Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

Xu Huizhen asked Xu Jianlin: "Jianlin, you graduated from high school this year, right? What are your plans?"

Jianlin said, "I have a cousin who is the deputy secretary of our commune. He found me a job as a clerk in the commune. Today happened to be my day off, so I am at home. Otherwise, I would have to go to repair the reservoir. Sister Huizhen, do you think my job is good? Or is my eldest brother's job better?"

Xu Huizhen thought for a moment and said, "Whether a job is good or not cannot be generalized. It depends on the person. For example, your clerical job, your eldest brother has a low level of education, so he can't do this job. And you graduated from high school, which is a high level of education here. It's a bit of a waste of talent for you to be an ordinary worker. If you work as a clerk, you will be a state cadre in the future. If you work hard, you may be able to become a commune secretary, govern a place, and do practical things for the local people, which will not be in vain. In addition, the Xu family is a big family. It is also a good thing to have someone working in the government from a long-term perspective. Isn't there a saying that goes, if one person succeeds, the whole family will prosper. Although this sentence is not pleasant to hear, it is the truth. If you become a leader, you can drive the development and growth of the entire family."

After listening to Xu Huizhen's words, Second Aunt Xu agreed, "Your sister Huizhen is right. I think so too, but not as thoroughly as Huizhen said."

Xu Huizhen: "There is a good opportunity waiting for you." Xu Huizhen pointed to the apple frame and continued: "If these apples are grown well, it will be a great achievement. As long as you can grow them, I can sell them to Beijing for you. Maybe the leaders of the country can eat our Xujiawan apples. Tell me, if you don't get promoted by then, who will?"

Xu Jianlin said happily, "Really? Sister Huizhen?"

Xu Huizhen patted her chest and assured, "I am your sister, after all, a factory manager now. I have seen a bit of the world. If you are undecided about something in the future, come to me. I will definitely protect you and make your career smooth."

Xu Huizhen knew that in his previous life, Xu Jianlin later became the director of the Tourism Bureau of Yushui County, but she didn't know about his experiences when he was young. In this life, with her foresight and help, he will only be able to move up a level compared to the previous life.

After lunch, Kunkun fell asleep. Xu Huizhen decided to let her second aunt help her take care of the child. She wanted to go to the mountain to see the construction of the reservoir. Xu Jianlin volunteered to lead her.

The two walked along the way, looking at the surrounding scenery. There are still fruit trees at the head of the village. I heard from the elders that after the three-year difficult period, all these fruit trees were cut down and planted with grain. There is no other way. People are afraid of hunger. Anyone who has tasted hunger knows the feeling. Fruits can never fill the stomach like grains.

Hard times were coming, and Xu Huizhen was worried that the fruit trees would not be valued and would be cut down, so she said, "Jianlin, isn't your uncle the deputy secretary of Jinshan Commune? Take some apples and give them to him to taste, tell him our ideas, and listen to his suggestions. After all, you have just started working and are too young, so you need someone to support you."

Xu Jianlin nodded to show that he understood. "If someone asks you where the apples come from, what do you say?"

Xu Jianlin: "I just tell the truth."

Xu Huizhen: "Wrong! You should say that you bought it by accident when you went to the capital. In this way, if the planting is successful, you will have the greatest contribution. I don't need this credit."

Xu Jianlin: "Is it okay to lie like this?"

Xu Huizhen smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? No one knows about it except me. This is called maximizing benefits."

Soon, the two of them arrived at the site where the reservoir was being built. From a distance, they could see a large number of people working hard. The construction site was bustling with red flags flying, people talking, and vehicles pulling and people carrying loads.

Xu Huizhen was particularly curious. How could people of this era, who were hungry and cold, be so united and determined? Just look at their enthusiasm. They worked very hard and never slacked off. Those pushing carts were jogging, and those carrying loads were running very fast.

People in later generations lack this spirit. Perhaps it is because they have faith in their hearts that they have the strength to work!

A closer look reveals that this place is really suitable for building a reservoir. It is a valley between two hills, with the terrain going from high to low in the shape of a trumpet.

As long as we build a long dam at the trumpet-shaped point, and then trim the two sides, dig deep where necessary, and raise where necessary, we will form a pear-shaped reservoir, which will take advantage of the geographical location and save time and effort.

It is early winter now and the water flow in the river is low, which is just right for construction. We will start storing water in the spring of next year, and when there is drought, we can open the gates to release water to irrigate the farmland downstream.

I have to say that this reservoir was built at the right time. Starting next year, drought will begin in some parts of the country, but I don’t know if Xujiawan will be affected.

She remembered that the worst period of starvation was in 1960. I hope God will bless the newly built reservoir and fill it with water. I will tell the secretary later that the reservoir must be repaired this winter.

Xu Huizhen did not go to the construction site. People were working hard there, and it would be inappropriate for her to go and watch the excitement. She suggested walking up the mountain road to see the Crescent Lake on the upper mountain. So the two of them walked along the road halfway up the mountain.

The sunshine in early winter is not warm, but coolly shines on the lake, causing ripples to sparkle.

On the lake, flocks of ducks swam back and forth, occasionally diving into the water to look for food. There were really a lot of ducks! It was estimated that there were more than 2,000 of them.

Xu Huizhen asked curiously: "Jianlin, don't you think these ducks are cold?"

Xu Jianlin smiled and said, "As the saying goes, watching ducks bathe is a good excuse to put on a cotton-padded jacket. Ducks have thick feathers, and the feathers are oily and impermeable to water. So they don't feel cold even in cold water."

Xu Huizhen discovered that there were some wild mallards among the ducks, filling in the gaps. She said excitedly, "Jianlin, look, there are wild ducks here. Look, the one with the green hat on its head, do you see it?"

Jianlin: "It's getting cold, so it's a little difficult for wild ducks to find food. Since the farm has food and shelter, and a comfortable living environment, it attracts a lot of wild ducks. Wild animals are also very smart."

The two men came to the farm and saw that they were killing ducks. It was an assembly line operation, with two people in charge of killing, one person in charge of boiling water, and three people in charge of plucking the ducks. There were already many finished ducks in the basket.

Before Xu Huizhen came, she wrote a letter to the secretary, saying that she was coming to Xujiawan. This was how it was done in the past. The secretary would prepare the goods to be sold in advance. I guess these ducks were prepared for her.

The two went to the pig pen again and found that in less than three years, the farm had expanded a lot. There were about 200 pigs of all sizes in the pig pen. It can be seen that the people in Xujiawan are still united. After seeing the profits, they are very motivated, but they don't know what the future will be like.

According to Xu Huizhen's historical knowledge, during the People's Commune period, it was stipulated that each rural household could only raise three chickens. However, she did not know the exact year when this was implemented.