Chapter 538: Either listen to me or keep it and use it slowly

"You are already a model, and now you are being praised so highly, you still have to be careful about what you say and do later." After Gu Xiaoxia was happy, she started to worry again. Although she had also experienced the previous era, she was still young at that time and didn't feel it deeply.

It was only after arriving at the Education Bureau and studying a large number of documents that her awareness slowly came up, and her understanding of some things was different from before.

Being a model has various conveniences, but it also has disadvantages. Being watched by everyone, even a little mistake will be infinitely magnified. People who are jealous will stare at these and not let go, and bad people will also find every opportunity to ruin his reputation.

After all, no one is perfect; these people are models in one aspect, not saints, so naturally they will make mistakes, have shortcomings, but others don't care.

The model established at this time, in the eyes of others, should be a perfect person, and should be excellent in all aspects.

Otherwise, he wouldn't deserve this model.

"Don't worry." Li Long smiled and said, "I know. The higher you are praised, the easier it is to fall and be seriously injured. But I don't care about this; it was imposed on me by others in the first place. If I don't care, then I won't be caught by others—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Gu Xiaoxia understood. Li Long wasn't the kind of moral model that was relatively common at the time. That kind of model would be blackmailed, but Li Long wouldn't.

He didn't care about this; being a model was an accident, and there would be no loss if he wasn't. As long as he didn't break the law, he wouldn't have anything to fear.

There is a popular saying in later generations, "I have no morals, so naturally I am not afraid of moral kidnapping." Some bad old people often moral kidnap young people on buses and subways, asking young people to give up their seats, and slowly this saying spread.

In this day and age, everyone's moral level is still very high, but if you really let go and don't want that face, others really can't do anything to Li Long.

Watching Huo Yuanjia together, Li Long asked Gu Xiaoxia about some things at school.

He was thinking about whether Li Juan and Li Qiang could be admitted to other places, key high schools, after graduating from junior high school.

After all, students in rural middle schools now don't know at all that when they take the high school entrance examination, if their grades are good, they can be admitted to famous schools like the Prefecture No. 1 and No. 2 Middle Schools.

Studying in a rural middle school, students usually only know three paths: taking the high school entrance examination, taking the secondary specialized school examination, and taking the normal school examination. They don't know that they can choose schools when taking the high school entrance examination.

In Li Long's view, they have to live on campus anyway, so wouldn't it be better if they could be admitted to a better school?

Gu Xiaoxia only knew about such policies after arriving at the Education Bureau, but for them, it was still a bit far; after all, Li Juan was in the fifth grade this year, and only entered the first year of junior high after graduation (there was no sixth grade at this time), and Li Qiang was even higher.

The next day, Li Long didn't go to Qingshuihe, pulled a cart of poles, and returned to the team.

The poles pulled back weren't used up, mainly because there weren't enough large brooms. Now, every day when large brooms were collected, Li Qing Xia was there using poles to poke them. Li Long joked with the old man, saying that one pole was ten cents, and it had to be sturdy, otherwise money would be deducted.

So temporarily no need to rush.

On the contrary, large brooms were tied and sent over every day in the village, and Li Long needed to provide poles. Of course, there was a surplus of poles pulled back last time, and he pulled them back this trip just to see if there was any possibility of Zhang Qiang softening up.

Returning to Li Jianguo's courtyard, Li Qing Xia was still there poking poles.

The pole was sharpened, poked into the root of the large broom, and then hit hard against the ground to poke the pole in.

It was right to say this work was technical work, and it was also right to say it was physical work.

After all, you have to aim, you can't plant the pole crookedly; if it's crooked, it's considered waste—it's easy to hit the pole in, but it's not easy to pull it out.

"Are my older brother and sister-in-law still in the melon field?" Li Long saw that there were only the old man and old woman in the courtyard, so he asked.

Seeing Li Long return, Du Chunfang stepped in with her small feet, then laboriously hugged a watermelon out, and one hand was holding a knife.

Li Long hurriedly went over to take the watermelon and the knife, cut the melon in half on the tractor's fender, and then cut it into teeth.

Young people and children like to hug half to eat, but most old people like to eat one tooth by one tooth. Like Du Chunfang, such a watermelon could be eaten in two teeth.

Li Qing Xia didn't care, took the watermelon Li Long handed over, ate while saying:

"Yes, they said the melon vines had aphids, so they went to spray medicine."

