60s: I have a store

Chapter 471 Ideals are beautiful, but reality is harsh

The early morning sun shines on the quiet village, giving the land a warm golden hue.

Zhou Zhiming went to Zhou Yimin's house early in the morning and brought Zhou Yimin over. He would feel uneasy if he was alone, so he felt safer if he was with Zhou Yimin.

Zhou Yimin had no choice but to get up obediently, thinking he could sleep in, but his plan was ruined.

"Brother Zhiming, wait for me to wash up, then we can have breakfast together!"

Zhou Zhiming nodded. He knew that he was a little anxious to come here so early. He was so excited that he forgot that Zhou Yimin did not get up so early.

Soon, the two finished their rich breakfast and came to the bad roads in the village.

Zhou Zhiming and Zhou Yimin came to the village's bad road. Looking at the bumpy and bad road in the village, they were filled with lofty ambitions and ambitions: "Yimin, we must repair this road to make life easier for the villagers!"

There was a firm light in Zhou Zhiming's eyes and his words revealed unquestionable determination.

Zhou Yimin nodded vigorously and responded: "Brother Zhiming, don't worry, we can definitely do it!"

But when they actually set foot on this bad road, their confidence was instantly shattered by the difficulties of reality.

The scene before them made them look at each other, but they were unable to say a word.

The road was bumpy and full of mud pits of all sizes, like a grinning mouth, mocking their arrogance.

The mud on the roadside was washed into gullies by the rain, and the accumulated water gathered in the potholes, making it turbid and emitting a faint stench.

Zhou Zhiming scratched his head, his scalp turned slightly red, and his face was full of anxiety and confusion.

His voice was trembling, and he asked unconfidently: "Yimin, how do you think we should repair this road?"

Zhou Yimin shook his head helplessly, his face looking very solemn. He was also worried about this matter.

Zhou Zhiming's brows were twisted into the shape of a "川" character, and his heart was like an ant on hot pot, anxious and running around.

Yesterday in front of the villagers, he made a big promise, patted his chest loudly, and vowed that he would be able to repair the road.

But now, faced with this thorny problem, he felt like a headless fly, completely lost.

"Yimin, what should we do? We said too much yesterday. If I go back and tell everyone that I don't know how to fix it, how can I save face?"

There was a hint of anxiety and annoyance in Zhou Zhiming's tone. He kept pacing on the spot, and the soles of his shoes rubbed against the ground, making a rustling sound.

Zhou Yimin also had a worried look on his face. He originally thought that Zhou Zhiming had a good idea about the situation, but he didn't expect that the two of them were of the same mind and neither knew anything about road construction.

He frowned slightly, thinking hard, and suddenly his eyes lit up, as if he had thought of a good idea: "Brother Zhiming, I have an idea! The street office has a team specializing in maintenance. Let's go find Aunt Li, maybe she can help!"

When Zhou Zhiming heard this, his originally dim eyes instantly brightened up, as if he saw a ray of light in the darkness.

He patted Zhou Yimin's shoulder excitedly and said loudly: "Yimin, you are really my savior! What are you still standing there for? Let's get going!"

As he said this, he couldn't wait to pull Zhou Yimin and strode forward.

Zhou Yimin shook his head helplessly and could only follow.

Zhou Yimin got on the shiny motorcycle and turned the key skillfully. The roar of the motorcycle instantly broke the tranquility of the countryside.

Zhou Zhiming carefully climbed onto the back seat, holding onto the edge of the seat with both hands, his eyes full of curiosity and excitement: "Yimin, this motorcycle is so impressive! I never thought I'd be able to ride on this thing in my life!"

Zhou Zhiming's voice trembled slightly with excitement and seemed a little vague amid the roar of the motorcycle.

Zhou Yimin smiled helplessly and responded: "Brother Zhiming, hold on tight! Let's go!" After that, he stepped on the accelerator and the motorcycle rushed out like an arrow.

Along the way, the motorcycle sped by, and the trees and houses on the roadside flew by like phantoms.

Zhou Zhiming only felt the sound of wind whistling in his ears, as if it was going to blow his hat off.

