"Good son-in-law, you have done a good job in the county. Why are you going to Diaozhuang, a place where birds don't shit in Yuquanying?" Li Laoshuan didn't understand very much. Wang Zhong and Shui Hua were living a good life now, so why did they go there? Participate in Diaozhuang immigration.
Especially after listening to Li Dayou's description of the Yuquanying place, Li Laoshuan naturally did not have a good impression.
"Now that Diaozhuang immigration has started, it will not stop. It's just the initial stage now. Only seven families have passed through our village. Once we have established a firm foothold in the village, there will be seventeen or twenty-seven next time. Maybe In the future, our entire Yongquan Village will be moved there."
"ah?"
"The whole village will be moved there? No way?" Li Laoshuan said in surprise, his words full of disbelief.
"I just said it casually, just a guess!" Wang Zhong explained casually without saying any more.
Immigration to Diaozhuang has just begun. Especially Li Dayou and the others have just returned from Yuquanying. The villagers still cannot fully accept Diaozhuang.
"Although Yuquanying is now a Gobi Desert, the country takes care of it and provides us with infrastructure construction. In the past, we only had to build houses and prepare the land, and wait for the water from the Yellow River to be poured in the future. Are we still afraid that we will not be able to grow anything in the land? "
"If we could really pour water from the Yellow River, wouldn't anyone want to go?" Li Laoshuan said, "Didn't they say that the wind blows all year round there, with strong winds coming in every day, light winds every day, and winds blowing every day? Blow, that’s a mouthful of sand!”
"And there's a sandstorm!"
Li Laoshuan said worriedly.
Although Li Laoshuan was a bit unreliable, Wang Zhong could tell that he was caring about himself and Shui Hua.
"My father-in-law, Shui Hua and I have to endure more hardships now. When we have a child in the future, the child won't have to endure so much hardship. Do you think this is true?"
"The truth is this, then since you don't want your children to suffer hardships with you, can you move to the county based on your conditions? Why do you have to go to Diaozhuang?" Li Laoshuan was very puzzled.
"Move to the county?" Wang Zhong shook his head: "My father-in-law, do you think the county is more prosperous than Lanzhou?"
Li Laoshuan answered directly without thinking: "That must be Lanzhou!"
Lanzhou is the transportation hub of the northwest. The capital of the neighboring province is much more prosperous than the small Haiji County.
Wang Zhong said: "I was in the Lanzhou Military Region when I was a soldier. I didn't stay in Lanzhou and came back to our Yongquan Village. Is it just to live in Haiji County?"
"Then why did you come back?" Li Laoshuan asked puzzledly.
"I want to do something that I can for our Yongquan Village!"
Li Laoshuan looked at Wang Zhong who looked calm next to him, his eyes flickered, his head lowered, wondering what he was thinking.
When she got home, Shui Hua was rolling out noodles in the kitchen. The mutton in the pot was almost simmered and the dough was almost rolled out.
Sprinkle a piece of dough the size of a pot lid with a thickness of about two millimeters, fold it up and cut it into thin strips with a long knife.
"Let me do it!"
"You go watch the fire!"
The long knife was thick and heavy and required quite a bit of strength. Wang Zhong hurried over and snatched the job away.
They were already an old couple, and Shui Hua didn't show politeness to Wang Zhong and gave the knife to Wang Zhong.
Wang Zhong's knife skills are better than Shui Hua's.
Holding the knife with both hands, push everything, and the noodles cut out are extremely even.
"What's going on in the meeting?" Shuihua asked.
Wang Zhong said: "What else can happen? Those who came back don't want to go. My uncle and Uncle Shui took the lead and told me to re-register. I was the only one to sign up. The rest of the families who came back were drawn by lot, and the ones who won were re-registered." past."
"If I had known this, why would I have run away?" Shui Hua shook her head.
"Whether it's a great achievement, clearing up wasteland, or building a house, it's all hard work. Humans, they prefer comfort to hard work."
"With the help of the country, if you suffer for a few years now, your life will definitely get better and better in the future. Why can't you understand such a simple truth?"
