Chapter 162 Drought Resistance and Human Relationships

the next day.

Early in the morning.

Wang Mengde got up before dawn.

Today he wants to go back to Tiangezhuang while it's cool in the morning.

After doing a set of boxing and sweating a lot, I washed up and then comfortably put on my backpack and pushed my bicycle out the door.

When we arrived at Di'anmen Street, we found a public-private joint venture breakfast shop that I had often eaten at before.

He ordered a bowl of soy milk and three fried dough sticks. After eating, he went to a nearby steamed bun shop and bought a few meat buns. He wrapped them in oil paper and carefully pretended to put them in his bag, but he actually hid them in the space.

Then he rode his bike towards Deshengmen.

Currently, one does not need food coupons to eat at restaurants in Beijing. Many people have discovered this loophole and started to "take advantage of it" every day.

Wang Mengde did not join in, nor did he store these things in advance. For one thing, he had space with him and would not lack food.

What's more, he would not bring stain upon himself just for such a small profit.

Moreover, his image is so outstanding that most people will be impressed when they see him. If he "fleeces" people too many times, it will definitely attract the attention of those who are interested.

Then the gains outweigh the losses.

It was still that slow "punching bag" bus. Sitting by the window, Wang Mengde looked outside from time to time.

Most of the large and small earthen blast furnaces that were built in a rush last year have been abandoned.

After more than half a year of wind and rain, the exterior has begun to look shabby.

It was surrounded by wild grass, and occasionally a few people herding sheep or pigs, driving a group of animals, would appear beside it.

Let out a long sigh.

Wang Mengde felt very upset. Although this situation only lasted for more than half a year, the impact it caused was huge.

It is said that it is easy to destroy but difficult to build.

Not to mention other things, the impact of various environments will take decades to make up for in the future.

When we arrived at Shahe and got out of the car, the sun had not yet come out, but the temperature had already risen.

After walking on the road for a while, his chest, back and forehead were all wet.

But Wang Mengde didn't care. On the contrary, he looked a little solemn.

Because, in the fields on both sides of the road, a large number of strong men and women were taking advantage of the morning time to carry things on their shoulders, in basins, or in their hands.

Watering the crops in the fields.

There are even many elderly people and children who are doing what they can by using the ant moving method.

Since the beginning of this year, the areas surrounding the capital have been experiencing a long drought. We finally completed the summer harvest and were preparing to plant some soybeans or corn, but the ground was dry and most of the seeds could not germinate.

Even if they sprout, they are still limp.

There was no other way, so each commune and production team organized everyone to fight against the drought.

At that time, there were not many machines available, so everyone could only use manpower.

In fact, the situation around the capital is relatively good. Traditional grain-producing areas such as the two lakes, Sichuan, Shandong, Henan and Anhui have suffered from large-scale drought, and many areas have no harvest.

Arrived at Tiangezhuang.

When I opened the courtyard gate, I found that the door to the main room was locked.

Wang Mengde knew without thinking that his grandparents must also be in the fields.

Then he turned and walked towards the east side of the village.

Sure enough, after walking about a mile along the path at the entrance of the village, I saw the figures of my grandparents.

The two of them were carrying half a bucket of water on a wooden stick that was more than one meter long and as thick as a baby's arm, and were walking hurriedly towards the fields from a small river not far away.

Walking quickly to the front, Wang Mengde reached out and picked up the bucket, then said distressedly: "Grandpa, grandma, you are so old, why are you still doing such heavy work?"

Pausing and wiping the sweat off her head, Wang Tian said with a grin, "Meng De is here."

"The crops in the fields have just sprouted these days. If there is a lack of water, they will not grow. The team is anxious and asked everyone to carry water to irrigate the fields. If they don't irrigate the fields, they won't be able to harvest the crops this autumn.

Besides, although your grandfather and I are old and work slowly, this still counts as work points.”

After going hungry last winter, everyone now knows that the summer harvest was not ideal, and if the autumn harvest is not good either, then this winter will be another difficult one.

The summer harvest has only been over for a few days, and experienced farmers can estimate the total harvest of the brigade this year.

After deducting the public grain that needs to be handed in, everyone basically has an idea of ​​how much is left.

So, many people began to worry.

I just didn’t dare to say it.

