Chapter 617: In the end, a good reputation helped him

That woman hadn't expected the other party to be not only unflustered but actually counter-questioning her. At this moment, she felt a bit flustered herself.

Therefore, when you are being framed, you must never try to prove your innocence; you must learn to counterattack—the person framing you likely doesn't have a quick enough reaction, and at that moment, you can respond calmly. Make them chaotic, and you won't be the one in chaos.

By this time, the crowd of onlookers had also become polarized. Some believed Li Long and his group, while others were still suspicious.

"This auntie, shall we go to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau together?" Li Long knew that at this moment, he had to firmly hold his ground. He said loudly, "I'll pay for the testing of my fish. If it's sewage fish, I'll accept the punishment. If it's not, I won't even ask you to compensate for my loss of reputation; how about you just pay the testing fee?"

Li Long's words were magnanimous and immediately won the support of many onlookers present.

"Exactly, let's go! Let us see for ourselves too!"

"The young man is magnanimous, only asking you to pay the testing fee without even asking for compensation. If you think it's sewage fish, then go!"

"With the young man saying it like this, I actually feel he's confident and has nothing to hide. I think these fish look fine!"

"Exactly, if they were really sewage fish, how could they be this pretty? Even if washed clean, they'd still have a stench, right? These fish only have a fishy smell..."

The public opinion slowly shifted toward Li Long's side. The "auntie," who at best could be Li Long's aunt, got a bit anxious. How could she possibly pay for this testing fee?

After all, she had originally just wanted to use the name of "sewage fish" to get Li Jianguo to give her a cheaper price.

"You are all being unreasonable here!" The woman had a tendency to throw a tantrum, shouting at the top of her lungs: "You all know that sewage fish come from Maxian. Those sewage fish eat foul water, and the fish themselves are dirty—they can't be eaten at all—do you dare to eat these fish?"

Some people were swayed by the woman, and their impulse to buy fish retreated a bit more.

The woman didn't respond directly, and Li Long wasn't afraid. He stepped on the sled and said loudly:

"Those sewage fish were indeed discovered in Maxian, and I'm not afraid to tell you all: the people who caught the sewage fish were caught by the police because our villagers reported them!

We earn clean money and won't use this to smash our own rice bowls!"

He took a grass carp weighing over a kilogram out of his pocket and forcefully pried open the gill cover to show everyone:

"See that? The gills inside this gill cover are all red! If it were a sewage fish, when the gills filter water, they would be covered in black mud! Is there any on this one? Everyone take a look, is there? Also, sewage fish stink; everyone smell if these fish stink or not?"

When you force a woman into a corner where she has to go crazy, that's when you bring out powerful evidence; that's when it becomes convincing.

After finishing, Li Long looked at the woman again:

"How about it? Do you still say my fish are sewage fish? If you continue to frame me, then let's go—to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau or the police station, take your pick!"

The woman couldn't handle it. She pushed through the crowd, shouting that Li Long was bullying her, and ran away.

Clearly, she didn't have the confidence to go for industrial and commercial testing. After all, she just wanted to take advantage of a small bargain and didn't want to get herself involved.

The woman left, but the crowd of onlookers was still hesitant, not knowing whether to buy Li Long's fish.

Li Jianguo was also a bit troubled. He hadn't encountered anything like this before when selling things, and even if he had, he would usually meet it head-on.

Encountering a difficult woman is just troublesome.

Just at this moment, an old lady suddenly pushed through the crowd and walked to the fish stall. She looked at Li Long and asked:

"Young man, are you the one who has been selling small crucian carp and small loaches here for the past two years?"

"It's me!" Having someone help break the deadlock, Li Long was overjoyed and hurriedly said: "It's me, it's me. I've been selling fish since the market on the old street opened the winter before last."

"Then I know. The winter before last, my old man and I bought a lot of your fish. My old man said your fish were good and fatty, unlike those from other reservoirs that were just skinny and had no meat. Why didn't you come last year? The one who came was an old man?"

"That was my old man." Li Long was happy. This really was a regular customer. He explained, "I got a tractor and had to do farm work, so my old man came over to sell fish with my friend. Our little Haizi has a lot of water grass, so the fish are fatty. Now, many reservoirs don't have any grass, so wouldn't the fish be skinny?"

"Right, right, right, my old man said the same thing. He just likes the fish you sell. You said your friend is that tall guy who doesn't talk much, right? I remember... come, weigh some fish for me... you don't have small crucian carp and small dogfish anymore?"

