Chapter 313

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Once she decided to do something, she did it — Chai Mi wasn't the type to dilly-dally. Since it was settled, she started organizing the warehouse construction.

And Chai Mi calculated it herself — the money needed actually wasn't much. Bricks at seven fen each, 1,500 yuan would be enough; add a bit more and 2,000 was plenty. That's only about 150 yuan.

A lot of stone was needed, and the family didn't have any on hand, but there was an abandoned quarry on the mountain. Though it had gone bankrupt long ago, there was still plenty of crushed stone — just find someone to haul a few cartloads.

As for cement, twenty bags at 1.5 yuan a bag — thirty yuan would cover it.

Sand could be hauled from the riverbank — that wouldn't cost a cent.

As for wood... cough cough, that would require stealing some.

Buying it as a gift wouldn't be worth it; better to steal some from beside the Niuhe River — saves worry and effort.

And saves money.

Only the oilcloth paper for the roof would cost a bit — need over a hundred...

Of course, as for windows and doors and such, it's not like building a new house — just go to the building materials market in the city and buy some secondhand ones.

Instead, food might end up being the biggest expense.

Of course, with this much material, people are needed. Get people to help — no money, just feed them. Actually hire masons and carpenters, and the cost would be much higher...

Figured this way, the main costs are just bricks, cement, oilcloth paper, and possible hauling fees — all told, three hundred yuan at most! Chai Mi felt much more at ease. This was way cheaper than she had imagined.

Of course, the most critical thing is still labor. This much material needs people. Get people to help — no money, just provide meals. If you really hire masons, carpenters, and such, the cost would be huge! Chai Mi calculated: Chai Youqing might be perfunctory at work, but hauling stone, moving bricks, mixing mud — that kind of heavy labor he can still do.

Chai Mi calculated the warehouse construction costs in her mind, and felt using a tractor to haul sand from the riverbank was the most money-saving plan.

First get the sand and cement — these two small items — ready, then handle stone and bricks.

Anyway the sand is from the Niuhe riverbank too, free, just costs some effort.

After returning home. "Dad," Chai Mi called to Chai Youqing who was about to go feed the cattle, "After feeding the cattle, go tell Da Zhi — see if he's home. Later we'll use his tractor to haul some sand, then haul some cement."

Chai Youqing froze: "Starting already?"

Chai Youqing hadn't expected Chai Mi to move this fast — she only mentioned a warehouse yesterday, and now she's busy hauling sand and such.

This pace was indeed a bit too fast.

"Drag it till the New Year?!" Chai Mi said crisply, "The sand for the warehouse — let's haul it from the riverbank. Our ox cart can't be used anymore, the ox is about to calve, and it would delay things. Let Da Zhi bring their tractor — just right for the job."

Chai Youqing hesitated a bit: "We've troubled Da Zhi with big and small things alike. Always asking Da Zhi to do work — I don't think that's too good."

Chai Youqing felt that Da Zhi was a man of similar age after all, and after a long time, people would surely gossip.

Chai Mi frowned: "Then you go borrow a donkey cart or ox cart to haul sand? I've found you're the type who just does useless things. It's just using a tractor to do some work — who wouldn't help whom? What's there to say. Besides, I've never cared what the village says. Don't worry about that — if you won't go, I'll go myself."

Without further ado, she walked toward Liu Zhijing's house.

Chai Youqing followed along.

"Hey hey hey, remember to bring iron shovels and pickaxes, bring two — I'll help load sand too. I figure a bit over two truckloads should be about right."

Chai Mi walked fast, and in a short while reached Liu Zhijing's door. Liu Zhijing's tractor was parked right at the door, and Liu Zhijing himself was tinkering with something beside it.

"Da Zhi!" Chai Mi put on a smile, greeting him in a clear voice.

Not to mention, it'd been a long time since she'd seen Da Zhi — this guy was still so simple-minded.

Liu Zhijing looked up, saw it was Chai Mi and her dad, and was a bit surprised: "Yo, Chai Mi... your dad came too. What's up? Something?"

Chai Mi got straight to the point: "Da Zhi, want to borrow the tractor — go haul a few loads of sand from the riverbank, build a small warehouse!"

Though looking at it, the tractor seemed to have some trouble.

"Fixed it? Any major issue?"

Liu Zhijing smacked his lips, nodded: "Fine! No major issue, seems the carburetor had a bit of a problem, I swapped it — should be good. When to go?"

