Following that, Yang Ping, Yang Hua, Wang Yougui, Tan Juguo, and company ran out. Everyone in the village came out and stood outside, looking up at the sky. Although they were excited, all of them repressed their emotions. In the northeast, the weather changed just like the northeasterners. Wind and thunder came quickly, but there was no guarantee that it would rain. Dark clouds might cover the sky one moment, only to be dispelled the next. Therefore, before the rain fell, no one could be sure whether the rain would fall or not.
On Mt. One Finger, Fangzheng was standing in the yard with Lone Wolf, Monkey, and Squirrel. They looked up at the sky. At that moment, Red Boy's voice sounded in Fangzheng's ear. "Master, the wind is coming. The clouds are gathering. Is it going to rain now?"
Fangzheng pressed his palms together and sighed. "Amitabha. Excellent indeed! My dear disciple, let it rain. "
The next moment, there was a rumbling thunder as a downpour began. The raindrops landed on the dry ground, sending dust flying into the air. The smell of ozone produced by the lightning permeated the air, and people greedily inhaled the smell. It was comfortable! It was cool and refreshing!
The area covered by the dark clouds was very wide, directly covering the land of several nearby villages. When the heavy rain fell, it was unknown how many people ran to the streets to celebrate. Some people even began to shout about buying wine and cooking, wanting to have a good meal at night to celebrate.
Some people rejoiced, while others were worried.
The weather forecaster, Li Ze, was having a mental breakdown. According to all the data, the drought would last for at least a month and a half! For this reason, he wrote a report of 13,000 words. The higher-ups placed great importance on it as well. They held meetings for three days straight to discuss countermeasures. Even the county head began asking for relief funds from the higher-ups. Just as they were about to begin a vigorous campaign to transport water to save the farmland, it started raining …
Li Ze gulped as he looked at the leader's office in front of him. He gritted his teeth and walked in.
His colleagues outside immediately heard a roar that sounded like a magnitude 12 earthquake. They shook their heads.
Although the rain came, the drought this time also sounded the alarm for all the villagers. If they continued pumping water, it was only a matter of time before a drought happened. They had to prepare for a rainy day.
For this, the entire village held a grand village meeting. Finally, everyone unanimously agreed to stop the paddy plantations and stop the random pumping of water. They were to focus on nurturing the bamboo forest.
Fangzheng smiled when he heard the news. Then, he spent a few days helping the Frost Bamboo's mother bamboo expand its roots. Although the quality of the Frost Bamboo at the foot of the mountain was inferior to the one at the mountaintop, the worst Frost Bamboo was still much better than the bamboo sold in the market outside. It was not difficult to benefit One Finger Village.
After a few consecutive heavy rains, the groundwater was replenished once again. At the same time, the Frost Bamboo grew rapidly after the rain and began to expand. At the same time, a large number of tourists came to see the bamboo forest and eat bamboo shoots. The old carpenter in the village made some small pendants out of bamboo, which surprisingly sold well! Many people went to learn from him.
Tan Juguo even invited a master who was good at making bamboo products to teach everyone how to weave bamboo mats, make bamboo products, bamboo charcoal, and so on … For a time, the whole village was obsessed with bamboo. Although everyone learned slowly, the Frost Bamboo grew quickly. It was able to provide for the villagers' extravagant spending.
At the same time, Yang Ping split the village's bamboo forest into various grades. The further away from Mt. One Finger, the lower the grade of the bamboo. The bamboo on the mountaintop was the highest grade. The bamboo products made were the prettiest and most perfect. They were like jade, and they were in short supply in the market! The price of a bamboo mat rose to three thousand yuan each!
Instantly, the eyes of the entire village turned red. However, everyone knew that there were not many bamboo on the mountaintop that could be chopped. They could only be used as a cornerstone treasure to attract customers. If they really wanted to earn money, they had to rely on the bamboo at the foot of the mountain. Some people went out to learn the craft of making bamboo shoots and pickles from others. Some learned how to roast bamboo shoots and all sorts of dishes. Others honed their handicraft skills. The entire village seemed to turn positive at that moment. There were fewer people playing cards and fewer people chatting on the streets in their free time. Instead, there were more people discussing various crafts.
And all these changes only took half a month.
Fangzheng was extremely happy when he saw the changes in the villagers at the foot of the mountain. Nothing made him happier than the happiness of the people around him. Of course, the people from the neighboring village were also envious, but unfortunately, there was no point in being envious. Fangzheng could not help even if he wanted to. The Frost Bamboo had already grown to its limits, and its roots could not extend any further.
As the days passed, Fangzheng did a count and realized that there would be a festival the next day!
"Disciples, tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival," said Fangzheng as they ate.
"What's the Dragon Boat Festival?" Lone Wolf, Monkey, and Squirrel had no concept of it. All they could think of was the bustling Spring Festival, the fiery fifteenth of the first month, as well as the solemn Tomb-Sweeping Day.
Before Fangzheng could say a word, Red Boy shook his head and said, "I told you long ago to learn more things when you have nothing to do. You should at least know a few words, right? The so-called Dragon Boat Festival is a festival to commemorate a human hero, but that's not important. However, this was not important. What was important was that there would be a lot of fun and delicious food during the Dragon Boat Festival. Things like dragon boat racing and eating dumplings … "
Fangzheng rapped Red Boy on the head and said, "What do you mean it's not important? The Dragon Boat Festival is a day to commemorate human heroes. There's nothing more important than commemorating and learning from the spirit of our ancestors. "
"Master, since it's a memorial, why are there dragon boat racing and eating dumplings? Why isn't it like Tomb-Sweeping Day? "asked Squirrel out of curiosity.
Fangzheng said, "That's a lot of things. The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as' Double Fifth 'or' Double Noon. 'Different places have different customs. It first originated from Wuyue. On the fifth day of the fifth month, the locals would hold a tribal totem sacrifice in the form of a dragon boat race. And the ancients liked to start the first five days of the month with the word 'Duan'. For example, Duan Yi, Duan Er, Duan San, etc.
Wuyue was the birthplace of the Ancient Yue people. The Ancient Yue people revered dragons, and they considered themselves the descendants of dragons. They carved dragons on their boats as totems to pray for peace and good luck. It's said that when they visited relatives, they would use a canoe with a dragon carved on it to row back and forth. Occasionally, they would compete to see who could row faster. Slowly, it became a form of celebration, as well as a way to showcase one's strength. This was also the origin of the dragon boat. Later on … After a long period of evolution, it became the present day dragon boat racing.
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