Chapter 2807
Half the Sky Manages the Other Half
Chapter 2807 Half the Sky Manages the Other Half
Yang Xiaotao and his uncle chatted in the study for a short while when they heard the sound of a door opening in the courtyard. Looking out the window, they saw Dean Deng carrying two bottles of wine as he walked in.
Two young men followed behind him, each carrying something.
The uncle quickly got up and walked out, with Yang Xiaotao following behind.
When we arrived in the courtyard, my uncle came to greet us.
"Bo Xian, you're here."
"I'm coming."
"Uncle, Happy New Year."
The two young men behind him greeted him, and the uncle nodded with a smile, "Xiao Jun, Xiao Guo has grown so much."
Dean Deng laughed heartily, "Yes, without realizing it, we've grown old."
Yang Xiaotao came up to him at this moment and said, "Dean Deng, Happy New Year!"
Dean Deng had already spotted Yang Xiaotao. "You rascal, I've been waiting for you at home for days. Have you forgotten about me?"
"No way, I went there when I was in the first year of junior high school, but you weren't home."
"Can't we go at another time?"
"We were planning to go tomorrow."
"Come on, you only visited the Academy of Agricultural Sciences a few times last year. Does that do justice to your status?"
"I must go ten times this year, no, once a month."
Dean Deng scolded him with a smile, and Yang Xiaotao quickly smiled in response.
Although he doesn't care about the twenty yuan now, Yang Xiaotao values the honor.
Every time he enters the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, he can see his hybrid corn, and every student who enrolls must learn about Yangcun No. 1 and also know about him, Yang Xiaotao.
This honor is like a gentle stream, flowing endlessly.
"Okay, okay!"
The uncle said from the side, "Hurry up and come inside, let's talk inside."
Dean Deng patted Yang Xiaotao on the shoulder, and then the group went into the house together.
The two young men had met Yang Xiaotao before. They were younger than Xiaopang, so they naturally called him "Brother Tao" like Xiaopang. Moreover, they knew Yang Xiaotao's identity, so they called him that without any insincerity, and their words even revealed their admiration.
In the study, the three sat down. Yang Xiaotao poured water for the two of them and then asked about the situation at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, especially the hybrid rice.
Dean Deng said happily, "This hybrid rice is really a wonderful thing."
"Last year, our rice promotion expanded by two times. In the planting areas across the country, the yield of Chaoyang No. 1 has reached 1,500 jin per mu, and the average yield is more than 1,300 jin per mu."
"Last year's harvest alone has basically doubled."
"However, many areas in the north experienced drought last year, which led to a decline in the yield of high-yield corn."
"However, overall, domestic grain production has increased."
As Dean Deng spoke, Yang Xiaotao and the other person nodded with satisfaction.
People eat for food.
In the past, farmers had to suffer because of industrial development, but now that more food can be produced, this suffering can be alleviated to some extent.
After Dean Deng finished speaking, he looked at Yang Xiaotao and said, "Speaking of which, our plan this year is to build ten fertilizer plants, which will increase crop yields."
"You're from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, you have to help out with this."
Yang Xiaotao was taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "Dean Deng, you think too highly of me. A fertilizer plant isn't something you can just build by talking about it."
Dean Deng crossed his legs and said, "I don't care. You're helping Jinling Aeronautical Academy build helicopters, but you want to shirk your responsibilities when it comes to your own? That won't do."
Yang Xiaotao looked helplessly at his uncle, only to find his uncle looking down at his teacup, seemingly oblivious to what he had heard or seen.
"Okay, I'll have someone try it later."
In the end, Yang Xiaotao had no choice but to agree.
Dean Deng immediately smiled, "That's right, this time it's presentable."
As the two were talking, the uncle looked up at the gate and saw a man walk in from outside with his hands behind his back, followed by a guard carrying something.
"Old Peng is here!"
"President Peng!"
The three of them got up and walked out of the courtyard together again.
However, after going outside, they saw that Peng was followed by two other people, namely Old Chen and Old Qing, and their family members were also behind them.
The uncle rushed forward, and Sister Zhuo also led people out of the house, making a lively scene in the courtyard.
"Old Peng, you three agreed to come together!"
"Peng, leaders, and superiors, Happy New Year!"
Yang Xiaotao followed behind and greeted them with smiles. Old Chen and the other two also greeted them. Old Qing even laughed and said, "Your New Year's greeting is so insincere! You don't do this when you're giving a New Year's greeting at someone's home!"
Mr. Peng, with his hands behind his back, laughed and said, "That's true. I was waiting for you, but I waited all day and didn't see you."
Old Chen continued, "I did go, but this guy went empty-handed. Do you think that's how you pay New Year's visits?"
Yang Xiaotao panicked and quickly explained, "Boss, I brought wine with me!"
Old Chen glanced at it, "What about the wine?"
