pdf-ebookys Chapter 712
Chapter 712
Although Longguo has implemented nine-year compulsory education for a long time, schooling is free.
But teachers in schools will occasionally ask parents to pay for test papers, or go to designated places to buy textbooks and extracurricular books.
In a year, the miscellaneous tuition fees for two children add up to a thousand yuan.
In addition, living in the countryside, everyone has to give money for weddings and funerals.
People in the same village need 100 yuan, and if they are relatives, they need more.
And on weekdays, who can guarantee that they don’t have a headache or fever?
Although the price of medicine in rural health centers is cheap, it is not like in big cities, where it costs hundreds of yuan to treat a small cold.
But even if the treatment is cheap, you still have to spend money!
The total net income is only four or five thousand a year, and every penny spent on feeding such a family is a penny less.
Moreover, Li Lao’s wife has been paralyzed in bed for many years and has long lost her labor force.
If it weren’t for the fact that the government has given certain subsidies to poor households in recent years.
With just these few acres of land, you can barely get enough food and clothing.
…
Look up and see that there are still so many peanut seedlings that have not been watered.
Li Lao’s five-year-old grandson has already been dizzy from the scorching sun and his stomach is growling with hunger.
He, his grandfather and his sister got up at two o’clock in the morning to water the plants until noon, and none of them had any food or tea.
At this time, they were tired, sleepy and hungry.
But in order to save the peanut seedlings, the three of them had to continue to work hard.
While wiping the sweat from his forehead, the little grandson said to his sister who was watering the plants across from him: “Sister, I must study hard in the future, and I will never stay in the village to farm!”
The sister pursed her cracked lips when she heard what her brother said: “My teacher also said that if you don’t study hard, you can only stay in the village to farm and herd sheep in the future.”
After hearing what the two children said, Old Man Li straightened up and looked at the land in front of him, sighing helplessly.
In the current rural areas, the farmers are all old men and women in their sixties and seventies.
Those who are slightly younger would rather leave their hometowns and go to work in factories.
They are also unwilling to stay in their hometowns, facing the loess and digging for food in the fields.
As for young people in their twenties and thirties… forget about farming.
99% of people don’t even know what fertilizers to apply to crops, when to sow, and how many seeds to plant per acre.
Those born in the 80s don’t want to farm, those born in the 90s don’t know how to farm, and those born in the 00s can’t even tell the difference between rice and wheat.
Who will farm the land in the future?
No matter how advanced and developed the technology is.
But as long as we are human, we can’t live without food, right?
This puzzled question has troubled Old Man Li for many years.
“When we old guys are gone, you young people will starve to death!”
This sentence is also the catchphrase that Old Man Li often says.
“Grandpa, do you love farming?” The little grandson suddenly asked.
Upon hearing this, Old Man Li said angrily: “Love? I love it so much!”
“If Kang Niang is not incompetent, who the hell would be willing to suffer this donkey?”
“I don’t know how comfortable it is to lie in the house with a fan and watch TV?”
“I told you two, if you don’t study hard, you will have to work hard like your grandfather in the future.”
“As long as you don’t starve to death outside in the future, I want to come back to farm.”
After hearing what their grandfather said, the two children nodded repeatedly.
After watering the land for a whole morning, the two little guys were almost exhausted.
If it weren’t for these few acres of land to support the family’s livelihood.
Not to mention the two little guys, Old Man Li wanted to give up and go home for a good sleep.
But there were three and a half acres of peanut seedlings that had not been watered, and he couldn’t rest for a moment.
If he couldn’t finish watering tonight, the scorching sun would come out tomorrow.
These three and a half acres of peanut seedlings would be roasted to death by the high temperature.
And this crop of peanuts is the source of all income for Old Man Li in the second half of the year.
Wheat seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides in autumn and winter can be bought on credit from acquaintances.
But the food and drink of the whole family, the medicine money for the old man, the tuition fees of the two children, the gifts for weddings and funerals…
These indispensable expenses all depend on the peanuts from these five acres of land.
For Old Man Li’s family, six or seven thousand yuan is already a huge sum of money to support their livelihood!
And situations like Li Laohan’s are not uncommon in most rural areas.
“Oh my God!”
”
It would be great if it rained! ”
Old man Li was so hungry that his stomach was rumbling, and his chest was pressed against his back.
Even though he was so tired from bending over to water the crops for a long time that he couldn’t even straighten his back.
But he still didn’t dare to stop for a moment as he moved forward with the iron bucket.
The only thought in his mind was to pray that God would send a heavy rain as soon as possible.
Let the crops that were dying of thirst drink enough to save this season’s harvest.
And while Old Man Li was bending over to water the crops and praying silently in his heart.
He suddenly realized…it seemed…his back wasn’t so hot!
It was originally as hot and sultry as a steamer. The hot air seemed to have a hint of coolness without anyone noticing.
Old man Li subconsciously straightened up, squinted his eyes and looked up at the sky.
He saw that the sky was originally cloudless and the sun was hanging high.
At some point, a thick cloud began to gather!
In just a moment, the white clouds gradually turned into dark clouds that covered the sun!
After the scorching sun was covered by the dark clouds, the sky suddenly darkened!
Seeing this scene, old man Li was so excited that he trembled all over!
He knelt on the ground with a plop, and his lips trembled as he muttered:
“God has shown his power!”
“Rain! Rain soon! ”
Boom–rumble!
It seemed that it sensed the piety of the old man Li.
Above the dark sky, a thunderclap suddenly sounded!
This thunder instantly shocked the villagers within a 200-kilometer radius of the Taihang Mountains.
Many villagers who were watering the fields looked up at the sky at the same time.
As the clouds in the sky gathered thicker and thicker, the wind on the ground gradually grew stronger.
The dry air was mixed with the long-lost coolness and moisture.
“It’s going to rain!”
“God, it’s going to rain! ”
The villagers who were watering the fields subconsciously stopped what they were doing.
They all stared at the dark clouds in the sky, praying for a downpour!
At this time, the clouds in the sky became thicker and darker.
Suddenly!
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a dull thunder!
The long-lost rain mixed with strong winds began to fall sparsely on the fields.
Then!
As if receiving an order, countless raindrops rushed to fall from the heavy clouds!
Instantly turned into a downpour, moistening the land under our feet!