Go back to the past to plant trees

Drinking, reading, woodworking, building snowmen, skiing, playing chess.

During the winter in Saihanba, Feng Cheng and Zhao Jinquan tried to find ways to pass the time.

Having stayed in Bashang for a while, Zhao Jinquan's mentality is no longer as carefree as when he first arrived, and he can now calm down and read books.

Last year, Zhao Jinquan made two sleds, but they weren't very good because of the materials used, and they were barely usable. So this autumn, Zhao Jinquan found two good pieces of wood and made two more good sleds.

After the heavy snow stopped, Zhao Jinquan dragged Feng Cheng and Xiao Liu out skiing. This year, Zhao Jinquan also tried a lot of difficult moves. Of course, he couldn't compare to those extreme athletes. He did all sorts of turns and such. Although they were dangerous, they looked much cooler than simple dives.

Feng Cheng also started to learn to do these movements. As for the worry of falling and getting hurt, Feng Cheng had already put that out of his mind. That's how people are; they don't remember the pain until they fall. Feng Cheng was no exception. Although he was worried that danger would appear, he gradually relaxed his vigilance when it didn't.

Fortunately, there has been no serious danger. Even when I occasionally slipped and fell, it was never serious because of the snow. At most, I would get a few bruises, and I would be fine after a few days of rest.

After the snowfall, Feng Cheng and Zhao Jinquan stored away the seeds to be planted next year, and there was absolutely no work to do on the dam.

Leisurely days pass by particularly slowly, but time always moves forward, and in the blink of an eye, New Year's Day has arrived.

Before winter this year, Feng Cheng went to the dam and bought about 30 jin of loose liquor and two bottles of Erguotou. Last year, there wasn't enough liquor, so Feng Cheng specially prepared more this year.

The two had a drink on New Year's Day to celebrate the arrival of 1962.

Feng Cheng looked forward to next year, wanting to check the survival rate of the saplings. Zhao Jinquan was also looking forward to next year, thinking that he would become a formal employee of the Forestry Bureau next year, and then he could loudly announce it to the outside world, making the whole village envious of him.

After New Year's Day, life went back to being as boring as before.

However, Feng Cheng is currently organizing some data and information on all-light seedling cultivation. This is some information he has recorded over the past two years. Once the tree planting in Saihanba is successful, he will have to organize the all-light seedling cultivation technology for his superiors.

After all, there are many places like Saihanba in China, and countless forest farms need this kind of seedling cultivation technology.

However, Feng Cheng is currently only organizing some data because a lot of the data is inaccurate. Accurate data will only be available after the advance team arrives at the dam next year and the corresponding equipment and experimental tools are provided. But this is not particularly important; the data can be replaced later and will not affect the overall paper.

Feng Cheng was looking for things to do, and so was Zhao Jinquan. Last year, he made a stone mill to grind soybeans, cornmeal, and the like. This year, Zheng Erqiang also made one when he went home. As soon as Zhao Jinquan returned, he thought about making one for his own family. However, when the weather was warm, there was a lot of work at the camp, so he didn't get around to it. Now that winter is here and he has more free time, he has started making stone mills.

Not only a stone mill, but he also planned to make a stone mortar and pestle for crushing garlic and chili peppers. However, this thing was quite difficult to make, so he was just trying to make it.

Feng Cheng would occasionally help with these tasks, but he was just an assistant. He didn't know how to do these things, so he would just watch, kill time, and relax.

When he was bored, Feng Cheng would also try his hand at woodworking. It wasn't that he wanted to do it, but he was just bored. Like Zhao Jinquan, he had nothing to do and nothing to kill time, so he could only find something to do.

The Spring Festival in 1962 was in February. This year, Feng Cheng was well prepared. He thought of things he hadn't thought of last year, such as pasting couplets. This year, Feng Cheng bought two sets of red paper to write and paste the couplets.

Feng Cheng didn't write much calligraphy, and his handwriting wasn't very good, but it was passable even though he was forced to do it. In any case, having a couplet added some festive atmosphere to the quiet Bashang area.

The two of them had been living in Bashang for too long, and life had become too mundane. The only time they could look forward to it was during the Spring Festival, when they could have a good meal and a few drinks.

"The snow will melt in a little over a month. When that happens, I'll go down to the dam with you and get your permanent job sorted out as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Brother Feng."

"It's alright. You've been with us in Bashang for two years now, working so hard. If there are any openings for permanent positions, we'll definitely consider you."

Zhao Jinquan nodded happily. He knew that without Feng Cheng, he definitely wouldn't have gotten this job so easily.

"Brother Feng, how many people do you think the bureau will assign to go up the dam?"

"In the early stages, there should be three or four!"

"In the early stages? Does that mean they'll send more people up later?" Zhao Jinquan asked curiously.

"That depends on whether the saplings we planted in the fall can survive. If they do, then more people will come up from Bashang. After all, Bashang is such a big place, so we'll definitely need to send more people to plant trees. But if the trees don't survive, then it's hard to say."

Zhao Jinquan said earnestly, "I can live, I definitely can live." After more than two years of hard work, Zhao Jinquan did not want to end up with a failure.

Moreover, with only two people at the camp, life was incredibly boring. Zhao Jinquan was eager for more people to come up here so that there would be more people to chat with.

"By the way, the nursery will be transplanting a batch of saplings in the spring, and we may need some manpower. If anyone in your team wants to do this job, they can come and help out."

Feng Cheng suddenly thought of something and spoke to Zhao Jinquan.

In the fall, only about 700 trees were planted. Feng Cheng and Zhao Jinquan could finish the job in a few days. But next spring will be different. There will be 6,000 to 7,000 trees to be planted in the nursery. So many trees will be too much for two people to handle. Even if the bureau sends people, it will be difficult to finish in a short time. Moreover, the nursery will also be busy at that time. With just a few people, they simply won't be able to keep up.

Therefore, if you want to plant trees, you need to find nearby villagers to help. You can pay them to come and do short-term work for a few days, and then send them back home after the trees are planted.

This is also a method often used by other forest farms when carrying out afforestation work. Feng Cheng should ask about using it next year.

Zhao Jinquan readily agreed, "Okay, I'll go back and call a few people to come and help. They'll definitely be willing to come, since we get paid for the work here."

Feng Cheng wasn't worried about not being able to recruit people. There were plenty of people in Bashang. As long as they were paid, there were plenty of people willing to come and work. Feng Cheng was just more familiar with Shaquan Brigade and had an acquaintance named Zhao Jinquan, so he was giving that side a second consideration.