"Ptooey!" Old Mrs. Chen spat on the ground before turning to sit by the kang: "What good things could she promise? You don't know how cunning that brat is. She tricked Liu Dabao's wife into signing. That's why mother and daughter-in-law started fighting."
Zhang Chunhua was anxious: "Can a daughter-in-law who just married in sign and make it count?"
Old Mrs. Chen's withered lips pulled to one side: "Don't you know Zhang Changhe and the Gu family are close as two peas in a pod? They said as long as they're on the same household registration, anyone signing counts. You didn't see Liu Widow's daughter-in-law either, she's no good. Liu Widow says one thing, she has ten waiting. Her face was about to be torn into a bloody mess."
No matter how much she calculated, Zhang Chunhua never expected Chen Lishu to bypass Liu Widow and go directly to Yue Hongmei.
There was no hope from Liu Widow's side. Zhang Chunhua looked at Old Mrs. Chen and asked deliberately: "Mom, didn't you go check on second brother's family? Have they prepared the horse and cart?"
"Don't mention him to me. That useless good-for-nothing, I don't know who he takes after. You can't get a word out of him with a stick. Their family only has twenty mu of land, while we have forty to fifty mu. Anyway, there are two horses. Let us use the bigger one, and he can keep the smaller one for himself. That's just right! He insists the horse and cart were bought by that brat of theirs and wants to keep them for use. This time, if we don't sign, I'll see what the heck she uses!"
Old Mrs. Chen had been holding a lot of resentment these past few days because of this matter. Chen Lishu had Pocket Mountain. Knowing they had more land, she didn't even bother to get them a horse and cart. She didn't believe she couldn't deal with her.
...
After dinner, Chen Lishu informed her family and put on her scarf and hat before leaving. She went straight to Zhang Changhe's house.
"Uncle Zhang, besides my uncle's family, everyone else in the village has signed. This matter is basically settled. With such a large tract of mountain land contracted, my family alone can't manage it. I was thinking if the village could approve a work permit for me, so I can hire workers."
Although policies were more lenient now and relatives could help, hiring labor was still not allowed. However, there were special circumstances, and for land contracting, approval from the village Party branch was necessary.
Chen Lishu wanted to hire workers, and Zhang Changhe, as the village Party secretary, was naturally pleased. The village land was limited, and her hiring workers would solve the problem of surplus labor and create income for the villagers. It was a good thing, and Zhang Changhe agreed without a second word.
"If you hadn't brought it up, I was also planning to talk to you about this after the land contracting matter was finalized. Originally, the village assigned two people to guard the forest, with a yearly salary of 150 yuan and an additional 100 catties of grain. These two are village 'five-guarantee' households, without children, but they are very familiar with the mountain conditions. If you still need people, include them too."
Since Zhang Changhe had spoken, and those two people lived in the mountains and were very familiar with the environment, Chen Lishu had no intention of replacing them unless their character was truly problematic.
Zhang Changhe was efficient. The next day, after discussing it with the village committee, he issued a work permit for Chen Lishu.
"You can write in the required number of people yourself once you've decided."
Chen Lishu took it and glanced at it. The reason for the permit was clearly written, and it was stamped with the village committee's official seal and the names of several village cadres. The space for the number of people to be hired was intentionally left blank.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang. I really couldn't have done this without your help."
"Why are you being so polite with me, child?" Recalling what Zhang Xiaoju had told him about contracting the supply and marketing cooperative, he asked again, still a bit uneasy: "I heard from Xiaoju that you suggested she contract the supply and marketing cooperative?"
Chen Lishu nodded: "Uncle Zhang, don't look at it now that everyone is short of money and life is hard. But now that household production is implemented, it's no longer the 'big pot of rice' days of the production team. People will definitely put more effort into their own land. As long as grain output increases, I dare guarantee that within three years, our countryside will change dramatically, and even becoming a 'ten-thousand-yuan household' won't be a problem."
Once people have money, their desire to purchase will increase. Moreover, people don't go to the market and town every day. For daily life, they still rely most on the supply and marketing cooperative.
Zhang Changhe nodded repeatedly after listening to Chen Lishu's analysis. That's why it's important to be educated and cultured; their vision is far-reaching.
Since the land was divided among individuals, some people were already actively accumulating fertilizer and inquiring about seeds. If next year goes smoothly, a bumper harvest for everyone is almost foreseeable.
After coming out of the brigade office, Chen Lishu carefully put the work permit into her clothes pocket and walked to Chen Mancang's house.
At this moment, Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Mancang's family were anxiously waiting for news. After all, it had been four or five days since the last general meeting where people were asked to sign for the contract. At first, village cadres took turns coming to their house to persuade them, but these past two days, there had been no movement, and even Chen Lishu hadn't reacted.
"Mom, did the village leave our family out?" Chen Baozhu said with a hint of panic.
"It shouldn't be, right?" Zhang Chunhua was also unsure: "Aren't we also members of the brigade? Can the contract be effective without our signatures?"
Chen Mancang frowned: "Mom, is there any news from second brother's side either?"
"I haven't gone over there these past few days because the weather outside hasn't been good. I don't know what's going on? Logically, if that brat was in a hurry about this matter, she would definitely have her dad come find me, right?"
Old Mrs. Chen also started to worry as she spoke: "Could they have impersonated our family and signed? That brat is capable of anything."
Chen Mancang narrowed his eyes: "If that's the case, I'll go to the commune and report Zhang Changhe and the others."
"Why don't Chunhua and I go to second brother's house later? I don't believe that brat can refuse me, her grandmother, if I ask her to get the family a horse cart."
Old Mrs. Chen said, reaching for the scarf by the kang and preparing to go out with Zhang Chunhua. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Chen Lishu walked in.
The people present exchanged glances, seeing a hint of excitement in each other's eyes. This person was truly easy to talk about; she came as soon as they mentioned her.
"Hmph, so you finally remembered you have a grandma and an uncle," Old Mrs. Chen threw her scarf back, her eyelids drooping, her expression full of displeasure.
Chen Lishu smiled: "I've been busy lately. I came to see how you are doing as soon as I had free time."
"You came to get us to sign, didn't you?" Chen Baozhu sat at the table, one leg shaking, his chin held high, looking at Chen Lishu with a hint of disdain.
"You came empty-handed to see me?" Old Mrs. Chen started to find fault: "If it's about signing, you can go back. I don't agree to this matter."
The corner of Chen Lishu's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. Then, without being invited, she directly sat down on a stool opposite Chen Baozhu.