"Uncle! Come on, come on, sit down quickly! Sit down quickly! It's warm on the kang!" Wang Zhong enthusiastically led the old party secretary into the house.
The old party secretary looked around Wang Zhong's house. It was very different from other houses in the village. In Wang Zhong's house, the walls around him were all filled with paintings and calligraphy.
"My dear, when did you do this?"
"How about it! I wrote it all by myself in my free time." As he spoke, Wang Zhong had already brought the stove to the Kang table.
The old party secretary looked at the big characters hanging on the wall with some surprise. Some of them were recognized, some of them were not. "Can't you tell? You can also calligraphy?"
Wang Zhong walked in again carrying a clay pot and said jokingly: "Hey, uncle, I didn't see it, you still know calligraphy!"
The old party secretary glared at Wang Zhong, then raised his head slightly and said with some pride: "Your uncle and I have also been the village party secretary!"
"That's right!" Wang Zhong smiled and gave a thumbs up, and said cooperatively.
The old party secretary looked at the decoration in the room with great interest. Wang Zhong quickly put the fried peanuts and two plates of washed cabbage and radishes on the table. He took out a bottle of white wine and poured a glass for the old party secretary.
The old party secretary closed his eyes, lowered his head to the cup and smelled it, with a look of enjoyment on his face.
"fragrant!"
The old party secretary shook his head and couldn't help but pick up the bowl and take a sip first.
The wine was very strong, but it was not only spicy, but also had a mellow aroma of grains. As soon as the wine entered his throat, the old party secretary showed an uncontrollable look of enjoyment on his face.
As he is nearly seventy years old, the old branch secretary has no other pursuits. He just hopes that his children and grandchildren will make a good career and start a family as soon as possible so that he can have his great-grandchildren as soon as possible. And then there is this drink.
But life is usually difficult, let alone drinking, it would be nice to have enough food.
It is only during the holidays that we have the opportunity to satisfy our cravings.
"Uncle, don't just drink wine, eat a piece of mutton first!"
While he was talking, Wang Zhong had already picked two pieces of fat and thin mutton from the pot and sent them to the old party secretary's bowl.
"There is meat to eat and wine to drink!" Seeing the mutton tumbling in the boiling soup in the pot and smelling the alluring fragrance, the old party secretary shook his head and said with emotion: "I have lived for most of my life, but I never expected that Even though I am on the verge of old age, I can still live such a prosperous life."
As he spoke, the old party secretary's eyes involuntarily moved towards Wang Zhong, and a smile from the heart appeared on his old face covered with traces of time.
There was a bit of relief and a bit of happiness in his expression.
The aroma of wine came to his nostrils, and the old branch secretary got drunk again. He couldn't help but pick up the bowl and was about to take another sip. Suddenly, he paused, his expression changed, he put the wine bowl down again, frowned and looked up at Wang Zhong. : "You kid, you are drinking and eating meat all day long. This is not how you live your life."
Although his tone was slightly harsh, it was mixed with concern.
"Uncle! You have wronged me!" Wang Zhong said with an innocent look on his face: "How can I drink and eat meat like this? I have something to discuss with you, so I gritted my teeth and had a meal!"
"I don't know you yet!" The old party secretary glanced at Wang Zhong, and then said seriously: "Now is not the past. Since you choose to return to our Yongquan Village, your life cannot be the same as before."
"You don't have a job now, and the land you have been allocated is all wasteland. You haven't started to cultivate it yet. There will definitely be no harvest in the first few years. I know you still have money in your pocket, but now you are sitting on nothing. No matter how much money you have, , all have a spent day.”
"You're right!" Wang Zhong nodded and said, "It's really not a long-term solution to just sit back and have nothing. I'm already looking for a way out."
"Are you looking for it already?" the old party secretary asked curiously, "What are you looking for?"
"Wait a minute, did you say something happened just now?" The old party secretary suddenly remembered what Wang Zhong said just now and asked, "Is this the matter?"
