Seeing Su Xiaotian speak so earnestly, Su Changjiu, though not believing the little child's words, found her so cute that he engaged in playful banter with her.
"Since Little Sweetheart knows, why don't you tell Uncle?"
Su Xiaotian glanced around, then cautiously leaned closer to Su Changjiu and whispered, "Uncle Changjiu, I'll only tell you, and you mustn't tell anyone else!"
Su Changjiu chuckled, finding the child to be quite cautious.
"You tell me, Uncle absolutely won't tell anyone," Su Changjiu solemnly promised Su Xiaotian, his voice low so that only she could hear.
"Because Grandpa Du in the cowshed knows farming, and I saw our family's crops weren't growing well, so I asked him about the land," Su Xiaotian said, admitting it was a bit of a gamble.
She was betting that Su Changjiu was an upright person, but she also knew that if she lost the bet, there could be unpredictable consequences.
At that point, she might have to pull rank, using Chen Zi'an's reputation to resolve the matter.
Su Changjiu's expression changed. Could this little child be telling the truth?
What had Old Su San said earlier?
This was Little Sweetheart's idea, and Little Sweetheart said that Du Tonghe in the cowshed had said it.
But Du Tonghe was a capitalist; how could he possibly know farming? In the minds of capitalists, wasn't farming the lowest of pursuits?
A rich man like him, learning this?
"Little Sweetheart, good children don't lie," Su Changjiu said sternly.
Su Xiaotian nodded, "Uncle Changjiu, it's true. Grandpa Du knows a lot about farming. He said every piece of land is different and suitable for different crops. He also said that different crops require different nutrients. And he said that crops are like us people; everyone is different."
As she spoke these words, her expression was incredibly serious, making Su Changjiu almost believe that what Su Xiaotian said was true.
But ultimately, he still felt that a child's words might not necessarily be true.
Su Changjiu pondered for a long time with a solemn expression, making Su Xiaotian feel anxious.
Had she made a mistake?
She had originally thought that the living conditions in the cowshed were too poor. If she could let the team leader know that Du Tonghe was skilled in farming, perhaps their living conditions could be improved.
Although the care they had received, both openly and secretly, had kept the people in the cowshed relatively healthy, someone had reported them before, and it was uncertain what might happen in the future.
Only by making things official, with the team leader's approval, and letting those who needed to know that Du Tonghe understood agricultural knowledge be aware of it, could the problem be solved once and for all.
Just as Su Xiaotian was anxiously thinking about how to cover up the matter, Su Changjiu suddenly called out loudly.
"Uncle Chuan, could you come over here for a moment?"
Su Xiaotian's heart leaped. What did this mean?
Was he going to report her to her grandfather?
"Uncle Changjiu, you promised not to tell anyone!" Su Xiaotian's little face puffed out, her angry expression also very cute.
Su Changjiu pinched her soft, smooth cheek and said, "Uncle Changjiu isn't telling your grandfather; it's just that I have something else to ask your grandfather about."
An ordinary child might have believed him, but Su Xiaotian was no ordinary child; she already had the soul of an adult within her.
However, she put on a show of believing him and quietly squatted to the side, waiting to hear what Su Changjiu intended to do.
"Team Leader, what is it?" Su Chuan came over and squatted beside Su Changjiu, taking out a roll of newspaper and some homemade tobacco flakes to roll a cigarette.
He had no idea that his precious Little Sweetheart had already told the team leader such an important matter.
"Uncle Changjiu, I wanted to ask you, how well do you know the people in the cowshed?" Su Changjiu asked tentatively.
Grandpa Su was also quite shrewd. Hearing the team leader ask this, he immediately shook his head like a rattle.
"I don't know them, I don't know them at all. How would I interact with people from the cowshed? Team Leader, you mustn't believe anyone who falsely accuses our family. If I find out who reported us, I'll make them pay!"
He spoke with righteous indignation, his tone impeccable.
