Chapter 59 Happy Evening
Tao Daqiang also learned arithmetic, and he knew after a quick calculation that according to what Brother Long said now, his income must be less than before.
But what was the reason for all this? Wasn't it because Brother Long chose to stay at home when he needed me?
And even if I only pay myself five dollars each time using this method, it is already good enough. Even if I only do it five times a month, twenty-five dollars is more comfortable than most city workers!
Tao Daqiang nodded immediately:
"I am willing!"
He naturally knew that it was actually Li Long who was taking care of him. Otherwise, if the five dollars was given out this time, everyone in the team who wanted to do it would be vying for it.
"Okay, let's go. You take some fish and I'll go to the captain's house to borrow a carriage. Tomorrow morning, either you come over or I'll harness the carriage and come find you."
Li Long followed Tao Daqiang out of the house, went to the west room to say something to Li Jianguo, and then left the yard.
Tao Daqiang returned home with five fishes, but the house was still cold. After Tao Dayong was arrested, both families lost all their savings, which made their already poor life even worse. Tao Jianshe's already hunched back became even more bent.
Seeing Tao Daqiang coming back, Tao Jianshe had a complicated look. He turned around and smoked his pipe, but unfortunately there was no tobacco left in it.
Tao Daqiang moved his lips, but finally stopped talking. He went into the kitchen and started processing the fish.
After a while, the sound of adding coal came from the kitchen, and then the fire in the stove became brighter.
Tao Jianshe felt a lot hotter on the kang, and he shouted:
"What are you doing?"
"I'll make you some fish soup to nourish you." Tao Daqiang's voice came over.
"What a waste of firewood... Why should I make up for it?" Tao Jianshe said angrily, "There's not enough coal to burn..."
"I earn money to buy it," Tao Daqiang said louder, "I'll buy it!"
Tao Jianshe was silent. He didn't know that Tao Jianshe had already paid back the twenty yuan he had borrowed. Now, facing his youngest son, he didn't have the guts to speak.
It was he who blocked his youngest son's original way to make money.
Tao Jianshe is not a fool. When his eldest son was arrested, he thought about the whole process. Tao Jianshe has lived for so many years, and he is not so blind as to blame Li Long. It is because he did not think clearly and his eldest son does not have the ability of others.
Now the younger son went to find Li Long again, and he acquiesced. How bad could it be?
Li Long arrived at Xu Chengjun's house and saw Xu Chengjun listening to the radio.
"Captain, I'm here to borrow a carriage."
"Repay it? Nothing's going to happen, right?" Xu Chengjun was also worried now. "You know what happened between Ermao and Dayong, right?"
"I know." Li Long smiled, "I'm different from them."
"Okay, that's good for you to know. But let me tell you, if we get caught and the carriage is confiscated, you'll have to pay for it." Xu Chengjun was not like the old secretary before. He was used to respecting the fate of others. "How many days do you want to borrow it?"
"Three days." Li Long thought that he would have to go into the mountains again after selling fish, so he said two more days. "Here is the money. If the carriage is really confiscated, I will accept any fine." He was confident.
Four yuan and eighty cents were placed on the table. Xu Chengjun wrote a note and handed it to Li Long: "It seems that I have made a lot of money."
"No, I just can't sit still."
Ma Hongmei waited until Li Long left before she said to her husband:
"The Li family's waiter is really lucky!"
"What kind of luck? He is just capable." Xu Chengjun waved his hand. "The fact that both Gu Ermao and Tao Dayong were arrested shows that he still dares to sell fish. This shows that he has connections."
"It would be nice if we knew the way." Ma Hongmei said enviously, "I heard that he brought back a big bag of stuff today. I wonder how much money he made these days..."
"Don't just look at how others make money, but also look at how hard they work. Getting up at five or six in the morning, walking dozens of kilometers a day in this cold weather, can you persist or can your brother persist?"
Ma Chunmei stopped talking.
Xu Chengjun stopped talking about his wife, saying that this woman has long hair but little knowledge.
After leaving Xu's house, Li Long went to the stable, handed the note to Lao Luo, and also gave him a cigarette.
"Hey, Xiaolong is smoking?" Lao Luo took it and saw by the fire that the cigarette box in Li Long's hand was Daqianmen. He smiled and said, "This cigarette is much better than Mohe cigarettes."
"Lao Luo, can I come over early tomorrow morning?" Li Long did not answer the question of smoking. He did not plan to smoke in this life. "Come over before dawn."