"That's it!" Wang Zhong said.
"Why don't you tell me quickly!" The old party secretary was a little anxious.
Wang Zhong picked up the wine bowl and said with a smile: "Don't worry, let's drink first, and we'll talk while we eat."
The two touched each other and each took a sip.
"Okay, if you have anything to say, hurry up and stop trying to keep people appetizing." The old branch secretary and Kuai Zi used both hands, urging while eating mutton.
Wang Zhong picked up a piece of mutton and said while eating it: "Uncle, may I ask you a question first?"
"What's the problem?" The old party secretary didn't stop talking. Yanchi's Tan sheep are famous throughout the country and have been served at state banquets countless times. Coupled with Wang Zhong's fourth-level cooking skills, it's hard to say how delicious it is.
Wang Zhong asked: "You have been the village party secretary for so many years. Do you think the lives of the villagers can become more prosperous just by farming?"
As soon as these words came out, the old branch secretary paused in his eating movements, his face darkened slightly, and his eyes became complicated and deep. He sighed, picked up the bowl and took a big sip. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Over the years, not only In Yongquan Village, the entire Gangou Township, and even the entire Xihaigu, the output of the fields is getting less and less every year, and life is becoming more and more difficult! It is also prosperous there."
"The past few years have been smooth, with nothing to support us. The situation is not bad. After a year of hard work, we can barely have enough food for the family. But if we encounter a bad year, we can only rely on government relief."
The old party secretary did not hide Wang Zhong's intention. The current situation of Yongquan Village can be seen by anyone with a discerning eye, so there is no need to deliberately hide anything.
It has been half a year since Wang Zhong came to Yongquan Village. Even if he didn't say it, Wang Zhong could tell.
"Why!"
As he spoke, the old branch secretary sighed again, and his heart became heavy. He said rather sadly: "In recent years, people in the village have not dared to have children. It's not that they can't give birth, but they are afraid that they won't be able to feed them!"
Chaosheng has only been caught in the past few years, but it has been many years in Yongquan Village, and many families have passed it on alone.
In other places, people have five or six exciting students, but in Yongquan Village, the number of people like Ma Huashui who have given birth to three children over the years is already too many.
Especially in recent years, there have been fines for over-pregnancy, and the villagers are having a hard time, and there is no spare money to pay the fine.
For example, the old branch secretary himself, Li Da, only had one son and only one grandson, Shuiwang. Three generations passed down the family life in a normal way. During the off-season, he only had three tons of potatoes a day.
It’s not that I don’t want to give birth and I can’t give birth, it’s that I don’t dare to give birth and I can’t afford to give birth to a child.
This alone is enough to explain everything.
In the final analysis, it is caused by the word "poor".
Wang Zhongdao: "Uncle, there is a saying in the book that is good, if you are poor, you will think, if you think, you will change, and if you change, you will be successful!"
"What do you mean?" The old party secretary had never read any books and could only recognize a few words.
Wang Zhong did not explain directly, but asked: "Have you ever thought that the reason why we can't grow food in the ground is because the villagers are lazy and refuse to work hard? Or is it because the villagers don't know how to farm?"
"How is that possible!" said the old party secretary: "We have been farmers for decades, how can we not know how to farm? In Yongquan Village, even the middle-aged men like Shuiwang and Debao have been beaten to the ground. Anyone who has grown up by crawling around is a good hand in camp and field."
There are no rural people who can't farm. Even the old branch secretary, who is nearly 70 years old, still works in the fields every day as long as it is not slack time. Even in slack time, he is not idle and does whatever he has to do.
"And after the crops are packaged and delivered to each household, enough is paid to the state and enough is retained by the collective, and the rest belongs to the people themselves. Which of the villagers does not work hard, and which one does not take care of the crops? But the food produced in the fields is still It’s getting less and less every year,…sigh…”
As he spoke, the old party secretary looked sad, sighed helplessly, his face darkened, and his expression became more and more dark. This matter has become a worry for the old party secretary, and even for the entire village of Yongquan Village.
