The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 335 The Clouds Clear After the Rain, Dawn Breaks

It rained for more than four hours.

There are still many dark clouds brought by this cold front.

However, due to the limited amount of water vapor, it did not develop into heavy rain or torrential rain.

Except for the initial rapid rain, the rain slowed down considerably afterward, as if the heavens themselves had become human, and the way they rained was like feeding water spoonful by spoonful to the parched earth, a patient.

Very patient.

Qian Jin squatted at the entrance of the rain shelter and looked out.

The gray-blue rain curtain shrouded the distant mountains and the nearby villages.

At the base of the adobe walls, yellow mud and water flowed down the shallow grooves worn away by the years.

On the seaweed roof, which lacked tiles and mud, raindrops pattered against the brownish-black seaweed that had curled up due to the long drought, making a muffled crackling sound, and dripped down the strands of soaked seaweed.

Years of accumulated dust mixed with rainwater flowed into murky streams on the bare, yellow dirt roads.

As the cold front moved westward, the leaden clouds dispersed, and the sky brightened again.

The sky after the rain was an exceptionally high and clear blue.

The air in the wild is damp and cool, carrying a strong earthy smell and the fermented sourness of rotting grass leaves—this is the smell of rainwater in the countryside.

The once lifeless plants and trees have all perked up thanks to this rainfall.

Qian Jin and the others emerged from the shack where they had taken shelter from the rain.

The soil on the hillside, swollen from the rain, became soft and glossy. When you stepped into it, the warm, soft mud could cover more than half of the sole of your canvas shoe. When you lifted your foot, it had a suction effect and made a soft "plop" sound.

The surrounding hills and fields are covered with locust trees, their branches and leaves swaying in the wind, quite different from their listless appearance a few days ago.

A cicada tentatively chirped twice, and soon the sound joined together, its shrill cries carrying far in the cool, moist air, carrying a sense of exhilaration at escaping death.

Company Commander Wang patted his crew cut and chuckled, "It's strange, really. The drought's been so severe, yet cicadas still manage to emerge, still manage to break through the hard earth and crawl out..."

One soldier said hopefully, "After this rain, even more will come out. If only the rain could stop until nightfall, we could definitely catch a lot of cicada nymphs!"

"We'll take it back and have the cooks fry it up; it'll make everyone's mouth water."

Company Commander Wang shook his head: "You wish! Alright, let's wait for the rainfall report. Once it meets the standard, we'll withdraw."

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin immediately decided: "Company Commander Wang, comrades, we owe this rainfall a great deal to you. You go back to the unit first. I'll get the commune members to go searching for cicada nymphs these next two nights, and I'll treat everyone to a good meal!"

It's okay if you can't find it.

There are plenty of online stores.

One yuan each, buy an extra 80 cents!

Upon hearing this, Company Commander Wang immediately waved his hand: "No, we have discipline..."

Qian Jin went up and shook his hand, stopping him from saying anything: "We all understand, we all understand, the leader's team does not take a single needle or thread from the people."

"But these cicada nymphs are like wild vegetables. They don't belong to any one person or any group. They are discovered by the commune members in their spare time, just like digging up wild vegetables."

"So, we, the people, thank you and offer you some wild vegetables, but you won't accept them?"

"The military and the people are as close as fish and water; you can't let the people down, can you?"

Company Commander Wang grinned, but dared not make a promise. He mumbled, "Then go and talk to our commander. We can't make this decision."

Qian Jin said, "Okay, it's a deal!"

The sound of the production brigade's loudspeaker drifted from afar, faint yet carrying a joyful tone:

"Attention all production teams! Attention all production teams! Latest weather report: This artificial rain enhancement operation has been successfully completed! The average rainfall was 21.5 millimeters! The peak rainfall in the core area of ​​Anguo County was 25.8 millimeters..."

"Comrades, hurry up and get to the fields to conserve moisture! Do everything you can to protect the seedlings! Heaven has been kind, and the government is helping us, so we must seize this opportunity..."

There's absolutely no need for broadcasting.

