A leader of the Provincial Ministry of Agriculture, accompanied by local leaders, came to Chenjia Village to find Chen Sinong. At that time, Chen Sinong was wearing a straw hat and holding a hoe to help his father remove the grass in the field.
The leader shook Chen Sinong's hand and said, "I know a little about your deeds, you are amazing." You have always taken root in the countryside, led the villagers to get rid of poverty and become rich, played an exemplary role, and are a practitioner of the core values of socialism. Paying attention to the countryside, caring for farmers, and caring for agriculture is the responsibility and obligation of each of us. I am here to thank you today and say to you: hard work! ”
"Thank you for your concern, the leader has worked hard!" This is the first time Chen Sinong shook hands with the leader, and a warm current surged into his heart, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Chen Sinong, an ordinary farmer, has become a celebrity since the TV interviewed him and the leader visited him, which made him feel heavier on his shoulders and more pressure in his heart.
"Ergou, from now on, we are no longer afraid that Sinong will not help us sell sweet potatoes. He has a good reputation, and if he doesn't help us, it's tantamount to self-destructing his image, hehe. Chai Gen said happily to Ergou.
Ergou said: "He didn't help us before he became famous, and he never made any benefits." Whether people's hearts are good or not, I think they are born. ”
Chai Gen felt that Er Gou was helping Chen Sinong speak, and did not stand on his own position, and asked: "Then is your heart inherently good or bad?" ”
"Like you, it's not good or bad, it's just not good." Ergou's answer left Chai Gen speechless.
Now that Chen Sinong is famous, Wan Changgen feels the need to celebrate and asks Chen Sinong to treat him. Chen Sinong said: "I also have this intention, call Huang Dalong and his wife, and we will have a good drink together." ”
"Do you want to call Yang Xiaoli over too?" Wan Changgen asked.
"Forget it, she's very busy every day, and she can't make sense to come so far to drink." Chen Sinong didn't want to call Yang Xiaoli.
This time, Chen Sinong did not take everyone to the hotel of Chen Daha in Taipingguan, but invited guests to the hotel at the intersection of Changsheng Town.
The proprietress of the hotel has known Chen Sinong for a long time, and she also saw him on TV, saying: "It is a great honor for celebrities to come to our restaurant for dinner today." ”
"Where, where, it's also a celebrity, I'm just a courier." Chen Sinong said modestly, "If there are any good dishes, I won't be too lazy to order, enough for the six of us to eat." ”
"Got it, you come to eat with me and never order." The proprietress said happily.
Everyone walked into the box and sat down, and the proprietress personally brought tea and melon seeds, and everyone chatted while eating melon seeds.
"Before I knew it, twenty years had passed, and my hair was gray." Chen Sinong sighed.
"Sometimes, I feel like I have just graduated from school, and last night I dreamed of taking the college entrance examination, and there were a few questions that I couldn't do, which woke me up urgently." Huang Dalong touched his bright forehead and said, "When I was studying, I had a headache when I saw books, and it was strange to often dream of reading when I went out of school." ”
"It's called nostalgia. I, too, often dream that I am still in school. However, if we all read well, we wouldn't be the way we are now, and I guess we wouldn't have the opportunity to be together every day. Thank you that we didn't read good books, hehe. Wan Changgen said humorously.
"You and Sinong are much better than me, out of school will also read, write things, what I learned is basically returned to the teacher, English only remember YES and NO, mathematics can only add, subtract, multiply and divide, I knew this, read a primary school to pull down, plant sweet potatoes early and make a fortune." Huang Dalong laughed.
The food came up, and everyone started drinking. Chen Sinong couldn't drink alcohol, but Guo Hongxiu didn't stop him, and only asked him to drink less.
At this time, Yang Xiaoli called Chen Sinong, saying that she saw him on TV and congratulated him on becoming a celebrity. Chen Sinong said he was drinking with his old classmates to celebrate.
"Then why didn't you call me for a drink and forget about me?" Yang Xiaoli complained on the phone.
"I'm sorry, I didn't call you if I was too far away, so I'll invite you next time." Chen Sinong said apologetically.
"I'm just going home, in Taipingguan." Yang Xiaoli said, "I'll come here." ”
Taipingguan is also seven or eight miles away from Changsheng Town, and it won't take long for Yang Xiaoli to drive over. After about ten minutes, Chen Sinong waited for her at the door of the hotel.
