Go back to the past to plant trees

"Chief, didn't you say now is not a good time to recruit people?"

After telling Zhao Jinquan about the matter, the three of them walked to the nursery, and Feng Cheng asked a question with some curiosity.

Yu Zhenglai said, "Permanent employees are definitely not an option, as that requires approval from higher authorities. However, temporary employees are not necessary. Every year during the spring and autumn afforestation seasons, our forest farm hires some villagers from the surrounding area to help out. They work short-term jobs, and once the work is finished, they are paid and sent back home. Sometimes, the forest farm also hires a few long-term temporary workers to help out, because some places are too remote and we can't let the employees stay there for long. So we rotate the employees to go there, and then hire a temporary worker locally to help out."

"You are in this situation right now."

Feng Cheng didn't understand the situation, but he began to understand after Yu Zheng explained it to him.

"Observe Zhao Jinquan during this period. If he is capable, give him a temporary job. If he is not capable, then consider it carefully. After all, the purpose of hiring him is to prevent Zheng Laosan from causing trouble for you. His work ability is secondary."

"But even if it's the least bad, it can't be too much. We can't exactly bring in some old man, can we?"

Feng Cheng nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

Feng Cheng was happy to have more people to do the work. Even if Zhao Jinquan wasn't very good, he couldn't be worse than him! In terms of labor, he estimated that he was only about 0.5 times the number of laborers.

Therefore, Feng Cheng felt that if he wasn't particularly lazy, he would definitely be able to get a temporary job after the nursery was reclaimed.

After all, this place is too desolate, so it's nice to have someone to chat with; at least it can relieve the loneliness.

As they spoke, the three arrived at the nursery site that Feng Cheng had selected.

Upon arriving, Chen Guangji immediately examined the terrain. There are techniques to choosing a nursery site: it must be flat, well-drained, in a windy spot, on a hilltop, or in a place prone to water accumulation.

Also, you should choose well-drained sandy soil, and the soil layer should be between 40 and 50 centimeters thick.

Chen Guangji looked at the terrain around the nursery, nodded in satisfaction, and then asked, "What is the pH level of this land?"

Feng Cheng said, "It's around 5.5, which is a bit acidic, but this place is close to a water source and also next to the camp. Although it's not the best, it's the most suitable."

Chen Guangji said, "It's fine. There's no such thing as a perfect place. It's good enough. We didn't pay attention to this when we were raising seedlings. We relied entirely on experience. Many nurseries have a lower pH level than yours, but they still raise seedlings the same way."

"The seeds won't arrive for a few more days. You need to get the nursery ready as soon as possible. Right now, whether it's our forestry bureau or other forestry bureaus, the seeds have already been germinated. Once they arrive, you need to plant them immediately. If you delay for a few days, all the seeds will be wasted."

"I know that, and I will try my best to plant the seeds in the shortest possible time."

"Ah."

After taking a look around, the group went back. There wasn't much to see in the nursery now; Feng Cheng had only cleared a rough area, and hadn't done anything else yet.

After returning to the camp, Yu Zhenglai spoke with a few of the people who had come up, and then he and Chen Guangji took a car back.

"Which of you can cook?"

After Yu Zheng returned, Feng Cheng began to get into character and assign tasks.

First, there's the issue of the chef. With Feng Cheng and Zhao Jinquan, plus these four people, that makes a total of six. Cooking for six people is quite troublesome, so we need to arrange a dedicated chef.

"I will, I will too."

"Uh, I can too."

Upon hearing Feng Cheng's words, all five people raised their hands and said they knew how.

Feng Cheng didn't know what to choose.

"Who can cook better?"

The group hesitated. Everyone had cooked before, but when it came to whether it tasted good, they couldn't say for sure, because whether something tastes good or not is not an absolute matter.

"I can give it a try."

Feng Cheng glanced at the people speaking. There were only four of them, including Yu Dechang. Feng Cheng had a good memory, and he could basically remember their names and appearances after just one glance.

Yu Dechang said, "I used to help people with banquets in the village. Although it wasn't many times, the feedback was quite good."

Feng Cheng nodded, "Okay, then you'll be the camp's cook."

"Your job is to prepare food for us every day, two meals a day, but it doesn't mean you can stay in the kitchen all the time. It's only for six people, so you won't be busy for long. After you finish your work, you'll have to come and help out."

Yu Dechang nodded: "I understand."

"The rest is up to me to work in the fields. The nursery has more than an acre of land. Now we need to make ridges and beds. Everyone should try to finish the work as quickly as possible. You are here on temporary assignment. Once you finish the work, you can go back to your posts. You don't want to stay here any longer, do you?"

Yu Dechang and his companions really didn't want to stay here any longer. Weren't their kang beds at home comfortable? Wasn't the food delicious? Why did they have to come here to eat sand and dust?

"Yu Dechang, you go and cook now. The rest of you go and tidy up your dugouts and make your beds. After we finish eating, we'll go to the nursery to work."

"Alright, let's dismiss everyone!"

Feng Cheng waved for them to leave.

After everyone left, Feng Cheng beckoned Zhao Jinquan over.

How far is your home from here? How long does it take to walk there?

Zhao Jinquan said, "I don't know how far it is, but it took me almost a whole morning to walk here from home."

In one morning, that's at least twenty or thirty kilometers.

"Our director just said that you should come here to work. If you want to come, you'll have to bring your bedding and other personal items, just like they do, because your home is too far away and it will take too much time to come and go."

Zhao Jinquan said, "No problem, I'll pack my things when I get home tonight and move in tomorrow."

"Ah."

Feng Cheng nodded. "Then go check their dugouts and see if there's any space left for you. If there is, take it; if not, move in with me."

Feng Cheng didn't like sharing a room with others, but he could make do with it for a while. In winter, unless Zhao Jinquan went down to the dam, the two of them would definitely have to sleep in the same room. This was because they needed to heat the kang (a traditional heated bed) to keep warm in winter, and if they lived in two rooms, they would need to heat two kangs, which would waste twice as much firewood. This was unacceptable in this era of scarce resources.

Zhao Jinquan went into the underground cellar to check on his bed, while Feng Cheng went to check on the supplies that the bureau had delivered this time.

Besides the seeds, the nursery also received the fertilizer, pesticides, and tools it needed. Oh, and the water bucket that Feng Cheng wanted, which was on the carriage.

After looking around, Feng Cheng nodded in satisfaction. With these things, establishing a nursery would be easy.

An hour later, Yu Dechang's meal was finally ready.

After eating, everyone took their tools and went to the nursery. The people Yu Zheng found for Feng Cheng were all hardworking, the kind who would take the initiative to find work and didn't need to be urged by others.

Feng Cheng originally wanted to rest for a while to digest his food, but seeing that everyone suggested going to work, he had no choice but to get up and lead them to the nursery.