Qian Jin picked up his binoculars and looked around. There were already people on the soft, rain-soaked village road.

Even when it was raining, people were busy in the fields, wearing straw hats and raincoats passed down from their ancestors, working in the drainage ditches.

Now that the rain has stopped, even more people are busy working.

"Commander Qian, the report from Anguo County has arrived." A communications officer ran over with a notepad in hand and saluted.

"The measured rainfall intensity in the three artillery sites of Xidawa, Zhangyingzi, and Gujiatun exceeded expectations, with an average effective rainfall duration of four hours and seventeen minutes, and the peak rainfall in the core area exceeding thirty millimeters..."

"Based on preliminary statistics, the effective coverage area is estimated to be over 2,300 square kilometers..."

Subsequently, more calculation data were sent via telegram:
"The water level in ditches and rivers has risen significantly. According to local calculations, the average water depth in the Zhaowangzhaizi section of the riverbed has recovered to more than 35 centimeters..."

"The Zhangquanzi Reservoir in Gujiatun Commune has receded, and the effective water depth has reached 1.1 meters, and it is still rising when the data is collected..."

"According to the preliminary assessment by the meteorological station, the drought situation in Anguo County and the surrounding severely affected areas will be effectively alleviated by 60% to 70% after this round of artificial rainfall! Yes! 60% to 70%..."

The experts grew increasingly excited as they listened, and finally couldn't help but high-five each other: "Great! We succeeded!"

The soldiers cheered: "Man will conquer nature! Man will conquer nature!"

The drought relief command center, hundreds of kilometers away, was detonated for the second time!
The first explosion was when news of Leng Feng was received, but compared to the previous two, this one was a real explosion.

The heavy rains that irrigated the severely drought-stricken areas represent a tremendous victory for the drought relief efforts, and the shockwaves they sent were immense.

After the final statistics were delivered, everyone in the command center, from leaders to staff, expressed their joy by either pumping their fists or hugging each other.

ecstatic!

Han Zhaoxin, who was sitting at the conference table and reading the report first, also smiled—a bright smile.

Since becoming the commander-in-chief of the drought relief efforts, his face has seemed to be covered with a thick layer of armor, and he has never shown any joy.

Now, a crack has finally appeared.

He didn't jump up like the others, which wouldn't be in line with his leadership demeanor; he simply kept nodding and smiling.

After the crowd's jubilation subsided, he issued a new order:
Except for a few key positions that need to remain at the command center, all other leading cadres should go down to see the crops that we have worked together to recover!
Qian Jin, who is stationed at the forefront of the disaster relief command in Anguo County, has already begun leading the leaders and cadres of the command post to go to the countryside.

The leaders and cadres are in a poor mental state these days, partly due to the pressure of drought relief and partly due to the pressure of eating wild vegetables for lunch.

This is no joke; Qian Jin ate with them.

However, when Qian Jin went to the countryside in the afternoon, he would secretly stuff himself with a couple of cans of meat and fruit.

He only wanted to torment those officials who sat comfortably in their command posts, not himself.

The rain temporarily drew away the oppressive heat that had lingered high in the sky for so long. When the sun reappeared, although it was still dazzlingly bright, the scorching sharpness in its rays seemed to have been smoothed out.

The sky was a rare, clear, and deep blue, like a giant piece of freshly washed blue glass.

A few wisps of thin, cotton-like clouds dotted the surface, so clear and without a trace of impurity.

Qian Jin's jeep drove into the rural area, and the windows could be rolled down completely.

The car bumped along the dirt road, no longer kicking up choking clouds of dust, but struggling in the mud.

The withered and shriveled crops on both sides of the road, which had been lying flat on the ground in a grayish hue, seemed to have been lifted up overnight by an invisible hand after a rain, and all of them struggled to straighten up.

Even among the withered, yellowed grass and stalks in the fields, countless tender, verdant shoots have emerged.

Wild grass has sprouted.

The tender blades of grass, glistening with raindrops, swayed gently in the damp breeze.

Upon seeing this, the driver, Xiao Sun, exclaimed, "Plants are truly resilient; they will survive as long as the conditions are even slightly suitable."

