Chapter 55 Planting Trees
"Then I'm leaving."
Zhou Yue had already stepped out of the threshold, but as if pulled back by an invisible thread, he hesitated and stopped, turning around.
His gaze, like the morning sun, was warm and gentle, settling steadily on Cheng Cheng.
The man didn't speak, and Cheng Cheng didn't open her mouth either, but in this quiet gaze, their hearts felt as if they had been warmed, tender and lingering.
Zhou Yue subconsciously raised his hand, then casually lowered it in mid-air, eventually just clenching it into a fist and holding it at his side.
Her voice was as soft as a breeze, lower and gentler than usual, "I'm leaving."
"Mm." Cheng Cheng nodded gently.
Standing beside his mother, Xiao Lingxiao raised his head in confusion, his eyes darting around. He first looked at his mother, then at his father.
That's so strange!
Didn't Dad go to work? Didn't he already tell them he was leaving? Why do he have to say it again now?
Dad hasn't left yet, so why keep looking at Mom?
Mom's face isn't smudged; she just checked!
Goodbye, Daddy!
Little Lingxiao raised his smiling eyes and waved his little hand, "Daddy, Mommy and I will miss you at home~"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue suddenly squatted down and opened his arms to his daughter.
Seeing her father's action, the little girl immediately let go of her mother's hand and rushed into her father's arms.
Daddy can't bear to part with her!
Why do adults have to go to work?
Can I not go to work?
With his slender fingers pointing to his cheek, Xiao Lingxiao gave his father a sweet kiss on the right cheek, his voice filled with reluctance.
"Dad, Mom and I are waiting for you to come home."
"good."
Zhou Yue patted his daughter's head and then looked deeply at his wife.
Cheng Cheng glared at the man slightly, but still couldn't bear to disappoint him. She stepped forward, looked around, and saw that no one was coming out at the moment.
She quickly kissed the man's left cheek, then turned and ran back to the yard.
Behind me came a man's muffled laughter, and my daughter's childish voice.
"Dad, why are you covering my eyes?"
The little girl stared at her father with her big, innocent eyes, then suddenly realized she couldn't see her mother. "Huh, where's Mom?"
"Mom's gone inside." Zhou Yue patted his daughter's shoulder, a smile playing on his lips. "Dad's watching you go in."
Cheng Cheng ran back into the house, instinctively covering her cheeks with her hands. The warmth from her palms made her lower her head, her lips curving slightly.
A little while later, Xiao Lingxiao also returned.
"Mom, I'm going to read a book now!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Cheng followed her into the room. The mother and daughter each went about their own business, sitting at their desks, one engrossed in reading "100,000 Whys," and the other focused on drawing picture books.
"Xiao Cheng, Xiao Cheng!"
Hearing the noise, Cheng Cheng came out of the house.
"I'm here to inform you that we're meeting at six o'clock tomorrow morning. Bring hoes and shovels; we're going to plant trees. Your husband, Mr. Zhou, is busy with work, so we need to make sure our logistical support is up to par. Remember that, don't forget tomorrow!"
Sister Wang from the family committee came and went in a hurry, knocking on her door in a flurry before immediately knocking on Dr. Gao's door.
"Xiao Xie! We'll meet at six o'clock tomorrow morning. We're going to plant trees in the east."
Of the row of red brick bungalows, only these two families were new arrivals. Before the base's grand campaign of "declaring war on the Gobi Desert and building a homeland," Sister Wang received a notice from the logistics department and was the first to knock on the doors of these new comrades.
After saying that, Sister Wang left, eager to inform the others.
Are we going to plant trees tomorrow?
Toya came out of the house, watched Sister Wang's hurried departure, and walked into the neighboring yard.
Cheng Cheng nodded, "Sister Wang just came to inform me."
Xie Jiaohua arrived carrying her little sweetie, saying, "My husband told me that the northwest is very windy and sandy, so we need to plant trees to prevent sandstorms!"
Cheng Cheng recalled the sandstorm that happened on their first day. Planting trees and preventing wind erosion and sand fixation are indeed urgent tasks, but they are long-term endeavors that require persistence.
"I need to go back quickly and call Chasuna and Batu back."
Toya left in a hurry.
Chasuna and Batu are Tuoya's eldest daughter and second son. Tuoya also has a younger daughter named Naren. The three children went to their maternal grandparents' house in the village for summer vacation and have not returned yet.
Around three or four in the afternoon, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside, followed by a series of Mongolian words. Cheng Cheng and her daughter Xiao Xiao exchanged a glance and got up to go outside.
They saw two horses tied up in Toya's yard, one chestnut and one pure black.
Xiao Lingxiao opened his mouth wide, "Wow!"
Naren saw the exquisitely beautiful little girl, stared at her face, and couldn't help but poke her cheek with her finger. "Little sister, your face is so tender, like milk tofu!"
Have you ever eaten milk tofu?
As soon as she finished speaking, Naren ran to the chestnut horse and beckoned her sister over. She took out a paper package from the cloth bag hanging on the horse's back, which contained pale yellow, small, square pieces of milk curd.
Xiao Lingxiao stood beside the horse, not even half its height, his dark eyes gazing at it.
"Little sister, open your mouth."
Little Lingxiao was stunned for a moment, then his mouth was stuffed with a sweet, milky-scented biscuit. He mumbled, "Thank you, Sister Naren~"
"You're welcome!" Naren smiled brightly. Her younger sister's voice was so lovely; she was the older sister now! Finally, she wasn't the youngest anymore!
