"Do you really want to build a house?" The two of them walked side by side, Wang Zhong pushing the bicycle, and Shui Hua carrying firewood.
"Since you are coming back, you must have a place to stay. You can't always live in the old party secretary's house!" Wang Chong said with a smile.
Shui Hua looked at Wang Zhong and said, "It costs a lot of money to build a house!"
"I have saved some money over the years, which should be enough to build a house."
"No wonder!" Shui Hua suddenly said: "A few days ago, I called Uncle Shui and took the villagers to dig the soil and press bricks for you. You have two meals a day, white flour steamed buns and lamb stewed with potatoes. Everyone said that during the New Year, The food is not that good!
"Everyone works hard for me, and I have to let everyone eat well, right?"
"The folks are praising you for your generosity before they even meet you."
"······"
The two of them chatted all the way into the village and separated in front of Shuihua's house.
Wang Zhong went straight back to the old party secretary's house, just in time to catch up with the old party secretary coming back from the fields carrying a hoe.
"So many things?" Looking at the pots and pans on the bicycle, the quilt, the thermos bottle, and the large military backpack behind Wang Zhong, the old party secretary quickly put down his hoe.
"They are all necessities of life. Since you have decided to stay in Yongquan Village, you will have to buy more sooner or later, so it is better to do it as soon as possible."
The old party secretary nodded, then frowned: "Don't we all have these in our families?"
"I'm going to build a house now. I'll still have to buy it after it's built."
The old branch secretary smiled, said nothing, and helped Wang Zhong move everything into the house.
······
"Brother Wang Zhong! Do you really want to build a house?" Ma Debao asked excitedly, standing in front of the painted homestead in front of him, looking at the large adobe bricks piled on the empty flat land.
"Of course it's true." Wang Zhong said with a smile.
Ma Debao said: "It costs a lot of money to build a house!"
"No matter how much money I have, there is nothing I can do. I have to afford a house. I can't always sleep in the old party secretary's house!" Wang Zhong said: "A man must have his own home and his own world, and he cannot always rely on others.
As he spoke, he looked at Ma Debao, leaned to his side and lowered his voice: "I will marry you in the future!"
"Brother Wang Zhong, you are right!" These words made Ma Debao's eyes sparkle. Although he was still a half-grown child, he had a lot to think about and was not low-spirited. Otherwise, this kid wouldn't be able to I will focus on running away and trying to live a better life.
"I will also build my own house in the future." I added in my mind: I will marry Mai Miao back home!
Wang Zhong patted his shoulder and said, "You can definitely do it!"
Ma Debao was stunned by Wang Zhong's words and looked at Wang Zhong in disbelief: "Brother Wang Zhong, are you serious?"
"Of course it's true!" Wang Zhong said: "But you are still young now." He looked at the boy up and down and said: "The bones in this body have not grown yet, and the strength is not enough."
"We men are either knowledgeable, well-spoken, and have a lot of beautiful things in mind, or we are physically strong, as strong as an ox, and have a certain craft!"
"You are now, your physique and strength can still grow even more, it's just this skill!" Wang Zhong said and paused: "What can you do?"
Ma Debao was a little overwhelmed by Wang Zhong's question. He racked his brains to think about it, but even if he emptied his mind, he couldn't think of any skills he had!
Let’s talk about strength. Ma Debao is a thirteen or fourteen-year-old kid, and he is not the kind of person with extraordinary talents. Although he works with his parents all year round, he has nothing to do with meat all year round, so his strength is just like that.
"Brother Wang Zhong is right, you coward, you can either learn from your brother, get a technical secondary school exam, and make your father look proud! Or you can learn a trade. This man makes money to support his family. If he doesn't have a trade, then he can just Like your father and me, we can spend our whole lives digging and eating with our backs turned to the sky and our faces facing the loess."
"Are you learning any skills? Is it possible to learn your half-baked medical skills?" Ma Debao was so confused by the glances and words from the two of them that he immediately replied angrily.
"You coward, even your father dares to arrange it!" Ma Huashui's expression changed, he opened his mouth to curse, and bent down to take off his shoes. Ma Debao reacted faster, and when Ma Huashui just scolded, he gave it to him ran away.
"I'm going to the fields to help my mother collect rice!"
Before he finished speaking, the person had already run away, leaving only countless dust swirled up.
"You idiot! Run as fast as you can!" Ma Huashui cursed in a low voice at Ma Debao's back.
"Young people are full of energy!" Wang Zhong said with a smile.
Ma Huashui clapped his hands, wiped away the dust on his hands, and said with a smile on his face: "Well, are you satisfied with this homestead?"
Wang Zhong nodded and said: "Satisfied, such a spacious place is much larger than the small house in the city!"
