Chapter 60
Shen Jianyi's words naturally caused everyone to laugh again.
After everyone laughed and chatted for a while and the previous depression was almost dissipated, Shi Lei, who had been in deep thought, spoke.
He said: "What Uncle Shen said today is a big deal. I think if it is really caused by the pollution of drugs, then it must be more than just our community that is polluted.
We discovered this early because we had the vegetables grown by Uncle Shen's family for comparison. People in other places may have been like us, who got the rapeseeds only a short time ago and thought it was not time for the seedlings to sprout, so they did not realize this problem.
So this matter must be reported, and we must explain it clearly to the people above us to draw the attention of the leaders.”
Everyone nodded in unison: "Yes, this matter must be told, otherwise no one will be able to grow vegetables and it will cause a big mess."
"Yeah, even if others don't say anything, I couldn't sleep all night these past few days, and I kept wondering what I did wrong. The procedures were all correct, so why couldn't my vegetables grow? After all this trouble, it turned out to be the soil's fault!"
"Yes, me too!"
"Not being able to sleep is a small matter. If we can't grow crops, the government will also run out of food! What should we do then?"
Everyone was talking about it, and the more they talked, the more worried they became.
Wu Lei waved his hand, signaling everyone to pause.
“Not only do we need to speak out, but we also need to seek advice from the government.
What should we do with this polluted land? How can we clean it up? We can’t just ignore it, right?
We are laymen in this area, and this matter must be solved by experts."
At this point, he looked at Shen Jianyi again: “Uncle Shen, the suggestions you just made, whether as the temporary manager of our community or as an ordinary resident of the community, I am really grateful from the bottom of my heart.
The contributions you and your family have made to our community from the beginning of the earthquake to now are so great that we really don't know how to repay you.
These things cannot be forgiven by just saying thank you. We have received a great favor by following your family!"
Shen Jianyi waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't say that. We live in the same neighborhood. It's too formal to say that."
Shi Lei sighed again: "Yes, it's a bit too formal to say this, but I won't forget this feeling even if I don't say it!"
At this point, he looked at everyone: "Uncle Shen just said that everyone should go to his house to dig soil. He can propose this, but we still have to have a rule for how to do it."
After hearing him talk about something that concerned them, everyone fell silent.
"Uncle Shen and his family are truly selfless people. Whether it was finding medicine for the community first, or coming back to inform us as soon as they found the ruins, they also ran around for our community when the epidemic broke out before...
But he is selfless, we can't be ignorant of it!
We can't do things that always take advantage of others."
Shi Lei's words made everyone's heart skip a beat.
They knew that what he said was right. The Shen family had indeed done their best for the community.
There is no other family like them in the entire community.
Let’s not talk about what Shi Lei mentioned, just providing so much electricity for free to the community every day, who can do this? !
And until now, they still insist on delivering food to the community every day.
□□ doesn't eat much, but paying it when others provide so much electricity every day is another explanation.
The combined value of this is basically enough to feed several people.
What a burden it has lightened for everyone!
But, what Shi Lei said...
“Captain Shi, don’t beat around the bush, just say it directly. We are not the kind of people who don’t know what’s going on. We can’t take advantage of Uncle Shen’s family anymore. We know that.
But you won’t stop us from digging? This is a life-threatening matter!”
"I will collect soil from our community and take it to the town tomorrow morning. Whether the town reports it or finds someone to do tests and research, it will take time.
Planting vegetables cannot be delayed, so we can't stop him from going to Uncle Chen's house to borrow soil.
But everyone should pay attention to one thing, we can borrow soil or buy soil, but we cannot just dig it casually.
We are all family, and we all have to live our lives. No one owes us anything, not even the Shen family!
Uncle Chen brought this up because he is selfless, and we can't pretend to be ignorant when we know the truth.
I’m making this clear today. If anyone wants to borrow soil from the Shen family, tell them today.
How much do you want? What are you going to exchange for it? Tell me. Lao Cao and I will sit here and serve as witnesses.
