Chapter 422: Picking up stones on the river beach
When everyone had just finished their lunch, they were about to drink half a cup of tea and wine and get up to start work.
The boss at the battlefield also drove the tractor to deliver the sand.
"Anzi, I'm afraid your two square meters of sand are not enough."
Zhang Jianjun is a senior stonemason, and he has led people to build so many yards this year.
Whether the sand material is enough, he can roughly estimate it in his mind.
This is also a specialty of the master craftsmen, so that when the work is halfway started, the materials are not enough, which will waste too much time.
“The pond you dug is not small, and the bottom needs to be smoothed with mortar, and the perimeter must be built. The cement is enough, but just this car of sand will be choked.”
Two square meters of gravel and sand sounds like a lot, but in fact it is not much. It is only one bucket of the tractor, and it is not even full.
Although the two fish ponds in Zhang An are not as deep as the fish ponds, they are dug to raise ornamental fish, so the bottom of the pond must be smoothed with mortar.
Otherwise, the bottom will be full of mud and it won’t look very nice.
"Second uncle, please estimate and see how much is missing, or else let him pull another cart over."
When Zhang An went to the battlefield to order sand, he forgot about the pool. I have to apply sand at the end, so I think two square stones of sand are almost enough.
"Send another car over. I'm sure it won't be used up, but there won't be much left in the end."
Hearing this, Zhang An nodded and negotiated with the boss of Lasha next to him.
The boss was very happy when he heard that another truck was going to be delivered. He quickly poured out the sand in the bucket and then drove the tractor back to load it with sand again.
They are all small sand and gravel factories, not the kind of large sand and gravel factories contracted by big bosses, so every extra truck is a profit.
In the afternoon, everyone worked overtime for a while and dug out the pond at the gate.
Subsequently, Zhang An started digging a trench along the canal flowing from the backyard into the fish pond.
Because there is no water source in the yard, it is very inconvenient to raise fish. It is too troublesome to use tap water, and it has to be treated before it can be put into the fish pond.
Therefore, this canal must be dug so that there will be a continuous flow of living water into the fish pond.
Because the water in the canal is brought from the upper reaches of the river, the river water is the most suitable water source for fish and does not need to be treated like tap water.
Not only the water diversion channel needs to be dug, but also a drainage ditch needs to be dug out in the front yard.
Zhang An has wanted to dig for a long time, but he has never made up his mind to do it. Once the drainage ditch is dug, not only the water in the fish pond can also be drained out, but when it rains, the accumulated water in the yard will also be drained out. Can be quickly discharged from the ditch.
Although the cement dam of Zhang An's house had been raised above the level when it hardened, it sloped downward from the gate to the courtyard entrance, so the accumulated water could flow out without the need for drainage ditches.
But every time it rains heavily, the water in the yard drains too slowly, causing the yard to still be flooded with a layer of water.
This time I happened to take advantage of the time when I was repairing the fish pond to dig the drainage ditch. Then I would buy a few covers to cover it, which would not affect the use of the courtyard dam.
Early the next morning, Zhang An was not asked to come to the door to invite him. The person who came to help yesterday came over by himself.
Most of the people who came to help build the wall were working as masons in the village with Zhang Jianjun.
So Zhang An and Huang Ming, who did not know how to build walls, could only follow everyone and act as small workers, helping to mix sand and cement.
The fish pond was built first in the front yard, and a circle of red bricks was first built along the dug pit wall.
It is still the same as what was considered before, and a 60-centimeter-high fence will be built upwards from the ground level.
"Second uncle's craftsmanship is really amazing. I thought the brickwork was not round."
When the two layers of bricks were just laid on the bottom of the pool, Zhang An noticed that the brickwork was so amazing. A circle.
Although he wanted to build a circular Tai Chi fish pond before, the pit was dug by everyone, so it was impossible to dig it too regularly.
So Zhang An didn’t want to force it too much later on. Anyway, he just built it along the side and made it into whatever shape he could.
Unexpectedly, my second uncle Zhang Jianjun was so good at building walls that he could build the circular perimeter very regularly with just a wire hammer.
Looking at the perimeter that had been paved with two layers of bricks, Zhang An really admired his second uncle from the bottom of his heart.
No wonder the door heads of those old houses in the past could be built into circular arches with just a pair of heads and a pile of stones.