He closed his eyes tightly, feeling the unprecedented speed and excitement, feeling both nervous and excited.

Occasionally, he secretly opened one eye and glanced at the surrounding scenery. The fleeting scenes amazed him.

Pedestrians on the road cast envious glances, and some even stopped to watch.

In this age of material scarcity, motorcycles are rare items. Owning a motorcycle is like owning a treasure, a symbol of status and wealth.

Zhou Zhiming was even more elated when he saw the reactions of passers-by. He straightened his back as if he had become the focus of everyone's attention: "Yimin, I didn't expect riding a motorcycle to be so cool! If I could drive one myself, it would be even more impressive!"

Zhou Zhiming shouted excitedly, his voice carried away by the wind in the air.

Zhou Yimin drove the motorcycle attentively and said with a smile: "Brother Zhiming, I will teach you how to drive when we have the chance in the future!"

Soon, they arrived at Sijiu City.

The bustling city with its hustle and bustle of traffic is in stark contrast to the quiet countryside.

Zhou Yimin drove to the street office with ease. The security guard saw him and greeted him with a smile: "Yimin, you are here again!"

Zhou Yimin also responded enthusiastically: "Hello, uncle! I have something to do today, so I came to see Director Li."

The old man smiled and nodded, without stopping them, and watched them walk into the street office.

Zhou Yimin took Zhou Zhiming straight to the door of Director Li's office.

He straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Director Li's clear voice came from inside the room. Zhou Yimin opened the door and walked in with Zhou Zhiming.

When Director Li saw Zhou Yimin, he immediately smiled and said jokingly, "Yimin, what brings you here, a busy man like you?"

Zhou Yimin smiled and responded: "Aunt Li, I can't help it. There are a lot of things going on in the village recently. I will come to see you as soon as I have time!"

Director Li certainly knew Zhou Yimin's personality. He would never come to visit someone unless there was something important. However, he felt very comfortable hearing his heartwarming words.

"You, I don't know you well. Tell me, what do you need my help with this time?" Director Li asked with a smile. Zhou Yimin was a little embarrassed, scratched his head, and said with a smile: "Aunt Li, you know me well. The road in our village is really bad, and it is very inconvenient for villagers to travel.

After discussing it, we decided to repair the road, but we really knew nothing about road repair. I thought, Aunt Li, you have a wide network of contacts and many ideas, you can definitely help us think of a solution. "

As he spoke, Zhou Yimin's eyes were full of anticipation, and he stared at Director Li closely, as if waiting for the judgment of fate.

After hearing this, Director Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Zhou Yimin would make some difficult requests, but he didn't expect it to be just a small matter like road construction.

She smiled and nodded, saying, "Leave it to me! Road construction is no small matter, we need professionals to do it. Master Cao from our street office construction team is an expert in this field and has a lot of experience!"

Zhou Zhiming was listening at the side, and the heavy stone in his heart finally fell to the ground, and a happy smile appeared on his face. He said excitedly: "Director Li, thank you so much! You are really our savior! Without your help, we really don't know what to do!"

Director Li waved his hand and said kindly: "Don't be so polite, we are all serving the people! You are thinking about the village and want to repair the road. This is a good thing, I must support it!"

As she spoke, she stood up and said, "Come on, I'll take you to see Master Cao. He knows the most about this and will definitely give you a satisfactory answer!"

Zhou Yimin and Zhou Zhiming hurriedly followed Director Li and walked out of the office.

Along the way, Zhou Zhiming was extremely excited. As he walked, he secretly thought that when the road was repaired, the situation in the village would definitely change a lot.

The three of them hurried along the street, the sunlight shining on their bodies, but it did not reduce Zhou Zhiming's tension and anticipation at all.

After a while, they arrived at Master Cao's house.

When Master Cao heard the footsteps, he hurried out of the house.

He was of medium build, with dark skin and a simple smile on his face. He was wearing a work suit that had been washed to a pale color and was stained with dust and oil. He looked like a man who dealt with various tools all year round.

Seeing Director Li, he greeted him warmly: "Director Li, how come you have time to come here today? Do you have work?"

