The weather in Nomuhong

On the fifth day of the first lunar month in A.D. 1974, there was a place called Nuomuhong in the Qaidam Basin in the northwest of China. Just after the Spring Festival, people are still immersed in the joy of holiday and family reunion. There are sporadic firecrackers in the yard at home. At this time, the most prosperous street of the farm to the "big cross" near the supply station has been full of people. Tractors, station wagons, bicycles and luggage carts of various brigades and squadrons gather here. At that time, anyone with young people at home had to respond to the call of the great leader Chairman Mao, "Go to the countryside, go to the vast world, and receive re-education from poor and middle peasants." The adults who saw me off are communicating with each other. Those who were late kept asking their children's luggage to be loaded in that car. When they found out, they quickly came to their children and gave them some simple instructions. They picked up their luggage and ran to the Jiefang truck parked on the side of the road. Although this is a youth team organized by the farm to exercise in the countryside, adults who have never been far away can't help but shed a few tears for their children. I am different. Since 16 years old, Liu Weimin, who has been working in Dulan No.1 Middle School, took me to school. I have to take two cold vacations every year, and I have to go through the process of getting fashionable luggage by air transport team and unloading luggage by school. Because there were not many heavy things, I threw my luggage from the car, jumped out of the car, picked up my luggage and ran to the dormitory in order to occupy a favorable berth. I am used to flying solo, so I went to the youth team this time, and my family didn't come to see me off. I just asked a large group of tractor drivers to drive the exhaust pipe out of the cab, and then led it to the smothering 40 tractor (the temperature of the cab was increased after the tractor exhaust pipe was modified) and sent me to the ground.

? At about ten o'clock, the leader who saw us off came, said a few words and brought us gifts. Those are baskets, shoulder poles tied with red cloth, pickaxes and shovels. The bus started and we were asked to stand in the trunk. Suddenly, gongs and drums roared, colorful flags fluttered, and people waved goodbye in the crisp firecrackers. In the cold wind, our actions add a little happiness to the festive atmosphere that has just passed away!

? A group construction site in the east. It's about 20 miles from the departure point. In a short time, we arrived at our destination, and unloading, arranging classes and scheduling all went smoothly, because the squadron cadres who had prepared the youth team in advance had joined the team and our roster had been sent to them. Now, what the squadron leader has to do is to take the roster and call the roll, and first point out the pre-designated squad leader. Then count the members in the row, who will be ordered, who will answer and arrive. The leader will tell you which class you are in. Then, everyone stood in a row and filed to the front of the dormitory with their simple luggage rolls. The berth is uniformly distributed, and it is not allowed to be changed without permission. This is somewhat similar to the "three fixed" management of prisoners entering prison, that is, fixed beds, fixed tableware placement and fixed study seats. At that time, we were also asked to do so, which shows that the parental supervision method is equally effective for us. Therefore, people's thoughts are the most difficult to unify, people are the best to manage, and so are dynasties.

? The next day, because it was the Spring Festival, the festive atmosphere was not very strong, but it was different in peacetime. Mainly because of our arrival, the pork, potatoes, cabbage and radish transferred by the brigade are being sent to the youth team. We are very happy in our hearts, knowing that we will improve our lives at noon, so everyone is in a good mood and relaxed. When all youth conferences are held, we sit in rows with small stools. On the rostrum, leaders such as Zhong, Wang Jinshan and team doctor Niu spoke. In my impression, the short and chubby instructor Zhong holds Stalin's pipe every day. As soon as he spoke, the pipe in his hand became his prop, with a wave of his hand. As soon as the words stopped, the pipe immediately returned to his mouth and took two sips. He is a bit like the role image of returned overseas Chinese played by former Minister of Culture Ying Ruocheng in I Love My Family. The meeting announced that I was in the woodworking group with a young man named Yin Bo Gump. After the meeting, a film was shown to show condolences. Because of the desire to improve life at noon and movies, people who are asked to block windows do things very quickly and finish them in a short time. The movie began, and the lines of the characters in the movie were memorized as early as our high school. At this moment, everyone still makes the red apple in the movie picture drool, causing a sigh.

? The honeymoon period of the day passed quickly. The next day at work, a master named Wang Xigen, with a Shanghai accent, asked us to cut the board. He told us how to use saws, axes, chisels and chisels, Mo Dou. The tools and shelves damaged by the woodworking group, that is, the field class and the garden class, are replaced and repaired every day. In autumn, wheat goes to the field, and the sickle, rake, fork and shovel that cut wheat are the most seriously damaged, so it is also the busiest time for our maintenance. It is usually widened and sawed through plates of different thicknesses. Looking at some lines drawn by Wang Xigen on the log, we hung the wired log and fixed it on the stake with nails, then jumped on the wooden bench to break the line and kept pulling and pulling. At first, Yin Bo Gump and I had something to say. I can't stick to it every day. I'm done. I spent more time listening to the rhythm of the big saw. With the expansion and contraction of the saw, it hissed, and the flying sawdust fell to the ground in piles like snowflakes.

