After breakfast the next day, before going to work, Gu Xiaoxia dug out a pair of leather knee pads from her bedroom and asked Li Long to put them on when driving the tractor.
"I made this from the sheepskin you left behind. It will definitely be cold if you open it against the wind this morning. Put something on your knees to avoid pain if the wind blows in."
The knee pads looked a bit earthy and ugly, but Li Long didn't dislike it at all. He put them on his legs in front of Gu Xiaoxia and moved around a bit. , I felt pretty good, so I smiled and said:
"Okay, you can go to work in peace, I may be back tomorrow."
After Gu Xiaoxia pushed the bicycle out, Li Long went to give it to him first. The roe deer and fawns added water and cleaned the yard before driving the tractor out.
It was a long way on the road, so he went to the oil depot to refuel, and then took two more barrels of oil with him before heading west along the Wuyi Highway.
Driving all the way to the Laojie Market, he didn’t see his father and Tao Daqiang. He said hello to Chen Xingbang, bought two freshly baked naan from Keyoumu’s shop, and put them on the table. The car continued to go west.
Alone, Li Long was not afraid.
Under the bag in the truck compartment is a 56-meter semi-automatic rifle. There is a machete under his seat bag. If there really is someone who wants to do something, since most of the places to the west are deserted, he wouldn't mind doing what outlaws like to do.
Go west, 143, Ulanwusu, Shawan, Anjihai.
In the middle, Li Long took a rest in the no-man's land, drained the water, and ate naan. This time he did not go to a roadside restaurant to eat. The main thing was to maintain a certain degree of vigilance.
He vaguely remembered that a taxi driver from Kuitun was once tied to the Gobi Desert here and killed. The case was not solved for more than ten years - in fact, he was caught, but it was the taxi driver. His body was not found and the case could not be closed.
Occasionally a car would come from behind, honking and pass Li Long. Li Long also responded with a loudspeaker. When cars were not yet a mainstream means of transportation and people were still mainly accustomed to using animal-drawn vehicles, a road of dozens of kilometers was already quite far. So Li Long naturally didn't mind responding to such a kind greeting.
Driving all the way to Kuitun Military Station, the water tank in the middle boiled several pots. Li Long always stopped to find water nearby to add water and refuel.
Including his last life, Li Long was not a person who cared about tools very much. Whether it is a tractor or a car, they are all tools in his opinion. Since they are tools, there is no need to cherish them too much.
The day before yesterday, when the tractor drove back to the compound, he didn't care much about it. My father and mother wiped the tractor clean. This thing is an iron bull in their eyes. Although the old Li family did not have a big animal that truly belonged to them since liberation and before Li Jianguo came to divide the land in northern Xinjiang, it was inevitable that he would like big tools for farming.
So Li Qingxia occasionally thinks about trying to drive a tractor, and he seems to have a preference for tractors. He feels that managing them should be like managing cattle, cherishing them and taking care of them carefully.
Well, Li Long can't control it and can't control it, let them do it.
So the tractor is still clean now, thanks to the old man.
In fact, with the current situation, no matter who can buy a tractor, it will be wiped clean every day.
Not to mention tractors, even bicycles. Only Li Long didn't care about so much. The things he used were just passable on the whole. Why do it so carefully? He is a strong guy himself, so he can handle it well, so he doesn't have to pay too much attention.
Li Long felt much more relaxed when the tractor arrived at the military station. It was already almost noon and almost afternoon. Five kilometers north from the military station into KT City, Li Long drove his tractor directly to the First Construction and Installation Company.
It should be working time now. Li Long originally thought of waiting outside, but he didn't expect that the guard at the door recognized him and asked him to come in.
Li Long parked the tractor in the open space outside, got down and walked to the guard to hand him a cigarette.
“Young man, I remember you. You drove people here on a tractor two months ago, and you were here pulling sand and bricks for a few days.” The guard took the cigarette and said with a smile, “I was still surprised at that time. Why did you leave suddenly? Now that you are here, are you planning to join the company?”
