Return to the small mountain village in 1983

Chapter 119 Half a Month to Dig a Fish Pond

After dinner, Lin Heng put his daughter to bed as usual and read fairy tales to her.

In this life, he has enough patience to train his children, playing music, chess, calligraphy, painting, dancing, singing, etc. He thinks that it will depend on his own wishes when the children are older, and there is no need for him to plan these things.

If you don’t want to learn, it would be nice to have a happier childhood, and you have your own answers anyway.

What he wants to cultivate in his children is the habit of reading from an early age. He feels that inner mental advancement is far more important than external things.

Once you see the road clearly, you can reach the destination even if you walk slowly. If you can't see the road clearly, you can only fly around like a headless fly, spinning in circles.

Countless great figures have appeared in the long history of mankind, each of which has indirectly or directly changed the historical process of some aspect of mankind.

And their great thoughts and profound insights are all preserved through books.

Facts have also proved that the difficulties and problems encountered by ordinary people have also been encountered by great men, and they have left corresponding solutions in their works.

Reading these books can not only solve your own confusion, but also understand the thoughts of these great men and understand how they became great step by step.

Lin Heng survived the most difficult years through books in his previous life, so he hopes his children will also have the habit of loving reading.

With a mental age of sixty, he has enough patience to cultivate children's reading habits from an early age and guide them to read.

Xiaoxia was very lively tonight. Lin Heng read her fairy tales for more than forty minutes before she fell asleep.

When Lin Heng went to bed, he found that his wife had also fallen asleep. He looked at her messy little face with a smile.

He blew out the candle and lay down to sleep.

It was a quiet night. At five o'clock the next morning, Lin Heng opened his eyes and turned to look at his wife. She happened to turn to look at him.

The two looked at each other and smiled, their eyes full of love. Lin Heng arranged his wife's hair and touched her smooth face. She kissed him good morning and sat up with a smile.

The two got up together and went to the kitchen to look at the turtledove leaf fairy tofu they made yesterday.

The color is green, and if you look closely, you can see some tiny bubbles and very tiny turtle dove leaf residues.

Xiulan stretched out her finger and pressed it. It was very elastic. She turned around and said with a smile: "Successful. Do you want to eat it in the morning?"

"Yes." Lin Heng nodded.

"Then I'll cut it for you." Xiulan said with a smile, washed her hands and took a knife to cut the fairy tofu.

Take out a piece and cut it into half-centimeter-thick slices. Ice the remaining pieces in water to extend the shelf life.

After cutting, add some chopped green onion, garlic chili, and red oil from the chili pepper, add mature vinegar, soy sauce, and a little sesame oil, stir gently, and a portion of turtledove leaf fairy tofu with full color and flavor is ready.

"Eat and watch!"

Xiulan handed the chopsticks to Lin Heng.

Lin Heng picked up a piece with chopsticks, which was a test of skill just like picking up pig skin jelly.

Picking up a piece and putting it in his mouth, Lin Heng couldn't help but show an intoxicated expression: "It's delicious!"

The taste is fragrant and the texture is softer than jelly, similar to pig skin jelly.

It tastes like a refreshing aroma unique to fairy leaves, and when mixed with vinegar and spicy pepper, it's perfect.

"Try one too." Lin Heng gave his wife another one.

Xiulan opened her mouth and ate a piece, with a happy smile on her face: "It's really good. Xiaoye's is much more delicious than Daye's, and it's not bitter at all."

The two of them finished the small bowl together. This thing is just like jelly. Not only does it have to taste good, but the technique of making it cold is also very important, and Xiulan's craftsmanship is very commendable.

Lin Heng thought that one day he would dig a tree and plant it in the yard, so he wouldn't have to compete with others to pick it.

After eating the fairy tofu, the two of them washed their faces, Xiulan made breakfast, and Lin Heng went to feed the chickens and ducks.

"Do you want my help digging the fish pond in the morning?" Xiulan asked during dinner.

Lin Heng shook his head: "No, you don't even need to cook food, just give me some water."

Twenty workers were hired to dig the fish pond this time, and the wage per person per day was [-] cents, which was much higher than the normal wage in rural areas, so regardless of food, you had to bring your own tools.

Even so, there are still a lot of people signing up, because rural areas generally help each other and there are few jobs that can make money.

In the end, Tian Dongfu, secretary of the village party committee, selected twenty people who were experienced and strong, and who did not usually engage in cheating or sneaky behavior.