"Commander Qian, I have some thoughts on this. I think the indomitable spirit of wild grass is something we should learn from..."

Qian Jin exclaimed in admiration, "Your awareness is truly remarkable."

These days, young people like to read essays and talk about poetry, and they often have insights and thoughts.

Qian Jin didn't understand anything about this; he just wanted the drought to end quickly so he could go back and rest and spend some time with his beautiful wife.

As the car drove over a muddy intersection filled with a large puddle, Xiao Sun cursed and swerved to avoid it.

Now I have no thoughts.

The SUV's wheels still rolled over the mud, and splattered mud splattered all over the hood, doors, and windows.

The hard soil that originally covered the road surface was soaked and softened by the heavy rain, and the water trucks were still running, turning the road into mud.

Qian Jin shook his head upon seeing this.

The leaders at all levels in the command post still had rigid minds.

He used the specially equipped walkie-talkie on his off-road vehicle to contact the command post, instructing them to suspend the water transport route operations and prioritize sending water trucks to areas without rainfall to assist in drought relief.

This rain will sustain Anguo County and the surrounding areas for a week, eliminating the need to waste manpower and resources on water delivery during this week.

Looking at the crisscrossing muddy road ahead, Xiao Sun turned around and said helplessly, "Commander Qian, the road ahead is too bad, it's easy to get stuck."

"Then let's get off here." Qian Jin said without hesitation and opened the car door.

His canvas shoes sank right into the mud.

Come on.

Just leave it at that.

The roadside is covered with green gauze.

However, the corn stalks were not yet fully grown; they had only just reached knee height.

Qian Jin asked Xiao Sun, "What place is this?"

Xiao Sun thought for a moment and said, "Is it in Daliushu Commune? Hmm, more or less, this is the foot of Daliushu Commune."

The situation in Daliushu Commune is better than in Anguo County.

There are areas rich in underground water veins nearby, so several wells were successfully drilled last month, which can not only guarantee people's daily needs but also support agricultural use.

The corn in this area had already been saved, and now, with the heavy rain, they are even more vibrant.

One by one, the corn stalks began to sprout leaves and grow, their leaves unfurling, long and lush green. Countless ears of corn stood neatly and gracefully, their leaves layered like soft green ribbons.

Qian Jin thought he should go to the field to check on the corn up close. It turned out that the local farmers had loosened the soil in advance after learning about the artificial rainmaking project, so that the rainwater could seep into the ground more quickly.

When he stomped down, his entire foot sank into the warm mud, and when he pulled it out, the sole of his foot was covered in mud.

He bent down to find a stone to scrape the mud off his shoes, but the farmer was diligent and cleaned up all the stones in the field.

With no other option, he could only pinch off two thick corn leaves, roll them up, and use them to poke the clay.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing! Where did you come from? What are you doing!" Shouts suddenly rang out from afar.

An old man pushed a rooster cart along the ridge of the field.

"Squeak, squeak..."

The rooster cart's parts were badly worn out, and the screeching sound of the axle rubbing could be heard from afar.

Then came a muffled thud, like a heavy sack hitting the muddy ground, mixed with an old man's groan.

Upon hearing the sound, Qian Jin quickly stepped onto the ridge and walked towards it.

A wheelbarrow was found leaning precariously in a mud pit by the roadside, its wheels already stuck in the soft mud.

An old man in a black cloth jacket was struggling to straighten the cart. His feet and trousers were covered in soft mud, and he couldn't stand steadily. He slipped and fell instead of straightening the cart.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Sun laughed and said to Qian Jin, "Commander Qian, hehe, this old man is wrestling with the car."

Qian Jin was speechless.

Young man, you know you'll get beaten up for talking like that.

Xiao Sun definitely doesn't know.

He was a driver, and a government bus driver working for the county government, specifically driving for leading cadres.

Every time he went to the countryside, he had to be greeted by leaders at the commune level. He could walk around the countryside with impunity.

