Chapter 65: Youth Shock Brigade

The Youth Shock Brigade in Laoyingzui Village was composed almost entirely of a "women's army." The brigade had recruited nearly all the young wives in the village. At first, the men were unhappy, grumbling, "What kind of world is this? Can women really turn the sky upside down?"

Yet it was this group of women who truly did turn things upside down.

Before the troops left, they had left several crates of explosives for Zhao Deliang, repeatedly urging him to be careful. My aunt's husband had even made Zhao Deliang sign a guarantee. It was thanks to Zhao Deliang's painstaking efforts—ever since the troops arrived, he had followed my aunt's husband around like a shadow. In truth, he had long been eyeing that truckload of explosives, determined to get his hands on some by any means necessary.

Just as my aunt's husband received orders to return to camp, with a third of the project still unfinished, the half-done work was a source of great frustration. Zhao Deliang seized the opportunity to step forward, promising to complete the remaining work. After this and that, my aunt's husband took the risk and left behind four crates of explosives.

Zhu Shizhen came to Laoyingzui himself to mobilize the villagers, the reason being that Laoyingzui was the most difficult and labor-intensive part of the entire project. Once Laoyingzui was cleared, the road from the county seat directly to Suxi Township would be unobstructed. When the Discipline Inspection Commission arrived, He Zhi had hinted to him that Secretary Guan now placed great importance on the construction of this road, but it had to be restarted from scratch, not according to the original plan. Thus came his order to halt work. Once people from every village came to the township to report the situation and urgently demanded that construction resume, he made one phone call to the county for instructions, and the order he received was to resume work completely. This resumption had two major features: first, everyone participating in the labor had to be paid; second, the County Highway Bureau would directly dispatch technicians to station themselves on-site and provide guidance.

No matter how well-built the road from the county seat to Suxi Township was, it remained a rural road and wouldn't see much traffic. After the County Highway Bureau technicians inspected the entire route, they only expressed an opinion regarding the Laoyingzui section, proposing a plan to reroute it along the foot of Laoyingzui Mountain. The people of Laoyingzui Village adamantly refused this plan, and Zhao Deliang nearly came to blows with the technician. The technician's plan would have effectively destroyed all of Laoyingzui's paddy fields, which was unacceptable to Zhao Deliang, the village head. Without those paddy fields, the people of Laoyingzui would starve!

No one could accept the fact that building a road would destroy their food-producing fields. The villagers of Laoyingzui insisted on following the original route, carving a path out of the mountainside.

The technician stated it was impossible; without heavy machinery, clearing the remaining road would be harder than ascending to heaven.

Sister-in-law Yue Bai looked at the technician with contempt and said, "I don't believe we can't break through."

Zhu Shizhen couldn't make up his mind. If he destroyed the fields, no one could bear the responsibility when the villagers inevitably rioted; if he didn't, the road couldn't be completed. Without the road, he had no bargaining chip to express his devotion to Secretary Guan, and he was so worried his lips were cracked. Hearing Sister-in-law Yue Bai's words, his spirits were instantly lifted, and he immediately declared that the township would provide full support.

The resumption of work at Laoyingzui signaled the normalization of the road project; strictly speaking, the Laoyingzui project was the barometer for the Suxi Township road project. Upon receiving the order to resume, Zhu Shizhen rushed to Laoyingzui at the first opportunity; he wanted to fire the first shot of the second phase of construction here. Whether this shot could be fired successfully also hinted at his own competence—whether he could remove the word "acting" from his title. This battle was of vital importance.

"Since Township Head Zhu has spoken, our Laoyingzui Village will certainly be the first to step up. Besides, the Youth Shock Brigade organized by the County Youth League Committee hasn't officially started working yet. We can't let down the expectations of our superiors." Sister-in-law Yue Bai had served as the village women's director for several years and was quite articulate.

Zhu Shizhen smiled, shook Sister-in-law Yue Bai's hand, and praised her, "Good, very good. As expected of a cadre trained by the organization, your awareness is truly high."

Sister-in-law Yue Bai pulled her hand away and said, "Building roads and bridges is a virtuous deed."

Zhu Shizhen said he would personally deliver the banner and plant this flag of Suxi Township on the highest peak.

