Translated by Serena Love

LF: editor~

It's the beginning of spring, and the weather is warm and cold at the same time. But farmers who have been indoors all winter can no longer be lazy. They have to start preparing for a year's plan. Preparations for the beginning of spring cultivation, plowing, turning the ground, fertilizing, everything was a delicate work which took a lot of effort.

Li Daniu took over as the captain of the first production team at the end of last year. Suddenly, the spring plowing arrived, and he was so busy but had no idea. Even the arrangement of raising seedlings almost caused the members to quarrel.

He carried two or three pounds of pork and hurried to the He family's house to ask his brother for advice.

He saw that his sister-in-law was holding a bucket of clothes and that she had just returned from washing her clothes by the river.

Li Daniu shouted, "Sister-in-law."

He quickly remembered that He Songye was deaf and could not hear him. He leaned in front of her and spoke very slowly, "I'm here to find my brother."

He Songye looked at his moving lips and understood what he was saying. She nodded and led Li Daniu to her husband.

Li Dali leaned on crutches and moved with difficulties in the house. But today was different. When he got married last year, he could only move with crutches, but now he can move a few steps without the crutches.

There was sweat on his forehead, and as soon as he looked up, he saw the extra person in the room.

He smiled and asked, "How are you here?"

Daniu was overjoyed and helped his brother. "I just wanted to see you. You can walk now. Are you ready?"

"I also want to ask you for advice."

He crackled and said to Li Daniu, "It's time to start spring plowing and work. Are the old fritters in the brigade refused to move and dragged things around? It's like that. I really wanted to hit someone every year. But when I think about it, for the younger generation, it's fine to fight. Only the older generations, they are still relying on their age to sell their complaints. Can we still teach them how to work?"

[T/N: "Old fritters" are a mildly disrespectful term to refer to slick or shrewd person. The logic is when a Chinese doughnut or fritters are old or have sat around for a while, it's greasy and oily.]

Li Daniu held his stomach and choked air as he heard his eldest brother's complaint.

Li Dali's speech was so fast that He Songye couldn't see clearly, so she only looked at her brother-in-law indignant expression blankly.

Li Dali said, "They just want you to do more work. The new captain is like this... even if you don't ask much, they still won't agree with you."

"Why do you say that. At the end of the year, I don't get much of the food share, and I need to work more... Okay, okay, I pinch my nose and accept it, but they just want me to do all the work! Gee, Shameless." Li Daniu said.

The production team captain has to grow a compromising and exquisite heart. Everyone earned points together and ate a collective meal. After so many years, everyone has long been exhausted. Not only must everyone obey the captain, but also listen to his arrangements. Most people are honest and willing to put more effort, so when the old and feeble made a bit of problems, Li Daniu should open one eye, close another eye, and still record their points.

But this time, eighteen or nineteen strong men also do the same, which really crossed the captain's bottom line. Li Daniu had shallow experience and was easily overwhelmed.

Li Dali thought for a while and said to his second brother, "When you start the mobilization meeting, I will come and listen to it."

Li Daniu got his brother's assistance and thanked him again and again, "They only need to be in front of you to be convinced."

...

In March, He Songbai's pigs had 166 to 170 kilograms each. Although it was less than two hundred kilograms, he had made a profit after the slaughter.

He temporarily found three butchers and taught them by hand.

However, the busy spring plowing also began. He Songbai had to cultivate the land and turn the fields during the day. There are only five cattle available to the entire brigade, and He Songbai often missed his turn. After he finished his work, he lay tired and slept on the edge of the ridge. When he fell asleep, there would be live animals on his body. Sometimes it is a green grasshopper, and sometimes it is a delicious frog.

This time, it was a small and quiet dragonfly stood tenderly on the tip of a weed.

Occasionally it skipped by his shoulder and stopped.

He slept soundly in the splendid spring. He was looking sweet and solid. It was so quiet he almost had no sense of existence.

After Zhao Lanxiang finished her work, she glanced at him and couldn't help but laugh.

After taking advantage of others' self-indulgence, she slowly moved over and coughed.

