Bai Shuhua and Father Bai copied stories from the newspaper, then did a second round of creative rewriting and told them to Mother Bai.
After practicing at home, Mother Bai also went to tell them under the big willow tree, and all of it was very popular.
The main reason was that there was too little entertainment now.
Otherwise, “talking behind people’s backs” would not have been so common, everyone was bored.
The production team leader over there was also very helpful, and really made two trips to the town government.
Then he told Mother Bai to get ready to go to town.
Mother Bai was a little nervous again, and Father Bai said he would go with her.
Bai Shuhua naturally also wanted to go, but she still had school.
Mainly because her father and mother did not have her in mind.
Father Bai and Mother Bai came back very quickly, and lunch was made by them.
There was actually scrambled eggs with scallions.
Bai Shuhua’s eyes lit up. “Dad, Mom, it worked.”
Father Bai patted her little head. “I knew I could not hide it from you.”
Bai Shuhua pulled Mother Bai. “Then does that mean Mom won’t have to go work in the fields after this?”
Mother Bai said with a smile, “What nice things are you thinking about.”
Father Bai took care of his wife, daughter, and son, telling them to hurry up and eat, and he talked while they ate.
Their family did not have a proper dining table, so every meal had to use the kang cabinet as a temporary substitute.
Father Bai explained this trip to town in detail.
“This time it was not just us who went. Every production team had one or two acts, most of them were singing revolutionary songs, and there were also people performing model operas. Oh, there was also someone doing a broadsword routine. In the end, the town chief made the final decision and kept ten acts. Your mother was selected.” Father Bai said this and could not help smiling too. “But this does not really count as any serious work. They just have to organize the acts together every spring plowing and autumn harvest, then go down to the production teams to perform and offer comfort performances. At ordinary times, they still have to work in the fields.”
What Bai Shuhua cared about more was, “How many work points? Does the town provide any subsidy?”
Father Bai answered, “During regular practice it is eight work points a day, and when performing it is ten work points. From what the town chief meant, there may also be some extra subsidy, but it has not been confirmed.”
Mother Bai was quite satisfied. “That is very good. The farm work here is only really tiring during spring plowing and autumn harvest, it is fine at other times.”
Bai Shuhua made a victory sign in her heart, the plan to cultivate father and mother into great talents had finally taken the first step.
Father Bai relaxed. “Then I can slack off and earn a little less work points, and we will not have to worry about the two kids going hungry.”
Bai Shuhua gritted her teeth. She had it too hard.
These two adults were too unmotivated. Mother Bai had finally seen a bit of hope, and Father Bai was already going to lie down.
Could they not get a little competitive.
“Dad, you will not be idle. Mom’s lines still have to come from you, and Mom, were they all praising that the story was written well?”
Mother Bai nodded. “Quite a few leaders praised it. They also asked who wrote it, and even asked your dad to go over and talk.”
Bai Shuhua looked at Father Bai. “Dad, why did you not say something so important!”
Father Bai looked at his little son, well, while they were talking, he was just head down eating eggs, and half the plate was almost gone.
He quickly called to his wife and daughter, “Stop talking and eat. If you do not eat soon, there will not be anything left.”
Bai Shuhua reacted at once and quickly joined the scramble for food.
Ah, she had been careless!
If you did not eat actively, there was something wrong with your thinking!
After everything had been eaten and cleaned up, Father Bai only answered after a while, as if the realization had just come to him, “What good is it for leaders to talk to me? I still have to work.”
Bai Shuhua confirmed in her heart that her biological father was a pragmatist.
Actually, that was pretty good.
Bai Shuhua asked again, “Mom, are you going to tell stories under the big willow tree?”
This was an issue right in front of them.
Bai Xiaojun said anxiously, “Tell Monkey.”
Father Bai glared at him. “You have already told it twice, and you still want to tell it.”
Bai Shuhua thought to herself, that was because you did not know the charm of Monkey King. That was a divine drama that had to be broadcast over and over again every summer vacation.
Mother Bai did not answer right away, and instead looked at Father Bai.
Father Bai thought about it. “You still need to go tell it for the next little while.”
You could not cross the river and then tear down the bridge.
Besides, his wife’s future work points still had to be provided by the production team.
“Once the town sends the notice, you will have to go rehearse, and then you will not need to keep telling it in the team.” Father Bai quickly found the right opportunity.
Bai Shuhua nodded repeatedly as she listened. This decision was very good.
“Mom, actually your work can still be easier.”
Mother Bai valued her own daughter a lot and knew she was smart. “Daughter, hurry and tell me.”
Bai Shuhua raised her little head. “You can represent our production team in the future. What if you get tired and it affects your performance? And you still have to make up stories, and tell them to the team members under the big willow tree. That also takes energy, so changing to an easier job should not be too hard, right?”
Father Bai slapped his thigh. “Not hard! Not hard at all! What do you want to do, your mother?”
Mother Bai’s eyes kept darting around, unable to make up her mind for a moment.
It was Father Bai who said, “How about cutting pig fodder? You can wander around all day cutting it, and still cut ten basketfuls. That is five work points too.”