"Okay." Xiulan nodded and fed Xiaoxia a mouthful of noodles.

"Boom boom boom!"

Before the two of them finished their meal, there was a knock on the door. Lin Hengzheng was wondering who came so early. A voice came from outside the door: "Cousin, it's me, Lin Hai."

"I'll open the door." Lin Heng put down his rice bowl and stood up.

"What are you doing here? What's the matter?" Lin Heng opened the door and asked curiously. Lin Hai was not among the workers he invited.

"Cousin, my dad asked me to come over and help you. By the way, I can bring a bag of plums we picked yesterday for you and my sister-in-law to try."

As Lin Hai spoke, he showed what he had on hand, which was six or seven kilograms of Sichuan plums.

"No, I have enough manpower. I can't finish all the plums you bring." Lin Heng shook his head and took him into the house.

"I don't have anything to do. I'll help you. It doesn't cost any money. Just a meal." Lin Hai said with a smile. Lin Heng was so kind to him, even if his parents didn't tell him, he still had to come.

"Have you had breakfast?" Lin Heng looked at him and asked.

"Eat, I mixed the soup with what I ate." Lin Hai nodded.

After pouring a glass of water for Lin Hai, Lin Heng chatted with him while eating.

After the meal, Lin Heng ate a plum. This plum was a Sichuan crispy plum with a crispy and sweet texture. The plum core was also very easy to remove.

"This plum is good, I like to eat it."

Lin Heng broke one open and gave the small one to his daughter and the large one to his wife.

"My dad said you like to eat, and it just so happens that my family has a lot of plums." Lin Hai said with a smile.

While several people were talking, the courtyard door was pushed open again, and Father Lin and his eldest brother also came in.

"Dad, brother, why are you here too? There is no need for so many people." Lin Heng said helplessly,
  Father Lin looked at him and said, "If you dig a fish pond, why don't we come and talk about it? Others will gossip after seeing it."

"Yes, the farm work has not been particularly busy these two days, so we have time to help you." Lin Yue also said with a smile.

"Okay then." Lin Heng could only agree.

He had prepared all the tools in advance, and even made a cannon.

At around [-]:[-], people began to arrive one after another, some with shovels, some with pickaxes, and the most common ones were baskets for carrying soil, and two wooden carts.

Lin Heng took out the notebook and asked everyone to come up and sign, once when they came in the morning and once when they left in the afternoon.

Putting away the workbook, Lin Heng said with a smile: "Okay, I will trouble you all in the next few days. You don't have to worry about wages. It will be settled on the day of completion and there will be no arrears."

After a pause, he became serious: "But I have said all the ugly things, and the salary I paid is definitely high enough. So I hope everyone will take it seriously. I don't want anything unpleasant to happen."

"Don't worry, Lin Heng. If the wages are paid, no one will cheat."

"Yes, if he is caught, you don't need to say anything. We will all kick him out directly. If he doesn't want to do it, there are people who want to do it."

"Don't worry, when the wages are paid, we will treat them as if they are working for our own family."

A group of people echoed each other's words. What they were most worried about was their wages. With Lin Heng's face-to-face promise, they felt at ease.

"Then let's go." Lin Heng nodded and walked in front of everyone.

Everyone filed out with tools and followed Lin Heng.

Soon they arrived at the wheat field of Hongfeng Mountain. Lin Hai took out a lighter and lit the firecrackers. After a crackling sound, he could start work.

Lin Heng watched everyone assigning work: "Everyone will help pull out the wormwood on the wheat field first, and also remove the grass on the roadside below the ground. Once the ridge is built, everyone can start working after I spread out the thread." .”

A group of people spread out to weed and work, and Lin Heng assigned corresponding tasks to each of them.

After arranging the workers, Lin Heng looked at his father, eldest brother and cousin and said, "Help me cast the line."

"Okay." Father Lin nodded. He felt that Lin Heng commanded people like a boss. Maybe this fish pond could really be built.

After careful consideration, Lin Heng decided to dig two fish ponds, each one acre in size.

The two are next to each other, with a gap of one meter in between.

The twenty acres of land at the bottom of Hongfeng Mountain are about [-] meters long and more than [-] meters wide, showing a trapezoid shape.

The wheat field is just a location at the foot of the easternmost mountain. The fish pond is [-] meters long and [-] meters wide per acre. At least seven fish ponds can be arranged from east to west.