"No, no, no, my brother is inside, let me come and take a look." Li Long pointed inside and said, "I am still a temporary worker now, and I don't know which construction site I am working on."
"Temporary worker Are you working? It is said that a group of temporary workers are about to become regular workers. I wonder if there are any temporary workers like yours. If so, it should be at the construction site at the Bajiao Tower now. If you are in a hurry to find someone, you can go there and have a look. By the way, do you know where the Bajiao Tower is?”
“Yes, I know. Thank you." Li Long thanked the guard and drove the tractor to the Octagon Building.
Bajiaolou is just the name of the local people. In fact, its full name is Hongqi Shopping Mall. It was the original manager building of the Seventh Agricultural Division Supply and Marketing Cooperative. It was later handed over to KT City. It is considered a landmark building in Kuitun in this era.
There are basically red flags or red flag buildings in every city in northern Xinjiang, so they are easy to find. Li Long himself also knew the location and quickly drove the tractor to the place.
The construction site was next to Hongqi Shopping Mall. When Li Long found a place to park the tractor, he already saw his second brother Li Anguo and nephew Li Junshan who were carrying bricks and plastering the wall. Both of them are big workers, and there are people around to help.
Li Long glanced around and then saw Yang Yongqiang. It could be seen that Yang Yongqiang was still doing small work. He is a lot darker than before, but a little fatter, probably because he moves more and eats more. The food here should be better than that in the team.
Li Long did not go over to disturb their work, he just sat on the tractor and waited. There are not enough trees here to block the sun, but fortunately it is already afternoon and the sun is not very strong. The sun is slowly setting in the west. I see that the work on the construction site is coming to an end. Some people have already started to pack up their tools, while others are speeding up. Construction progress, at least the finishing touches are done before the end.
Waiting until the work was over and the workers were packing up their tools to leave, Li Long got off the tractor, ran across the road, and shouted to Li Anguo, Li Junshan and Yang Yongqiang in the team.
The three of them were not together when they were working, but they got together when the work was over, which was just convenient for Li Long to greet them.
"Hey, Xiaolong is here!"
"Uncle Xiaolong!"
"Brother Long, you are here!"
The three people exclaimed almost at the same time, their faces Shang also had an expression of surprise.
Li Anguo hurried over to talk to the captain, and Li Junshan and Yang Yongqiang came to Li Long with smiles on their faces.
"Junshan, Yongqiang, you two are strong." Li Long patted the two of them on the shoulders and said with a smile, "Not bad, it seems that the food monster is good."
"Okay. Ah!" Yang Yongqiang complained, "There's no money, and it's hard to eat meat..."
"That's better than at home," Li Junshan said with a smile, "It's okay, I think it's okay. Not bad. Not as good as Uncle Xiaolong. Your food is fine.”
Li Anguo came over at this time with his tool bag: “When did Xiaolong arrive? Come on, let’s go eat.” Let’s go together.”
“Put that bag in the car.” Li Long said with a smile, “I’ve just arrived and I’m looking at the telegram you sent. Are you three going to be regulars?” ”
"Yeah." Li Anguo nodded.
"I am a small worker, and the types of work are different. But I am also working hard to find a technical type of work before the end of the year." Yang Yongqiang is a little dissatisfied with himself, "The competition is too fierce, everyone wants to Work on technology.”
“You are young and have a lot of brains to learn,” Li Anguo comforted, “If it doesn’t work, change. I'm going to enroll in a night school. Now the company supports workers to study in night school. We are so short of technical personnel. If you can graduate from night school, you will be a better technician than us."
Li Anguo said. Yes, all walks of life are now hungry for technical talents. Otherwise, it would be impossible for someone to become a national cadre just after graduating from a technical secondary school.
"Yes, Yongqiang. Your sister has such a strong learning ability, you are not bad either." Li Long said loudly while driving the tractor, "Make a plan for yourself, study hard, and in the future It would be great to have a technician come out and sit in the office to draw drawings, or wear a safety helmet to check the construction status! ”
Yang Yongqiang smiled.