When Wang Zhong saw this, he felt deeply in his heart and said: "Since the output of the fields is not as good as every year, why don't we think of ways to change it?"
"Change? How?" the old party secretary asked puzzledly.
Wang Zhong said: "Since the food grown in the land is not enough to eat, then let's not just live on that one acre of land."
"We farmers don't live by farming, what else can we rely on?" The old party secretary became increasingly puzzled.
"Uncle, times have changed now."
Wang Chong said with a smile: "In the past, we had no choice but to farm, but now the economy is getting better and better. We in Yongquan Village are poor, but the outside world may not be as poor as us. The output of the land is getting less and less, so then Don't just point at the fields. During the slack season, let the villagers go work nearby and find ways to make money. Once you earn money, you can buy food, which can improve your life and quality of life. With money, the children in our village can also If you can afford to study, you can go to technical secondary school or university like his elder brother Debao."
"That's easy to say!" The old party secretary sighed and said with some self-deprecation: "If this money was so easy to earn, then our Xihaigu wouldn't be so poor!"
The entire Gangou Township, and even the entire Xihaigu, are almost the same as Yongquan Village, poor and backward.
"People have to live these days. In the past, life was so difficult, didn't we survive it?"
Wang Zhongdao: "I do have some connections that allow the villagers to earn some money during their off-farm time, but I have just started doing it, and I may not be able to hire a few people at the beginning."
"What kind of way?" The old party secretary immediately asked impatiently.
"I've been buying a batch of modular cabinets recently! I happened to have a relationship with a boss named Wang who was doing decoration and selling furniture in the county. I signed a contract with him and I came to help him design, produce drawings and plans. , his workers are responsible for the decoration.”
"What drawings? What plans?" the old party secretary asked puzzledly. These words were still too novel for him.
Wang Zhong said: "It's just ideas. He is responsible for finding jobs, and I will come up with ideas and tell them how to decorate."
"If you always agree, I can make connections and find a few people from the village who are down-to-earth and hard-working, preferably young and smart, and go and learn from them first. When they learn it in the future, we can Then you can bring people with you, and you can even create a decoration team yourself to pick up jobs outside."
"Learn from others? Are they willing to teach?" What the old party secretary said has no confidence. It is not surprising that the old party secretary would think so. Many people nowadays have relatively old-fashioned ideas. Even if they are teaching disciples, they always like to hold back because they are afraid of the church. The apprentice starved the master to death.
Many excellent things in the past have been submerged in the long river of history and completely dissipated because of this concept.
Many excellent and special technologies have been completely cut off from inheritance because of this concept of destroying self-preservation.
"Uncle, isn't it me?" Wang Chong smiled and refilled the bowl of wine for the old party secretary.
"Think about it, they are doing a good job themselves, why should they ask me to help them design and come up with ideas? They can obviously make money by themselves, so they can't let me come in and share it with them for no reason. Have a piece of the pie!"
"Yes, why?" The old party secretary didn't even bother to drink wine and forgot to eat meat. He looked at Wang Zhong expectantly, wanting to know his answer.
Wang Zhong did not answer. Instead, he pretended to be secretive and said, "Guess?"
The old branch secretary shook his head and urged: "Hurry up and say it, you are a coward, why do you care!"
Wang Zhongdao: "That must be because I have this ability. I have technology that they don't have, and it is more popular in the market than their own."
The old party secretary shook his head and waved his hands: "I don't understand, I don't understand."
"But I believe you. If you say you can do it, then do it!"
Although the old branch secretary didn't understand the secret here, he unconditionally believed in Wang Zhong, except that Wang Zhong was an old friend and a descendant of a martyr.
There is also what Wang Zhong has done in the past six months. When Wang Zhong first came here, he said that he wanted to dig kilns and burn bricks. He didn't stop me, and he always helped me.