? The leaders have no clear assessment indicators for us, but they often ask Wang Xigen what he has done during this time. Wang Xigen will report according to his wishes. When instructor Zhong is not satisfied with raising his voice with pipe gestures, he will consciously and tactfully shift the responsibility to us. However, as soon as people listen, they will transfer the mistakes and let us bear them. So, I hate him. Besides, he nags at ordinary times. After a long time, we also figured out the working rules. Whenever we pull a saw outside, we will pull it with the back of the saw in the wood. I didn't expect this guy to be an old carpenter, without the dull sound of sawing wood. He knows it at will. Immediately from the back room came another complaint with a Shanghai accent. Once, when the instructor Zhong came to the carpenter's room to inspect the work, he really told the truth. Because of my father's face, instructor Zhong didn't say much about me, but Ben was severely criticized, which made us hate Wang Xigen even more. Everyone agreed to give him something to eat. In late spring, Wang Xigen planted a pot of garlic with a broken washbasin and put it under the window. Garlic is growing well, and the dark ground is half a foot high. It is estimated that at this rate, he will be able to eat in ten days. Presumably, Wang Xigen is also looking forward to eating green garlic seedlings early. One day, we took care of it, hung the book in the shade with a little gasoline and water, and watered it every day. After a few days, finally, they all rotted in the pot. He didn't even notice. He just complained in Shanghainese that the weather in Qinghai was uneven, and a pot of good garlic seedlings was "flashed" by the wind (flashing, similar to a cold). To this end, he has been "distressed" for a long time. We pretend to be innocent every day, clinging to what he said is the responsibility of the weather. Half a century later, I feel very sorry for Master Wang Xigen.

? Graduates from farm high school in our class will go to a reunion in Beijing on 20 17. According to the statistics of students in Haoshi County, the boys in our class on the farm are,, Shao Lansheng, Gu Jianguo,, Na and me. Female, apart from Liang Yan, only Ji Chenghong belongs to the farm in the grain depot. Therefore, in the youth team, we are classmates and teammates. Yang guang, they are in Daejeon platoon. I remember Chen Guobin driving a small carriage, junior high school classmate Niu Shunqing working in the blacksmith's shop while the iron is hot, Ge Yifeng and so on. Wang Air Force is my senior brother who graduated from No.72 Middle School. Their graduates, from dulan county, have all been assigned. I wonder why the Air Force didn't take part in this mission, but joined the youth team with us and Zhang Jingsheng drove the Type 28 tractor.

? At that time, the life in the team was very hard, and every day we ate the same "old three" white radish, cabbage and potatoes. The water I drink is the water from the pit pulled by a pony cart. Boil the water in the cauldron and turn over the muddy mud soup. That's it. You have to drink water. There's nothing you can do without it. At that time, there were no bottled water, bottled water and colorful drinks. To say the least, even if there is, it is beyond the reach of our poor young people. At that time, there was already fruit juice and fruit powder, but the salary of 7~8 yuan per month was beyond my power. It is even more unexpected to protest by protecting personal rights and interests. Therefore, there are many people with enteritis in the team, and more people go to the small clinic of Niu Xu Ling, the doctor of the youth team. Doctor Niu can only prescribe a few pills. It is not easy for people to cook a bowl of sick rice and rotten noodles for you with a sick note. At that time, it was not easy to take a bite of sick rice. When it comes to how much salary you earn every month, according to a group of old colleagues Chen Guobin, Qu Yimin and Mou Duncai of the giant farm, at that time, male farm workers of the youth team earned 15 yuan every month, and women paid more for health care in 2 yuan than men. It is estimated that female colleagues who were poor in those years and spent 2 yuan were reluctant to spend all their health expenses on personal hygiene, and probably saved them to supplement their families. This is the reality of that era, just like they were formally assigned jobs later, and the monthly payment for 2 yuan was1~, and few individuals subscribed to newspapers and magazines. Therefore, if my female colleagues can see my conclusion, they must feel a lot.