Hearing this, the old man turned his head and snorted, "You're as timid as a lantern, and you can't even lift my cart!" Young Sun quickly retorted, "Hey, trying to provoke me? I'm not falling for that."

The old man laughed upon hearing this: "Young people these days are really shrewd, much better than our generation. I was just trying to provoke you, but you saw through my plan."

Xiao Sun got down smugly to help him with the car, saying, "Of course, you don't even know what level I am. Just now, the leader said I have high awareness and good comprehension."

"Let me tell you, old man, I've been reading the leaders' selected works and military strategies every day since I was in school. My brain is still alive!"

Qian Jin shook his head.

This young man.

Oh, I'm a young person too...

However, the young man was still simple-minded, and the old man easily manipulated him with a simple act of praising first and then criticizing.

The hemp rope securing the rooster cart had broken, and several bundles of tied straw and a bulging bag of things were scattered on the ground, covered in wet mud.

After a lot of effort, Xiao Sun managed to straighten the car, but it just tipped over to the other side again.

Secondary damage.

The old man looked at him speechlessly.

Embarrassed, Xiao Sun lowered his head and mumbled, "This ground is really slippery."

Seeing that he was about to make another move, Qian Jin stepped forward and said, "You'd better slow down. I'm telling you, if you had three-tenths of the skill you have in words..."

He didn't say anything more, he just shook his head.

A leader.

There's no need to spell things out clearly; let your subordinates figure it out.

Qian Jin had something to do, so he rushed forward, holding the handlebar of the wheelbarrow with one hand and forcefully gripping the edge of the rear wheel, which was stuck in the mud, with the other.

This helps maintain balance.

He and Xiao Sun shouted slogans and pushed hard, pushing the rooster cart up the ridge of the field.

Xiao Sun, panting heavily, said, "Hey old man, what happened to you just now? How could you slide down such a wide ridge? Were you running while pushing the cart?"

The old man laughed: "You really guessed right, young man."

Xiao Sun said helplessly, "I guessed you thought we were corn thieves—but the corn cobs haven't even grown yet, no, let alone grown cobs, the corn hasn't even sprouted ears yet, what could we possibly steal?"

After being questioned by him, the old man could only laugh awkwardly and was too embarrassed to continue.

He patted the mud off his pants and stared at Qian Jin with wide eyes.

Qian Jin was wearing a well-fitting Dacron shirt, and there was a pen tucked into his left breast pocket.

Qian Jin even offered to help him push the rooster cart onto the road, but he quickly waved his hand to stop him:
"Oh, leaders, thank you so much, but no need, no need for you to go to all that trouble. I can manage on my own. I don't want to cause you any more trouble. You've already worked hard enough organizing the drought relief efforts..."

Qian Jin clapped his hands and laughed, "How did you know I was organizing the drought relief work?"

"You're Commander Qian, the imperial envoy from that coastal city, aren't you?" The old man's wrinkled face revealed a shrewdness that seemed to see through everything.

Qian Jin chuckled, "What kind of time is this for imperial envoys? But I really am Qian Jin."

The old man felt a little ashamed: "I'm really in a predicament now, like a performer getting a leg cramp. I saw you picking corn leaves and thought you were doing something sneaky, so I quickly pushed my cart over here."

"As a result, I misunderstood a good person, and God punished me by throwing me into a ditch."

Qian Jin asked, "Does this cornfield belong to you, sir?"

The old man shook his head: "No..."

"Isn't their Daliushu Commune still a large collective? They haven't done anything like that yet, like the household contract responsibility system or the contract responsibility system?" Xiao Sun added.

The old man said, "Yes, this land belongs to our Fifth Team collectively."

He stretched out his arm and traced a large circle in the farmland, looking at the lush greenery with a proud smile on his face.

In a year of severe drought, how could the farmers not be happy that their own production team could still have such a large area of ​​good crops?

The rough, dull textures on the back of the leaves, worn down by the dry wind, are washed clean and shiny by the rain, making the rain-soaked leaves appear exceptionally thick and resilient.

His gaze fell deep into the corn stalks hidden beneath the leaves.

There were also a few corn seedlings in the ditch next to it; the car slid down and knocked them over.

