Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

Chapter 134 Sorrow and Joy

Having resolved this major concern, Zhang Wenshan felt exceptionally relieved, and his steps became much lighter.

But when he reached the entrance of Chishongtun and saw the scene inside, the smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a deep sense of heaviness.

The large well in the center of the village was surrounded by a large crowd of people, men, women, and children.

Everyone was carrying various water containers, and there were even teenagers holding basins bigger than their heads, their eyes filled with urgency.

The laughter of the past was gone, and deep worry was written on everyone's face. Even under the scorching sun, they did not stop for a moment, and as soon as they got water, they ran to their fields.

Finding a moment of respite, Zhang Wenshan went to the well and found Wang Tieshan, who was maintaining order.

"You're back. How was it?" Wang Tieshan licked his chapped lips. His voice was completely hoarse; he had probably said countless words that day.

"good."

Zhang Wenshan nodded, took out the year's order form for the state-run restaurant from his pocket, and handed it to Wang Tieshan.

"Good lad, you're really capable. This way, at least those in need have more security." Wang Tieshan took the order, squinted his eyes, glanced at it carefully, and smiled.

"In town—" Zhang Wenshan briefly explained the situation today, "It was a solution I came up with on the spot, without informing the team."

"It's alright, as long as we can dig a well, everything is negotiable." Wang Tieshan's eyes lit up after hearing this.

"I'm afraid it won't go that smoothly. We've offended the director of the agricultural machinery factory, and we don't know if Comrade Shen can make a difference." Zhang Wenshan shook his head, not so optimistic.

"You've done a great job. Without you, our whole village would just be waiting for reinforcements."

Wang Tieshan smiled and said.

"Even if it doesn't work out, it's okay. We've gotten through it before, haven't we?"

"Uncle, is it really impossible for the village to scrape together some money?" Zhang Wenshan asked, unwilling to give up.

Even though he knew in his heart that if he had the money, he would have dug a well long ago, instead of waiting until now.

But I still couldn't help wanting to confirm.

"We can't raise the money." Wang Tieshan shook his head, sighed, and said with a helpless expression, "The team doesn't have enough money in its accounts, and it's impossible to raise the shortfall from the village."

"There's only one well. My land is far away, while yours is close by. If we pay the same amount, someone will definitely refuse."

"Some people planted corn and urgently need watering, while others planted sorghum, which is drought-resistant."

"Also, does paying the same amount of money apply depending on whether you have more or less land?"

"There has been no result from the competition over the years."

Zhang Wenshan glanced at the people who were desperately carrying water.

Everyone's face was etched with exhaustion and anxiety, yet they still gritted their teeth and persevered.

He couldn't bring himself to say anything like "lacking a sense of the big picture."

Everyone is calculating for their own family and worrying about their crops—which is understandable.

He thought for a moment and asked, "How much grain can be stored?"

"Our village has about 1,500 mu of arable land, and most of the corn is grown on mountainous land that cannot retain water. It takes three to four thousand jin of water to irrigate it thoroughly."

Zhang Wenshan was speechless and glanced at the carrying pole and buckets used for fetching water.

One trip can fill up with a hundred pounds of water.

It takes thirty to forty trips to irrigate one acre of land. It's not so bad on flat land, but on a hillside, it takes twice the effort and time.

This doesn't even include the time spent queuing for water.

After a quick calculation, he felt utterly hopeless.

"Don't overthink it. You've already done your best. You even opened the Toad Pond ahead of schedule."

Wang Tieshan patted Zhang Wenshan on the shoulder and said sincerely.

"The mountain stream's flow was visibly decreasing, but at the critical moment, that pond could save a hundred acres of land."

"If we can survive until autumn and sell our produce, the whole village can have a more stable New Year."

As he spoke, a hint of relief flickered in his eyes.

In a moment of impulsiveness, I overruled all objections and made Zhang Wenshan take the job.

The existence of Hama Pond and the fishing and hunting group gave everyone a glimmer of hope in the face of this drought.

It is because of this hope that the village has remained relatively stable until now.

In the past, this would have caused a huge uproar.

"Sigh—" Zhang Wenshan sighed.

He knew he had done his best, but he just felt unsatisfied and would often feel annoyed, wondering why he hadn't remembered about the drought sooner.

"Actually, our village is considered pretty good."

Wang Tieshan said sincerely.

"The area is mountainous and surrounded by ponds and rivers, so at least half of the land can be saved in the event of a drought, while other areas will only be more severely affected."

However, these words did not comfort Zhang Wenshan.

He couldn't help but recall his past life, and the disaster reports that flashed by on television.

Even when you're actually in it, you don't feel anything.

While natural disasters were indeed terrible at that time, they were no longer insurmountable.

Keep in mind that it has only been a little over a decade since then, but the situation is completely different!

"I'll go check the fish section to see what we're having for dinner tonight."

Zhang Wenshan quickly composed himself and went to Ge Ergui's house.

Human effort can make a difference; there's no point in wallowing in self-pity. The right thing to do is to do your job well.

Do you think there will be a severe drought this year?

"Who knows? The Party Secretary said it's nothing, but look at this weather—"

"Oh God, this is just cruel to make life unbearable."

"Actually, there are advantages too," someone said with a smile, their tone tinged with optimism. "The hotter it gets, the dumber the fish in the river become, and it's never been easier to catch willow roots."

"Yes, the team leader is really capable. Without him, how would we have thought that these unwanted little fish could actually be sold for money?"

"Hey, the team leader's back."

Upon seeing Zhang Wenshan appear, the members of the fishing and hunting team instinctively stood up.

Seeing this, the old men nearby couldn't help but exchange glances, all seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

Zhang Xiaozi's prestige seems to be even higher than I imagined.

"Um."

Zhang Wenshan nodded, smiled at the expectant looks in everyone's eyes, and took out the order form for the state-run restaurant from his pocket.

"Take a look at everything, but don't break it."

"I'll do it, I'll do it." Lin Cuihua eagerly took it and read it out word by word.

"My goodness, can a gudgeon really sell for so much money?"

"Willow roots are scary, okay? They're usually unwanted stuff."

"The team leader is really something."

They had heard Zhang Fengxia mention the order before, but hadn't seen it with their own eyes, so they always felt uncertain.

At this moment, I can see the red stamp on the state-run restaurant.

They were all excitedly waving their arms and legs.

The old men nearby were even more bewildered.

They arrived late and had no idea about the state-run restaurant order; they only vaguely heard the gist of it.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Zhang boy, did you really sell Liu Gen and Ga Ya Zi?"

"Aunt Chunhua, take a look at the old man."

"Okay."

Soon, the old men gathered together. They couldn't recognize all the words on the paper, but they were very familiar with the conspicuous seal.

"Hurry up and put it away, don't lose it."

"You haven't been doing anything shady, have you?" an old man asked warily, frowning.