"Yes, we do!" Li Long hurriedly picked a bag from the sled and opened it, pouring it onto the stall while saying, "We're breaking the ice to catch fish, and we thought that since it's almost New Year, everyone likes to eat big fish, it's festive, so we didn't pack many small fish. Auntie, you take a look and pick!"

"Good, good." The old lady slowly squatted down and started picking fish.

The onlookers heard the Q&A between the two and understood. This young man was actually an old-timer in this market; he had been coming here to sell fish for a long time, and he had a Haizi with special water grass, so these fish were not ordinary!

Originally, some people felt the fish were expensive, but with this said, it was normal for the fish to be expensive; these fish were fatty!

People with a little common sense know that most fish eat grass, and fish from places with water grass are naturally good, so immediately, people squatted down and started picking fish.

Li Jianguo saw that the crisis was almost over, wiped his sweat, and looked at Li Long, feeling quite gratified.

If it were himself or his old man, they might not have been able to settle this matter.

Next, several more regular customers recognized Li Long, and while others were picking out fish, they chatted with him about daily life. This dispelled the doubts of some who suspected the old lady was a shill, and they joined the ranks of those picking out fish.

These old men and women were regulars at the market and appeared often; the possibility of them being plants was not high. Moreover, it wasn't just one person who recognized Li Long, which showed that what Li Long said was correct.

Actually, Li Long had also been sweating just now. When he came over, there were people watching, and the market administrator was already walking toward this side.

If they had really argued until they were at an impasse, or if he had been overwhelmed by the woman's momentum, the market administrator would likely have shut down his stall and taken them to the office to resolve the problem.

Then this cart of fish would have been hard to sell.

Thanks to that old lady, when Li Long weighed the fish, he kept the scale high and gave a few extra crucian carp.

Next, the buying and selling went quite smoothly. The big fish were beautiful, everyone loved to look at them, and those with extra money in their hands liked to buy them.

Soon, this sled of fish was almost sold out, and Li Long went to pull more. He discovered that the small crucian carp and small dogfish were actually quite popular—of course, they were also cheap, 1.2 yuan, more expensive than before, but much cheaper than the big fish.

It was a pity that he hadn't brought many big fish, so he couldn't sell many.

Li Jianguo carried a yellow school bag to collect money. Because they were all small change, the bag soon became bulging. Li Long prepared another yellow satchel for him.

The bags of fish in the tractor trailer became fewer and fewer. By the time Li Long and the others had sold almost all the fish, it was already close to the afternoon.

Only then did Li Long feel hungry, and he slapped his thigh:

"Hey, I forgot to tell my sister we were coming, and didn't have her prepare a meal!"

Li Jianguo looked at the stall, smiled, and said:

"Then don't mention it for now. Sell the remaining fish, and then we'll go eat. After eating, we'll take the fish to see them, and after seeing them, we'll go home. By the way, ask your sister if she can take Hongqin back; it would be just right for her to play with Juan and Qiangqiang."

Previously, the younger siblings were in their hometown, and while the adults were fine, the younger generation didn't know each other. Now that the distance wasn't far, people like Li Jianguo hoped not only that their generation would be harmonious, but also that the next generation would have a good relationship.

"Good." Li Long smiled.

"Hey, young man, I heard you came to sell fish, so I hurried over. You only have this little bit of fish left?" An old man came to the stall and spoke.

Li Long saw the old man looked familiar, knew he was a regular customer, and said with a smile:

"Old man, there isn't much fish left. Which ones do you want to eat?"

"I wanted to stew some small crucian carp, but you don't have any... alright, give me a carp, just that one." The old man looked at the stall, which was full of big fish, and felt a bit regretful.

"Old man, right now there are only big fish. After the New Year, I'll bring small fish over to sell."

"Fine, fine, I'll come again then." The old man brought a cloth bag, and after putting the fish inside, he carried it and walked away slowly.

"Without Xiao Long, there are quite a few people who know you." Li Jianguo said with a smile.

"That's for sure. At first, Daqiang and I went to each factory family compound to sell fish, and later we went to the market to sell fish. There are quite a few people who know me, it's just that I don't know them."

Later, he added: "Actually, they don't know me either; they just know the fish I sell are delicious—Big Brother, to tell you the truth, the fish in our little Haizi are just tastier than those in other reservoirs."