Unexpectedly, the bricks were actually fired. Not only that, but the tiles were going to be burned later. He took his Shuiwang and Ma to call Shui's Debao and Gawa, one big one and three small ones. From digging the soil and mud to the final firing, it was done bit by bit, and he was able to finish it.
But what made the old party secretary choose to trust Wang Zhong even more was because Wang Zhong personally guided the villagers who helped with the work. The houses he built, with cornices and corners, just looking at them made people feel comfortable, and there was also the whole package A system for collecting and diverting water into water cellars······
"Actually, I wanted to teach Debao and Shuiwang out first. Unfortunately, they are still young and lack strength. Many decoration tasks require strength, and they also have to study. They can't earn this much. Money affects their learning.”
Although the old party secretary himself had not read any books, he understood the importance of reading and deeply believed in Wang Zhong's words.
"You always have prestige in the village. You respond to every call. Let's ask Uncle Shui to come forward and find seven or eight strong laborers from the village who are hard-working and willing to work. They have nimble hands and feet, will not be lazy and slippery, and have a more flexible mind. , it must be very easy.”
"What about the wages?"
If it were his own child, the old party secretary wouldn't ask this question, but his Li Dayao has that kind of temper, and the old party secretary knows better than anyone else that he is a troublemaker, and if he is asked to go, it will definitely turn out to be a dirty deal.
"The salary can be negotiated, but it will definitely not be much higher at the beginning! After all, we are here to learn from others, but once we get started, the salary will be easy to negotiate."
The old party secretary nodded, thoughtfully.
"In this case, you go to Debao's house and call Huashui over, and we will figure this out together." Although the old party secretary has a high prestige in the village, Ma Huashui is now the village director, although he is only an agent. Yes, but this matter really requires Ma Huanshui's help. The old party secretary and the new director came forward together, so the people in the village had no opinion.
"Sure! I'll go right away! You eat first!"
Wang Zhong put down his kuaizi, got off the kang, put on his shoes, and immediately ran outside.
After a while, Ma shouted for water and was pulled over.
"Oh! So much mutton and wine!" Ma Huashui immediately frowned: "You are a coward, even if you make some money, you can't do this!"
"Okay, okay. I'm so filial to you. Sit down quickly and I'll discuss anything with you!" The old party secretary said, and Ma Huashui and Wang Zhong immediately got on the kang.
The three of them were eating and chatting, and two large bottles of two kilograms of liquor went into their stomachs.
The next day, Ma Huashui and the old party secretary went looking for someone.
That afternoon, Ma Huashui came to tell Wang Zhong that all eight people had been found.
Four have the surname Li, and four have the surname Ma! They are all young people in their twenties and in their prime.
Wang Zhong had not considered that there were two families with the surnames Li and Ma in Yongquan Village. The old Li family were the original residents of Yongquan Village, while the Ma family moved here later to escape the war. At that time, the Li clan took in the ancestors of the Ma family.
After so many years, although there have been many intermarriages between the two surnames, and they have become one family, they still have to take it into consideration to avoid any conflicts over this matter again.
Wang Zhong was not in a hurry to let them go to the county seat right away. After all, it was almost the New Year's Eve and everyone was celebrating the New Year. For this reason, Wang Zhong also specially renovated his home and gave them a simple and direct pre-job surprise training. , on-site teaching.
They don’t need to be able to get started directly, as long as they have an idea of what to do.
Specifically, after the new year starts, they will naturally learn more details from the masters under Wang Quanfu.
Wang Zhong made two more trips to the county seat to discuss the matter with Wang Quanfu. By the way, he followed Wang Quanfu to visit two shops and a courtyard, both of which were going to be renovated after the new year.
Seeing that New Year's Eve was approaching, Ma Defu, who had been studying in the agricultural school, finally took his winter vacation and returned to Yongquan Village.
But at this moment, a piece of news that surprised Wang Zhong spread throughout Yongquan Village in a very short period of time, and the villagers started discussing it.