Next, Sister-in-law Yue Bai went to gather her team members, but the young wives and girls who had eagerly signed up before were now hesitant and reluctant to commit. Sister-in-law Yue Bai knew they had all signed up for the sake of the soldiers; now that the soldiers were gone, there was no point in joining the shock brigade.

Sister-in-law Yue Bai told them, "Men have always thought we women can't do big things. Now we have this opportunity; we can earn money, and just like in the old collective days, we sisters can be together every day. Isn't that great?"

Some women were moved. Once one agreed, the others followed suit. Although the shock brigade successfully headed to the construction site, it lacked the laughter of before. Originally, some girls had hoped that by joining the shock brigade, they could mingle with the soldiers every day and perhaps land a husband. Leaving Suxi Township was, in fact, the wish of most women in Suxi.

On the first day of work, Sister-in-law Yue Bai painted another picture for them. She said the shock brigade was organized by the County Youth League Committee, and the county would select outstanding members from the brigade, giving them opportunities to participate in other county-level activities, or even better, opportunities for recruitment and promotion.

After painting this picture, Sister-in-law Yue Bai didn't sleep well all night. She knew that if they discovered this picture was drawn in the wind, these women would tear her apart.

Steel drills and hammers were used together, while the men stood far away, watching. They watched how their wives could wield the heavy hammers and how they would take down Laoyingzui, a place that made even the men tremble.

Zhao Deliang was responsible for loading the explosives, lighting the fuse, and setting off the blast. Sister-in-law Yue Bai crouched behind an earthen ridge, watching her husband scurry over like a rabbit, finding it amusing. She led the singing of mountain songs, and the young wives and girls sang like crazy. The first blast blew a massive boulder into the air.

Once the first blast went off, the men shut their mouths. This blast also shattered the traditions that had kept the women of Laoyingzui dusty for hundreds of years. The work men could do, women could do just as well. From then on, they stood much taller when they spoke.

When I heard that the women were blasting the mountain, I felt a bit terrified. I knew the women were capable, but they lacked the reaction time of men in a crisis.

I worriedly told Sister-in-law Yuebai, but she said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, Old Bull is the one lighting the fuse; he has experience."

I said, "Explosives are something that should be handled by professionals. If something goes wrong, I'm afraid it will be too late to regret."

Sister-in-law Yue Bai tapped my mouth lightly and said, "You crow's mouth!"

I couldn't say anything more; in short, I felt a faint, ominous premonition in my heart. After eating, I said goodbye and prepared to leave. Sister-in-law Yue Bai pulled me aside and said, "Whether you admit it or not, you are the captain of this shock brigade. I won't stop you from leaving, but you must keep the brigade's affairs in your heart."

I said despondently, "Sister-in-law Yue Bai, let's not talk about this, okay?"

Sister-in-law Yue Bai rolled her eyes and said, "We have to talk about it. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have bothered with any shock brigade. Now that the team is assembled, you can't just wash your hands of it."

I shook my head with a bitter smile. Sister-in-law Yue Bai, you don't know that the township government is currently a place of raging storms; even if I wanted to be this captain, I doubt Zhu Shizhen would agree.

I didn't say these things out loud, picked up my bag from the stool, and prepared to leave.

Sister-in-law Yue Bai glanced outside, saw no one, and lowered her voice, "Are you really leaving?"

I nodded.

"You're not going to the back pond anymore?" Her face was full of disappointment.

I said, "Sister-in-law Yue Bai, impulse is the devil. Just like the shock brigade right now."

Sister-in-law Yue Bai twisted her hips and said hatefully, "Don't go then. Leave. I don't want to see you again."

I comforted her, "Village Head Zhao is a very excellent man; as for me, I'm nothing special."

Sister-in-law Yue Bai looked at me, smiled—a smile of relief—and said, "I just wanted to taste what it's like to be with a man who eats state grain, to see where the difference lies." She pulled at her skirt in self-mockery and said, "Sister-in-law knows she isn't good enough for you, but she knows you like her."

Her words made my heart race. I suppressed the desire in my heart; women, if they lack temptation, what difference is there from facing a cow?

Suddenly, the image of Xue Bing appeared in my mind, and my heart sank. ===== CHAPTER 66 =====