Chapter 501

At noon, after getting off work, Gu Xiaoxia rode her bicycle, humming a cheerful tune, and arrived at Sister Yang's place.

Entering the alley, she didn't see the tractor and felt a bit puzzled. Could her husband, Li Long, have ridden his bike over to eat? Or did he not come today?

Arriving at the entrance, she got off and pushed her bike into the courtyard. Seeing Sister Yang busy in the kitchen and no "28-inch" bicycle in the yard, Gu Xiaoxia's heart sank. Could Li Long have gone into the mountains again?

Otherwise, why wouldn't he have come for lunch?

"Oh, you're here, dear." Sister Yang heard the commotion, poked her head out of the kitchen to look, and then said to Gu Xiaoxia with a smile:

"This dish will be out of the pan in a second, and the rice is ready too. By the way, your uncle mentioned to me this morning at the market that he was going to Shicheng to buy some things and would be back in the afternoon, telling us not to wait for him for lunch."

"He went to Shicheng, then." Gu Xiaoxia felt relieved; if he went to Shicheng, it was fine. She hadn't been to Shicheng much, but she had heard a lot about it. Her father-in-law, Li Qing Xia, and Tao Daqiang would go to Shicheng to sell fish from time to time, and sometimes when she didn't return to the village on weekends, they would send some fish over.

Li Long left after eating at Chen Xingbang's place. Chen Xingbang still had to go sell mutton in the afternoon. Li Long could roughly calculate that he could earn at least ten yuan or so a day. Although it was hard-earned money, it was still better than staying in his hometown with no hope in sight.

Moreover, little by little, it adds up; if he keeps at it, getting rich won't be a problem.

The tractor drove out of Shicheng toward Maxian. Along the way, one could see people in twos and threes from time to time, some walking, some driving carts. Now there were buses from Shicheng to Maxian, but not everyone was willing to take them; some preferred to walk to save that little bit of money.

Little by little, it adds up; this is the same mentality as people in later generations who would rather carpool than take the highway to avoid paying tolls.

Someone waved, but Li Long waved back and didn't stop, driving all the way to Maxian. After entering the compound, he unloaded the television.

The most important thing now was to assemble the antenna.

Although the county seat was relatively close to Shicheng, it still required an antenna to receive a television signal, just a bit better than in the village.

There were all kinds of materials at home, and poles too. Li Long was familiar with the process; he first took the pole and used wire to bend it into the various required shapes, fixed them onto wood, connected them with lead wires, and finally tied them to the pole to set it up.

At this time, there was no TV signal yet, so Li Long set the pole up without adjusting it for now. After leaving it there, he placed the TV in the bedroom and set it up properly, making it convenient for the two of them to watch after dinner.

There was only one power strip in the bedroom, at the head of the bed, a bit far from the cabinet where the TV was placed. Seeing there was still time, Li Long rode his bicycle out to the general merchandise store and bought some more power strips and wires.

After more than a year, Li Long's hands-on ability had clearly improved. He connected the power strip himself and nailed it to the wall, and the wiring was very concealed, basically invisible.

Plugging in the TV cable was just right, but unfortunately, it was still a screen full of snow.

He missed the previous life where as long as you turned on the TV, there were all kinds of channels and program types. Unfortunately, by that time, most people had stopped watching TV and were playing with their phones or computers all day long.

After sighing, Li Long stopped. He would wait until Gu Xiaoxia came back to turn on the TV so he could adjust it himself. Seeing that the time was about right, he went to cook.

The morels he brought back earlier could be used to stew a soup; he was good at that.

Morels are usually best for stewing chicken soup. Although there was plenty of meat at home, there was no chicken.

This didn't stump Li Long. He checked the time and saw there was still some left. He hopped on his bike and sped to the market.

The market hadn't fully dispersed yet. Li Long searched around and actually found someone selling chickens. Chicken soup is usually made with an old hen, but unfortunately, the vendor only had a rooster.

Chickens at this time were pure, free-range chickens. Li Long wasn't picky and spent three yuan and fifty cents to buy a rooster weighing over three kilograms.

According to the methods of twenty or thirty years later in his previous life, if there weren't many people at home and appetites were small, one chicken could be eaten in three ways. The legs and wings could be made directly into "Big Plate Chicken," which was one meal. The chicken frame could be used to stew soup, which could be used for noodles or drunk directly, which was another meal. The chicken breast could be stir-fried with chili or made into Kung Pao Chicken, which was yet another dish.