Director Li smiled and said, "Master Cao, I really have something to trouble you today. These two are Zhou Zhiming and Zhou Yimin from a nearby village. The road in their village is very bad, and the villagers want to repair it, but they don't know much about it.

I thought that since you are our road construction expert, you can definitely give them some advice."

Zhou Zhiming and Zhou Yimin hurried forward and greeted Master Cao respectfully.

Zhou Zhiming said expectantly, "Master Cao, I heard that you are very experienced in road construction. The roads in our village are too difficult to travel on. You must help us!"

After hearing this, the smile on Master Cao's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a look of seriousness and concentration.

He frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said, "Building a road is not a trivial matter. It requires careful planning. First, tell me what the specific situation of the roads in the village is."

Zhou Zhiming quickly described the condition of the village roads in detail, including the degree of potholes, water accumulation, and the approximate length and width of the roads.

Master Cao listened very carefully, nodded from time to time, and asked some questions, such as what the soil quality in the village was like, whether there was usually a lot of traffic, etc.

He also knew that if there were not many cars passing through the village, the village would generally not be willing to spend so much money to build roads.

At this time, even food and clothing have become a problem, so how can we have the time to care about these things?

Zhou Zhiming was a little curious: "Master Cao, how did you know that there would be cars passing through our village?"

Master Cao smiled unkindly, and then explained: "At this time, if there is no demand, why would you be willing to spend so much money to build a road?"

When Zhou Yimin heard this, he knew that Master Cao must have some talent, otherwise he wouldn't have said these things.

Although Zhou Zhiming still didn't quite understand, he didn't ask any further questions.

After listening to Zhou Zhiming's description, Master Cao already had a preliminary idea in his mind.

He patted Zhou Zhiming on the shoulder and said confidently: "Young man, don't worry. Although the road in your village looks difficult to build, it is not a big problem as long as it is well planned.

First, the roadbed must be prepared and the potholes must be filled, and then the road surface materials must be laid. For rural roads like yours, cement is a good choice, and cement is very durable. "

Zhou Yimin then raised a question: "Master Cao, cement shouldn't be so easy to get now, right?"

After all, if the whole village uses cement to build roads, it is indeed a good choice, but the cost will be much higher, and even whether so much cement can be obtained is a problem.

Although it can be purchased from stores, it is still a bit troublesome to take out so much at one time and let someone report it when you can't explain the source.

Master Cao didn't expect Zhou Yimin to ask this question.

"This does seem to be a problem."

Director Li then spoke up: "Master Cao, please go to Zhoujiazhuang and see how much cement is needed. If the quantity is not much, I will find a way!"

Zhou Yimin didn't expect Aunt Li to be so helpful, and hurriedly thanked her: "Aunt Li, thank you! Without the roads in your village, I don't know what to do."

Master Cao was also shocked. At first he thought that the two people in front of him had such a good relationship with Director Li that they were willing to help. It seemed that he had to perform well.

The current environment is not good. Relying on the street office, we can still get some work from time to time. If there were no street office, we probably wouldn’t get many jobs in a year.

Director Li waved his hand and said, "It's okay. Yimin, you have helped our street office so much in normal times."

"Especially the idea you provided last time was very good, which made our factory stand out at the Canton Fair."

Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "This is all thanks to Aunt Li. You are a good leader. Otherwise, we wouldn't have achieved such good results."

Zhou Zhiming raised some questions from time to time, and Master Cao patiently answered them one by one.

Looking at Master Cao’s professional explanation and confident demeanor, Zhou Zhiming’s doubts gradually dissipated, and were replaced by full confidence.

He said excitedly: "Master Cao, after hearing what you said, I can't wait. Are you free now?"

Zhou Zhiming thought that if the construction started earlier, the roads in the village could be completed earlier.

Master Cao said without hesitation: "I'm free now!"

"Wait for me for a moment, I'll ride my bike and follow you?"

At this time, Zhou Yimin stopped him: "Master Cao, you don't have to ride a bicycle, we drove a motorcycle here!"

(End of this chapter)