Go back to the past to plant trees

"Brother Feng, will these saplings survive?"

Yu Zhenglai wasn't the only one worried; Zhao Jinquan was equally concerned.

It took the two of them a week to transplant a thousand saplings on the dam. The place where they planted the trees was the same spot where Feng Cheng had planted them before. The pits had already been dug, and all they had to do was turn the soil over again before they could be planted.

Feng Cheng said confidently, "It will definitely grow. I have confidence in myself."

"Yes, it will definitely grow," Zhao Jinquan replied, but there was still a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

After planting the trees on the dam, Feng Cheng went down to the dam. It was then that he learned that Chen Guangji had passed away, and that Yu Zheng had been transferred to the regional forestry bureau.

Although Feng Cheng was mentally prepared for both of these things, he was still somewhat stunned when he suddenly heard the news.

"Director, where is Engineer Chen buried? I'd like to visit him," Feng Cheng asked Qu He.

"I'll have someone take you there later!" Qu He was quite pleased that Feng Cheng was so considerate; it was worth it for Engineer Chen to care about him so much.

"Don't worry too much about the bureau's affairs. You should focus your energy on planting trees. The bureau has approved your suggestion to expand the nursery. This time, seeds for two acres will be delivered. In addition, a few people will be sent to help you. However, the people will not be sent until next spring, so you and Zhang Jinquan will have to do the initial nursery reclamation work yourselves."

“Okay, I’ll do this job well,” Feng Cheng nodded in agreement, then asked, “Director, are the additional personnel sent to Bashang temporary workers?”

Qu He laughed and said, "You want to ask if Zhao Jinquan can be officially promoted, right?"

Feng Cheng didn't stand on ceremony and nodded directly, "Yes, Zhao Jinquan has been working in Bashang for two years now. If there are any permanent positions available, I hope to give him one."

"I've discussed this with Director Yu. Zhao Jinquan can be promoted to a permanent position, but it won't be until next spring. In addition, the region will send another permanent employee, a demobilized soldier. That will make three permanent employees, including you. We might recruit one or two more temporary workers, but the specifics are still uncertain and will be finalized after next spring."

The demobilized soldier sent from the region is probably Zhao Tianshan. As for the remaining Zhang Fulin and Wei Fugui, it's hard to say, because they are temporary workers recruited from outside. The outcome could be different if they meet sooner or later, so it's hard to say whether the two of them will meet.

Feng Cheng didn't care about this matter. After all, he had no relationship with the two of them and didn't know them yet. If we're talking about relationships, Zheng Erqiang and Zhao Jinsheng were closer to him. At least they had eaten together and chatted.

After chatting with Qu He for a while, Qu He sent someone to take Feng Cheng to the place where Chen Gong was buried. Feng Cheng silently mourned in front of the tombstone for a few minutes, without saying anything, and there was nothing to say. Chen Gong's heart was set on planting living trees on Saihanba. As long as Feng Cheng could plant living trees, that would be the greatest comfort to Chen Gong.

After spending a day in the county town, Feng Cheng returned to Bashang. Upon returning, Feng Cheng immediately told Zhao Jinquan that he would be able to become a full-fledged employee next year.

"Brother Feng, is this true? You're not lying to me, are you?!"

Zhao Jinquan was first surprised, then overjoyed, but still somewhat incredulous.

Feng Cheng nodded seriously and said, "It's true, absolutely true. This is what Director Qu promised me. Since he said that to me, then the matter is basically settled, and there shouldn't be any unexpected problems."

"As long as nothing goes wrong, as long as nothing goes wrong," Zhao Jinquan kept muttering. For more than a year, he had been thinking about whether he could become a formal employee of the forest farm, always hoping and always worried that he would be disappointed.

Compared to becoming a permanent employee, Zhao Jinquan was more worried about losing his temporary job. He couldn't accept being asked to go back to the team and live a life where he had to calculate every meal, after receiving a monthly salary of 18 yuan. Now, everything was settled, and he had finally become a permanent employee of the forest farm. From now on, he would be a person who received government-subsidized food rations and could earn 32 yuan a month. Just thinking about it made him feel wonderful.

"Brother Feng, do you think I should tell my family this good news?"

After calming down from his excitement, Zhao Jinquan suddenly asked Feng Cheng a question.

Feng Cheng was somewhat surprised. "What, you don't want to tell your parents about this?"

Zhao Jinquan explained, "This matter is still uncertain, and I'm afraid something unexpected might happen next year. If I tell my parents now, the whole brigade will probably know about it. If something unexpected happens, I won't be able to get a permanent position and become a formal employee of the Forestry Bureau. That would be so embarrassing!"

Zhao Jinquan's mood was a mixture of surprise and apprehension, as he took this matter very seriously and was afraid of any unexpected situations.

"Let's not talk about it for now. We'll talk about it after I'm officially hired next year and all the formalities are completed."

Feng Cheng could understand Zhao Jinquan's feelings. Becoming a formal worker was a major event in this era, even more important than getting married. If you didn't have a job, it would be really difficult to get married, but with a job, getting married would be much easier.

"Well, let's not talk about it for now," Zhao Jinquan said, having made up his mind after hearing Feng Cheng's words.

“Brother Feng, you really have to come to my house this year. I need my dad to treat you properly. Without you, I would still be working on the farm to make a living,” Zhao Jinquan said, his eyes filled with gratitude as he looked at Feng Cheng.

"Okay, let's go home together when the camp isn't so busy."

"But I probably can't go during the Chinese New Year. It's too far from your home, and with all the snow, we can't go."

Last year, Feng Cheng mentioned going to Zhao Jinquan's house for a pig-killing feast, but upon closer inspection, it seemed unrealistic. The brigade usually slaughters pigs shortly before the New Year, but by then, the Bashang area was already covered in heavy snow, and Feng Cheng and Zhao Jinquan wouldn't be able to get out of the snowy area, which was dozens of kilometers away.

Zhao Jinquan thought about it and also felt that this was a problem. When the snow season comes in Bashang, it will be really difficult to go out. If it is not far, it will be fine, but if it is too far, it will be very dangerous to go out.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Jinquan made a suggestion: "How about you come stay at my house with me this winter, Brother Feng? Anyway, all we need to do in Bashang is store the seeds in the snow, so it's fine to do it at my house."

Feng Cheng shook his head. "It's not necessary just to eat a pork stew. If I go to your house for the winter, how much stuff will I have to bring? Food, clothing, and shelter—what's the difference between that and moving house?"

“That’s true,” Zhao Jinquan scratched his head, realizing that his suggestion was somewhat inappropriate.

"Then let's go before it snows. I'll have my dad prepare in advance. If we can't have the pork stew, we can have something else. In short, we can't let you down, Brother Feng."

Zhao Jinquan made up his mind to treat Brother Feng to a proper meal. He should have done this last year, but he felt bad about delaying it until now. He felt he couldn't face Brother Feng if he didn't do something good.