Xiao Wu drove home overnight, without stopping in the city, and went directly to Liujiatun.
They arrived home at 3 a.m., but didn't unload the truck. The two of them stayed at the old lady's house. Thinking they might as well go back the next morning anyway, they decided to transport the pipes to the foot of the mountain.
Zhang Hongmei went straight into her spatial dimension after returning home and had a big meal to replenish the brain cells she had used up.
Looking at my pitch-black reflection in the mirror, I was speechless. Last year I was laughing at Er Ya, and this is what I look like now.
Even if there is spiritual spring water, I dare not use it, because it turns white too quickly and is hard to explain.
The next morning, Zhang Hongmei went to fetch water. The rope for drawing water had been extended by another twenty meters, and the water was not murky. This old well is really good. The old people in the village say that this well is three hundred meters deep.
He added a drop of spiritual spring water to the last bucket and used it to water the melon vines he had cultivated. Only then did he go to the old lady's house.
"Grandma and Xiao Wu have left?"
"Not yet, we drove to the foot of the mountain. How much did you spend this time, girl?"
"Four thousand eight hundred, one thousand of which was given by my third master, and the rest is owed."
"Aimin's wife, come here."
"Grandma, what's up?"
"Go and call your father here."
A moment later, Liu Changhe came over. "Mom, what's up? I just left."
"Go and get three thousand eight hundred yuan."
Liu Changhe turned and went out, then returned with the money a moment later. "Mother, I'm going up the mountain."
"Go."
After Liu Changhe left, the old lady handed the money to Zhang Hongmei and said, "Go and pay back the money. You're really bold. You dare to owe so much money. Aren't you afraid you won't be able to pay it back?"
"Hehe, I don't have three thousand on me, but it's about right. If the village really doesn't have any money, I'll just gamble it myself. This time it's because I left in a hurry and didn't bring any with me."
I'll have to go to the city in a couple of days. I've arranged to return the money the day after tomorrow.
Oh, and I also promised Factory Director Liang that if they couldn't survive, we'd sell them some of our surplus grain.
"In China, mutual help is the right thing to do. When you leave, have Wang Hongxi give you a few blank letters of introduction with an official seal. You can fill in the length of time you plan to stay when you go abroad."
"That's great! This time it was my third master who did it." Yay! I won't have to worry about sneaking out anymore.
"You should go and take a look too. You read a lot, see if you can be of any help."
"Grandma, I'm leaving now."
Zhang Hongmei went home, drank a glass of milk, ate a piece of bread, and then headed down the mountain.
All the men were here, carrying pipes up the mountain to the pool. Zhu Zi came over and handed Zhang Hongmei a cornbread. "My mom steamed this this morning. Eat it quickly, or you won't have the energy to go up the mountain later."
Zhang Hongmei stuffed the cornbread into her pocket, saying, "I'm not hungry now, I'll eat it when I get hungry later." Actually, she was just being pretentious; she didn't want to eat it and was annoyed that it would hurt her throat.
Each person carried two rolls of pipe, and each person had two 20-centimeter-long pipes in their pockets. The four of them walked up the mountain in a group.
Zhang Hongmei was among the first group to leave. She wanted to be chosen, but no one wanted to hire her.
Once you get used to the mountain roads, it only takes an hour and forty minutes to get there.
"Uncle, how about we test how deep the pool is?"
“Okay, let’s give it a try. We know what we’re doing.” After saying that, Liu Maocai put down his carrying pole, picked up a stone the size of a basin, tied a rope to it, and threw it into the water with all his might.
However, it didn't go very far; it only stopped about halfway down the 100-meter rope.
At this moment, Da Shan's father came over, and Liu Maocai and the other man pulled the rope up.
Both of them had smiles on their faces. Liu Maocai said happily, "We're saved! The pool is so big, and the water is so deep near the shore."
"Yes, it's okay to be a little tired, as long as there's water. Now that we have pipes, how much effort will be saved?"
The two men pulled on the rope and tied one end of the pipe to the rock they had just been using. Then they laid out the pipe. The first roll was already laid out. They threw the rock on the bank. There were still two or three meters left.
As soon as the stone was thrown down, Da Shan's father went to the other side, picked up the pipe, put it in his mouth, and sucked hard. Immediately, water could be seen flowing from the pipe.
Water was flowing from Da Shan's pipe, and it was full. Zhang Hongmei smiled happily when she saw this, "Third Uncle, this method works. It can bring water."
Liu Maocai and the other three burst into laughter.
Only then did they pull the rope up and start connecting the pipes.
These four- or five-point tubes are quite difficult to swallow. It's a delicate job; if you don't swallow them properly, the water will be wasted if they spray out. You also have to find out where the problem is little by little, so this job is particularly slow.
They laid the pipe roll by roll, and the 800-meter section was completed. Just then, they encountered the second group of four people coming up. As soon as they saw them from afar, some people stopped. There was no need to carry everything over, otherwise they would have to carry it back.
They continued installing the pipes little by little. They didn't reach the sweet potato field until noon. By then, they had used sixty rolls of pipe.
Seeing this, Zhang Hongmei knew what was going on; there definitely weren't enough pipes.
Someone brought him food, but Liu Maocai didn't eat it. "I'll go put the pipe in the water and see if the water can come down here."
Everyone agreed, and Da Shan's father went along. Zhu Zi was responsible for informing Liu Maocai whether or not to go into the water.
Zhang Hongmei sat to one side, nervously watching the pipe. About an hour later, water finally started flowing out, and the water was particularly strong. Excited, Zhang Hongmei saw the satisfied expressions on the faces of the group.
"Brother Zhu, go find my third uncle and bring them some food too. It's a good time to water the sweet potato field."
By mid-afternoon, all 55 rolls of pipe had been connected, and they were already laid not far from the foot of the mountain. It was estimated that they would reach the foot of the mountain in about 1,000 meters.
But everyone was already very satisfied with this.
After dinner, Wang Hongxi said, "This is the hope of our entire Liujiatun village. We can finally farm."
People clapped with joy; finally, there was hope.
"The four thousand for the pipes was advanced by the mistress's family. The accountant will record it, and we will definitely pay her back when we are able to."
No one has any objections to this, but a narrow-minded person might think: Her family is really rich.
Zhang Hongmei did not go straight home, but went to the old lady's house with Liu Maocai and Wang Hongxi.
"Grandma, I'm going to the city tomorrow. I also asked others to look for it, but I don't know if they found it yet. I'll go and take a look."
"Go ahead, Hongxi. Give Hongmei a few blank letters of introduction with your seal in a bit. It will make it easier for her to go out."
Wang Hongxi agreed to go and get it for Zhang Hongmei in a little while.
Liu Maocai came over for no particular reason, he was just too excited and needed to talk to someone about it.
"We don't need to find someone to keep watch. Luckily, the pipes are yellowish-brown. There shouldn't be any animals damaging them."
"That's good. Otherwise, we shouldn't go on night watch; it's too dangerous."
The three chatted with the old lady for a while longer before going home.
Zhang Hongmei was overjoyed to receive the five blank letters of introduction. She could go wherever she wanted without needing a letter of introduction every time.
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