Now the spray medicine used is still a backpack sprayer, the principle is similar to the spray bottle with a pole on top that some people use to raise flowers, pressing down to spray, the left hand keeps pressing to ensure the air pressure inside is sufficient, and the right hand holds the spray rod to control the direction of the nozzle.

Ten years later, when Li Qiang was in junior high school, he was still using this kind of sprayer. Li Long remembered that when he graduated from junior high school and wanted to attend a class reunion, Liang Yuemei didn't want him to go, so she gave Li Qiang a task, letting him finish spraying medicine on eighteen mu of cotton fields before going. She thought about letting Li Qiang know the difficulty and retreat, so just forget it.

At that time, Li Qiang was only fifteen, very strong-willed; he stubbornly carried the sprayer on his back to apply pesticide, finishing eighteen mu of land in one morning, the straps cutting bloody welts into his shoulders.

Afterwards, his sister-in-law was heartbroken.

In this day and age, naturally, it's the older brother and sister-in-law carrying the sprayer to spray medicine. Li Long thought about seeing if he could develop a medicine tank for spraying medicine in two years, when tractors are relatively common; on one hand, selling medicine tanks could earn some money, and on the other hand, it really saved trouble for farmers.

After all, carrying a sprayer to spray medicine is fine if the plot is small, but if the plot is large, especially when planting cotton, it has to be sprayed quite a few times in that season, which really tires people out.

Because the weather was too hot, there were several cases of poisoning and not being rescued after spraying medicine in the field.

Du Chunfang took the watermelon Li Long handed over and ate it with a grin. The watermelon now has been improved, very sweet, sandy, and comfortable to eat.

Li Long himself took the knife and cut the watermelon into pieces, inserted it with the tip of the knife, and sent it to his mouth.

"Be careful, don't cut your mouth..." Du Chunfang reminded.

"Hmm, I'll pay attention." Li Long smiled.

After eating the watermelon, he unloaded those poles.

There was still quite a bit of Jiji grass in the older brother's house, basically dried, and the main work now was in the melon field, and the rest was tying brooms. Li Jianguo could tie five or six a day during this period, Liang Yuemei didn't know how to tie, so she was responsible for feeding pigs and other work. Chen Li Rong had nothing to do anyway, so she followed to help.

Li Qing Xia learned to tie, but this work couldn't be proficient all at once, and tying unqualified ones was a waste of Jiji, so he followed to help.

Catching fish was possible, but during this period Tao Daqiang was taking care of Yang Pingping, and even stopped tying brooms—the due date was coming soon, and Tao Daqiang also became irritable.

Actually, rural women gave birth quite casually at this time, not going to the health center but giving birth at home, or still working when they were about to give birth.

Because Tao Daqiang had money at home, plus he often heard Li Long talking, he attached great importance to this, and let some sister-in-laws and aunts laugh at him.

But Tao Daqiang didn't care. He had a child, which was stronger than anything. If others talked, just treat it as farting. He felt that those who said so might not have the reason of being jealous of their family's good life.

Tao Daqiang didn't go to set nets, and the number of fish Li Qing Xia caught by setting nets alone wasn't much, and he didn't want to run to Shicheng alone, and his family didn't want to either. But selling in Maxian couldn't get a price, so Li Qing Xia simply stopped catching. Or occasionally catch a little and eat at home.

Although Du Chunfang didn't eat much, to be honest, she quite liked eating fish, especially small crucian carp; she and Liang Donglou had similar habits, eating fish just for that taste, chewing, and spitting out the meat and thorns together.

This was also good, at least the family didn't worry about her being pricked in the throat by thorns.

Li Long was unloading poles when Xu Chengjun came over on a bicycle.

His bicycle was carrying a large bundle, with seven or eight large brooms. These brooms were tied by himself, and he also wanted to earn money.

It was very normal for a team leader to earn money hard in this day and age.

Even forty years later, village cadres already had subsidies (wages), and they weren't low, but Liang Wenyu, who had become the first batch of village party secretaries to transform into civil servants, was still farming.

"Yo, the team leader is here, how many are there this time?" Li Long helped unload the large brooms and asked.

"Six, you look at them, if they are unqualified, pick them out for me, and I'll take them home to use myself."

Li Long checked symbolically, and passed them all for him.