"Okay. I'll also let you catch the No. 76 big red horse." Lao Luo said with a smile. Others came with the captain's note to catch horses, but no one would give him a cigarette. No. 76 big red horse is the best horse in the stable, and it is also the horse that Li Jianguo will draw when the land is divided and the production is divided into teams tomorrow. Unfortunately, the Li family had no money in the previous life and gave up.
In this life, Li Long felt that he must win.
When they got home, a kerosene lamp was lit on the table in the west room. Li Juan and Li Qiang were playing, Li Jianguo was reading a book, and Liang Yuemei was sewing the soles of her shoes.
Li Long dragged the urea bag out of the idle house and said with a smile:
"I went to Wucheng and bought some things this time. Let's try them."
The two children’s shoes and school bags, Li Jianguo’s coat and hat, my sister-in-law’s scarf and shoes, and the two children’s toys.
When the items were taken out one by one, the expressions of the four members of the Li family changed from surprise to shock.
"Xiaolong, how much money did you spend?" Liang Yuemei's voice was full of surprise and anger, "You didn't spend it?"
"That's just the beginning," Li Long said with a smile, "There are also New Year's firecrackers, food, and, yes, facial oil..."
The table was already full. Li Juan and Li Qiang were wearing new shoes and holding toys. Li Qiang also asked Li Long to help him adjust the toy frog. They watched the frog jumping on the kang, and the children kept exclaiming and laughing.
Li Juan held on to her schoolbag tightly - it was a cloth bag sewn by Liang Yuemei, and although it was sturdy, it was really ugly. Some of her classmates carried schoolbags that they bought, and she always envied them.
"Spending money recklessly!" Li Jianguo was also criticizing Li Long, but he couldn't hold back the smile on his face.
He tried on the army green coat and imitation army cap, and said with emotion:
"This... is warmth."
"Of course it's warm inside." Liang Yuemei laughed and exposed his words.
"Xiaolong, that jade... is so valuable?" Li Jianguo asked.
"Well, it's more valuable than I thought, but jade like that is so rare that I may not come across it again in the future."
"I understand. You have to give more compensation to your friends in the mountains later." Li Jianguo nodded.
Everyone finally quieted down after half an hour. They all tried some of the snacks on the table and everyone tried the fruits they brought back - in the past, fruits from the mainland were rarely available, not to mention winter, even in summer.
Of course, I didn't dare let them eat too much, for fear that they would make trouble at night. After playing for a while, the two children were forced to put away the newly bought things and go to bed.
After the two children fell asleep, Li Long took out a wad of money from his inner pocket.
"Brother, I have something to tell you."
Looking at the big stack of unity notes, Li Jianguo's heartbeat quickened.
"Here's three hundred yuan, take it." Li Long pushed the money to Li Jianguo, "After the spring, we will definitely divide the land. I won't be able to farm then, so I'll have to rely on my family. I heard that the production will also be divided among the teams. If my family can get a horse or a mule, we can buy it. We won't be able to have nothing to pull on the ten acres of land then."
"A horse costs less than two hundred yuan at most. Why are you giving me so much?" Li Jianguo pushed the money back.
"Don't you still need a horse-drawn carriage? I'm using horses to pull a carriage to bring back a few carts of manure before planting. I won't do the public labor in the team, and you'll have to pay for it when the time comes. It's all here. Oh, and there's also the fish sales. You caught the fish, so I pay Daqiang as wages, and you also have a share of the money from the fish sales."
Li Jianguo laughed and cursed:
"You little brat, why are you telling me so clearly!"
He took the money and said nothing more.
"Xiaolong, you have to save some money." Liang Yuemei said a little embarrassedly, "You bought things for us..."
"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I still have some left. Besides, I can sell the fish tomorrow and get the money again, right?"
Li Jianguo remembered something and said:
"If you have time after selling the fish tomorrow, buy a piece of red paper, a brush and ink to write a couplet. It's New Year's Day, and we have to put up couplets on the door of our house."
"it is good."
Thanks to the book friends of Ao Long Shen Zhi Xin for their rewards, and thank you for your monthly tickets, recommendation tickets and various suggestions. I will adopt the useful ones. It is normal to have some doubts, and we can discuss them together. If you are not familiar with some things mentioned in the book, you can raise them, and I will try my best to find pictures and send them to the Easter egg chapter.
I hope you will continue to support me. I will try my best to write well and try my best to satisfy you.
(End of this chapter)
