Deling Labor Reform Farm.

Jing Cuncheng put on all his clothes, wrapped in the quilt, and still shivered.

Zhang Jun, who was on the opposite side of the room, was even more unbearable, his face was pale and curled up, and the shaking wooden bed was ringing.

Jing Cuncheng knocked his teeth and said with a smile: "Lao Zhang, you are a cowhide king, what else do you say about lying in ambush in the snow for three days and three nights without moving the nest, now you have a house and a quilt, you can't stand it." ”

After speaking, Jing Cuncheng twisted his body, expecting his back to warm up a little, and at the same time, he was still waiting for the familiar rebuttal to come, wanting to use his words to keep out the cold.

However, the expected rebuttal did not come.

Zhang Jun closed his eyes tightly, and his body was still trembling violently.

"Lao Zhang?"

"Lao Zhang!" Jing Cuncheng shouted, waking up the other two people as well.

Jing Cuncheng wrapped himself in the quilt and got out of bed, and as soon as he touched Zhang Jun's forehead, his face changed, and he said in a deep voice: "I have a fever." ”

"Do you still have briquettes? Burn the fire and get some hot water. Guo Wei, who was in the same room, said as he went to the earthen stove in the middle of the room to look.

The stove has been cold for a long time, and the walls are all cold. Underneath the stove was some firewood for the fire, as well as a gray-black briquette.

"There's only one piece left. Guo Wei sighed, found a match, prepared to light the fire, and asked, "Who has the money?"

"I still have a little more, I can buy two briquettes. The last person in the room, Cheng Yu, was an intellectual, thin and small, took out a change bill from his shoe, then looked up at the window, and said: "It's not yet evening, and the three briquettes will be extinguished in the middle of the night." ”

"If it doesn't work, it's okay, I'll ask the guards for two more pieces. Jing Cuncheng put his quilt on Zhang Jun and put on broken cotton shoes.

"I'll go with you. Guo Wei rubbed his face, handed his quilt to Cheng Yu, and said, "Don't freeze you too, the two of us will run, and you will make the fire." ”

"Go and come back quickly, it's better to get some medicine. Cheng Yu unceremoniously wrapped the quilt and said, "Pay attention to safety." ”

Jing Cuncheng and Guo Wei didn't say a word, opened the door, and trotted to find the guards against the cold wind.

Located in the Qaidam Basin, the Laogai Farm is more than 100 kilometers away from the nearest town, and it takes a whole day to drive and climb over a mountain more than 3,000 meters high, and the conditions are extremely harsh. In such a place, there is no need for prison-like iron doors and iron windows, as long as there are only two cars on the farm, whoever wants to run is casual, just running out of the farm on the road, you can exhaust people, if you walk along the road, do not wait for a suitable place to live, a day and a night will pass, the farm can not find anyone by name, and then call out, the surrounding villages and towns are prepared with barricades and militia teams, if you are lucky, there is a chance to save the guy who escaped.

The farm is loosely guarded, but the material management is very strict, and in January, when the temperature is below freezing, the fuel is still not fully distributed, especially when the snow closes the mountain, and the supply of briquettes is reduced.

If you want more briquettes, you have to pay for them yourself. At the beginning of coming to the farm, many people can come up with money, and even if they don't have it, they have savings at home, and they will always find ways to send some of it.

However, now that they have been imprisoned for a longer time, there are almost no people with money, and Cheng Yu still has a little change left, which he saved from the food money.

Jing Cuncheng and Guo Wei grabbed the money and knocked on the guard's room, and suddenly felt warm.

The cast-iron stove in the room was blazing.

"Lao Zhang has a fever, let's get a few briquettes. Jing Cuncheng grabbed Guo Wei so that he wouldn't be too grumpy.

Tao Feng, who was sitting in front of the stove, was strong, but his face was full of impatience, and said: "You have all sent out the briquettes this week, and if you don't have enough, you will go to the field department to pay the money." ”

"It's so late, and there's no one in the field. Jing Cuncheng lowered his head and said.

Tao Feng said indifferently: "That can't be helped." I'm not from the field department. ”

"Help, little comrade. ”

"Who is comrade with you?" Tao Feng stood up suddenly and looked down at Jing Cuncheng.

