Chapter 643 Unintentional hidden dangers [Second update]
"Haha, then I'll go back and discuss it with him, but I guess that kid won't be willing. He loves to cling to your aunt." Zhen Aimin took several mouthfuls of watermelon.
In order to make it easier to eat, Zhen Shuai cut each piece of watermelon thinly. When Zhen Aimin finished eating, he handed him another piece.
Zhen Aimin had been waiting outside for a while and already wanted to go to the toilet. After eating two pieces in a row, her urge to pee became stronger. If he didn't know that Zhen Shuai didn't know that he had been waiting for a long time, he would have suspected that Zhen Shuai did it on purpose.
He changed his sitting position and waved his hand decisively when Zhen Shuai handed him the second piece of watermelon.
"I won't eat, I won't eat. In fact, I have something I want to discuss with you."
"Discuss with me?" Zhen Shuai looked puzzled, "Do you have any private matters that you can't tell your aunt and cousin? Otherwise Why would you want to discuss it with me?"
Zhen Aimin looked at him deeply.
"No. My uncle has four children in total. Just providing education for these children is a huge expense. He can't even afford a wife for your eldest cousin. He borrowed the money to repair the pig pen some time ago. So. I've been thinking recently about whether to go to the county next door to do some small business."
Zhen Shuai picked up the cup and took a sip of herbal tea. "That's a good idea. Are you going by yourself or with your aunt?"
Zhen Aiming just said . When he wanted to answer, he realized that the topic might be off track and continued: "I have also heard about you and others cooperating to open a store in the county. I also know that you signed a contract with others and only allowed two fried skewers restaurants to be opened in the county. But it shouldn’t matter if you go to the next county to open a store, right? The uncle is thinking that he can also cooperate with you. Whatever conditions you ask others, the uncle can also do it! What do you think?" "Are you going to rent or buy the store?
?" Zhen Shuai asked.
Zhen Aimin said cautiously: "Of course it's rent. My uncle doesn't even have the money to repair the pigsty, how can he afford to buy a shop?" "If we rent,
according to the market conditions in our county, a better shop will cost at least one month per month. One hundred yuan. The county next door should be about the same. It takes a year to open a store, right? That's one thousand and two dollars a year." Zhen Shuai calculated the account carefully and said with a smile, "In other words, you have a Qian Er's family fortune. Are you carrying the private money saved by my eldest aunt?"
Zhen Aimin immediately denied it.
"So, eldest aunt also knows that you have one thousand and two in your hand. That's strange. When my mother just left, my eldest sister went to your house to borrow some money to buy rice..." He didn't finish the sentence, but he believed that Zhen People who love the people can understand.
Zhen Aimin's expression remained unchanged, "Where do I have so much money? I'm going to borrow it from others!" "
Borrow it from others?" Zhen Shuai shook his head, "In other words, you want to open a store without any capital. It's unreliable. What if? Compensation, I mean just in case, uncle, please don’t think that what I said is unpleasant, everything is possible, right? If you compensate, not only will you not be able to pay back the thousand and two dollars borrowed from others, but you will also not be able to pay back the money. It's not reliable! Uncle, you have four children in your family, but mine has six. You should also be considerate of me." Zhen Aimin's face suddenly sank, and his tone was cold, "After all, you
are You don't want to cooperate with me."
Zhen Shuai sat firmly, "Uncle, everyone has to do things according to their ability. You don't have a penny of capital, who dares to do business with you? This is just like you usually do with others. It's like playing cards. You don't have a penny with you. Who wants to play with you?"
"Don't think about it anymore?" Zhen Aimin said in a deep voice.
Zhen Shuai shook his head, "Please don't embarrass me."
Zhen Aimin smiled, stood up, and said meaningfully: "Okay, one day you will beg for your help. Zhen Shuai, remember this sentence Here!"
Zhen Shuai sighed and said slowly: "It shouldn't be possible, right? After all, we have begged you many times before, cried and knelt down, but you have never extended a helping hand. In the future, I think you should be even more reluctant. Maybe you can help us."
There is indeed a case of kneeling down. It was when Zhen Aihua had just passed away and the family was really struggling. Xu Xiuli took Zhen Xiang, Zhen Duo and Zhen Guo with her. The three girls all knelt down for Zhen Aimin and Wu Guixiang. Xu Xiuli thought that the man had gold at his knees, so he did not take Zhen Shuai and Zhen Cheng there, otherwise Zhen Shuai would not be able to escape Zhen Aimin and Wu Guixiang from kneeling down.
