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Zhang Hongmei volunteered to go up the mountain to plant sweet potatoes. They had to finish planting them quickly, and also plant them in the fields on the mountain, even if it meant carrying buckets of water down the mountain.
Planting sweet potatoes on the mountain is no easy task. It requires walking a long way. Last year, Zhang Hongmei only dug holes, but this year she's making ridges, so they should grow better than last year. Last year, she could plant more than 40 mu (approximately 2.67 hectares) a day, but this year she can only plant more than 10 mu (approximately 1.67 hectares) on the mountain.
Everyone was anxious, but there was nothing they could do, mainly because of the water.
Another issue is that the summer grain harvest is about to begin, and we don't know what we'll use to pay it.
Actually, there were only about forty acres of land on the mountain, which was finished in four days. But traps still needed to be dug; otherwise, the livestock would have destroyed the land, making all the planting a waste. Another day was spent digging traps, but the rest of the people were making sweet potato ridges in the village. They planted one ridge after another, worried that the already dry land would become even drier.
Planting sweet potatoes in the field was even slower; on the first day, due to a shortage of manpower, only one acre was planted. Everyone was listless at dinner that evening; they were too discouraged.
In the end, it was decided that all the men would go up the mountain to fetch water, and the buckets were all covered. The women would make ridges, water the sweet potatoes, and plant them, while the children would bury the soil. They even took turns eating lunch, and even then, they only managed to cultivate less than three acres.
Wang Hongxi was so anxious that her mouth was covered in blisters, and Liu Maocai also had blisters in his mouth and a toothache.
Everyone was anxious, because if they were late, the sweet potato harvest would be reduced.
Zhang Hongmei went to the old lady's house and asked, "Grandma, do you know if you can get some fertilizer? Can sweet potato seedlings be used as fertilizer?"
"Even if we could get some, even if we could fertilize the seedlings, it would still take rain or water to work."
This won't work, that won't work, the key issue is the lack of water.
Although everyone was discouraged, they did not lose heart and continued to persevere, even though they could only plant three acres of land a day.
Zhang Hongmei went to the exam at the end of the month in the morning. Everyone saw that the once delicate girl was now tanned so badly that only her teeth were white. She came back after the exam because it was holiday time. The school doesn't have winter and summer vacations, but it does have spring planting and autumn harvest holidays.
The three of them hurriedly rode their bicycles home, without even having time to eat.
Er Ya felt particularly distressed. She couldn't help her family with their expenses while attending school; instead, she had to take food from them every month. Now, things were so difficult that half of her classmates had dropped out because they couldn't afford the food. Moreover, the food was getting worse and worse, and she found it hard to swallow.
Just by looking at Hongmei, you can tell how tiring and arduous the work in the village is. Last year, Hongmei didn't get tanned at all, but this year, you can see her big white teeth as soon as she speaks.
Zhu Zi pedaled incredibly fast. Only after leaving the village did he realize how peaceful and happy life was. Now, even the first-year junior high students are all in one class, and he, a grown man, is being raised by his family.
Last month, I went home to discuss dropping out of school with my family, and everyone scolded me and I almost got beaten up. But I really felt incompetent. Luckily, I had a day off, otherwise I would have felt so guilty.
The three of them returned to the village at 2 p.m., and the two of them went straight to the fields to work without even having time to eat.
Zhang Hongmei had no choice but to follow along. But she secretly ate a meat bun.
The first batch of sweet potato vines has been planted, and the first few vines to be pulled can also be pulled.
This won't do; nothing else can be planted. Planting anything else in this drought is just a waste of seeds.
After dinner, everyone started arguing about whether to plant or not. Most people thought it would be pointless to plant, but a few said that other villages thought the same thing last year, but when it rained, their fields yielded nothing.
Everyone had their own version of events, and each had their own reasons. In the end, no one could convince anyone else. It was Liu Maocai who made the final decision: plant sorghum. Of all the crops, sorghum was the most drought-resistant. If there was a harvest, all the better; otherwise, everyone would blame each other.
So planting sweet potatoes required working overtime. An older man, of Liu Changhe's generation, thought it would be great if there were plastic pipes that could run from the high point of the pond to the foot of the mountain, but where could they find such long pipes?
The next day, Zhang Hongmei was sent to the city to find Liu Changhai. Zhang Hongmei didn't want to go, but since all the able-bodied people could go, she was the only one who went.
The next morning, I rode my bicycle to the countryside, left it at the school, and then immediately took a bus to the city.
When they arrived at the municipal government and told Liu Changhai about their idea, Liu Changhai asked Xiao Wu to take Zhang Hongmei to the agricultural machinery station.
The agricultural machinery station has plastic pipes, but not that many, at most 500 meters. But we can't give them all of them, can we?
In the end, it was Liu Changhai who made the phone call, and the 500-meter pipe was purchased for 150 yuan.
This is not enough, it's far from enough, but it can still save everyone 500 meters of walking.
"Third Master, could you please trouble Xiao Wu to make a trip to the village? I'm not going back yet; I'm going to another city to see if he can tell the elders at home."
"Can you do it yourself?" After asking, Liu Changhai felt it was a pointless question. If they could get so much grain, maybe they could get plastic pipes too.
"Okay, go ahead. I'll give you a thousand yuan first. Try your best. There's also a plastic pipe manufacturer in M City. You can go there and take a look. This is my office phone number. Call me if you need anything."
Liu Changhai handed Zhang Hongmei his phone number, also out of concern for her.
"Okay, I'll bring the money with me, just in case we can buy it."
"Go ahead, Xiao Wu will set off soon too. Don't worry about me, I can handle this."
Zhang Hongmei was indeed worried that using a private car would cause trouble for Liu Changhai.
Zhang Hongmei didn't go directly to M City. Instead, she went to the black market, disguised herself, and found Sun Changquan.
When Sun Changquan saw Zhang Hongmei approaching, he immediately came over and asked, "Comrade, is there anything you need?"
"I need a plastic pipe, five cents' worth. Can you get one?"
"I don't know, I have to go ask."
Is there any hope?
"I don't know anyone who has done this before, but I have relatives in M city, so I can go and ask them."
"I'll go right away. Here's a two-hundred-dollar deposit; I'll take as much as I have. Can you trust me?"
"I believe you. How can I contact you?"
Zhang Hongmei thought about it and realized it was indeed a problem. "How about this, I'll also go to M City, and we'll each find our own channels. Don't worry, I won't let you down. If you can get me more than a thousand meters of corn, I'll supply you a thousand kilograms of corn with pits."
"real?"
"Really, and I'll only charge you one yuan per pound."
"Alright, shall we go together or separate?"
"Let's split up. Are you going to stay in a hotel?"
"right."
"Okay, I'll contact you then. You don't need to worry about the transportation; I'll handle it myself."
The two parted ways after reaching an agreement. Zhang Hongmei didn't know where M City was, so she decided to follow behind Sun Changquan.
This guy is something else; he got home less than ten minutes ago and headed to the train station with a briefcase.
After getting off the train at 8 p.m., Zhang Hongmei also checked into a hotel. This time, the letter of introduction was arranged by Liu Changhai, so it was better to go through the proper channels.
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