A Collection of Past Events in Hometown —— Records of Working Youth

In the middle and late 1970s, the economy was poor, but children did not have the pressure to go to school. In my hometown, when the summer vacation comes, parents will exert their magical powers and try their best to entrust people from all over the country to find odd jobs for older children to earn extra money and supplement their families.

In those years, Jinhua Tea Factory had a particularly good income and made a lot of money. Everyone wants to work in a tea factory. July and August are the peak season for jasmine production, and tea factories really need a large number of temporary workers.

One summer vacation, my mother's old leader, Qing's father, helped my sister win the opportunity to work in a tea factory. Unfortunately, when the news came, my sister had already worked as a helper in a paper factory.

Parents are reluctant to give up their sister's quota, and they are in a dilemma. I volunteered to impersonate my sister to work in a tea factory. Father hesitated, but when he heard that Qing Hong Jie was with him, he nodded in agreement. Sister Qinghong is two years older than me. My aunt is an old employee of the tea factory and can take care of her. In this way, I got my first job, my sister Xiaohua. That year, I just turned thirteen.

I really know nothing about tea. Everything in the tea factory is novel to me. The workshop is spacious and smells everywhere. Every afternoon, flower farmers send fresh jasmine and magnolia flowers. Jasmine is small and exquisite, crystal clear and fragrant. Magnolia is slender, with delicate petals and elegant and simple beauty. Magnolia once became a fashionable chest pendant for little girls in her hometown. Once, I couldn't resist the temptation and secretly hid one and took it home to my beautiful sister.

At that time, tea factories mainly produced jasmine tea. The processing of jasmine tea is complicated, which needs to go through many processes such as tea blank treatment, flower protection, flower scenting, flowering, flower stacking and flower scenting. But I still don't understand these complicated technical principles. Fortunately, most processes don't seem to consume much energy. As long as I am careful and diligent, it is not particularly difficult to deal with. Of course, there is a lot of heavy work, especially carrying tea bags, which is really exhausting. After tea is bagged, it should be transported back to another workshop for centralized stacking. Some strong men can walk like flies by carrying two bags at a time, but I tripped over one bag. No way, I can only grit my teeth and say to myself, "I am not afraid of suffering, and I am not afraid of death" to cheer myself up. Hehe, it's a good thing that the sack is not filled with iron, soil or books.

At first, my colleagues didn't like me. No wonder they are. I am not only short, but also dull. When they shouted "Xiaohua ……", poor me, I forgot that it was calling me, and I often didn't know the answer.

Together with Sister Hong Qing, there are about 10 students in our class. Divide into groups of 5 or 6 people. Most people come from nearby villages and are strong. When we were in groups, everyone was afraid that I would slow down and would not join me. One of the team leaders, surnamed Ye, seems to have been a soldier for several years. He is big and hard-working, and is favored by girls. He is kind-hearted and compassionate, and put me under his protection.

Under the protection of the team leader, plus my young and ignorant advantages, I soon became a beacon that all the workers wanted to win over. At that time, the tea factory was just established, and most of the employees, especially summer temporary workers, were young. Young men and women sweat and work together every day, and it is inevitable that you and I love each other. Envy is inevitable. As a radish, I am completely uninterested in the emotional world of adults, and naturally I will not get involved in any disputes. In their eyes, I am the most reliable "alliance" army. Some big sisters talked to me about "the truth" regardless of reserve, unaware that I was a thirteen-year-old child; Others implicitly asked me to send a note to their "sweetheart". In short, everyone became very friendly to me, willing to take care of me and even helped me share the heavy work. Sister Qinghong said I was: "A fool is blessed with a fool."

The tea factory needs three shifts, and the night shift is my biggest challenge. In the middle of the night, I really can't help wanting to sleep. I often secretly take a nap with Sister Hong Qing in a tea bag. Tea mixed with jasmine is not only attractive, but also seems to have hypnotic effect. Sometimes I close my eyes and fall asleep unconsciously. Fortunately, the group leader is a kind person and seldom blames us. If he is not particularly busy at work, he will wait patiently for us to sleep for a while and then wake us up at the right time. Of course, working at night is also good. We can get extra food subsidies, and each person can get a tube of Jinhua shortcake. At that time when food was scarce, this kind of shortbread was the most delicious snack in the world. It is fresh and fragrant, crisp and beautiful, and its taste is unparalleled.

