zhao Anpin had childishly backtracked by claiming the bribe was actually just him counting his own money, it was still a slick, mudfish-like escape from the suspicion of gifting bribes to solicit favors.
Han Qingsong went out to find Department Chief Zhao.
Sun Zhuowen was so angry he gnashed his teeth. He said to Huang Weizhong, "What a nerve! Just wait until he comes begging me to eat with him—I wouldn't even deign to take a bite."
Han Qingyun: "...San-ge."
San-ge truly has a backbone. He can mention building a new house so casually—he really lives up to his reputation: a true man who can charge onto the battlefield to kill enemies, or sew a quilt to pamper his wife!
It is no wonder Han Qingyun is surprised. In the countryside, building a house is a much bigger deal than getting married or having a son; it is the most difficult and significant undertaking for a rural family.
Getting married is simply a matter of reaching the right age and scrounging up a hundred catties of grain, a hook of cloth, a few pieces of furniture, and a piece of meat—or even getting by with half of that. Regardless, as long as the man is decent and has a bit of strength, he will always manage to find a wife, no matter how poor he is. Once married, there is no need to worry about having sons.
But a house is different.
Building a house requires wood, shujie (sorghum stalks), earth bricks, stones, wheat straw, grain, labor, and more.
Even if you only need to pay for two groups of skilled laborers—the masons and the carpenters—while the captain leads the team to help as unskilled labor, the materials themselves must be painstakingly prepared by the family.
Building a house requires a lot of timber for the main beams and purlins. Trees do not grow overnight, and ordinary commune members have neither the money nor the place to buy them. Basically, they just save up; if they can gather everything in a dozen years, that is considered good.
Furthermore, even if you do not use wood for the rafters and instead switch to cheaper materials like shujie, you still have to rely on work points to exchange for them in the production team.
Work points are used to trade for grain, and families are rarely full to begin with, so where would they get enough to trade for materials?
Although unskilled labor can be provided by the village without needing to pay for meals, the skilled masons and the strong laborers who build the walls and raise the beams require several hearty meals.
Just imagine: if you cannot even feed your own family, where would you get the grain to host a meal?
No matter which aspect you look at, it is enough to make commune members worry.
If you want to build three rooms, it is even more incredible. It is often a matter of passing down a house from one's ancestors, with each generation patching and repairing it, and adding a room or two when times are good so their sons can manage to get married.
If one could actually build a brand-new room, it would cost nearly one hundred yuan. If it were made of brick and tile, it would cost even more.
One hundred yuan! How much can a person in the countryside save in a busy year?
Besides, who doesn't get sick? Weddings, births, funerals, and social obligations all cost money.
A single wedding can empty a family's savings of over a decade. A funeral can empty out another decade's worth. If anything else happens, all that is left in the house is a rat's nest—nothing can be saved.
Even if you have been a party secretary for nearly twenty years, you cannot casually talk about building a house; you still have to save for many years.
His own family’s eldest and second brothers have not moved out yet, and he still lives in the same room as his parents. His future marriage itself is already a problem.
The people in the village who are currently applying for housing plots are all families who have saved for ten or twenty years and simply cannot squeeze into their three small rooms any longer, forcing them to build and separate the household.
Han Qingsong is truly the first one to speak so casually about building a house. Han Qingyun almost wants to bow down to him in worship.
Han Qingsong, however, does not consider these things. He has been away from home for years and does not understand the situation in the village. In the army, there was always an order to follow; the harder the task, the more you had to bite the bullet. There was no such thing as retreating in the face of difficulty.
Furthermore, there are many people in the army with great strength—all young, sturdy men. Whenever something needed to be done, it was never an effort.
Han Qingsong never felt anything was difficult. If it was needed, he would do it; if he could not do it, he would find a way. He could always get it done.
Once the thought of building a house took root, he took action immediately.
Building a house is not just a personal matter; one must first apply for a housing plot from the brigade, report the reserve of materials needed—wood, shujie, earth bricks—and apply for a permit to buy bricks and tiles.
Villagers basically never consider bricks and tiles for building; first, it is too expensive and they cannot afford it, and second, they cannot find the connections to get the permits.
Even without bricks and tiles, the other materials like wood and shujie are not easy to gather.
Everything is collectively farmed now, and each family’s private plot is at most a tiny patch of land on the edges. One has to rely on the production team to distribute materials.
Not to mention how hard it is to save wood; even shujie is difficult.
In the local area, the roof must be tied into bundles and covered over the framework, then covered with yellow mud, thatch, or wheat straw. The shujie acts like rafters. If there is not enough wood, shujie is used as a substitute. After all, it is much cheaper than wood.
But even so, in a production team with so many households, it is not easy to gather enough by one's own efforts.