Shui Hua held the iron tongs in her hand, sat on a small stool, and fiddled with the coal in the stove hole twice.
It was midsummer, the days were long and the nights were short. Although it was almost five o'clock, the sky was still bright outside.
"Have you signed up?" Shuihua asked.
Wang Zhong's face-cutting movements didn't pause at all, "Sign up!"
"I've thought about it, I'll call Uncle Shui and the others over there first, and then I'll pick you up after the house is built over there! What do you think?"
"I'll go there with you!" Shui Hua shook her head and said firmly: "Husband and wife are one, how can I let you go there and endure hardship alone."
"Besides, when you go there, you have nothing. You have to work hard during the day and cook for yourself at night. If I follow you, I can help you during the day and help you with cooking and washing at meal time. "
The long knife collided with the chopping board, making a slight sound. Wang Zhong was silent for a while, then shook his head and said: "It's too painful over there!"
"I live in Diwowo. When I wake up in the morning, half of my body is buried in the sand. There are sandstorms from time to time. You wait for me to go over and finish the house. It won't take a long time, at most it will only take a month. By then, Come here again!"
Shuihua said: "I'm not afraid of hardship, I just want to stay with you!"
"I can not let it go!"
"I married you so that you could enjoy happiness with me, not to endure hardship with me."
Shui Hua put down the iron tongs, walked to Wang Zhong, and said firmly: "As long as I can be with you once, any life will not be bitter!"
Wang Zhong paused in his slicing action and put his long knife on the chopping board. Listening to Shui Hua's heartfelt words, how could there not be ripples in his heart.
But the more this happened, the less likely Wang Zhong was to let Shui Hua follow him.
"Okay, just listen to me on this matter. The summer harvest is about to begin. If you and I both go there, will my father-in-law be able to harvest the wheat alone?"
"Don't worry, with your husband's ability, he can only build a house. How can he find me!"
"Alas!" Shuihua sighed, shook his head helplessly, and walked to the stove, disgusted with the wooden pot lid. The water in the big pot was already boiling and rolling, making noises.
"The water is boiling! Come down below!"
The noodles cook very quickly. After cutting the noodles and placing them in the pot, roll them up three times and they are ready!
Take it out after cooking, run it through cold water, scoop out a spoonful of lamb ribs stewed with red onions, peppers, and wolfberry, sprinkle with salt flowers, if the taste is a little stronger, pour a spoonful of oil and spicy pepper, no other seasoning is needed, just delicious The mutton soup is enough to turn bland noodles into rare deliciousness.
Li Laoshuan was holding the sea bowl, his whole face almost buried in the bowl. He was adding spoonfuls of sesame seeds, slurping the noodles, and drinking the noodle soup. After a while, he put down the bowl and held it with a slight bulge. My stomach burped.
For rural people, a full meal can last them three days.
Li Laoshuan almost ate till his throat was filled with food. With his bulging belly, he burped and went out for a walk with his hands behind his back.
After eating, Shui Hua helped Wang Zhong pack his things.
A change of clothes, a quilt to cover, pots and pans, toothpaste and toothbrush, towels, and the most important food!
That night, Shui Hua changed from her usual shyness, completely put down her reserve, and accompanied Wang Zhong to fight mosquitoes all night.
The next morning, the seven families who went to Diaozhuang gathered at the village headquarters. Under the leadership of Ma Defu and Director Zhang, they took a bus to the county and spent most of the day before arriving at Yuquanying.
But there is still a long way to go before we get to Diaozhuang.
"Uncle, please slow down!" Wang Zhong and others pulled the cart that Director Zhang had found. The cart contained each family's luggage.
"How about you get in the car and sit for a while?"
"You coward, who are you looking down on!" At first, the old man was quite happy, but when he heard Wang Zhong's words, his face immediately changed: "I think back then, when I went on the Long March with your grandfather, your father didn't even return the favor. You know where to go!"
"The Long March? The Long March was 25,000 miles, but you only walked 20 miles, and you were shot by Ma Jiajun in the butt ditch and ran back to the village..."
