Back to 1980: Farming the Sea and Expanding the Island

Su Yanqiu left the equipment and seeds behind, seemingly with many things to take care of, and it was unclear when she would return.

Meanwhile, a technician named Wang was also left behind. This technician will stay here for a period of time, the length of which will depend on Lin Chuan's mastery of these devices.

People will come to the island to visit every now and then.

The initial excitement surrounding the Qingpingzhou transport team, Shachuan Qingyun 001, and the observers at the experimental field gradually dissipated after a week.

The villagers were all busy with their own lives, and life went on as usual. As for those who felt envious and jealous, they could only mutter a few sour thoughts in private.

The Lin family spent almost every day cultivating the island, so these gossips didn't reach their ears, and they naturally didn't care.

After the "Youth Movement 001" docked at Beishi Wharf for public viewing on the first day, it has never stopped at this small wharf again.

Firstly, the dock is too small to support the weight of large ships; secondly, there are simply too many orders to handle.

The entire commune knew that a 100-ton transport ship had been built on Qingping Island, and small factories in the surrounding area, which were struggling with insufficient transport capacity, came to place orders one after another.

This was somewhat unexpected and a pleasant surprise for them. The orders Wang Pusheng had brought in hadn't even started running yet, and they were already incredibly busy.

A boat is divided into two shifts, with people resting while the boat keeps running.

Li Jianshe led Liang Chengfeng and his son Liang Wendong, along with his eldest son Li Jianye and nephew Li Jianmin;

Wang Pusheng led another team of four, including Uncle Li San, Lin Xuewu, Li Dongcheng, and Sun Tianshui, to work on the river in shifts, and the transport team officially began operations.

When the transport team got busy, the fishing team in the team had fewer people, and two boats were suddenly freed up.

Li Chunjiang and his two companions seized the opportunity and joined the fishing team. After all, the benefits of the fishing team were better than in other places, at least they didn't have to worry about not having fish to eat.

Lin Chuan had been keeping an eye on Zhao Chenghu, but he hadn't seen him come looking for him.

After inquiring with Wang Hao, I learned that after Zhao Chenghu hurriedly returned last time, he turned around and ran to the Pearl River.

That's really...far away, over a thousand kilometers. Lin Chuan shook his head, deciding to stop thinking about it. It was for the best; he could focus on building his island in peace.

Qingpingzhou, in the red willow grove on the island's edge.

Lin Chuan, along with Shui Houzi and Li Jiaye, searched for saplings that could be transplanted.

"Brother Chuanzi, how many saplings do we need to dig up?" Li Jiaye looked at the small pile of saplings next to him, his face full of discouragement.

"Didn't you hear what Brother Chuan said? They're going to plant 50,000 strange willows on the island. This is just the beginning," the water monkey said nonchalantly.

"When will this digging ever end?!"

"Don't rush, we don't have to plant them all at once. I'm thinking, 50,000 might not be enough." Lin Chuan said as he skillfully dug out a sapling.

"Ah, so... are there really that many saplings?" Li Jiaye was a little dumbfounded.

"Even if there are any, we can't just dig them up in the village. The village also needs these trees for protection."

"Let's dig up these first and transplant them to Canhong Island to try. Next spring, we'll buy some more tree seeds and plant them on the island," Lin Chuan explained patiently.

"That's good, that's good." Li Jiaye breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Chuan looked at the saplings and smiled, "Alright, we've dug up enough these past two days. Let's go back and start planting tomorrow."

"Come on, Li Lao Er, what are you still standing there for!" Water Monkey reached out and tugged at Li Jiaye, who looked gloomy, and urged him impatiently.

Helpless, Li Jiaye picked up a bundle of saplings and said dejectedly, "They're here."

As December approached, it grew colder day by day.

On Sunday, while the sky was still overcast, fires were already lit in the stoves of every household in the village.

In the crisp, cool air, tiny sparks of fire awaken the entire island.

Lin's mother added a handful of dried reeds to the stove, and the water in the pot began to bubble.

The rising steam added a touch of warmth to the cold.

While kneading the risen mixed grain dough, Lin's mother called out to the courtyard, "Xiaoman, wear warm clothes! The wind on the river is strong!"

Xiaoman had already woken up and was leaning against the window, gazing longingly outside.

Today is the first day of the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, which is December 7th in the Gregorian calendar. It is the day of spring tide.

There are only two days like this each month, when the tide recedes exceptionally far, so far that the sandy road leading to the North Bank Commune is exposed at the bottom of the river.

Over the decades, the village has filled in a lot of stones along this road, and many people in Qingpingzhou use this dry road to cross the river.

"Auntie, I'm all dressed!" Xiaoman replied cheerfully, putting on the new coat that Auntie had sewn for her.

Lin's mother tied her hair into two small buns with red ribbons, and she bounced around with her movements, looking exceptionally energetic.

In the courtyard, Lin's father was carefully inspecting the wheels of the oxcart to make sure there was no looseness.

The team's large water buffalo was securely tied to a tree stump outside the gate, occasionally swishing its tail.

Two large bamboo baskets were placed behind the vehicle, and several empty burlap sacks were hanging beside it, swaying gently in the breeze.

The old man squatted under the eaves, slowly stuffing tobacco into his morning tobacco pipe.

He glanced at the sky and said slowly, "The tide has receded completely today; we can walk until noon."

Lin Chuan came out of the house, glanced at his excited younger sister, and said with a smile, "Xiaoman, I'll take you to the supply and marketing cooperative today to see if they have any new stationery."

Xiaoman's eyes lit up instantly, and she asked in surprise, "Really?"

"Seriously, if you do well on your final exams, I'll buy you that pencil case with the magnet."

"I'm sure I'll do well on the test. My teacher always praises me!" Xiaoman clenched her little fist, her face full of confidence.

The family had a simple breakfast of multigrain steamed buns with pickled vegetables, which Lin Chuan had made before and which has now become the standard breakfast for the family.

Lin's mother also thoughtfully cooked a duck egg for each person.

When I went out, the sky was already turning white, and the morning light shone softly through the clouds.

The village road became lively, with people coming out from almost every household.

Some people were pushing wheelbarrows, some were carrying loads on shoulder poles, and two households were pushing out large wooden poles.

Back when these two bicycles appeared on the island, the sensation they caused was no less than that caused by the "Qingyun 001" ship.

Lin's father harnessed the oxcart, and Aunt Liang gently placed a basket of eggs on it.

On the other side, Shui Houzi and Wang Haiyue also placed several reed baskets on the car.

These were all carefully woven at home by the water monkey, Amu.

"Let's go, let's set off!" Xiaoman and Xiaowu shouted excitedly as they boarded the oxcart.

The once mighty river had receded far away, revealing a wide, damp dirt road leading to the commune.

The road surface is solid, smoothed by countless tides, and the uneven parts have been neatly repaired by our ancestors over decades.

The wheels rolled over the damp sand, making a "shush" sound and leaving two clear tracks.

A river breeze swept over me, carrying the unique salty smell of the river and the coolness of the morning.

On both sides of the road were shallow puddles that had not yet receded, in which small fish and shrimp were jumping.

Several teenagers, ignoring the adults' shouts and not minding the cold water, rolled up their trousers and started touching the puddles, occasionally letting out excited shouts.

Xiaoman clung tightly to the carriage railing, her eyes darting left and right.

She saw a girl about her age waving at her from the oxcart ahead, and she quickly and excitedly waved back.