Year: I planted trees in Saihanba

After returning to the camp, Xia Tian locked himself in the dugout.

He sat on the simple kang (a heated brick bed), his hands clasped behind his head, lost in deep thought.

He found himself becoming somewhat obsessed lately, tormented by the condition of these saplings to the point of near madness.

The image of the saplings withering and dying kept flashing through his mind.

This filled him with immense fear and anxiety.

He knew he needed to adjust himself.

Otherwise, such a state would not only affect his own physical and mental health.

It will also affect the morale and progress of the entire advance team.

The underground cellar was dimly lit.

Summer sat there quietly, listening to the sound of the wind outside and the conversations of her teammates.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

He told himself that he couldn't let the difficulties defeat him.

He needs to believe in himself.

I have faith in my teammates.

I believe these saplings will definitely take root and grow in Saihanba.

After a long while, Xia Tian slowly stood up, opened the door of the dugout, and walked out.

……

"Old Zhao! Old Zhao!"

Xia Tian stood in the camp and shouted a few times towards Zhao Tianshan's dugout.

"Engineer Xia, the team leader isn't here!"

Old Wei came out of the small kitchen and said to Xia Tian.

"Where did Old Zhao go?"

Xia Tian was a little puzzled and asked Wei Fugui a question.

"The captain took Technician Feng and the others to fetch water."

"I'm staying to cook!"

Old Wei scratched his head sheepishly and answered Xia Tian's question.

"Why didn't you call me when you were fetching water, Old Zhao?!"

After hearing Xia Tian's words, Lao Wei offered another explanation.

"Engineer Xia, is that so!"

“The brigade leader saw you lock yourself in the dugout as soon as you came back.”

"I thought you were in a bad mood, that's why I didn't call you!"

"Alright, I got it, Lao Wei, you can go ahead and get busy!"

Xia Tian nodded and waved for Wei Fugui to continue with his work.

Upon hearing Xia Tian's words, Wei Fugui turned and went back to the small kitchen.

Summer sat in the campsite, petting Changwei's dog head.

His gaze was fixed on the distance, and he seemed to be lost in thought.

……

After meal.

Xia Tian called Zhao Tianshan and Feng Cheng to his dugout.

"Engineer Xia, what's the matter?"

Zhao Tianshan was very curious about what Xia Tian wanted to see him about.

This afternoon he saw Xia Tian go into the dugout as soon as he returned to the camp and didn't come out for a long time.

I wondered if something had happened to Xia Tian.

"Old Zhao, is this how it is?"

"I may have been having some mental issues these past few days, and I need to go down to the dam."

“In the few days I was away from Bashang, Bashang was still the same.”

"You're in charge of things related to daily life. As for technical matters, you and Feng Cheng can discuss them together."

Xia Tian spoke rapidly as she gave instructions to Zhao Tianshan.

"Feng Cheng, tomorrow you come with me to the north hillside to mark the seedlings that need special care."

"After marking them, we give special care to the marked saplings."

"As for the other promising talents, we can decide to abandon them as appropriate."

Xia Tian gave Feng Cheng a few more instructions and then let the two of them leave the dugout.

"Old Feng, what's going on with Engineer Xia?"

Back in their dugout, Zhao Tianshan and Feng Cheng sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and discussed something.

"Old Zhao, I won't lie to you!"

"Xia Gong has put a lot of effort into this seedling."

"As the person in charge of the tree planting in Bashang, Xia Gong was under tremendous pressure."

Feng Cheng sighed slightly and said to Zhao Tianshan.

"Recently, Engineer Xia hasn't been smiling as much as before."

“I can tell, and I also want to try to persuade her.”

"But I don't know how to start the conversation."

"Now Xia Gong has figured it out and wants to go down to the dam for treatment himself."

"This is a good thing!"

"If Engineer Xia collapses on this dam, I don't know what I'll do!"

The next morning, just as the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon.

The wind was howling in Saihanba, and Feng Cheng stood in front of the summer dugout early in the morning, waiting.

Summer emerged from the dugout, her face still showing some weariness, but her eyes revealed a resolute determination.

The two exchanged a brief greeting, then picked up their tools and headed towards the north hillside.

The wind blew incessantly along the way, making people's hair dance wildly.

Xia Tian and Feng Cheng didn't say a word, just kept walking with their heads down, their figures appearing particularly thin in the empty wasteland.

Once we reached the hillside, we could see a wide view.

Large saplings swayed precariously in the wind, some already withered and yellowed, lifeless.

A hint of reluctance flashed in Xia Tian's eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

Together with Feng Cheng, they began marking the saplings that needed special care.

They carefully tied brightly colored markers to each sapling that needed special care.

They also carefully examined the condition of the saplings.

In the summer, she would occasionally tell Feng Cheng about the methods and precautions for maintenance.

Feng Cheng listened attentively to Xia Tian's explanation, nodding occasionally to show that he understood.

The morning passed quickly, and the two finally finished marking.

Back at the camp, Xia Tian quickly packed her luggage and prepared to go down to the dam.

When Zhao Tianshan heard that Xia Tian was leaving, he rushed over to see her off.

He patted Xia Tian on the shoulder and said sincerely.

"Xia, don't worry about going down to the dam. Old Feng and I will take care of things there. We'll definitely do a good job."

"Take good care of yourself and come back soon."

Xia Tian looked at Zhao Tianshan gratefully and said.

"Old Zhao, thank you for your hard work."

"The work in Bashang during this period depends entirely on you and everyone else."

"I believe that as long as we work together, we will definitely be able to get these saplings to take root in Saihanba."

After saying goodbye to Zhao Tianshan and the other team members, Xia Tian embarked on the journey to Xiaba.

Sitting in the carriage, he looked back at the camp that was gradually receding into the distance, his heart filled with reluctance and longing.

But he understands that only by adjusting his own state can he better devote himself to his work later.

After Xia Tian left, Zhao Tianshan and Feng Cheng quickly threw themselves into their work.

Following the summer's plan, they gave special care to the marked saplings.

Every day before dawn, they would lead their team to the afforestation area.

They watered, fertilized, and loosened the soil for the saplings, taking meticulous care of each and every one of them.

Despite the hard work, no one complained.

As the days went by, under the leadership of Zhao Tianshan and Feng Cheng, the team members' work proceeded in an orderly manner.

Although some saplings did not survive.

But most of the marked saplings gradually improved and began to sprout tender green buds.

Seeing these new shoots, Feng Cheng's face lit up with a smile of satisfaction.

He knew that the tree planting was a success.

If these seedlings can withstand this year's wind and snow.

That means their tree planting activity was successful.

Meanwhile, summer is far away in the valley below the dam.

The system's voice also echoed in my mind.

……