Chapter 245
By 3:00 p.m., the homesteads of Jiang Xi, Jiang Yanyan, Jiang Miao, Jiang Gangqin and other girls had been cleared.
In fact, it was not difficult to clean up here. There were two main things to do: clear the dead grass and branches, and cut down the trees that drowned last year.
For example, the entrance to the barren mountain has the lowest terrain in the entire barren mountain. The deeper it goes, the shallower the terrain is from the top of the mountain to the bottom. Therefore, the trees at the entrance were basically all drowned, and most of the trees inside were still alive.
After these trees were cut down, they were all piled up on the side. A total of about six acres of land were cleared.
It is not that you can use it immediately after cutting down the trees, dead grass and thorns. If you want to build a house here, you need to dig a deep foundation to prevent future floods. You also need to dig up all the tree roots here, fill it with sand, gravel and cement, and build a flood-proof foundation.
Because the terrain of the barren mountain is two or three meters higher than the rice fields on both sides, it does not need to build a waterproof layer like Jiang Jun's family, but the foundation height and threshold are still needed.
The cement road outside the barren mountain is full of people, but Grandpa Jiang did not approach, but stood at the outermost edge of the crowd, a little in front of Jiang Jun's house, looking at the people on the barren mountain who were busy tidying up the homestead.
Sometimes time is like a ruthless and fast shuttle. The helpless look on the faces of the educated youth when they first arrived in their village seemed to have not faded from his memory. The temporary mud house has long become a ruin. A lot of sturdy trees have grown in the ruins. Now these trees have been cut down and new houses will be built there.
That is his granddaughter's house.
Jiang Qing supported Grandpa Jiang.
Grandpa Jiang just stood quietly for a while, with a smile on his face and a smile in his eyes. He smiled for a while and turned around to walk into the village.
The thick snow on the ground made a crisp sound.
People of his generation generally died in their 50s and 60s. Now, there are fewer and fewer people of his generation. He didn't know when all the old guys around him passed away. The past years seemed like dust, gradually losing color from his memory. Maybe one day, just like a TV that was turned off, it would suddenly be pitch black.
He returned to the high platform of the old store at the entrance of the village. There were many old men and women sitting on the high platform, all looking towards the direction of the barren mountain.
"Times are really different. If we could get a homestead back then, Feifeng would never have gone crazy!"
"There was nowhere to go. There was no place for her to go. She was pregnant... What else could she do if she didn't go crazy?" Unlike the girls nowadays, even if they didn't have this tea field, they could still survive by working outside.
Seeing that everything was almost done, Jiang Guotai clapped his hands and said, "Let's stop here today. I'll treat everyone to a meal when we get to the market. It's the New Year's Eve dinner soon. Let's go back and have a nice New Year's Eve dinner. We'll do it after the New Year!"
Forty or fifty strong young men in the village came all of a sudden. There were also many strong and laborious young men who wanted to work, but they couldn't find any work.
Who can't see that Jiang Guotai is the most promising in the village now? Even if Jiang Guoding is a town chief, if there is anything in the area, Jiang Guotai may not be able to help. Everyone wants to get close to Jiang Guotai, so Jiang Guotai said a word, and all the people from the second and third wives and some of the first wife who could help came.
Jiang's father was also in the barren mountain, working hard to cut down trees with Jiang Hongbing and his friends. Then, together with Jiang Hongbing, they dragged the cut trees to the edge of Jiang Liu's homestead. Jiang Hongbing smiled and said, "We will keep these trees here and watch them every day to make sure no one steals them. There are so many trees, and if some of them are used as beams, they can be used to make cabinets, beds, tables and stools."
Jiang's father looked at his house, which was only two hundred meters away from the barren mountain, and then looked at the mountain again, and felt very satisfied.
When he was young, he missed too many of his children's growth. He didn't feel anything when he was young. He just felt like he was carrying a mountain on his back, which made him unable to stand up straight. He only thought about making money to pay off his debts. Now, as he gets older, he wants his children to stay with him more and more, especially after Jiang Song disappeared in the past few years. He was afraid that the remaining two children would not come back.
The cold scene of the New Year's Eve with Ailian in the past two years was so uncomfortable that it was not as painful as moving bricks at the construction site. It was like something was gnawing at his heart, which was simply crazy. He really couldn't understand why none of his three children came back.
Now it's good. Lingling is building a house on the edge of the village. When the time comes, her two brothers will also be there, so they can take care of each other.
He couldn't help but look at Jiang Guotai with admiration.
He knew that Jiang Guotai was always very active and courageous, but he never expected that he would act so quickly. He talked about the distribution of homesteads the day before, and the next day he put the action into practice. Six acres of land were taken out so quickly.
Compared with Jiang Guotai, he always lacked some courage.
Jiang Hongbing came over and asked Jiang Guotai: "Uncle, what are we going to do with the tree roots next? It's not easy to dig the roots of so many trees."