"Xiaoli, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were home." Chen Sinong shook hands with Yang Xiaoli and led her to the box.
"You're so bad, you don't want me as an old classmate, and you don't call me at the party." Yang Xiaoli sat down at the table, and Chen Sinong poured her a drink.
Wan Changgen explained: "I told Sinong, she said that you are very busy, and the road is far away, so I didn't tell you, how do I know that you are going home." ”
"In the dark, there is providence, and none of our old classmates are absent, I'm so happy." Chen Sinong picked up his wine glass and said, "To everyone, to our eternal friendship." ”
"You are often together, but I am lonely, I knew that I would not repeat it, how good it is to be with everyone." Yang Xiaoli picked up the drink and touched the glass with everyone.
"If the two love for a long time, how can they drink happily in the morning and twilight." Wan Changgen tilted his neck and dried up.
"If there is love in the sky, the sky is also old, and the right way in the world is the vicissitudes of life, just drink a good time." Chen Sinong tilted his neck and it.
"Nine times out of ten, life is unsatisfactory, and there are no two or three people who can talk to them, just drink a good drink." Huang Dalong tilted his neck and dried up.
The four women looked at the three men and repeated "Drink a good drink", and dried the wine, feeling that they were drinking happily, but they did not know that they had their own bitterness in their hearts.
At this party, they drank and chatted until about ten o'clock in the evening, which was considered to be a great fun.
The following days, they were busy again as usual, and nothing major happened.
Liao Sanmei has always been worried about Chen Sinong's body, and the last time she heard that he had fainted, she was even more relieved. She made an appointment with Zhou Yue, and the two went to Chen Sinong's express store together, wanting to see what he was doing, and she must persuade him to pay attention to his body.
They only went after lunch, and when they went to the express store, they could see Chen Sinong's shadow, who was either in the yuba factory or running outside. Guo Hongxiu called him and said that his mothers on both sides were here, and he would come back early when he was done.
The sun had set, and seeing that Chen Sinong had not returned, Liao Sanmei decided to go home. Guo Hongxiu said that there is no shuttle bus to Taipingguan now, so it is better to wait for Chen Sinong to come back and send her away by car. Zhou Yue'e was cooking in the kitchen and also came out to persuade.
When dinner time came, all the people invited to the store went back, and only Chunhua was the only one who hadn't left. Seeing that the store was not busy, she said to Guo Hongxiu: "Sister-in-law, I'll go back." ”
"I'll have dinner before I leave." Guo Hongxiu said.
Zhou Yue'e saw that Chunhua refused to eat, so she took her hand and said, "Chunhua, why are you like this?" Eat before leaving. ”
"I don't eat, the child is still at his grandmother's house, and he will cry when he goes back." Chunhua insisted on leaving, and Zhou Yue'e let go.
As soon as Chunhua went out, she met Chen Sinong and said, "Brother, I'm going home." ”
"Skipping meals?" Chen Sinong asked.
"I don't want to eat it." Chunhua said, "Your mother and sister-in-law's mother are here. ”
"I know, no wonder you're embarrassed to eat." Chen Sinong said.
Haruka smiled, shook the ponytail tied behind her head, and walked home.
At the dinner table, everyone didn't say anything. Chen Sinong didn't drink alcohol, and sat on a chair to rest after eating a bowl of rice.
After eating, Liao Sanmei sat down next to Chen Sinong and said, "I came with your mother today, I have nothing else to do, I just want to persuade you to pay attention to rest, if you are busy like this, you will fall down sooner or later." ”
"There is no day off to do express delivery, I think you and your classmates will run that factory. You see, Hongxiu is also too tired to look like a man. Zhou Yue'e also moved a stool and sat on the side.
Chen Sinong glanced at Guo Hongxiu, her face was covered with freckles, and she felt very uncomfortable, and said: "The express delivery can't be lost, because I have to deliver it myself." Otherwise, invite two more people, and Xiuxiu can cook everyone's meal. ”
"You're not in charge yet, you're going to have to worry about it. I think it's better to transfer the express store to someone else to do it, and it's the same if you ship the goods and ask someone else to send them, it's just to earn less. You really can't bear it like this, and your body will definitely collapse. Liao Sanmei said.