Do you want to touch Ulan?
"Ulan?"
"Yes, it's called Ulan, which means red."
Naren grabbed Xiaoxiao's hand and touched Ulan's mane. The hair was coarse and prickly.
Little Lingxiao's mouth gaped open in an "O" shape, his eyes filled with wonder, "Mommy, I touched Ulan!"
Seeing the little girl's excited expression, Cheng Cheng's smile deepened. She tilted her head and asked, "Sister Tuoya, what's the name of that black horse?"
"Heimul, in our Mongolian language, means good luck and auspiciousness."
Upon hearing his name called, the tall and imposing Black Muller raised his head high on the dock, looking over with an air of superiority.
Toya stroked her old companion, smoothed its fur, and said with a smile, "Black Muller is not as docile as Ulan, and it has a proud nature. Only Chasuna and I can handle it."
Ten-year-old Batu: "Mom, when I grow up to be as big as my older sister, I'm sure I can tame Black Muller!"
Chasuna glanced at her younger brother and, seeing that her little sister Xiaoxiao particularly liked Ulan, said, "Little sister, would you like to ride a horse? I'll take you!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxiao immediately nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Sister Chasuna.
Little Naren, standing next to her, pouted and said, "Big sister, let me take my little sister horseback riding!"
"Naren, you're too young, you can't!"
Chasuna walked to the front, untied the reins, patted Ulan, and then nimbly mounted her horse. Her movements were fluid and graceful, displaying her heroic spirit.
Toya walked over, picked up Xiaoxiao, put her on the horse, and said to Xiao Cheng, "Chasuna's riding skills are excellent, she'll be fine."
Cheng Cheng nodded. Actually, she wasn't worried; she was just envious that her daughter could ride a horse.
Chasuna's move of mounting the horse was so cool. The twelve or thirteen-year-old girl was as graceful as a swallow. She touched the ground with her toes, mounted the horse, swept over the horse, and sat on the saddle in an instant. Her every move exuded a dashing and heroic spirit.
Xiao Lingxiao sat in front of the saddle, initially a little scared, clutching tightly to Sister Cha Suna's sleeve, not daring to move.
Chasuna gripped the reins tightly, her legs squeezing the horse's belly, and led Xiao Xiao around the yard a few times. Gradually, Xiao Xiao's stiff back relaxed, and her face was filled with happiness and excitement!
The commotion attracted the attention of others nearby. Xie Jiaohua, carrying Xiaotiantian, came over and was taken aback when she saw the tall, magnificent horse.
"Toya, are you going to keep horses in the yard?"
"Yes, after we finish planting the trees, Chasuna and the others will ride their horses back to their grandmother's house."
There's still half of summer vacation left. After planting the trees, we'll send the children back to the village. The children only have time to go back during winter and summer vacations, and they have the opportunity to roam the grasslands.
"Huffing and puffing"
Black Müller suddenly stamped its hooves impatiently, followed by a series of intermittent snorts, its eyes warily fixed on the little boy in front of it, issuing repeated warnings.
"Black Muller!"
"Gao Xiaoyu!"
Gao Xiaoyu scratched his head. All he wanted to do was touch the big black horse, but why was it so stingy and wouldn't let him touch it?
Xie Jiaohua scolded her son, Gao Xiaoyu, who looked dejected and gazing longingly at his little sister Xiaoxiao riding a horse. "Aunt Tuoya, I want to ride a horse too."
“Okay, but don’t touch Black Muller yourself. It has a bad temper. Wait until there’s some space on Ulan’s back before you can ride it for a while.”
The children happily touched and rode the horses, while the adults talked about planting trees the next day. Planting trees is not something that can be done in a day. Usually, when the base notifies people to plant trees, it divides the area and assigns tasks according to the units or family areas.
For example, this time the division was based on the family area. Cheng Cheng and Tuoya, along with several other family members in the vicinity, were assigned to the Red Flag Team, and their area of responsibility was on the east side of the base.
"Are you going to plant trees too?"
Cheng Cheng was a little incredulous. She thought it was just the family members who were participating, but she didn't expect Zhou Yue and the others to be going to plant trees as well.
"Yes, we'll go with you to plant trees in the east tomorrow morning."
"Great! Dad, we can plant trees together!"
Little Lingxiao picked up a piece of chive and egg and ate it happily, saying, "Sister Naren said planting trees is so much fun!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Cheng exclaimed, "Kid, planting trees is no fun. Planting trees in ordinary places is already a physically demanding task, let alone planting trees in sandy soil."
When we first started cultivating the vegetable garden, the surface of the Gobi Desert was a hard crust, and underneath it was all sand and gravel, which made the task much more difficult.
No matter when, controlling desertification is a long-term and unavoidable problem. Cheng Cheng frowned, recalling her memories, wondering if there were any successful experiences from later generations that could be learned from.
Unfortunately, she doesn't usually pay much attention to the news, and after thinking for a long time, she still couldn't come up with a solution.
After dinner, Zhou Yue took Xiaoxiao out to class.
She sat down at her desk, drawing and letting her mind wander. Suddenly, an interesting news story flashed into her mind: 100,000 black pigs conquer the desert, turning it into an oasis.
She only clicked on the news out of curiosity because it was so bizarre.
She held the pen, twirling it as she pondered, trying to recall as much information as possible.
-----------------------
Author's note: Goodnight, see you tomorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