"When a person dies, it's always bad. Jing Cun Cheng knew the reason and said: "Lao Zhang is burning hot now, give some medicine, drink some hot water, warm up, and the person will be saved." If he dies because of a few cents, don't talk about it, his family will come to make trouble when they hear about it. ”

"A reactionary, why should he make trouble. Tao Feng was very nervous.

Jing Cuncheng laughed and said: "Didn't the People's Daily stop talking about this? Many people have also been rehabilitated, Lao Zhang has not been rehabilitated, and there may be problems with him, but it is also your task to live and let him wait until he is rehabilitated, or wait until a new order comes down." Oh, I have some money here, please help us hand it over to the field department tomorrow, and give us a few briquettes today, okay?"

Tao Feng looked down at the gross ticket, put it in his pocket, dialed it under the stove with his foot, and said, "There are no briquettes, these are broken, you can take as much as you want." ”

Guo Wei said angrily: "How can these be enough." ”

"It's okay if it's not enough. Jing Cuncheng grabbed him, and smiled at Tao Feng: "Discipline, give two more cold medicines, and send the Buddha to the West Pavilion." ”

There is no shortage of ordinary medicines in the labor camps, and the fuel is difficult to transport because of the high mountains and roads, so it is easier to carry the medicines.

Of course, medicines also cost money, Tao Feng was reluctant to give them, but thinking of what Jing Cuncheng said earlier, he still squeezed two pills for him.

In fact, 25% of the country's prisoners were once held by various judicial organs in Qinghai, but over the years, many people have been released one after another.

At the beginning, the cadres on the farm were even nervous, for fear that the ****** who had been let go would gain power again and take revenge.

Now, years later, the fears have not happened, fewer and fewer people have left the farm, and the guards have relapsed into signs of treating the remaining ****** as ordinary criminals.

However, ****** and criminal criminals are different after all, and Jing Cuncheng's words are reasonable. Tao Feng then gave the medicine so as not to cause a curse.

After the morning exercise the next day, Jing Cuncheng returned to the room and continued to take care of Lao Zhang.

The rest of the people on the farm had also heard that you had collected two small coals from a dustpan so that they could burn the house warmer.

But that's all you can do.

Jing Cuncheng and Cheng Yu kept using water-soaked towels to cool down Lao Zhang, and at noon, they were a little better, but whether it was the credit of the sun or the result of the two of them being busy, it was impossible to tell the difference.

"The fever hasn't gone down yet. Cheng Yu poured some hot water into the basin again, and said with a sad face: "The coal is about to run out again, and the fire has to be turned off in the afternoon. ”

"I'll get you guys to do it again. Guo Wei went out as soon as he heard this.

Cheng Yu shook his head, looked at the closed door, and said helplessly: "The landlord's family has no surplus grain." ”

"You should say that the rightists have no surplus food either. Jing Cuncheng rubbed his hands and said.

Cheng Yu straightened up and said with a wry smile: "Are you still in the mood to tell jokes?"

"It's useless to cry and mourn, you can ask for as many pavilions as you want. Jing Cuncheng said indifferently: "If you can live one day, it's a day." ”

That was the end of the conversation in the room.

One hour, Guo Wei came back with a frown, half of the coal in the dustpan, and said, "If you can take it out, you will take it out in the afternoon, and that's all." ”

Cheng Yu and Jing Cuncheng didn't speak, the three of them sat around the stove, changing a towel for Zhang Jun from time to time, each thinking about it.

In the afternoon, the power of the sun became weaker and weaker, while the temperature of the stove did not rise.

Zhang Jun was still asleep, and the three of them were wrapped in quilts one after another, and there was no better way.

Bang bang.

The knock on the door instantly startled three people.

"Who?"

"Is Mr. Jing here? I'm Tao Feng, and I've brought a doctor. Tao Feng knocked on the door again.

Jing Cuncheng opened the door in surprise, saw Tao Feng, and asked, "Why is the discipline coming?" ”

"Didn't you say that Lao Zhang was sick today, I went back and pondered, I can't just like that, so bring a doctor to take a look. Doctor Kang, what do you see?" Tao Feng said, giving up his place to the doctor who brought it.

