Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

When Lin Yue heard about everything Long Lifan had done for her, a warm feeling welled up in her heart. Zhao Xiaodong's cold words from that afternoon still seemed to echo in her ears, but in less than half a day, Long Lifan had saved her face with her actions, making her deeply realize that the title "Sister Fan" was not just an empty name, but a symbol of strength and loyalty.

As night fell, Long Lifan lay in bed, her thoughts churning like a tidal wave, all revolving around the fishpond. A bold idea sprouted in her mind: why couldn't Dongwan Village also have a few fishponds?

She had long observed that the low-lying area on the edge of the village, beside the river, was always flooded and crops could hardly grow there. Why not transform it into a fishpond?

From her previous recollections, she knew that the weather in G Province had been unpredictable in the past two years, alternating between drought and flood. If the fishponds were dug deeper, they could not only store water for fish farming, but also provide irrigation water during droughts, saving crops from disaster.

This win-win situation not only increases the villagers' income but also provides a sense of security for the village. Long Lifan's eyes shone with light, her heart filled with anticipation and plans for the future.

Long Lifan was always a woman of action. The next morning, in the village committee meeting room, she explained her fishpond plan in detail. Lin Guodong and the others listened with delight, nodding in agreement. Long, the educated youth, had once again found a way for the village to generate income; they were naturally happy to see it happen, and who would be foolish enough to oppose it?

Lin Guodong and the others had no worries about the specific details of fish farming. Long Lifan's abilities demonstrated yesterday had already given them complete confidence. Moreover, they knew Long Lifan's character well; she never went into battle unprepared. Since she had made this suggestion, she must already have everything planned out.

The team leaders were even more enthusiastic, all expressing their determination to take immediate action. They decided to finalize the manpower that day and break ground the next day, as if they could already see the new look and wealth that the fishpond would bring to the village.

Just as everyone was eagerly anticipating a major fishpond-digging operation the next day, a sudden turn of events struck the Dongwan Brigade that night. A clap of thunder ripped through the night sky, followed by torrential rain and howling winds. The entire night was shrouded in this terrible weather, making it exceptionally frightening.

The next morning, Long Lifan arrived at the village committee and found Lin Guodong and the others looking dejected. She asked softly, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Lin Guodong sighed and said heavily, "The strong winds blew down the cowshed last night."

"The cowshed collapsed?"

Long Lifan was startled and hurriedly asked, "How is it?" She knew that Grandpa Chen lived in the cowshed and was afraid something might have happened to him.

"Luckily, Old Chen woke up in time and led the cow out, otherwise it would probably be buried inside," Lin Guodong replied. "However, Old Chen got caught in the rain last night and caught a bit of a cold, but otherwise he's fine."

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan felt relieved, but couldn't help worrying about Grandpa Chen's cold. At the same time, she realized how fragile the mud-brick houses of Dongwan Brigade were in the harsh weather.

The collapse of the cowshed was not only an accident, but also a wake-up call, reminding her that she must take this issue seriously.

She knew that such weather would likely become more frequent in the next year or two. Some families in the village consisted of widows and orphans, whose roof beams were already rotten and dilapidated, yet they couldn't afford to replace them. These circumstances weighed heavily on Long Lifan's mind, making them impossible to ignore.

After clarifying her thoughts, Long Lifan looked at Lin Guodong with a serious expression: "Captain, Grandpa Chen fell ill while trying to save the collective's property. Our village cannot treat him unfairly." Her tone was firm, full of unquestionable determination.

Upon hearing this, Lin Guodong and the others nodded in agreement. After a brief discussion, they decided not only to provide Grandpa Chen with free medical treatment but also to give him twenty eggs as a token of the village's care.

However, Long Lifan did not stop there. She continued, "Captain, I think we should postpone digging the fishpond today. We should organize some people to inspect all the houses in the village. In particular, we should lend a helping hand to those families without men in their homes and see if their houses need reinforcement of the beams to ensure everyone's safety."

Upon hearing this, Lin Guodong and the others felt a surge of admiration. They knew that Long Zhiqing not only possessed keen insight but also a heart that truly cared for the villagers. Therefore, they all responded enthusiastically, deciding to take immediate action and contribute their own strength to the safety of the village.

The lush forests on the back hill of Dongwan Village, as the collective property of the village, have witnessed the changes of Dongwan Brigade over the years.

When the villagers learned that the village committee had decided to help them inspect their houses and reinforce some dilapidated ones, they responded enthusiastically. They traversed the mountains and forests, searching for suitable beams and timber.

However, in the afternoon, Lin Guowei returned to the village committee looking furious, muttering complaints incessantly. Hearing the commotion, Long Lifan frowned slightly and turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"

Lin Guowei was breathing heavily with anger. Before he could speak, a commune member next to him explained, "Hey, it's all because of Zhou the Lazybones! We kindly went to help him repair his house and reinforce the dilapidated building, but he didn't appreciate it at all. He even called us busybodies and kicked us out."

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness and sigh. The name "Zhou the Lazybones" that the commune members were talking about had almost become synonymous with Zhou Changlin.

Long Lifan had heard his story and knew about his past. Zhou Changlin, a man who originally had a happy and fulfilling family, lost his wife and children to an accident caused by a few poisonous mushrooms. (The family that Qi Fangfang had mentioned earlier who had mistakenly eaten the mushrooms.) After that, he seemed like a different person; his diligence and vitality seemed to have vanished overnight.

These days, he just coasts through his workdays, spending most of his time sitting alone in his room, his gaze vacant, as if the whole world is irrelevant to him. Seeing his increasingly lazy demeanor, the commune members nicknamed him "Lazy Zhou." But Zhou Changlin paid no attention to this, even sinking deeper into despair; laziness became the norm in his life.

Zhou Huiji and several other village officials saw what was happening and were deeply worried. They knew about Zhou Changlin's plight and wanted to encourage him to cheer up, but they struggled to find the right way to start.

Whenever Zhou Changlin's name is mentioned, they shake their heads and sigh, their hearts filled with helplessness and regret. Zhou Changlin's downfall has become a deep wound in the hearts of the villagers, making them cherish their present happiness even more and be wary of every potential crisis in life.

"So what did you do..." Long Lifan pressed, deeply sympathizing with Zhou Changlin's plight. Overnight, he lost his wife and children. The worst part was that it was all because of the mushrooms she had picked; no one could accept that.

"Guowei saw that the roof beams were rotten beyond repair, and he was really worried, so he found a sturdy wooden pillar to prop them up, and only then did we feel at ease to leave..."

Faced with Secretary Long's detailed questioning, the man answered truthfully. He scratched his head and said helplessly, "Even so, Zhou the Lazybones is still not very happy, muttering that it's unnecessary. Sigh, he's getting harder and harder to figure out these days."