Reborn in 1977

Chapter 235: Conditions Are Almost Right

The next day.

After getting off work in the afternoon, Chen Fan carried a bucket of water to the back slope to water the newly transplanted herbs in the medicinal garden.

Calling it a medicinal garden was just a way of saying it; it was actually the area he had marked off on the west side of his house foundation, next to the rice paddies.

These herbs had different growth habits. Some liked shady and damp places, so he planted them in the ditches under the miscellaneous trees. Others liked sunlight, so he planted them on the top of the slope, and he also had to clear the surrounding weeds to prevent them from stealing the herbs' nutrients.

Because Lu Siye's main purpose was to teach Chen Fan how to identify herbs, he collected many varieties, but the quantity of each was small. Therefore, after Chen Fan transplanted these herbs, he left a large space around them to increase the number of herbs planted.

From getting off work yesterday afternoon until now, except for eating and sleeping, he hadn't been busy with anything else, focusing entirely on the herbs.

Fortunately, these herbs were almost everywhere in the fields, he just hadn't paid attention to them before. Now that he was intentionally looking for them, he could easily find a lot.

Even this small hillside wasteland was covered with various herbs.

Moreover, due to the "complexity" of the terrain here, there were even more varieties than in the fields outside, so Chen Fan mainly focused on this wasteland.

He transplanted different kinds of herbs together according to their growth habits and watered them to improve their survival rate.

It was a pity that the time was too short. In one day, he could only clear a small area. It would take at least a month or so to clear the entire hillside.

Mainly because Jiang Lili and the others had to work with the production team, and Chen Fan couldn't always treat them as long-term laborers, so he could only do it slowly himself.

Just as Chen Fan was working hard, a series of footsteps entered his ears. He turned his head and saw that Team Leader Yang, Accountant Liu, Storekeeper Huang, and An Quan were walking over together.

Chen Fan immediately washed his hands in the bucket, didn't bother to wipe them, just shook them a few times, then rubbed them on his clothes a couple of times, and they were almost dry.

Then he took out a Donghai cigarette and greeted them.

While handing out cigarettes, he said with a smile, "Wait a moment, I'll be done here soon and go back to cook."

Jiang Lili and the others didn't come to help because they were preparing the ingredients for cooking. When he went back later, he could directly start the fire and start cooking.

An Quan waved his hand and said with a smile, "No rush, no rush, it's still early, we can't eat yet."

He looked around and then turned his head, asking in surprise, "This area should be two mu, right? Did you clear it all by yourself?"

Team Leader Yang smiled from the side and said, "There's also the area below, adding up to more than three mu in total."

He was talking about the area next to the educated youth spot that was being prepared for use as a "road."

An Quan looked back and nodded with a smile, "Yes, yes, there's also the area below."

As he spoke, he began to reminisce about the past, "I remember that the area near the educated youth courtyard was full of miscellaneous trees. Originally, the cedar forest in front was a firewood forest specially approved for us by the commune, but at that time, they were still small trees, so we cut down the miscellaneous trees in the back.

As a result, when the cedar trees grew a little bigger, batches of educated youths came and went, and everyone got used to cutting miscellaneous trees in the back for firewood, and no one touched the cedar forest.

Moreover, the rice straw and cotton stalks from the two seasons a year were enough for cooking and boiling water, so even the miscellaneous trees were rarely cut, let alone those on this hillside. Coming here today, I realized that this area is quite large."

He turned to look at Chen Fan, "You cleared such a large area by yourself, that's really impressive."

Chen Fan shook his head with a smile and pointed below, saying, "I only cleared the area below myself."

Then he pointed to the empty house foundation, "This area was cleared by the girls living in our courtyard, helping together."

An Quan nodded in realization, but still said, "That's still very impressive."

He looked around again, "What are you planning to do with such a large area?"

Chen Fan said with a smile, "Originally, I wanted to plant trees all around, cedar, camphor, banyan trees, all of these would be fine, but Team Leader Yang said he didn't recommend doing that, so I gave up on that idea."

An Quan nodded and said, "Old Yang is right. If you want to plant trees, you'll have to submit a report for felling in the future, and too many trees are not good either, it's easy to attract birds and insects. You're the only household here, so it will be a troublesome thing when the time comes."

After a pause, he added, "If you ask me, you might as well plant fruit trees. Fruit trees are generally not big. Whether you plant or cut them, the forestry bureau won't care, and you'll also have fruit to eat. If you're willing, I'll help you contact someone and find some fruit tree seedlings for you later."

He looked at the miscellaneous trees nearby and said with a smile, "There are actually quite a few wild fruit trees here. I remember there are a few tangerine trees, they're sour as hell. But although the fruits of these wild fruit trees can't be eaten, you can use these trees as rootstocks for grafting, so that the fruiting time is shorter, and you don't have to go through the trouble of cutting down trees and planting trees."

Chen Fan thought for a moment, nodded, and said with a smile, "This method is also good, it's good to plant some fruit trees too."