But that was when material goods were very abundant in later generations. Given people's current lack of and love for meat, such a chicken would usually be finished off completely in one meal.

The vendor also had two hens, and after thinking about it, Li Long bought them and took them back too. The hens were at the age to lay eggs now. Settling them in and feeding them every day, it would be quite nice if they could lay two eggs.

As for worrying about chicken droppings in the yard, that was easy to handle; just fence off an area like he did for the roe deer.

Li Long brought the chickens back, put the two hens in the yard to let them get used to the environment, and went to slaughter the rooster. Boiling water, plucking feathers, scalding, and cleaning were all done in one go.

By the time the rooster was in the pot, Gu Xiaoxia had returned.

Smelling the blood in the yard, Gu Xiaoxia was a bit puzzled. When she saw Li Long coming out of the kitchen with a ladle, she asked:

"What are you making?"

"Stewing chicken soup," Li Long said with a smile. "Come over quickly, the soup is stewing and doesn't need watching. I bought the TV back, and there should be a signal now. The Central Station on Channel 2 should be broadcasting the news. You watch inside, and I'll shake the antenna outside."

Only then did Gu Xiaoxia notice the pole standing in the corner of the main hall wall.

The pole was two or three meters higher than the main house, not very high, nor very conspicuous, just right.

Gu Xiaoxia was still a bit excited. Although there was actually already a TV at home, to be honest, except for the two days after they got married, she basically hadn't watched it much. Later, she went to work, and she hadn't thought about moving that TV over. After all, that was the new house, but she occasionally felt it was a real waste to leave the TV there.

Now that Li Long had gone to Shicheng and bought a new color TV, she could watch TV at home when she had nothing to do later.

A woman's life isn't just about her husband, children, the kitchen, and cleaning; she also needs her own space and her own topics of conversation. There were many women in Gu Xiaoxia's office, and there were actually many topics. If Gu Xiaoxia didn't participate at all, she wouldn't fit in.

She parked her bike with slight excitement and carried her bag into the bedroom.

"Turn on the TV, set it to Channel 2, you watch, I'll adjust it from here..." Li Long shouted from outside the window.

"There's a signal, but there's a bit of snow... No, no, adjust it back, it's all gone..." Gu Xiaoxia shouted from inside the room. "Okay, okay, just like that, slowly a bit more, a bit more... Okay!"

Hearing Gu Xiaoxia say it was okay, Li Long stopped moving. After fixing the antenna pole, he went inside to see the effect.

The TV was playing the News Broadcast, and it was indeed very clear, with almost no snow.

"Good, good, good, just like that. You watch for a bit, I'll go check the chicken soup." Li Long looked at the relatively plainly dressed anchors on the TV for a few moments, feeling a bit emotional.

He would have to watch the news often from now on. National affairs and major trends still had to be understood from here. Although he knew some specific changes, he still had to learn about specific policy directions.

After all, this life was completely different from the previous one. Even if he wanted to live a plain rural life, he was afraid he would still need to plan it well. He had to go with the tide of the times. If he really encountered an incredible opportunity, would he not follow it?

Gu Xiaoxia didn't watch TV in the room. After seeing that the TV was clear, she turned it off, washed up simply, changed her clothes, and went to the kitchen to watch Li Long stew the chicken soup.

Morels have one advantage: they don't get worms, and if left alone without any treatment, they will slowly dry out. Li Long planned to return to the team with Gu Xiaoxia during the weekend in the next two days and just happen to bring these morels back to share between the two sides.

"I went to Sister Yang's place at noon and didn't see the tractor, so I thought you had gone into the mountains again," Gu Xiaoxia said, leaning against the door frame. "I was thinking at the time, do you have deeper feelings for the mountains than for home?"

"I told Sister Yang when I went to Shicheng," Li Long said, feeling a bit wronged. "I told you that I would be staying at home during this period. We've been married for almost two months, and I know I haven't spent much time at home, but I'm back now, aren't I?"

"Hehe, I just wanted to make you anxious. Sister Yang said that once I knew you went to Shicheng, I would be relieved." Gu Xiaoxia seemed to just want to make Li Long anxious, and she smiled. "Knowing you'll be staying at home all the time, I feel at ease."