Actually, he also had his own thoughts, but he never said it. Now that Li Anguo and Li Long have spoken out, he no longer hides it:
"I think so too. Now I will work as a worker first, and after I get the approval, I will go to night school! My grades in school are actually pretty good...but..."
Well, my grades are not as good as those of my sister, and I was naughty at the time. , it’s normal to not be able to continue.
The tractor drove to the entrance of a canteen. Unlike Ma County, although Kuitun is only a county-level city, the headquarters of the 7th Agricultural Division is just north of the city at this time. The 130th and 131st Regiments are not far away, and there are more state-owned canteens open to the outside world.
After parking the tractor and carrying important items, Yang Yongqiang saw that Li Long was carrying a long thing on his back and asked:
"Brother Long, is that a gun?"
"Yes. If you drive here alone, you still have to prepare something to defend yourself." "That's right," Li Anguo said. "It's a hundred. It’s so many kilometers and I can’t wait for something to happen. Want some noodles?”
“Let’s eat some spicy chicken.”
"Drink some." Yang Yongqiang said with a smile, "I'm treating you, there's nothing to do at night anyway."
"I can't invite you." Li Long waved his hand, "I'll do it, I'll do it."
"Hi! Can I ask you to pay for it now?" Li Anguo waved his hand, "Don't worry, you all sit down and go , I’m going to order food.”
Li Long whispered:
“Second brother, I earned money for a tractor last month...don’t argue with me.”< br>
“What?” Li Anguo was shocked.
During this period, he made two salary payments, plus the unspent money he saved before the Chinese New Year, he still had a few hundred yuan on hand, which was actually quite a lot.
But what Li Long said really scared him.
Li Long smiled:
“I’m not joking with you, okay, you guys sit down, I’ll do it.”
He went to order a spicy chicken, four One noodle and eight bottles of beer. After paying the bill with money and tickets, he went over and sat back at the table.
"Brother Xiaolong, are everything okay at home? Is my sister okay at school?" Yang Yongqiang asked impatiently.
"Everything is fine, everything is fine." Li Long said with a smile, "When I went back two days ago, your dad was still asking. Your sister is doing well in school, and her grades are very good. "
"That's fine." Yang Yongqiang felt relieved after hearing that everything at home was fine.
"I came here and wanted to ask you, if I go back tomorrow, would you like to go back together?" Li Long asked, "When will you become full-time employees? Do you have to wait for the transfer letter to come back?"
“Well, we have to wait. This political review is really important," Li Anguo said with a smile, "But for us it's basically just a procedure. The section chief also said when he met us, this is just a procedure. If it doesn't go well back home, We are not afraid either.”
This is not the case. Li Qingxia's family has all gone to Northern Xinjiang. At present, there are no close relatives in his hometown. Some of them are cousins. There are no close relatives here. If the letter is transferred back, I don't know if anyone will interfere with it out of jealousy.
"That's enough." Li Long said, "I'm going to see Section Chief Ma tonight, and by the way, I'll tell you about the situation. There should be no problem with Yongqiang. Our team will do it When it comes to political review letters, the captain never does anything bad, he always puts the best into things."
He looked at Yang Yongqiang and smiled. He said:
"Yongqiang, no matter what type of work, at least among you young people, you are the first to jump out of the team, be proud!"
Yang Yongqiang's face It was a little red, but there was a sense of pride. He smiled and said:
"Well, this was also an accident for me. If it weren't for you, Brother Long, I wouldn't have come out... I'll have to meet you later."
The first thing that came up was beer. At this time, the fatal big Wusu has not yet been produced, and the drink on the table is XJ beer. This beer later gradually faded out of people’s sight because it was acquired by Wusu Beer.
Everyone took action and poured a glass. Li Anguo raised his glass:
“Come on, Xiaolong is coming to see us. The three of us are about to become full-time employees. Let’s touch one and celebrate! ”
The four cups clinked together, making a crisp sound, and the four drank it all in one gulp.
The beer at this time was brewed very strictly according to the craftsmanship. The hops were very heavy and the taste was very strong.
When it was pouring again, Yang Yongqiang wanted to raise his glass, and Li Long waved his hand hurriedly:
"Stop, stop, stop, I want to drive the tractor, let's drink slowly, and wait for the food to be served. ."