There is a doctor in the labor camp, who usually ignores the prisoners, but at this time he is a little special, with a smile on his face, sitting next to Lao Zhang, and began to diagnose his pulse.

After a while, the doctor opened the medical bag, took out a set of infusion sets and a large glass bottle of liquid, and said: "I am a little dehydrated, and the fever is relatively severe, so I will rehydrate and reduce the fever first." ”

"The room is too cold, even if you are not sick, you have to freeze and catch a cold, and it is even more difficult to get better if you get sick. Jing Cuncheng frowned and said.

Tao Feng immediately said: "I asked people to fetch coal, and I will burn it for you immediately." ”

"Is there a coal truck coming?" Guo Wei asked stunned.

Cheng Yu smiled and said, "There must be something coming, but it may not be a coal truck." Tao discipline, if there is any good thing, just share it with us, don't hide it alone. ”

Guo Wei's eyes froze: "Has someone been rehabilitated?"

Cheng Yu and Jing Cuncheng also looked at Tao Feng tightly. In the labor camp, what people are most looking forward to is to be rehabilitated and go home.

Tao Guan smiled awkwardly and said, "The notice of rehabilitation can't be sent by me." I just answered a phone call and received a letter, Mr. Jing's uncle will be coming in two days. ”

"Xiao Wu is here?" Jing Cuncheng then said suspiciously: "Xiao Wu has been here before, and Tao Discipline didn't knock on the door before. ”

"Mr. Jing, don't squeeze me, you used to be a big man, and you will be a big man in the future, I, Tao Feng, am a small person, if you want to, just look at me, if you don't want to, just treat me as a sparrow, twitter, and it won't hinder your business. Tao Feng smiled and lifted the kettle on the stove, poured water into the cups of the three people, and handed the letter in his arms to Jing Cuncheng.

The letter was opened, and it was obvious that it had been checked, Jing Cuncheng opened it and scanned it, and said suspiciously: "I just said I wanted to come and see, but I didn't say anything special." ”

"I also sent money, and the field department saved it for you. As you know, large remittances must be deposited with the department. ”

"You know, lest we run away with money on us, how much did Xiao Wu send?"

"1,000 yuan, in addition, there are 1,000 yuan in foreign exchange coupons. Tao Feng smiled humbly. Foreign exchange coupons are exchanged for real foreign exchange, and they must be exchanged at the official exchange rate.

The official exchange rate in '83 was 1. Nibbling 7, that is, 1 US dollar to huàn 2 yuan, and the black market exchange rate in the same period is almost 1 to 8, and it is 1 to 10 when it is powerful.

That is to say, a unit of 1,000 yuan of foreign exchange coupons needs to be exchanged for 500 US dollars, and 500 US dollars can actually be exchanged for 4,000 to 5,000 yuan.

Because of the exchange rate of the pit father, not only the Chinese and overseas Chinese who have returned to China, but also foreigners who come to China, will find a way to do private exchange in places such as the seamen's club, or the back alley of the People's Bank of China, some shipping companies that often run China's coast, and even directly explain the exchange rate and exchange method in the seafarer's manual.

Of course, according to the rules, foreigners cannot use RMB in China, nor can they use foreign exchange such as US dollars, and must be exchanged for foreign exchange coupons to use, but there are countermeasures and policies, and foreigners take RMB to the store, ordinary people will not refuse, even officials, rarely enforce such decrees.

However, the implementation of the labor camp is uncompromising. As in the cities, most of the renminbi things used in the labor camps require bills, and if you want to buy extra meat, you need meat stamps, if you want to buy extra coal, you need coal stamps, if you want to eat more, you need food stamps, and you have to have national food stamps.

There is no restriction on the use of foreign exchange coupons, you can buy as much as you want, anyway, it is exchanged for foreign exchange, and the country does not suffer a loss.

In the Laogai Farms, many veteran cadres are not in good health, so their families can only try to buy foreign exchange vouchers so that they can buy food, clothing, or medicine more easily.

However, most of the foreign exchange coupons sent to Deling Farm are 350 yuan, and more than 100 yuan are less.

A one-time foreign exchange coupon of 1,000 yuan can't help but be cranky on the farm.

It's Jing Cuncheng himself, and he thinks about it crankily.

……