Li Long understood what Gu Xiaoxia meant. Although both could understand each other, it was normal for a woman to be a little temperamental, and occasionally it could add some spice to life.

Before, he was too rational and valued making money too much, which wasn't very good either.

He thought that for the next period of time, he would mainly stay at home. Occasionally going to the team or Shicheng, he would try his best to return the same day. A wife, children, and a warm bed—although there were no children yet, this was the time to enjoy happiness, so why run outside every day? He could actually make money while in the county seat.

Soon, the chicken soup was stewed, and the staple food was flatbread. Li Long served the chicken soup, one bowl for each of them, and cut a plate of pickles. Eating pickles at this time would definitely not be okay in later generations, but in this era, it was considered a very normal situation.

After all, in May, the fresh vegetables in the garden were mainly chives and celery that could live for several years, and the bok choy planted in early spring.

Chili peppers and eggplants hadn't come down yet, so eating some pickles was very normal.

"This mushroom tastes a bit strange, but its nutritional value is very rich. Stewing soup is the best; stir-frying is a bit of a waste," Li Long explained while blowing away the oil on the edge of the soup and taking a gentle sip. It felt good.

Gu Xiaoxia didn't speak, but the smile at the corner of her mouth already revealed her mood: as long as she was with Li Long, whatever she ate was delicious.

After eating, Gu Xiaoxia cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, and the two went into the room to watch TV.

The news had finished, the weather forecast had also ended, and what followed was a good TV series.

Li Long didn't really care what the TV series was about, but at this time, when TVs hadn't been popularized, and in the Xinjiang region where ten families might not even have one TV, the fact that his family was watching a color TV was, in any case, something worth showing off.

Gu Xiaoxia was quickly attracted by the TV program and even chatted with Li Long occasionally—women seem to be inherently stronger than men in terms of empathy.

After watching the whole TV series, Li Long urged her twice before Gu Xiaoxia reluctantly turned off the TV, preparing to sleep.

Li Long felt a faint regret: now that they had a TV, would the quality of his happy life later be discounted?

Fortunately, this was just a joke, and the night was still very happy.

Two days later, on Saturday afternoon, Li Long drove the tractor and brought Gu Xiaoxia back to the team.

They returned late, school had already let out, and Li Long's tractor was almost chased back by the setting sun.

!.

When they arrived at the team, the sun had set, but it wasn't dark yet. The tractor drove to Gu Bo Yuan's yard first. Gu Bo Yuan was cooking soup at the stove in the yard. Hearing the sound of the tractor, Gu Bo Yuan had a premonition, and seeing Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia, he was also a bit surprised.

Li Long drove the tractor into the yard, Gu Xiaoxia got off, and Li Long went to the back to hug the TV down.

"What's this? A TV? I don't want it!" As soon as Gu Bo Yuan saw it, his eyes widened immediately. "What are you doing? What do I need this for alone? Isn't it better to save the money yourselves? Go return it!"

"It can't be returned once bought," Li Long said with a cheeky face. "How can it be returned? It's not broken."

"Then move it to your eldest brother's place!" Gu Bo Yuan could support himself, and he had always tried to avoid being gossiped about, saying he was taking advantage of his daughter. After all, he was only middle-aged and still capable; supporting himself was no problem.

"We plan to move the TV in our yard to my father's house," Li Long said. "Our yard in the county also bought one, so now all three sides have one to watch. You keep this one to watch. It's late today, I'll come over tomorrow morning to set up the antenna for you."

"Do I need you to set it up? You don't think I went to college for nothing, do you? Although I didn't study physics, handling this thing, heh." Hearing that Li Long had already arranged everything, Gu Bo Yuan didn't say anything more. However, he really wasn't bragging about the antenna; he could handle it himself.

"Dad, is the farm work busy?" Only then did Gu Xiaoxia have time to ask about her father's situation at home.

After chatting for a few sentences in the yard, Gu Bo Yuan began to shoo them away:

"Go back quickly, I didn't make your food today. What's the point of running here as soon as you get back? Alright, alright, I'm doing fine, go quickly."

