allonlinenovel Chapter 236 I Can't
Chapter 236 I Can't
There was still a gray-haired old man left.
It’s not that he wasn’t afraid of strangers, but his leg was lame and he suddenly couldn’t find his walking stick, so he could only stand there in panic, anxiously.
He Yi walked up to the old man, pulled out the smooth wooden stick from behind him, and handed it to him.
"Old man, are you looking for this?"
The old man's face was full of wrinkles, his clothes were tattered and patched, and the black cloth shoes on his feet were so torn that three toes were exposed.
The old man snatched the stick, held it in his hand, across his chest, and looked at He Yi vigilantly.
“Don’t be afraid, old man, we are not bad people.
My wife's foot is injured. She passed by this village and wants to stay overnight. Can you show me the way and tell me where the village chief's house is?"
He Yi asked politely with a sincere smile on his face.
The old man raised his cloudy eyes and looked them up and down carefully. He saw that the girl on the man's back had a white bandage on her left foot.
Then he sighed deeply, put the stick on the ground, stood up and said slowly:
"Hey, young man, it's not that we don't want to help you, but the village chief is probably too busy to take care of himself right now."
"What's wrong? Did something happen in the village chief's house?" He Yi asked with concern.
The old man sighed again and continued:
"He's probably worried about the spring ploughing right now.
What’s more, our village was extremely poor and every household had no food to eat.
There isn't enough food for our family, how can we have extra food to treat you?"
"Old man, please show us the way. We are just asking for a place to stay, and we have our own food.
We just wanted to find a place to stay so my wife could have a good night’s rest.”
The old man once again looked He Yi and his group up and down, thought for a moment and said:
"Okay, I'll take you there and try it out."
"Thank you, old man."
He Yi thanked him, walked up to Xu Qingfeng, took Zuo Zixuan and carried him on his back.
The group followed the old man slowly to the village chief's house.
"Old man, I think the spring plowing season is almost over, why are your fields still bare?"
Song Yingyan looked at the empty fields with some surprise.
The old man stopped and looked helplessly at the endless empty fields. His eyes turned slightly red. He shook his head and sighed deeply.
“The village chief is worried about this matter!
The spring ploughing season is almost over, but the seeds haven’t even been planted yet.”
Song Yingyan and Xu Qingfeng exclaimed "Ah?" in surprise.
The spring plowing season is almost over, but the seeds haven’t even been planted yet. What will the people eat next year?
"Old man, didn't the agricultural department allocate seeds to you? Didn't your brigade keep any seeds?"
He Yi asked with some surprise.
Now it is a collective economy, and some seeds are allocated and distributed by the higher-level agricultural departments. Others are kept by the brigade based on the planting experience of previous years.
How come there are no seeds?
When the old man heard this, he snorted coldly.
"The superiors distributed seeds? I'm afraid they forgot about us this year?"
He Yi frowned, "Old man, since the founding of New China, the country has been committed to rural construction. How could we forget about you?"
The old man's smile became even more exaggerated.
"Rural development? Turn around and look around to see if we have been developed.
Look at the house we live in. There is a crack on the wall as big as a bowl. If the wind is a little strong, it can blow away the pots and pans in the house.
When it rains, the rain pours like crazy, flooding the house. The ground is filled with pots and jars, and there is no dry place for people to stand.
Who is in charge? "
The old man became more and more excited as he spoke, and he started crying. He raised his dirty sleeves, wiped his face carelessly, and continued:
"Let's talk about the work on the field.
The land was so barren that nothing would grow well. We sowed the seeds and hoped for a good harvest, but in the end, we were lucky to get only 30% or 40%!
The crops are sparse, the wheat ears are shriveled, and the corn ears are short, which is heartbreaking to look at.
The people in the village rely on this little harvest to make a living all year round.
Even the higher-ups are too lazy to give us any tasks. It would be useless even if we did, as the food we grow is not enough for us to eat.
If there is not enough food, we will go dig wild vegetables. When all the wild vegetables are dug, we will have to starve.
The clothes they wear are patched up one after another, and are passed on by older children to younger children. A piece of clothing can be passed down for several generations.
For the kids, forget about it as there are no schools, and even if there were, they can’t afford to go to school!
If you get sick and have no money to buy medicine, you can only bear it. If you can't bear it, you can only watch the person die.
There were very few livestock in the village. There were only a few cows for about fifty households. The better families raised two chickens and ate some eggs.
There wasn’t even enough firewood for cooking. In the middle of winter, the house was as cold as an ice cellar.
