书城外语阿米!走步!
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第31章 核!合!和!(17)

10.For his contributions to the village,Cai was later elected village head.In 1978,the government started the reform and opening-up,encouraging Chinese people to develop economy and get rich.Cai Danian,who had earned much money for the village from the pork business,was extremely excited at the new politics.A meeting was held in the village to learn the documents of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of CPC.As a representative,Cai stood up and made a speech: "Since the government offers us preferable policies,we must use them to earn a better life for ourselves.We have met so many difficulties during the past years,and we got over.We have lived a better life than the neighboring villages.Now the government supports us to increase our income,so we should do it much better." Then turning to Huang,he said,"Secretary Huang,now it's our show time.Let's see who will beat down the other and who will be better-off." Huang Manfu kept quiet to Cai's challenge.When the meeting was over,however,he dragged Cai to a corner of the village square.Before Cai had the chance to open his mouth,Huang complained to him,"You should not have raised your voice and talked nonsense at the meeting.What were you shouting about?Challenging me?Who did you think you were challenging?Look,I am not afraid of you at all.I will play with you and I will win the game.Let's go and see..." Before Huang finished his words,Cai said loudly,"Not afraid of me?Then why did you keep silent at the meeting?Challenge you?How did it come that I challenge you?By no means.There is no point in doing that.My purpose was to prod you to do something for our village.How can you regard it as a challenge?I am very unhappy to hear that.Look,I am not afraid of you either.So I must play with you.We will see who is a better cadre and who serves the village better." "Listen,Old Cai," Huang interrupted,"That is a deal.Surely we will play,but more important is to set good examples for others to follow.Old fellow,I tell you,the 30 people doing the pork business will go on working under you.You must manage and instruct them well.Since we have laid a foundation in the pork business,I will mobilize twenty poor households to cooperate with you so that you can open up the market in the town.And let me tell you,the females in the other poor families will take charge of the village chicken farms.You know,there are over five thousand chickens on it.I have given order that they be well looked after." Cai interrupted Huang again: "I have no objections.Actually,I couldn't agree more.It is a good idea to join hands to open up the market.But we must have a fair play,so I will give you my 15 apprentices who have experience in the pork business.I will get some other youngsters and have them trained.Another thing,I will arrange five thousand Yuan for you to start.But I will absolutely look down upon you if you turn out to be totally useless." When the conversation was over,they clapped their hands and then parted company without a word.

11.The next day,Cai and Huang had some pigs slaughtered before daybreak.The newly-cut pork,warm and steaming,was loaded up into two tractors.At Cai's declaration "Go!",a troop of villagers was seen drawing out of Huangjiawan towards the town,some on the tractors and others by bicycle.As a Chinese proverb goes,a shot arrow will not come back; Cai and Huang,heading the country folks,did the meat business day after day for 30 years.

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