Su Changjiu smiled, his honest face full of cunning.
"Uncle Chuan, I know you've been to the cowshed several times. Little Sweetheart and the second boy have been the most. The people in the cowshed have even gained weight recently; it must be your family taking care of them, right?"
As Su Changjiu said this, Grandpa Su's hands, which were rolling the cigarette, paused, even trembling slightly.
What did the team leader mean by this? Was he planning to make an example of their family?
At present, every commune had its model villages, but Hongxin Village did not, and because of this, they had been criticized by commune leaders.
Although Grandpa Su was worried, he didn't show much on his face. He just looked at Su Changjiu, waiting quietly for him to continue.
Su Xiaotian, listening to these words, felt her heart twist.
She had always thought she was very careful, but she had still been noticed.
Perhaps it wasn't just the team leader who had noticed; maybe many more people had.
Her hands, which had been drawing circles on the ground, stopped moving. She became as quiet as a chicken.
This time, had she brought disaster upon her family?
No, it shouldn't be. Team Leader Su Changjiu was a very upright person. In her previous life, by the end, Hongxin Village had still not established a model.
He had silently borne all the pressure himself.
In this life, it should be the same, right?
"Uncle Chuan, don't be afraid. I didn't intend to spread it around after I found out," Su Changjiu said with a smile. "I just want to know if Du Tonghe knows how to farm."
Fearing that continuing to keep him in suspense would frighten Su Chuan, Su Changjiu honestly asked the question he most wanted to know.
"Yes! Little Sweetheart likes farming, and after knowing that Du Tonghe knew a lot about farming, she pestered him all day," Grandpa Su still chose to speak with reservations.
"Team Leader, Little Sweetheart is just a child. Please don't hold it against her. If you think it's inappropriate, I'll discipline Little Sweetheart and stop her from going!"
Grandpa Su said this with regret, as the progress of their children had been visible during this period.
"Uncle Chuan, this is a good thing! If Du Tonghe really knows how to farm, our crops can increase in yield."
"He really does. I heard he studied farming before and has a lot of research in this area, but his identity..." Grandpa Su said hesitantly.
"What about his identity? Everyone is human. Once they arrive at Hongxin Village, as long as they don't do anything harmful to the country and the people, they are people we can unite with," Su Changjiu was overjoyed.
His greatest dream was for all the villagers to have enough to eat and to eat white rice.
Du Tonghe might be an opportunity, his opportunity, and also Hongxin Village's opportunity.
Grandpa Su did not expect Su Changjiu to say such a thing and was momentarily stunned.
"Uncle Chuan, I think your family's crops can increase in yield by at least thirty percent compared to others. I don't ask for much. If Old Du can help our village's crops increase by twenty percent, I guarantee he will live safely and without worry in Hongxin Village."
Su Changjiu was an honest and upright person, but after being a leader in the village for so many years, his words carried conviction and were very convincing.
"Team Leader, thank you for considering us!" Grandpa Su expressed his sincere gratitude.
That evening, Su Changjiu went to the cowshed. As the team leader, he had a very good reason to go to the cowshed: to conduct ideological education.
Su Changjiu spoke with Du Tonghe with a "let's try" attitude. After much probing, he finally confirmed that Du Tonghe was indeed a true talent, possessing a wealth of knowledge, even more than himself, who had been farming for half his life.
"Old Du, you are truly the hope of our village."
Su Changjiu's words frightened Du Tonghe, who was already trembling with fear.
The team leader's sudden visit that evening made everyone in the cowshed uneasy, fearing that bad luck had arrived. Unexpectedly, after saying many irrelevant things, Su Changjiu uttered such a sentence.
"Old Du, you are indeed a skilled farmer. Next year, you must help our village well. We are too short of such talent!" Su Changjiu grasped Du Tonghe's hand, even forgetting that the person in front of him was not one of his villagers.