If you are willing to exchange, please bring the items to the door of Shen’s house tomorrow. We will confirm it before going in to dig, and we will have someone to watch over no matter how much we dig.
But if you are not going to take anything and just rely on your face to beg and get things, then stop as soon as possible.
We can’t agree without Uncle Shen saying it! "
When he said this, not only Shen Jianyi was shocked, but Cao Hongmin next to him also showed a surprised expression.
I didn't expect him to be so serious today.
However, after looking at Shi Lei, Cao Hongmin immediately expressed his attitude: "I agree with Captain Shi's opinion.
Uncle Chen’s family may not say anything, but we can’t be too unreliable.
Are you really going to dig down someone's house? Even if you want to fleece a sheep, you wouldn't do it like this!"
Everyone could tell that he said this to lighten the atmosphere, and they all started laughing again.
It also offset some of the pressure brought by Shi Lei's previous words.
"Yes, Captain Shi is right. We really can't take Uncle Shen's soil for nothing. Although a little soil doesn't mean much, how many families are there in our community?
"One family digs a shovel, and the other family's backyard is unbearable. Isn't it full of holes? Don't bully people like this."
"That's right. In this situation, maybe in a few days Uncle Shen's soil can be sold in town for food. We are cutting off their source of income by digging like this."
Since Shi Lei has clearly stood up to speak for the Shen family, everyone present knows that the land cannot be taken for free.
There was no point in arguing about anything else at this point, so naturally everyone expressed their agreement.
Not only did they agree, they also expressed their opinions one after another, praising Shen Jianyi and the Shen family to the heavens and pouring out baskets of nice words.
After talking for a long time, one person finally couldn't hold it in any longer and asked, "Then what can we exchange with Uncle Shen? Uncle Shen, what does your family collect? In addition to dry food, can we get something else?"
The man said with a blushing expression: "If we are collecting dry food, can we give it to you two days later? Wait for Daliang to come out. We will pay him immediately after he comes out. The main reason is that we really don't have enough food right now."
The Daliang he mentioned was a full-time laborer who lived with them, but now he had been confined to a closed area and could not go out to earn food.
What this person said is also the issue that everyone is worried about. What else does the Shen family want besides dry food?
There is really no dry food now!
Shen Jianyi had not expected things to develop to this point.
He came here today to tell everyone about the possible soil contamination, hoping to arouse everyone's vigilance.
They held a small meeting at home in the morning and discussed the excuse for coming here.
He also specifically looked through the materials prepared by his daughter and specifically looked up methods for treating polluted farmland.
The more I look at it, the more worried I become.
Shen Jianyi had heard more or less before that the control of land pollution is very difficult and must be done under the guidance of professionals.
You have to flush it with water, neutralize it with clean soil, sprinkle lime, use special chemicals, and even get earthworms... In short, it's very complicated.
It is definitely not something that can be fixed in a day or two.
It was for this reason that his family discussed and decided to provide some soil to everyone for free.
Of course, this is also subject to restrictions, and every family has thought about it to some extent. The reason they did not bring it up today is because they wanted to hear what the community leaders have to say first.
If the leaders' requests were beyond their approval, Shen Jianyi would definitely not agree.
The Shen family made this decision because they really didn't want everyone to put in so much effort and end up with nothing, not even being able to grow any vegetable seedlings.
People will collapse when they are too desperate. At that time, there are too many uncertain factors, just like a bomb that can explode at any time.
This uncertainty is not good for everyone living together.
This group of people naturally includes the Shen family.
They have paid so much and will be staying in this courtyard for a long time, so naturally they don't want to see this kind of thing happen.
There is another point, which was said by Chen Cong.
It’s just that the power of the formation is a bit too incredible.
Even though they have some control over it, the vegetables they grow are really great.
The longer the time, the stronger the contrast, and the deeper everyone's suspicions will become.
Instead of sowing the seeds of doubt in people's minds, it is better to expand this benefit.