Han Qingsong, however, thinks that since he is going to build a house, he will build it with bricks and tiles. Earth houses easily collapse during rainstorms and are not safe. They also require repairs several times a year, which is wasteful and exhausting—a truly helpless situation.
Han Qingsong went to find Han Yongfang. "Da-ye, I want to join the queue to apply for a housing plot to build a house."
Han Yongfang smiled and took out a map of the village’s housing plots. "Take a look, pick whichever one you like."
Han Qingsong looked at him in surprise. "Do I not need to queue?" He had inquired, and it would at least be a couple of years.
Although building a house is not easy, many families have over a dozen people squeezed into three small rooms. They are truly unable to squeeze any more. Some borrow space in other people's homes, and some have nowhere to stay, so they just make do in a straw shed. Almost every family has a need for housing, but they have put it on hold due to a lack of money, grain, and materials.
Han Yongfang shook his head. "No need. I already applied for you a long time ago."
Han Yongfang had been pondering Han Qingsong's transfer for a while.
In fact, the old Han family could have applied for a housing plot to build a house and separate long ago, after all, Han Qingsong sent money back, and the old lady was not short of cash. It was just that the old lady, with her feudal matriarchal thinking, did not want to separate the family. If they separated, her sons and daughters-in-law would live their own lives—who would still listen to an old woman like her? If they did not separate, the whole family would revolve around her, and her word would be law—how majestic was that!
Many families do not separate for two reasons: they are too poor to afford it, or the elders are afraid of loneliness and abandonment and dislike the emptiness, so they insist that their children and grandchildren live together, only separating after both elders or the father passes away.
Han Yongfang considered that Han Qingsong was returning after a transfer, and his household registration and grain rations were different from others—a bit complex. For example, others were usually transferred back to their place of origin, transferring their household registration back to their own village.
Han Qingsong's household registration did not return to the village; it remained in the county, but his grain and oil rations had reached the commune.
He could receive three salaries in total—from the county and the commune—and could simultaneously receive two sets of benefits from both. For example, a monthly grain ration for regular government staff was thirty catties, though now that conditions were better, cadres could get thirty-six.
But Han Qingsong had forty-four catties, based on the standard for heavy manual labor. This weight refers to processed flour that can be consumed, not the raw grain like wheat or corn harvested in the countryside.
These forty-four catties include cooking oil; one catty of grain ration includes three taels of oil—it is not a simple ration exchanged by rural folks for grain.
Han Yongfang did not handle other things like cloth coupons or cotton coupons, so he was not sure, but he guessed they were definitely doubled or based on a higher standard.
For example, while others might get one zhang of cloth a year, he might get at least one point five zhang.
While others got two catties of cotton, he might have three.
With such good conditions, the primary need is definitely to build a house.
The two grass huts borrowed from the brigade were too dilapidated; they were okay for a temporary stay, but for a long-term residence, they would leak wind and be freezing in the winter, and leak during heavy rain and wind in the summer.
If there was a heavy rainstorm, it would even flood back into the house.
There were many people in the village applying for housing plots, and if he had to queue, Han Qingsong would have had to wait until the year after next.
Fortunately, he had applied for him long ago.
He pondered that even though Han Qingsong's household registration was in the county, it did not mean he could take his whole family to the county.
First, his primary job was in the commune, and the county would not provide him with housing. No housing meant he was just holding a concurrent position and did not need to go to work daily.
Second, Lin Lan and the children's household registration could definitely not go to the county unless Han Qingsong was promoted in the future, became the county public security bureau chief, and was allocated a house; then it might be possible.
At this time, it was very difficult for agricultural households to become non-agricultural, as cities were still sending educated youth down to the countryside every year. The jobs in the city were already in short supply, so they naturally would not let agricultural households move in unless they had made a major contribution or had an unavoidable reason.
Therefore, he felt Han Qingsong absolutely had to build a house in the village.
As expected, his calculation was correct.
Han Qingsong took a look and said gratefully, "Thank you, Da-ye. I will call the children’s mother to come and pick one."
Han Yongfang smiled slightly. "Take it back, go home and pick carefully."
Han Qingsong also borrowed two batteries from the brigade, then carried the batteries and the thick book home to find Lin Lan.
Lin Lan's quilt was also almost finished. She was puzzled when she saw him coming back with a big book. "What is this?"
Han Qingsong placed the book on the kang and went to the side to replace the radio batteries. "For you to pick."
Lin Lan glanced at it, surprised and delighted: "Pick a housing plot?"
Han Qingsong raised his eyebrows. She could tell immediately that it was a housing plot.