Everyone hopes that they can harvest more in the autumn to offset the shortfall in the summer harvest.

Unfortunately, what they don’t know is that these days have just begun.

In the next two or three years, things will only get worse every year.

"Grandma, you and Grandpa are old. If you walk so fast, something bad might happen."

Wang Mengde carried the wooden barrel and walked towards the field, speaking in a low voice as he walked.

Both elderly people are over 70 years old. It would be troublesome if they fell.

They are not young people, and it will be fine if they fall and get up, but they are different. If they fall, they will basically have problems such as fractures.

Following behind him on her small feet, Wang Tian also whispered:
"We have to be impatient. The weather is hot now. The sun is too strong during the day. We can only water the crops in the morning and evening. If the sun comes out and we water them later, the crops will be in trouble."

In the summer, if you need to water the land or vegetable fields, it is usually best to do it in the morning or evening, because the temperature is lower during these two time periods, which can reduce the stimulation to the roots of plants and help the plants absorb water.

At noon, due to the high temperature, direct watering may cause the roots to be stimulated by the sudden drop in temperature, hindering the plant's normal absorption of water.

After thinking about it for a while, although he had never done much farm work, Wang Mengde still figured out the reason.

So he joined the army carrying water.

They worked until the sun began to rise, and then, at the call of the team leader and the accountant, everyone went towards the village in groups of three or four.

Because they basically have the same surname and are from the same clan, they are all related to Wang Mengde.

A dozen or so people of the same age who had played together as children got together.

They asked about life in the city, and all looked envious and yearning.

Nowadays, the biggest wish of rural people is to go to the city and eat commercial grain.

After they had their meal in the cafeteria, they returned home, washed their faces, and Wang Mengde took something out of his bag.

When Wang Jinghui saw the Panda cigarettes, a smile appeared on his face. These cigarettes were brought by his grandson last time, and there was still a lot of them left.

"Meng De, I still have more than half of this, and I'm used to smoking tobacco, so you can take these back and give them to others."

Wang Jinghui took off the pipe that was attached to his belt, and then used a copper pot at one end to scoop out a pot of tobacco leaves from a small cloth bag.

Then he pressed it carefully, took out a box of matches from the cloth bag, lit it, and started smoking it.

"It's okay, Grandpa. We have several more at home. You can keep these for later use." Wang Mengde took out some nutritional supplements one after another, especially the glutinous rice noodles, which made Wang Mengqi's eyes widen.

Then, when he carefully took out several large meat buns wrapped in oil paper from his bag, even Aunt Zhou Lingling couldn't help swallowing several times.

Then he said with a smile: "Hey, Meng De, save some money in the future and don't buy things carelessly."

Wang Mengde smiled without saying anything, but handed the big meat bun to her.

Except for the cousin who went to the Shahe Meat Processing Factory, the rest of the family quickly divided and ate the meat buns.

After eating a meat-filled bun, Wang Mengqi licked his lips with satisfaction, thinking to himself: It would be so happy if I could eat meat-filled buns every day.

After eating the buns, the old man and the old woman washed their mouths carefully and then walked towards the production team to earn work points.

As for my cousin, he carried a dung basket on his back and held a shabby sickle that had survived, and joined a few friends, preparing to go to the riverside to cut grass for the pigs.

Although we were no longer allowed to raise pigs at home, the production team still raised quite a few. A dung basket of pig feed could be exchanged for some work points.

Although it is a small amount, it will add up to a considerable amount of income when the time comes.

After his grandparents and himself were the only ones left at home, Wang Mengde sat down next to them and spoke in a low voice.

"Grandpa, I see there's not much water left in the creek at the edge of the field. If it doesn't rain, we can't expect a good harvest this fall."

Wang Mengde looked at his grandfather's thin figure and said with some concern.

Even though he came back often, bringing some good things and nutritional supplements every time, it was still a pity for the meals he had eaten every day for more than half a year.

In fact, Wang Jinghui and Wang Tianshi are relatively well off. Some elderly people, even though they survived last winter, are still in very poor health.

After taking a puff of his pipe, Wang Jinghui's face showed a sad look.

The weather this year is so abnormal.

It reminded him of the unbearable past when he was a teenager.

