Go back to the past to plant trees

The next day, Zhao Tianshan rode down to the county town to apply for funding and also to tell Qu He about the needs of the Bashang area.

Feng Cheng asked him to buy about ten catties of wine while he was at it, since the wine Zhao Jinquan brought had all been consumed that day and some more needed to be prepared. He also asked him to take down the paper on all-light seedling cultivation that Feng Cheng had written in the past few days and give it to Qu He.

"Brother Feng, if there are more people in the future, we need to expand this kitchen. It's too crowded in here now, and we can't fit anything in it."

"You can talk to Lao Zhao about this when he gets back. But even if we want to expand it, we'll have to wait until we're done with this busy period. We definitely don't have time right now."

"alright."

The four of them worked all day and barely finished the vegetable garden. Because of the rush, they planted a lot of the vegetables haphazardly, and the harvest will probably depend on fate.

After finishing the work in the vegetable garden, everyone turned back to work in the nursery. They were all able-bodied adults, so they worked very quickly. Plus, the land had been turned over last year, so they were able to work much faster this time.

"I have some good news to share. The bureau has already recruited three people for us."

After Zhao Tianshan returned from the county town, he brought everyone some good news.

"Captain, is there anyone who can cook?" Zhao Jinquan couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, all three of them said they can cook. After they come up, we'll give them a try and see who cooks the best. That'll be the camp's cook, and then you'll be free."

"That's good."

Zhao Jinquan was relieved to hear this; he really didn't want to be a cook.

“Three people, Lao Zhao, when are these three coming to the dam?” Feng Cheng asked.

"The day after tomorrow, they need to prepare and say goodbye to their families."

"Then we need to clean up that dugout next door, otherwise it will be too crowded for these people to live in."

Zhao Tianshan thought for a moment and said, "Then we'll clean up this dugout tomorrow. Anyway, with three more people, the work will be much faster later on. It shouldn't matter if we're a little slower now."

Feng Cheng shook his head: "We don't need that many people. It's just cleaning up a bunch of cellars. You and Zheng Erqiang can do it tomorrow. Jin Quan and I will continue working on the nursery."

"also."

The advance team in the drama consists of five people, plus Feng Cheng, making a total of six: Wei Fulai, Zhang Fulin, two unnamed migrant workers, and Zhao Tianshan.

Feng Cheng didn't know who these people who came up were, or whether the characters from the drama would appear again.

Also, the advance team has arrived, and then Qin Xuemei and her group of college students will arrive soon. In the drama, they planted a tree after they arrived, which means that the time should be around May, at most no later than June.

It's almost May now, and they'll probably be on the dam in another ten days or so.

To be honest, Feng Cheng was somewhat looking forward to it. One reason was that Bashang was too boring, and more people would make it more lively. Another reason was, well, how should I put it, physiological needs! They say that after three years in the army, even a sow can look as beautiful as Diao Chan. Feng Cheng's current state was similar to that. Putting aside marriage and such, at least he could look at some girls and feast his eyes.

"Old Zhao, hasn't your family arranged a marriage for you since you retired from the army?"

When a group of people get together, they're bound to find something to talk about, and Feng Cheng unconsciously drifted into this topic.

Zhao Tianshan said, "I did look for someone, of course I did. But as soon as I was discharged from the army, I came here and didn't even meet the person who introduced me. My home is in the Northeast, and it's not convenient for me to go back. I can't keep them waiting, so after I came here, I sent a letter home and asked them to find someone else and not wait for me."

Feng Cheng said, "Marriage is a major event. Surely the bureau wouldn't refuse to grant this leave?"

"I didn't ask that. I mainly felt that it was a bit inappropriate to take leave right after being discharged from the military, especially since it was to get married. It wouldn't sound good to others."

"You!" Feng Cheng shook his head. "You're just a chauvinist, afraid of losing face. Besides, what's wrong with getting married? You fight bravely on the battlefield, isn't it all so that one day everyone can live a peaceful life? Getting married and having children is the best proof of a peaceful life, isn't it?"

"Hey, it's just that I haven't met the girl yet. If I meet her and think she's nice, then I'm definitely not afraid of losing face. The main thing is that I haven't met her yet, and I don't know if I'm satisfied. I have to take leave to go back. What if I'm not satisfied after meeting her? If I don't get married, I'll have taken leave again. If I get married, I'll still not be satisfied."

Zhao Jinquan, who was standing nearby, also spoke up at this time, "Captain, I think you are right not to marry at home. Think about it, you are working here now. If you marry at home, will she be able to transfer to another job? If she can't, won't you be separated? What's the point of getting married then? Everyone says that a wife and children make for a warm bed. If your wife is not by your side, how can you have a warm bed?"

Zheng Erqiang chimed in, "It's easy for problems to arise if you're not together for a long time. There was one in our team. During the War of Resistance, her husband was conscripted, leaving his wife alone at home. A few years later, she was violated by someone nearby. At that time, the woman didn't dare to speak up until her husband came back and killed the man. That's when we found out about it."

Zhao Tianshan nodded: "I've heard a lot about this kind of thing too."

In those days, widows were the most vulnerable to being bullied. If the husband's family was large, it was fine, but if the husband's family was small, they might be targeted by some scoundrel. Especially during the War of Resistance Against Japan, if the husband was not around, there was a 90% chance that the widow would be gone. So, those pretty widows would be targeted by everyone, from scoundrels and old bachelors to wealthy families in the village and even relatives.

So in this day and age, if a woman stays in her hometown, the risks are very high. Not to mention her husband working in another city, if she doesn't go back for a year or two, she's considered dead in the eyes of outsiders. And if she's dead, then all sorts of things that shouldn't happen can easily happen.

"Captain, with your job and position, I think you won't have trouble finding a wife anywhere. If you're interested, I can ask my grandma to introduce you to someone; she knows people in several surrounding teams..."

"Come on," Zhao Jinquan couldn't help but retort before Zheng Erqiang could finish speaking, "Your grandma only knows people from the village. With the team leader's cadre status, where would she find someone from the village? She'd have to find at least a worker, someone who gets government-subsidized grain rations! People from the countryside don't even have rations..."

"Alright, alright, stop talking about me," Zhao Tianshan stopped the conversation, knowing that if they continued, who knows where they would end up.

"We came to the dam to plant trees. We haven't even finished planting the trees yet, so let's not talk about things like wives, children, and warm beds."