"I started with express delivery, if I lose my old business, it is equivalent to digging out my roots, and the people who work hard with me will have nothing to do. Chunhua has been with me for more than ten years, and the two drivers have come out of their feelings. People work diligently, we don't have to worry about anything, they never complain about anything, and they never take the initiative to say that they want to raise their wages. It's really annoying and tiring to do express delivery, and I really can't make much money, but I don't do it, what will they do? Chen Sinong scratched his head, in a dilemma.
"Look at your hair, it's much whiter than mine. Your life is dying, and you still think about others. If you transfer the shop to someone else, they will also have to hire someone, and they can do it for them, as if they would have nothing to eat without you. Zhou Yue'e said, "You have made so much money, don't work hard." Like your brother and sister-in-law, the two of them work outside, although life is tight, but they don't worry so much, and they look younger than you. ”
"Yes, yes, the body is the most important, if you are not in good health, no matter how much money you make, it is useless." Liao Sanmei echoed on the side.
"I'll ask two more people to count, insist on it for two years, and if I lose money, I won't do it." Chen Sinong stood up and said, "I'll drive you home." ”
Along the way, Liao Sanmei and Zhou Yue'e still persuaded Chen Sinong to turn the express store away, but he didn't make a sound.
Looking back on the past, he felt a lot of emotion. When school first came out, his mother thought that he didn't want to work, and he couldn't even support himself if he couldn't earn money; His mother-in-law thought his family was poor and was unwilling to marry Liao Hongxiu to him. Now, on the other hand, they are afraid that he will work too hard to make money and will die of exhaustion. He said in his heart: "Death of hunger is death, death of exhaustion is also death, and you must die a well-deserved and glorious death." If I don't want to do anything like I did when I was young, just stay at home and write novels, I'm afraid many people would wish I die, it's really contradictory and ridiculous to think about. ”
When it comes to doing it, Chen Sinong invited two more people, no matter whether there is more money to be made or not, Guo Hongxiu must be freed from complicated affairs and be a real boss. In addition, he also specially bought a bottle of freckle removal beauty cream to paint her face, and tried to remove the freckles on her face, so as not to make her mother-in-law uncomfortable.
Now, Guo Hongxiu doesn't have to do any work, cooking, beauty, and her mental state is much better. Chen Sinong is still the same as before, constantly calling all day long, not only to manage the affairs in the factory, but also to manage the affairs in the store, and there is no easy day.
On this day, Chai Gen sat sullenly at the door of the express store, wanting to say something to Chen Sinong but did not speak. Chen Sinong invited him to come into the store and sit for a while, but he didn't come in.
"Si Nong, will you still mind our business?" Chai Gen asked suddenly.
"yes, it's so busy, I haven't been home in a while. Uncle Chagan, what's the matter? Chen Sinong asked.
"There has been no rain for two months in a row, and the crops in the fields are dying, so I am afraid that this year will be in vain." Chai Gen said with a bitter face.
"The last time I saw everyone pumping water to protect the seedlings, I thought it was okay." Chen Sinong said.
"Where to pump water now, the reservoir is almost out of water, and that little bit of water will keep the rice and you will be pumped into the field? It is difficult for people to drink water. Chai Gen said helplessly, "This is a sin made by heaven, I didn't want to talk to you, but I want to talk to you." ”
"I'll go home and see." Chen Sinong is more anxious than Chai Gen.
Agriculture depends on the weather to eat, and if the weather is bad, no matter how industrious the farmers are, it will be in vain. Now that there is a big drought, Chen Sinong can't care, he put down the work in his hand and drove home.
On both sides of the road, the rice trees on the higher terrain were so dry that they could burn with a single fire. The sweet potatoes in the field have lost their green and green color, the leaves are soft and drooping, and some have turned yellow. If it doesn't rain again, it will be difficult to keep the rice, let alone the sweet potato.
In such bad weather, Chen Hegen, as the head of the village, is powerless, and only hopes that the government can allocate some disaster relief funds, and then each family will share a little to compensate for some losses.
When everyone saw that Chen Sinong was back, they seemed to see some hope again, and they all gathered around.
"The current drought is quite serious, we can't sit back and wait for the rain, we must take action to fight drought and protect seedlings." Chen Sinong said to everyone.
