The villagers of Lijiawan like to see the envious expressions of these people from other villages the most.
Lijiawan has always had less grain harvest than other villages because of its many mountains and little land. It has been unable to complete its annual grain quota and is the village with the worst performance in the commune.
The villagers of Lijiawan had considered going into the mountains to hunt. If they were lucky enough to hunt a large animal, they could sell it for money. With the money, they could buy food, which would allow Lijiawan to fulfill its public grain tax.
However, there are too many large wild animals in the mountains. If you go even a little deeper into the mountains, you will be attacked by wild boars and wolves. Minor injuries are the blessing of the ancestors, but serious injuries are hard to come by and you have to endure them without money to go to the hospital. As a result, several uncles in Lijiawan have become disabled.
During the famine, a group of about ten young men ventured deep into the mountains. Several died, and the rest were seriously injured. Those who returned recalled being attacked by tigers, with two of their companions being devoured. One of them fought tooth and nail to rescue the other, but died before reaching home.
From then on, the people of Lijiawan became extremely wary of the Qiancengying Mountain. No one dared to go deep into the mountain anymore, and at most they would trap small animals on the outskirts of the mountain, such as pheasants and rabbits. However, the small animals were agile and fast, and ordinary villagers did not have tools to catch them, so it was not easy to hunt them.
However, it is fortunate that although there is not much food in Lijiawan, no one has ever starved to death, even in the years of famine. Even without food, there are many edible plants in the mountains, so people will not starve to death.
Unexpectedly, after so many years, Lijiawan finally had a chance to turn things around and has now become an advanced village that everyone envies.
Li Jianguo, who was busy at the construction site, saw the two men from a distance. He said a few words to the person next to him and ran over, "When did Comrade Yu come back?"
Yu Xunting took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to him, "I just arrived. I heard that the construction site here is almost finished, so I came to take a look."
Li Jianguo happily took the cigarette. He had no choice but to take it. "Have you seen all the houses? What do you think?"
Yu Xunting raised his lips and gave them a thumbs-up. "It can be described as shocking. It's really great. There are no houses like Lijiawan in the whole country."
Li Jianguo's face was filled with pride. "I didn't dare to be careless when building this house. I kept an eye on it every day. Even the flowers and plants planted in the yard were dug up from the mountains by me personally."
Speaking of the flowers and plants in the yard, Wenwen continued, "Village Chief, this is very detailed work, worthy of praise. The lotus flowers are very beautiful, why haven't I seen them in the village? Where did you dig them from?"
"At the uppermost part of the An River, there is a shallow beach where a lotus has been growing for many years. We have dug up most of it this time. If you want to plant lotus in your house later, you will have to wait for a while."
"The pavilion by the An River has been repaired. Can lotus flowers be planted in the shallows near the pavilion?" Wenwen asked.
Li Jianguo rubbed his chin with his right hand. "Are you going to plant lotus in the shallows here? The riverside is paved with bluestone slabs to make it convenient for villagers to wash clothes."
"It won't interfere with washing clothes. You can plant lotus flowers downstream. The scenery by the river will be better." Wenwen's mind emerged with the swaying willows by the An River, and the lotus flowers hiding under the broad lotus leaves, shyly peeking at the children playing in the pavilion. What a beautiful scene.
"Okay, let's go over and plan where is the best place to plant it?"
Yu Xunting and the others were discussing the house enthusiastically. "Are all the interior decorations of the house exactly the same?"
"They are basically the same, with the same layout, but the furniture may be different." Furniture can only be customized according to the economic situation of each family.
Li Jianguo's eyebrows moved slightly when he heard this, and he frowned slightly. "There's no big problem with the furniture. The most troublesome thing is the two pots in the kitchen. Nowadays, few families have two iron pots, but all the houses have double-pot stoves. Now everyone is short of an iron pot. This is a difficult problem. I can't buy one."
Yes, now is the era of iron control. It is okay if one or two people in a village buy iron pots, but if the whole village needs to buy iron pots, it is impossible to buy them.
The past few years were the era of large-scale iron smelting, which aimed to speed up the production of steel to achieve the goal of industrialization. Due to the lack of resources, people contributed all the iron pots and ironware in their homes to iron smelting.
Wenwen frowned, "If all else fails, I can just use an iron pot and block the stove with a wooden board. I should be able to buy an iron pot in a year or two."
"This is the only way." Li Jianguowei sighed.
"Has the budget for building the house come out? Our previous estimate was four hundred yuan per yard. Now the house is almost completed. Has the accountant made a budget?" Wenwen glanced at Li Jianguo.
"The budget has been released. Everything else is fine. The most expensive parts are the water supply room, the water pipes, and the squat toilets in the restrooms."
Wenwen scratched her head a little embarrassedly. She didn't expect that squat toilets in this era were ridiculously expensive. She had to ask an engineer for help to buy a squat toilet. Otherwise, she might not be able to buy a squat toilet even if she had money. It was really expensive, almost one hundred yuan for a squat toilet.
A few people came to the bank of Anhe River. The weeping willows fluttered like silk, as if nature's brush painted a green picture on the water surface. Intertwined with the sound of the flowing river, it formed a wonderful natural symphony.
In the pavilion, children were playing and laughing, their laughter and cheers filling the air. They ran and played to their heart's content, enjoying their carefree childhood.
The adults were washing clothes on the bluestone slabs by the river, and the sound of wooden hammers hitting clothes could be heard. The aunts and sisters-in-law were busy with their work and chatting loudly.
The river water is crystal clear, and fish swim freely. Sunlight shines on the water, creating a shimmering beauty. The riverside meadows are covered in colorful flowers, emitting bursts of fragrance. Butterflies flutter among the blossoms, complementing the beautiful scenery.
Wenwen looked at the peaceful and beautiful scene in front of her, and couldn't help but sigh, "It's so beautiful!"
Li Jianguo couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Vice President, you brought all of this to Lijiawan."
Wenwen shook her head. "This is the result of everyone's hard work. I'm so happy to see Lijiawan grow and change step by step."
Yu Xunting was also infected by the peaceful life in front of him. "Lijiawan is a very magical place. Once you come here, you don't want to leave. You just want to live here."
Three pavilions have been built along the Anhe River to provide a place for villagers to enjoy the cool air and chat on weekdays. Protective railings have been built along the Anhe River to prevent children from accidentally falling into the river.
Wenwen looked at the pavilion carefully and agreed with Yu Xunting, "Yes, Lijiawan is a magical place."
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