Wang Zhong looked at the huge pingchang, which covered almost an acre in front and back.
Ma Huanshui explained: "Now there is no land in the village to allocate to you, so we have discussed giving you more land on the homestead! At least you can grow some vegetables in front of and behind the house!"
Is it a rural area? There is nothing else but a lot of land. However, Yongquan Village is poor and the better fields have long been divided up.
"This was decided by the villagers after discussion and discussion in the village!"
"It's just that the location is a little off!" Ma Huashui shook his head and said with some regret. The nearest future neighbor to Wang Zhong's house was still dozens of meters away.
"Thank you, Uncle Huashui!" Wang Zhong guessed that Ma Huashui and the old party secretary must have contributed here.
"By the way, when do you plan to start construction? Why don't you choose a good day!" Although feudal superstition is not advocated now, people are still used to looking at the almanac and choosing a day, no matter what they do, mainly for good omens.
"Don't rush to start the construction." Wang Zhong said: "Call Uncle Shui, I think these bricks will be almost dry in the sun for two days. I plan to use these two days to build a few small earthen kilns first, and then go to the county Buy some coal here, burn these bricks, and bring back some cement and fine sand, so that they can last longer."
"You still want to bake bricks? Do you know how to dig kilns? Burn bricks?" Ma Huashui was stunned for a moment and looked at Wang Zhong in surprise. Every house in Yongquan Village was either an adobe house or an adobe house. , no house is built with burnt bricks.
Brick burning requires craftsmanship, and kiln digging requires even more craftsmanship.
In the original plot, the man named An whom Shuihua married was an example.
I wanted to dig a water cellar to please Water Flower, but I didn't expect the water cellar to be dug. Instead, I became crippled and my lower limbs were paralyzed, dragging Water Flower down for the rest of my life.
Brick-burning cave dwellings require more craftsmanship, especially on this high loess slope, with a radius of dozens of miles. I have not heard of anyone with this craftsmanship. It is expensive to buy it from outside the county. There are only a handful of people with this economic strength, and The price is much higher than that of an adobe house.
Wang Zhong said: "I know how to do it, but I haven't actually practiced it. Only by doing it will I know whether it works."
Ma Huanshui looked at Wang Zhong with complicated eyes: "Coal, cement and fine sand, no matter what, they are not cheap!"
Xihai Guben is a well-known poverty-stricken area in the country. The people in Yongquan Village depend on potatoes to feed themselves all day long. When they are in a slightly poor situation, they have to rely on government relief food to survive.
"Uncle! You spend the money you earn. Besides, a house can be passed down to future generations. Now that I have finished the house, my children and grandchildren will be able to save more money in the future!"
Wang Zhong's words spoke to Ma Huashui's heart: "You piece of shit, you don't look like a young man in his early twenties..." But halfway through the words, Ma Huashui thought of Wang Zhong The family then sighed.
Perhaps it is precisely because of the misfortune of the family and the early sacrifice of his grandfather and father that Wang Zhong looks like a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties at such a young age!
Ma Huanshui thought of this, and looked at Wang Zhong with a different meaning: "You just have to know it in your own mind, uncle, I won't say more! Other uncles can't help you, but you need people and strength, we This is what the folks in Yongquan Village lack most."
Wang Zhong said: "Uncle, you guys have all helped me with the heavy work. If it's the kiln, I can do it myself. Besides, it's almost time to harvest the rice from the fields. Anyway, I'm not in a hurry here." , you and my aunt finish the work in the fields first. If you don't mind it, you can let Debao and Gawa follow me for a while, and we can explore together. They are young and have flexible minds. I have read books and can learn things more easily than adults."
Ma Huanshui was stunned for a moment, and then he looked at Wang Zhong, Debao and Gawa with some surprise. They were all thirteen or fourteen-year-old little kids. Their strength could not compare with adults. Wang Zhong took them to burn together. Brick, and according to Wang Zhong's wishes, it seems that he wants to hand over this skill to Debao and the others.
"Uncle, I see that Debao is a man with a lot of heart, ideas, and a flexible mind. If he can really master the art of baking bricks, he will be able to have a similar skill in the future."
Ma Huashui sighed, looked at Wang Zhong, and said in a serious tone: "Wang Zhong, you are also a member of our Yongquan Village, and I won't hide it from you. It's not just our Yongquan Village, but also the nearby ones." In Kushui Village, and even in Xihaigu as a whole, over the past ten years, the food grown in the fields has been getting less and less year by year! The population of every household is increasing, and life is difficult these days!"
"The little food grown on the ground cannot be eaten for a year, and we have to live on relief food distributed by the government."
"Hey!" As he spoke, Ma Huashui couldn't help but sigh again.
In Ma Huanshui's heart, Wang Zhong must know how to bake bricks and kilns. What Wang Zhong said was just a modest statement.