"If there is no water, it is useless to find a way, and there are still people fighting for water." Ergou said, "I'm going to lose a lot this year." ”
Chen Sinong thought for a while and said: "It's definitely too late to drill a big drought-resistant well now, you can drill a small well to keep the seedlings from dying first, and then see if the weather will rain." ”
"We've thought about it too, but who can afford it? If you have money to invest in digging wells, it is better to let the crops wither. Chai Gen said.
"Well, I'll pay for it, and I'll hire someone to drill a few wells in the ground to keep some of the seedlings. To be honest, my ability is limited, and I can't afford to drill more wells. If the water pumped out of the well keeps the nearby seedlings left, everyone must keep more seedlings even if they carry them on their shoulders. A hard year can't be in vain. Chen Sinong asked, "Do any of you have a phone number for the drilling team?" ”
"I have." A villager took out his mobile phone and gave it to Chen Sinong.
Chen Sinong called and asked about the price of drilling a well, and his brows furrowed, that is, it costs several thousand yuan to drill a well 20 meters deep, and with the purchase of a water pump, a well will cost at least more than 10,000 yuan. In such arid weather, digging a well 20 meters deep may not be able to produce water.
Chen Sinong's heart was horizontal, his teeth were bitten, his hand waved, and he said: "A total of five wells are drilled, and I can't afford to dig more." ”
Chen Sinong is willing to pay for drought-resistant wells, which is easy to do. Everyone thought to themselves: as long as there is water, even if the bucket is picked up during the day and night, the shoulders are worn out, and the shoes are rotten, the crops and seedlings must be saved.
Chen Sinong spent a total of tens of thousands of dollars to dig five drought-resistant wells, but his mother Zhou Yue'e did not scold him for being a fool. It's not that she doesn't want to scold, but she doesn't dare to scold, for fear that if she scolds, he will faint and fall to the ground, which is even more unreasonable. Did Guo Hongxiu scold him for being a loser? didn't dare to scold, similar to Zhou Yue's concerns, and thought: "This express store really can't be opened, he has money in his hands, and he sprinkles it out like dirt, what's the point of being half dead when he's tired?" ”
With drought-resistant wells, the villagers are tired every day with backache and sweat, because there are only a few drought-resistant wells, and the crops that cannot be watered by water pipes have to be watered with buckets, but it will cost everyone's life.
Half a month later, it rained. Fortunately, Chen Sinong funded a few drought-resistant wells, otherwise, those crops would definitely die.
On the night of another full moon, Chen Sinong had a whim and asked Guo Hongxiu: "Old Guo, I haven't been to the old place for a long time, are you willing to go with me?" ”
"Didn't that willow tree die a long time ago? You're going to be out of the way again, what are you doing there? Guo Hongxiu asked.
"If you don't go, then I'll go alone." He especially misses that time.
"Let's go, who will take Mengmeng?" She asked, and then said, "Then take her for a ride." ”
Son Chen Yuanfang lives at the school, and Chen Sijia drove Guo Hongxiu and her daughter to the old place where they once met.
The Meng River was murmuring, the moonlight was still there, the dead willows were still there, but they were no longer young. The wind blew Guo Hongxiu's long hair, caressing Chen Sinong's rough face, and the past was vivid. They don't have the passion of the year, no sweet words, only endless sighs, lamenting the passage of time, lamenting the passage of time.
"Lao Guo, this is the cradle of our emotions, the second starting point of life, without you, it would be difficult for me to get to where I am now. Thank you for being with us all the way. Chen Sinong said affectionately.
"Alas, what's the solution, I may just like your pedantic character, you are roundabout, I love and hate, life is better than death, death and resurrection." Guo Hongxiu didn't know whether to praise or depreciate.
"I really want to write a book, to write our love story, to write our entrepreneurial history, to write our attitude towards life, to write about the homeland, and to write the strong nostalgia. In this life, people always have to do something meaningful. He said impassionedly.
"You can still sit still, so don't nail you to the stool?" She didn't believe what he said.
He smiled, and the mobile phone in his pocket rang, and it was the city leader who called, saying that he had been rated as one of the top ten farmers in the country, and asked him to receive the award tomorrow.
At this time, the sky over the Meng River was cloudless, and the moon became clearer and brighter.
20240509
(ENDS)