"Team Leader, how can this be? I am a sinner!"
"What nonsense! Do you think I don't know? You are a person who has made contributions to the people and the country. Your son also sacrificed himself fighting the Japanese. It's just... Old Du, don't worry, as long as our village's crops increase in yield next year, I will surely protect you and ensure you live a life without worries about food and clothing in the village. Of course, you've seen the living conditions in the village; they certainly can't compare to your previous life."
Speaking with emotion, Su Changjiu made his promise and then remembered that the person in front of him was a capitalist who had lived a very good life before. What he could offer was too little.
"To live a peaceful life is already a blessing thanks to you."
Hearing the team leader say these words, Du Tonghe's heart ached. His son, sacrificed at such a young age!
However, his past contributions were no longer mentioned, and his parents had to be sent to such a place to suffer.
He wondered if his child could rest in peace in the afterlife.
But to whom could he express these hardships?
Unexpectedly, in this village, from the mouth of this simple and honest team leader, he heard such a sentence.
"You don't need to be polite. However, Old Du, I must be upfront about some things. Due to your current identity restrictions, it's not easy for me to protect you too much. For now, you still have to live here and undergo ideological education."
"In Hongxin Village, we haven't suffered any hardship, and we are already very content. Team Leader, we all know what's important."
When the team leader left the cowshed that night, it was already past midnight.
On his way back, the team leader seemed dazed, as if he had drunk a couple of ounces of alcohol.
His wife, Zhu Lanhua, seeing him like this, chided him playfully, "You went out, but you don't smell of alcohol, yet you seem like you've been drinking?"
"Wife, you have no idea; I had a great harvest tonight, much happier than drinking."
When Zhu Lanhua asked again, Su Changjiu wouldn't say more. Such matters couldn't even be told to the person sleeping on the same kang.
"If you don't want to say, then don't. By the way, dear, I overheard some gossip today. Accountant Li is related to Cadre Liu, who came to inspect Old Su's family last time!" Zhu Lanhua remembered this and said to her husband.
Su Changjiu was startled. How did he not know?
Thinking carefully, it seemed that someone in Accountant Li's wife's family was married into the Liu family. Could it be Cadre Liu's family?
"Dear, do you think Accountant Li reported us?" This matter had been weighing on her mind all day, but Su Changjiu had been out for several hours, and she couldn't find anyone to talk to.
Su Changjiu listened thoughtfully.
"Could it be that he wants to use this matter to pull you down?" Zhu Lanhua guessed again.
"How foolish would that be? Even if I, Su Changjiu, were unlucky, the position of team leader wouldn't fall to him. He's just an outsider! Would the villagers listen to him?" Su Changjiu scoffed.
"Then who is it?" Zhu Lanhua couldn't figure it out. Who else in the village would do such a wicked thing?
After all, the Old Su family were all kind and friendly people.
"I inquired earlier. I heard that a young girl went to the commune that day."
When Zhu Lanhua heard it was a young girl, she was startled.
"Surely our village won't have someone like that?"
She heard that many young people in the city were idle every day, wearing red armbands and busy going from street to street to search people's homes. If Hongxin Village also produced someone like that, life would be difficult in the future.
It was no wonder Zhu Lanhua was worried. Her maiden family's brigade had several such young people, and they had no peaceful days. They were either criticizing this person or struggling with that person. It was chaos all day long, the fields were neglected, and they had no food for half the year.
"Who knows? Actually, I've always suspected Su Xiaoqin. Among all the girls in the village, she's the one with the crooked mind!" Su Changjiu sighed. "But ultimately, I don't want to believe it. A few years ago, Su Xiaoqin ate at Uncle Chuan's house quite often. If she could report Uncle Chuan..."
Su Changjiu didn't want to think of a young girl so badly, but based on the information he had gathered recently, he had screened all the girls in the entire brigade several times, and he still narrowed it down to Su Xiaoqin.