"It's okay to ask Debao and Gawa to help you, but..."
"Uncle!" Ma Huashui didn't say anything, but Wang Zhong interrupted him: "Burning the kiln is not something I can do alone."
Ma Huashui looked at Wang Zhong, who had a smile on his face but firm and magnanimous eyes, sighed and said, "As long as you know what's going on."
"By the way, uncle, I will be very busy these days if I have to dig and burn kilns. I also have to build a house later, so I won't have time to make food. It happened that Miss Shuihua saved me last time. I didn't have time to repay her. You see How about I ask her to come over and cook for us?”
"Why do you ask Shuihua to cook? You can just eat it at my house!"
"Uncle, if I were alone here, I would definitely bother you, but I am asking someone to help me with the work. How can I let you and my aunt spend money?"
"Besides, you and my aunt still have to be busy with things in the fields. After harvesting the bags of rice, we have to cut down the poles to bring them back. The fields need to be plowed! There is a lot of work to do!"
Seeing Wang Zhong's firm look, Ma Huanshui knew that Wang Zhong had the right idea in his heart, so he did not continue to persuade him: "Okay, okay! Then I won't be polite to you!"
"Then I'll excuse you, uncle!"
"What's the trouble!"
Immediately afterwards, Ma Huashui led Wang Zhong to find a suitable land for digging a kiln. Fortunately, Wang Zhong's homestead was at the end of the village, leaning against the mountain, with no homes behind. There were many suitable places, and Wang Zhong quickly chose it. Good location.
At the Li family's house at the end of the village, Shui Hua was cooking lunch in the kitchen. Smoke was coming from the chimney. Noodles were boiling in the pot and potatoes were steaming. Shui Hua was sitting on a small stool, adding wheat straw and thatch to the stove.
"Is Miss Water Flower at home?" A shout suddenly came from outside the house.
"Who?"
Shuihua didn't sound familiar with the voice, so she responded and walked out of the kitchen in confusion.
The fence door could be pushed open by raising your hand, but Wang Zhong still chose to stand outside the fence door and saw Shui Hua walking out of the kitchen next to her. At this time, Shui Hua didn't have a headscarf on her head, maybe because she was at home.
"Miss Water Flower." Wang Zhong greeted with a smile while still holding her in his hand.
"It's you!" Shui Hua also smiled: "What do you want from me?"
Shui Hua walked to the fence door, opened it from the inside, and invited Wang Zhong to come in to drink water.
"Where's Uncle Li?"
"My father is still collecting rice in the fields. I will come back to make lunch." Shuihua said.
When Wang Zhong heard this, he stopped and did not continue to enter the house. Instead, he stood in the courtyard. Shui Hua looked at Wang Zhong doubtfully: "Go inside and sit down?"
"No need!" Wang Zhong said with a smile: "Miss Shuihua, I just came to the village. Apart from calling me Uncle Shui and the old party secretary, I only know you. I have something I want to ask for help. After thinking about it, I can think of nothing. There is only one girl called Water Flower."
"what can I do for you?"
Seeing Wang Zhong standing in the courtyard and not entering the house, Shui Hua was a little surprised, but she was a smart person, and she immediately thought of the reason why Wang Zhong did not enter the house. Wang Zhong saw that she was the only one in the family, a single man and a widow. , the two of them were young, and they were afraid of being seen and rumors would spread, so they did not continue to persuade. They went straight into the room and poured a bowl of water for Wang Zhong, then took it out and handed it to Wang Zhong.
"Drink some water first!"
"Thank you!" Wang Chong took the bowl and took a sip with a smile, and said: "Water Flower Girl..."
"Just call me Shuihua!" Shuihua said with a smile. She had a better impression of Wang Zhong, who was very polite and very different from the people in the village.
"Okay!" Wang Zhong's smile became even bigger: "Splash!"
"I just returned to the village, and I'm planning to build a house recently! I'm still staying at the old party secretary's house, and eating with him. It's been fine these two days, but if the construction starts in a few days, I will definitely invite the village to help. I want to ask you to help us cook. We will cook two meals a day, lunch and dinner. You will also eat with us every day. I will pay you two yuan a day."
"Do you think so?"
"No, no!" Shui Hua quickly shook her head: "I can help, but I can't get paid for it!"
"Splash!" Wang Zhong said, "Listen to me first."
"As for me, I'm anxious to finish the house, so I'm definitely in a hurry. I've been busy with farming recently. If you help me, it will definitely delay the work in the fields. I know you are enthusiastic, but I can't let you suffer, right? .”
"Two dollars is too much! Just make two meals a day!" Shui Hua is not the kind of person who doesn't understand things. Wang Zhong said so. If she refused, Wang Zhong would definitely let it go.