Six were fifteen yuan, Li Long paid the money, then took the pole and started poking inside.

Xu Chengjun also followed to poke, Li Long joked:

"Team Leader, you can go back after you finish putting them down. Now even if you tie poles, I won't add money for you."

"Hey, I'm helping, okay?" Xu Chengjun knew that Li Long's status was different now, and also joked like he did with his brother, "You can't look at me and think my eyes are all on those few cents."

Li Qing Xia pointed to the watermelon on the tractor fender and said to Xu Chengjun: "Team Leader, eat melon."

"Okay, okay, Old Man, don't worry about me, I'll eat after I finish tying."

Xu Chengjun helped Li Long tie all six large brooms together, then clapped his hands, took a tooth of watermelon to eat.

While eating watermelon, he asked Li Long:

"What do you think about Zhang Qiang's matter?"

"What else can I think? He wants to earn a cut from it, why should I give it to him? If I were in the county, he collected the large brooms and sent them over, I could still give him this cut. Right now in the village, he is cutting off my path. Can I indulge him?"

"You mean you're not collecting anymore?" Xu Chengjun actually just wanted to ask about Li Long's attitude.

"Five days, if he wants to transport the brooms to me, I can collect the qualified ones at two-fifty. After five days, even if he transports them over, I can only collect the qualified ones at two. After ten days, even if he transports them over, I won't collect them anymore, he can keep them and use them slowly himself!"

"Hey, two thousand plus brooms, he's going to use them until the next life?" Xu Chengjun was happy. Knowing Li Long's attitude, it was easy for him to handle; he wouldn't lean towards anyone, everyone was an adult, since this kind of thing was done, he had to be responsible for himself. As a team leader, he would coordinate at most.

After greeting the two old people, Xu Chengjun pushed the bicycle out and then rode away.

!.

Li Qing Xia asked with some worry:

"Xiao Long, we are doing this so absolutely, will it work?"

"How is it absolute? He cut off my path, and I didn't even clean him up." Li Long waved his hand, "I'm already giving him a way to live now. If he really wants to go to the dark on one road, then I have no way."

"It's fine, even if he smashes the brooms in his hands, he can still slowly set up a stall in the market to sell them. At most, he will earn less money."

The market in Maxian is not big, but large brooms still have a market in Shicheng. It just depends on whether this Zhang Qiang can see through this point. Li Long believed he should be able to in the end; after all, he had been to Wucheng once, even if he was greedy for small gains, his vision should still be there.

Just as they were talking, someone else from the team came to send large brooms, and Li Long checked and paid.

Although Zhang Qiang cut off Li Long's path, Li Long still checked the large brooms strictly, and resolutely didn't want the unqualified ones, and some people still had quite a few opinions.

However, Zhang Qiang didn't collect them now, so these people had no choice but to tie them more seriously.

At noon, Li Jianguo returned, heard what Li Long said to Xu Chengjun, and nodded approvingly:

"Exactly, don't be afraid! Everyone sees what the situation in the team is. If he wants to earn money, he should learn from Xiao Long to find work from outside. Right now he is cutting off Xiao Long's path, what kind of ability is that?

Those cowardly bears really don't know what's good for them. Last year, how many big jobs did Xiao Long get for the team, and how many benefits did he let everyone taste? These goods, just to get money earlier, gave the large brooms to that Zhang Qiang! Hmm, really want to know who they are, they'll look good later!"

Li Long smiled; actually, fence-sitters are the majority. In the eyes of most people, there is only profit; unless it is a matter of right and wrong, they don't mind watching two capable people make trouble.

Li Long asked about the older brother's melon, and Li Jianguo was quite happy:

"The melon is not small, it looks like it's about to ripen, according to this progress, it can be harvested in early September. Today I smashed one to see, there is still white in the middle of the seeds, and some seeds haven't turned black. The melon pulp is not delicious now."

"Then wait a little longer." Li Long did everything he could do, and the rest depended on the older brother and sister-in-law's field management.

In the afternoon, Li Jianguo stayed at home to tie large brooms, Li Long followed to help, Li Jianguo drove him to the front courtyard, saying this work didn't need others to help at all.

Li Long drove the tractor to the front courtyard to collect large brooms, and rested by the way.

The tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in the vegetable garden were all ripe, the beans were out of season, Du Chunfang and Chen Li Rong dried quite a bit of knife beans and cowpea dried, the old mother let Li Long take these dried vegetables to the county big courtyard to eat. There was quite a bit left at home.

