Return to the small mountain village in 1983

Chapter 52 Garden and Fish Pond

On the [-]th day of the fourth lunar month, eldest brother Lin Yue's house also had girders, and the tile roof was built in one morning.

In the afternoon, everyone continued to help move stones. My sister-in-law was jealous when she saw the stone floor made by Lin Heng. She became envious and made one herself.

On the [-]th, in one day, with everyone's help, the earthen courtyard walls of the two houses were completed.

At this point, the main structures of the two houses are completely completed, and all the workers have been paid. After a feast, there will be no need for so many people behind.

Only a few relatives of his own were left to help, mainly Uncle Lin Heng, his third uncle, his younger uncle, and his third father.

My second uncle had left yesterday because of family matters.

On the morning of the 15th, Father Lin borrowed a wooden cart and pulled it with his own oxen. He and his elder brother Lin Yue went to the town. They went to haul gypsum powder and buy some things on the way.

Because the house was built with earth, the materials were not very expensive. Including labor and other expenses, the total cost was only more than [-] yuan.

So Lin's father decided to plaster the walls inside and buy some pots and pans to make it easier to use after the separation.

After breakfast, Carpenter Liang went to Lin Heng's house to continue his carpentry work. He would have to stay for a long time before leaving.

Xiulan and Lin Heng went to clean up the yard together, and Lin's mother helped Liu Juan clean up her house.

"Honey, pass the stone to me and I'll fix the rest." Lin Heng came to the fish pond and said.

He built the stones in the fish pond himself and built a circle around the inner wall of the fish pond.

The reason is the same, because there is no cement, and you can only use stones to retain the soil. Otherwise, after the water is released, the inside of the soil fish pond will easily collapse.

"it is good!"

Xiulan nodded and handed him the stones piled in the yard.

Lin Heng's fish pond is a large, approximately rectangular pond, four meters long, two meters wide, and more than two meters deep.

Originally, Lin Heng's brickwork was only [-] centimeters from the edge. It didn't take much work and was done in half an hour.

"Is that enough?" Xiulan looked at him.

"Of course not. There are also stones on the side of the stream."

The well and fish pond are both on the west side of the yard. The backyard is 12 square meters, 5 meters wide and 8 meters long. Lin Heng's fish pond takes up about half of the space.

From the secondary reservoir coming out of the well to the fish pond, Lin Heng made a stream more than five meters long, one meter wide and fifty centimeters deep, with two turns.

The inner walls on both sides of the stream also need to be paved with stones.

After waiting for everything to be preliminarily prepared, Lin Heng placed the strange-shaped stones that he had selected and had people help move down from the mountain on the edge of the fish pond and stream, both as a shield and as a beautification.

Some of these stones are volcanic stones, some are natural water-absorbing stones, with different shapes, and many of them are covered with moss. They are placed on both sides of the fish pond, which immediately makes the fish pond look much better.

"Okay, let's put some water in it first, then plant some aquatic plants such as calamus, surround it with a railing, then build a small wooden bridge, and build a wooden pavilion next to it, it will be perfect."

Lin Heng put the water on and said with his hands on his hips.

Xiulan looked at the fish pond. It didn't feel very good when it was being repaired, but after it was decorated, it really had a different flavor. Plus what her husband said, she thought it would be a very nice landscape.

"Honey, should we build a chicken, duck, or pig pen in the yard first?" Xiulan suggested, looking at the remaining half of the yard that was bare.

"No, building these things in the yard smells too bad and is not good for your health. I'm going to convince my eldest brother and the others to build a pig pen and a chicken pen in the woods behind." Lin Heng shook his head. In rural areas, for the sake of convenience and safety, they would choose to build the pig pen and chicken pen. Chicken pens and pig pens are built in front of the house. In fact, this poses a huge health hazard and is very bad for people's health.

"But if someone steals chickens or poisons pigs later in the repair, it won't be easy." Xiulan is a little worried. There are not always bad people in the countryside, and trivial things happen wherever there are people.

"It's okay. This is very simple. You can just keep two dogs. Then use pyracantha trees to make a fence around it. It will be difficult for others to come in." Lin Heng said.

"Okay, that's okay." Xiulan nodded and looked at the yard: "Then what are our two big yards used for?"

"Of course it's for living." Lin Heng chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Xiulan didn't quite understand and looked a little dazed.

"Just watch me make some plans for you." Lin Heng went to grab a handful of white ash and started to make plans.

“As for the backyard, I’m going to plant a grape vine in the remaining half, build a trellis, and plant some flowers and plants underneath.

Plant some small trees next to it, get a swing chair, and a set of tables, which is equivalent to a garden. You can eat and rest here in the future. "

Lin Heng simply laid out two roads. He planned to pave these two roads with cobblestones like a catwalk. The pavilion for eating and under the grape trellis were all prepared to be paved with stones collected from the mountains.

Xiulan looked at Lin Heng's plan and was a little surprised: "Where did you learn this? It feels very novel. I think only those leaders would play with these flowers and plants."

Listening to her husband's explanation, a very beautiful picture appeared in Xiulan's mind.

"As for the front yard, we will leave some extra space for a vegetable garden, grow fruits and vegetables, plant two trees by the way, and build a thatched corridor on the middle road leading to the gate to protect it from rain."

Today's rural areas are still at the stage where they can barely eat enough, and they don't have much pursuit of aesthetics.

Lin Heng had experienced too much in his previous life, and had done all the work of repairing yards for wealthy people, and he had all these things at his fingertips.

A small garden-type yard is enough. It is more economical to grow some fruits and vegetables in the big yard in front. If you want to eat, you can go out and pick them.

"This is good." Xiulan nodded fiercely.

This was something that came to her heart. Just now she was thinking about how to persuade Lin Heng not to turn the front yard into a garden. Although it looked good, she wanted to grow some edible fruits and vegetables.

"Hehe, of course I understand what you are thinking." Lin Heng chuckled.

"Then let's start cleaning up, clean up the yard, and then follow your plan." Xiulan held a shovel and was full of motivation to build a new home.

Lin Heng focused on building his own backyard today. He carried the basket himself and spent [-] cents to find an uncle from the village to help him carry pebbles to the river.

Strangely enough, when you are doing something you are interested in, you don't feel tired after carrying heavy pebbles.

At about four o'clock in the afternoon, the pebbles on my back were finally enough, and the two paths planned in Lin Heng's backyard were filled.

Small ones are paved in the middle of the road, and larger ones are paved on both sides of the road to be used as curbs. Finally, the stones are smashed into the soil with a mallet, and some gravel is paved between the cobblestones. The path is completed.

While it was still dark, Lin Hengtong moved the remaining stones from the mountain and arranged them. After cleaning up the mess, a beautiful farmhouse had the basic outline.

The path has been completed, and the water in the fish pond has become clear. It flows out from the water outlet and is discharged outside the yard.

All it takes is setting up a grape trellis, planting grapes, and planting flowers and trees, and the whole yard will become completely vibrant.

(End of this chapter)