At that time, he could no longer stay in Anhui Province, so he left his hometown, fled to famine, and came to Tiangezhuang.

If he hadn't met Wang Tian, ​​he might have become a pile of bones on the roadside.

"Oh, God, it hasn't rained for such a long time, what will we do in the future?"

Wang Tian said something on the side.

"Why worry? We still have the commune and the brigade. They won't ignore us."

Wang Jinghui knocked the pipe against the leg of the bench a few times, cleaned it, put it back on his belt, and then said.

"Besides, I heard someone in the commune say that if the water in the river dries up, the Ming Tombs Reservoir, which was just built last year, will open the gates to release water."

The Ming Tombs Reservoir was built in the summer of 58.

Wang Mengde remained silent. He was much more informed than the other commune leaders. As far as he knew, the water in the Thirteen Tombs Reservoir was almost dry.

It is impossible to open the floodgates and release the water.

After chatting for a while, seeing the sun rising higher and the temperature getting hotter, Wang Mengde prepared to return to the city.

Wang Tian was reluctant to let him go, so she sent him out of the village, then stood under the shade of a tree and waved at his back.

On the way, I looked at the fields on both sides and saw that large areas were bare. The seeds that should have sprouted were nowhere to be seen due to the drought. The few that had a little green were all wilted.

Only in a few places that were watered last night or in the morning did the seedlings grow taller.

Wang Mengde was powerless to do anything about this situation.

This is not a matter of one household or one region, but a problem in several provinces and cities across the country.

Waiting until home.

It's almost noon.

He found that his mother-in-law Zhou Xiaoyan and brother-in-law He Shengwen were also there.

"Brother-in-law."

When He Shengwen saw Wang Mengde, he quickly stood up and called out eagerly.

These days, he works in the supply and marketing cooperative, and not only are his colleagues warm and enthusiastic towards him, but their attitudes are also extremely good.

Even the aunties, grandmas and grannies in the alley looked at him with strange eyes.

Several people have gone to Lao He's house, trying to propose marriage to him in some way.

Even though Zhou Xiaoyan declined all of them on the pretext that she was still young, it did not stop their enthusiasm.

"Shengwen is here. How are you doing at work recently?"

Wang Mengde asked with a smile.

"Brother-in-law, I am learning now. My colleagues in the supply and marketing cooperative are very kind to me and are willing to help me."

He Shengwen replied with a grateful look on his face.

After his parents' guidance, he finally understood why the director of the supply and marketing cooperative was so nice to him. It must be because of his brother-in-law's powerful relationship that made the director treat him differently.

"That's fine. You must study hard in there."

After drawing a basin of cold water from the pressurized well and washing his face, Wang Mengde felt much better.

Just now on the bus, he felt as if he was in a sauna.

At that time, the buses did not have air conditioning, let alone heat insulation materials.

"Yes, brother-in-law, I will definitely study hard.

By the way, brother-in-law, a new batch of milk powder arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday. I applied to the director and he approved me to buy two barrels for Yaya to drink in the future."

As he said this, he pointed towards the table in the living room.

Wang Mengde put the towel away and looked at the table. It turned out to be two cans of Red Star milk powder.

"Shengwen, Yaya has two bottles of milk every day, which is enough for her. You can take it back with the milk powder and return it."

When He Shengwen heard his brother-in-law say he wanted to cancel the contract, he didn't know what to do.

"Meng De, since you've already bought it, there's no reason to return it. Just keep it for Yaya. The little one's appetite has increased recently. I guess in two months, she may not have enough milk to drink."

Zhou Xiaoyan, who was whispering to her granddaughter while holding her arms, spoke quickly.

"That's right, Mengde, this is what Shengwen bought for his niece, let's accept it."

He Shengnan also chimed in.

If her brother takes the milk powder back this time, she will be too embarrassed to help her parents' family in the future.

After a moment of hesitation, Wang Mengde finally said, "Okay, I'll take this milk powder, but don't buy it next time.

By the way, I'll give you a pack of cigarettes. You can take it to your director tomorrow. When you give the cigarettes, don't let anyone see you."

The cigarette he gave me was Panda brand.

He believed that if the director had a little knowledge, he would definitely take better care of his brother-in-law in the future.

(End of this chapter)