When He Songbai moved, the frog on his feet fled and jumped away. When he saw that the sun was already high, and he stood up agitatedly.

Zhao Lanxiang said, "It's time for lunch. Don't sleep anymore."

He Songbai silently followed the girl home. He went to the well and washed his face. The light of the early spring was shining on him, and his body was warm. In his eyes, even the smell of fattened mud felt so special. He stretched his muscles and bones, feeling full of energy.

Zhao Lanxiang said, "Feeling happy to work?"

He Songbai nodded.

He went to the kitchen and ate two big bowls of rice.

He wiped his face and said, "I finished my work for the afternoon. I still have something to do. So I will let Tiezhu play as me in the afternoon."

Today is the weekend. Usually, it would be resting time. However, it was the busy farming season, so the weekend became less like a weekend.

Zhao Lanxiang said, "You pay attention to safety."

She paused again and said, "Can I ask what are you doing?"

He Songbai's movement stopped for a moment, and he quickly picked out every grain of rice in the bowl and ate it clean.

He looked at his girlfriend's eyes, which couldn't help but reveal her worry, and his heart softened.

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

He whispered, "Do you remember how our pig farm was closed last time?"

Zhao Lanxiang nodded, and the public security caught a few sellers who sold pork.

He Songbai's leaning closer to the girl's ear to whisper, "So this time, I am going to find a relationship and sell pork!"

Zhao Lanxiang moved suddenly, "Selling pork?"

He Songbai nodded, he quickly cleaned up the table, washed the dishes, and returned to the room without a word. He packed his neat tunic properly and took it out in a bamboo basket.

"Have you finished your work? Come with me when you are done."

He wanted to make a trip to the city, and it would be fine to take her to change her mood.

Zhao Lanxiang looked at the spirit in the man's eyes, as if she was bewitched, she nodded.

"I finished it. Elder sister helped me this morning."

He Songbai quickly picked up the bicycle. He wiped the dusty back seat with his hand, took his girlfriend to the county town, and then went to the city.

When they arrived in the city, it was already time for the urban employees to get off work.

He Songbai and Li Zhong met, then Li Zhong took them to his acquaintance's house.

"Here." Li Zhong handed a package of things to He Songbai.

By the time He Songbai came out of the bathroom, the whole person had changed so much. The stubble on his face was shaved clean, and his face was neat and tidy. The poor man's ragged shirt that he wore had been replaced with a neat and ironed tunic.

This tunic shirt was one of the two clothes Zhao Lanxiang made for him. He was unwilling to wear it often and kept it carefully. He wore it for less than three times.

He Songbai's hair seemed to have been fixed, and the hair that was usually growing wantonly, was combed into the popular educated youth style.

When he walked out of the bathroom, Zhao Lanxiang turned her head and looked at him. He Songbai rarely looked so tidy. The last time she saw him like this was the new year in City G.

However, he wore a pair of sneakers, which were popular in the city. However, this made his style nondescript, making Zhao Lanxiang wanted to cry and laugh. This is also a unique thing in this era, so she can't blame him.

He Songbai put a bunch of things into Li Zhong's handbag, he patted Zhao Lanxiang's head and told her, "You stay in this fellow's house for a while and eat something. I will return soon after I finish my work."

The pork sale was so mysterious that Zhao Lanxiang wanted to follow them and explore what they are doing.

After He Songbai said this, he quickly followed Li Zhong on a bicycle and disappeared.

He and Li Zhong deliberately made this business-like appearance, and specifically went to the steel smelter and coal processing plant to "talk business" with the factory's official. It was easier to get respected by dressing well and looking strong.

He Songbai was confident in front of Zhao Lanxiang. But in fact, he was uneasy to take this step.

Li Zhong laughed and scolded him, "You kid, I blame this on you. If you dare not go, let's go back and forget it."

He Songbai calmly said, "I'm not afraid. Even if the sky is falling, your fourth uncle is on it."

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

"Master He told me before that the two factories had come to him and ask about pork, but he didn't dare to answer. If we don't eat this piece of fat, I won't be able to sleep."

