Li Long added oil and water in the yard of his eldest brother's house, and then drove the tractor back to his yard.
Although no one lives in the yard now, all kinds of vegetables are growing in the vegetable garden, and the leeks are already edible. The yard is also clean and there is not a stray grass on the ground.
Li Long opened the door and entered the house. Because he had not opened the door or windows for several days, there was a smell of mold in the house. He opened the window to let some air in and sprinkled water on the ground. Seeing that the sun was good outside, he took out a few quilts to bask in the sun.
While I was drying the quilt, I heard voices outside the yard. When I turned around to look, I found that it was Tao Daqiang pushing the bicycle, carrying luggage on the back seat, followed by Tao Jianshe.
"Uncle Tao and Daqiang are here." Li Long said while adjusting the quilt, "Put your luggage in the car, we will leave in a while."
In addition to luggage, there are also tools. Tao Daqiang worked in the field last year and knew what was going on there. Tao Jianshe had done it before. This time he not only brought sickles and shovels, but also some dry food, pickles and other daily necessities.
"Brother Long, when are you leaving?"
"Five-thirty. It takes two hours to get to the mountains. You have to repair last year's winter nest there, otherwise it won't be good. Live." Li Long said, "If you live in today, you can start working tomorrow. It’s time to get started.”
“It’s more convenient to have a tractor.” Tao Jianshe touched Li Long’s tractor with envy, “I don’t know when our family will be able to build one.”
Li Long glanced at Tao Daqiang, then smiled and said to Tao Jianshe:
"It won't be long. Daqiang is catching fish every day now. I think he will have almost enough money by the end of the year, right? When the baby is born, and he buys a tractor, hey, then your family's life will be beautiful."
< br>Li Long knew that Tao Daqiang had always been targeting him and bought his own tractor. Tao Daqiang naturally had the same goal in this regard. Now I am working hard to make money every day. In addition to having children, I should also have such a goal.
“If you can’t buy it this year, you can’t buy it next year no matter what.” Tao Daqiang said with a smile, “It’s so easy to buy it.”
“What to buy?” Another voice came from outside. The three people looked over at the sound of human voices. It was Lao Huang and his son. He not only carried luggage, but also pots and other stoves. Lao Huang's son was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and it was a bit difficult to carry those things. Li Qiang hurried over, picked up the things, and put them in the car.
“What are you talking about buying?” Lao Huang smiled, showing his big yellow teeth.
Xiao Huang's name was Desheng. After putting down his things, he climbed onto the seat of the tractor, shook the steering wheel, and imitated the sound of the tractor starting.
Every child these days has a dream to drive a tractor, and this is true.
"Nothing." Tao Jianshe said hurriedly, "Have you brought all these things?"
"You have brought everything. Let's make a meal." Old Huang said with a smile, " What's the point of not bringing everything? I also have a sickle. When I have nothing to do, I can make some money."
Lao Huang's idea surprised Li Long. . Last year, Gu Boyuan was cooking, so he would actually cook. Today, Lao Huang wants to do both, but he doesn't know if it will affect the quality of the food.
But I think everyone should have no objections. After all, we are already in the mountains, so it is enough to fill our stomachs.
After chatting for a few more words, Huang Desheng asked Lao Huang to drive him away and let him go back to work quickly. As soon as Huang Desheng left, Xu Feihu came over.
Xu Feihu looked a little shy at the people here, smiled, and greeted everyone one by one, then put his luggage on the truck bed and climbed up himself.
Obtain a good position first.
Both Lao Huang and Tao Jianshe glanced at him, and Tao Jianshe turned to Daqiang:
"Aren't you going to get off the net? Don't stay here, go over."
"Dad, take care of yourself when you get to the mountains." Tao Daqiang's face turned slightly red when he said this, a little Not used to this way of speaking.
“Hey, you don’t have to say that.” Lao Huang smiled at the side, “Your dad is not a child anymore.”
Tao Daqiang and Li Long greeted each other and pushed The bike went to the backyard. The nets were all picked up, but he couldn't go out with Li Qingxia to catch fish every day. After all, he had to do the work in the fields, and he couldn't just let his father do it alone. Over the next month, he would only be able to set the net less than half the time, but even so, he would go whenever he could. It doesn't matter if he is tired. The money he gets every day is real income. Every time he gets a little more, he feels more at ease.