Lin Lan could not take her eyes off it, lying there looking this way and that. "Where should we build it? Right next to the brigade? Or behind the village? Is the east side of the village better? It’s closer to the school, which is convenient for them. Or how about the west side? It’s closer to the private plots, making it easy to grow and water vegetables..."
Han Qingsong watched her lying there, her unevenly cut hair looking very soft and gleaming with a gentle light. Acting on an impulse, he reached out and touched it.
Lin Lan gasped. "What is it?"
Han Qingsong immediately pulled his hand back. "You have straw bits on your head."
She watched the suspicious red flush rise on Han Qingsong's face and laughed. "It's fine, I'm crawling in the straw pile all day."
There was no straw shed at home; the straw pile was soggy on the outside from the rain, so they could only dig out the dry parts from the inside to burn.
She looked for a while but could not make up her mind. "Why don't we wait for the kids to come back and pick together?"
Han Qingsong thought that picking a housing plot had nothing to do with the kids; couldn't she just decide? But he still nodded. "Fine."
Lin Lan happily put it down and went back to sewing the quilt, which was already near the end.
Han Qingsong went out to the courtyard to take a look. They had prepared materials for building the house, but they still had to wait until after the autumn harvest, around September or October.
Building their house now was not short of money, and labor was easy to handle. Paying for a few skilled workers would be a matter of three or four days, with the captain leading the others to help.
The hardest part was preparing the materials, which had to be done slowly.
He observed the courtyard and chose the position by the south wall next to the outhouse to build a straw shed, so that firewood could be kept inside without fear of rain.
Bicycles and farming tools could also be stored there; the house was already full, and keeping them outside in the wind, sun, and rain would cause them to rot easily.
A straw shed was much easier to build. Using the south wall as a support, he built an earth wall on the opposite side, supported it with some curved wooden poles that could not be used as purlins, and covered it with thatch, reeds, etc.
Han Qingsong went to prepare the materials first. In the afternoon, Lin Lan helped him out, and after work in the evening, Han Da-ge and Han Qingyun came over to help, and the straw shed was soon up.
Han Da-ge and Han Qingyun naturally refused to stay for dinner and left as soon as they finished helping.
Han Qingsong helped Lin Lan pull apart the straw pile that had been rained on outside. The wet parts on top were dried to burn, and the dry parts underneath were moved into the straw shed.
Straw that has been rained on rots easily; if it is not dried, it turns to dirt within a few days.
Lin Lan was very satisfied as she watched and praised, "Chief Han is truly capable. He can attack when advancing and defend when retreating."
Han Qingsong glanced at her, wondering where she had picked up such cheeky remarks.
...
At night, the children came back one after another for dinner.
Lin Lan gestured for Er Wang to listen to the radio. Er Wang asked in surprise, "Mother, do we have batteries?"
Lin Lan smiled. "Your father borrowed them from the brigade; we will buy some later and return them."
Er Wang happily started tuning the radio. At this time, the programs included singing, operas, model operas, storytelling, and so on. Songs like "I Love Beijing’s Tiananmen" and storytelling like "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" were very popular.
However, the children were also prone to arguments. For example, Da Wang and San Wang liked listening to war-related storytelling, Er Wang and Maisui liked listening to various songs, but Xiao Wang liked listening to the sounds of instruments like the erhu, flute, hand drum, or guzheng... There was inevitably another squabble.
Lin Lan quickly mediated, "Why don't you take turns listening?"
"Storytelling needs to be followed; if you cut it for one day, you won't be able to keep up."
"You didn't have anything to listen to for the past few days without batteries!"
The children argued, and the two small rooms were as noisy as a boiling pot.
"Stop, stop!" Lin Lan tried to advise them a few times, but the children did not listen at all and argued even more fiercely.
Han Qingsong entered the room from outside, his thick brows knitted. "Attention! Stand at ease!"
Da Wang, Er Wang, and San Wang reflexively stood at attention immediately.
Maisui smugly enjoyed the radio by herself, tuning it to a singing program.
San Wang looked at his sister with dissatisfaction, pushing his big brother with his hand and grunting.
Maisui even poked her lips at them proudly.
"Why are you only letting her listen? I want to listen too!" San Wang started to get rebellious.
Han Qingsong gave the radio switch a twist with his large hand. "Want fairness? Then none of you listen."
The room fell into immediate silence.
Han Qingsong handed the radio to Lin Lan. "Don't let me hear you arguing again."
The children all pursed their lips tightly, all looking indignant.
Lin Lan thought for a moment, "Why don't I make some wooden sticks? We can draw lots for the storytelling or songs, and listen to whichever one is picked?"
The children were not very willing, but they had no better options. Crucially, their "black-faced" father was glaring, and they were a bit timid.