But then he pointed to the area on the east side and said with a bitter smile, "Actually, the main reason I want to plant trees is to prevent wind and sand. This place is almost as high as the riverbank. If there are no trees to block it, the sand and dust from the riverbank will blow directly at my house. By then, the house will be full of dust every day, and I won't be able to keep up with the cleaning."

An Quan was slightly stunned, frowned, and said, "That's indeed a troublesome matter."

He turned his head to look at Captain Yang and the other two, and said seriously, "When we first came to the educated youth spot, we also had this problem. Unlike now, there is still a small patch of woods next to it. Back then, there was no shelter at all between the educated youth spot and the river embankment. No matter spring, summer, autumn, or winter, the courtyard was full of sand and dust blown by the wind. We didn't care about what was on the ground, but we could wipe a basin of muddy water from the house every day, which was really uncomfortable."

Hearing this, Captain Yang nodded lightly, then put his hands behind his back and fell into deep thought.

After a while, he turned his head to look around, frowned and said, "Xiao Chen, what do you think of this?"

He pointed to the relatively tall trees, "When you have time, I will find someone to move these big trees with some branches and leaves to the east, and I will also trim the branches and leaves for you, so you can graft fruit trees.

Although these miscellaneous trees are not particularly tall, they can still play a certain role. Then, you can plant three to five rows of taller trees next to your house, right in the middle of those miscellaneous trees.

Don't bother with saplings for these big trees. The team has all kinds of trees. There are plenty of poplars, firs, locusts, mulberries, camphor trees, and banyan trees. I'll go to the commune to apply for a batch to be transplanted here.

If you want more, you can also find other teams. A tree doesn't cost much. After you buy it back, transplant it here.

Now is spring, and the survival rate should be relatively high. As long as they can survive, they are ready-made woods. Isn't that much better than replanting small trees?!"

As soon as Chen Fan heard this, he was overjoyed, "Okay, I don't need too many, just from the slope to the top of the slope, enough to shield my yard."

If he could really do what Captain Yang said, he couldn't be happier.

On the one hand, he would need far fewer trees. On the other hand, planting tall trees and low shrubs along the hillside would create a three-dimensional, all-round protection, blocking the dust blowing from the river embankment in the east and keeping the yard clean.

At that time, the east side would be a windbreak forest and a small number of fruit trees, the north and west sides would be medicinal fields, plus a small vegetable garden, and his own two-acre courtyard would be arranged into a garden.

Just imagining what it would look like after it was built, it was indeed much better than having trees on all three sides.

Captain Yang and the others didn't feel much. They only felt that Chen Fan was living here alone and it was quite lonely. If it weren't for the educated youth spot in front, he would have really become a "lonely man."

But An Quan's knowledge was much higher than theirs, and he immediately smiled at Chen Fan, "If this place is arranged according to your plan, it will be no worse than a villa in a big city."

Accountant Liu looked eager to learn, "Villa? What is that?"

Don't blame him for his lack of knowledge. In a place like Nanhai Commune these days, there are very few people who know the word 'villa'.

In the eyes of ordinary people, being able to live in a 'garden' or a building in the city is the life of the upper class.

Especially the buildings that represent 'developed society' are the goals that most people strive for. It's just that the rural people of today have no chance to strive for it.

Nowadays, the best houses in production teams across the country are 'brick houses'. If anyone can build a brick house, the people who come to propose marriage can line up for three miles.

As for villas, what are they?

Never heard of them!

An Quan explained to him, "Villas are houses where rich people in big cities live. They enclose a yard, build a two- or three-story building inside, and have gardens in front of and behind the house. Ordinary people can't afford to live in them."

Accountant Liu nodded suddenly, "Just enclose a yard and build a small building inside?"

Seeing An Quan nod to confirm, he turned to Captain Yang and Huang the caretaker and smiled, "Then the rich people in the big cities don't have high standards. The only difference between them and us is that they live in two-story buildings, and we still live in mud-walled houses."

Huang the caretaker glanced at him, "Yes, the conditions are similar. When you tear down your mud-walled house and build a two-story building, you will also be a rich person in the big city."

Captain Yang grinned and laughed, "Him? At most, he can be considered a rich person in Lujiawan."

Accountant Liu didn't mind, and followed with a chuckle, "If I can really be a rich person in Lujiawan, I'll be satisfied!"

Huang the caretaker laughed, "Then you will be the first 10,000-yuan household in Lujiawan."

Before Huang Xinwen, a pig-raising expert in Zhongshan County, appeared in the newspaper, the 10,000-yuan household had already become a slogan for rural development and farmers' prosperity. Moreover, later research showed that many people across the country had become '10,000-yuan households' at that time, so Huang the caretaker was joking.

The real thing that made this name known throughout the country was after Huang Xinwen's pig-raising wealth appeared in the newspaper, but that was still two years away.

However, whether from the beginning of shouting this slogan or after Huang Xinwen became famous throughout the country, for a long time, this slogan was just a slogan for ordinary farmers.

Accountant Liu shook his head repeatedly, "Ten thousand yuan? I can't imagine that. If I can earn one or two thousand yuan and build a small building, I'll wake up laughing at night."

An Quan pointed to Chen Fan and smiled, "Then it depends on how Xiao Chen's sideline business goes."