A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

He persuaded the onlookers to leave and politely declined the invitations to dinner from other village chiefs.

Jiang Xia led Da Zhu and the others to set up a hand pump on a well at the east end of the village.

The well is right above a wheat field, which saves the trouble of installing bamboo pipes.

With a press of the handle, the water gushed out and thoroughly irrigated the crops.

All you need to do is dig a small opening in the farmland, and the water will flow in naturally.

Uncle Jiang exclaimed, "This saves so much trouble! This hand pump well is incredibly useful!"

"Guoguo, Guoguo. Are you done with your work? Grandma is calling you for dinner!" Seeing Jiang Dong running towards him on the ridge of the field, Jiang Xia quickly took a few steps and picked her up in his arms.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Dong, who had just turned six, didn't appreciate it and patted Jiang Xia's face with his little paws.

"Guoguo, hurry up and go eat. Grandma said you can only get your red hair ribbons after you finish eating!"

Jiang Xia laughed and pulled Jiang Dong onto his shoulders, "Let's ride a big horse!"

Everyone goes back to their own homes, each looking for his own mother.

The commune's canteen was abolished at the end of June. Now everyone cooks their own meals.

Wang Tiezhu was pulled back to Jiang Dazhu's house, and the two pillars were already drinking.

Jiang Dazhu's long-standing knot in his heart was resolved by a blue work permit, and he was extremely happy while drinking.

Erzhu is already married, but he hasn't dared to have children. He really can't afford to raise them.

The villagers knew what was going on and didn't gossip.

However, now that he has the notebook, Erzhu's gaze towards his wife is completely different.

"Honey, why are you looking at me like that?"

"No, hehe, I just think you look especially beautiful today!"

"Silly boy! Eat something, the sweet potatoes are extra sweet today!"

No, I want to eat you!

"Ugh! You rascal!"

After the commotion, the only light in the village office was turned on.

Grandma Jiang had a little wine in the evening, and a blush appeared on her aged face.

"Meeting is in session! Meeting is in session!" After settling Jiang Qiu and Jiang Dong in, he slowly walked to the front of the stage.

Under the dim light of the electric lamp, several square tables were set up. On the tables were two long bolts of floral fabric. In a small box to the side, there was a pile of red rubber bands.

The children were running around below, and a group of women were sitting in the square.

Some were sewing shoe soles nimbly by the light, while others were mending clothes.

They mostly gathered together to chat.

"Erzhu's family, what's up? Planning to have a baby?"

No, no!

"Hey, not yet! That squeaking is worse than ten scabies toads!"

"Hahahaha~~"

Aunt Erzhu blushed immediately.

"Seriously, it's time to have one. Have you forgotten what Master Jiang said? The older a woman gets, the harder it is for her to give birth! Now that Erzhu has become a full-time employee, he can support her!"

"Hey, Sanzhu's mom, you should hurry up and find your son a wife! He's not getting any younger, it's time for him to settle down!"

Sanzhu's mother couldn't stop smiling: "Hey, I've had my eye on him for a while now! It's that Li family in Xiawa Village. I just had someone pass on the message, saying that after the summer harvest, I'll get things done for the kids!"

"Oh, she's a lovely girl! You must have hit it off before the new year!"

"Yes, the Li family didn't look down on Sanzhu back then. Now that Sanzhu has improved, they naturally can't forget about others!"

"Oh dear!" Aunt Jiang slapped her leg. "We should have done this sooner!"

"I heard from our ancestors that everyone in Jiangjia Village, whether they are the eldest daughter-in-law or a young girl, will get a share of this floral fabric!"

Sanzhu's mother still smiled and said, "It's alright, Sanzhu said it himself. With him following Little Jiang, it won't be long before he can buy several yards of floral fabric again! It's no problem, no problem!"

"That's true!" Aunt Liu's eyes darted around again. "Hey, look at those old women behind them, they're probably here to arrange marriages for Sizhu and Wuzhu!"

Normally, news travels very slowly in rural areas, but some news travels incredibly fast, as if it has wings.

Three gunshots rang out from not far away, interrupting the group's chatter.

They weren't flustered; they simply quieted down and sat upright on the small stools.

The group of old women outside the threshing ground were startled. Oh dear, why are they firing guns!

Qin's mother glanced at them and said, "Heh, which village are they from? They come to Jiangjia Village and don't even know that their ancestors liked to fire guns?"

Qin Jingru was also startled, but that didn't stop her from rolling her eyes at the old women, calling them bumpkins!

Then, those big, dark eyes began to search for her ideal man.

Why not?

Also, why are all the people present old ladies and young wives?

She tugged at her mother's sleeve and whispered, "Mother, why haven't I seen him?"

Qin's mother comforted her, "Don't worry, daughter. They might be here soon. Let's wait here. Can't you see it's all women? How can a meeting get going without men?"

After saying that, he peeked into the field again.

Wow, so much floral fabric! If my daughter marries into the family, will I be able to get a share of the profits?

After firing the gun, Grandma Jiang blew away the gunpowder smoke with a rather bandit-like air.

"Alright, enough talk. Hurry up and finish distributing them. Each woman in the family will receive six feet of cloth, a red ribbon, and an ounce of white sugar. Those with children will each receive one milk candy and two hard candies."

"These things were rewards given to our village by the steel rolling mill for our pilot project."

"Jiangwa said their factory manager will be coming tomorrow. After the event, we should go back and tidy up the area around the house."

"That's settled, proceed according to the rules!"

After saying that, the old lady led the two young maids to go back to the house.

My precious grandson was so tired that he barely ate anything before falling asleep. I'm really worried about him, so I have to go back and check on him.

After the old lady left, the remaining women lined up, one by one approaching the table and carefully cutting the floral fabric with scissors. Each face beamed with joy, but there was no trace of eagerness or competition.

"Oh, this floral fabric is really pretty, we should use it sparingly," a woman said softly.

“That’s right, these are rewards from the steel mill, we can’t break the rules,” the woman next to her agreed.

"Hey, outsiders might not know how this reward came about, but we certainly do! The old sayings are meant for outsiders!"

"Hehe, everyone understands!"

Everyone quietly cut the fabric, occasionally exchanging a few words about its intended use.

Some said they wanted to make new clothes for the children, while others said they wanted to make headscarves for themselves. The children watched longingly, anticipating their share of the candy.

The person in charge of distributing the sugar carefully weighed it to ensure that each household received their share. The whole scene was orderly and efficient.

"This Jiangjia Village is different; the rules are really good," the people watching from outside began to discuss.

"Hey, which family are you planning to ask to arrange a marriage?"

"Of course we should find Jiang Xia! I heard he's 21 already!"

"Hey, you've got a long wait. I bet everyone here is after Jiang Xia."

"Is there an explanation?"

"Hey, Jiang Xia is a college graduate! Now he's some kind of foreman at the steel rolling mill. Haven't you seen him get a truck to take him back to his village?"

"Would a man like that be interested in a village girl?" An old woman with a mole on her face was lecturing another old woman wearing a red flower in her hair.

"Tsk tsk, if this goes well, the matchmaker's fee will be quite substantial!"

As the two old women were talking, they saw a middle-aged woman approach Grandma Jiang as she was leaving, gesturing and saying something.

But Grandma Jiang simply waved her hand and dismissed her.

"See, I told you so!" The old woman with the mole smacked her lips proudly.

Seeing this scene, Qin Jingru grabbed her mother's clothes with some worry: "Mother!"

"Don't worry, don't worry. With my son's looks, I guarantee he'll be completely infatuated with that boy."

"A man fears a woman's persistence! I'll dress up nicely tomorrow and charm that boy to death!"