Chapter 66: The Qin Family Brigade

Xiao Weiguo rode his bicycle toward the Qin Family Brigade. Upon arrival, he didn’t seek out the brigade leaders right away, but instead headed for the lakeside to check on the fish stock and see if there had been any changes over the past few days.

Reaching the lake, Xiao Weiguo dipped his left hand into the water and scattered a handful of black earth. Within moments, the edge of the lake began to churn, as if boiling water had been poured in. Xiao Weiguo nodded in satisfaction.

Looking at the throng of fish, he felt it would be wasteful not to cast a net, so he simply took a fishing net from his storage space and swept it through the water. The haul was temporarily stored in a water pit within that space. Later, whether he supplied the factory or kept some for himself, he could make arrangements as needed.

Afterward, he walked toward the village center of the Qin Family Brigade. Being a neighboring village, Xiao Weiguo was familiar with the general layout of its buildings, so he headed straight to the brigade committee office.

Passing by a warehouse-like building, he saw people inside and outside cradling bowls as they ate. Glancing at the sky, he guessed it was dinnertime, and this must be the brigade's communal dining hall.

As he passed, Xiao Weiguo took a curious look at what people outside were eating. He saw that their meal consisted of a thin porridge made from cornmeal and sorghum flour, with a few floating leaves of greens, and a yellow cornbread bun in their hands.

It was even less than what he’d eaten at home; clearly, the Qin Family Brigade’s situation was not promising.

Staring intently at a farmer’s bowl, Xiao Weiguo made the man feel uneasy. When the farmer looked up and saw a well-dressed youth who looked like someone from the city fixated on his bowl, he was startled and ran into the dining hall, shouting as he went, “Secretary, this is bad! Someone from the city is here! They’ve discovered what we’re eating!”

His cries stirred up commotion among the brigade members inside and outside the hall. Those close to Xiao Weiguo hurriedly covered their bowls and rushed into the hall, not letting him see their food.

Xiao Weiguo was taken aback.

Don’t run, villagers! He had wanted to ask about the trend of meals at the communal dining hall.

Unfortunately, the villagers of the Qin Family Brigade ran off too quickly.

Not long after, a tall, thin middle-aged man emerged and headed straight for Xiao Weiguo.

Recognizing him as the secretary of the Xiao Family Brigade, Xiao Weiguo greeted him, “Hello, Uncle Youbao.”

Qin Youbao looked at the young man before him, certain he didn’t know him, and asked, “Young man, do you know me?”

Xiao Weiguo replied, “I’m Xiao Weiguo from the neighboring Xiao Family Brigade. I came to see you about something.”

“Oh, you’re from the neighboring Xiao family! What are your father’s and grandfather’s names? We thought some big leader was here for an inspection.”

“My grandfather is Xiao Tieniu, my father is Xiao Pingle. Uncle Youbao, could we find a quiet place to talk?” Xiao Weiguo glanced at the densely packed brigade members, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“Oh, now I know who you are.” Turning to those inside the dining hall, he said, “Everyone, just eat as usual. He’s not a leader, he’s the grandson of Old Xiao from the neighboring village.”

“Come, let’s go to the committee office,” Qin Youbao said.

Once inside, they each took a seat.

Xiao Weiguo began, “Uncle Youbao, I wonder if the First Textile Factory sent you an official letter, asking our brigade to support the major construction by providing the stagnant lake on the west side as a fishing ground. I am the person fully responsible for procuring for this project.”

“Oh, that matter! Yes, we received it. We will unconditionally support the major construction. Please rest assured, Comrade Procurement Officer,” Qin Youbao replied.

Hearing this, Xiao Weiguo felt much relieved.

He continued, “I wonder how you plan to handle the details, since I’ll be the sole fisherman.”

“I’ll just call you Weiguo. I’ve known your grandfather for years. Tell me, what support do you need, and what does our brigade get in return?” Secretary Qin asked solemnly.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Weiguo said, “The support I need is, first, transportation: every afternoon, I’ll need help transporting around five hundred pounds of fish to the commune’s supply and marketing warehouse district. Second, I require absolute secrecy and quiet when I fish; I don’t want anyone seeing how I prepare my bait. I hope you’ll assist with this. Third, we need to discuss how the proceeds from the fish will be divided.”

“The first is easy. Every afternoon, I’ll assign you a horse cart, a driver, and five brigade members to help with hauling. As for the second, I’ll inform them, but you need to be careful yourself—some members might deliberately go against you. For the third, all proceeds are public, so we can’t just give you a share. Besides, we must take at least eighty percent, since the lake belongs to our brigade,” Qin Youbao said after some thought.

“My suggestion is this: Uncle Qin, let me know if it works for you. As the captain of the Xiao Family Brigade’s fishing team, I’ll cooperate with your brigade in fishing. The proceeds from the fish will then be split between our brigades. My share, I’ll negotiate with our brigade secretary. How does this plan sound to you?”

Qin Youbao pondered for a while, then said, “It’s workable, very workable! Weiguo, not only have you become a procurement officer for the textile factory in the city, your mind turns quicker than us old folks.”

He sized up Xiao Weiguo and continued, “Weiguo, do you have a girlfriend? Have you considered finding one here in our brigade? Isn’t your aunt married into our brigade? We could make the family ties even closer.”

Xiao Weiguo broke out in a sweat. Why did everyone like to introduce him to girls?

He hurriedly refused, “No, no, I’m still young, there’s no rush.”

The only person in the Qin Family Brigade he’d ever slightly considered was Qin Jingru, since she embodied the typical traditional wife—faithful to her wandering husband. But she was still too young, barely in her teens, and Xiao Weiguo wouldn’t wait that long. If, at that time, he remained unmarried, perhaps he could intercept Xu Damao. But realistically, that was unlikely; after all, the textile factory was full of girls, and he’d never be allowed to remain single until he was over twenty.

Seeing that their discussion was nearly finished, Xiao Weiguo rose to take his leave. “Uncle Youbao, I’ll head back now. Tomorrow morning, I’ll start fishing directly. After lunch, you can bring people to collect the fish. As for the division of the catch, I’ll inform our Secretary Gonglin tonight, and he’ll come to negotiate with you.”

“Alright, Weiguo. Take care, see you tomorrow.” Qin Youbao escorted Xiao Weiguo to the door, watching him depart.

Returning to his grandparents’ house in the Xiao Family Brigade, he found no one home—likely everyone was at the communal dining hall for supper and to enjoy the evening breeze.

Rural folk usually relaxed and chatted in the village after dinner, until nightfall.

Having worked all afternoon without eating, Xiao Weiguo’s stomach was already rebelling, rumbling loudly. Realizing he hadn’t eaten at the brigade dining hall in ages, he grabbed a bowl and chopsticks from home and headed there.