Chai Mi thought a moment: "No trouble with the vehicle, let's go now. Before dark we can haul three or two loads. I won't stand on ceremony with you — you help my dad load too, tonight I'll treat you."

"Deal!" Liu Zhijing agreed readily: "Anyway I've got nothing to do."

The few of them grabbed their tools and set off.

Before long, Liu Zhijing's tractor, belching black smoke, went "chug-chug-chug" to the riverbank at the village entrance. Chai Mi, Chai Youqing, and Liu Zhijing, the three of them with iron shovels, started loading sand into the truck bed. The riverbank sand was fine and clean — before long they'd loaded a full truck bed.

Chai Mi sometimes couldn't help but feel deeply: This era is really damn good — sand you load however you want, no one cares. In later generations, it'd probably cost over a thousand yuan per square meter.

Of course, by then there's too much construction, the rivers have no sand left, so naturally it gets expensive.

The tractor "chug-chug-chug" went off, carrying a full bucket of river sand, swaying down the potholed dirt road toward Song Qiushui's house. Chai Mi sat on the edge of the truck bed, wind blowing her hair wild, but her mind calculating fast. Sand was secured, cement entrusted to Liu Zhijing to haul twenty bags from town tomorrow, bricks and oilcloth paper still not settled — need to inquire soon. The warehouse would be built beside the Song family courtyard, the spot was decided, next was to race against the rain and get the main structure up.

The truck had just stopped steady outside the Song family courtyard when Chai Mi jumped down. Song Qingshan and Meng Shi came out at the sound, looking at the sand pile like a small hill, both with smiles. "Uncle, Auntie, sand's here — pile it here first." Chai Mi dusted her hands, "Bricks I'll go ask prices at the brick factory this afternoon, check oilcloth paper on the way."

"What's the rush, eat first then go!" Meng Shi called out.

"Not eating, Auntie — things are urgent." Chai Mi waved her hand, turned to Liu Zhijing: "Da Zhi, still need two more trips. And this afternoon when you're free, you'll have to haul cement too. I won't go this trip — you and my dad load, I'll go home and prepare food."

"Say that, I'm there whenever you call." Liu Zhijing laughed honestly, drove off.

Song Qiushui on the side came out looking dazed and sleepy, looked at Chai Mi and frowned: "Holy shit! You're really something — using free labor like this. Why didn't you just call Liu Zhanggui to haul sand for you too?"

"That won't do. He's old, otherwise I would've called him. Besides, he puts on those little leather shoes all day — doesn't look like a worker at all. Calling him for meals is fine. Asking him for labor — that's purely asking for trouble."

Song Qiushui just laughed: "You make it sound like the Village Chief is nothing."

Chai Mi hehehe'd: That's not exactly nothing.

Liu Zhanggui doesn't do much work at home, wears clean clothes standing at attention all day, just strolls everywhere, meddles in idle matters, helps with odd jobs.

Drinking — Liu Zhanggui excels.

Work — he's hopeless.

He's suited for decent work — physical labor definitely won't do, he really doesn't have Da Zhi's proper work posture.

"How about letting my dad come along too? He's idle anyway..." Song Qiushui said.

"No, your dad's age — I can't use him even more. He's almost sixty, if he bumps into something, your mom will blame you." Chai Mi understood this point: "We can't save money and create trouble for nothing. Your dad's over sixty, he can barely walk on his own, working is just joining the excitement. Hauling sand is real work, for this kind of real work, my dad can do it."

Chai Youqing was younger after all, although he didn't handle affairs well, he could still manage work.

Being able to endure hardship counted as an advantage.

Moreover, as long as Chai Youqing worked and wasn't home, the household was much more worry-free.

Song Qiushui also agreed with Chai Mi's words: "Mhm, all the housework is done by my mom. My dad only knows how to eat and smoke, oh right, and he can drink like a fish..."

Chai Mi: "..."

This really matches your mom's genetic genes.

Anyway Song Qingshan was a daughter-slave, had a daughter in his old age, afterwards he wouldn't let Song Qiushui do anything.

All kinds of pampering and spoiling.

Just like this, Meng Clan would often start spraying Song Qingshan at the drop of a hat: good-for-nothing, besides eating, just drinking...

Now Song Qiushui even pinned a 'can smoke' label on her dad, very reasonable.

"Your dad can still live... over sixty, no ailments, quite worry-free." Chai Mi sometimes couldn't help but sigh that Old Song Family genes were pretty good, Meng Clan in previous life lived to over eighty, not deaf or dim-sighted, and Song Qingshan even at eighty-two or three could still go up the mountain and do some work.