Today's main purpose is to level the slope. Although it is only a dozen degrees, the slope still needs to be leveled to dig a fish pond. It is unrealistic for all fish ponds to be on the same plane, but it is still possible to make every row flush.

After the calculation is completed, the piles are nailed and the wires are driven, and then the workers are asked to start work. They take out the soil from the ground and dump it outside the ground, and level the ground first. On a piece of land that is one hundred meters long and fifteen meters wide, more than twenty people are not crowded at all.

However, Lin Heng is not planning to recruit any more people. It is too difficult to manage a large number of people. Anyway, there is no rush, just take your time.

Looking at the people waiting at work, Lin Heng initially thought about finding an excavator.

But it is too difficult to find an excavator in this era. The ones that are as rare as giant pandas are mostly state-owned and cannot be purchased by private individuals.

And even if it can be found, the cost is very high, which is not as cheap as human labor. After thinking about it, I decided to dig it manually.

Moreover, using human diggers has the advantage of adding jobs to the village and improving its prestige.

Since everyone is working for you, they will naturally respect you and support you, not wanting to lose their jobs.

If you rely entirely on excavators, there will be no benefit to the villagers, and maybe someone will become jealous and poison you if you raise fish.

By relying on manpower to dig, everyone can make money. Even if someone wants to cause sabotage, most people will actively help, and it is easy to catch those who cause sabotage.

All things considered, manpower is cheap and convenient, and it can also build prestige and reputation, so why not?

Lin Heng did not work, mainly inspecting and giving guidance. He went back to get a few bottles of water in the middle.

I let people off work at 12 noon on time for lunch, and started working at [-] pm until [-] pm.

It has to be said that the labor force of rural people is very good. The fish pond leveling work that Lin Heng originally expected to take two days was completed in one day.

The rest will probably be done in half a morning.

In the evening, Xiulan cooked vegetables, and Lin Heng's father, eldest brother, and cousin Lin Hai ate and drank.

Mrs. Lin, Sister-in-law and others didn't come. They had already eaten when they called. At noon, Xiulan sent them fairy tofu.

After the meal, Lin Heng helped clear away the dishes and told his wife about today's progress.

"That's pretty fast. How long do you think it will take to dig out both ponds?" Xiulan asked curiously.

"It will take about a month and a half just to dig it out. If it is done slowly, it may take twenty days." Lin Heng said.

After all, it is necessary to dig a pond covering an area of ​​two acres and two and a half meters deep, so the amount of work is still very large.

Xiulan nodded and said, "Then you can't go hunting in the mountains for a month."

"When the weather gets colder, if you can't save anything you hunt now, let's let those prey grow their bodies first." Lin Heng said with a smile.

Although the Beginning of Autumn has passed, the temperature has not dropped at all, but has become even hotter.

The next morning, the surface of the two acres of pond was leveled.

In the afternoon, Lin Heng laid out the outline of the pond. The outer embankment of the pond was left two meters wide. After it was hardened, cars could come in. The embankments in the other three directions were only one meter wide.

After the outer circle was determined, the slope around the pond had to be determined. Because it was sandy soil, Lin Heng chose a gentle slope of 1:3.

After spreading the line and nailing the wooden stakes, it was time to excavate. Twelve people dug and eight people moved the soil.

The excavated soil is first used to fill up some gaps in the ground, and the excess is used to pave the road, or is poured directly into the woods under the road to the west.

The forest below the westernmost road is a steep slope, which is easy to fall down. At the bottom is a large thorn vine, and there is no crop land, so it will not cause any impact.

Moreover, this forest now belongs to the Lin family, and it is only a few hundred meters below to reach the Shiban River. Lin Heng feels that if the soil is poured over, the road can be made wider, which will benefit others and himself.

Once these were determined, the daily work became very repetitive, that is, digging, digging, and digging.

Lin Heng was originally worried that the soil quality here was not very good and a waterproof membrane would need to be laid. However, after digging fifty centimeters, the soft sandy soil disappeared and the bottom was filled with very solid clay.

This is great news for Lin Heng. The clay retains water very well and hardly leaks after being compacted. The fish pond can be used to raise fish directly without laying a waterproof membrane.

After the work on the construction site stabilized, Lin Heng was handed over to his father, brother, and cousin to take care of him, and he went to town.

Although I have written a planning document for Tuanjie Brick Factory, some things still require personal guidance.

Fortunately, the owner of the brick factory was still a human being and gave Lin Heng the horse that pulled the bricks as a mount.

"drive!"

