Chapter 302: Fierce Fire Cooking Oil
Mid-June of the lunar calendar.

The season with the highest temperature and humidity in the year has arrived.

In such weather, the comrades of the Public Security Detachment still have to go out on patrol on the streets, which is really hard work.

With the hot weather, cooling foods such as popsicles, Arctic Ocean soda, jelly, sour plum soup, etc. can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys, becoming a good choice for citizens to cool off and quench their thirst.

Therefore, Liu Zhiye generously donated money in the name of Liujiazhuang and prepared sour plum soup, popsicles, iced watermelon, big bowls of tea and other refreshing drinks for the comrades every day, so that everyone could feel a little cool in the hot summer.

Every day, this team of more than 3,000 people spent nearly 400 to 500 yuan on these expenses. In a summer, Liu Zhiye would have spent at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan.

This was not a small sum of money, and even the higher authorities of the Beijing Municipal Bureau were shocked. The deputy director personally went to Liujiazhuang with a silk banner to express condolences and gratitude.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, although there has been no shortage of capitalists who have generously donated huge amounts of money, it is unprecedented that farmers have donated huge amounts of money to state units on such a large scale.

This move is undoubtedly unprecedented, showing the deep patriotism and selfless dedication of the farmers in the new society. This is worth writing about and letting everyone learn from it.

After hearing about this incident, media at all levels also conducted many interviews and reports.

As a result, Liujiazhuang caused a sensation in the capital again. Its reputation spread far and wide, making all kinds of products that had already enjoyed a high reputation in the capital even more in short supply and highly sought after.

…………

After the beginning of summer, there is a custom of building ceilings in all the courtyards of all sizes in the capital. The ceilings are also called pergolas, which are much more comfortable than the indoor spaces.

In the past, there was an old saying in the old capital city: "ceiling, fish tank, and pomegranate tree". If one had all three, he would be a "well-off family".

There is a line in the Qing Dynasty bamboo branch poem: "The courtyard is empty under the shade of green locust trees and willow trees. The government residences and civilian houses are roughly the same. All the lattices are taken down and covered with cold cloth, and the tall houses are surrounded by canopies."

The "building a canopy" mentioned here is also called "building a ceiling". It means that in the past, whether officials or ordinary people, as long as they lived in a courtyard, they had to build a canopy in their own yard.

The so-called "pasting the cold cloth" means installing new gauze curtains on the windows of your home.

In this era when there are no air conditioners and electric fans, the main way to improve the home environment in the old Beijing in summer is to build a pergola.

In summer, you can use cool mats to build a ceiling to cover the entire courtyard, thereby preventing the sun from scorching and lowering the indoor temperature significantly.

However, not all families can afford to build a pergola. Only those who can afford to build a pergola have to be wealthy.

In the old society, there were poor but sophisticated families who borrowed money to build sheds.

Liu Zhiye's family naturally had no shortage of this little money, but he didn't want to suffer in this hot summer, especially in the east wing where they lived, which was particularly hot in the summer.

The east wing of the courtyard faces west, and this orientation cannot effectively receive the cool southeast wind in summer. In addition, due to the strong direct sunlight in summer, the house is very hot.

In addition, the east wing is usually located close to the east side of the courtyard. In the hot summer weather, outside the east wall is someone else's courtyard or west wing, and it is impossible to have windows.

There are only windows and doors on the west side facing the courtyard. This layout prevents air convection and makes it difficult for heat to be discharged, further exacerbating the feeling of heat inside the house.

Liu Zhiye generously donated money to build the ceiling, and Yan Bugui and other residents of the East Courtyard wholeheartedly supported this.

After all, they can enjoy the convenience without having to pay for it, so why not? Even a fool would not refuse such a good thing.

The other residents in the courtyard did not have this benefit and could only watch helplessly.

Especially Jia Zhang, who has recently returned to her old ways. She no longer does anything to the Liu family, but instead mocks Yan Bugui behind his back: "You shameless bastard, have no shame..." She is full of envy and jealousy.

