This year's drought is severe.

However, at this time, the entire Red Star Commune, and even members of various production teams in Rongwei County, are actively fighting locusts.

Due to the fierceness of this locust plague, although it did not last long, the damage caused by the locusts to crops in the fields was very serious and rapid.

Moreover, the harm caused by locusts to crops is very intuitive and shocking.

Drought is different.

The damage caused by drought to the crops in the production team is a very slow process.

so,

The commune members who are currently busy exterminating locusts have not yet been able to think about diverting water to fight drought.

Luo Xuan always likes to be one step ahead of others when doing things, and is good at planning ahead and planning ahead.

This time, the Zhengxing Brigade mobilized a large amount of manpower and material resources and went all out to build new canals.

When the construction just started, this move was ridiculed by members of other brigades: "The Yongxing Reservoir has not been repaired yet, so why repair the canals?

Moreover, the food on hand is so tight right now, but the people in the revitalization brigade are wasting precious food on meaningless projects..."

"That's right! When the reservoir is completed in the second half of the year, the commune will naturally organize manpower to repair the diversion canals to each brigade.

At that time, all you need to do is repair the small ditches of our brigade.

There are commune resources that are not used, but you want to waste your own brigade's money and food on doing these shameless things?

Do you really have more money to burn, or do you have more food to eat?"

Generally speaking,

During this period, every winter, communes and counties gather members of production teams on a large scale to go out for voluntary work.

Then these free laborers will be used to carry out some of the most basic agricultural infrastructure construction.

Except for the Zhengxing Brigade, the other production brigades all have a wait, rely, and want mentality.

They think: they have to do volunteer work anyway.

Wouldn't it be enough to simply wait until winter and let the commune come to build the canals?

If we just rely on our own production brigade to organize manpower and material resources to build canals, the cost will be much higher.

And the results of construction must be shared with others.

All the members of the production team felt that it was not a good deal and thought that they had suffered too much loss...

Later, when the drought becomes more and more serious.

The newly built aqueduct of the Zhengxing brigade, and the members of the brigade that passed through it, began to come back to their senses.

Only then did they begin to realize the importance of this agricultural bloodline.

only,

Later, because the locust plague broke out too suddenly and with such ferocity, the members of the brigade temporarily ignored the diversion canal...

Luo Xuan took Tuo Haili, who was covered with a gauze scarf, and walked along the initially formed irrigation canal toward the Yongxing Reservoir.

They had just walked out and not more than a mile away, they arrived at the construction site.

This canal was originally built from the auxiliary weir of Yongxing Reservoir to the main canal there.

Now you can walk more than a mile to the construction site.

That means that this canal is about to be completed.

On the construction site.

The dark, muscular men were busy there with their shirts off.

Among them are those who excavate the land and are responsible for earthworks.

Hammers and chisels are used to dig out the gravel and shale with great difficulty.

There are also those who do heavy physical work. They are carrying stones to strengthen the edge of the aqueduct.

"Why are there so many people?"

Seeing the scene in front of him, Luo Xuan was not only slightly surprised, "Didn't all the members of the brigade go back to the production team and were busy extinguishing the locusts? Where did these people come from?"

Now at the construction site, the person responsible for monitoring the progress of the project is the women's captain of the Zhengxing Brigade.

They organized a group of "Iron Lady Commandos" a while ago and also came to the construction site to support the construction of this project.

But now,

The locust plague in the production team was serious, so the iron ladies all returned to their production teams and were busy exterminating the locusts.

Only the female captain is left here to supervise the work of the hired craftsmen on the construction site.

Hearing Luo Xuan ask,

The captain of the women's brigade pointed to the dark crowd of craftsmen on the construction site and explained, "According to the original plan, the main force we formed to build the canal were the members of our brigade.

This is equivalent to providing work for relief.

It is also good for the members of our brigade to get some rations.

But for some heavier physical work and some more technical work, we hire some craftsmen from outside."

The captain of the women's brigade said, "As you know, Luo Xuan, all our members now have to be busy exterminating locusts.

But according to the order of team leader Peng Zhikun, the construction of this canal must not be stopped!

So now there are many more craftsmen from outside helping us with the work on the construction site."

Luo Xuan asked her: "It is right to speed up the construction of the canal. But in this case, can the originally planned grain share be used?"

"enough!"

The captain of the women's brigade answered very affirmatively, "90% of the craftsmen on the construction site now only have one lunch.

There is no need to give them extra rations, nor do they need to give them salt or douban money.

In this way, we can save a lot of food and cash."

After listening to the explanation of the women's brigade captain, Luo Xuan couldn't help but frown for a moment, feeling filled with contradictions.

These strong men on the construction site are actually willing to do such heavy physical work just because they want a meal at noon?

This shows that the food situation outside may have reached an incredible level...

What a roll!

No wages, no compensation.

With just a full meal, these strong men are willing to rush over to help the revitalization brigade build a new aqueduct?!

Luo Xuan couldn't help but sigh to himself: It's really too curly...

Because according to the past,

The plan that I and team leader Peng Zhikun and others came up with was that every member of the team would come to work on the construction site and receive a lunch every day.

Because the newly built canals will help increase production and income for your production team.

Therefore, when the members of the Zhengxing Brigade come to work on the construction site, they have some compulsory obligations.

They are not allowed to bargain.

But if the craftsmen come from outside, they are not under the control of the Zhengxing Brigade. If they don't seek some benefits, who will come to help with the work?

so,

For these craftsmen invited from outside, the Zhengxing Brigade not only has to provide them with a lunch.

Moreover, he was given 1 jin of cereals mixed with corn and rice every day.

So that people can take it back to Hukou to support their families.

However, building new canals requires a lot of manpower, and the food reserves of the Zhengxing Brigade are also extremely limited.

Therefore, during the process of building canals, the Zhengxing Brigade will strictly control the number of craftsmen hired from outside.

According to Luo Xuan's idea: Instead of hiring more people from outside, it would be better to use as many members of the brigade as possible.

This is equivalent to using food to subsidize members of other production teams in disguise.

To help them get through this difficult time smoothly.

In this period, it is very easy to hire people, and the rewards are extremely low.

But the problem is: it’s a bit difficult to use so much food as wages for others...

"Isn't it a little inappropriate to do this?"

Luo Xuan pondered for a long time, and then asked the women's team leader, "After all, they also need to support their families in Hukou. If you don't give them food, what will their families eat?"

The captain of the women's brigade gave a wry smile, "I heard brigade captain Peng Zhikun say that existence is reasonable.

At that time, I thought that now that Comrade Peng Zhikun had become the captain, his cultural level would be different?
To be continued...