Lin Lan had never been married or had children in her past life; now she was crossing the river by feeling for stones. Plus, with her open-minded nature, she naturally brought in the atmosphere of tolerance and love that modern parents have toward their children, which inevitably clashed with Han Qingsong's old-fashioned, traditional education.
After all, the long-standing educational philosophy in China is: "filial children are born from the rod."
Disobedient? Beat them. Still disobedient? Beat them hard!
Lin Lan would say Da Wang deserved a beating from his father, but when the small cane actually whipped him, she would shrink back, feeling guilty.
Therefore, she was willing to use more peaceful methods to communicate with the children and find positive, effective solutions.
However, this method also had drawbacks—it was slow to take effect, especially for children with lower emotional intelligence who learned things later. Furthermore, when it came to things they liked, even the obedient Er Wang and Maisui would become stubborn, and Lin Lan would be a bit at a loss.
Since that was the case, she would just put it away; when there was nothing to listen to, no one would think about it.
At dinner, the atmosphere was somewhat suffocating; even Xiao Wang did not dare to speak and just leaned against Lin Lan, eating obediently.
Lin Lan tried to liven up the atmosphere a few times, but the children's reactions were not enthusiastic.
After dinner, Lin Lan said, "You guys do your homework first. When you finish, we will hold a meeting to pick the housing plot."
Housing plot?
Upon hearing this, the children reacted immediately. "Mother, are we building a house?"
Lin Lan smiled. "That's right. This house isn't ours, and we can't borrow it forever, so of course we have to build our own."
There wasn't much homework, and they finished in a few minutes. Several children lay on the kang and picked; one wanted the back of the village, one wanted the east side, and one wanted to stay where they were... Before long, they started arguing again.
Lin Lan saw Han Qingsong's face getting darker and darker, so she immediately smiled at him, signaling him not to be angry.
To tell the truth, having five children arguing in such a small house really was quite noisy.
Finally, Lin Lan said, "Voting. Whoever wants to pick a location, raise your hand. The one with the most votes counts."
The children thought for a moment and had no objections, each emphasizing the location they liked.
There were basically two factions: San Wang followed his big brother, and Er Wang and Maisui were together, while Xiao Wang was too young and ignored.
Lin Lan said, "How about this? Whoever can write down 'South of the Village', 'North of the Village', 'East of the Village', 'West of the Village', and 'Middle of the Village' correctly will get two votes."
She took the opportunity to stimulate them to study hard. In this way, there were five votes in total, and three votes would win.
She signaled for Da Wang to write first. Da Wang glanced at her with an angry look in his eyes.
Lin Lan laughed. "You don't know how to write, huh? Who knows? Whoever knows how to write gets the two-vote qualification. Your father and I won't vote; you guys decide for yourselves."
She did not believe they could write them.
Er Wang said, "Mother, let me try."
Maisui also hurried to start.
When they were following their little aunt and uncle, they had also learned a few characters.
Over there, Da Wang also gripped his pencil with a murderous aura.
San Wang stared blankly!
Xiao Wang looked at this one and then that one. "I'll just follow Mother."
Lin Lan hugged him. "Good."
Finally, after they finished writing, Lin Lan took a look.
Maisui didn't write "South" correctly; Er Wang didn't write "West" or "South" correctly.
San Wang couldn't write any of them.
Oh my, Da Wang actually got them all right, even though his handwriting was uglier than his father's!
Da Wang lifted his eyebrows triumphantly and gave a light harrumph. Your big brother is your big brother!
With four children, three votes to two, the decision-making power belonged to Da Wang.
Wherever he decided, that was where it would be.
Er Wang said to San Wang, "San Wang, Big Brother wants to live behind the village. That's the furthest from the school. In the winter, you won't be able to get up; if you're late, the teacher will punish you and Dad will beat you. Don't you think the east side is closest to the school?"
San Wang heard this and thought his second brother was right.
Da Wang glared at San Wang, looking as if he was saying, If you dare to betray me, don't expect me to acknowledge you in the future.
Lin Lan laughed watching them. She let them struggle there; the friction between children was also a process of promoting their relationships and finding solutions.
She asked Han Qingsong, "Are you going to work tomorrow?"
Han Qingsong nodded. "The results come out tomorrow."
Da Wang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his "black-faced" father was going to work tomorrow; it seemed the training for tomorrow would be spared.
Finally, San Wang, pressured by his big brother's intimidation and temptation—his brother said he would take him along to play war games in the future—happily continued to side with his big brother.
Da Wang said, "The house will be built right next to this."
Everyone: ??? Wasn't it supposed to be behind the village?
The back of the village was the least suitable; Da Wang was purely being contrary on purpose.
Da Wang raised his eyebrows triumphantly.
Lin Lan: ...
