Chapter 121

When it was almost dark, Gu Xiaoxia went to the Li house.

When she was almost at the Li house, she happened to run into Li Long and the others returning from the Little Haizi. Gu Xiaoxia simply didn't enter the courtyard, waiting outside until Li Long and the others reached the entrance. She greeted Li Jianguo first, then said to Li Long:

"I'll go to the county with you tomorrow morning."

"That's fine, get some rest early. We'll set off from the team around seven tomorrow." Li Long said.

"Okay." Gu Xiaoxia replied, then turned to leave.

"Xiaoxia, wait a moment." Li Jianguo called out to Gu Xiaoxia, took a two or three-kilogram Wudaohai fish from the sled, and handed it over:

"Take this back to help your dad build up his strength."

"Uncle Jianguo, I can't..."

"What's there to can't? This is for your dad." Li Jianguo shoved the fish into her hands, "Alright, hurry back, get some rest early, and get a good result tomorrow."

Gu Xiaoxia was moved as she cradled the fish and went home. Tao Daqiang also hurried home; he was also carrying fish when he returned, and he had to rush back to cook fish soup for Tao Jian She to build up his strength.

Li Long carried a carp to the horse stable and told Old Luo that he would be using the cart tomorrow. Old Luo naturally had no problem with that.

The next day, Li Long got up after six. He went to the horse stable to harness the horse cart and pulled it to the Li house, then he and Li Jianguo loaded the fish. They had caught over fifty kilograms of fish yesterday, but only a little over thirty kilograms met the standard for sale.

Li Long suggested they just sell all the frozen fish they had stored up; it would be thawing in a few days, and they could catch fresh fish to eat then.

So this time, the horse cart was loaded with three large bags containing over seventy kilograms of fish, plus a fox pelt. To make it comfortable for people to sit, Li Jianguo specifically pulled a bundle of grass from the haystack to spread in the back of the cart, then found a urea bag to cover it.

Just as Li Long was leading the horse cart out, he saw Tao Daqiang standing outside the courtyard.

"Daqiang, why aren't you coming in?"

"I just arrived a little while ago." Tao Daqiang said with a smile.

"Then let's go, pick up Xiaoxia, and we'll head to the county."

"Brother Long, are we selling fish in the county?" Tao Daqiang asked as they walked.

"Let's check the morning market first."

"Morning market?"

"Yeah, it seems no one is checking the black market anymore; it's considered a morning market now."

The two of them drove the horse cart to the Gu house. Seeing the lights on in the Gu house, Li Long entered the courtyard and called out:

"Xiaoxia!"

A minute later, Gu Xiaoxia came out wearing a cotton-padded jacket and a scarf wrapped around her head.

"Get on the cart," Li Long said, "We're leaving now."

Gu Bo Yuan walked out of the house and said to Li Long and Tao Daqiang:

"Little Long, Daqiang, I'm troubling you."

"What trouble." Li Long smiled, "It's on the way. Uncle Gu, hurry back inside."

Gu Xiaoxia didn't sit on the cart at first, intending to walk for a while. Before dawn, it was reassuring to have someone you knew well to walk a long distance with.

After walking two kilometers, seeing Gu Xiaoxia panting, Li Long let her get on the cart to rest for a while.

By the time they reached the county, over an hour had passed.

"Let's go, let's go to the meat canteen to have some porridge and hot food first. You still have over an hour before your exam, so it will be digested by then." Li Long said.

Gu Xiaoxia wanted to refuse, but Li Long was already leading the horse cart toward the meat canteen. Outside the canteen, Tao Daqiang insisted on watching the horse cart, so Li Long didn't force him. After going inside, he ordered three bowls of porridge and ten steamed buns, and he and Gu Xiaoxia ate first.

Li Long ate extremely fast. Gu Xiaoxia had only eaten one bun, but he had already finished three, then slurped down the porridge, wiped his mouth, stood up, and said to Gu Xiaoxia:

"You keep eating, I'll swap with Daqiang."

Although all three had eaten breakfast, after an hour in the cold wind, they really needed to replenish their energy, so Gu Xiaoxia also ate two buns and drank a bowl of porridge.

Tao Daqiang ate three buns. Li Long originally wanted Gu Xiaoxia to take the remaining two, but she refused, so Li Long brought them out.

"We'll take you to the Education Bureau. There's less than an hour left before the exam," Li Long said, "You can familiarize yourself with the environment there."

Gu Xiaoxia didn't know where the Education Bureau was and had intended to ask around, but she hadn't expected Li Long to have thought of everything. She felt warm inside.

When they arrived at the Education Bureau, it was already open, and people were walking inside. Li Long said to Gu Xiaoxia:

"Go on in. Familiarize yourself with the environment first, then use the restroom. Don't be nervous during the exam; you'll definitely get a good result."

Gu Xiaoxia blushed, waved at the two of them, and walked inside with her satchel slung across her shoulder.

!.

"Let's go, let's check the morning market."

At the morning market, Li Long discovered at least four stalls selling frozen fish, which made him feel the pressure of competition.

"Brother Long, are we still selling here?" Daqiang asked.

"No, let's go to Shicheng." Li Long knew that the frozen fish business was indeed getting harder, at least in this county.

Of course, there was also good news. Seeing more and more stalls at the morning market, it meant the market might truly be opening up, and everyone's courage was growing; there weren't many people interfering anymore.

It was foreseeable that when spring came and the snow melted, and they brought live fish to sell, there would be even fewer people in charge. By then, the money earned from selling fish in one day would be more than enough for a laborer's monthly work points, so let others participate in collective labor.

The two drove the cart toward Shicheng, and when they were almost there, they shared the two buns. This time, they went to the old street first. Li Long was surprised to find that someone had already set up a fixed stall to sell things there.

The station's joint defense personnel were actually turning a blind eye!

Li Long immediately found a spot, spread out a plastic sheet, set up the fish, and started shouting.

Gu Xiaoxia's exam had already started by this time.

Although she was still a bit nervous when entering the Education Bureau, before entering the exam room, she found the restroom, and after using it, she really didn't feel that nervous anymore.

Now looking at the content on the exam paper, the remaining nervousness Gu Xiaoxia had completely vanished.

At this moment, she was truly exceptionally grateful to Li Long. If it weren't for his "inside information," and her having reviewed those courses for over a month in advance, it would be impossible for her to face this paper so easily now.

She looked left and right; those taking the exam with her included people of her age and middle-aged people in their thirties or forties. Most were frowning at the papers, which gave Gu Xiaoxia more confidence.

However, she didn't relax because of this, and began to carefully review and read the questions, answering them.

When she came out of the Education Bureau after the exam, the sun was already high in the sky.

Looking at the clear sky, Gu Xiaoxia's mood was just as clear. For the two exams, she felt she could get over ninety points on each!

Thinking of what her father said, this was truly an opportunity to change her destiny.

She had seized it!

In the distance, seeing a horse cart driving toward her, Gu Xiaoxia smiled.

(End of chapter)