My 1978 Hotel

Han Anjun felt quite embarrassed. After all, he was a commune cadre and he always took Li Feng's things. Sooner or later, he would repay this favor.

After returning home, Han Anjun gave the crucian carp to his mother Wang Chunhua.

"Where did the fish come from?"

Wang Chunhua took the crucian carp. It was quite a lot, enough for the whole family to have a meal.

"I just passed by Li Feng's house and got it."

Han Anjun handed Wang Chunhua some of the food coupons and non-staple food coupons he had received this month, along with ten yuan. "Mom, this month's salary."

"Didn't I tell you to take it? Hurry up and get things done. It's going to cost a lot."

Wang Chunhua waved her hand and didn't take the money. She had heard that her young wife's family had prepared two new sets of clothes and new shoes, leather shoes at that. Her son couldn't be left behind too much, so he had to get a new set of clothes and new leather shoes.

"I usually eat in the cafeteria, and I keep my salary."

"Your mother told you to take it, so you take it."

Han Fuguo came out and greeted Wu Xiaofeng.

"Is this fish from Li Feng's family?"

"Yeah, I just passed by and asked me to bring it back."

"I'm afraid it was caught by those guys from the brigade."

Han Fuguo knew that Li Feng's family always received biscuits, moon cakes, and candies sent by readers and relatives. The children in the brigade would occasionally catch fish and shrimps to exchange for candies and biscuits.

But he didn't know that the leader was his grandson Han Mingliang, otherwise he would definitely give him a meal of stir-fried pork on a bamboo board.

"perhaps."

"Is this fish from a river or a reservoir?"

"From the reservoir."

Han Fuguo sighed. "The river has been dry for a few days now, and the fish and shrimp in the puddles have long been caught. Only the reservoir still has some water."

"I noticed some movement in a puddle this morning."

"The river has dried up. No wonder Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu said that the county held a meeting these days to discuss river digging." In normal years, it would take a month or so to complete the river work, but this year the river dried up early, and many fields could not be planted, so everyone had some free time early.

The county is planning to start river work ahead of schedule. Farmers can't afford to sit idle for too long, or else something might happen. County leaders plan to take advantage of this drought to clean up the river and reservoir.

“It’s so early this year.”

Han Fuguo had been busy plowing the sloped fields for autumn planting these days, and hadn't expected this crop. "Oh, no, I have to talk to your Uncle Futian about this, don't delay."

Han Fuguo left his yard and soon arrived at Han Futian's house. When he heard about the county meeting to advance the river work, Han Futian slapped his thigh. "Oh, this matter really can't be delayed."

"No."

Han Fuguo said, "This area of Dahe must include Wangjiazhai and Zhangjiazhuang. This guy is a bargain for them."

“I’m afraid they’ll also fight for the reservoir.”

Han Futian thought. "The river was just dredged two years ago, so there's not much silt. But the reservoir is quite old, and there's a lot of silt. That's excellent fertilizer. Tell me, can Wangjiazhai and Zhangjiazhuang let go? Maybe they'll go to the commune and file a lawsuit with Secretary Gao and Secretary Wu."

"Wang Dapao, Old Man Zhang is shameless. They are the ones who can do such a thing."

"I'm afraid it's too late. Not only will the mud be gone, but the fish and shrimp in the water will also come to grab it."

Han Futian's words made Han Fuguo even more anxious. "You reminded me that there are probably still a lot of fish and shrimp in the reservoir. We can't let those two farms take advantage of them. Tell Fuqiang and the others. Oh, and call Li Feng along."

Li Feng was preparing to clean up dinner when An Xin from Uncle Futian's family came over.

"An Xin is here, come and sit down."

"No, Brother Feng, my dad wants you to go to the team for a meeting."

Han Anxin glanced at Li Muchen, who was talking to Liu Wen and the others. Li Feng didn't notice this and nodded. "I'll pack up and go over."

"Ah."

As she spoke, Han Anxin glanced at Li Muchen again. She had to admit that Li Muchen was handsome and spoke softly, making him quite popular with girls. Li Feng saw it this time and frowned slightly. He thought nothing would happen.