"That's true." Li Jianguo said with pride, "After eating the fish from the little Haizi, you don't want to eat the fish from the big Haizi anymore. They aren't fragrant! I don't want to eat them after two meals, but your sister-in-law is different; she doesn't get tired of eating them every meal, hey!"

The remaining fish were sold out in no time. Li Long and Li Jianguo packed up the stall and pulled the sled to the parking lot.

Li Qing Xia was roasting fire by the stove with the old man who watched the parking lot, and there were two roasted potatoes on the stove.

Looking at the charred yellow, it was filled with a charred fragrance, very appetizing.

Hey, the old man is doing alright.

"Alright, my two sons have come, so I have to go. This fish, you take it; we're close fellow villagers, so take the fish back to eat for the New Year." Li Qing Xia stood up with a smile, "I'm off. I'll come again in the summer, and we old brothers can chat again then."

"Good, good." The old man picked up the two roasted potatoes and stuffed them into Li Qing Xia's hands: "Old brother, see you when you have time."

The old man was quite righteous; he didn't even want the parking fee.

In the tractor trailer, Li Long told his old man what he had just said to Li Jianguo, and his old man naturally had no objections.

Although they had eaten roasted potatoes, their stomachs weren't really full. At this time, they really needed a bowl of noodles with oil-splashed meat to fill up.

Li Qing Xia had always had a good appetite. Being able to live to over ninety was largely due to always being able to eat, and even in his eighties, he could still eat quite a bit. Being able to eat and being open-minded meant his body basically had no major ailments.

Driving the tractor to the canteen, Li Qing Xia still wanted to watch it outside, but Li Long wouldn't let him. He directly packed the fish for his sister into a bag and carried it into the canteen. He picked a seat by the window so he could watch the tractor.

Besides, only the sled was left in the tractor, the bags and scales were brought in by his big brother, and the starting handle was also brought in, so there was no need to worry about the tractor.

Li Jianguo went to order three bowls of noodles with oil-splashed meat, and at the same time said he wanted three extra portions of noodles, as well as three bowls of noodle soup. After paying with money and food coupons, he walked back and sat down.

By this time, it was past mealtime, and there weren't many people in the canteen, so their meal was served quickly.

The three of them put the peeled garlic into the bowls, mixed it well, and started eating in big mouthfuls.

They were hungry, so there wasn't much talk.

The food in the canteen tasted pretty good, and the portion of meat was sufficient. The meat in a luxurious bowl of noodles that cost thirty-five yuan in later generations would be about the same.

The extra noodles were served, and the three of them tacitly poured the extra noodles into their bowls together, stirred a few times to let the noodles soak up the vegetable juice, and then continued eating in big mouthfuls.

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They barely chewed.

Slurping away, one portion of noodles plus an extra portion, in less than fifteen minutes, they ate it clean.

Not even the onions in the bowl were left.

The noodle soup was poured into the bowl, shaken a bit to get all the vegetable juice into the soup, and then they blew on it and drank it slowly.

This is called "scraping the oil." From the mouth to the stomach, everything is coated with vegetable juice. Drinking the noodle soup not only helps digest the food but also cleans the esophagus.

Very refreshing.

A feeling of not wanting to move.

They were satisfied.

Half an hour later, the three of them finally went out, and Li Long took over driving the tractor to the courtyard where Li Xia lived.

As soon as the tractor entered the alley, they saw Hongqin and two children playing in the snow there. Hongqin had sharp eyes and recognized Li Long at a glance. She shouted loudly:

"Little Uncle! My Little Uncle is here! Little Uncle!" Saying this, she threw down the snowball and rushed over.

Only then did Li Long see clearly that they were building a small snowman there.

Li Long hurriedly slowed down the tractor and shouted:

"Slow down, slow down, go open the gate and tell your mom that your Little Uncle, Big Uncle, and Grandpa are all here!"

"Good, good!" Hongqin turned and ran.

On the tractor trailer, Li Qing Xia and Li Jianguo looked at each other, and Li Jianguo said with some annoyance:

"Forgot to bring a few pieces of candy."

"I didn't take any either." Li Qing Xia was equally regretful.

"Hey, I brought some. I brought a big handful when I left." Li Long said with a smile while driving the tractor, "I'll give some in a moment."

The two children playing with Hongqin leaned against the walls on both sides, watching the tractor.

Li Long took a few pieces of candy out of his pocket and sprinkled two for each side:

"I'm Hongqin's uncle, you guys take it and eat. Hongqin can't play with you for a while!"