“Haha, this is Uncle Er’s specialty. If I don’t do it well, who will ask me to work in the future?”
Being complimented by his nephew, if Zhang Jianjun felt unhappy, it must be a lie.
Once upon a time, when they were young, the juniors in the family looked at them like this.
Although other people are more skilled in building walls, no one can build them to such a standard.
However, since Zhang Jianjun took the lead in laying the mold below, they only need to follow the same pattern and lay the bricks upwards.
After the fence was built, Zhang An mixed a bunch of mortar and poured it into the pool one by one with buckets.
After everything is smoothed, you just need to wait until the mortar at the bottom of the pool has absorbed the water. It does not need to be cleaned, because Zhang An still needs to do waterproofing.
The perimeter needs to be smoothed and smoothed with mortar, but the wall is not dry yet, so it needs to be left for two days.
Although the Tai Chi fish pond in the front yard is a little smaller, it was noon after finishing it, so it was not labor-saving at all.
After dinner in the afternoon, it was almost time to rest. After Zhang Jianjun shouted twice, everyone started to take action again.
There was no rush to build the pond in the backyard. Instead, the drainage ditch in the front yard and the diversion channel dug from the backyard were built first.
Finally it was the turn of the large pond in the backyard. Although it was larger than the Tai Chi fish pond in the front yard, it did not take much time because of its simple shape.
By evening, everything was basically completed.
Of course, after the two fish ponds have been placed for two days, they will need to be waterproofed and the edges cleaned.
But at that time, a few people in the family were enough, so there was no need to trouble everyone.
In the next two days, Zhang An did not rest. Instead, he ran to the city and bought a bunch of polypropylene cloth.
This is the main material for waterproofing fish ponds. After all, waterproof paint is not available yet.
But using this kind of polypropylene cloth and cement slurry is enough. As long as the polypropylene cloth is not bad, the waterproofing can last for many years without leaking.
After buying the polypropylene cloth, the mortar at the bottom of the pool is not dry yet, so no one can stand in it, otherwise there will be big footprints.
So we have to wait some more time before we can do the follow-up work.
So Zhang An carried the dung basket to the river beach and started collecting pebbles.
There are a lot of pebbles on the river beach, everywhere, all coming down from the mountains upstream.
When digging the fish pond, Zhang An had thought of these natural pebbles, so he had no idea of painting or tiling the pond.
The pebbles in the river are not only large and small, but also come in various colors, so you can choose from them.
There are off-white and blue-black pebbles here. With these two colors of pebbles, what kind of paint should be used in the Tai Chi fish pond?
Go directly to the river beach to pick up some more and put them at the bottom of the pond. Purely natural things are definitely much better than those paints.
In addition to these two colors of pebbles, there are also red and golden pebbles, which can be placed in the backyard pool.
When the time comes, we will raise black and white carp in the front yard and golden and red carp in the backyard. It will be a perfect match.
It’s just that although there are many pebbles on the river beach, only a few of the colors Zhang An needs. Fortunately, the riverbanks are very large, and you can still find quite a few of them as long as you spend some time.
“Uncle An, what are you looking for here?”
When Zhang An was looking for pebbles on the river beach, the furry children in Shangzhai saw him in the river and all ran over.
"I'm looking for rocks here. Why don't you go to class here? Why don't you skip school and go home and get whipped?"
Before Zhang An finished speaking, the kids became anxious. .
"Uncle An, please don't talk nonsense. We are not playing truant. There will be no classes today and Saturday."
After saying that, I didn't forget to glare at Zhang An. Talking about playing truant is okay. Talk about it?
If the adults at home hear it, they will definitely not be able to escape.
In the village, no matter who the child is, as long as he hears that so-and-so skipped school today, his parents will take out the belt and give him a slap without saying a word and then ask about the situation.
Even if the reason for the holiday is revealed only after being beaten, the beating will be in vain.
"Okay, okay, it was my fault. I even forgot that today is Saturday."
Zhang An quickly apologized. It is not easy to win the friendship of children.
Time is unknown in the mountains, and Zhang An really can't remember the specific day of the week on weekdays.
Just based on whether Su Ying goes to work, we can judge whether it is a weekend or not.