Yan Bugui hated this deeply. He secretly thought: "Okay, let's wait and see, there will always be a day when you will beg me for help. Humph... when the time comes..."

Building a pergola requires professionals. In the old capital, there was a profession that specialized in building pergolas, which was one of the 72 traditional professions in the capital. They built pergolas in summer and dismantled them in autumn.

However, the "Yangshi Lei" of the Liu family construction team have superb skills; with them around, Liu Zhiye naturally does not need to look for anyone else.

For Yangshi Lei, building a pergola is just a piece of cake. And now, building a pergola is also one of the businesses of the village construction team.

To be honest, Liu Zhiye has also taken great pains to support this team. This is also due to the fact that there are few professional construction teams nowadays, and most of them are public.

Moreover, there are almost no professional teams to build awnings these days.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the capital city was in urgent need of construction workers due to the massive construction projects. These former "shed workers" were gathered together to work as "scaffolding workers" in the construction teams.

Although they still make a living from their old business, such as kidnapping people, they no longer work in the "shed" business.

So, there are no professionals, but the market still has a strong demand, so the opportunity for Liujiazhuang’s construction team has come!

Because building a shed is a strenuous job that requires high technical and moral standards, and ordinary people cannot do it.

Most of the courtyard houses in the old capital are paved with large square blue bricks, and the tall ceilings are supported by several thick wood or bamboo stalks.

If you are building a ceiling for someone else, the pillars will be placed on the blue bricks of the host's courtyard, and the bricks must not be crushed, so each pillar must be "evenly stressed."

According to the size of this family's courtyard, there are at least four pillars, but of course not too many. The beams of the ceiling are placed on the roof ridge of this family's house.

Whenever they were setting up or dismantling a shed, the builders would swiftly climb up the beams and shuttle between the roofs. At this time, they would shout in unison: "Gao Lai Gao...", with a loud and long tail that echoed in the ancient courtyards.

The loud shouts of the shed builders reflect the professional ethics of this industry. They are meant to remind the neighbors in time: "I am going to climb up to the roof, looking down from a high place, everyone please pay attention!"

If nearby residents do something inappropriate or do not want to be seen, they should make preparations in advance when they hear the news.

In addition to this loud shout, there are also some "trade rules" for building roofs. For example, when setting up a shed for shade, it cannot block the light and affect other people's light.

Also, when you go up to someone else's roof, you must not step on their tiles to damage them, so as to avoid the house leaking when it rains.

In addition, when the workers were standing on high places, they were required to keep their eyes straight and not take the opportunity to peek at the young girls and wives in the yard.

Although some of these craftsmen cannot read or write and many of them come from peasant families, they are the most disciplined.

Liu Zhiye's father-in-law in his previous life was a traditional bricklayer. He was a very honest and upright person. He was in his sixties and still insisted on working.

Therefore, we must firmly pass on those fine rules and profound traditional culture. They are not only witnesses of history, but also treasures of human spiritual civilization.

……

In the huge capital city, there are many people with affluent families. The Liujiazhuang team appeared just like timely rain, solving the urgent needs of many people.

Many people who had no connections came to Liu Zhiye for help, such as the old people and young people from the old times.

Therefore, the business is quite prosperous and the profits are huge. This year, the construction team in Liujiazhuang has experienced unprecedented development.

Today, this team brings together elite craftsmen from Liujiazhuang and its surrounding villages, including carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers and blacksmiths, with a total of more than 500 people. Moreover, if there is a major project, additional manpower can be temporarily added.

The village also invested heavily in equipping the construction team with a full range of engineering machinery, which is in no way inferior to that of the official construction team.

Under the leadership of Lei Laoliu, the village's construction team has been completely transformed and its strength has greatly increased. It has been widely praised in the Beijing's private construction market.

Today's large team is capable of carrying out multiple engineering projects at the same time, demonstrating amazing strength and potential.

Now, the projects in their hands cover many aspects, including the sewer reconstruction project in Liujiazhuang, which is a livelihood project aimed at improving the living environment of villagers.

