My village can't be like this

Chapter 421 Digging a Fish Pond

"Dad, I went to the town today to order two square meters of sand and some cement to dig two ponds in front of and behind our house. Don't go to herd sheep this afternoon and dig the pits with me."

Although Zhang An wanted to raise these colorful carp as ornamental fish.

But this fish pond still needs to be dug deeper, because the small carp in the house will grow very big in the future, and the growth rate is not slow.

If you only dig a small pond, when they grow to a certain extent, they may perform a carp leaping over the dragon's gate for you every day.

Zhang An can dig alone, but in this case, the speed will be very slow, and he may not be able to dig well until tomorrow morning.

As the ancients said, in fighting a tiger, brothers are like father and son, so Zhang An must call him his father.

"Dig a pond? Do you want to use it to raise that tank of colorful carp?"

When Zhang An mentioned digging a pond, Zhang Jianguo immediately thought of the tank of colorful carps at home.

Su Ying was so excited yesterday, so of course he didn't know about it.

"Hmm, they are pretty good-looking. Let's just dig a pond and raise them as ornamental fish. If we put them in a fish pond, they will be eaten in less than two days."

Zhang An knew that these small fish larvae, one or two centimeters in length, must be his favorites like the trout and yellow pepper in his fish pond.

Not only does it taste good, but you don’t have to worry about digestion issues.

"Then dig it as big as you want. If you want to dig it very big, then I'll call your second uncle and third uncle over later."

Zhang Jianguo didn't say anything else. Zhang An told Su Ying to dig, so just dig.

"Then I'll call my second uncle and the others. They should dig it bigger, otherwise it will be too small and it will be too crowded to raise."

After Zhang An finished speaking, he went out to call Zhang Jianjun and Zhang Jianye.

Zhang Jianjun and Zhang Jianye have been fine these days. They just finished building the yards in the village and are planning to rest at home for a few days.

After hearing that Zhang An asked them to help with work, he agreed without saying a word.

"Anzi, do you have a pickaxe at home?"

Before he went out, Zhang Jianjun asked one more question. If Zhang An's family didn't have it, he would take him there.

Because the area where Zhang An's house used to be was a rocky land, with shale slabs everywhere.

When I built a house in the past, I used an excavator because it was difficult to dig the foundation myself.

"Bring it over first and then talk about it. The pickaxe I used to have was broken by me, and there was no place to use it, so I didn't buy it."

A pickaxe is not a tool that every family has.

But Zhang An's family has it, because Zhang Jianguo worked on the railway in Hongyan Town before.

But when Zhang An went to dig rocks in the mountains before, he accidentally broke the pickaxe at home due to lack of strength.

So now the pickaxe has become a single-headed pickaxe like a duckbill pry. Although it can be used, it is not balanced at all.

"Uncle, Brother Anzi, what are you doing here?"

The uncle and nephew took their tools and met Huang Ming who had just returned from the village entrance.

"I'm going to dig two ponds in the yard, so I called my second and third uncles to come over and help. What are you doing, Da Mingzi? I haven't seen you for a long time."

Speaking of which, Zhang An really didn't see Huang Ming much during the period after the New Year.

"My eldest aunt hired me to do some work, so he asked me to come over and help for two months. Didn't I just come back today?"

No wonder I haven't seen anyone for such a long time, and my relationship is far away.

"Okay, Brother Anzi, you guys go over there first, I'll come back after I take my luggage home."

From the day Zhang An rescued him from the pig's mouth, Huang Ming recognized Zhang An as his eldest brother from the bottom of his heart.

So every time something happened to Zhang An's family, as long as he was there, no one would have to shout, he would just run ahead.

Today I heard that Zhang An had some work to do at home, and since he had nothing to do, he naturally wanted to go over and take over.

"Okay, I have a lot of life today anyway, so the more people, the better."

Zhang An did not reject Huang Ming, which was a sign of intimacy.

Anyway, Huang Ming will get married in a while, so he can just help out more by then.

Putting aside the weird mother in Huang Ming's family, the relationship between the two families is still very close.

However, as Li Jinbiao's family moved out of Changqing, there were no more people to blame her, so Huang Ming's mother did not continue to act like a monster.

"Anzi, look where you want to dig. Let's spread the lime first. It will be easier to dig later."