Seeing this, the old man went down and straightened the corn seedlings, muttering to himself, "Look at these thick corn stalks, good, they can still live if straightened, and we can harvest a few ears in the fall..."

Qian Jin pointed to the farmland and said, "Don't bother with the crops in the ditches, Uncle. It would be great if you could grow the proper crops in this field well."

The old man mounded soil around the corn roots and said without looking up, "Commander Qian, you're wrong. Do crops have such things as 'serious' or 'unserious'? They're not people, are they? Some people are serious and some are not."

"Crops are all good things, hey hey, as long as you take good care of them, they will grow into a harvest in the fall."

Qian Jin smiled but didn't explain.

The drought relief work is far from over just because this rain has stopped!
Only when farmers can successfully cultivate their crops and harvest their grains in the fall can the drought be considered a victory.

He changed the subject and asked, "Uncle, where are you headed?"

The old man came up and rubbed his hands on the rough bark of the locust tree by the roadside, then pointed to the village ahead:

"Go home, I'm from Laojuntang Brigade. I just went to get some bean stalks for the pigsty, and this precious thing..."

As he spoke, he carefully inspected the goods being transported on the truck. The straw was clearly visible. He opened the bag, and as the wind blew, a damp, sticky, and pungent smell immediately wafted out.

Xiao Sun covered his nose and asked, "Is it pig manure inside?"

The old man smiled and showed it to them: "City people have never seen this before, have they? It's a manure cake, a real gem."

Qian Jin knew about manure cakes. These were cake-shaped base fertilizers made by mixing manure and wood ash. During times of severe drought and fertilizer scarcity, every single cake was a treasure.

Grain is like a flower, and it all depends on manure. This is what is meant by manure cakes.

The old man didn't mind the pungent smell. He reached out and touched around the bag, and only smiled after finding that there was nothing wrong with it.

"Come on, we'll take you back and check out the land on the way!" Qian Jin said, pushing the cart while holding the handlebars.

Xiao Sun quickly said, "I'll do the work, you can rest. How can I let you do this?"

Qian Jin said, "Forget it, I won't switch hands. You can hold me."

Young Sun was honest enough; upon hearing this, he didn't stand on ceremony any longer and obediently helped the old man with the cart, saying:
"Grandpa, please hold him over there, don't let our leader fall, he has a lot of responsibility."

Qian Jin: ...

He pushed the cart, while Xiao Zhou and the old man each held onto one side of the cart. The three of them struggled to move through the mud, sometimes sinking deep, sometimes sinking shallow, sometimes sinking deep.

The wheels rolled over the muddy puddles, making a dull "plop plop" sound, each turn requiring extraordinary effort.

The old man grumbled, "Sigh, this cart, the axle is almost worn down. But the commune asked the agricultural machinery station to replace the axle, and they just wouldn't..."

Qian Jin knew that these words were being spoken to him.

Yeah, I'll pretend I didn't hear it.

He wasn't a real imperial envoy and couldn't arbitrarily interfere with the work at the grassroots level, since he wasn't familiar with the situation there.

As they turned away from the field, a rough, loud voice suddenly rang out from the peanut field beside them: "Hey! Commander Qian? Is that Commander Qian?"

A muscular man in a blue vest stood up straight in the muddy ditch, vigorously swinging his arms.

"Hey, comrade leader, are you at work? As the team leader, you should set an example." Qian Jin didn't actually recognize him, but he looked familiar, so he guessed he was the team leader.

The only people he could contact, besides the members of Xiamapo Village, were village-level cadres.

exactly.

The man grinned, revealing a set of slightly yellow teeth: "Commander Qian, don't put me down. What kind of leader am I? The brigade cadres respect me and ask me to lead the commune members in their work. I'm not exactly a leading cadre."

He came up and took the handlebars, asking, "What's going on? Why are you helping my uncle push the bike?"

Qian Jin briefly explained what had just happened, and then said, "I came to check on the crops in your fields."

The man's face was radiant: "The crops in the field are all doing well. I wouldn't dare say the survival rate is 100%, but it's pretty close. I don't think we need to replant."

