Siheyuan: Starting from Building a Village

The couple chatted and laughed, and soon it was noon. Liu Guozheng, who was cooking, still insisted on the principle of saving time, effort and deliciousness, and it was still the same stew that he had always used.

Although this stew sounds ordinary, when you see that there is half a bowl of meat in one bowl of vegetables, you will know how extravagant Liu Guozheng is.

After dinner, Lou Xiao'e did not go to the courtyard again, but Yu Li and Zhang Wenhua brought their children to the office because the office had heating and did not burn coal, so it was warm and safe.

Three women make a drama, and it will be even more lively if two babies are added.

However, Liu Guozheng did not participate in it. As a grown man, it was not appropriate for him to do so. He was so bored that he could only go back to sleep.

I slept until Li Dabao and Xu Damao returned.

"What happened to you two?"

Li Dabao and Xu Damao were both covered in mud, and no one knew how they drove the car.

"Don't mention it. It rained a few days ago, and some roads in the suburbs were all muddy and watery. A small car got stuck in it, and we helped push it."

"Uh...you two are really talented, go home and change your clothes."

After the two came back from changing clothes, Xu Damao sat next to Liu Guozheng and said, "Brother Zheng, I heard that Qin Huairu and Cui Dake are getting married."

It's true that Xu Damao has the potential to be a gossip. While he was changing clothes at the courtyard, he found out about important events.

Liu Guozheng said casually: "It seems so."

"Then Qin Huairu will be able to live a good life in the future."

"That's not necessarily the case."

"Why is it not certain? I have seen that Cui Dake is a capable guy. He can always bring back something when he goes out. If he can make some money from the difference, he will definitely live a good life."

"That depends on how experienced Cui Dake is."

Liu Guozheng didn't even raise his head. He was peeling apples carefully. There was already half an apple cut in the fruit plate, which was prepared for Lou Xiaoe and the others.

"I guess there shouldn't be any mistakes."

Looking at the fruit plate on the table, Xu Damao didn't hesitate to eat it piece by piece with a bamboo stick.

"Da Mao, you kid, I can't peel it as fast as you can eat it. If you want to eat it, you can do it yourself."

"Brother Zheng, I noticed that you have become so stingy."

"I'm stingy? Fine, you peel the fruit and I'll wait to eat it."

"Hehe, Brother Zheng, you know that I'm clumsy."

As he said that, he took an apple and started eating it directly. Why bother peeling the apple? It was a waste of time.

"You are not even familiar with Cui Dake, so how do you know you can't make any mistakes? If he was really experienced, he wouldn't have been reported. Now he can only marry a widow."

"Did you hear who reported it?"

"How would I know that? I just saw some excitement in your courtyard this morning."

"Brother Zheng, from what you said, Cui Dake is still unwilling?"

"Haha, Damao, you are capable, you can earn money, and you are a grown man. Are you willing to marry a widow?"

"No, I guess the only person in the world who is willing to do so is Shazhu."

Xu Damao shook his head like a rattle, and did not forget to make fun of Sha Zhu in his words.

"Cui Dake only covets Qin Huairu's body, He Yuzhu is the true love."

"That's a pity. Shazhu is going to cry and faint in the toilet."

"It can't be helped. All right, take the fruit plate to the wing room."

Finally the fruit plate was ready, and Liu Guozheng took an apple and started to eat it. In fact, he never peeled the apples before eating them, as he felt that they were extra sweet when eaten with the skin.

It’s true, the first batch of apples from Hope Xincun are really good, crispy and sweet with a little sourness. They will be considered top-quality apples in later generations.

"Brother Zheng, this apple tastes amazing. This is the first time I've eaten such a delicious apple since I was a child."

"The fruit has just started to grow this year. As the trees age, the taste will probably get better and better."

“It will be ready for sale next year, right?”

"It depends. If the quality is very good, it is probably not our turn to make the decision. The state will buy them all directly, and we can only keep some of the poor quality ones."

"Is that so? Is the canned fruit production line at the food factory still in operation?"

"Why not? Have you forgotten that the North Mountain and the South Mountain are all planted with hawthorns. The good ones can be made into candied hawthorns, and the bad ones can be made into hawthorn flavored drinks, hawthorn cakes, hawthorn strips, and hawthorn slices. These are enough to open two more lines."

"Won't they buy it?"

"You can't buy all of it, so you have to leave some for us."

"That's right. Brother Zheng, be sure to save some hawthorns so we can make our own candied haws. I really like this."

"You don't have to tell me. Not only hawthorns, apples, peaches and pears, but we should also keep some for the villagers to eat, or give them to the food factory employees as welfare. If I can't even eat what I grow, I'd rather dig it all up."

"Brother Zheng, domineering."

"Don't worry about whether it's domineering or not. We support the policies that should be supported, but we can't go too far."

Others say this and they are just bragging, but if it came from Liu Guozheng's mouth, Xu Damao would completely believe it, because Liu Guozheng has the ability to do so.

"Da Mao, I'm done washing, you go ahead and wash yourself."

"okay."

After taking a shower, Li Dabao walked into the living room with a bottle of soda in his hand.

"Dabao, you are awesome. Drinking soda in such a cold weather."

"Brother Zheng, I don't feel cold."

Li Dabao raised his head and ate a lot. After drinking the soda and burping, he took an apple and started eating it.

Liu Guozheng was really stunned. Li Dabao is indeed a talented person.

"Brother Zheng, the road below us is too difficult to walk on. It's fine when it's not raining, but after the rain, it's full of potholes and water."

"You kid, just be content that you are not allowed to ride a bicycle. You have a car to drive, so what are you afraid of?"

"No, I mean can we fix it?"

"Building roads?"

"Yes."

"You are really bold, but it is not a problem to repair the road near our village. There is no need for cement. You can directly pave the road with gravel and brick residue. It is also strong and durable and can be used for ten years."

"So when are we going to do it?"

"Don't even think about it this year. When I have time, I'll discuss it with Secretary Jiao to see if we can get support from the mining district government. If the district government steps in, it will reduce most of the trouble."

"That's a shame."

"Don't be fooled by the small size of the jeep. It has four-wheel drive, so it can climb a slope or pass a mud pit easily."

"By the way, Brother Zheng, Lily will start working next month. I think it's better for me to live in the office this winter. It won't affect my work, and I won't have any problems taking care of the kids."

"Okay, let's go to the room you lived in before."

"Then I'll go back and move my things."

"what?"

Li Dabao rode his tricycle to the courtyard. He didn't want to go home to stay all night. If he lit a coal stove at night, he would be worried about gas poisoning. It would not be as comfortable as staying in the office.