I really don’t know when this day will end! ”
As they were talking, several people came to the outside of the village chief's yard.
The village chief's house was slightly better than the other houses, but it was just a mud house without the gaps.
Before they even stepped into the house, the sound of a fierce quarrel was heard.
"If we don't plant this land, everyone will starve this year!"
A rough and anxious voice sounded like thunder, full of anxiety and uneasiness.
"But where does the money for seeds come from? We can't just rob them!" another voice retorted with some helplessness and despair.
The old man led them into the house. The people who had been arguing stopped talking instantly and all looked over at him with confusion and vigilance.
The village chief was a middle-aged man wearing a coat that had been washed so much that the color was almost faded.
His brows were furrowed and his face looked tired.
Looking around the house, there was hardly any decent furniture.
The only round table was missing a leg and had to be propped up with stones to keep its balance. It looked so shaky that it seemed like it would fall apart at any time.
"Village chief, these people want to stay in our village for one night." The old man explained their purpose.
The village chief looked up and down at He Yi and the others, his face showing difficulty, his voice full of helplessness and bitterness:
"Brother, it's not that I don't agree, it's just that the village is too busy to take care of itself right now.
Our village is too poor, I'm afraid no one would be willing to receive you."
After saying that, he turned to look at a middle-aged woman and two half-grown little boys sitting against the wall.
"Here, my whole family will only have plain water for the next meal. I really can't entertain you."
He Yi put Zuo Zixuan down and asked Xu Qingfeng to support her.
He took a step forward and said sincerely:
"Village leader, we don't want to eat your food, we have our own food.
My wife's foot was injured, and we just wanted to find a place to have a good rest for a night and then leave.
It won’t cause you any trouble.”
The village chief thought about it and shook his head, "Brother, I'm really sorry, it's really not very convenient for our village.
Why don't you go ask the neighboring villages? Their conditions are slightly better than ours."
He Yi was about to give up and try in the next village, when Zuo Zixuan behind him said:
"Village Chief, maybe we can help you solve the problem you are facing now."
The village chief looked past He Yi and at Zuo Zixuan who was standing behind him.
He frowned. What could a little girl solve?
He shook his head slowly, his eyes full of distrust:
"How can you, a few outsiders, understand our difficulties?
This is not something that can be solved just by saying it.
We worry about this every year, and there is no solution.”
"Village chief, the land is barren and can't produce food. We have a way to change the quality of the land and make it fertile."
After Zuo Zixuan said this, the village chief became even more unconvinced.
If the land is barren, then it is barren. Can it become fertile?
Isn't that just fooling the ghost?
They have poured a lot of manure into the fields, but the land has never become fertile. What can a few outsiders do?
Zuo Zixuan did not give the village chief a chance to speak and continued:
"Village Chief, how do you know it won't work if you don't try?
We really want to help.
We can also find a solution for you regarding the seeds."
When the villagers in the house heard Zuo Zixuan say that she could help with the seed problem, they were immediately interested.
They don't have much hope of changing the quality of the land, but seeds are what they urgently need right now.
"Village Chief, there is no better way now, why not give it a try."
The villagers pleaded with the village chief eagerly.
The village chief looked at the villagers' anxious eyes and he really couldn't think of any better way to solve the current crisis.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally nodded and agreed to let He Yi and his friends stay overnight.
The village chief arranged He Yi and others to stay in a room in his own house.
There was nothing in the room except an earthen kang, not even a small stool.
"Brother, my family is so poor that we have four people sharing one bed and we don't have any extra bedding.
I'll bring you some straw to cover the ground later, and you can just make do with it.
There is a well in the yard. If you want to drink boiled water, go to the kitchen and use an iron pot to boil it yourself."
The house was shabby as hell, but at least it had a roof.
Since people are willing to take them in, they have nothing to complain about. As long as they have a place to stay, the rest is up to them to solve on their own.
After the village chief left, Song Yingyan put down his luggage and quickly found something to clean the kang.
Xu Qingfeng also put down his small backpack and started cleaning.
He Yi supported Zuo Zixuan and stood by the door waiting.
"Wife, do you know how to adjust the soil quality?" He Yi asked casually.
"I can not do it."
He Yi turned to look at Zuo Zixuan in shock, "Then why did you promise the village chief to adjust the soil quality?"
The village chief, who was holding two large bundles of straw and was about to enter the house, was stunned outside the door when he heard what was said inside.
fraud?
Before he could throw away the straw and chase the man away, he heard Zuo Zixuan continue to say:
"I can't, but Qingfeng can."