Coupled with Su Xiaoqin's sudden disappearance, he truly felt that this was something Su Xiaoqin would do.
Zhu Lanhua also fell silent.
A few days later, Hongxin Village convened a general meeting of its members.
The first item on the agenda was to pay the public grain. This had been the case every year, and all the members had no objections.
Su Changjiu arranged for the strong laborers of each family to go and pay the public grain, adding that the first three villages to pay the public grain would receive rewards, and they must strive to be ahead of others.
"We can't compete for first place due to geographical disadvantages, but second and third place are still achievable! To have better farming tools next year, we must also put in extra effort!"
After Su Changjiu's rousing speech, the entire village was extremely excited. They all declared that they would not sleep that night and would load the grain and set off immediately on the day of payment.
Su Changjiu was very satisfied with this. He then brought up the second matter: there were currently four people living in the cowshed, and ideological education must keep pace. He and the village cadres were very busy and couldn't manage it, so he suggested that Old Su's family help with the ideological education of the people in the cowshed.
"Team Leader, this might not be appropriate, right? The Su family members are not cadres, so it's not suitable for them to do this!" Accountant Li was the first to object.
He had a keen sense that this matter might have other implications.
The team leader glanced at Accountant Li: "What, are you going to give lectures to the people in the cowshed every day from now on?"
Accountant Li did not have that much time and sheepishly stated that as an accountant, he was very busy.
"Team Leader, I just think that since the Su family members are not cadres, why don't we cadres take turns educating them? Or, we could have everyone educate them together in the threshing ground every few days..."
Under Su Changjiu's cold gaze, Accountant Li finally stopped speaking, feeling flustered.
"Accountant Li, there are many people in our village who can be accountants. I think Su Shouwen is quite good; he's also highly educated and would be fine as an accountant. And Chang Shuanzi graduated from junior high last year; he'd also be fine!" Su Changjiu said coolly.
Accountant Li broke out in a cold sweat. Was he planning to replace him?
That wouldn't do. Being an accountant was much better than being a farmer. In the village, everyone respected him three points.
"Team Leader, I didn't say anything!" he mumbled in defense.
"In our Hongxin Village, everyone has a red heart towards the Party and is a positive and good member. Don't always think about causing trouble. If you delay the work of labor production, don't blame me for being impolite!" Su Changjiu reprimanded him directly without any leniency.
Accountant Li dared not speak anymore.
Su Changjiu then said, "Everyone knows what kind of comrade Su Chuan is, and the younger generation of the Su family are all positive and good comrades, wholeheartedly devoted to the Party. I think it's most appropriate for them to help the people in the cowshed receive ideological education."
If it were in the past, perhaps other people in the village might have had opinions, but now the Old Su family's status in the village was higher than others. Who told them they had saved a great leader?
Just because they had saved a great leader, the county leaders looked upon their family favorably, and even when they were reported to the commune, nothing happened.
Most importantly, the Su family's life had truly improved. Previously, they were the poorest family in the village, but now, the Su family was among the well-off families.
Furthermore, since Accountant Li, who objected, was reprimanded by the team leader, others naturally dared not express their opposition.
In fact, many people felt that the team leader was giving Old Su's family face and that perhaps the next cadre in the village would come from Old Su's family.
Who told them that the third generation of the Su family had grown up, and all of them had performed well?
Therefore, the villagers unanimously expressed that the family, from the elder Su Chuan to the younger generations, were all comrades with reliable ideology.
Having such politically conscious comrades in the village could surely help the people in the cowshed receive ideological education, relieve the pressure on the village cadres, and contribute to the village.
The team leader's arrangement was impeccable!
Grandpa Su also did not expect that the team leader would thoughtfully help their family find a reason to interact with the people in the cowshed. From now on, the children would not have to worry about being seen when they went to the cowshed.
Little did he know, this was an agreement between the team leader and Du Tonghe.