Back home, Zhang Jianjun carried a bag of lime and asked Zhang An to determine the location and size of the fish pond first.

Lime is really an all-purpose treasure in rural areas.

In the past, when cement could not be used, lime had always been the preferred wall plaster material, so most of the old houses in the village were built with lime.

Now everyone can afford cement, and lime has not been eliminated because many people need it when farming.

In the past, when there wasn't a lot of manure in each household, basically every household would burn a lot of lime to cultivate the land.

This is because lime sprinkled into the soil can kill bacteria and prevent insects.

And many acidic soils can increase the pH value of the soil after spreading quicklime, which can strengthen the activities of some beneficial microorganisms in the soil, thereby increasing the available nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil, reducing their fixation by acidic soil, and increasing the amount of organic phosphorus. freed.

Soon, Zhang An determined the location of the fish pond, and then worked with Zhang Jianjun to circle the mold with lime.

The backyard is relatively spacious, so Zhang An is planning to dig a slightly larger pond.

After drawing the line, he started digging with a pickaxe. Zhang An didn't care about the front yard because the gate was covered with hardened cement dams.

If you build a pond directly on the ground, it will be too high and not good-looking.

So Zhang An still planned to dig some into the ground and then build some more on the ground.

In the end, there was no way to escape the need to dig the cement field. This is because Zhang An didn't think it through clearly at the beginning, otherwise he would have left a little space when the courtyard dam was hardened.

Digging in the backyard is quite easy. Zhang An just digs it out, and then the excavated soil can be pushed directly to the side without much effort.

However, as we dug and dug, more and more people were working.

First, Li Hongbin. He didn't go to the construction site today. He just heard the bustling commotion at Zhang An's house at home.

So I came over to take a look. It didn't matter if I didn't take a look. After taking a look, I was left directly. I changed my clothes and came to help.

Not long after, Huang Ming also came over, and he was not the only one, even his father Huang Dabiao came with him.

After all, Huang Ming will get married in a while. Whether it is setting up a banquet or accepting a bride, the help of Zhang An's family will definitely be indispensable.

So today Zhang An had something to do at home, and Huang Dabiao was not idle either. He heard Huang Ming talk about it, so he came with him.

The more people there are, the greater the commotion. It was fine when there were three or four people working, but when there were seven or eight people working, the commotion became louder.

Some of the surrounding neighbors who had nothing to do also spontaneously came over with hoes and shovels to help.

You didn't know this, but you were shocked to see that there were more than a dozen people gathered in the entire backyard.

"Okay, Mom, you go back and prepare to cook." There were too many people and there wasn't enough space, so Zhang An called his mother, who came over to help carry the soil, back to take care of the logistics.

After all, this is a big table of people, and the logistics must keep up.

When there are few people, there is definitely no pressure to cook, and Wang Fang can come over to help.

But now that there are so many people, one person must be responsible for it.

"Yes, sister-in-law, go back and prepare to cook. Make more. We have been thinking about your craftsmanship for a long time. Just leave these things to us."

When there are enough people to do this kind of physical work, no one would ask women to help.

Only when there are not enough people, they will be asked to come over to help with small jobs.

There are all men here, and obviously there are enough people, so naturally they won't let her come over to do anything.

"Okay, then you all have to work harder. I'll go back and make lunch for everyone."

Wang Fang didn't insist. After saying hello to everyone, she returned to the kitchen.

Even after Wang Fang went back to cook, there were still many people in the backyard.

So Zhang An took two or three people to the courtyard dam at the gate to dig cement.

Zhang An doesn't plan to dig a big pond here, but he plans to build a Tai Chi fish pond.

When the time comes, put those black and white carp inside, and it will look a little more appropriate to the occasion.

Although not much cement was put on the cement floor at the entrance when it was hardened before, the mark is not high.

But no matter what, this was a cement field after all. Zhang An dug twice with a hoe. Although he could dig it out, it was still very difficult.

Huang Ming saw Zhang An calling out the pickaxe and using it on the ground, so he also carried the pickaxe and dug twice.

It's better not to dig. When the pickaxe goes down, the tip of the pickaxe directly knocks out a bunch of sparks.

"It's too hard. It makes my head buzz and my arms feel numb."