Jiang Guotai said: "What's so difficult about digging? I'll get an excavator here later, and we'll deal with these trees after the New Year."
A group of people went back carrying shovels and axes, and everyone's face was full of excitement, especially the young people. Following Jiang Guotai, they always felt that their village was thriving and that life was getting more and more promising.
People from Xujia Village, Xiaojiangjia Village, and even further away Wujia Village also returned with complicated expressions.
After they returned, people from their brigade and village asked them: "I heard from my eldest sister-in-law that Jiangjia Village is allocating housing land to girls. Is it true?"
Most of the people who asked about this were women. Some men were dissatisfied with their inquiries and scolded them, saying: "Don't ask about other people's affairs! Is it true or not? What does it have to do with you? You are from Jiangjia Village? Even if Jiangjia Village allocates housing land to girls, what does it have to do with you? Can they still give you one? Go back and cook!"
The scolded women were dissatisfied, but they didn't dare to say anything. They turned around and went home to continue cooking the New Year's Eve dinner. The elders at home were making couplets or watching TV.
All the work at home during the New Year was done by women.
Once a netizen said that his ideal life is to have hot meals when he gets home from work every day, and to drink, chat and watch TV with his father and brothers. It is lively and full of fireworks.
Female netizens were immediately horrified when they saw this ideal life. So who is preparing hot meals while they are drinking, chatting and watching TV?
Yes, it is the women at home.
The warm family life in the mouths of men immediately becomes a scary horror movie in the eyes of women.
Such horror movies are the common reality of this era.
The men all hung their heads in despair, or went to complain to other men in the village when they couldn't understand: "Are all the men in Jiangjia Village cowards? Why are we giving housing plots to girls? Won't these old women pee and shit on our necks in the future?"
They really couldn't understand why there were still men who agreed to give housing plots to women.
Someone who got the news from Xujia Village said: "You don't know? It seems that they wanted to keep Jiang Liu. Think about it, she has only been admitted to university for two years, and their whole village has a road. The tea grown on the hill can make tens of thousands a year. Don't they want to keep Jiang Liu?"
"Didn't Jiang Guotai have the people who built and planted the tea and roads in their village? What does it have to do with Jiang Liu?"
"You don't understand this, right? Think about how long Jiangjia Village has been poor. Jiang Guotai wasn't that famous before, was he? I heard that it was Jiang Xi who gave him the plan behind the scenes, so he became rich. Otherwise, why didn't he become rich earlier? As soon as Jiang Xi came back from college, he became rich. Look at how this road was built. It would have cost millions to build it."
"Why did I hear that Mayor Jiang has only one daughter, and he didn't want her to marry off, so he decided to give homesteads to the girls in the village?"
"Hey, it's all the same!"
"That's about it, it makes sense now!"
On the New Year's Eve of the millennium, the most shocking topic for many young people who returned was not who won or lost thousands at the gambling table, but the fact that Jiangjia Village allocated residential land to girls.
This matter was originally circulated in a small area, but with the return of married girls on the second day of the New Year, the news quickly spread throughout the country, even to Wujiang City and neighboring cities.
Even Wang Xiyue's father heard about it and asked his daughter whether it was true or not.
Although his daughter grew up in the city, Wang Xiyue was his only daughter.
Jiang Xin had told Wang Xiyue about this a long time ago. Wang Xiyue smiled and said to her father, "It's true. The homestead has been sorted out."
Jiang Guotai originally wanted to let everyone have a good New Year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, but who in Jiangjia Village didn't want to cling to him? He didn't even need to tell them. After breakfast on the first day of the Lunar New Year, activists, including Jiang Hongjun and Jiang Hongbing, rushed to the barren mountain with hoes, shovels, and axes.
They couldn't dig the tree stumps, but they could pick up countless large and small stones on the ground and pile them up. When the time came, whether it was to raise the foundation or do something else, these stones would be useful, saving the trouble of pulling stones down from the mountain.
On the second day of the Chinese New Year, Aunt Jiang and her uncle-in-law brought their two children back to her parents' home. When they got off the boat, they saw the pier, which was completely made of cement. There were small willow trees planted every fifty or sixty meters on both sides of the embankment, and wild wolfberries supported by bamboo poles.
Jiang Guofeng also grew up here and was very familiar with every plant and tree in her hometown. Looking at the sign on the bamboo pole, she exclaimed: "This is actually wolfberry? Oh my god, when I was a child, this thing was everywhere. We were so hungry that we didn't dare to eat it. If I had known that this was wolfberry, I would have picked wolfberries and eaten them when I was a child!"
Her two children also looked around curiously to see the completely different environment of their grandparents' home.
In fact, they didn't feel much in winter. Only the lotus remnants were left on the beach. Compared with previous years, the wild lotus roots on the beach were dug up in a mess every winter, and the beach was full of overturned soil and pits. But this year there was still water. In the white snow, the lotus remnants on the light silver lake looked like a beautiful and clean ink painting.