In addition, they are also laying biogas pipelines to promote the use of clean energy and contribute to environmental protection.

At the same time, they are also responsible for building the village committee office building to provide better government services to villagers.

In addition, they have also cooperated with universities to build several bases, injecting new vitality into the village's scientific research and education. These projects not only demonstrate their professional capabilities, but also make positive contributions to local development and progress.

In addition, he has the spare capacity to undertake various engineering projects in other regions. He has now successfully turned losses into profits, bringing considerable income to the village.

………………

The above is for those who have good family conditions and can build a pergola in their own yard to escape the heat in the summer.

What should people who cannot afford to build a pergola do? Don't worry, the working people have a solution, which is to install door curtains and open screen windows.

For people with average financial conditions, installing door curtains is more economical and more necessary than installing a pergola.

In the past, even the poorest families did not have to build a shed, but they still had to prepare curtains and door curtains, even if they were made of cheap cold cloth or sorghum straw.

Generally, in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, every household will start to hang curtains and open screen windows. Opening screen windows means tearing off the window paper and replacing it with gauze to allow ventilation.

Some homes have glass windows, so they just nail a piece of gauze on the edge of the window and keep the window open when it's hot.

Gauze has different materials, also called cold cloth. Green is the most pleasing to the eye, so there is a saying of "green gauze window" in poems.

At this time, you also need to prepare cool mats, cooling cushions, cattail fans, banana fans, mosquito coils, and mugwort-related household items. When the house becomes extremely hot, you have to go out to "escape the heat."

Because summer heat damages body fluids and consumes energy, the body's natural reaction is to lose appetite, so summer heat-relief foods focus more on stimulating appetite and relieving heat.

At this time, there are many wells in the large courtyards in the capital, and there are also many dry wells in the small courtyards.

Whether it is a water well or a dry well, the temperature inside the well is lower than outside the well. In summer, people can store food in it to cool it down and keep it fresh.

This is what is commonly known in Beijing as "Jingbaliang", which means using water freshly drawn from the well to chill watermelon and other fruits.

Generally, after three or four hours in the town, the chilled fruits will be more delicious and sweet enough to touch people's hearts.

Of course, the best place to escape the heat is under the old locust trees and big willow trees in the alleys. With a small table and a few benches, sitting alone is a way to relax, and gathering together is a way to comfort yourself.

When these old neighbors get together, they always have endless topics to talk about. A pot of hard-earned "Gaosui" can last for half a day. Although the tea is weak, the fun is still strong.

Summer clothes are not for keeping out the cold, so the simpler the better.

The children and some men simply bare their upper bodies or wear only shorts, holding a "leaf-leaf fan" in their hands. As the saying goes, "No gentleman can resist the heat of summer"!

Women should dress more formally, and not bare-chested like men. In hot weather, they should choose light clothes, whether they wear long shirts or trousers and jackets, they should always be loose and comfortable.

Although the summer is extremely hot, people still enjoy a good meal. The staple food in Beijing is "grain from the south to the north", and non-staple food can only be solved locally.

Due to natural conditions, the food in winter, autumn and spring in the capital is far less than that in summer.

The period from May to July of the lunar calendar every year is when people in the capital have the most abundant food.

At this time, fruits, vegetables, river fish and lake fish began to be available on the market, and the variety was no less than that in the south.

Because there are many lakes and swamps in the suburbs of Beijing, which are rich in lotus roots, fish, shrimps and crabs.

Fresh products from places like Shichahai, Tongzihe, Yongdinghe, Baiyangdian and other places started to gradually become available on the market in early May; they are relatively cheap compared to seafood and meat.

Moreover, during these months, fruits such as mulberries, cherries, and melons will also be in season.

There is also spring corn, also known as "May fresh", which is delicious when cooked or made into porridge and is very popular among the people in Beijing.

In June, local watermelons began to be put on the market in large quantities, and local watermelons tasted better than those from other places. This is because the sandy land along the Yongding River in Beijing is most suitable for growing watermelons.