A flash of anger quickly flashed across Zhen Aimin's face, he snorted coldly, and strode away.
"This time I offended him severely, I'm afraid he will take revenge." Shen Xingdu put down his book and walked to Zhen Shuai.
"There's nothing I can do about it. I'm too lazy to get involved with him." Compared to Wu Guixiang, Zhen Shuai actually hated Zhen Aimin more. The fact that Zhen Aimin has not come forward can actually explain a lot of problems. Does he really not know what Wu Guixiang did? Not necessarily. After living under the same roof for a long time, and that person being his pillow, how could he not know what Wu Guixiang had done. Even if you don’t know it at first, you will hear it from the villagers’ mouths later. But he just never showed up. To put it bluntly, Wu Guixiang is obviously evil, while Zhen Aimin is secretly cruel. The reason why he appeared today was probably because he saw that other villagers had found a way out, but his family had no clue at all and started to worry. In addition, Wu Guixiang had made trouble several times and got nothing, so he couldn't sit still and took action personally.
When Zhen Xiang came back, Zhen Shuai told her to keep an eye on Zhen Cheng in the future. When a bad guy becomes really bad, no one can predict what terrible things he will do.
Zhen Xiang was a little uneasy, "I will never let him out of my sight." "
The neighbors on both sides should also establish a good relationship and give them something. Just say that they have been feeling noises outside the yard these days and ask them to help at night. Pay attention to the movement." Zhen Shuai said again.
Zhen Xiang stood up and said, "Don't be stingy. I'll get them some candies, biscuits, and some raw chicken steaks. Aunt Long's grandson is only over a year old, so I'll get her a can of malted milk." "
Zhen Shuai nodded, "Very good. From now on, I'll give them something every now and then. Even if it's a handful of red dates or two taels of brown sugar, don't think it's too little. It's all from my heart." "I know." Zhen Xiang said neatly
. The land has gone.
When she went to the sun drying field to enjoy the cool air in the evening, she saw her uncle and aunt were there. She couldn't help but secretly observe their expressions, but she didn't see anything.
There was a large group of people between her and Wu Guixiang, so she didn't bother to say hello and watched Zhen Cheng running around with a group of children of similar age.
"What's wrong? I saw you keep peeking at your uncle and aunt." Zhang Xiaotian sneaked up to Zhen Xiang while no one was paying attention.
Zhen Xiang's face turned slightly red, "It's nothing, it's just that my uncle and Shuai Shuai had a little argument today. Let me see if he is angry." "Your uncle..." Zhang Xiaotian winked at her, "I'm telling the truth
. You must not be angry..."
"Yeah." Zhen Xiang lowered her head, bit her lip, and kept grinding her feet in new sandals on the ground.
"I think your uncle is very selfish..." Zhang Xiaotian said softly, "A grown man always wants to take advantage of others, which is really contemptible. A real man should support his wife and children by himself, otherwise he is not a man. ?"
What does he mean by this?
Zhen Xiang's cheeks felt inexplicably hotter.
At this time, there was a burst of laughter in the distance. I wonder what interesting things those uncles and aunts said.
Zhen Xiang came back to her senses. She was afraid that people would notice her getting closer to the man, so she hurriedly walked a few steps away from Zhang Xiaotian.
Zhang Xiaotian was anxious, "Hey, Xiangxiang..."
Zhenxiang stopped, turned around, glared at him, and stomped away.
Another young man jumped out of nowhere and grabbed Zhang Xiaotian's neck.
"Damn it! When did you become so familiar with Zhen Xiang? You kid must not have held it in well! Be honest!"
Zhang Xiaotian threw away his arm and rolled his eyes at him, "Young lady, a gentleman is so brave. She is so beautiful, why is it strange that I want to pursue her?" The young man's tone was sour, "Then you have to work harder
. I know that you are not the only one who wants to pursue Zhen Xiang!"
A flash of anger flashed across Zhang Xiaotian's face, "What the hell, who dares to pry into my corner?" He stared closely, but he really didn't notice. Someone else also fell in love with Zhen Xiang.