The protagonist of the matter was Shuihua, who Wang Zhong had been thinking about for several months.
A well-known matchmaker from all over the country went to Li Laoshuan's house.
When a matchmaker comes to visit, it is impossible to find a wife for Li Laoshuan.
News came out that day that An Yongfu from the neighboring Kushui Village had fallen in love with Li Laoshuan's daughter Shui Hua, and asked someone to act as a matchmaker, hoping to marry Shui Hua as his wife.
The village immediately started talking about it. At first, Li Laoshuan could let it go. If he wanted to marry his daughter Shui Hua, he would have to pay for it in a water cellar. As for other betrothal gifts, if other people's families had them, his family could not lack them.
At that time, this incident was quite a sensation in Yongquan Village, and it was once spread to other villages.
After all, in this year, not to mention in Yongquan Village, but also in the entire Xihaigu, the importance of a water cellar to a family is self-evident, as it is related to the family's livelihood.
With a water cellar, there will be no shortage of daily water. During winter irrigation and spring irrigation, there is no need to travel thousands of miles to transport water outside.
Everyone in the village said that Li Laoshuan did not want to marry his daughter, but wanted to sell her.
Li Laoshuan could only exchange his daughter for a water cellar.
Unexpectedly, there are actually people who are willing to give up their own water cellars. Although it has not been confirmed yet, it does not prevent the villagers from talking about this matter.
In the Ma family, Ma Defu, who knew the news, rushed out of the house as if he was struck by lightning. He wanted to go to Shui Hua to ask questions, but before he could leave the hospital, he was stopped by Ma calling for water.
"What are you going to do?" Ma Huashui put his hands behind his back, his face darkened.
"I'm going to find Shui Hua. I want to ask clearly!" Ma Defu looked anxious.
"What are you asking for?" Ma shouted for water, but he didn't move, like a big mountain blocking the door or in front of Ma Defu.
"Ask her if this is true, if she really wants to marry Ernst Yongfu!" Ma Defu answered directly without thinking.
"You coward!" Ma Huashui scolded him with a straight face: "Why are you asking? What qualifications do you have to ask? Who are you, Shui Hua, and you just ask? What does it have to do with you when they say they are married? relation?"
"Li Laoshuan has already said that if he wants to marry Shui Hua, not counting other betrothal gifts, he must first have a water cellar. Do you have a water cellar? Does our family have a water cellar?" Ma Shoanshui was also helpless. His family wanted a water cellar. If there is a water cellar, there is no need to eat potatoes three times a day, and Debao will not be obsessed with running out.
"Dad!" Ma Defu looked at Ma Shuihua with a look of reluctance, his eyes were a little red, "I just wanted to take a look. I didn't want to do anything. I just wanted to ask Shuihua myself."
"Hey!" Ma Huashui sighed and said, "Shui Hua is a good girl, smart, light-hearted, capable, and has a good heart! If you can marry Shui Hua, your mother and I will wake up laughing even if we fall asleep."
"But it's not like you don't know what's going on in our family. Our family doesn't have the conditions to help you marry Shui Hua."
"It's all your father's lack of ability!" Ma Huashui felt heavy. His son liked Shuihua, a good girl like her.
Ma Huanshui raised his hand and patted Ma Defu's shoulder, saying with emotion: "Dad, I'm sorry for you! I can't help you!"
"Dad!" Ma Defu's eyes were a little red, and there was water in his eyes: "It's because I don't have the ability, and it has nothing to do with you."
Ma Defu lowered his head and remained silent. He clenched his hands into fists and clenched them tightly, but his heart was filled with an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.
Ma Defu is almost twenty-two years old and is no longer a child. Doesn't he know what Ma Huashui said?
But the more this happens, the more powerless I feel.