In order to get clean water, the team decided to drill wells in the compound without drilling equipment. There is a drilling team on the farm, after 1978, and now it is 1974. If there is, I believe that the Zhong instructor of the youth team will never risk the collapse and destruction and blindly dig by hand. A well with a diameter of 4-5 meters is manually lowered with several square plates and tripod sand lifting equipment. When digging to a depth of about 3 meters, the sand layer is not fixed by the wellhead and the shaft wall, and there is no cement pipe casing at present. Therefore, the more the sandy shaft wall is dug, the more it collapses under the action of water, and the greater the harm, and the people working below have no sense of security. Whenever the falling sand falls to the ground, the people above quickly drag people up. There was no improvement in the progress of the project. After a few days, the leader suddenly realized that the sandy shaft wall can be fixed with wooden barrels! Yes, just do it. He told the carpentry class his intention. We worked overtime all night. Tying wooden barrels is Wang Xigen's strong point. If he can make toilets in the south, he will tie big barrels. Two days later, with the help of many teammates, an extra-large bucket was carried to the wellhead, and many people hung it in the well with ropes. At this time, the excavator went down again and did not work for a while. The sand on the wall of the shaft collapsed under the washing of water, and there was no face. He simply squeezed the bucket and completely fell apart. With the broken barrel, our enthusiasm for drinking clean well water was completely extinguished like foam. Pulling mud pit water is also a compulsory course in the water room and kitchen, and eating steamed buns is accompanied by chewing music every meal.

? In order to create more income for the youth team, the captain decided to contract the task of sand screening for the maintenance of Qinghai-Tibet Highway. Yang Guangling, the platoon leader, took the boys in his platoon, a tent, a shovel, a sieve and a shelf car and walked to the east far from the farm. In summer, the sun is shining, tents are being baked, and they are still eating potatoes and radishes. We don't know how much it costs to screen sand, but when they leave, everyone is black, dry and thin. Now, people living in Qingyuan on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will be described as Plateau Red. If you can see them, young people don't fit their age when they quit. High-intensity labor, intense ultraviolet radiation, and severe malnutrition make them look like plateau black at a higher level than plateau red.

? At the same time, we, Wang Liming, Na and others were taken to Nanshan to pull stones. I have forgotten whether this pulling stone is for the youth team's own use or labor export. All I know is that I go to Nanshan quarry by Jiefang car every day, and carry 1~200 Jin of stone on the car with thick wire and a handle until the driver says, OK, don't load it again. Thirsty, there is much water in Nanshan river ditch. Climb on the ground and drink enough. When you are full, wipe your mouth with your hands, wipe the sweat on your head with your sleeves, climb into the car and transport the stone to your destination. After unloading the car, return to Nanshan by bus. Going back and forth several times a day, the gravel washboard road of Nanshan Power Station hits people's faces. Now when it comes to migrant workers, public opinion is sympathetic and sensational about how the vulnerable groups should behave. At that time, we were just like migrant workers, dressed in rags and patched. There is no shame, and no one laughs at us. Food can only fill the stomach, there is no oil and water, and heavy manual work is done. At that time, there was no public opinion supervision and no public opinion reports, and everyone was used to it. I don't think there is anything to show off. This is my destiny. I really don't want to talk about it now. At that time, there were no clothes for thousands of dollars. Even if there is, it is not worn by people of my status! Now, some migrant workers don't sit in their seats by bus, but sit under them. I think if we are covered in dust and have a black face washed by sweat, we will also choose to take the bus on the floor. This is a natural behavior.

In the winter of 74, it was as cold as in previous years, so our youth team lived aimlessly, and no one else knew it. But at least I think so. I live happily, without lofty ideals, and it is a kind of happiness that does not compete with the world. Teenagers do not know sadness and have no desire to be detached. While thinking about how the youth team will spend a revolutionary Spring Festival this winter, the squadron leader announced that we would be transferred from various farms and the youth team of Nomuhong Farm would be transferred to Haomen Farm thousands of miles away. To tell the truth, I was holding a simple mood, that is, "I am a revolutionary brick, I want to move there." Building tall buildings is not proud, and building toilets is not pessimistic. "It doesn't matter where fate threw me, but the yellow coat and yellow bag attracted me. It's army green. I hope to be a PLA soldier. Looking back now, my idea was so simple and naive.

The youth team finally disbanded. Based on my labor assessment, I got a new red ticket of more than 1 10 and change of 10 yuan. This is the first huge sum in my life. I happily gave it to my parents, who didn't have to say anything: you earned the money yourself, so keep it. In this way, with nearly a year's labor income of more than 100 yuan, I embarked on another life journey in the winter of 1974. I don't know whether the road ahead is bumpy or not, but you must measure it with your feet, because the road is ahead, at your own feet.

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