April 8, 1988, the twenty-second day of the second lunar month, 9:18 AM.
Amidst the sound of firecrackers, the groundbreaking ceremony for Kuhe Bridge began.
County Magistrate Ji dug a shovelful of earth with a new shovel tied with red cloth, and the ceremony officially commenced.
He handed the shovel to Li Zhengguo, "Your opening ceremony is quite innovative."
Li Zhengguo casually passed the shovel to Village Chief Ou beside him.
Switching to another new shovel adorned with red cloth, he said, "This is from the south; we're just borrowing from it. Now, let's head to the roadbed."
The old village chief, along with over two hundred semi-laborers, had already moved to the side of the country road a few meters away.
After lighting another string of firecrackers, County Magistrate Ji dug the first shovel, and the roadbed construction also began.
Watching County Magistrate Ji's green Jeep depart, Li Zhengguo then drove with the old village chief to inspect the new country road's route.
The shovel County Magistrate Ji had dug earlier was on the old country road, which also served as the new road's foundation.
Within the Five Li Slope bend, it was basically the old country road.
The old village chief was somewhat taken aback by the new country road's route. Ten-odd meters south of the old road, a row of trees had appeared.
And they were already four to five years old. Had his memory failed him?
Li Zhengguo pointed to the row of trees, "This row will be the south-bound lane trees for the new road. The north-bound lane trees will be the south-bound lane trees of the old road."
"The new road will be eight meters wide, with a 50-centimeter slope on the roadside embankment and an additional 50-centimeter allowance."
"Take your people and dig up the saplings in the middle of the new road, and level the soil."
"In a few days, crushed stones for the roadbed will be delivered gradually..."
The old village chief's jaw nearly dropped, "A cement road?"
Li Zhengguo nodded, "Yes, a cement road. If it were a gravel road, why would I be building a new one?"
"Just follow my instructions on preparing the roadbed. The cement surfacing will be done by professionals."
"Understood, understood," the old village chief nodded repeatedly. "I will direct them according to what you just said."
...
Villages, outside the villages, and along Kuhe River, were filled with busy figures.
Zhang Shitoun's assistant was very responsible, arriving at Li's house at 6:30 AM every day to receive the day's tasks.
Then, he would arrange the work for the selected children and assign the day's various miscellaneous tasks.
...
The Zhang family was disqualified from growing watermelons, and Elder Brother Zhang was punished by being assigned as a supervisor to the youth planting team.
Sister-in-law Zhang was punished by being assigned as a supervisor to the children's planting team.
Father and Mother Zhang were punished by sweeping the village roads.
The Zhang family's greenhouse was taken over by the village.
Of the five hundred new greenhouses built by the village, excluding the 34 vegetable sheds for 102 children, the remaining 466 greenhouses were used for growing watermelons.
Including the Zhang family's 20 greenhouses, there were a total of 486 greenhouses.
One hundred and eight workers hired from outside would each manage three greenhouses, and one hundred and sixty-two youths would each manage one greenhouse.
The villagers in Kushan Mountain worked even more cautiously, very worried about being replaced by workers earning one hundred yuan a month by Village Chief Li.
The old village chief of Wang'er Village occasionally came to observe, following Li Zhengguo into the greenhouses to check the growth of the watermelons and vegetables.
"Village Chief Li."
Li Zhengguo, who was crouching down to examine the watermelon seedlings, did not look up. "Old Village Chief, please just call me by my name."
"Zhengguo, I heard last year's watermelons are all sold out?"
"Yes."
"Then, can our village grow them?"
"No."
Li Zhengguo refused outright and continued to tend the vines. "You've also seen that our greenhouses have both vegetables and watermelons, and the growth speed of the watermelon vines is different, right?"
"Yes, I don't understand."
"Over eighteen hundred greenhouses, if they all ripen at the same time, the market will be flooded with watermelons. After ripening, their shelf life is too short."
"I am staggering the ripening in batches, both in quantity and order, to ensure that the watermelons don't rot in the fields and that there is a stable supply."
"Therefore, it's impossible for you to participate. It would not only disrupt the progress plan of my sellers but also my own plan."
"Your development can come later. Not now. Right now, I desperately need money."
"If you were to go ahead and plant without regard, and if it's discovered, I will report it to the county."
"The county doesn't want parallel development; it wants a model."
The old village chief looked dejected, "I understand."
Li Zhengguo finally looked up. "Old Village Chief, what do you understand? Kushan Mountain is at the innermost part. Once it develops, the four villages in front will have it much easier."
"I'm not letting you use the new country road, but it's only temporary. Once the county fully develops this area, the new road will be shared."
"So, you only see my selfishness, but what I'm doing is paving the way for you."
"Just like the Five Li Slope bend. Once I've renovated it, your Wang'er Village will be the primary beneficiary. And there will be more benefits to come."
"Believe me, just wait a little longer. If you disrupt my plan, I will propose to the county that the new country road belong to Kushan Mountain forever."
The old village chief's eyes immediately regained their sparkle, "Really? The new country road will belong to the state?"
"Of course. Who dares to occupy state resources? I just want to force the four villages not to act rashly or interfere."
The old village chief nodded, "I understand. I'll wait to benefit from you."
Li Zhengguo was still uneasy. "You also need to pay attention to your villagers. When the watermelons ripen, I'll let you taste them, and then you'll understand why I dare to do this."
"Okay, okay."
...
Road construction was faster than bridge construction, especially since straightening the river was being done concurrently with bridge building.
Embankment preparation and concrete pouring were happening simultaneously.
At the Five Li Slope bend, migrant workers from the town were hired to excavate the mountainside.
While the mountainside was being excavated, they laid the road from below the Five Li Slope bend towards the town.
Once the mountainside at the Five Li Slope bend was excavated, the road paving would then come back from the town's entrance.
Because the cement road was too wide, it had to be paved in halves.
Once half of the Five Li Slope bend was paved, road construction was forced to halt.
Because the watermelons had ripened and needed to be transported.
The paved road could not yet be used by vehicles, so they still used the old country road, making the Five Li Slope bend quite difficult.
The old village chief watched the big trucks struggling uphill and worried, "We have tractors; we can use them to haul them out."
Li Zhengguo agreed. It would take at most a month for the cement road to be usable.
The villagers of Wang'er Village helped transport watermelons from Kushan Mountain across Kuhe River, and then to the foot of the Five Li Slope bend to load them onto the big trucks.
Watching the busy and orderly Wang'er villagers, Li Zhengguo envied the old village chief, "Your villagers are easy to manage."
The old village chief's eyes crinkled with a smile. "Isn't it all because there's money? Try it without money! Everyone acts like an ancestor, requiring pleas and ideological work."
"You're wrong about that. Money is, after all, the motivation."
"Yes, yes, money makes the world go round, hahaha."
The old village chief was happy. Over the past three months, each household had earned over two hundred yuan.
Although bridge construction was still ongoing, the bridge piers had just been poured and needed time to set, so the villagers were given a break.
With no wages during the break, and with work available here, they were naturally eager.
However, this work would only last for about a month, and it paid only one yuan a day. Still, it was better than being idle.
...
A month later, the cement road was ready for vehicles, and the other half of the road between the Five Li Slope bend and Kushan Mountain began to be paved.
Kuhe Bridge began the installation of its superstructure.
Watermelon transportation continued, and Li Zhengguo was extremely busy.