After the tractor passed, the two children picked up the candy and shouted loudly as they headed home.

At this time, the attraction of fruit hard candy to children was no less than that of various blind box cards in later generations.

Maybe even more attractive than that.

The tractor drove into the courtyard, and Li Xia was already waiting in the courtyard. Seeing her father, big brother, and little brother all come together, she was also quite excited.

As soon as the tractor engine was turned off, Li Xia's first sentence was:

"Old Dad, Big Brother, Without Xiao Long, have you eaten? I'll go make some for you now."

"We've eaten, we've eaten." Li Jianguo said, carrying the bag containing the fish, "This is the fish we caught from the ice hole these past two days, big red carp, for you to eat for the New Year."

Li Xia took the fish and then ushered them into the house:

"Go into the house to warm up, hurry into the house!"

Li Long took a big handful of fruit candy out of his pocket and handed it to Hongqin:

"Hongqin, here, eat some candy! Remember to brush your teeth morning and night!"

"Hey, I know, Little Uncle!" Hongqin took the candy, put it in her pocket, and followed Li Xia into the house. She was very curious about the big fish.

The three or four-kilogram big carp, although not as long as that meter-long big silver carp, had a stronger visual impact.

Red head and red tail, although frozen solid, the fish was very wide, about fifty centimeters long and nearly twenty centimeters wide, very fatty!

The scales were as big as five-cent coins. Hongqin was curious and wanted to pick at them, but Li Xia slapped her hand:

"Don't touch it, it's very fishy, you'll have to wash your hands again in a moment."

Although she was scolded by her mother, Hongqin wasn't sad at all and still squatted there looking at the fish.

"Sister, let Hongqin go back with us and stay at Big Brother's place for two days." Li Long said to Li Xia in the kitchen, "With Juan and Qiangqiang there, Hongqin can have a good time."

"Wouldn't that trouble Sister-in-law?" Li Xia had concerns.

Big Brother's side would definitely be fine, and the children would be fine, but Sister-in-law had to take care of Grandpa and Grandma; if another child was sent over, would she be happy?

"Hey, this was actually proposed by Sister-in-law." Li Long said with a smile, "Sister-in-law said that Hongqin is here alone without anyone familiar to play with, and my brother-in-law is busy, and you have to take care of the family, so it's better to take her over there. With Juan and Qiangqiang watching her, she won't be at a disadvantage."

"Then... alright." Li Xia actually also wanted Hongqin to get familiar with her cousins and play together. Previously, she had thought that it would be fine if her own family stayed in the Fourth Team.

It was just that her husband chose this line of work, so she had no choice but to follow.

Fortunately, it wasn't very far, and she could see her old dad often, and her little brother came over often, so that was fine.

As for life, it was better than before; it was just that there were few familiar people, but that wasn't important.

The matter was settled, and Hongqin herself was also very happy, already thinking about how to go to her Big Uncle's house to play with her sister and brother.

Then she went to pack her things.

Although children don't understand much, they have their own understanding and their own world.

"Hey, this courtyard is not bad." Li Qing and Li Jianguo both said, "It's quite big, plant some vegetables in the summer, no need to buy them."

"When will Xingbang be back?" Li Jianguo asked.

"He won't be back until the evening." Li Xia said, "Recently, it's almost New Year, and the food factory has sent over quite a lot of meat.

There are many people buying things here, and the food factory is increasingly relying on this meat stall. They even said they plan to build a meat shop here."

"That's a good thing!" Li Qing Xia was quite happy when he heard this, "A shop is always better than a stall. I think in the future, houses will be built on both sides of the old street, and they will all be shops. There are many more people here than in the county."

Li Long thought to himself, Old Dad, you really have foresight.

He was also thinking, I wonder if I can build a shop here? Even if it doesn't open, renting it out to collect rent would also earn quite a bit of money, right?

Thinking about it, forget it, the main base isn't here, but he could mention it to his brother-in-law.

Li Long came over occasionally, but Li Jianguo and Li Qing Xia came less often. After Li Xia poured the water, they started chatting. Mainly, they were asking about the situation on both sides and whether life was good.

Because Chen Xingbang sold meat, Li Xia's side naturally didn't lack meat. Although they didn't eat good meat every meal, the scraps and bones were enough for a family of three to eat.

You could tell from Li Xia's complexion that it was much better than when she first came from her hometown. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 618 =====