Chapter 928
Terrified of Poverty
Xu Bo'an observed for a while and saw that the little people were doing a pretty good job. However, resources were scarce in the bonsai world and there weren't many usable resources. If bamboo or wood were used as the main structure of the greenhouse, the insulation effect would definitely be much worse than that of a greenhouse surrounded by bricks or cement in reality.
Xu Bo'an then spoke to the little people, saying, "You guys are busy building the greenhouse, aren't you?"
Upon hearing the ethereal yet majestic voice of the Mountain God, the children immediately stopped what they were doing and knelt down to pay their respects to the Mountain God in the direction of the temple.
Then, village chief Li Kanshan replied to the mountain god, "As you said, we are indeed trying to build greenhouses!"
Xu Bo'an said, "You guys are pretty quick. You've already finished the video tutorials?"
After hearing what the Mountain God Grandfather said, Li Kanshan replied, "Replying to the Mountain God Grandfather, we have already finished watching the instructional videos, and we have watched them many times. Qingjiang has also explained the parts that we didn't quite understand. All that's left is to put them into practice. Everyone wants to take advantage of the fact that we just finished watching the video tutorials and the memories are still fresh to get started!"
As expected, everyone's enthusiasm and speed of learning were even higher and faster than Xu Bo'an had imagined. Xu Bo'an nodded with great satisfaction and said to the little people kneeling on the ground, "I didn't expect everyone to be so enthusiastic about learning and so fast! Well done!"
The village chief, Li Kanshan, said, "Thank you for your praise, Grandpa Mountain God. I'm not afraid of you laughing at us, but we've been so poor that we never want to go back to those days of not having enough to eat. So when Grandpa Mountain God told us to learn new planting techniques and said they could increase production, we were all very excited. Everyone wanted to live a better life, so we were full of energy and naturally learned much faster!"
Li Kanshan's words were his genuine thoughts, and Xu Bo'an understood them very well. Just like his parents' generation, although the war had ended and they were much happier than the little people in the Bonsai World who were still fighting, most of Xu Bo'an's parents' generation had a very difficult childhood.
Just like Xu Bo'an's mother, Tang Rongzhi, had five siblings when she was young. Xu Bo'an's maternal grandparents were both farmers, so raising Tang Rongzhi and her five children was extremely difficult. Both adults and children wore tattered clothes with layers of patches on them. They ate simple, coarse food, and often went hungry. They had never even seen white flour or rice, let alone meat.
When Tang Rongzhi and her siblings were five or six years old, they started helping the adults in the family with farm work. When they were a little older, they would get up before dawn, around four o'clock, and follow the road construction workers nearby to do heavy work such as pushing a small cart and dumping slag.
Tang Rongzhi suffered such hardship when she was a child, and she is still very strong now. Xu Bo'an remembers that when his family lived in the village, if they needed water, his mother, Tang Rongzhi, would lift the water out of the reservoir, carrying a large bucket in each hand. The large buckets were similar to the large oil and diesel containers that truck drivers use now. She would carry them into the house and then put them into a small water storage container.
Those two large buckets filled with water would be difficult for even a grown man to lift, let alone a woman. It was precisely because of such harsh conditions that Tang Rongzhi developed such strength. When Xu Bo'an was young, his mother, Tang Rongzhi, often told him stories from her childhood. Xu Bo'an would complain repeatedly after hearing them, because he had never seen his mother buy him a single snack, not even a biscuit. He had lived a frugal life his entire life. In his mother Tang Rongzhi's words, she was terrified of poverty as a child, which unconsciously fostered this frugal habit.
The little people in the bonsai world probably share the same thoughts as their mother, Tang Rongzhi: they are terrified of poverty and lack a sense of security. This is especially true for the little people in the mountain village of the bonsai world, who have only recently started to live a better life and escaped their previous plight of hunger and cold thanks to Xu Bo'an's help.
So when they heard Xu Bo'an say that this new greenhouse planting method could increase production, the children eagerly began to learn, hoping to see the prosperity of increased grain production and a bumper harvest as soon as possible! They no longer wanted to face the predicament of not having enough to eat or wear. In short, the common people's idea was to live a better life.
Growing up under the influence of his mother, Tang Rongzhi, Xu Bo'an was particularly able to understand the feelings of Li Kanshan and the villagers of Kaoshan Village. They were speaking the truth, expressing the common people's yearning for a better life!
Xu Bo'an said, "I understand everyone's feelings very well. Everyone hopes to live a life where they don't have to worry about food or clothing. This is the wish of the people. Don't worry, with me here and you all so hardworking, your future will definitely be prosperous!"
Upon hearing the words of the Mountain God, everyone's faces lit up with happy smiles. Village Chief Li Kanshan said to the statue of the Mountain God, "Mountain God, you bless all things. We, the common people, are fortunate to receive your protection. It is truly a great blessing for us. On behalf of everyone, we thank the Mountain God once again for allowing us to live a life free from worries about food and clothing!"
As soon as Li Kanshan finished speaking, the children kowtowed towards the direction of the Mountain God, saying, "Thank you, Mountain God! Thank you, Mountain God!"
The little people's words of gratitude rose and fell, never ceasing!
Xu Bo'an addressed the crowd, saying, "I am the mountain god of this place, and it is my duty to bless all things and protect all living beings. I am happy that you are all living prosperous lives!"
Li Kanshan said, "We will always remember your kindness, Grandpa Mountain God, and never forget it! May we ask what brings you here today, Grandpa Mountain God?"
Xu Bo'an said, "You are all grateful, kind, and simple people, which makes me very gratified. I came here today to see how you are progressing in learning planting techniques. I didn't expect you to have already started building greenhouses!"
Li Kanshan said, "Although we've watched the video tutorials on how to build greenhouses and plant crops several times, it's still quite challenging to actually do it today. But don't worry, Grandpa Mountain God, we'll definitely work hard and figure out the most suitable solution!" (End of Chapter)