Lin Heng rode his horse back. The horse had no saddle and stirrups. He did not dare to move around while riding, almost lying on the horse's back.

When I went to town the next day, I fell down. Fortunately, the horse was not very fast and my waist only hurt from the fall.

"Really, if you don't be careful, look at your waist, it's all bruised."

In the evening, Xiulan said with distress when massaging Lin Heng's safflower oil.

Lin Heng endured the pain, showed a smile and said: "It's okay, it's just like riding a bicycle. If you don't fall a few times, you won't be able to ride. I feel like I have almost learned how to ride a horse."

He was thinking that when he bought the cows at the end of the year, he would also buy two horses for transportation.

If you can't afford a motorcycle for the time being, you can go hunting in the mountains by horseback. You can also go horseback riding on the streets, or you can get a wooden cart to pull it.

Otherwise, walking all the time would be really unbearable.

"If you're not careful, I won't rub it for you next time." Xiulan warned Lin Heng while gently kneading it to reduce swelling.

In the following period, Lin Heng went to the town five or six times to finish all the technical matters.

Wang Jie also gave the remaining one thousand yuan as promised. I also wrote an IOU for the last thousand yuan.

"Brother Lin Heng, I've worked hard for you these days, please stay and let's have dinner together tonight." After giving the IOU, Wang Jie smiled and asked to stay.

After these days of contact, he really admired Lin Heng. This person knew the brick factory better than he, the real owner of the brick factory.

But he couldn't understand why Lin Heng didn't build a brick factory by himself if he had the skills.

"I'm really sorry. I have to deal with things when I go back in the afternoon. Let's wait until next time. I'll treat you next time."

Lin Heng smiled and said that he and Wang Jie were in the same business and he was too lazy to drink to cultivate a relationship. It would be better to go home and spend time with his wife and children.

"That's a pity. We can only wait once." Wang Jie didn't hold back too much.

Lin Heng went back on foot, taking his time, looking here and there, thinking about some things, it was very leisurely.

In the blink of an eye, it has been ten days since we dug the fish pond. Because we encountered several big rocks and it rained for a day, the first fish pond has only been dug now.

Lin Heng came to check it out this morning and was generally very satisfied.

The bottom and sides of the fish pond are very smooth and have been compacted.

He did not drain the bottom of this fish pond, but placed a drainage outlet about two meters deep in the middle of the pond. A [-]-diameter plastic water pipe bought from the town was installed. Drainage can be drained from here when necessary to prevent rainwater from overflowing.

It was troublesome to drill holes for the bottom drainage outlet, and he was afraid that it would be troublesome if he didn't do it right and water would leak all the time, so he decided not to do it.

On the 18th day of the eighth lunar month and the third day of the seventh lunar month, which was also the 13th day of digging the fish pond, we encountered a big problem.

"Brother, what do you think we should do?" Lin Yue looked at Lin Heng on the construction site and asked.

A group of other workers looked at him, waiting for him to make a decision.

Halfway through the second fish pond, a big stone appeared in the middle. I thought it was not that big at first, but as I dug, I discovered that it was a big bluestone weighing more than ten tons.

If manpower wants to dig it out, it can only be slowly chipped and then moved out.

"Forget it, just leave it in the fish pond and don't worry about it." Lin Heng waved his hand.

This problem cannot be solved now. When we have money in two years, we can clear the pond and let the excavator handle it.

"Okay, let's continue."

Everyone continued to work around the big rocks, trying to dig out the second fish pond as soon as possible.

On August 19, Lin Heng went to the town to haul [-] kilograms of quicklime, smashed it into powder and threw it into the first fish pond for disinfection.

Water was brought in and the water was submerged to a depth of [-] centimeters. While disinfecting, we tested whether there was any water leakage so that we could make repairs.

After two days of observation, Lin Heng was quite satisfied. No leaks were found in the clay foundation.

The first fish pond seems to be going well so far, and Lin Heng is very happy.

But the second fish pond was a bit of a headache. First it was a big bluestone, and then it rained when the remaining third was about to be completed.

On August 23, a heavy rainstorm fell without warning, and then it turned into continuous rain.

The first fish pond doesn't matter, it has been disinfected and drained. The second fish pond was in disastrous condition. It was not even finished digging, so we had to build drainage ditches in the rain that afternoon.

The heavy rain covered the entire mountain village in the rain. People hid at home listening to the rain and looking at the sky.

It seems that no one noticed that the time has come to the end of August.

(End of this chapter)