In my memory, there was an old well in our village, which later became a place for villagers to dump garbage, and was eventually filled up and buried. At that time, the water level in this old well was extremely deep. Therefore, in the past, villagers basically went to the old well under the ditch to fetch water for food. One or two beds a day was basically enough for drinking water at home. Water for washing clothes, drinking water for livestock, and building houses can only be carried from the village pond.
In the early 1970s, water conservancy construction was carried out in rural areas. Every household renovates water cellars, and various places build reservoirs, dams, and water stations according to the terrain. Our hometown belongs to the dry plateau area of ??Weibei. Although it is close to the Yellow River, the village is above the ravine, more than a thousand meters above the water level of the Yellow River. The villagers can only look at the river and sigh, watching the surging river flow eastward.
With the support of national policies, the old village party secretary personally went to the provincial water conservancy department to ask for solutions to the village's draft and irrigation problems. The superiors soon sent water conservancy experts to purchase machinery and materials, and personally went to the village to direct the project. The villagers contributed, and the vigorous construction of machine-well water stations began.
Pumping water up from a ditch more than a thousand meters deep is a huge project. In an era without mechanization, you can imagine how difficult it was.
That year, on the construction site on the bank of the Yellow River, colorful flags were flying. The cadres of the village party secretary and brigade personally took the lead in the work, sweating like rain, digging with shovel after shovel, and planing with hoe. The villagers worked together, men, women, old and young, to fight tirelessly to solve the problem of food and clothing tomorrow. They carried forward the foolish spirit and dug a 120-degree concave groove several meters wide in the ravine. It's like the magical power of nature. A secondary water station was built. At that time, all materials were transported manually. Between the grooves, two thick iron pipes rise from the top of the ditch, cross the middle second-level station, the bottom first-level station, and extend into the old well beside the Yellow River.
While the wells were being built, the canals were also under intense construction. The land in the village was uneven, and people dug up the soil at higher places to fill the canals. Women pulled a trolley to dig out the soil, and men tamped it. After the canal was successfully filled, the soil was excavated to form a groove in the middle of the canal. Concrete was poured at the edge and bottom, cement was applied, and the connector was used through the road surface. This was the principle that I later studied physics in middle school. Only then did I know a name. After two years of hard work, more than ten miles of high-quality trunk and branch canals have been crisscrossed in the fields of Qianmo. The motorized well water station in our village was completed, and no casualties occurred during the project.
Before electricity was first introduced, the wells used large Dongfanghong diesel engines to generate electricity to drive water pumps to pump water. On the day when the water was opened, there was a sea of ??people and loud gongs and drums. Villagers from neighboring counties and cities came to visit, and they all showed envy and jealousy in their eyes. The county troupe came and prepared to perform in the village after the ceremony. Provincial leaders came to participate in the water opening ceremony. The villagers cheered for joy, and bright smiles finally appeared on the faces of their ancestors who had experienced many vicissitudes of life.
Since then, because of the water stations and water for irrigating the fields, our village’s problem of food, clothing and water has been solved. Among several villages around the Yellow River, our village is the only one that has successfully built a well water station. village.
When I was a child, I always liked to play in the motor shaft. I always liked to stand by the gully and look up at the sky. I lowered my head and saw two thick steel pipes going straight to the bottom of the ditch. Those brave children actually went down the steel pipe and climbed up again. I am timid and often stand in a daze and like to think wildly. I was very naive at that time, and I couldn’t figure out how such a long steel pipe was connected from such a steep slope.
The water station began to pump water, and the rumbling sound of the machine played the opening prelude, and then the clear water flowed down the two thick pipes, making a gurgling sound like a waterfall, splashing out. We happily caught the beautiful water splashes with both hands. We liked the cool and painful feeling, letting the water splash all over our bodies. We were scolded by an adult and asked to play in a ditch not far away. The Jijing water station became lively, with villagers coming to carry water coming and going, and it was crowded, just like attending a rally. On the canal, women from nearby villages were washing the dirty clothes accumulated at home. The sound of hammers pounding clothes, the sound of talking and laughing, the sound of children laughing and playing in the water, the roar of machines... all mixed together, it seems that they are not the same. So noisy, it is like a wonderful piece of music in the world, bringing people happiness, spiritual encouragement, and hope for a better life tomorrow.
I don’t know when, a long white cloud floated in the distant sky, the sun quietly showed its smiling face, emitting soft light, and colorful clothes were put up on the grass beside the water station, forming a colorful field in the field. clouds, this is the most beautiful picture in heaven and on earth. Those naughty children always like to roll up their trouser legs and walk back and forth in the canal. When the children get tired of playing, they lie down by the canal, put their little feet into the water, and let the water wash by their feet.