Mother Bai was a little embarrassed. “Th-That is not good.”
Bai Shuhua did not understand. “Why not? Don’t the older sisters also do it?”
Father Bai explained with a smile, “The production team only has that many pigs, and it does not need too much pig fodder. Not everyone can cut pig fodder. Also, that is work for the old and young in the team. The work is light and the work points are not low, it counts as a kind of… subsidy, yes, subsidy.”
Bai Shuhua rolled her eyes. “Then it is better not to let Mom fight for it.”
They still needed some dignity.
Father Bai touched his nose. “It’s fine, I’ll go talk the production team leader into it later, get him to buy two more pigs. Then the pig fodder needed will be more, and your mom will not count as stealing other people’s work.”
Bai Shuhua did not object anymore, if that was the case, it was not impossible.
“Big girl, help Dad think of it, how can we change to an easier job too.” Father Bai looked at her eagerly.
Bai Shuhua’s head hurt. Sure enough, father and mother had to be treated equally.
She scratched her head hard. “It’s hard. Mainly because Dad, you have no contribution to the team, so you are no use.”
Without leverage, how could you negotiate.
“Or you can buy some good things to bribe the production team leader grandpa.”
Sneaking through the back door probably would not work very well.
After all, in the production team, the leader was not all-powerful, so many eyes were watching.
Otherwise, they would not have needed to hold a whole-team meeting for the matter of giving Mother Bai work points.
Father Bai clearly thought of that too, and waved his hand. “Forget it, forget it, I’d better be tired.”
After saying that, he flopped onto the kang.
Bai Shuhua felt that what their family lacked most was a soft sofa. Her parents were both the type to love flopping down.
As a fellow lazy person, Mother Bai could very much understand Father Bai. “It’s fine, old man. When I have earned enough work points, you can slack off then. By then, when the scorekeeper scolds you, you just say your wife can earn them!”
Bai Shuhua: Ah? This…
Father Bai sat up at once. “Wife, really?”
Mother Bai nodded.
Father Bai was overjoyed.
Bai Shuhua: “……………………………………….”
The ellipsis would not be long enough unless it were this long, it was not enough to express her speechlessness.
After getting his wife’s assurance, Father Bai seemed to see a future of lazy days ahead, and repaying the favor by saying, “I’ll go find the production team leader right now and change your work.”
That was proactive!
Mother Bai doing storytelling with work points and changing jobs caused quite a bit of discussion in the production team.
There were also plenty of sour people, and the most sour among them was Aunt Bai.
Originally, after the family split up, she thought she had put in even more effort to earn work points.
After all, now she also had to support the family, and every extra cent she earned would end up in her own hands.
She could not compare with the second branch, but she thought she was much stronger than the couple from the third branch, and she had even muttered to herself that the third branch family was going to go hungry.
She had not expected the third branch’s wife to quietly learn storytelling, and because of that, she could get work points without having to do field labor.
That was not all. Usually, she could just cut pig fodder.
How easy that work was. If it were her doing it, she could cut pig fodder worth ten work points in a day.
It was truly unfair!
“Third branch wife, what exactly happened to that little daughter-in-law, is she dead?”
On the way back from the big willow tree, Grandmother Bai could not help asking once.
Grandmother Bai had been rather ashamed because of Bai Youngest aunt’s matter, and for a long time she had not really wanted to go out of the house.
But now the family had split, and she had to save up a dowry for her youngest daughter.
Besides, the youngest daughter was also going to work in the fields to earn work points, and she had to keep an eye on her.
As time went on, no one was talking behind people’s backs anymore, and life returned to normal.
Now that there was the youngest daughter doing the laundry and cooking and such at home, forced by Grandfather Bai, she was still fairly relaxed, and had also gone with everyone else to listen to storytelling. Not to mention, it was actually pretty nice to listen to, especially what had been told these past few days.
Mother Bai did not spoil it at all. This was something her daughter had said over and over again, and even the word “spoil” was taught to her by her daughter. “Mom, it will be finished tomorrow. If I tell you now, then when you listen tomorrow it will have no feeling.”
Aunt Bai said, “Oh~,” “Third sister-in-law, how can you keep things from family? If Mom asks, just tell her, what, could it make you lose money?”
Mother Bai had never been afraid of this eldest sister-in-law, only sometimes she was rather lazy. “What is sister-in-law saying? I am also doing it for Mom’s good. Besides, how am I keeping things from her? Is sister-in-law’s eyesight bad?”
Grandmother Bai did not want to care about the dispute between her two daughters-in-law, and she was too lazy to listen to them quarrel, so she spoke up to shoo them off. “Enough, enough, I am not listening anymore, all of you go back to your own homes. Aren’t you tired?”
Aunt Bai twisted her waist and left, but her mouth did not stop. “What is there for her to be tired about, fighting with little kids over the job of cutting pig fodder.”
Mother Bai also stopped walking, turned her head. “Eldest sister-in-law is not convinced? If you have the ability, get the production team leader to change your job too. I will not be sour, and I will not be jealous! You have no ability outside, and all you do is pick at your own family, a bully at home!”