Li Dayou next to him said in a strange way.
He originally didn't want to come to Diaozhuang. At first, he encouraged several Diaozhuang households in Yongquan Village to run back to the village. But now the old Party Secretary forced him to come to Diaozhuang with a knife on his neck. , if he can be in a good mood, then damn it.
Unfortunately, before he could say a few words, the cloth shoes that were always covered with mud flew towards him and hit him right in the head.
The rest was naturally bottled up.
"No one will think you are dumb if you don't speak!" The old party secretary stared at him fiercely.
His baby was so prosperous that he had to send his shoes back to the old branch secretary all the time.
A smile appeared on Wang Zhong's face, he shook his head and said nothing further.
It was natural for me to beat my son. Li Dayou asked for the beating himself, and Wang Zhong couldn't stop him.
The people in the village had long been accustomed to this, and they all suppressed their laughter and looked at Li Dayou's deflated look with amusement. Among the group of people, the one who laughed the most was the horse shouting for water.
Li Da looked aggrieved, but he had no choice but to take it out on others, but before he could curse, the old party secretary slapped him with the sole of his shoe again.
"Dad, why did you hit me again?" Li Dayou shouted, feeling aggrieved and speechless.
"The one I hit is you!"
"What, you still want to rebel?" The old party secretary stared with a pair of bull's eyes. Li Dayou was as aggrieved as a little daughter-in-law, and did not dare to say another word.
Talking and laughing, we have finished walking more than 20 miles.
Looking at the endless Gobi Desert in front of me, there are some green patches here and there, which are the grasses that thrive among the early sand and gravel.
There are many dealers scattered here and there who are busy.
"Director Zhang, there is nothing!" The old party secretary suddenly understood why Li Dayou was instigating the villagers to run back.
"The government has dug the diwowo for everyone in advance, one for each household. Let's settle down in the diwowo first and put everything away. Then I will show you the land allocated to you!"
Director Zhang greeted everyone with a smile on his face. Wang Zhong, the old party secretary, and Ma Huashui, who came spontaneously, also responded cheerfully, but Li Dayou and the others who were forced to come here looked a little ugly.
But Director Zhang doesn’t care. Anyway, the people have been brought over. In a few years, when the house is built and the land is cleared, those people who don’t have a good look on him now will only be grateful to him, the government, and the government in the future. nation.
They are all from Yongquan Village, so the nests they are assigned to are naturally close to each other, so they can take care of each other.
Ma Huanshui helped distribute the food to Wang Zhong between the old party secretary's house and his, and the remaining houses were also close to each other.
After settling down, Director Zhang took Wang Zhong and the others to see the homestead assigned to them, and the more than ten acres of wasteland that had not yet been cultivated.
"This flat sandy gravel land will be filled with water from the Yellow River when you finish it and the irrigation canals built by the government will arrive. It will be hundreds of miles away and it will be blocked by Jiangnan!" Director Zhang pointed at the flat Gobi Desert in front of him and said with longing.
Wang Dian nodded, pulled Director Zhang aside and said, "Director Zhang, I want to ask you something!"
"If you have any problem, just say it!" Director Zhang said grandly: "For those of you who are cheating, we will help you if we can, and we will help if we can't help you!"
"Then I'll make it clear!" Wang Zhong pointed to the direction they came from and said: "You said that if we build a brick kiln near where we got off the bus, the people who come here to Diaozhuang can work and bake in the brick kiln. Bricks, the baked bricks can be sold to them at cost price. If the villagers are rich, they can buy them directly. If they are not rich, they can also pay the debt first and let the villagers build the houses first. No need to live in a den anymore.
As for repayment, they can sign a contract and set two periods. In the first period, they only need to return the principal. If the period is exceeded, it will be calculated based on the interest rate of the bank loan. In the second period, they will The time required to repay the principal plus interest must be guaranteed. If it exceeds this time, we can discuss a solution. Do you think this method will work? "
"Open a brick kiln? Do you know how to bake bricks?" Director Zhang looked at Wang Zhong in surprise.