Yang Xiaotao scratched his head, "Well, Auntie said I couldn't leave it, so she told me to take it home!"
Upon hearing this, Boss Peng laughed heartily, "Old Chen, you should be content. At least this wine can still circulate around the house."
The three of them laughed again.
"It's so lively!"
A cheerful voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned around and saw three old men in old military uniforms walking slowly towards them. The one leading them was none other than Old Liu, whom they had met at Jinling Academy.
Yang Xiaotao didn't recognize the two people behind him and didn't dare to go up and get to know them.
Old Liu, wearing glasses, smiled broadly. His uncle quickly stepped forward, and the two linked arms. "Weren't you feeling unwell? Why did you come? It's so cold here!"
Old Liu patted his uncle on the shoulder, "It's alright, it's alright. While you can still walk around, come and take a look!"
While the two were talking, Old Chen also greeted the three of them.
Yang Xiaotao then realized the identities of the two men.
The short man is Elder Su, and the tall, thin man next to him is Elder Xu.
"Good morning, leader! I am Yang Xiaotao, from the Ninth Department."
Yang Xiaotao quickly went up to the three men to greet them. Old Su didn't say much, but smiled and nodded at Yang Xiaotao. Old Xu, on the other hand, spoke with a Shanxi accent, "Comrade Yang Xiaotao, hello."
"Hello, Mr. Xu."
After the three met, they went inside together.
Yang Xiaotao immediately transformed into a waiter, serving tea and water to the elderly people while carefully listening to their casual conversation.
Everyone was talking about interesting things, how their health was, what they ate for breakfast, what activities they planned for the evening, and how their children were doing. In short, it was more like a tea party.
Yang Xiaotao served tea and water, while Ran Qiuye mingled with the family members of the visitors.
The eldest sister and Sister Zhuo were like two patriarchs, with a group of younger family members surrounding them, helping to pick vegetables and knead dough while chatting about family anecdotes.
"Before you guys arrived, I chatted with Qiuye about work for a while."
As Sister Zhuo was preparing the fish she had bought that morning on the cutting board, she smiled at her older sister and said, "I only just realized that this child has done such a big thing without making a sound." Sister Zhuo looked at Ran Qiuye's shy expression and then said, "It's not that she did it without making a sound. Now, twelve primary schools have been built around our city, and it's all thanks to them."
The people around were surprised again.
Twelve primary schools! How many students must there be?
This is truly a meritorious deed.
Ran Qiuye blushed slightly when she heard the two older women praising her, and quickly explained, "Big sister, I'm not, I'm not that outstanding. I'm just a teacher, and I only did some small things. Most of the work was done by my colleagues."
Sister Zhuo shook her head, "Everything needs a leader. It's like a snake that can't function without a head. Otherwise, with so many people, why is it you who led the construction of twelve primary schools?"
"Qiuye, don't think that what you did was a small thing. In fact, you have done better than many other people."
The eldest sister nodded in agreement, and then said to the young people in the room, "Yangjiazhuang Primary School was established in 1961, and ten years have passed since then. In these ten years, a total of 50,000 children have completed their primary school education."
"Nearly 10,000 children have entered junior high school and completed their junior high school studies."
"Now, these 10,000 children who have grown up are entering various scientific research departments, and the remaining 50,000 children are working in various factories. These people are gradually becoming the backbone of the revolution."
"Qiuye, your work may seem ordinary, but it is very meaningful."
Ran Qiuye closed her eyes, then opened them forcefully to regain clear vision, and then smiled and said, "Thank you, Big Sister, thank you, Big Sister Zhuo. I will continue to work hard."
Sister Zhuo nodded seriously. In her opinion, this kind of down-to-earth, step-by-step person was exactly what the revolution needed.
The older sister laughed and said, "I heard you're going to propose building two middle schools this time?"
Ran Qiuye put down the kitchen knife in her hand and nodded hurriedly. The girls next to her immediately looked over, their faces full of envy, envying that she could participate in the construction of the revolution.
If it were them, no one would listen to their suggestions.
Ran Qiuye spoke her mind, "Big sister, the number of students in primary schools is increasing. Every year, more than 5,000 children graduate from primary school, but only one-third of them can enter middle schools in Beijing, or even fewer."
"In recent years, in order to control the number of students, the admission scores of middle schools in the city have been getting higher and higher, to the point that children who could have gone to school are now facing the situation of having no school to attend. These children are also very excellent."
"So I want to give them more options for their future."
Even if it's just a vocational school, that would be fine.
After Ran Qiuye finished speaking, the eldest sister and Sister Zhuo exchanged a glance and then nodded.
Sister Zhuo added, "I think it's a good idea; we should support it."
"I'll go and report this to the Women's Federation later. There are a lot of girls involved, and the Women's Federation has to take care of this."
The older woman smiled and nodded, "That's right, we women can hold up half the sky, and we should play an even greater role in the education of our children."