Just like knocking a stone, Huang Ming felt a "bang-bang-bang" echo in his ears.

"Forget it, let's dig without the pickaxe first. I'll bring the hammer over and break the floor first. Otherwise, we won't be able to finish digging until dark."

Zhang An wisely gave up digging with a pickaxe, which was too time-consuming.

Even though he was full of strength, he couldn't withstand it for long, especially others.

So, Zhang An went home, took out an eight-pound hammer, and banged it wildly on the concrete floor.

It has to be said that although a blunt weapon does not cause explosive damage, it can hit the flesh with a punch.

With such a high defense on the concrete floor, he didn't frown at all when facing the pickaxe.

But after replacing this eight-pound hammer, basically one hammer can break a place.

"Da Ming, do you have a bigger hammer over there?"

This eight-pound hammer weighs about seven kilograms without the handle, so it is fairly easy for most people to use.

But for Zhang An, it is a bit light. If it were exchanged for sixteen pounds, it would definitely be easier.

"No more. My father only has an eight-pound hammer, which he used when he was breaking stones to build houses."

Huang Ming shook his head. Most families in the village who had hammers only had small hand hammers and eight-pound hammers. These two were considered standard equipment.

Except for those who specialize in cutting mountains and splitting rocks, most people won't be able to prepare heavier hammers.

"Forget it if you don't have it. This eight-pound hammer is lighter and can be used at makeshift."

Anyway, knocking something is faster than digging it out directly with a pickaxe.

"To be honest, my Brother Anzi is very strong. If I say the eight-pound hammer is light, you are the first one."

Huang Ming really envied Zhang An's strength. The eight-pound hammer was still as light as a toy after being knocked in his hand so many times.

It would be impossible for anyone else to do it, even though the hammer weighing seven or eight kilograms really doesn't weigh much.

But if you hold it for a while, then stop and rest.

Moreover, for a person like Huang Ming who is not very used to using a hammer, if he is allowed to hammer for a long time, his arms will definitely be sore when he sleeps at night.

When Zhang An just hammered through the cement floor to be dug, the pond in the backyard had already been dug.

The entire pond will be dug to a depth of just over one meter below the ground, and then a [-]-centimeter perimeter will be built on the ground.

In this way, the depth of the pool is also increased, and it is safer for people to move in the backyard without worrying about falling into the pool.

"Everyone, please stop working and come over to have some lunch and take a break."

Everyone had just finished cleaning the cement cover that Zhang An had smashed, and when they were ready to dig again, Wang Fang came out with a basin of potato pancakes.

It's two or three o'clock now, it's time for lunch.

If it’s just a family, you may not pay much attention to this meal.

But if someone helps with the work, the host will prepare a meal at two or three o'clock.

After all, it's all physical work. Having something to eat can replenish your energy and also allow everyone to stop and rest for a while.

There are a lot of things to eat during lunch, including steamed buns and anything else.

Since he didn't know there were so many people early in the morning, Wang Fang didn't prepare in advance.

So, she peeled some potatoes, cut them into pieces and mixed them with flour.

Finally, put it in rapeseed oil and fry for a while until golden brown.

Nowadays, there are many people selling them on the street, and they basically cost two or three cents each.

In a few years, it will rise to fifty cents, and then one yuan.

In later generations, it will go up to five yuan, and for street vendors with a darker heart, it will go up to eight yuan.

But no matter what, when this potato pancake is freshly fried, it tastes really delicious.

Especially when sprinkled with a layer of fragrant chili noodles, only those who have tasted it will know the taste.

"Okay, let's rest for a while. I just smelled the smell coming from the kitchen in the back, and I can't help but salivate."

Everyone is not in a hurry to work. Anyway, there is not as much digging in the front yard as in the back yard, and it won't take long to finish digging.

But at this time, the cement seller drove a tractor to deliver the cement.

If the sand is delivered from the battlefield, no one is needed to help, just point him to a place, raise the bucket and pour the sand on the ground.

But cement is not good. Even if it doesn't rain tonight and there is no dew at night, we still have to unload it one by one.

Otherwise, they will all be poured together, and it will be difficult to turn them out when you need to squeeze them into one package.

So everyone who had just washed their hands could only help unload the cement from the tractor.

(End of this chapter)