Li Long was between laughter and tears. He actually understood what Gu Bo Yuan meant. In this era, in the general sense, everyone understood that the woman married into the man's family, rather than the man and woman forming a new family together.

So in Gu Bo Yuan's view, since his daughter married into the Li family, the Li family should be the priority; otherwise, he, as a father, would be laughed at.

Moreover, Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia had a yard in the team. Since they were back from the county, shouldn't they return to their own home first?

Of course, there was one more thing he was too embarrassed to say. A middle-aged man living here, lunch was considered relatively formal, but at night, he just cooked some sweet soup to make do. He could make do with this food himself, but with his daughter and son-in-law visiting, how could they eat this? It was embarrassing.

Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia put down some meat and morels, then drove the tractor back to Xinzhuangzi.

The neighbor next door only came over to visit at this time. Seeing Gu Bo Yuan tidying up things, he asked:

"The son-in-law is visiting, and you didn't make anything good for them?"

"Make what good food? They eat much better than I do. Look at these mushrooms; the dried goods sell for more than ten yuan a kilogram. And this meat, this is bear meat. What I eat is nowhere near as good as what they eat. It's better to let them go back."

The words were all complaints, but the tone was incredibly proud.

"Is that... a TV box? What did they bring you in this big box?" The neighbor saw the big box and asked.

"They got me a TV back." Gu Bo Yuan hadn't looked carefully yet.

"A TV? Yo, Li Long has really made it! Your Xiaoxia has really married well. Only two months after getting married, and he's already sent you a TV... Whoa, this is a color TV—18 inches! So big!"

Only then did Gu Bo Yuan see the size and specifications of the TV. It was too late to complain to the two of them now.

"Heh, showing off just because he earned a little money. See if I don't scold him tomorrow!" Gu Bo Yuan really didn't want Li Long to show off like this; it would make people in the village uncomfortable.

"This doesn't count as showing off. Didn't you see? Those who followed him to weave carrying poles all bought bicycles. That's real money-making." The neighbor was actually quite envious, and in his heart, he might have been thinking about letting Gu Bo Yuan pull some strings to get connected with Li Long.

If he really got connected, wouldn't making money be very easy?

Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia drove the tractor to the edge of the eldest brother's yard and stopped.

Li Qing Xia and the others had been waiting for a long time; they already knew Li Long was back when the tractor sounded in the team.

After all, there were only two tractors in the team now: one was the old Dongfanghong 75, which Wang Cai Mi was driving to plow the fields, and the other was Li Long's small four-wheeler.

The two got off the car. Li Long carried the air-dried bear meat, venison, and morels, while Gu Xiaoxia carried some snacks she bought with her own salary.

"You're back, so be back, why bring things?" Li Qing Xia complained just like Gu Bo Yuan.

"Haven't been back for many days, shouldn't I bring some things?" Li Long said with a smile. "Come, Qiangqiang, sesame cakes, you take one for everyone!"

Li Qiang had a good relationship with Li Long. He glanced at his father, then went to take the sesame cakes from Gu Xiaoxia's hand and distributed them to everyone.

The family talked and laughed together, and soon it became lively.

Dinner was made in abundance. Liang Yuemei temporarily added two dishes, and the family ate at two tables.

"Dad, tomorrow I'll move the TV in my yard to your room for you to watch," Li Long brought up the topic at the dinner table. "We don't come back often, don't let the TV break from not being used."

"How could it break?" Du Chunfang was unhappy. "Your room is kept well, your second sister-in-law and I ventilate and clean it every day, how could it break?"

"It's not that, I just want you to watch more TV," Li Long smiled. "Xiaoxia also said that if it's there, you can watch it, but it's always inconvenient. It's better to move it to your room; it's convenient for you to watch, and convenient for the children to watch."

In fact, Li Long knew that although his mother had the key, if the TV was in his yard, the children would want to watch, but his mother wouldn't turn it on.

She was afraid of breaking it.

A TV is bought to be watched; if it's not watched, isn't that a waste?

"Since Without Xiao Long said so, it's settled." Li Jianguo knew Li Long had earned a lot of money this month. Since he had this intention, he would support it.

In fact, he himself had been thinking about whether to buy a TV, but now it seemed he shouldn't buy one yet.

He had earned a lot of money, but he still had to save it to do big things.

A horse cart, after all, is not as good as a tractor. (End of chapter)