The young man feels contempt in his heart. He has become your corner before he has even written his horoscope?
"I don't know who said it last time."
At this time, Zhen Xiang had already brought Zhen Cheng back home.
This was the third time I heard her come back humming a song, which finally caught Zhen Shuai's attention.
"Sister, are you in love?"
She walked with a wave of hair, her eyebrows were full of smiles, she must be in love.
Zhen Xiang's face suddenly felt as hot as burning. She clenched her fists and said angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about! Who talked about it? You just talked about it!" Shen Xingdu held Zhen Shuai's hand and nodded lightly
. , it seems right to say that we are talking about it. He and Shuai Shuai have been in love.
Zhen Shuai was startled by Zhen Xiang's rare loud voice. He covered Shen Xingdu's ears and pulled him into his arms, "Why are you reacting so loudly? It's okay even if we really talk about it, as long as you don't mess around. That's fine." He didn't know whether Xu Xiuli had taught the girls at home to protect themselves, so he couldn't help but say more.
"You still said that!" Zhen Xiang was anxious and angry, tears welling up in her eyes.
Zhen Shuai was speechless and Monk Zhang Er was confused. What did he say wrong?
[Anchor, reserved, reserved! 】
Zhen Shuai suddenly became enlightened. But, he forgot that people in this era are very reserved when it comes to feelings. It's his fault.
"Ahem! Sister, don't be impatient. I don't mean anything else. You are already sixteen this year. If you meet the right person, it will be fine if you have a little contact. If you don't have contact, how will you know whether he is suitable or not? But officially falling in love If so, it would be best to wait until the age of eighteen to reach adulthood. This is a major life event that everyone has to experience, so you don’t have to feel embarrassed." After listening to her brother’s patient explanation, Zhen Xiang also felt that she had overreacted. She had just spoken to her brother.
His tone was not very good and he was a little apologetic, but his face was still red.
"I know. But it's really not what you think. I'm... not sure yet."
Zhen Shuai couldn't bear to go further and scratched his head.
"Okay, be more careful yourself."
He thought about it and looked for an opportunity to talk to Grandma Zhen. For this matter, only Grandma Zhen and Zhen Xiangti are the most suitable.
Chapter 644 Contracting a Mountain [First update]
"Shuai Shuai, I'm not cold." Governor Shen Xing had to speak out when he saw that Zhen Shuai was still preparing to put on gloves for him.
"How can it not be cold? There is a cold cry "Brother thinks you are cold"." Zhen Shuai listened to the whistling wind outside, hesitated for two seconds, and decisively put it on for him.
It's already October in the blink of an eye, and the temperature seems to have dropped overnight. The sky was overcast, the wind was blowing, the dead leaves were rustling, and there was only desolation and no life.
Shen Xing supervised the movements of his arms that could not be straightened because he was wearing too many clothes. His face was flushed, not from shame, but from heat. He took off his gloves and motioned for Zhen Shuai to squat down.
"What's wrong?" Zhen Shuai straightened his woolen hat.
Shen Xingdu touched his face and asked, "Is it warm?" His hands were almost sweating after wearing it for a while.
Zhen Shuai felt so cute when he heard him say "hot", and raised the corners of his lips, leaning on his shoulder for a while, "Then I won't wear it. Let's go." The two of them were going to the village office
.
The weather is getting colder, and people are shrinking. There are not many people visible outside. Most villagers are hiding at home doing farm work that can be done at home, such as shelling cotton or corn.
The cotton at Zhen Shuai's house has also been collected and peeled, and he asked the villagers to help him peel it.
Zhen Xiang also said that this year was better than previous years, at least not like previous years when she had to peel cotton at home until her hands hurt.
The door of the village office was half open, and the village chief, party secretary and several other cadres were chatting. The brazier has already been lit, and it is burning dry wood. There is no charcoal to burn, but there is no smoke, and it is very warm even though it is far away.
Seeing Commander Zhen and Governor Shen Xing coming in, several people waved them in.
The female director gave Shen Xingdu half of the sweet potatoes that had just been roasted by the brazier.
"Be careful."
Shen Xingdu's stomach was full, so he said thank you and gave half of it to Zhen Shuai.