After Xu Feihu came over, he was followed by Xu Dejun, and then Jia Weiguo. Li Long hadn't seen Jia Weiguo for several days. The last time he remembered was when he collected rabbits, and now he found that he had gained some weight. When he saw Li Long, Jia Weiguo smiled and without saying hello to anyone else, he put his luggage in the car and climbed up. , sat in the corner.
"Okay, that's all these people should be." Li Long looked at his watch. There were still five minutes and five-thirty. He clapped his hands to attract the attention of the people chatting, and then said:
"Everyone, we are ready to leave now. Let me tell you the situation first. I will drive the tractor to the county later, buy some things and then go into the mountains. I will arrive at the location around 7:30.
There are huts in Xiaobaiyanggou. You can choose one, repair it, and live in it tonight. My elder brother and Tietou’s father are already living there. If you have any questions at night, ask them. I shot a wild boar this morning. The meat of half a pig is put there. Brother Huang, please watch and process it, and put it into the dishes for everyone to eat when cooking.” All lit up. The people present, except for Tao Jianshe, whose family conditions are now considered relatively good among the team, are basically average. There are not many days when they can eat meat in the summer, so there are half a wild boar here, even if the wild boar is small A little bit, but everyone can still get some meat in their mouth. How can I divide it into several kilograms? In this case, wouldn’t it be enough to save a little and have meat every day?
“Hey, that’s great!” Xu Dejun said with a smile, “Xiaolong, for your generosity, we have to make up our own tricks!”
"The second thing I want to talk about is the quality of the poles. Tomorrow Brother Yundong will go over and he will tell you the requirements for making poles. The quality must be high, otherwise my acceptance will just be useless. The poles There should be no burrs, the strips should be braided tightly, and the width and length should be enough. Let’s start with the ugly part. I did it because the quality of the handles I delivered last year was good enough. I can get this year's job. The price of this job has increased, and everyone can make money after editing it. Maybe next year, if the job is not changed well, I will be in trouble when the job is submitted, and so will everyone. There will be no good fruit to eat."
Looking at the expressions of these people, Li Long waved his hand to get on the car without waiting for their feedback, and he took the crank and started to rock the car.
The churning sound of the tractor sounded. Li Long collected the quilts drying in the yard and put them into the house. After locking the door, he reversed the tractor and walked out of the yard. He waved to his parents at the door of his eldest brother's house and then drove the tractor. Go to the county seat.
The wind blew dust all the way, and there was a lot of dirt on the road. Even though Li Long drove to the fifth speed, the wind brought by the tractor brought dust and enveloped the people on the back bucket. It felt like The monster in Journey to the West is running fast on the wind. When we got to the county road in the countryside, it was a gravel road, so it would be better if there wasn't that much dirt.
The people on the cart kept spitting out the dirt in their mouths, blowing their noses, looking at each other, and then burst out laughing. Each of these is like the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, as if they had just emerged from the earth.
Wiping the dust off their faces with their clothes, the novel experience made several people become cheerful. They talked loudly amidst the sound of the tractor engine, dreaming about how much money they could make every day and how much money they would make after earning money. What are you planning to buy?
Almost everyone has set their sights on bicycles.
I don’t want to think about tractors for a while, and I can’t even think about this thing, but bicycles should still be available, right?
Driving to the county town in half an hour, Li Long went to the grain and oil store and bought a basket of clear oil for their cooking. He also asked them to buy some red tofu, and he also bought a jar, which is shared.
It didn’t take long to buy things. Li Long drove the tractor and took everyone towards the mountains.
Although he was told to arrive before 7:30, Li Long was rushing in fifth gear at the fastest speed along the way, so he arrived at Xiaobaiyanggou around 7:00.
Everyone's curiosity was piqued as soon as they entered the mountain. Most of these people had not been here last year, so they were quite curious about everything. Tao Jianshe and Lao Huang have been here before, but now there are slight changes, and they are also watching with novelty.