But now Su Ying doesn't go to school very often in the morning, so he has no idea about this at all.
"Uncle An, what are you doing picking up these stones?"
The kids were not skipping school, and quickly focused on these stones.
"My family dug two fish ponds, so I picked some and put them in the pond."
Zhang An has a very good attitude towards the children and is not at all impatient like other adults. .
It is because of this that children are willing to get close to him.
Many people in the village say that Zhang An is the king of children.
"Uncle An, wait until I go back to change my sandals and come pick them up for you."
Hearing that Zhang An was useful in picking up these stones, the boys all volunteered themselves.
Usually, they have benefited from Zhang An a lot, and now it's time to repay them.
Anyway, this is what they can do, and there is no place to play now.
Older children either go to the mountains to herd cattle and cut pig grass on weekends, or they work in the fields with the adults at home.
The younger ones have nothing to do with them. The adults are not at home anyway, so there is no one to take care of them. After dinner, they will be in groups of three and five, playing around.
Either go down the river to catch fish and shrimp, or go up the mountain and climb trees to catch birds.
In the past two years, the village has tightened its control over the river, and these children will be punished as soon as they get into the river.
So now they don’t dare to go into the river anymore. They usually dig eels and loaches everywhere.
It’s just that the rapeseed in the fields has grown like a grove in the past two days. It’s not easy to dig out eels and loaches.
So they have nothing to do and can only run around in a hurry.
"Okay, then I'll wait for you here."
Zhang An did not reject the children's kindness and agreed with a smile.
Anyway, there is strength in numbers, and the kids can do this much faster than he can.
Because he has been here since the morning and hasn’t picked up much yet.
It also happens to consume their energy, watch them, and save them from running around.
"Uncle An, we are here to help you."
Not long after, the furry children had already gone home and changed into sandals and ran back.
And there are more people than before. This should be their small group called over.
"Okay, okay, you guys need stones of these colors. Just pick them up and put them in these piles. Also, just pick them up on the river beach. No one is allowed to go into the river. Otherwise, I won’t let him help.”
The boys have always adhered to the principle that whoever has milk is their mother. They have benefited from Zhang An so much that they naturally obey Zhang An’s words.
After listening to Zhang An's words, he immediately spread out on the river beach to help find pebbles.
Some children will run back and put it away when they find a piece, while others will put it back after they find a few pieces.
Not to mention, after there were more people, the efficiency really improved. In a short time, I picked up a few small piles, which was much faster than when Zhang An was alone.
At noon, there was a shouting sound at the entrance of the village. It was the adults in the family calling them to go back for lunch.
"Uncle An, let's go eat first. After we finish eating, we will come over to pick it up."
After finishing speaking, they all ran home without waiting for Zhang An to say anything.
Because at this time, if you run slowly, you will get scolded even if you don’t get beaten when you get home.
Zhang An couldn't help but shake his head. He was still thinking about taking these stupid kids home for dinner.
After all, they helped me with the work for a long time, so they must show something, but I didn’t expect that their family would eat so quickly.
After the furry children left, Zhang An had no intention of continuing to pick them up.
Put everything you picked up in the morning in the dung basket, take it home and come back after dinner.
After the furry children returned home, the adults learned that they were helping Zhang An pick up stones on the river beach and did not say anything.
There is no complaint because the children at home help Zhang An work.
On the contrary, they felt that with Zhang An helping to watch over these little naughty guys, they would not have to worry about the children climbing up and breaking their bones or getting drowned when they went down to the river to play in the water.
And they also know that Zhang An usually treats this group of kids well, so the children in Shangzhai will obey Zhang An's words, so they don't have any thoughts in their hearts.
After dinner in the afternoon, Zhang An took Dahei directly to the river and let him eat grass here.
He definitely couldn't pick much by himself, and he didn't want to run back and forth, so he might as well just pick them all up and use the horse to carry them when he finally went back.
By the time Zhang An arrived at the river beach, the furry children had already come over and picked up a lot more.
"Come on, come on, don't pick it up yet, come and line up."
Everyone is so diligent, so we must give some rewards, so Zhang An called the furry children together.
When he came from home, he brought some snacks, which were the children's favorite jelly.
However, the jelly is very expensive now. You can only buy two for a dime, so not many children are willing to buy it.
(End of this chapter)