If you have anything to say, please wait until Zhen Shuai finishes eating. Several cadres continued chatting while looking at Shen Xingdu's elegant eating appearance, and exchanged meaningful glances. I don't know if Shen Xingguo regrets giving his son to someone else to raise. Judging from Dudu's clothes and complexion, he knows that he has a good life at Zhen Shuai's house, and he even dresses more exquisitely than Zhen Cheng.
After eating the sweet potatoes, he wiped his mouth with the tissue he brought with him and rinsed his mouth with the tea poured by the female director. Zhen Shuai said: "Village chief, leaders, I came here to ask if there is any farmland in the village that has not been allocated. Ponds, woods, mountains, whatever."
The village chief wondered, "Did you wait until now to ask?"
"Yes." Zhen Shuai said, "I did intend to let other villagers choose first. There are some left. , I'll guarantee it, it doesn't matter if you don't have it. It's been two months since the last meeting, and the people in the village should have already made decisions." Several cadres secretly admired it
. He has such a big heart at a young age and is a person who can do great things. Their regard for Zhen Shuai increased even more.
The party secretary remembered the rumor that Zhen Shuai would open a factory in the future that he heard some time ago, and felt that it was almost true. Both the Ma family and the Cai family helped Zhen Shuai keep it a secret, but after a long time the news still came out. However, apart from village cadres like them, there should not be more than ten people who know about it.
"Isn't your business going very smoothly? How could you think of having to guarantee production?" Hou Mingyao asked.
Zhen Shuai smiled and said: "We have six children! How can that little money be enough? Besides, how can we earn enough money? Since the reform and opening up, the quality of life of ordinary people has improved a lot than before, and it will only get better in the future. If you don't work hard, , one day I will fall behind others again. Besides, I am not old enough now, and I can't do anything else if I want to. So I thought it would be good to develop agriculture first." The cadres nodded frequently
. Sometimes I really feel that Zhen Shuai doesn't look like a fifteen-year-old child at all. He must have gained experience through contact with people outside.
Hou Mingyao took out a thick notebook from the drawer and flipped through it, "There are no empty fields in our village, and the ponds and woodlands have also been taken over. If you want to contract, you can only take over the mountains. Just behind our village The mountain is not small, covering more than a hundred acres."
Zhen Shuai nodded, "Okay, but I don't know the price?" "
There is no precedent for this before. I have to go to the county to ask." Hou Mingyao turned forward and shook his head. .
Zhen Shuai said, "Okay, then I'd like to trouble you to make a trip."
"We've packed the mountain, what are we going to do?" the women's director was curious.
Zhen Shuai pondered, "I haven't thought about it yet, but I only plan to contract for three years. No matter what I do, I will be exposed to wind and sun. I think I may still not get used to it. When three years are up, I will do it. Let's go."
At this moment, several cadres felt that he still had a bit of childishness in him, and they all laughed kindly. Whether it's mountaineering or something else, is there anything that's not hard work? Unless the previous generation was rich and enjoyed the benefits.
The clever ones among them are wondering, after Zhen Shuai quits working in three years, will he be able to continue working in Zhen Shuai’s way?
Hou Mingyao valued Zhen Shuai very much and went to the county to ask about it that day. Zhen Shuai signed a contract with the village the next day, and several cadres served as witnesses.
The first thing Zhen Shuai did was to hire people to go into the mountains to collect firewood. He picked up all the firewood he could, leaving behind what was enough for his own use and suitable for making charcoal, and sold it out at a price of a penny per pound. I actually made more than 500 yuan from just these firewood! This is truly a free pick!
The villagers now believe the old saying, the mountains are full of treasures!
Zhen Shuai contacted people who specialized in making charcoal for wood suitable for burning charcoal, and sold it at three cents a pound, making nearly a hundred more.
During the process of collecting firewood, many villagers caught pheasants and rabbits, but Zhen Shuai did not care about them. Whoever catches it this time will get it, but from now on, within three years, all the output on the mountain will belong to Zhen Shuai only, including wild vegetables.
The villagers can get some of the money from contracting the mountain, so they have no objections. But if you want to collect firewood in the future, you can only go to other nearby mountains. As for wild vegetables, they are everywhere, so you don’t necessarily have to go to the mountains to dig them.