“A tractor is better.” Tao Jianshe finally said, “This is much faster than a horse-drawn carriage. When we came here, we had to sit in a horse-drawn carriage for most of the day, and our waists hurt from sitting there. This is great, less than two hours. The hour is here. Who will buy a tractor in the future? "
"You have to have the money to buy it." Xu Feihu smiled, "This big guy is not cheap. Only Li Long can afford it." He speaks, but his expression is complicated. He thought about the previous conversation between his son and Li Long. Could it be that next year, he would really have a tractor at home?
A year ago, I would never have dreamed of doing this!
Li Jianguo and Lu Yingming had already made two carrying handles beside the pit. When they saw the tractor approaching, they stopped what they were doing and stood up.
Li Long parked the tractor at the edge of the Diwozi area. The Xu family jumped off before turning off the engine, ran over with their luggage and started picking out the Diwozi.
Lao Huang and Tao Jianshe were not in a hurry. Anyway, there was no difference between these dens, or not much, so they didn’t have any objections. After they got the things down, they greeted Li Jianguo and Lu Yingming and then went over to cut branches.
"Whose den is this? Xiaolong, is it yours?" Xu Feihu asked when he saw that there were three people living in the den.
"A friend of mine, Blind Liu, digs fritillaries and lives here." Li Long took a look and said.
"Digging Fritillaria? How much money can you make in a day?" Xu Feihu's eyes lit up and he asked, "Is it more profitable than doing a lot of work?"
"He knows someone from the forestry team. , you will not be caught digging for fritillaries. If you want to dig, you will be caught. If you catch me, you won't be able to save him." Li Long said, "Since you are here, you should act honestly."
Although Xu Feihu was a little dissatisfied with Li Long's words, he thought about it. When Xu Chengjun said this, he finally nodded.
When Cao Cao arrived, a few people were digging a nest in the ground. Sun Jiaqiang came out of the forest with a bag on his shoulders. When he saw Li Long, he smiled and waved to him.
"The harvest is good today." Li Long said with a smile, "This bag must be six or seven kilograms, right?"
"Well, I encountered a nest." Sun Jiaqiang also said with a smile, "You come It's just right. I didn't have time to pick up the grass. It's a little dirty. Please weigh it less for me."
" Okay." Li Long took the Fritillaria bag from Sun Jiaqiang's hand. Zi weighed it and said: "It's more than six kilograms, I'll give you nineteen yuan."
"No, just give me eighteen." Sun Jiaqiang said with a smile, "I'll give you one yuan." The protection fee you paid. If your people are doing something here, I don’t think anyone from the forestry team will come.”
Li Long smiled, this is the truth. He suddenly thought of something. After giving the money to Sun Jiaqiang, he walked to his elder brother Li Jianguo, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and said:
"Brother, this is the certificate I issued from the supply and marketing cooperative. When someone comes to check, you can show it to them."
"Okay, my hands are dirty, so you put it in my coat pocket." Li Jianguo said. The burnt blackness of the roasted willow strips was stuck to his hands, and he was weaving them in an orderly manner. It looked like he could weave at least three today.
There are a lot of things to prepare on the first day, so if you do less, you will definitely have more later on.
Putting the note into Li Jianguo's pocket, Li Long turned back and put the Fritillaria on the car. Seeing that others were busy making their own winter nests, he stopped disturbing him and gave Sun Jiaqiang pointed at Lao Huang and said:
"He is the chef this time. If you want to join the team, go to him and see if you give Fritillaria or money."
After hearing this, Sun Jiaqiang happily went to find Lao Huang. While Lao Huang was chopping strips, Sun Jiaqiang helped clean up. After saying a few words, Lao Huang nodded. Li Long felt that Sun Jiaqiang was a social figure, familiar with others, able to get along with everyone quickly, and a great person.
After the things here were settled, he greeted the others, put down the clear oil, red tofu and other things, and drove the tractor towards the wooden house.
When I arrived at the wooden house, I found footprints and horse hoof prints nearby. Someone must have come looking for me. After seeing that the door lock was good, he opened the door, took a basin from inside, put the caladium collected from Sun Jiaqiang into the basin, washed it with water, and washed away the sediment and leaves. , spread on the case to dry.
