Chapter 421 Digging Fish Ponds
"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 herding sheep this afternoon and come with me." Dig the hole out.”
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 not be able to perform a carp leaping over the dragon gate for you every day.
Zhang An can dig alone, but 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 brothers, and father and son fight together, so Zhang An must call him his father.
“Dig a pond? Do you want to use it to raise a tank of colorful carp?”
As soon as Zhang An said digging a pond, Zhang Jianguo thought of the tank of colorful carp at home.
Su Ying was so excited yesterday, so naturally he wouldn’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 the fish pond, they will be eaten in less than two days."
One or two like this Zhang An knew that the small fish larvae that were about 1cm in size 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 problems.
"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, then 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 crowded."
After Zhang An said that, 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.
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."
The pickaxe thing. Children are not something 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 going to do?"
The uncle and nephew brought their tools and met Huang Ming who had just returned from the entrance of the village.
"I'm going to dig two ponds in the yard, so I called my second and third uncles to help me. What are you doing, Da Mingzi? I haven't seen you for a long time."
Speaking of which, During the period after the Chinese New Year, Zhang An really didn't see Huang Ming much.
"My eldest uncle hired me to do some work himself, so he asked me to come over and help for two months. I just came back today."
No wonder it took so long I didn’t see anyone, and my feelings were far away.
"Okay, Brother An Zi, you guys go over first, I'll come back after I take my luggage home."
Since the day Zhang An rescued him from under the pig's mouth, Huang Ming recognized Zhang An as his big brother from the bottom of his heart.
So every time something happens at Zhang An's house, as long as he is there, no one needs to shout, he will just run ahead.
Today I heard that Zhang An had 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. 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.
Except for 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 we are going 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 dig first. The location and size of the fish pond are determined.
Lime is really an all-purpose treasure in rural areas.
When cement could not be used in the past, 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 was not a lot of manure in each household, basically every household would burn a large amount of lime to cultivate the land.
This is because lime spread into the soil can kill bacteria and prevent insects.
In addition, 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. release.
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 going to dig a slightly larger pond.
After drawing the line, he took the pickaxe and excavated. 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 plans to dig some into the ground and then build some more on the ground.
In the end, there will definitely be no way to escape the need to dig the cement field. It’s no wonder that 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.
It is quite easy to dig in the backyard. Zhang An just digs it out, and then the excavated soil can be pushed directly to the side without too much effort.
However, as we dug and dug, more and more people were working.
First of all, 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 soon. Whether it is setting up a banquet or picking up 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 neighbors who had nothing to do also spontaneously came over with hoes and shovels to help.
You don’t know this by looking at it, but you are shocked to see that there are 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. Obviously there are enough people, so naturally they will not let her come over and do something.
"Okay, then you all have to work harder. I'll go back and cook a 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 dig cement in the courtyard dam at the gate.
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, I will put those black and white carps inside, and they will look a little more suitable for the occasion.
The cement floor at the gate, although not much cement was put in when it was hardened before, so the mark is not high.
But no matter what, this is 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.
"This is too hard. My head is buzzing and my arms are numb."
It's like hitting a stone. Huang Ming feels that there is still something in his ears. There was a "boom, boom, boom" echo.
“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 against the cement floor.
It must be said that although a blunt weapon does not cause explosive damage, it can hit the flesh with a punch.
Defending against such a high concrete floor, I didn’t frown at all when faced with a pickaxe.
After replacing this eight-pound hammer, you can basically smash a place with one hammer.
"Da Ming, do you have a bigger hammer over there?"
This eight-pound hammer weighs about seven kilograms without the handle, which is still easy for ordinary people to use. It's easy.
But for Zhang An, it is a bit light. If it is exchanged for sixteen pounds, it will 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 people in the village have hammers. They only have small hand hammers and eight-pound hammers, which are 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 if you make do."
Anyway, it's faster to knock something out than to dig it out directly with a pickaxe.
"To be honest, my brother An Zi is still very strong. If you say that the eight-pound hammer is light, you are the first one."
Huang Ming is really envious of Zhang An's ability. In spite of his strength, the eight-pound hammer was still as light as a toy after being struck so many times in his hand.
No one else would be able to do it, even though the hammer weighing seven or eight kilograms is really not heavy to carry.
But if you hold it for a while, you should stop and rest.
And 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 had just hammered through the cement floor to be dug, the pond in the backyard had already been dug.
The entire pond is dug to a depth of just over one meter below the ground, and then a 60-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 around in the backyard without worrying about falling into the pool.
"Everyone, please stop working now 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 were preparing 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 have to prepare a meal at two or three o'clock.
After all, it is 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 the flour.
Finally, put it in rapeseed oil and fry for a while until golden brown.
There are many people selling them on the street now, and they usually cost two or three cents each.
In a few years, it will rise to fifty cents, and then one dollar.
In later generations, it will rise directly to five yuan, and for street vendors with a darker heart, it will rise directly to eight yuan.
But no matter what, this potato pancake tastes really delicious when it is freshly fried.
Especially sprinkled with a layer of fragrant chili noodles, the taste is known only to those who have tasted it.
"Okay, let's rest for a while. I just smelled the smell coming from the kitchen in the back, and I can't help drooling anymore."
No one is in a hurry. Work, anyway, the front yard does not need to be dug as much as the back yard, and it will not take long to finish digging.
It’s just that 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 of the truck 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)