"It's more than just two meals!" Wang Zhong said: "Every few days, I have to go to the butcher to buy some mutton and improve the food for everyone. This back and forth will waste a lot of time."
"How can we waste any time!" Shui Hua said with an indifferent expression.
"Then one piece a day!" Wang Zhong said: "No more!"
Shui Hua was a bit dumbfounded. She had only heard of people bargaining for the price, but she had never seen anyone like Wang Zhong insisting on giving money to others.
"Okay then!" Shuihua reluctantly agreed and asked, "Does it start from tomorrow?"
"Yes! Tomorrow!" Wang Zhong said: "As long as it doesn't rain, we will start from tomorrow! Then we will have to trouble you to prepare it and send it to us!"
"Okay! No problem, just keep it with me!" Shui Hua replied with a smile.
After making an agreement with Shui Hua, Wang Zhong immediately rode his bicycle to the county. He bought 500 kilograms of white flour, 1,000 kilograms of cornmeal, and 200 kilograms of fat and thin black beach mutton at the grain store. I bought new pickaxes, shovels and other tools and put them in the space.
The space that has been increased to eight cubic meters is more than enough to hold these things.
I bought dozens of kilograms of white flour and twenty kilograms of mutton and piled them on the back of my bicycle. I found a place selling coal and cement, and then I rode my bicycle back to Yongquan Village.
The white flour and mutton brought back by the bicycle were first placed at Shuihua's house, and then he ordered several hundred kilograms of cornmeal from Shuihua's father, Li Laoshuan, at the market price.
Early the next morning, Ma Debao led his followers Shui Wang and Ga Wa, as well as a pretty girl, carrying a hoe, shovel and cart to the old party secretary's house to find Wang Zhong.
"Brother Wang Zhong, my father asked me to come find you!" Ma Debao looked at Wang Zhong with enthusiasm.
Wang Chongtian got up before dawn, and helped the old party secretary make breakfast, including pimple soup, "Uncle, I'm leaving first!"
Unexpectedly, the old party secretary followed him out, walked to the west room with his hands behind his back, took out a hoe and a shovel, put them on his shoulders, walked to the door of the courtyard, turned to look at Wang Zhonggeng Ma Debao, who was still standing stupidly in the courtyard. A few half-grown children.
"Why are you still standing there? Let's go!"
"Uncle, what are you doing?" Wang Zhong walked helplessly to the old party secretary: "Don't you still have work in your fields?"
"Just doing some work on the ground, there is water for his parents! You don't need me!" The old party secretary waved his hand: "Don't touch it, while the weather is still cool, hurry up!"
Wang Zhong shook his head and followed helplessly, with the fourth child following closely behind.
But I made up my mind to repay this kind-hearted and honest old man from the northwest more in the future.
Wang Zhong's speed was very fast, and he was responsible for digging. The old man and a few young helpers moved the soil aside. Looking at Wang Zhong's inhuman speed, even the old branch secretary who had been serving the fields for half his life couldn't help but sigh: This kid He is a person born in the year of the Ox. Not only is he very strong, but his physical endurance is far beyond that of ordinary people.
Each dome-shaped earth kiln, which is about three to four cubic meters in size, was dug in two days with the close cooperation of everyone!
This is because it took a lot of time to transport soil out of the country.
On the fourth day, Wang Zhong went to the city again and brought back several large rolls of oilcloth and bought two tractors of coal.
He took the old party secretary and a few younger ones, and used horses to call the Shui family's cart. It took two days and thirty trips to transport two tractors of coal from outside the mountain to Yongquan Village.
When it was time to burn the kiln, everyone in the village came over curiously to watch.
When the first batch of Sankiln bricks came out of the kiln, the whole Yongquan Village was in a sensation. Unfortunately, Wang Zhong understood that this batch of bricks looked okay, but in fact the quality was really average. The truly superior clay bricks had no impact on the soil. The requirements are extremely high, and it also needs to be exposed to wind and sun for up to half a year. After natural erosion and internal decomposition and loosening, it is then manually crushed and screened.
Then add water to the pure soil to moisten it, and knead it repeatedly. The bricks should be dried in the shade. Do not expose them to the sun, which will cause cracks and deformation of the bricks.
After the bricks are completely dry, they can be fired in the kiln.
The process is quite complex.
However, Wang Zhong was in a hurry right now and had omitted many steps. Although the bricks looked good after being fired, the actual quality was just that.
But after listening to Wang Zhong’s words.
After ten days of hard work, the villagers worked together to produce 5,000 adobe bricks, all of which were burned.
During this period, Wang Zhong was not idle. He took a few hours to start making tiles from clay and burning them.
Fortunately, it is the flood season now, otherwise Wang Zhong would really not be able to do it.