Besides being tired and sleepy at work, the way to and from work is also a test. The tea factory is located on a hillside in Zhufengting, a suburb of my hometown. Mount Everest Pavilion is an old execution ground, and the crematorium is there. There are scattered graves there. From my home to the tea factory, we should start from Huancheng North Road, turn to Beishan Road, cross the railway crossing of Beishan Road, and then walk a few miles along Shishi Road. As far as I can remember, the road is very narrow, surrounded by farmland and hills. After entering the Everest Pavilion area, the uphill road is complex, with ditches on both sides of the road and weeds. Walking at night, frogs chirping and cicadaing are mixed, and the stone tablets in the distant cemetery are hidden and strange in the moonlight. At this time, stories about the "ghost" of Mount Everest Pavilion will come to my mind one after another. On a moonlit night, only Qinghong and I walked hand in hand on the slope. There seems to be a strange force that makes me look in the direction of the cemetery involuntarily. I don't know if this is an illusion or light. Suddenly I found a faint blue light flashing in the distance, and there was a slender "white man" next to the blue light. I can't see my face clearly, my white hair shawl and white robe mop the floor. I walked in the wind and seemed to be waving. I ran away with a "Oh, my God" and scared Sister Qinghong. We panted all the way into the factory before we dared to slow down I was pale and shocked for a long time.

The workmates gathered around to ask questions, and they all believed that I had really seen a ghost. My mouth comforted, but my heart panicked. After that, everyone automatically goes to work in groups. However, our group leader Ye is an exception. He really doesn't believe in evil, and as always, he walks alone at night without any worries. His fearlessness to "ghosts" increased his male charm. The girls adore him and regard him as their male god.

On one occasion, a beautiful elder sister named Fangfang called me aside and gave me two movie tickets for Honghu Red Guards:

"Xiaohua, here are two movie tickets. One is for you, and the other is for you to give it to group leader Ye for me, but don't say it's from me. Ok? "

My heart exulted and I agreed without hesitation. You know, it's not easy for Honghu Red Guards to get a vote just after they are released.

I entered the cinema and found Sister Fangfang coming. The movie ticket seat I reserved for myself was right among them. But I don't know transposition. The plot of the film is exciting, the singing is beautiful and the melody is beautiful. But they didn't stare at the screen. They kept looking at each other. I was very uncomfortable, so I put myself on the back of the front seat. I am so absorbed in my eyes that I can't calm down. Sometimes I feel nervous, sometimes I want to cry. And they were behind me, and I don't know when, but they shook hands secretly. I was shocked before I offered to change places with Fangfang. Fangfang reluctantly and shyly agreed. At the end of the movie, I learned to be smart and slipped out of the cinema without saying goodbye. I proudly described my experience as a "third wheel" to Sister Qing, and Sister Qing laughed that I finally learned to be a "matchmaker".

Soon, my summer job as a temporary worker was over, and it was time to check my daily salary. At that time, temporary workers in tea factories could get the highest amount every day? 1. 15 yuan. At least available? 0.85 yuan. I humbly decide for myself? 0.90。 The team leader said that I have a good working attitude, should I add it? 0.95。 Everyone agreed and raised their hands to pass the group leader's suggestion. Sister Hong Qing is a typical hardworking person. Although she is only two years older than me, does she understand? The high salary of one day 1.05 fully envies me.

This temporary job made me earn the first money in my life, * * *? 38 yuan. My pride and pride are beyond words. The next day, I bought a new schoolbag, a new pencil case and a pair of new shoes with the money I earned, and made an appointment with my classmates to eat fruit in the street.

Sister Qing and I have never seen our workmates since. It is said that after the 1980s, tea factories began to decline due to poor management, and completely closed down in the early 1990s. Since then, the workers have scattered themselves to find a way out to make a living. The Everest Pavilion has now become a prosperous community. Even if ghosts really lived before, it is estimated that I dare not wander around the local area now. As time goes by, the phenomenon of urban teenagers working as temporary workers may have long since ceased to exist.