Building it near here was Lin Lan's idea; building a house close to home was convenient. Plus, it was near the brigade headquarters, so it was convenient for meetings or distributing things. It was also near the West River and the vegetable garden, which was convenient for planting.
Er Wang and Maisui saw that although it wasn't on the east side next to the school, it wasn't in that remote corner behind the village, so they were also very satisfied. "Fine."
That was how it was decided.
"Now you have one more job: whenever you have time, go out and pick up stones." Han Qingsong ordered.
If it were up to San Wang, he wouldn't go to school; how great would it be to go pick up stones all day.
The next day, Da Wang thought that since Han Qingsong was at work, they would escape training, but Han Qingsong got up even earlier, and because the weather was good, the training was even more ruthless!
Running exercises, squat jumps, push-ups...
Da Wang deeply understood the bitter consequences of not listening to the elders. Yesterday, Han Qingsong asked him to stretch his legs, and he dismissed it with disdain. Early this morning, he felt his two legs were as sore as soft noodles!
Er Wang was fine, after all, since he had felt the soreness yesterday, he felt comfortable today.
Because Da Wang's legs were sore, Han Qingsong whipped him twice. Finally, he gritted his teeth and completed the training, drenched in sweat and feeling as if his whole body had fallen apart, making the pain even worse.
Now he was honest. He and Er Wang started massaging each other's legs; at first, they could bear it, but later they screamed so miserably it was unbearable to hear.
Han Qingsong's eyes were as sharp as a falcon's; dealing with a few furry children was much less effort than dealing with raw recruits. Disobedient? To put it plainly, it was just having too much energy and nowhere to stay. Training them until their whole bodies fell apart, they wouldn't even dare to breathe hard, so how could they go out and stir up trouble?
Er Wang suspected his father was punishing them more severely for snatching the radio last night, but Da Wang clearly hadn't realized that.
"To go to school is to follow school rules. If I hear that you fought at school, bullied classmates, or bullied teachers, your training will be doubled in the future." Han Qingsong's voice was cold, chillier than the white fog of an autumn morning.
Er Wang stole a glance at Da Wang.
Da Wang had clashed with several older students on his first day of school. He was already a troublemaker in the village, so naturally, he wouldn't be intimidated now, and the grudge was already settled.
Er Wang estimated that in a few days, the teacher and other parents would be joining hands to come home and complain, and at that time, Da Wang would have something to worry about.
He usually lived under his big brother's intimidation, but now he couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude.
When Han Qingsong left for work and the children were driven to school, Lin Lan tidied up and let Xiao Wang play on the street with the other children in the village.
Xiao Wang was obedient and wouldn't play dangerous games or go to dangerous places; he just played on the village street with the other children.
Lin Lan took the housing plot application to find Han Yongfang.
Han Yongfang circled the place she had chosen, wrote down the name, and then they filled out a housing plot application form, stamped it with the brigade's seal, and pressed their fingerprints on it.
Additionally, she had to write an application for building materials. They had to figure out how to save up or buy wood themselves, but for shujie, wheat straw, and earth bricks, they could apply to the brigade.
Every summer when it was hottest, the brigade and the various production teams would lead the commune members to cast earth bricks. After they were dried in the sun, they would be stacked up; apart from the brigade and production team headquarters' own use, they were for the commune members.
There are no secrets in the village. The news that Lin Lan's family had applied for a housing plot to build a house quickly spread throughout the entire village.
When work finished at noon, someone ran to the brigade. "Our housing plot application has been in for a year; why hasn't it been approved yet? They just applied, so why was theirs approved?"
Yu Wuzi and Liu Chunfang's in-laws also had an application, but it had never been approved. Hearing people say this now, Yu Wuzi immediately seized the opportunity to stir up trouble.
She hated that Han Qingsong refused to let her son go, and she had been running around pulling strings for the past two days. Now that she heard people say Lin Lan's family was going to build a house, she was the first to jump out and create chaos.
Han Yongfang said, "Everyone just work quietly, don't look for trouble where there is none. Have the cotton been picked up? In a couple of days, we will be snapping corn cobs; have the tools been cleaned up?"
"Secretary, why was hers approved as soon as she applied? We have waited two years and it hasn't been approved?" Yu Wuzi was furious, thinking she had found leverage. "Don't tell me just because you are an official..."
"Get lost!" Before she could finish, Han Yongfang cursed, "A dog's mouth cannot spit out ivory. Have you ever thought about why Changzheng is always stealing chickens and dogs? When he was young, he was such a good child; isn't it because you, this mother-in-law, taught him wrongly?"
Changzheng was Liu Chun’s nickname.
He threw out a stack of applications. "I’ll take them out now. Can your dog eyes even read them? Look carefully. Han Qingsong applied six years ago, and it's only being approved for him now. What are you two years worth?"
