Chapter 34 Work Points
In the dark night, four sparks moved forward in the air.
The road was narrow and dark at night, so we had to light torches to light the way.
Lin Zisu was concentrating on driving, and accidentally let one of the wheels hang in the air. The RV was on a small road and could barely move.
Fortunately, the navigation route displayed on the HUD head-up display shows that this path is feasible.
After walking for half an hour, Lin Youcai came over to confirm that this road was feasible before he felt at ease to move forward.
I sighed in my heart, it would be great to have a plug-in!
We walked and stopped, the sky was getting light, and everyone was sweating profusely.
After daybreak, we slowed down our pace and looked for water sources nearby.
We must find a place with water to rest, as both people and livestock need water.
An hour later, at about 1 o'clock in the morning, we finally found a small creek. It was only about one meter wide and the water was knee-deep. When you are out and about, you don't need to be too particular. The water is clear and you can see the bottom. You can use whatever you have.
Lin Benshu struck the gong, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, sat down on the ground, and waited until they had recovered.
We cooked and rested for 2 hours, then continued our journey during the day. Fortunately, it was cloudy today, and although the weather was hot, it was not too hot, so we could travel easily. After what happened last night, no one said anything.
The road is clear during the day and travel is much faster than at night.
As if there were evil spirits chasing them, the team traveled day and night for six consecutive days and everyone was exhausted.
When I first started my journey, I would miss my relatives and friends who hadn’t left, and my hometown, and I would even cry when I took a break.
Now it's not that everyone doesn't miss it, it's just that we are so tired and scared that we don't have the energy to miss it. Once we stop, we just want to sleep on the spot. Everyone is pitch black and the smell is overwhelming.
Of course, there were only the women in the RV and a little boy. Although they were not completely dirty, they did not have the conditions to take a shower every day, and the smell was not very good.
Lin Zisu wore a mask while driving every day, and gradually became numb to the smell and got used to it. There were too many people on the road to escape, so it was really impossible to be particular.
We didn't come across any villages along the way, didn't see anyone, and occasionally passed by fields, but didn't see people working in the fields. It was hot and tiring every day, so no one took it too seriously.
Now that I meet a living person, I am even more scared.
At 4pm, everyone rested on the spot. There was a small hill on the left side of the path. The hill was full of pine trees, which could be seen from the road.
This made everyone very happy.
The resin, pine cones and torches that everyone brought with them have almost been used up.
The village head was beating the gong, calling out to the people who were rushing to collect pine resin and chop pine cones. "Ding ding ding! Stop!!! Don't rush! Someone has to watch over the luggage and keep watch! Rest here first!!!"
Lin Youcai walked up to the village head and said, "Village head, how about we implement work points for the team?"
"What are work points?" Lin Benshui, the second son of the village head, came over and asked.
"Work points are the labor you do for the collective. You hand in the harvest and write down the name, quantity, etc. on paper. Calculate the number of points and keep a record of them. Then, according to the number of points, you can get collective dividends, such as food, money, items, etc." Lin Youcai continued, "The village head is right. With so much luggage and livestock, someone must guard it and someone must keep watch! We don't know how long and how far we will go. There are many things to do along the way. It's impossible for everyone to take care of their own families. That would be a mess, and we would get less, and our ability to resist risks would be reduced!"
The men who gathered around looked at Lin Youcai with confusion.
"We need lighting along the way, especially when traveling at night. Now, the things that everyone uses to light fires for lighting are almost gone. Today, we happened to encounter a pine forest, and we all want to get some back. But the luggage needs someone to watch it, and we are afraid that there will be thieves. We also need to bury the pot to cook, find firewood, and fetch water! So, let's divide the work and cooperate, isn't it safe and efficient? Those who are responsible for guarding the luggage and patrolling and standing guard are working for everyone! Record the work points! Finding firewood and fetching water depends on your own needs, and you don't have to hand it in. But lighting is needed by everyone. Lighting is not like eating. The food belongs to you once it is in your mouth. When the fire is lit, people around can see the road. So divide the work and cooperate, go to pick up pine resin and chop pine cones, and record the quantity and weight, and calculate the points. When lighting, everyone can use it, and the village head will arrange it. In the future, if everyone encounters something good on the road, we can divide the work and save trouble, time and effort, and work together. How great it is!" Lin Youcai took the water brought by his son, drank it in one gulp, and spoke with a dry mouth.
Everyone listened, thought about it, and decided it was feasible. Going alone on this journey would not work. With hundreds of people walking together, we can share the burden and feel more secure.
The head of the village said, "Okay. Keep the accounts clearly. Those who want to cheat and play dirty won't be able to get away with it. Keep a clear account of how much work you have done so that it is easier to settle the accounts. If you want to gossip, just look through the account book!"
"I have paper and pen. Now I will record the patrols and sentries who are guarding the luggage. I will weigh the pine resin and pine nuts I pick up later. I have a scale in my car. We will talk about how to calculate the work points when we have time. Anyway, everything you have done has been recorded." Lin Youcai signaled his son Lin Xianwen to get paper and pen.
The head of the village said: "Leave the accounting to Youcai. Mr. Tao can help. Both of them are scholars and can write and count."
"Okay, village head." Tao Mingyuan responded immediately.
"Get a pen and paper, and write it down as well. Bookkeeping is very tedious, but if you do something, just write it down." The head of the village looked at Lin Youcai, then looked at everyone and said.
"It's so expensive, so work points must be calculated. It's very troublesome to keep accounts for so many people, so work points must be calculated as well." Butcher Zhao responded.
The village head called everyone together and explained it in detail. Time waits for no one, so those who don't understand can ask others. Anyway, there will be another meeting. Just like Youcai said, we should hold meetings from time to time to make things, arrangements, and plans clear, so that everyone can be more united and work together.
Everyone knows how valuable pen, ink, paper and inkstone are. If you can't calculate or write, you certainly can't do accounting. The work you have done and the things you have gained are all written down on paper fairly. Everyone has no objection and goes about their work.
Lin Zisu followed the group into the mountains fully armed. After Old Lady Wang understood what work points meant, she asked Lin Zisu to lock the RV.
The Lin family left Lin Youcai under the shed of the RV, setting up camping folding tables and chairs to keep accounts. He took a brand new draft book from Li Ai's college days, which was just right for keeping accounts now. He used a fountain pen, and wrote the names of more than 300 people with a brush, and he had to grind ink, so forget it.
Anyway, after more than half a month, everyone got used to it. It was normal for them not to have seen things from scholars! Who cares what kind of paper and pen it is, it’s for writing anyway!
Lin Xianwen took a stick and knocked in front to alert the snake and avoid being bitten.
Lin Zisu was covered with masks so that only her eyes were exposed. The main reason was that mosquitoes were too fierce and she had to be fully armed!
Old Mrs. Wang frowned and looked at her many times, but Lin Zisu pretended not to know.
This patch of pine trees was right next to the road, so everyone spread out and started picking up the fruits from the roadside first.