This is Uncle Tomita's daughter. Oh, brother, being too handsome is not a good thing. He looks a bit like Yang Yang, and his small face is quite attractive. "Brother, I'm going to the team. You and Susu can arrange dinner."

"Row."

Li Muchen has been here many times. Although his cooking skills are not very good, lighting a fire and cutting vegetables are no longer a problem for him.

"What kind of meeting is this?"

Liu Wen asked subconsciously.

"It's not clear yet."

Li Feng waved his hand, took off his apron, tidied himself up, and quickly walked out of the yard and came to the brigade. Wow, the team leader, accountant, militia leader, two production team leaders, women's team leader, women's director and other brigade cadres were all there.

There is something important to discuss. Li Feng was puzzled and found a corner to stand in. There were too many people and there was no room for them to sit down.

"Okay, I called everyone here because I have something to discuss with you."

Han Fuguo told everyone about the county meeting to advance the river work, and Han Futian then told everyone about some of the conditions of the reservoir.

"Captain, we can't let go of the reservoir. A few years ago, most of the river was taken away by those two villages. We didn't say anything, but the reservoir said we couldn't let go." Han Anding, captain of the first production team, looked around and said.

"The second brother is right. No matter what, the reservoir must not benefit Wangjiazhai and Zhangjiazhuang this time." Han Anquan from the second production team also agreed.

"That being said, I'm afraid these two families are not easy to get along with."

"Wang Dapao and Old Man Zhang, these two will probably make a scene even if they are not being reasonable. Not to mention that this reservoir is shared by several villages and towns in front and behind us."

"What should we do? Give them a bargain?"

"Li Feng, what do you say?"

"Ah I?"

Li Feng thought to himself, "I know about the hammer, but there are plenty of fish and shrimp in the reservoir. Shouldn't I catch them now? I might even get a few dozen kilograms of knife loach." "Then let me say a few words. The current situation is that the ownership of the silt is still uncertain, right?"

"What do you mean by uncertain? This is our Zhuangzi's child."

"Okay, let Li Feng finish."

Han Fuguo waved his hand. Li Feng thought to himself, "I'm not very interested in silt." "Here's what I'm thinking. We've had such a severe drought this year, we're definitely running out of food. The reservoir is running low, so we can catch some fish and shrimp while the other two villages aren't reacting."

"After catching the fish and shrimp, we'll dig up the silt and pick out the good ones. Then we'll transport them to the fields and turn the soil. I don't believe that Wangjiazhai and Zhangjiazhuang can dig up all the soil from our fields at the same time."

Li Feng's approach is a bit selfish but it is also a solution, and a bit shameless.

"What do you think?"

Han Fuguo looked at everyone, and Han Fuqiang was the first to step forward. "Although what Li Feng said was a bit selfish, it's still a solution."

"I think it's OK."

"I think so too. Let's not talk about the silt and the number of fish and shrimps. How would those two farms know? When the time comes, we can just say that all the fish and shrimps are dead. What else can we do?" When Han Anding said this, everyone laughed. That's right.

It's a severe drought, the fish and shrimps have dried up, and the birds have been eaten. Who can do anything about it? Li Feng thought to himself, these guys are all pretty shameless.

"Well, it's settled then."

Han Fuguo looked at Han Anmin as he spoke. "Anmin, take some people to get the net and repair it so we can go fishing tomorrow. The others can dig the silt."

"okay."

The specific arrangements are made by the production teams and the women's team. Li Feng will not get involved. He wants to take Li Ran and the other kids to the reservoir to get some good training tomorrow.

"Catching fish?"

When they returned to their own courtyard, Li Feng told Wu Jing and Chen Long about tomorrow's work. They were quite excited and went into the water to catch fish, which they had done when they were young with their grandfather.

"I'm a good fisherman, so count me in tomorrow."

"Me too. It's been years since I last went fishing." Wu Jing agreed. Both of them seemed quite confident.

"Okay, where's Teacher Liu?"

There were no outsiders around at the moment, so Li Feng stopped calling his cousin. Liu Wen frowned and honestly said that she really didn't want to go, but when she thought about staying and smashing the dirt, it would be better to go into the water, which would at least be cooler.