The brigade leader immediately came over to testify.
A few years ago, when Han Qingsong was promoted, the brigade thought Han Yongchang would come to apply, so Han Yongfang had written the form for him off-hand, but since he never came, it was just left there.
Now that Lin Lan had come to apply, he just took it out and used it.
The commune members who had come to stir up trouble immediately had no more opinions, and Yu Wuzi was also cursed and left feeling embarrassed.
Han Yongfang continued to lecture: "It would be good if you had this much enthusiasm when working."
...
Han Qingsong officially started work on his first day. First, he met his colleagues in the commune's office courtyard, then returned to the office to learn about his official duties.
Just as he had said before, there was basically nothing to do now. Several colleagues were just idling around, grinding their teeth and gossiping all day.
The most important case at this moment was the sentencing of the four Zhao Jianshe cohorts, and Han Qinghua had also been transferred from the county to the commune for disciplinary action.
According to previous regulations, there would have to be a major struggle meeting, a street parade, and then they would be sent to a labor reform farm to work.
Sun Zhuowen and Huang Weizhong were the heads of the office. When there was no bureau chief, they presided over the work.
Initially, Sun Zhuowen felt that since the former bureau chief had been sacked, he had run to the county to lobby, and it should have been his turn. He had already prepared to host a banquet to celebrate himself becoming the bureau chief, but a "mud-legged soldier" had suddenly been parachuted down from above, making him so angry he almost spat blood.
Sun Zhuowen had already inquired about Han Qingsong's situation and had a general understanding.
He put the verdict on the table for Han Qingsong to sign, while Huang Weizhong poured tea for him.
Han Qingsong took a look; it was written in overly flowery language, beating around the bush—it was clear at a glance that it was a scholar's trick.
He frowned slightly and said flatly, "Too convoluted. It needs to be simple and direct."
Sun Zhuowen's eyes became increasingly dismissive; he felt Han Qingsong had never attended school, was uneducated, and didn't know many characters, unlike the former bureau chief who was a man of culture and paid attention to the phrasing of sentences.
Han Qingsong glanced at the tea again. "Is this a benefit of the Public Security Bureau?"
At this time, tea leaves were a high-end luxury. Ordinary commune members couldn't drink them, and small cadres who wanted to drink them would just buy some tea dust.
The tea leaves looked quite decent.
Sun Zhuowen did not hide his arrogance. "Chief Han, this is a benefit for the bureau chief, a custom."
What a hillbilly, he thought. He probably hasn't even tasted tea in his whole life.
Han Qingsong frowned. "No need."
For an insignificant department that could be dissolved at any moment, they were indulging in so much messy nonsense. No wonder people said that grassroots cadres were very corrupt, and that's why the countryside needed to launch the "Four Clean-ups" movement to audit accounts and let commune members report the corrupt, embezzling, and demanding behaviors of commune and brigade cadres.
Huang Weizhong, however, felt that this uneducated, "mud-legged" bureau chief was not easy to fool, and signaled Sun Zhuowen to restrain himself.
Sun Zhuowen, however, was not afraid; he had people above him. Besides, bureau chiefs come and go, but the subordinates are permanent. This Public Security Bureau and the militia unit were things they controlled.
Bureau Chief, haha, just a figurehead. One word from above and he's sacked.
Han Qingsong asked about the customary punishments for such thieves.
Sun Zhuowen said, "Struggle session, street parade, sentence him to a few years, and send him to a labor reform farm."
Han Qingsong looked and saw Zhao Jianshe's name was missing—there were only three. He pointed to it: "What's going on?"
Sun Zhuowen immediately wore an expression that said, Why are you playing dumb? Since Zhao Jianshe's name wasn't on it, neither was Han Qinghua's. He said meaningfully, "Chief Han, the county... you know."
Han Qingsong glanced at him and raised an eyebrow: "What? I don't know."
Sun Zhuowen felt a bit awkward and cursed inwardly, Why is this hillbilly so dense? Why are you playing dumb? Are you trying to intimidate me?
Huang Weizhong immediately said, "Chief Han, the county sent a message."
Han Qingsong: "Did they explicitly say to release Zhao Jianshe without charge?"
Huang Weizhong smiled. "Not quite, but since Chief Han caught him personally, he wouldn't be without charge."
Sun Zhuowen, however, couldn't stand Han Qingsong's "mud-legged" look. You look like a monkey in a dragon robe. What good does it do you to lock up Zhao Jianshe? You’ve already beaten him and starved him.
Han Qingsong said, "He is the mastermind; according to the regulations, it should be at least five years."
If it had been during a more chaotic time before, he might have even given him ten years.