"I will inform the lower levels about the school's construction, and our women comrades will continue to follow up."
Ran Qiuye nodded with a smile, "That's great, this way the pace will be faster and this year's graduates will be able to catch up."
Seeing Ran Qiuye's smile, the eldest sister nodded with satisfaction. However, Xiaolin, the eldest daughter of the eldest uncle, asked in confusion, "Sister Qiuye, establishing a middle school is not a simple matter."
“I know from my work experience that this requires not only manpower but also a lot of supplies. Moreover, the construction of two schools, including classrooms, offices, and so on, is not a simple matter.”
After Xiaolin finished speaking, Ran Qiuye revealed a confident smile, "Xiaolin, these are not problems."
"The school's location has been decided long ago. As long as the higher-ups agree, the local officials will start construction immediately."
"Once the textbooks are standardized, printing will be quick; these can be completed in two months."
"As for the school's expenses, supplies, and so on, this..."
Ran Qiuye was a little embarrassed to say it, but her older sister smiled and explained, "This is easy to solve."
“Some time ago, the Ninth Department set up a fund by allocating a portion of their revenue, which includes education. We can apply for it; material resources are not a problem.”
Sister Zhuo was taken aback, then looked at Ran Qiuye and smiled, "It seems that we women are not only responsible for holding up half the sky, but also for managing the other half at home."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
Laughter from outside drifted into the room, startling the group of people who were chatting. They then joined in the laughter.
The uncle, puffing on his cigarette, said cautiously, "They're getting stricter and stricter. I have to be careful not to get caught even when I'm smoking a cigarette."
Old Chen nodded thoughtfully, "My family has never kept any wine."
Speaking of this, Yang Xiaotao felt it most keenly, chuckling to himself. Old Chen, seeing this, immediately remarked, "Next time, bring some tea leaves; I can drink this."
Yang Xiaotao nodded quickly, "Okay, I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy two jin of this, it's cheaper there."
The others burst into laughter again.
Mr. Peng put down his teacup and patted his knees. “I heard you recently made a big deal? Did you make a lot of money? You’re even buying tea by the pound now.”
The uncles and the others all smiled and looked at Yang Xiaotao, who then gave a wry smile. "President Peng, if that's what you're saying, you'll have to help judge this."
"I received a mission from Elder Chen, which included the instruction that whatever our Ninth Division buys is ours."
"In the end, we only had a sip of soup; Old Chen took all the meat and everything else."
"You be the judge! How can you treat people like this?"
Before anyone else could laugh, Qing Lao burst into laughter after Yang Xiaotao finished speaking.
The eldest uncle also lowered his head and chuckled softly. Old Liu, who was standing next to him, inquired about the situation from the eldest uncle. The eldest uncle explained it to him in a low voice, and then a smile appeared in his eyes.
Old Chen slowly picked up his teacup. "Don't give me that crap, kid. I've already made myself clear: if you don't have the money to eat, whose fault is that?"
Yang Xiaotao scratched his head. "That's why it's considered bullying. They won't even let you buy on credit."
This made them laugh even harder.
Old Su pointed at Old Chen and said, "You still want to buy on credit from him? We wouldn't even dare to dream of that."
Old Xu nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, it's not easy to squeeze any money out of him, and you're still thinking of buying on credit? Impressive."
Old Chen didn't mind, as it was simply the truth.
Yang Xiaotao could only sigh and pretend to be helpless, but he exchanged a glance with Old Chen, and the two of them understood each other without saying a word.
There's no other reason than that. Boss Peng's request is definitely not simple; he probably wants something.
The two of them working together effectively silenced Boss Peng.
The two were shrewd, but the others weren't stupid either, especially since there were four military geniuses present. Which one of them was easy to fool?
Sure enough, after the two finished speaking, Boss Peng realized what they meant and looked at them directly, saying, "Come on, let's continue the performance. We're just trying to bring some joy during the New Year."
"If the performance goes well, we can add another act."
Old Su and Old Xu leaned together, "What's this move called again?"
"They talk about other things, first playing the victim to gain sympathy, then changing the subject and substituting one thing for another."
Old Xu spoke in a serious tone, and Old Liu chimed in, "They might even turn the tables on us."
"After all, the squeaky wheel gets the grease."
Hahaha
Everyone laughed, and Yang Xiaotao and Old Chen exchanged another glance, then smiled bitterly to themselves.
To try and outdo a group of military geniuses with 'strategies' is nothing short of showing off one's limited skills before an expert, or trying to teach a master swordsman how to use a large axe in front of Guan Yu.
Fortunately, both of them were thick-skinned enough to remain unfazed by the teasing from the group, and kept smiling.
This made Qing Lao look at his uncle and laugh, "Look, this is what it means to be of the same lineage, even the mold is exactly the same."
Mr. Peng clapped his hands, "You know what, it really does look a bit like it."
Upon hearing this, everyone laughed again.
(End of this chapter)