"Not only does it make bricks, but it also makes houses. This kid is a good hand!" The old party secretary stood up to support Wang Zhong: "I said that your kid was thinking of coming to Diaozhuang, so that was the original idea. "
The old party secretary was both surprised and pleased: "Director Zhang, I think this kid's proposal is good. If the villagers can be allowed to build the houses first, I believe the villagers will come to build the houses one by one without shouting. "
"Your child had this idea, why didn't you tell him earlier? Why would you have gone through so much trouble if you had said it earlier?" Ma Huashui patted Wang Zhong on the shoulder. Although he said this, there was no complaint in his words.
Wang Zhong said: "Uncle Shui, how dare I guarantee this! There are so many villagers coming to Diaozhuang, and every household wants to build a house. If the matter is not completed, I will let you know first, and I will return it later." How do you behave in front of the villagers?"
"Comrade Wang Zhong, please tell me what you think?" Director Zhang asked with a serious expression.
Wang Zhong explained: "My idea was inspired by the work-for-relief program."
"Building a house, preparing the land, and buying soil all cost money. How could we raise so much money just by working and without a few years of hard work? I thought, if the government can help, we can use our collective efforts to In the name, it is best for the immigrant Diaozhuang Village to take the lead and provide support from the government to build a large brick kiln that can bake bricks and tiles. I am willing to provide the technology for free and teach the villagers to bake bricks and tiles!"
"If this thing is done, the villagers will have an extra livelihood in the future. When the houses are built and the land is cleared, the villagers will have another place to work during their leisure time... ··”
Seeing Wang Zhong talking eloquently, everyone nodded. Director Zhang was quite moved: "Comrade Wang Zhong, are you really willing to provide technology for free?"
Wang Zhong patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Director Zhang. I, Wang Zhong, still have this awareness."
"Then how do you want the government to help you?"
"First is the land, then water and soil. For water, the canal has not been repaired yet, so you can build a well first. As for the soil..."
"You have also seen that the Gobi Desert is either gravel or sand. There is no soil at all. We came all the way just now and I took a look. Near where we got off the bus, there was a circle of dirt bags, and there were cars there. With everything connected, water and electricity will definitely not be a problem! We will definitely need coal to burn the kiln!"
"These all need support from the government. As for the other ones, I haven't thought about them so thoroughly at the moment. We can slowly discuss them together and brainstorm ideas!"
Director Zhang nodded and said solemnly: "I think Comrade Wang Zhong's proposal is very good. If it can really help the villagers build houses as soon as possible, it will definitely be helpful to our immigration work. , but such a big matter cannot be decided by me alone. I need to report it to the leadership above. Don’t worry, I will do my best to fight for it.”
······
By the time we finished watching the scene, it was slowly starting to get dark.
In the diwowo, everyone could only burn corn stalks for cooking.
The rice is also very simple, pimple soup and roasted potatoes.
Wang Zhong had just finished eating and was washing dishes when the voice of the old party secretary came from outside. Wang Zhong hurriedly welcomed the person in.
The old party secretary's buttocks were not even hot yet, and the horse called for water.
"Hey! Uncle, you're here too!" Ma Huashui was not surprised at all when he saw the old party secretary.
"Sit!" The old party secretary held the cigarette pole next to the candle. With the light of the candle, he lit the cigarette, took a puff, and was the first to break the calm: "Chong Wazi, please explain to me and Shoushui. What did you think about what you said during the day?"
The brightness of the dim candlelight was very low, making the two people's backs look long. Mosquito-repellent incense was burning next to them.
Wang Zhong said: "Uncle, call me Uncle Shui. Didn't I already talk about it during the day?"
The old branch secretary said: "What if the leaders don't agree or support? What do you think?"
Wang Zhong smiled and said: "That's not easy. If the government doesn't help, then we will do it ourselves!"
"We open brick kilns to generate revenue and send money to the local government, but they can keep us out!"
"If Director Zhang can't do it, we'll do it ourselves. I'll pay for it, and everyone else will do the work. I'll do the same thing, sell the bricks to the villagers at cost price, and let the villagers build the houses first."
""
