Siheyuan: Starting from Building a Village

I enjoyed this meal very much.

"Oh, I ate too much again."

While others were sitting, Erlang was lying down with his hands on his stomach, having eaten too much again.

The third child and the two girls were watched by Yang Youde, so they were about 70% full. But the other three kept staring at the pot.

After dinner and a short rest, Wang Fugui and Wang Mantang continued to assist the Zhang brothers in processing the wood.

"Guo Zheng, what are we going to do this afternoon?"

Seeing that Wang Fugui and the other three had already started to get busy, Yang Youde naturally didn't want to be idle either, and he had to do something.

"Let's get a few beds this afternoon. They should be simple enough to handle the situation for a while."

It was a bit chilly at night, so Liu Guozheng and Erlang's quilts had to be given to the two little girls. The five adults could light a fire and make do.

"Lao San, Er Leng can go help Lao Yang. He probably won't deliver bricks this afternoon."

"By the way, if Li Dabao comes this afternoon, please call me."

After arranging the work, Liu Guozheng carried a shovel to the fish pond and continued to clean the gravel and stones on the ground.

"Brother Zheng, Brother Zheng, what about us? We have to work too."

Seeing that there was no work assigned to her, Dani shouted from behind.

"You two can have fun as you please. You can even go help Lao Yang. As long as Lao Yang doesn't bother you, that's fine."

It’s better to leave the job of babysitting to Old Yang. At least older people have more patience.

Liu Guozheng's plan was to clear all the surrounding gravel, sand and stones. The large stones were piled up at the foot of Nanshan Mountain to be used for road construction.

There is an eight-meter distance between the fish pond and the foot of Nanshan Mountain, of which five meters close to the mountain is used as the road width, and the remaining three meters are used to plant trees. Some evergreen trees may be planted some day, such as loquat trees, osmanthus trees, etc. Of course, mulberry trees are also acceptable.

.....................

"Brother Zheng, Li Dabao is here."

When Erlang's shout was heard, Liu Guozheng looked at the position of the sun. It was about three o'clock, not too far off.

"Dabao, you've worked hard. Take a break first."

Seeing Li Dabao sweating profusely, Liu Guozheng was still very moved. This guy was also a down-to-earth person. He rode a tricycle, pulling two large pots and a small wok, and rode directly from Dongcheng for sixty or seventy kilometers. It was not easy.

Seeing Liu Guozheng coming over, Li Dabao hurriedly said, "Brother Zheng, two pots, one 66 and one 60, and a small frying pan. Do you think it will work? Also, get a dozen porcelain bowls."

"Okay, okay, you've worked hard, brother. Don't leave today. There's no wine for now, but we have plenty of meat."

It's almost four o'clock now, and it will be dark by the time we get back. Riding a tricycle for more than a hundred kilometers back and forth is really unbearable.

"Brother Zheng, I have it with me."

After that, Li Dabao took out a bottle of Erguotou from his bag. Liu Guozheng took a look and saw that there was more than one bottle in the bag. What was even more interesting was that this guy even brought a wine glass.

"it is good."

"Erlang, come here and call the two Master Wangs."

Take advantage of this time to build the stove first, so you can use it directly later.

"Boss, you come to us."

"Master Wang, let's build the stove according to these two pots and make two coal stoves, so that we won't have to delay things tomorrow."

"Okay, that's easy."

The two of them measured the dimensions and discussed how to build the building. Erlang was the handyman, and his job was to mix the mud and add the materials.

Bricks are laid directly with yellow mud. The stove top is also temporary. A special kitchen needs to be built behind it. Otherwise, people will have to cook outside in the winter, which is too cold. The winters in the 1950s and 1960s were quite cold.

"Dabao, you have a lot of freedom as a purchaser, right?" Liu Guozheng asked.

"Well, our leader said that during this special period, we only need to complete the tasks every month and we don't need to go to the factory every day."

"That's good, Dabao, let me tell you something, how about you listen to it?"

"Brother Zheng, you go ahead."

Li Dabao's non-stop running back and forth naturally has his own purpose, which is to make friends with Liu Guozheng. He has made up his mind to come here to help when he has nothing to do in the future, since he is alone now anyway.

"Dabao, since you have more free time, why not take a part-time job?"

Liu Guozheng was also unsure. After all, people of this era emphasized loyalty, and the idea that the collective was above the individual was popular. He didn't know whether Li Dabao could accept it.

"Brother Zheng, what does part-time job mean?"

Li Dabao asked in confusion. It was the first time he heard this word and he didn't understand what it meant.

"To put it simply, it's a side job, doing two jobs"

After hearing what Liu Guozheng said, Li Dabao was really tempted and asked, "Brother Zheng, tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"It's just a part-time job as a procureur for our village. You know I can't leave, and Erlang can't read, let alone do arithmetic."

"But don't worry, Dabao, it won't conflict with your work at the textile factory."

"Thirty yuan a month, as long as you have free food and drink in the village, and in addition, we will provide you with at least one wild boar, wild goat, wild rabbit, pheasant, etc. every month for you to complete tasks. Of course, your factory needs to pay for it."

"Brother Zheng, what do you need me to purchase?"

To be honest, Li Dabao was tempted by this offer. He was free anyway, so he was willing to help even if he was not paid. With at least one wild boar per month, he would not have to worry about the mission in the future.

“It’s just the basic necessities of life.”

"Also, we need some spikes and nails. We can get some scrap steel. We can make the spikes ourselves, but we need to buy the nails. I just don't know if we need tickets."

Liu Guozheng told them about the things he would need in the near future, and asked Li Dabao to take the third brother and the others to buy clothes when they had time, and to exchange the meat directly for them. He did not believe that meat could not be exchanged for other things.

"Okay, Brother Zheng, I'll take this job."

"But I don't want the money. As long as I can complete the task every month, I will be satisfied."

Li Dabao agreed very straightforwardly. This is much easier than purchasing in the factory, and there is no conflict with the factory. Why not do it?