Ma Huashui was also helpless and could only comfort his son and said: "My family has owed a lot of foreign debt to support you in the agricultural school. It has not been paid off yet. It will take another year for you to graduate. Debao and Shuihua are the same age." I’m still young, and I still have to study, so there’s no place to spend money at home...Hey!”
Ma Huashui was also helpless. He had watched Shuihua grow up since she was a child. As he said himself, if possible, he would like Shuihua to be his daughter-in-law.
But the reality is cruel.
The life of Shui Hua's family was more difficult than theirs. Li Laoshuan, a daughter like Shui Hua, wanted a higher betrothal gift, which Ma Huanshui could understand.
only······
Looking at his eldest son with his head lowered and a slightly sad expression in front of him, Ma Huashui felt even more uncomfortable.
"Defu, you are an adult now, not a baby anymore. It's time now, so let's not cause trouble for Shui Hua!"
"Whether you ask or not, nothing will change."
At this time, Ma Defu ran over, but it had no effect except causing trouble for Shui Hua.
"Dad! I understand, I'm not going!" Ma Defu understood what his father meant. Shui Hua was still a young girl who had not yet left the court, and he, a young man, ran over at this time. What did he say to someone? Bad splash reputation?
Ma Defu lowered his head and returned to the house in a depressed mood. He didn't think about anything else. He just went back to the kang and lay down. His nose was sore and the tears in his eyes fell silently.
A man doesn't shed tears lightly, but it's just not the time to feel sad.
······
At the same time, on the other side, Wang Zhong carried several bottles of wine, a package of soy sauce beef, and a package of braised mutton, and went straight to the old party secretary's house.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to sit still!" Looking at Wang Zhong, the old party secretary looked just as he expected, looking quite happy.
"Hehe!" Wang Zhong chuckled: "You always have a sharp eye, but with my little thinking, there is no way I can hide it from your eyes!"
"Stop it, don't flatter me!"
"You kid, didn't you plan it from the beginning?" The old party secretary suddenly remembered the water cellar that Wang Zhong built some time ago. He looked at Wang Zhong with a playful expression and asked Wang Zhong with a hint of suspicion.
"A girl like Shui Hua has a good temperament, a good mind, is diligent and capable, and is good-looking. She is a good candidate to take home as a wife. What unmarried man can't be tempted by this."
Wang Zhong said calmly: "Otherwise, how could that person named An from Kushui Village be willing to give up such a betrothal gift?"
"You kid!" The old party secretary pointed at Wang Zhong and shook his head, "I wonder how you dared to ask Shui Hua to help you cook! You must have had the idea of Shui Hua for a long time."
"Don't you always ask me to find a wife?" Wang Zhong said with a shy face.
"Shui Hua is indeed a good girl!" The old party secretary took a puff of cigarette and said, "Her father is unreliable."
According to seniority, Li Laoshuan is the nephew of the old party secretary, but the relationship is relatively distant. He has already been in the fifth server. However, the old party secretary has been in the position of the village party secretary for many years. There is no one in the village who he doesn't know about. .
Others may not say this, but no one dares to find fault with the old party secretary, regardless of his seniority or prestige.
"First tell me what your plan is." The old party secretary said, "Li Laoshuan wants a lot of gifts."
Wang Zhongdao: "It's easy to talk about betrothal gifts, water cellar, chickens, ducks, money, etc. Besides, I am the only one in my family now. If I marry Shui Hua in the future, wouldn't Shui Hua's father be my father!"
"You bastard!" The old party secretary also laughed, shook his head, took another puff, stood up, raised his foot and knocked the head of the cigarette rod on the sole of his shoe, "Okay, with your words, I know better. !”
Water cellar! Wang Zhong just got one some time ago. As for the other betrothal gifts, they might be a bit much to other families, but to Wang Zhong, the old party secretary knew, they were nothing at all.
"Put the things down. I know you are anxious. I will go and talk to Shuihua's father about this later. Go back and wait for the letter!"
"Okay!" A bright smile appeared on Wang Zhong's face: "Thank you for your hard work!"