Because of the motorized well water station, every household in our village has several acres of water to irrigate their fields, and the water and food for the people in the village are guaranteed. The village's crops also began to diversify. The corn is growing well, the watermelons are big and sweet, and the fruit trees bear fruit every year... The villagers from other villages passing by are all amazed.
When the neighbor Shunfa got married, all the neighbors and friends came over to have a wedding ceremony in the evening. Everyone jokingly asked the bride what do you like about Shunfa? The beautiful bride lowered her head and said shyly: "Your village has an organic well water station, and his family has ten There are several acres of paddy fields, but my mother said that she would not be hungry during the bad years.” After hearing this, my neighbors and friends all laughed until their stomachs ached. Yes, this is a practical problem. In the past, people relied on the weather for food, but if there was a drought, they would go hungry. Because of the motorized well water station, it is much easier for young people in the village to find wives.
Many years later, a small water tower was built in the well and two reservoirs were dug. The well water station solved the water problem of all surrounding villagers. The water station is bustling with people coming and going every day. In the village, Uncle Hu, Uncle Jian, and Uncle Yi had the foresight to buy a four-wheel tractor and weld a large water tank to haul water to the villagers. Day after day, year after year never stops. Because of their hard work, they were the first to enter a well-off family in the village. From then on, the villagers stopped storing rainwater in their water cellars and sealed the water holes. One can of water was enough for several months of drinking. The cool, delicious, clean and hygienic well water nourishes everyone in the villages around us.
A few years later, the water station began to be renovated. A new and higher water tower was built, and the transformer and water pump were replaced. Our village was connected to tap water, and the days of pumping water were buried by the years. , water cellars are gradually being eliminated, and women can solve the problem by washing clothes at home. With tap water now available, every household in the village has installed solar toilets, etc., allowing them to live the same life as people in the city.
The rings of history are rolling by in a hurry. The water canals in the village are gradually aging due to their long history. The cement is peeling off in many places and leaking seriously. The old houses of the secondary water station are facing collapse, and the water pumps need to be replaced. In addition, along with the The investment and construction of Huang Highway and the demolition and reconstruction of Laojijing Water Station are imminent.
Modern construction is completely different from the past. Villagers no longer need to provide labor. The construction team drove into the site, and various construction machinery such as forklifts, cars, and excavators were dispatched. Under the new village leaders Under the leadership of the team, the construction of the main and branch channels of the new water station was completed in just one month.
Time passed by like running water. One day after the new year, in a sunny and warm spring season, I came to the machine well water station again. The first thing that jumps into sight is the water tower, which is taller than before, and the brand new water pump house with white tiles, shining in the sunlight. There is a transformer on top of the house, and transformers are much lighter now than they used to be. Not far from the water tower, the old Feng Shui Earth Tower no longer exists, replaced by a new seven-story brick tower. Next to the brick tower, the villagers erected a monument to Liu Jiangxia, Lei Zhenhua and other martyrs. At this time, I suddenly felt filled with emotion. It is because of them that we can live a happy and peaceful life today because they crossed the Yellow River eastward at the foot of the water station. , supported the anti-Japanese resistance, and finally forged the peace of the motherland with their blood and lives. We "don't forget the well diggers".
I was walking by the gully of the water station and saw a black rubber pipe passing through the sky along the Yellow River Highway and leading directly to the well on the Yellow River beach. The original secondary station was transformed into Heyang Station, with antique architecture, generous layout, perfect structure, greenery and complete supporting facilities. Some birds whose names I couldn't name flew over the vast ravine, screaming and echoing everywhere, like the sound of nature. Next to the old well at the bottom of the ravine, there is a tributary of the Yellow River. We used to call it the Xianhe River. The water in the river is crystal clear and it is a natural swimming pool. It was overcrowded last summer. Motorized well water stations now do more than just solve people's water and irrigation problems. This place has become part of the Yellow River Wetland along the Yellow Tourism Highway. Not far from the Jijing Water Station to the north is the Sima Qian Temple, and to the south is the beautiful Qiachuan Scenic Area. Coupled with the investment and construction of Hanhe Airport on our plateau, these natural resource advantages will bring greater space for the development of motorized well water stations.
The water station has become a park for villagers to relax and rest. In the future, it will also welcome tourists from all over the world. The beautiful machine-well water station will welcome a better tomorrow with a new look.