Jiang Guofeng heard last year that her mother's family had divided the tea land, but because of her busy business, she had never come to see it. After returning this time, she brought her husband Wang Dawei and their two children to the tombs of her grandparents, burned paper money, and then looked at the neat hills drawn by hand.
The hill in front of the house is still planted with chestnuts and persimmon trees, as well as some mulberries, because it is reserved for firewood. The tea mountain is planted downwards with the stove mountain as the center. This year, the first and fourth rooms are cleaning up the hill facing north next to the stove. The sunlight is not as good as last year's mountain.
Jiang Guofeng looked at the three tea mountains with joy, his eyes full of surprise, clapping his hands and saying: "Oh, now it's good, with these tea trees, my brother and sister-in-law will also have an income. I was worried about them in the past few years. Now it's good, they have a better life, and I don't worry anymore!"
Jiang Guofeng has been married for more than ten years, and his face has become weathered, but his eyebrows and eyes are still innocent and kind.
Uncle Jiang smiled and said, "Are you relieved now? You insisted on bringing me here to have a look. I can earn some money during the New Year holidays. If I stay for a day, I will earn less money. After I have a look, I can leave!"
Aunt Jiang smiled and said, "I heard that my mother's family has changed so much. How can I not come back to have a look? Otherwise, people will say that I am a girl from Jiangjia Village. When they ask me about my mother's family, I will know nothing. Will they laugh at me?" "
Okay, okay, now that I have come back to have a look, are you relieved?"
Cousin Wang Mingliang said with sparkling eyes, "I heard that it is very fun here during the summer vacation. I will come to my grandma's house to play!"
"And me, me!" Wang Mingyue also said excitedly.
In the past, they did not come to my grandma's house except during the New Year. Even if they came, they would not stay overnight here. It was really too inconvenient to live here. Whether it was for taking a shower or staying at home, they would rather go home.
But now there are more rooms in the homes of the eldest and second uncles, and they have all been to the toilet at the entrance of the village, which is thousands of times better than the dry toilet in his home. Wang Mingliang doesn't want to go home after staying here. It just so happens that Aunt Jiang also wants her children to be closer to her parents' home. Father Jiang is also a warm-hearted person, so he lets Wang Mingyue and Wang Mingliang stay in Jiangjia Village for a few more days.
This year, it was Jiang Bai who accompanied Jiang's mother to her parents' home. He also got the news and asked Jiang's mother about the homestead. Jiang's mother nodded and said, "I don't know either. How can I know what the homestead is like?"
According to Jiang's mother's thinking, how can a girl not marry? It is estimated that it is still reserved for her parents and brothers. Her sisters-in-law from her mother's family also think so, but Jiang's mother still invited her sisters-in-law to her home to play.
Jiang's mother had been ashamed for so many years in her natal family, but now her house is bigger and better than her eldest brother's!
Her natal brothers, sisters-in-law, younger brothers, wives-in-law, nephews and nieces were curious about Jiangjia Village, so they hired a tricycle and drove to Jiangjia Village.
They were all impressed by the well-built road from Wugong Mountain to Jiangjia Village. It was not bumpy at all, and the cement road was wide and could accommodate two cars passing each other.
It was even more amazing when they arrived in Jiangjia Village. The whole village was covered with cement roads. The most important thing was that when they arrived in Jiangjia Village, they saw that Jiangjia Village was renovating the barren mountain land.
Jiang Guotai and Jiang Guoding were too busy to spend much time in Jiangjia Village. As the second day of the Lunar New Year was a good day for moving graves according to both the Taoist priest and the calendar, they dispatched an excavator on the first day of the Lunar New Year. On the morning of the second day, they cut down all the dead trees on the barren hill, and began to dig up the tree roots and collect the bones.
Many old people in the village came here. Collecting corpses is not something that young people can do. It is not something that can be done casually by digging up corpses. Every village has a person who is responsible for funeral ceremonies. It is like a skill, a craft, passed down from generation to generation. The person in charge of funeral ceremonies in this generation is a man from the second wife. There are special rituals and requirements for this matter. Everyone must listen to him. He does it, and others can only assist.
Because most young people in the village choose to go out to work, there are very few young people left in the village. The young generation inherits and learns this skill. The person who will inherit funeral ceremonies in the future is not the son of the man from the second wife, but Jiang Hongjun.
So the main people doing this were that man and Jiang Hongjun.
Jiang Hongjun was not afraid at all, and he commanded everyone to start cutting down trees. Whenever the excavator found a corpse, he would collect it with the corpse collectors.
Wang Mingyue, Wang Mingliang, and people from Jiang's mother's family all came to the barren mountain, as well as many people from various villages who brought their husbands and children back to their mother's homes on the second day of the Chinese New Year.
Jiang Hongjun's master saw many young girls and children watching, and hurriedly drove them away: "What are you women looking at here? Take the children away! Children are weak, don't scare them to death, take all the girls and children away! Take the elderly away too! Only men under 40 years old are left!"