Sun Zhuowen's expression changed, and he couldn't help but mock, "Chief Han, there’s no need to be so stubborn. That Han Qinghua..."
"Han Qinghua was caught reading reactionary books, and the books flowed out from Zhao Jianshe. Zhao Jianshe led people to commit burglary in the middle of the night, and the news was spread from Han Qinghua. These two people..."
Sun Zhuowen couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. If you sentence Zhao Jianshe but don't sentence your own brother, then that’s a different story. If you sentence your own brother, that’s too heartless!
At this time, there was no concept of the rule of law; the Revolutionary Committee decided everything. Regarding "bad elements" in the commune, as long as it wasn't a capital offense requiring execution, they didn't need to apply to the county; the commune could punish them themselves. Even a few years ago, many people were beaten to death without needing to apply to the county; if they died, they died for nothing, and there was no explanation required.
The county sending Han Qinghua back was, in itself, giving Han Qingsong a face-saving favor.
Now that the commune Revolutionary Committee director said he wouldn't get involved and let the Public Security Bureau handle it, it was naturally Han Qingsong's decision.
Han Qingsong's expression did not change. "Both five years. Send them to Shanshui Farm."
Shanshui Farm was located in the most remote mountain gully of the commune and was guarded by soldiers, making it very difficult to escape.
Prisoners held there, besides their daily farming, would be transferred to dig canals, build roads, and so on. Of course, attending meetings for criticism and education was also mandatory. Because it was guarded by a regular military unit, it wouldn't be as easy to have the excessive, barbaric violence of the struggle sessions in the rural brigades, and their life safety was guaranteed.
That was the place to go for labor reform; it was best suited for the lazy and slick ones.
This kind of labor reform farm was very different from prisons before and after it, because many of the people inside were so-called "political prisoners" and "men of culture." The common people did not discriminate against them; their labor reform in the local area was just participating in labor, study, and education; they could also study and marry.
Hearing Han Qingsong say this, Sun Zhuowen's eyes widened, looking at Han Qingsong as if he were a lunatic.
His own biological brother!
People would usually go out of their way to beg for mercy when their family members got into trouble, but he was great—he was actively sending his own brother to labor reform.
Was this man a lunatic?
Could he have been a soldier for so long that he became a fool?
He doesn't understand anything about human nature. Having such a bureau chief, I've had eight lifetimes of bad luck!
However, he was also secretly happy. You go ahead and court disaster. If you don't give the county face, don't blame me for not warning you. In the future, when people come to squeeze you, you’ll just have to bear it yourself; don't implicate us.
Han Qingsong looked up at them. "What's wrong with that?"
Huang Weizhong quickly said, "Chief Han is right. According to the regulations, this is how it must be sentenced."
The others were sentenced to three years for the lowest ones, and Liu Chunhe and the "Skinny One" were sentenced to four years.
Han Qingsong raised his eyebrows and pointed at Liu Chunhe. "This kind is even more abominable; he’s the same as Zhao Jianshe."
Leading a wolf into the house; by rights, the crime should be one degree heavier.
Huang Weizhong quickly agreed and took the document back to revise it, while Sun Zhuowen’s mouth was practically curling up to his ears.
They were in the same office. Returning to his seat, Huang Weizhong exchanged a look with Sun Zhuowen, signaling him not to be impulsive.
After a while, the two brought the documents for Han Qingsong to sign again.
Han Qingsong signed them. "When are our office's ration coupons being issued?"
Huang Weizhong said, "Chief Han, these are issued by Minister Zhao of the logistics department of the Revolutionary Committee. Generally, at the end of the month, they issue the grain coupons, meat coupons, and non-staple food coupons for the following month. Cloth coupons and cotton coupons are issued at the end of the year. Additionally, some temporary coupons have no fixed time."
By this calculation, there were only two days left.
Han Qingsong nodded. "If I want to buy bricks, tiles, and timber, who do I apply to?"
Huang Weizhong saw that Sun Zhuowen's face looked bad and quickly said, "You can go to the Revolutionary Committee director or the Supply and Marketing Cooperative director for this. Of course, it's more convenient if you know the director of the brick kiln."
Sun Zhuowen couldn't help but sneer, "Oh, Chief Han wants to build a house as soon as he’s transferred? That transfer fee must be quite high, huh?"
Everyone knew that these rural soldiers weren't well-regarded, and their transfer fees were pitifully low. And he wanted to build a brick and tile house? What are you showing off for! You really are a good actor!
Han Qingsong said, "It's not high, so I'm just building three brick and tile rooms."
One thousand yuan is certainly enough for more than three rooms; at this time, with careful planning, it would be enough to build a small courtyard house.