Tomatoes are just right for making sauce. Li Long thought that when he returned to the county, he would take time to buy some glucose bottles used in hospital infusions, as well as that kind of soft rubber stopper. This thing is essential for making tomato sauce.

Li Long collected over two hundred large brooms today, a cart full, and had to use rope to brake, otherwise they would fall off.

Before the sun set, Li Long drove the tractor and left the team for the county.

Zhang Qiang had already inquired from Xu Chengjun about the conditions Li Long gave.

He calculated the time, Li Long had about ten days left to deliver the large brooms to the supply and marketing cooperative, so he sneered at this condition:

"Joking? Want me to work for him for free? Dreaming? Without two-eighty, don't even think about taking the brooms from me!"

Xu Chengjun also heard Zhang Qiang's words, and he felt relieved.

The words that should be passed were passed, and the next thing was not something he could manage. This kind of thing is equivalent to one willing to hit and one willing to suffer, all voluntary things.

Li Long returned to the county, unloaded the large brooms, and then went to cook dinner.

In the evening, Gu Xiaoxia came back, Li Long told her about the tomato sauce bottle matter, Gu Xiaoxia smiled and said:

"This matter is left to me. A colleague of mine, her husband is in the county hospital, they have plenty of these bottles."

Gu Xiaoxia quite liked using the tomato sauce made in summer to cook in winter, but because Gu Bo Yuan himself didn't know how to make sauce and didn't like to tinker with these things, she had no choice but to find other families to exchange.

What could they have at home? Just dried vegetables. Dried vegetables in winter are also rare things.

After moving into the big courtyard last year, the tomato sauce made by Liang Yuemei hadn't been broken all winter, and she also liked it very much. Right now, naturally, she also wanted to contribute to this matter.

At this time, most people are still unwilling to eat for free or owe others favors for free.

With Gu Xiaoxia's promise, Li Long felt relieved. Early the next morning, he went to Qingshuihe Township.

Actually, knowing that not many brooms could be made here, coming here was mainly to give people here a reassurance, letting people here know that Li Long would come often.

Sure enough, arriving at the brigade headquarters, the team leader had already stored some large brooms, and they were checked.

Li Long checked them carefully again, and there was really not a single problem, Li Long praised the team leader again, and loaded these twenty-three large brooms into the car.

Drank water at the brigade headquarters, refused the invitation to stay for dinner, and drove the tractor into the mountains.

There were a few more poles here in the wooden house, Li Long shook his head, he didn't go to Halimu's pasture, and left directly after pulling the poles.

Rushed back to the county at noon, and when he arrived at Yang Da Jie's courtyard, Gu Xiaoxia and the others had already started eating.

Five days later, Li Long collected some more large brooms from the team one after another, and the large brooms in Qingshuihe Township started to increase, collecting over two hundred in one day!

Zhang Qiang was a little panicked, because Li Long had already publicized that the large broom acquisition task in the village would stop after collecting five hundred more, and he wouldn't collect anymore!

Did he really find another place to tie brooms?

This thought just flashed, and was denied by Zhang Qiang himself.

Who trusts whom in this day and age? He didn't believe Li Long could find someone who trusted him in other places!

He still felt Li Long was swindling him, so he told others in the village that the large brooms in his hands had gone up in price, not two-eighty, but three! Less than three yuan, he would absolutely not sell!

Hearing this, Li Long could only think that Zhang Qiang was crazy.

Does this guy have a problem? With so many brooms piled up in his own courtyard, is he really not worried about not being able to sell them?

After all, those large brooms can't be eaten or drunk, even if they are taken out to sell, wanting to get the money back is a very long process.

Is he a farmer who doesn't farm anymore?

But it doesn't matter, if a person wants to die, others' reminders are useless.

Moreover, Li Long didn't intend to remind him either.

Hearing that Li Long was collecting five hundred more large brooms, the speed of the team tying brooms accelerated. This day Li Long collected over three hundred large brooms in the team, and Li Long guessed that tomorrow would be at most this number.

The reason he said this was because the brooms at the older brother's house were almost tied.

And there was still time left, as long as Qingshuihe maintained the speed, he would definitely be able to complete the task ten days before the task deadline.

As for Zhang Qiang, go eat brooms! (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 539 =====