"I'll go too." "Then we'll all go there."

Li Feng said with a smile. "I think those kids will definitely want to join in the fun. It's a good opportunity for them to have some fun. Learning the skills later on won't be easy."

"Boss Li, what specific technology are you learning this time?"

Li Muchen was quite curious, especially since it was a technique that all the kids could learn.

"Yes, Boss Li, please tell us a little so we can prepare early."

Wu Jing and Chen Long also learned a lot from Li Muchen.

"It's somewhat related to what happens tomorrow."

"Catching fish tomorrow, is that considered a skill?"

"Dig the mud."

Li Feng said with a smile. "Why, do you know?"

"That's easy. Just use it as fertilizer."

"Yes, this time we're going to learn about composting," Li Feng said with a smile. "It's an indispensable technology in agricultural production nowadays."

“Ah, compost?”

It sounds easy, but actually getting started is not easy. Wu Jing and Chen Long, although they come from rural areas, are still relatively young and have never seen composting. Li Muchen and Liu Wen, on the other hand, weren't farmers in their past lives, so how could they possibly know anything about it?

“Yeah, pig manure compost.”

Li Feng pointed to the pigpen in the backyard. He had a small pile of manure from his own piglets. If there wasn't more manure, Li Feng would have been looking for some sludge. As for other materials, Li Feng had also recently gotten some.

Unfortunately, the weather is too dry and there are no weeds. There is nothing we can do about it. It’s due to the weather. Who can defeat God?

"Pig manure?"

"Boss Li, can't we use something else, like mud?"

"The silt belongs to the team, but the pig manure belongs to each individual."

Li Feng said, "Don't overthink it. Pig manure is actually quite clean."

Liu Wen rolled her eyes and said, "It's all pig manure, and the manure is still clean. Stop it." The thought of coming into contact with pig manure made this guy feel sick.

"But isn't there too little pig manure in the backyard?"

Li Muchen knew how much manure those piglets produced, and he was afraid the pile wouldn't be enough. "I'm going to ask Director Zhu from the commune for help." It didn't matter if his family didn't have enough pig manure, the commune's pig farm had plenty.

"Ah, do you still need to borrow some pig manure?"

Wu Jing and Chen Long were completely paralyzed. Liu Wen's face turned pale. Thinking back to that day when they woke up to a mountain of pig manure at the door, and then Li Feng gave each of them a fork to quickly turn the pig manure into fertilizer, the three of them shuddered. It was too scary.

Li Muchen didn't know what to say. He regretted coming here a little. He was willing to learn the technology, but he couldn't accept the technology of piling manure.

“That’s pretty good.”

Li Feng looked at the three of them. "At least it's not a pile of human feces. If it weren't for that, I'm afraid you'd all be vomiting all over the floor."

"what."

Liu Wen felt nauseous. The thought of that yellow and white thing was so disgusting. "Boss Li, stop talking. I'm going to vomit if you keep talking."

"You see."

Li Feng was helpless. In fact, human manure piles were the most common. How many families in Hanjiaba could afford to raise pigs? Without pigs, where would the pig manure come from? Without pig manure piles, the only thing they could do was pile up human manure.

"I'm already showing mercy."

"Yes, yes, we thank you, Boss Li."

Liu Wen didn't know what to say. She was going crazy when she thought about piling up manure, especially when she heard from Li Muchen that she would not be allowed to go back if she couldn't learn it. This was simply fatal.

"Don't worry, the pig manure smells a bit, but it's not too disgusting."

After Li Feng said this, the other four people didn't want to talk anymore. Forget it, forget it. "Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's see if we can get some sludge tomorrow. The smell of that will suppress the pig manure smell and make it a little better."

"That's great."

In reality, the four of them had never smelled silt before; it was actually worse than pig manure. "Tomorrow morning, everyone, get up early and bring Wu Xiaotian and the other kids over. Let's catch some fish and have a good day."

"Row."

After discussing it, Liu Wen packed up and went back to the main house to sleep with Daya, Erya, and Zhang Susu. Li Feng and Li Muchen said goodbye to Gao Ju and went to bed. The next morning, before six o'clock, people in the courtyard started to get busy washing up.