The workers in the steel smelting plant and the coal processing plant are doing heavy manual work. They had to eat a little more food and water to work hard. But there was not enough food and water for their stomach. Therefore, the cafeteria often tried their best to give them more food. However, the monthly share of pork is not enough to support them to eat meat. So the procurement often buys meat through various channels.

But where can they get enough meat tickets? Workers wanted to eat meat, but the cafeteria can't buy enough meat. At this time, they must go to the black market to secretly buy some meat to supplement their inventory.

This matter had become an undisclosed secret of the purchaser of the cafeteria.

Li Zhong said, "It's good to be able to work out a deal. We don't have to retail to those independent sellers in the future, and the business will be more secure."

He Songbo straightened Li Zhong's collar and straightened his waist. "Remember, you need to be cooler, more arrogant, and be more confident, so he dare not question us."

"Look at my expression later."

So Li Zhong and He Songbai went to the steel mill's cafetaria procurement officer's house. Officer Shi, who got the news, sent his family to watch a movie early, and made two side dishes to greet them.

Li Zhong and He Songbai, one with a red face and the other with a black face, looked vivid.

Li Zhong mentioned that they have pork.

He Songbai covered Li Zhong's mouth and said, "Don't listen to his nonsense. After drinking two glasses of horse urine, he doesn't know who he is anymore."

"In this era, everything is deadly. How many lives do you have, so you could risk it for making money? Master He said that we should just listen to what you said before. We are here today to remind ourselves that we should not think too much."

If Master He could hear He Songbai's words, and he might jump into the coffin with anger. Where did he send these messages to Song Bai, and what kind of reminder did he mention?

He Songbai said a few more things, and filled bowl after bowl with wine, so that Officer Shi was soon very drunk because of him.

Officer Shi said slowly, "We want pork, we want it."

"Who will do the job if you don't have enough food these days? Everyone will be lazy, and the efficiency of the factory will decline every year. The N city ranks last in the country, and the manager scolds the workers and the cafeteria every year. In the end, isn't it just depending on a bowl of food?"

"We have some money. You tell me about how to find a way, I will appreciate it."

Li Zhong also prepared many lines in his stomach, but it was suddenly blocked like the gate closed in the dam.

Heroes are useless in a place with no war!

He Songbai then took out the "Joint Letter of Responsibility" from the leather handbag, get all of them to sign it, and slapped their blood-red thumbprints.

"This matter is only known by heaven and earth. The three of us know it, but the fourth person must never know."

Shi Officer nodded vigorously.

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

...

Zhao Lanxiang stayed at Li Zhong acquaintance's home in the city. When it was time for dinner, the person called her to eat.

She was worried about He Songbai and had no appetite. She just stood downstairs and waited for him. As night fell, the lights lit up. Unlike the countryside without electricity, many people in the city have used light bulbs for a long time.

The warm yellow light reflected in her eyes.

A long time later, a ringing bicycle bell came from downstairs, and the tall man jumped from the car.

He said, "Are you hungry?"

"I will take you to dinner."

He Songbai pushed Li Zhong from his bike, patted his bicycle's back seat, and pulled his girlfriend to sit. He rode the bike all the way to take the girl for a ride and drove towards the state-run hotel.

His low voice revealed a hint of unabashed joy, "Xiangxiang, my piglets are sold!"

"The workers here and here will eat pork produced in my pig farm."

He Songbai pointed at some two buildings with his chin.

The night was too dark, Zhao Lanxiang can't see the buildings clearly.

She whimpered in excitement, grasped the tendon on the man's waist hard. "You are really capable!"

"You sold a lot of pork?"

She quickly counted. He Songbai's pig farm originally had a hundred pigs. The sows had cubs, and when the next month they are born, they could have a few more litters. There can be 50 or 60 adult pigs at the same time!

Zhao Lanxiang quickly calculated the pig farm's meat production, which the old pig farm could not match. After supplying these two factories, he probably didn't have much pork remaining for retail by individual sellers?

It turned out that he was planning this?

"You found another way?"

He Songbai said in a small voice, "It's making a fortune in silence."

hosted on Puretl. com - - Do not repost or steal.

Back Index Next

Please support us by whitelisting this site! Thank you!!