Apart from anything else, Sun Qing's family used just a little soil from the backyard and grew vegetables that were many times better than those of other families.
Then everyone can take some and plant them, and the Shen family will not stand out among them.
As for the reward...
Everyone knew that people in the community were still struggling for food, and the Shen family really didn't want any reward.
So when asked about his face and what he wanted to exchange for it, Shen Jianyi was also stuck.
He couldn't remember what was missing from his home.
"Take the jade, jade and gemstones and exchange them with Uncle Shen."
Sun Qing, the only family member who attended today's meeting, had been sitting in the corner like a transparent person.
But at this moment he suddenly spoke.
Her voice was not loud and she spoke slowly, but it was extremely clear.
This sentence easily reached everyone's ears.
"Jade gems?"
Some people were surprised: "Who wants that now? It used to be fine, but now no one wants it even if they want to exchange it for food."
"Uncle Gu wants it." Sun Qing said firmly.
"Uncle Gu needs to grow medicinal herbs and preserve them. Jade gemstones have a natural magnetic field that helps preserve medicinal herbs. This is what Sister Chenxi said. I used gemstones to exchange electricity with my sisters before."
When she said this, everyone suddenly understood.
How did Sun Qing trick the Shen family into letting her charge her phone every day? This is currently the biggest unsolved mystery in the community.
It’s not that no one has had the same idea as Sun Qing, but whoever said it would be rejected with a smile by the Shen family.
He said frankly that the electricity at home was not enough for his own use and he was not planning to sell it.
Considering that their family now provides electricity to the community on a voluntary basis every day, everyone understands that they are telling the truth and is too embarrassed to ask for it.
But some people secretly admired Sun Qing for her good luck in seeing this opportunity at the very beginning.
I'm also curious about how she convinced the Shen family.
Now the truth is out.
"You want jade? Old Shen, do you think this ring of mine will do?"
An old neighbor from the villa took a large jade ring off his finger and handed it over.
The ring was very big and the jade quality was obviously very good.
It's just that the owner who wore it is now much thinner than before, so the ring is obviously a bit disproportionate in his hand, and it must be very loose on the finger.
The man explained: "I have worn this ring for many years. The jade is definitely good jade, and it has not been scratched or dented. I guarantee there are no cracks. Look at how much soil this can exchange for?"
People who work in high-rise buildings may not have much savings, but which old resident living in a villa doesn’t have some savings?
The reason they didn't take it out before was that money is worthless in this world, and the things they saved have become useless.
Now that we know that these things can be exchanged for soil, or in disguised form, for food, who would be willing to give them up?
Everyone immediately got up and went home to get it.
Shen Jianyi waved his hands quickly: "Don't worry, don't worry. I don't understand this. My in-laws have to come and see it. Let Brother Gu come and tell you tomorrow morning. Don't ask me about this."
Shi Lei also hurriedly stopped everyone and said, "Don't worry, since everyone is willing to exchange and agrees to this method of exchange, there is no rush for this matter.
Tomorrow morning, Lao Cao and I will meet with Dr. Gu to discuss a method of exchange, and then we will tell everyone later.
Besides, I still have to go to the town first to ask about the situation and see what the town thinks.
Let’s stop here for today and go our separate ways.
Also let Uncle Shen go home and discuss it with his family.
How can you say that wind will rain? What time is it now? You can't ask Uncle Shen to shovel the soil for you now, right?"
"Yeah, we have to wait until tomorrow. Besides, we can't let you guys replace everything. You have to give us some time to collect the funds! We have to replace everything too."
"Yeah, we don't have gems, so why can't we go out and look for them? We can't get food, but we still have a chance to get gems. You have to give us some time, otherwise it's too unfair."
…
The meeting is over.
Because Sun Qing's proposal of exchanging gems for soil won the hearts of the old owners of the villa, many people gathered around Shen Jianyi and tried to get close to him.
No one cares whether the claim that the gem can be used to preserve medicinal materials is reliable or not. As long as it is beneficial to them, everything they do is right.