"And then there's this. Look at our peanuts in the field. They're growing so well! After the rain, they all started to bloom. Hehe, they're all yellow flowers. They're sure to grow into big peanuts. How about coming over for a look?"

really.

In the vast peanut fields, the emerald green peanut seedlings have blossomed, with numerous creamy yellow flowers swaying in the breeze.

Peanuts need to flower and be pollinated before they can grow into peanuts underground.

The old man clapped his hands repeatedly, exclaiming, "It's blooming! It's really blooming! Heaven has finally opened its eyes!"

"You know, this rainwater is really something else, it's like magic water! Our team usually drip-waters the peanut fields, but they just never flower. Actually, they should have flowered last month, but it's good that they're flowering now..."

The production team leader of Laojuntang led Qian Jin through the peanut field and then to another field.

They rounded several earthen mounds piled with sorghum stalks, and suddenly the view opened up before them.

A flat patch of yellow mud land came into view. The plot was not large, only about five or six acres, but the furrows were neatly arranged.

The robust buckwheat seedlings stand proudly on the ridges.

Their slender, red stems were washed exceptionally bright by the rain, and their heart-shaped, thick green leaves, saturated with moisture, swayed gently in the wind, displaying a unique kind of vigorous vitality.

The production team leader said smugly, "How about that, Commander Qian? I told you so, didn't I? No need to replant, look how well it's growing."

Qian Jin went in along the furrow to take a look.

The production team leader accompanied them and explained:
“This land used to be planted with wheat, but unfortunately it didn’t yield much grain. Look at this land, it’s sandy and can’t retain water. Our team is afraid that if we plant corn or peanuts, we’ll end up with nothing.”

"It just so happened that the command post delivered buckwheat, mung bean, and millet seeds to the various communes at that time. After our team held a meeting to discuss it, we planted buckwheat here, and it looked pretty good to me."

Qian Jin nodded happily: "It's really good."

"Let's go check out that hillside behind here!" The team leader wiped the sweat mixed with mud and water from his forehead, his emotions running high.

Commander Qian came to his production team to check on the agricultural situation, and he even acted as the guide for him. This was something to brag about for half a year.

Several people waded through the mud, bypassing the flower field, and headed towards the hillside.

The soil on the slope is loose, making it a suitable area for replanting a mixture of buckwheat and mung beans.

The old man also explained, "About half a month ago, when our team leader led people here to replant buckwheat, mung beans, and millet, the ground was so dry and hard that sparks flew everywhere when the shovels were struck."

Qian Jin nodded: "It's fine now."

The team leader said excitedly, "Yes, with this rain, our team can plant some vegetables, and we'll definitely be able to eat vegetables in the fall."

"Hehe, Commander Qian, you officials are doing a great job. Even in a year of great disaster, the people's crops can still be harvested, and vegetables can still be grown so that I can eat vegetables. That's quite an achievement..."

He gave a thumbs up.

On the earthen slope after the rain, a silent yet surging counterattack of life is unfolding.

The distinctive bright red tender stems of buckwheat stand tall all over the mountains and fields.

The Red Army seemed to awaken simultaneously overnight.

The slender yet resilient stems, having absorbed ample water and fertilizer, turned a pure, vibrant red, like flames burning, leaping out in clumps and patches on the damp, bluish-gray slopes after the rain.

They were densely packed, like a burning blanket, stretching all the way to the top of the slope.

In the gaps between the swaying red buckwheat bushes, and in the drier, barrener areas higher up the slopes, patches of fine, emerald green with grayish-white down dot the landscape like stars.

Those are mung bean sprouts!
Standing on the earthen slope and looking out, you can still see the golden millet seedlings.

Seeing this scene, Qian Jin took a deep breath.

He stood proudly with his hands on his hips, like the commander of a silent legion.

Everywhere his eyes fell, green and red stretched as far as the eye could see, and the intense scent of plants almost materialized, assaulting his senses.

The battle against drought continues.

But then, a glimmer of hope appeared!

(End of this chapter)