Speaking of which, watermelons are on the market at a relatively concentrated time. They are of good quality and low price. Chilled watermelon is the best delicacy to relieve the heat in summer.

The Yongding River also passes through Liujiazhuang, so in the past two years, the watermelons from Liujiazhuang in western Beijing have gradually become famous and become a rising star in the capital's "watermelon world."

Not only that, Liujiazhuang’s other agricultural and sideline products, especially fruits, have always occupied a place in the Beijing market.

In recent years, every time the season changes, fresh fruits from Liujiazhuang can always be seen in the markets in Beijing. Their unique taste and quality have won the love of the people in Beijing.

From strawberries in spring to melons, cherries, mulberries, and watermelons in summer, to peaches, apples, pears, apricots, plums, pomegranates, and jujubes in autumn, all kinds of seasonal fruits are available. The fruits in Liujiazhuang are of various types and high quality, making people salivate.

This year, Liujiazhuang's fruit planting business has also ushered in new development opportunities.

After merging several surrounding villages, Liujiazhuang's total population increased dramatically, breaking through the 7,000 mark, and the village's labor resources also became abundant.

This change has brought unlimited possibilities to fruit cultivation in Liujiazhuang.

As the scale of planting expands, the fruit industry in Liujiazhuang gradually emerges. On this fertile land, fruits thrive and bear abundant fruits.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, Liu Zhiye returned to the village. He visited other villages that had been merged and found that these villages were remote, rugged, and mountainous, which were not ideal conditions for growing food crops.

Taking into account the living conditions of the villagers, Liu Zhiye suggested that most of them be moved to Liujiazhuang.

As the villagers migrate, the original village should not be abandoned. Instead, it can be transformed into a specialized fruit and medicinal herb planting base to make full use of land resources and create a new source of income for the villagers.

In addition, the transportation connection between Liujiazhuang and the surrounding villages needs to be solved urgently. Once the road is unblocked, the specialties and resources in the mountains can be easily transported out, bringing prosperity and convenience to the local area.

Only in this way can Liujiazhuang give full play to the advantages of its large population and abundant land resources.

Time flies, and it is only a few years away from the turbulent days. Liu Zhiye is ambitious and eager to consolidate the foundation of Liujiazhuang.

This piece of land will become his safe haven in the future, and also the starting point of his many business ventures.

This summer, Liujiazhuang’s biggest achievement is the success of its education sector.

In this summer's high school entrance examination, more than 50 students from the village successfully entered high school. This number accounts for one-fifth of the district's high school entrance examination admission rate, which is a remarkable achievement.

What is even more surprising is that the top three outstanding students are all from Liujiazhuang, which undoubtedly adds endless glory to the entire Liujiazhuang.

There are also many students who are admitted to technical secondary schools. This summer, more than 20 outstanding students in the village successfully entered technical secondary schools.

This achievement not only allowed Liujiazhuang to retain first place in the district, but also made it stand out in the entire city, becoming the village with the largest number of students studying in technical secondary schools.

This year, the most watched group is still college students. Their number is expected to exceed that of previous years. Why?

This group of students were the best ones who were admitted to high school through their own efforts during the period of Liujiazhuang's economic boom.

In recent years, the children in the village have lived a worry-free life and a superior environment, which allowed them to devote themselves wholeheartedly to their studies.

Therefore, after successfully graduating, most of them chose to sign up for this year's college entrance examination without hesitation, looking forward to passing this major test of life and starting a new chapter in their future.

Liu Zhiye firmly believes that education is irreplaceable and should always be given top priority. He knows that the emergence of talents is the hope for the future and the inexhaustible driving force for social progress.

Therefore, he has always been committed to promoting the development of education and working tirelessly to cultivate more outstanding talents.

Think about the period before reform and opening up, when the problem of talent gap was particularly prominent.

If he wants to make great achievements after the reform and opening up, it will be impossible without a reserve of talents.

(End of this chapter)