Chapter 78: Rebirth: The 1990s Tyrant Flower, Chapter 78: Carrying the Tree

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

"Nothing much, I'm just afraid you'll have nothing to do and end up getting sick from idleness. Coincidentally, I heard them say yesterday that a young man in the neighboring village died a couple of days ago—an unnatural death. He was riding his motorcycle too fast and crashed into an electric pole, his head split open." Chai Mi said unhurriedly.

"So that person could only be buried on the hillside. You know, hillsides are all trees, coffins can't get in, so they cut down a lot of trees... Dad, you happen to go drag those trees home to use as firewood."

Chai Youqing was stunned, looking at his body covered in injuries, feeling as if he had misheard.

Chai Youqing: It's not like I got sick from idling...

But right now he wanted to show himself well, afraid that Chai Mi would turn around and tell his wife Su Wan, and his several uncles-in-law would gang up and beat him again, so he readily agreed: "I'll go after I eat. Which village? Which mountain?"

"That village at Shang Taizi on Jin Gouliang... not far." Chai Mi thought for a moment and said: "Don't eat anyway, it's not far."

Chai Youqing was rather stunned. The mountain behind that village at Shang Taizi wasn't far, just seven or eight li. It was very close to Sanjiacun, and the road wasn't hard to walk. But those trees had been felled, and he wanted to bring them back—at least it was heavy physical labor.

Wood, when wet, is actually especially heavy. Although Chai Youqing was young now and had plenty of strength, going without eating was still somewhat...

"That... I..."

Chai Mi frowned displeased: "Hurry up and go."

Chai Youqing silently put on his clothes, took rope, a small axe, a large axe, and a short saw, harnessed the family's old cow, and was about to set out.

Just as he was about to move, Chai Mi stopped Chai Youqing: "The old cow is due to calve in a couple of months, she can't work. The mountain path is full of bumps and dips; if she twists her waist or hurts her belly while pregnant, it's all over."

Chai Youqing: "Carry them back on my shoulders..."

Chai Mi's expression was extremely calm, spreading her hands as she said: "Or what do you want me to say?"

Chai Youqing, though unwilling, thought that Old Qingniu was indeed far along in pregnancy, so he just took his tools up the mountain himself.

Of course, even if Old Qingniu had nothing wrong, Chai Mi wouldn't let him hitch the ox cart.

After all, Chai Mi's plan was to let Chai Youqing go out and try not to come back; as for whether Chai Youqing was tired, Chai Mi felt that although Chai Youqing was foolishly filial, he wasn't an idiot—he couldn't really work himself to death, actually carrying a tree back...

In this era, living in the countryside, what was most lacking was firewood; even in later generations, it was still the same.

Those who could afford to burn coal were few and far between.

There were always some city people who thought relying on the mountains to eat from the mountains and the sea to eat from the sea was just wishful thinking. In this era, forestry in the Northeast had already collapsed, and the later great project, the Three-North Shelterbelt, was proposed in this era.

There were trees on the mountain, but pitifully few. And most were economic crops—apricot trees, apple trees, peach trees, that sort of economic forest—which were not allowed to be cut.

Even the pine trees on the mountain top were not many.

The neighboring village had a death, so there was no way to cut a few trees; normally, if you cut trees on the mountain and got caught, you'd definitely have to squat half a month in jail.

Chai Mi had heard about it while walking around yesterday, so she sent Chai Youqing.

There wasn't much firewood at home; they had to use it sparingly when cooking. More firewood was always better.

When Chai Youqing worked, he didn't like to chatter, was willing to work and exert himself; if you only assigned him work and didn't let him participate in the family's major and minor affairs, that was the best method.