After simply cleaning up the mountain, Zhen Shuai hired people to seal the mountain. Not really, but planted a circle of thorns at the foot of the mountain. This thing has strong vitality and can be transplanted directly from another place. So, after a few days, there was only one entrance left on the mountain.
Zhen Shuai built a brick house at the entrance, with a kitchen and toilet inside, which was prepared for the mountain guards.
There was an old couple in their early sixties in the village. Their daughter was married far away and their only son was a martyr. Zhen Shuai invited them to guard the mountain. With a monthly salary of 30 yuan and planting some vegetables in front of and behind the house, the couple can live a very comfortable life.
Many people in the village originally wanted to grab this job, but when they heard that Zhen Shuai arranged for this old couple, they were embarrassed to compete with them.
Zhen Shuai also went to another village to buy four puppies. They are all descendants of wolfdogs. They can keep the old couple company and help patrol the mountains when they grow up. For this reason, Zhen Shuai gave the old couple an additional five yuan as a monthly subsidy.
After the mountain guards have settled in, the next step is to collect the wild fruits in the mountains, including wild apples, wild pears, mountain peppers, wild oranges, chestnuts, pine nuts, wild wolfberries, mountain grapes... there are many kinds. I haven’t gone deep into the mountains yet, for fear of encountering wild boars and other more dangerous animals. There has been a lot of harvest just on the mountainside and below. What can be sold is still sold, and what cannot be sold is brewed.
So many jobs require hiring people, so for a full month, everyone in the village has work to do. Three or five people get together to peel fruits or shell chestnuts... In the village So it became lively again.
It was only in November that the village gradually returned to calm.
At this time, the weather really started to get colder.
The fried skewers stall is still there, but Zhen Shuai has added a cart selling spicy hotpot. It's more comfortable to eat something warm in cold weather.
The people in charge of the Malatang truck are also three people hired from the village. One person cooks the food, one person collects the money, and one person is responsible for picking.
Taking into account the cold weather, Zhen Shuai also went to the city to customize a large foldable tent, which can not only prevent wind, but also rain and snow, and can accommodate six small square tables. Disposable tableware and chopsticks can only be bought in the city. With disposable bowls and chopsticks, it is much more convenient for guests whether eating fried skewers or barbecue.
Of course, the wages of the six workers were increased as a low-temperature subsidy.
Two stores in the county, eight stores in the city, and Huang San's store all followed suit after learning that Malatang was being sold here. No one expected that Malatang would be more popular than fried skewers! The soup, which is mainly made of barbecue noodles, is very delicious. Even if you only order vegetarian dishes and add a side of noodles, you will still be very satisfied. There are also many people who bought malatang but did not eat it. Instead, they took it home and used the extra soup to make another dish.
As of the first day of the twelfth lunar month, the deposit in Zhen Shuai’s passbook reached 100,000!
In order to prevent Zhen Xiang and others from spilling the beans, he didn't dare to tell them the truth.
But Zhen Xiang and the others guessed that they would make a lot of money, because as soon as the twelfth lunar month entered, Zhen Shuai gave each of them a special amount of two hundred yuan to buy clothes. Zhen Shuai also gave Zhen Xiang two hundred dollars belonging to Zhen Cheng and asked her to help Zhen Cheng buy clothes.
Entering the twelfth lunar month, the New Year atmosphere in the village is getting stronger day by day. The Wu family's canteen's firecracker business is booming. From time to time, you can hear the sound of firecrackers in the village, such as soaring cannons, falling cannons, fairy sticks... all of which are loved by children. Walking in the village, you will be startled by naughty children if you are not paying attention.
But the most anticipated one has to be the New Year pig, or pig-killing dish.
People are busy all year long, and what they are looking forward to is just a bite of meat during the New Year? As long as there are more than two pigs at home, they will basically sell one and keep the other one to kill for their own consumption. At this time, the butcher became the most popular person. If you want to kill a pig, you have to queue up at his place as early as possible, otherwise you will have to wait until the Year of the Monkey and the Horse.
Yangliuwan Village does not have its own butcher, so the villagers have to wait in line at the butcher in the next village.
Zhen Shuai's pig was caught late and was not very big, so he simply bought a fat pig in the village that weighed nearly 300 kilograms.
Because of his reputation in the neighborhood in the past few months, the butcher also opened a back door for him and arranged his house on the third day of the twelfth lunar month.