It was late at night, and the neighbors gradually dispersed. The family tidied up the yard, boiled water in a large pot, and began to prepare for washing. Li Youran took a hot tub bath and went back to the house to lie on the bed.
There was a thick layer of straw under the mattress, and the familiar scent of straw was very comfortable. He soon fell asleep. At this moment, the door was pushed open, and a dark figure came in.
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"Brother Ranzi, Brother Ranzi, have you slept?" Li Fangcheng's voice came out.
"You kid, you're a night owl, don't go to bed." Li Youran cheered up and turned on the small lamp beside the bed.
"I didn't sleep, that's good. Haha." Li Fangcheng laughed and sat on the bed, holding the newly bought mobile phone in his hand.
"Brother Ranzi, please teach me how to play."
This boy, what the second uncle said is absolutely right, he is really playful. I will find an opportunity to talk to him properly in the future.
"You are so good at playing, why can't you even use a mobile phone?" Li Youran gave him a reproachful look.
"Haha, Brother Ranzi, how have I ever played with this thing? Only a few people in the village have bought mobile phones. They are still the simplest ones. How can there be such advanced ones? Brother Ranzi, please teach me." Li Fangcheng begged.
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Li Youran sat up helplessly, took the phone, gave his brother a general explanation of the Android system, and demonstrated basic touch operations.
Li Fangcheng is a very clever kid, and he quickly learned the skills. He also clicked on the game "Plants vs. Zombies" and had a great time playing.
"Fang Cheng, what are you doing in Ranzi's room? Are you letting Ranzi sleep?" The second uncle's voice came from outside.
"Brother Ranzi, I'm out. You should have a good sleep. Haha." Li Fangcheng clutched his cell phone and hurried out the door.
"This kid, it seems that I have to find a way to find something for him to do, so that my second uncle won't have to worry about it." Li Youran thought as he turned off the bedside lamp and fell on the pillow.
The buckwheat leather core pillow made a slight pleasant friction sound, and drowsiness swept over him, and he soon fell asleep.
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Early the next morning, Li Youran opened his eyes and looked at his phone. It was already past seven o'clock.
Rural people have long been working in the fields at this time, otherwise they will be ridiculed as lazy people. It seems that urban life has completely
He has finally changed himself, he thought with emotion.
After dressing and getting up, Li Youran took the iron bucket and pole from the water tank in the kitchen, ignoring the second aunt's obstruction.
Go to the old well next to the old willow tree on the east side of the house to fetch water.
At this time, many people were standing by the well, all holding water-fetchers. Seeing Li Youran coming, they all said hello.
Li Youran also responded with a smile.
"Hey, isn't this true? I just heard you came back this morning." A strong young man in his thirties with thick eyebrows, big eyes and a red face said to him.
Li Youran took a look and recognized him. This was Li Shuanzhu who lived in the south end of the village. When he was a child, he often took him to Xiaoqing River to catch fish.
The two chatted for a while while waiting to fetch water. Li Youran asked about Shuanzhu's current situation, and Shuanzhu told him that many young people in the village now go out to work, and he couldn't leave because there was a sick old woman at home.
Li Youran comforted him and asked:
"Brother Shuanzhu, you live in the south end of the village, why do you come here to fetch water?"
"I also said that this is not what caused the current Xiaoqinghe River to be in trouble. You can't drink the well water there. It has a strange smell." Li Shuanzhu looked angry when he mentioned this matter.
Li Youran was surprised and quickly asked what happened.
Li Shuanzhu told him that a township-run paper mill was built in Erlong Township, just upstream of the Xiaoqing River. Since the factory was built, the Xiaoqing River has been ruined, and the Qing River has turned into a smelly river. Not only that, over time, even the river has become smelly.
The water from the nearby well has also changed its taste.
"How long ago did this happen? Doesn't anyone care about it?" Li Youran thought of what he saw when he came here and couldn't help but darken his face.
"It's been about a year and a half. Who cares? The official doesn't live in our village. Forget it, forget about this troublesome matter. It's our turn to fetch water."
Li Shuanzhu shook his head and ended the topic. He walked to the well and turned the windlass, and soon a bucket of water was lifted out of the well.
"Ranzi, you pick up first." Li Shuanzhu greeted.
Li Youran also put aside the matter of Xiao Qinghe for the time being, and he was not polite to Shuanzhu. He placed two iron buckets by the well and asked the latter to pour the water in.
"Ranzi, you are already a city dweller, can you still do this kind of work?" Li Shuanzhu joked.
"Brother Shuanzhu, don't underestimate me. I exercise every day now. If you don't believe me, let's give it a try. I'll give you a hand." Li Youran said with a smile.
"You kid, you've learned how to brag." Li Shuanzhu obviously didn't believe it, but he didn't seem to be in the mood to verify it at the moment.
Li Youran carried the water home very relaxedly. This small amount was really a piece of cake for him now.
After he poured the water into the jar, his second uncle and Fang Cheng came back from working in the fields, and his second aunt also prepared breakfast.
On the table were millet porridge, bacon slices, pickled dried radish, and the most appetizing thing were two plates of sophora flower cake.
Sophora japonica cake is Er Aunt's favorite food. The method is to gently pick the sophora japonica flowers from the branches, soak them in clean water overnight, take them out and drain them, use a stone bowl to pound them into a paste shape, add sugar and honey and it will become a paste.
It became a sweet sophora flower sauce.
Soak the glutinous rice overnight, soak the rice for half an hour, mix it in a basin, and steam it. Steam until the rice is slightly firm, then add the jujubes with seeds removed, and then steam until they are seven-mature, then cover it with sophora flower sauce and continue steaming for a few minutes. It is fragrant and fragrant.
The sweet sophora flower cake is freshly baked.
Li Youran's greedy insect also crawled out, and he reached out to catch it.
"Wash your hands." The second aunt slapped his paw with chopsticks.
Li Youran had no choice but to act as he was told.
The four of them sat around and enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast. Li Youran ate several pieces of sophora flower cake and exclaimed that it was delicious. The second aunt's eyes narrowed with laughter.
After breakfast, Li Youran remembered what happened to Xiao Qinghe and asked his second uncle what happened.
The second uncle sighed, sat on a chair in the courtyard, and told him the whole story, while Li Fangcheng also added.
Since the paper mill in the upper reaches of Xiaoqing River was built, it has continuously discharged sewage into the river, and the villages downstream have suffered. The water in the river is not suitable for drinking, not even for watering crops. Lijiagou Village currently has to rely on
The small reservoir and well water on the north side of the village maintains water.
"Since we are building a factory, why not install sewage treatment equipment?" Li Youran said with a layer of anger on his face.
"Sewage treatment equipment? That thing is free. How can those bastards be willing to spend it?" The second uncle also said angrily.
"Isn't anyone going to respond from above?" Li Youran continued to ask.
"Yes, why not? Someone from the county came to inspect. The paper mill has a solution. When the inspection team comes, they close the valve, treat guests and give them red envelopes, and then send the people away and continue greeting them again."
"Yes, I heard that the paper factory has a lot of connections. It is run by the township chief's brother-in-law, and the township chief still has a lot of shares." Li Fangcheng also interjected.
"Fang Cheng, don't talk nonsense." The second aunt glared at Li Fangcheng dissatisfied.
"Ranzi, Fang Cheng, I heard that there are already a few young people in the village who are restless. Please don't follow them to cause trouble. Our small family cannot afford to cause trouble." The second aunt warned, with a worried look on her face.