Yang Yongqiang smiled and said:
"Brother Long is still so cautious, okay."
The food didn't come, but the noodles came first. Li Long was hungry, and Li Anguo and the others were also hungry. They were doing manual labor, so they no longer showed humility. They put the cup aside, poured the food on the noodles, and started eating.
Halfway through the meal, a large plate of spicy chicken was served. Li Long and the others didn't stop talking. They finished eating the noodles. They were still not satisfied, but they didn't add more noodles. Instead, they had another drink and started talking about their own things.
Li Anguo and the others are here, and Section Chief Arima Aihong is "covering" them. Generally speaking, their work is relatively smooth. In addition, all three of them were willing to work, and they were not sneaky people. They also hoped to stay and become regular workers, so they quickly left a good reputation in the construction team.
The construction and installation company made statistical evaluations two days ago and posted the first list of those who were eligible for full-time employment. All three people were on the list, which was in line with everyone’s opinions. No one had any objections to the three of them. After all, they work hard and have leadership to take care of them, so no one has any objections.
"There will be two batches of people who will become regular workers next. If neither of these two batches is on the list, they will be dismissed in the end." Li Anguo said, "Some people can no longer work and leave. The three of us have been taking care of each other. Junshan was sick once, and Yongqiang took care of us."
"Hehe, we are all our own people." Yang Yongqiang smiled, "Uncle An Guo, you have helped me several times."
Listening to them talking, Li Long felt relieved. The three of them came here together. He was most afraid of any estrangement due to some things. Now it seemed fine, so that was fine.
"Second brother, when are you going to divide the house after you become a regular employee? My sister-in-law and my baby can't always live separately from you, right?"
"Oh, it's hard to say for a while. "Li Anguo shook his head, "I asked Section Chief Ma about the room allocation privately, and he said he would let me apply after he became a full-time employee. , but there is no guarantee when they will be allocated. The company still has people with families and no houses to live in. We can only wait in line, but I heard that the company will build a batch of small courtyards like this. Yes, it depends on when it will be built."
Li Long nodded and asked Li Junshan:
"Junshan, what do you think? Now that you have become a regular employee, should you go back to your hometown to find a wife, or just find a partner here?"
"I haven't decided yet." Li Junshan shook his head, put down his chopsticks and said , "Let's do it first. I just want to save some money first."
It's also a good and practical idea.
The four of them were eating, drinking and chatting. Li Long talked about the situation at home in detail, including the situation at Yang Yongqiang's family. Li Anguo also talked about the situation here. To develop a city, it needs a large population. Construction and installation companies are the first to bear the brunt. After all, infrastructure construction, government agencies, enterprises and schools all need to be built. They have a lot of work and bonuses, so in fact, the wages and benefits are actually quite good.
As long as you have the skills and are willing to work hard, there will always be tangible rewards.
So hope is in front of us. After drinking a bottle and a half of beer, Li Anguo even expressed his truest thoughts:
“If I can’t get a house before the end of the year, I will rent a small yard outside. , take over your second sister-in-law and the child, and if you can’t rent it, buy it...”
This is a good idea, and Li Long quite agrees with it.
Actually, all four of them drank more than two bottles of beer. However, Li Long had to drive a tractor and the other three had to go to work tomorrow, so they didn’t drink much. After eating and drinking, they felt tipsy for a while. , Yang Yongqiang even had to get on the tractor and drive it himself, and asked Li Long to lift him off and push him into the truck bed.
Just kidding, if you drive it at this time, maybe there will be an accident.
Li Long shook the tractor and drove north. The construction and installation company was just to the north.
Encountering a state-owned store in the middle, Li Long went down and bought two bottles of wine, two bottles of cans, and a pack of snacks. After a while, he sent Li Anguo and others into the company and planned to go see Ma Aihong.
Even if you don’t ask about Li Anguo’s affairs, because of Li Anguo’s face, you will have to meet him no matter what when you come here.
Humanity is nothing more than this. (End of this chapter)