Chapter 103

The young people in the team originally thought that Li Long would cherish the bicycle very much after buying it, and at most let everyone take a look, but they didn't expect him to be not stingy at all, and even let everyone try it, which immediately won everyone's favor.

Before Gu Ermao came, he was convinced that Li Long would lock the car up, and wouldn't even let everyone touch it, but this time he miscalculated.

After Xu Haijun rode the car around the courtyard, he praised after returning:

"This new car is really comfortable to ride! Little Long, how much did you buy it for?"

"Over one hundred and sixty." Li Long said, "Not expensive, the reinforced design can carry a lot of things."

"One hundred and sixty is not expensive?" Tian Siping couldn't help but say, "It's worth over four hundred kilograms of 75-grade flour; that can be eaten for a year!"

Li Long thought to himself, that's not how it's calculated. With this bicycle, he would go into the mountains every other day, and he could earn the money back in a week.

But he couldn't say this; if he said it, others would say he was bragging again, so he didn't explain anything.

"Why haven't you been selling fish for this period of time?" Qin Hongyan asked curiously, "Is fish not selling well?"

"That's not it. I've been busy in the mountains for this period of time, hunting." Li Long said. Anyway, he would be in the mountains for nearly half the time in the future, so there was nothing to hide.

"Did you hunt wild boars again?" Xu Haijun's eyes lit up and he asked.

"Not just wild boars, but also roe deer." Li Long said, "There are quite a few things in the mountains, but they are not easy to find."

Although that's what he said, the others showed envious expressions.

"The team members' bullets have almost all been exchanged by you. Hunting must be very cool." Xu Haijun teased with a smile.

"It's okay. Only after going there did I know that our little skills at the shooting range are far from enough after entering the mountains." Seeing that no one was riding it, Li Long propped up the bicycle, locked it, and led everyone into the east room, "Come in, it's still cold outside."

"Is it colder in the mountains?"

"That's for sure. I wear felt boots in the mountains," Li Long pointed to the felt boots by the heated brick bed and said, "otherwise I wouldn't be able to resist it at all."

These young people were very curious about life in the mountains, and Li Long picked what he could say to tell them. However, when they heard that there were wolves in the mountains, and that the wolves were very fierce, they really fell silent.

No matter how powerful they were, facing fierce and cunning wolves, no one would think of putting themselves in danger.

"After spring comes, the team's sideline group might have to go into the mountains." Xu Haijun suddenly said, "Will you go then, Little Long?"

"No." Li Long put his words on the table, "I won't participate in the team's public work this year; I'll just pay the money at the end of the year."

One work point is eight cents, and you have to work for a day. Li Long can earn thirty or fifty by setting nets to catch fish in the small lake in one day, even if he doesn't go into the mountains. One day's money can make up for a year's public work, why make things difficult for himself?

Li Long has this confidence and courage, but others don't. Now the Li family's life is considered unique in the team, eating meat and white flour steamed buns every day—Li Qiang doesn't want to eat corn flour anymore. And Li Long himself is thinking that when he goes to the morning market to sell things again, he will buy some eggs to supplement the family's health.

"I want to join the sideline team." Tian Siping suddenly said, "The sideline team goes to dig fritillaria. Thirty-some yuan per kilogram of dried fritillaria at the purchasing station, and even fresh fritillaria is five or six yuan. A skilled person can dig four or five kilograms a day. After removing what's handed over to the team, they can still have quite a bit of money left for themselves."

Gu Ermao sneered:

"That's an old hand. You, a novice, it's not bad if you can dig one kilogram a day." Qin Hongyan sighed and said: "Novices practice and become old hands. The sideline team digs fritillaria for a month; they would have practiced it anyway. It's a pity the sideline team doesn't want women, otherwise I would want to go too."

Her gaze looked toward Li Long, hoping that Li Long could give her some pointers.

Gu Ermao sneered again:

"Even if they wanted women, you wouldn't be able to do it. It's inconvenient to eat and live in the mountains, and a dozen people live in one winter camp. What would you, a woman, do? Just stay in the team honestly!"

Gu Ermao became a driver apprentice, feeling that his status was higher than others, so he often pointed this out and that out. Everyone originally didn't want to say anything because of his status, but today his words were a bit too many and annoying. Qin Hongyan rolled her eyes at him:

"You're the one who can do it! Aren't you just an apprentice! It's said that it takes three years for a driver apprentice to touch a car, and I don't know what you'll be like after three years."

A few words made Gu Ermao's face red. He really hadn't touched a car. The master was quite strict, and the tributes were all the same, but once he mentioned touching the car, the master would lecture him for being ambitious and wanting to run before learning to walk.

Just as Gu Ermao was preparing to argue with Qin Hongyan, Li Long inserted a sentence:

"Actually, men go to the sideline team, and women can also do other things."

"What?" Qin Hongyan asked hurriedly, "As long as I can earn money, I'm not afraid of hardship."

"I've seen quite a few people selling baskets woven with willow branches at the morning market these past two days. Those red willow branches in the wasteland to our east grow so well in spring. When spring comes and it's the slack season, weave some baskets to sell. Two or three yuan per basket, and you can weave two or three a day, which is not a small amount to earn."

What Li Long said was the truth. In this era, supplies were scarce, and city people thought things in department stores were expensive, so using such baskets to hold things was quite good, and they were cheap. Therefore, the business of selling baskets at the morning market was quite good.

!.

"Weaving baskets?" Qin Hongyan looked troubled, "That... I'm not very good at it."

Li Long said with a smile:

"Spring is here, you know there are wild mushrooms over at the dam, right?"

"That's for sure, I definitely know."

"Pick wild mushrooms and take them to the county, sell them for one yuan per kilogram, and you can earn quite a bit if you work hard."

There are two pieces of land near the production team. Until Li Long passed away in his previous life, wild mushrooms could be dug up every spring and autumn. Locally, they are called reed mushrooms, and their scientific name is delicious mushroom. This reputation spread very far, and in later generations, people even drove cars from the city to dig mushrooms here.

In this era, the amount of artificially cultivated mushrooms is relatively small, and as an excellent ingredient, there are naturally quite a few people who want to eat wild mushrooms.

This is actually possible. Not only was Qin Hongyan thinking about it, but others were also thinking about the feasibility of this matter.

When Li Qiang came to call Li Long to eat, the young people all left sensibly—this time Wu Shufen was embarrassed to come over, but at home, her mother Wang Yuzhen scolded her severely, complaining that she shouldn't have taken the initiative to propose breaking up with Li Long.

Now he even has a bicycle, obviously his future is very bright!

Wu Shufen hid in her room, covering her ears, not wanting to hear these words.

She was also very irritable—complaining to Li Long in her heart, why did you become so excellent after we broke up? What were you doing before?

Perhaps if Li Long came to find her to reconcile now, she would agree? But thinking of the unclear relationship with Gu Ermao, she knew this was impossible.

So annoying!

(End of chapter)