The fire in the stove has been extinguished. Li Long set up the fire. He was not going to light the stove outside. After he set up the stove, water was boiled on it. After the stove below turned red, Stuffed a cold steamed bun into it.
Dinner is easy, just bake two steamed buns and put a piece of red tofu between them.
After a simple dinner, it was already dark. Li Long went outside to collect the caladiums and put them into a big basin, preparing to dry them out when the sun came out tomorrow.
He plans not to hunt in the next few days. He will dry the caladiums every day and wait for the goods to be received. Then in the afternoon, he will go to Xiaobaiyanggou to check the braided bags there. pass, and then pull back. This also saves the final number from being difficult to check.
Close the door, turn on the stove, blow out the oil lamp, and Li Long falls asleep.
At this time, Li Zhongtang and Li Zhongting were rushing towards the mountains, panting. It was getting dark, and they walked all the way, carrying some purchased things on their backs. Seeing that they were about to enter the mountains ahead, Li Zhongtang didn't want to leave. After entering the mountains, they were still several kilometers away from their hiding place. If they encountered a pack of wolves, the two of them might not be able to deal with them.
In the afternoon, Sister Yang finished selling rice from her cart, and the two brothers sold less than two kilograms of Fritillaria. They already regretted it to death.
When Sister Yang said she was going to collect their fritillaries, both of them almost cried. So the price of three and a half yuan was decided without any discussion. After receiving the money, the two people put the bag and the bag in Sister Yang's car. They were afraid that Sister Yang would regret it, so they quickly took the money and left.
The two of them weighed more than 30 kilograms and less than 40 kilograms of Fritillaria. Sister Yang borrowed a scale from the side to weigh it and gave them 121 yuan. Li Zhengtang paid the stall fee, so the one hundred and twenty yuan amount was sixty one for Li Zhengtang and sixty for Li Zhengting. The two of them couldn't tell the difference clearly.
With the money, the two of them bought baskets, snacks, and food in the market, and then went to the department store to buy clothes, salt and other daily necessities. Seeing that there were still two or three hours until the sun set, the two of them discussed it. , and prepare to enter the mountain.
If you can go into the mountain today, even if you only get to the edge of the mountain, you can go dig fritillaries again tomorrow, otherwise you will have to walk all day tomorrow. Now wasting a day is a waste of more than ten dollars, and both of them are reluctant to part with it.
In this way, the two of them walked towards the mountain carrying the newly purchased bags. When they reached the edge of the mountain, it was completely dark. The two men each broke a red willow stick and continued walking into the mountains. When they passed the first mountain, they heard wolf howls in the distant forest.
"Brother Zheng, let's not leave. We'll find a place to spend the night and leave early tomorrow morning. I'm afraid that if we leave now, we'll disturb the wolf, and then we won't be able to leave." Li Zhongting became scared, and of course there was another important reason. , he was tired.
"Okay." Li Zhengtang also had this intention, and he said, "Zhongting, from now on we can just dig up the Fritillaria and sell them at the tractor. If you still have this plan, Then the caladiums we dug in the last two or three days can be taken down the mountain and they won’t go bad, but this caladium season is long, so we have to do this frequently, which will delay making money.”
"I know, cousin Zheng, I was wrong this time." Li Zhengting also admitted his mistake very bachelorly, "Let's dig fritillaries tomorrow and go to his place to exchange things for money in the afternoon. He wants If you have any opinions, I beg him!"
Li Zhengtang was very satisfied with Li Zhengting's attitude. He began to look around, looking for a place to hide.
After a while, the two of them found a crack in the stone. It was relatively narrow and it was impossible to lie down. The two of them squeezed in and could sit against the stone for a while.
"Let's stay here for nearly a night. Get up early tomorrow morning and go back to the nest as soon as possible." They had already spent the night in the bridge cave the day before, and it was sheltered from the wind. Li Zhengtang and Li Zhengting were confident that they could persevere.
When the two of them were sleeping in a daze at night, the wind started blowing in the mountains. The wind got stronger and stronger, and the two of them got colder and colder, and finally they woke up from the cold. The temperature in this mountain is much lower than that of the bridge under the Qingshui River! (End of this chapter)