When Sun Zhuowen heard this, he was instantly overcome with uncontrollable jealousy. These people all lived in commune dorms, with only one and a half or two rooms, and a whole family squeezed inside—it was incredibly stifling. They didn't live comfortably, so those whose ancestral homes were near the commune went back to live there; those from out of town had no choice but to stay in the dorms.
Sun Zhuowen just happened to be from the neighboring commune; going home was too far, so he could only live here. His household registration wasn't local, so they didn't allow him to build his own house, and he could only squeeze into the dorm.
"Chief Han's big move is truly enviable."
Han Qingsong stood up and packed his things. "No need to envy. If you had gone to be a soldier, you definitely would have been better than me."
After saying this, he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked to the supply and marketing cooperative.
Sun Zhuowen slapped the table in anger. "What the hell is that? Look at that triumphant look on his face; he doesn't put us in his eyes at all. A hillbilly from the countryside, and he really thinks he’s a big bureau chief!"
Huang Weizhong advised him to restrain himself and not to go head-to-head with the new bureau chief. "Besides, he’s a company commander who transferred."
He guessed Han Qingsong must have received a sum of transfer money, which was just right for building a house at this time. If he didn't build it now, he wouldn't have any money left in a few years. Moreover, if he built it in a few years, there would inevitably be gossip, wondering if the Public Security Bureau Chief had only built the house because he had taken bribes.
Han Qingsong went to find the Revolutionary Committee director first, but as soon as he went out and arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, Director Qian happened to have gone to the county supply and marketing cooperative.
Han Qingsong went to the slaughtering group first.
When he left home in the morning, Lin Lan stuffed five yuan into his hand, telling him a man couldn't go out without money. He only took two yuan and returned the rest to her. He didn't have any meat coupons at this time, so he wanted to buy some pork offal, which didn't require coupons, to take back.
Han Qingsong was still wearing his military uniform, his posture upright and capable, exuding an aura that couldn't be compared to a militia cadre like Sun Zhuowen. As soon as he entered, he attracted everyone's attention.
The group leader was good at observing people; seeing Han Qingsong looked unfamiliar but dressed in a military uniform, tall and stern, he guessed he was the newly arrived Public Security Bureau Chief.
He immediately stepped up to entertain him, hearing Han Qingsong say he wanted to buy some offal that didn't require coupons.
He smiled and said, "Oh, you're really unlucky to come today. Only one pig was slaughtered, and the offal was taken by the Revolutionary Committee canteen." Watching Han Qingsong's expression remain normal and not ask further questions as he turned to leave, he immediately added, "But it's a coincidence; there are a few catties of meat left, and a few catties of bones."
Han Qingsong: "Meat coupons will be issued in two days; I will buy the meat today and keep it on account, and I'll bring the coupons in two days."
The group leader smiled. "That's fine, just don't forget."
Han Qingsong estimated that he should get half a catty of meat a month, so he asked for half a catty and asked how the bones were sold.
Bones didn't require coupons and weren't expensive, but they were basically digested internally and weren't that easy to buy.
Furthermore, bones had no meat and no oil, and cooking them took a lot of firewood; unless the production team was slaughtering a pig, ordinary people generally didn't want them when buying meat.
The group leader said, "If you buy the meat, I'll throw in a tube bone for you."
The price, naturally, was not expensive.
Han Qingsong paid, registered half a catty of meat coupons on account.
When the group leader cut the meat, he specifically picked the fatty pork belly, tied it with a piece of grass rope, and handed it to Han Qingsong.
Han Qingsong took a look. "Do you have any newspaper?"
The group leader thought he was afraid of people seeing the meat and, understanding his intent, had someone bring over a piece of oil paper, wrapped it up, and handed it to Han Qingsong.
Han Qingsong thought to himself, This way, it won't get dusty.
The group leader watched Han Qingsong's departing back and muttered, "Can this big, burly man understand what I mean?"
Han Qingsong wanted to buy offal; he said it was gone so the other party would be disappointed, and then he said there was still a bit of meat that didn't require coupons first, selling it to him—usually, people who know they've been given a favor show their appreciation.
He didn't know if this serious, rigid new bureau chief could understand.
Han Qingsong carried the meat back to the Revolutionary Committee courtyard’s Public Security Bureau office. Seeing the sky, he thought he would wait until noon to eat with the family, so he was in no rush.
When Sun Zhuowen saw him carrying something, he immediately smelled the thick scent of raw meat and said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Oh, Chief Han, you went to buy meat to host a dinner? How embarrassing."
Han Qingsong didn't even look at him and said flatly, "You misunderstood; I bought this to take home to improve our life."
The children also cheered with joy, "Aooo! Die is amazing!" Sanwang, Xiaowang, and the others lacked any restraint as they cl...