People said that they still had some savings at home and were willing to exchange them.
Let them go back and discuss it carefully. It’s best not to be too rigid about the quantity of soil. They can decide after seeing the goods on the spot.
Shen Jianyi was surrounded by them for a long time, with a group of people buzzing in his ears, so much so that even when he got home, he still felt like there was a swarm of bees surrounding his head.
He rubbed his ears hard and shook his head before telling his family what the meeting had been about today.
Because today's meeting was originally supposed to be for Shen's father to pass on his experience, so no one from the Shen family went.
Who could have thought that the final meeting would turn out like this, and for a moment everyone who heard what Father Shen said was stunned.
After a while, Chen Xi spoke first: "So... we originally wanted to be selfless and give away the soil at home, but in the end we had to use the soil to exchange for money?"
She poked the pot of vegetable seedlings in the living room with a bit of disbelief: "Can this soil be exchanged for jade or diamonds?"
"Oh my God! If someone had told me this earlier, I would never have believed it even if you killed me!" As she said this, she started laughing.
The others also had speechless and amused expressions on their faces.
However, this is definitely a good thing for the Shen family, and they naturally would not push away good things that come to them.
Everyone discussed how to replace it.
Although the neighbors were clamoring for them to give out more soil in exchange, the Shen family couldn't really do that.
No one wants to dig holes all over their house.
What's more, they have children in the family, and if the land is uneven, the children will be in danger if they run around.
Because Chen Cong had placed all the vegetable racks right above the basement, this place definitely could not be dug, so there was no need to worry about the basement being discovered.
But in addition to the basement, the cut steel frames also take up a lot of space.
This cannot be moved.
As a result, there is not much room to move in the backyard.
So in the morning, the family agreed that each family would be given a bucket of soil first, based on their own water buckets.
Although the community has a permanent population of 300, in reality most of them live in groups of four, five, or five or six and are not completely separated.
This means there are less than fifty households in total.
One bucket of soil for a family is just enough to dig a deep hole in the yard.
This soil can't accomplish anything great.
However, the roots of vegetable seedlings are shallow and do not need deep plowing, so they should be placed in slightly shallower or smaller containers and cultivated in a three-dimensional manner. This bucket of soil can produce a lot of vegetables.
Even if you can't harvest enough to sell, it's still enough to add some vitamins to the dish and change the family's taste.
The most important thing is that these seedlings will bring hope to everyone.
During this period of vegetable planting, the government should also take action, at least enough for them to give everyone an explanation about the soil issue.
To put it bluntly, it means using the soil to buy time and reduce unstable factors in the community.
The family discussed the exchange method and decided that Grandpa Gu and Shen Xi would handle the matter. No one thought about it any more and went to bed early.
But that night Shi Lei and Cao Hongmin chatted until midnight.
Compared to others, they both thought more deeply and understood better the impact that the unusable land would have on the future.
Shi Lei didn't sleep much that night. He got up before dawn the next day, took a bag of soil for growing vegetables, and went to the city.
Shi Lei did not stay in the city for a long time this time, or it could be said that the matter he reported was too important, which once again shocked the town leaders who were already overwhelmed by the epidemic.
Before the afternoon, Shi Lei came back, but he was not the only one who came back.
He was accompanied by a group of people, all of whom were knowledgeable people who were temporarily found by the leaders from seed companies and fertilizer factories.
The town was too small and they couldn't find more professional talent for the time being.
After entering the yard, these people did not even drink a sip of water. They immediately dispersed and collected soil samples from all over the community, saying that they would take them back for testing.
They not only collected garden soil used by residents to grow vegetables, soil from the roadside, cracks and high-rise buildings, but also went to the Shen family and dug up some soil from their backyard to take back with them.
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2022-07-23 00:24:19~2022-07-23 13:21:24~
Thanks to the little angel who threw the rocket launcher: Biluo ~ 1;
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: LilianSA 30 bottles;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com