Brushing teeth and washing face. Unlike other families, this family has to brush their teeth and wash their face early in the morning. Ordinary farmers don’t have so many requirements. Not to mention that toothpaste is quite expensive, it’s a drought now, and brushing teeth and washing face is a waste of water.

"Let's go."

Li Feng felt a little distressed when he saw the children being brought back from each family. When he came over, Li Ran was munching on a black steamed bun with a frown on his face. He ignored Li Feng completely these past two days.

I was bitten by fleas again last night. Although I applied medicine, there were always some that slipped through the net. In addition, the black steamed buns were really hard to swallow at night. I hardly ate a few bites and my stomach was growling with hunger. I was so hungry this morning that I could only endure the discomfort and gnaw on the black steamed buns.

You said he wouldn't be in a good mood when he saw his own father who hurt him so much, but Li Ran didn't care. "Did you eat well?"

"Meet at the intersection later. I'll take you to the reservoir to catch fish today."

Li Feng said with a smile. "Have lunch at home. I'll make you some fish soup."

"Really?"

Fish soup. The thought of the delicious fish soup made the black steamed bread lose its fragrance. Li Feng nodded. "Eat it first. Don't waste food."

"understood."

Li Ran was reluctant but still ate the black steamed bun and drank some sweet potato and dried vegetable porridge. As for being picky about food, don't joke. There were only these two breakfast items, and the black steamed bun was the better one for him. The other children all ate sweet potato and dried vegetable soup.

"Mingchang, share this with your sister."

Li Ran ate a black steamed bun and handed the rest to Han Mingchang. Li Feng nodded. It was not that the boy could not eat, but he was a little embarrassed to eat. Han Mingchang's sister kept staring at him, and even the steamed bun crumbs that Li Ran dropped on the ground were picked up and stuffed into his mouth.

"Eat."

Li Feng smiled and touched Mingliang. "Take your sister to your uncle's house for fish soup at noon later."

Han Mingchang looked at his sister-in-law, and Li Feng thought that this child was quite sensible. "Sister-in-law, all the other children are going today. I have already made arrangements with them."

"Will this be too much trouble for you?"

"It's no trouble at all. It's just two extra pairs of chopsticks. I cook from a big pot, so it won't affect anything. Let's go first."

Li Feng took Li Ran away. After walking a distance, Li Ran asked in a low voice, "Dad, why do people here eat black steamed bread?"

"What do you think?"

"Don't they have any food?"

Li Ran has been thinking a lot these past two days, Li Feng said with a smile. "You've forgotten what year it was, 1978. You thought we'd had enough to eat for so many years, but now it's not just here. At least a quarter of the people don't have enough to eat, and many more don't have enough to eat."

"You are happy."

Li Feng rubbed Li Ran's head.

"Then Dad, since you can transcend time and space, why don't you help them?"

Li Ran looked at Li Feng. "Just like Grandpa Yuan Longping."

“Ah, I…”

Li Feng was stunned and smiled bitterly. He didn't have that ability. Besides, the system restricted the improvement of seeds and he couldn't bring them here. Moreover, seeds alone would not increase the yield a lot. Fertilizers were also needed. Although many people thought that chemical fertilizers were not good things, they did increase the yield.

However, the supply of fertilizers cannot be increased simply by increasing production. The entire country's industrial level needs to be improved. Li Feng cannot change these things alone. He does not have that much ability. Besides, he is a human being after all, and he still has selfish motives.

But it’s not easy to tell Li Ran about this, after all, he is just a child.

"Let's go fishing. As for the question you just asked, if you want the answer, you can look it up yourself after we get back. I won't tell you now."

"Oh." Li Ran seemed to understand. When he arrived at the intersection, Wu Xiaotian and the others were already waiting there. When they saw Li Ran and the others, they ran over. After a while, Li Ran forgot about the question.

Catch some fish and make fish soup for lunch. The little ones are all very excited. This is a good meal, much better than black steamed bread and sweet potato chips. (End of this chapter)