Zhenhua also wanted to buy better clothes for Song Lixin, but he didn't have the money. As for the money for this set of clothes, Zhenhua and Yilan have to hide it from their father, saying that it is a donation from caring people, otherwise their father will definitely have an opinion.

In fact, children grow up fast, and they have to change new clothes every year, so they don't have to buy too well. The Song family's wealth is purely poor and conspicuous, and the poorer they are, the more conspicuous they are!

Before the Spring Festival, Zhenhua also won 300 yuan of condolences to Song Jiacai, which was issued by the Civil Affairs Bureau.

In the past two years, Song Rengui has been working outside to earn money to support Song Jiacai and Song Lixin. Song Rengui was also very lazy in the past, but he had a grandson in the past few years, so he mustered up his energy. However, the Song family's wealth can't support the wall, and the little hard-earned money his uncle earns is not enough for him to worship.

The most terrible thing is that Song Rengui is getting old, and it is getting more and more difficult to work, and many construction sites are reluctant to ask for him.

The Spring Festival is coming in the blink of an eye.

Zhenhua took stock of his family's debts and owed more than 3,000. From ninety-three to ninety-five years, two years of hard work, it is not enough to fill the hole for Qi Lei!

Chen Daogang has skills, works hard, and turned over quickly, and paid off all the money guaranteed for Qi Lei at the end of the year.

And Zhuang Xiaodie's debts are still so much.

There is not much left of a year's farming income except for household expenses. Qi Gui also worked outside as a carpenter, but the wages of the apprentices were also pitiful, which was a drop in the bucket for the huge family debt.

The creditors of Qi Lei also knew that Zhuang Xiaodie could not afford to pay it, and at the end of the year, they symbolically came over to ask and stopped collecting debts.

On the morning of the twenty-sixth day of the lunar month, Zhenhua also took Qi Gui and Zhuang Xiaodie, as well as some peanuts, potatoes, and dried lentils, to visit Director Shi, and apologized by the way, because Qi Lei's money was still not repaid. Director Shi could only smile bitterly, wave his hand, and send Zhenhua away.

Ninety-six officially arrived.

After the Spring Festival, Song Rengui came to Zhenhua and said: "Zhenhua, do you have a way to introduce me to work......?"

Zhenhua smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Uncle Song, I don't have a good way, if I hear someone in the future, I'll tell you." ”

Song Rengui rubbed his hands and sighed: "If you don't work, you don't have money to spend at home." ”

Zhenhua thought for a while and said, "Actually, you stay at home and farm with your family wealth, and your income is similar to that of a part-time job." It's just that the family is too lazy, and you have to talk about him. Otherwise, the money you pay for your part-time job will not be enough for him to spend. ”

In the past two years, the price of grain has been good, and it is definitely no problem to feed a family by farming and developing a side business. Song Rengui went out to work at this age, and the salary was very small, so it was better to farm at home!

Song Rengui sighed: "How can you farm without ploughing cattle?"

"There are a lot of tractors in the village, so let's spend money to find someone else to plow the land. Zhenhua said.

"That's all there is to it. Song Rengui sighed and left.

It's a very idle time in the spring.

There is not much work in the village, and Zhenhua and his father are idle at home.

Yilan suggested that Zhenhua buy a battery to catch loaches and yellow eels, and he could earn thirty or fifty yuan every night. If you are willing to endure hardship, you can even earn seventy or eighty yuan.

Zhenhua listened to the suggestion, spent a thousand yuan, purchased all the electric fish equipment, and went out for a stroll every night.

At that time, the management of battery fishing had not yet begun, and the countryside was full of batteries. Battery fishing in the countryside can be carried out from after the first lunar month until the beginning of autumn. Some young adults who have no skills often take this as a profession.

At the beginning, Zhenhua was not skilled in operation and was extremely laborious. After a week, I gradually mastered the skills, and I gained something every day.

In April, the farming season began and the village work gradually increased, so Zhenhua had no time to fish and earn extra money.