That physical constitution, really was inherited Manager.

"Hehe. My dad didn't work even when younger, hard not to live long. Right, how about eating at my place tonight, I'll have my mom make something." Song Qiushui said.

"Still go to my place. Bought vegetables."

The two thus strolled toward Chai Mi's home.

Result just walked halfway, Chai Xiu hurriedly came: "Sister, hurry home. Old cow is going to give birth. Mom says seems not too smooth..."

Chai Mi immediately got anxious, immediately had Chai Xiu go call people: "You go call our dad back, Da Zhi and them are hauling sand over at the riverbank. Qiushui, you go call your old dad, and summon two more brothers."

Old Song Family had many people, Song Qiushui's clan relatives had plenty of Old Song Family people, and they were obedient too.

Song Qingshan summoning them, that was truly simple.

Song Qiushui and Chai Xiu both went busy calling people.

Chai Mi herself hurried home.

Arrived at home's cowshed, old cow was turning everywhere there, clearly belly hurting badly, looked like about to give birth.

Su Wan holding child, somewhat worried said: "Maybe the calf is a bit big."

Recently old cow fed too well, nutrition excessive some, plus old cow originally body not too good didn't like to move, this way calf might be bigger some.

Cow difficult birth this matter, still very common ordinary.

And it's an old cow again, not a first-birth cow, Chai Mi not especially worried.

First-birth cows first time giving birth to calf, easy to not open bone seams. As for this open bone seams topic, relatively speaking more professional... (Author says this topic simply put is: first-birth young female cows, may due to breeding too early, or development immature, leading to body not yet adult, pregnant at this time, same principle as underage person pregnant, difficult birth probability greatly increased.)

Old cow doesn't have not-open-bone-seams problem, mainly just calf big or breech birth.

Too big this understandable, calf might at birth already over hundred catties, plus amniotic fluid, nutrients and such things, reaching two hundred catties, at this time not easy to give birth also normal.

Also breech birth is fetal position not right.

Calf itself should be double front hooves hugging head coming out. This is its normal birth position, but possible it's relatively weak, or time not up, big cow twisted a bit premature birth, all possible leading to it not rotating to normal fetal position.

Would lead to difficult birth.

Chai Mi observed old cow's butt area, above cow tail there's a fist-sized pit, looks like already due date.

Beside amniotic fluid also broke.

"Fussing for about an hour right, when you left it started fussing, I thought nothing wrong so didn't call you. Result fussing this long, amniotic fluid long ago broke, it just dry walks around, doesn't exert effort."

Su Wan somewhat anxiously speaking.

"Home still have iodine tincture?" Chai Mi asked.

"Have."

"Mom you go get some iodine tincture, then get two urea bags." Chai Mi arranging.

Su Wan went.

Chai Mi herself found a thin rope, then found a thick rope, prepared first.

Then went and got a pile of drier grass spread on ground, also cleaned up amniotic fluid old cow produced.

Then walked over gave Xiaohua cow a big slap.

"What the hell you keep calling for?!"

Xiaohua cow dazed face:...

Cows indeed are like this, generally if other cows giving birth, will secrete excessive female hormones right, anyway just has smell.

This smell, other cows one sniff, just get fucking excited.

Xiaohua cow is this state.

But after Chai Mi like "kind mother" a big slap, Xiaohua cow became honest, stopped calling, stopped making trouble.

Then Chai Mi led that Xiaohua cow to deeper inside a corner tied up.

Save it from later making trouble, still have to mind it.

Wait Chai Mi finished this, Song Qiushui and old dad Song Qingshan already arrived, plus four or five Old Song Family young men.

Chai Mi hadn't done veterinarian, but cow birthing calf not first time seeing either. She first went inside took out cigarettes gave big fellows some, lit up smoking.

Song Qingshan smoking, blew a smoke ring. Then embarrassedly said: "Ay, these few at home have strength, but this cow delivering, they haven't done either. I would, in a bit I'll tie ropes on cow hooves."

Actually cow delivering, not any difficult problem.

Inside this most difficult actually just tie a loop on calf's hooves, people behind, find a good correct position, use force reasonably pull just fine.

"Not too urgent, wait a bit cow will lie down. It doesn't lie down, not easy to handle." Chai Mi laughing went inside again took several apples gave everyone.

But everyone also embarrassed to eat.

After a while, Chai Youqing finally returned in a hurry with Da Zhi.