Last year, there was enough rain, and I had to go to Jiangnan to fight the flood. This year, on the contrary, after the rice planting, God did not rain a drop, and Zhenhua had to be busy fighting the drought.

In the first half of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, a meeting was held in the township to announce the order of the higher authorities to form a militia assault company in Hedong Township to fight drought in Badouling, 30 miles to the north.

Cao Yuhui, the township commander, served as the company commander, and Zhenhua was appointed as the deputy company commander of the assault company.

This drought fight is different from last year's flood fight, and the township is required to uniformly recruit oil extractor pumps and operators, and send water from the Dongwan Reservoir to Badouling with multiple equipment solitaires.

For each machine, the subsidy is 50 yuan per day, and for each operator, the subsidy is 20 yuan per day. The fuel and lubricating oil used in the machine are provided by the township.

Zhenhua requisitioned 12 sets of diesel engine water pump combinations from Dongwan Village, and selected four operators. Gao Sanye is still the technical support this time, responsible for equipment maintenance, and was conscripted to "enlist".

On the eighth day of the seventh lunar month, Zhenhua led the team to arrive at Badouling, set up camp at the designated location, and carried out drought fighting work.

This mission is much easier than last year's flood fighting.

The commissioning and installation of the ten pumps was completed and the work began. The other two machines are combined as substitutes and are on standby.

After the water pump comes out, there is almost nothing to do, as long as the machine does not fail, arrange a person to be responsible for refueling and adding water.

The third master Gao took Zhenhua to walk around, walked three miles to the north, and a huge dirt bag appeared in front of him.

The soil bag is more than one zhang high, covering an area of more than half an acre, and the hill is the same.

The third master pointed to the dirt bag and asked, "Zhenhua, do you know what kind of place this is?"

Zhenhua shook his head and said with a smile: "How did I know? It's the first time I've come to Badouling. ”

Regarding Badouling, Zhenhua only knows that this is the western extension of Dabie Mountain, which is above the ridge of the watershed of rivers and lakes. The rain south of the Badou Mountains will eventually flow into the Yangtze River, and the rain in the north will eventually flow into the Huai River.

Liu Zhigao smiled: "This earthen bag is the tomb of a historical celebrity, guess who it is?"

Zhenhua thought for a moment, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and blurted out: "Cao Zhi Cao Zijian?"

"Guessed right!" Gao Sanye snapped his fingers and said, "This is Cao Zhi's tomb, and some people say that it is Cao Zhi's clothed tomb." The name of Badouling also came from Cao Zhi. ”

Zhenhua nodded: "Yes, there is a total of articles in the world, and Cao Zijian has eight buckets." I've also heard the story of 'Cao Zhi died of thirst in Badouling', and I don't know if it's true or not. ”

There is a local story about Cao Zijian and Badouling: after Cao Cao's death, Cao Pi took power and Cao Zhi went into exile. When the exile passed through Badouling, Cao Zhi saw that the drought here was serious, so he stayed and fought the drought with the common people, but in the end the drought was unsuccessful and died of thirst here.

"This is the watershed of the Yangtze River and Huai, and there is a perennial shortage of water, and the drought is even worse in the year of drought. In ancient times, the conditions were poor, and it was possible for Cao Zhi to die of thirst here. For example, this year's drought is severe, and if the state and the government do not ask, the people of Badouling may have a problem with water. "The third master of the high school is feeling.

"Is this the draught who doesn't forget to dig the well?" Zhenhua smiled and said.

"I think the story of Cao Zhi dying of thirst in Badouling may be fake. But the common people during the Three Kingdoms period had a difficult life, and they all hoped that there would be a responsible parent official to do practical things for everyone, so they made up such a story. The story is fake, but it can reflect the true wishes and expectations of ordinary people. ”

The third master laughed and gave a thumbs up to Zhenhua: "There is a level, just with these words, Zhenhua can be a high-ranking county official!"