Chapter 19: Moving In

Jia Dongxu also had quite a harvest on his side; just the wild rabbits already filled a burlap sack, and there were plenty of pheasants too. Of the thirty-eight snares, almost all had caught something. As Jia Dongxu tied them up, he marveled at his uncle's ability to locate prey.

"Dongxu, how is it going?"

"Uncle, it's a bumper harvest! There are nearly twenty wild rabbits and over ten pheasants."

"Alright, I have a wild boar here too. Put everything up here."

"Okay." Only then did Jia Dongxu see Zhang Ping'an dragging a makeshift frame.

It was nearly seven o'clock by the time the two reached the foot of the mountain. Jia Dongxu hurriedly went to unlock the bicycle and pushed it over.

"Hoo~" It was damn heavy. The two of them had taken turns dragging it on the mountain and were still tired as dogs.

"Uncle, let's rest for a while before we head out."

"Fine, let's catch our breath." The two drank the Spirit Water from their canteen, and their exhaustion eased significantly in an instant, though their bodies still wanted to rest a while longer.

Twenty minutes later, the two had mostly recovered, and they hurried toward the city. Walking and stopping along the way, they finally arrived at the Rolling Mill at eight-thirty.

"Dongxu, take out three wild rabbits."

"Okay."

"Here you go, brothers. You can split these three rabbits among yourselves."

"Hahaha, Ping'an, you're really giving them away? Don't mind those stinky brats, they were just joking with you," said the team leader, Tan Jun.

"Brother Jun, we already agreed on it. Please just divide them up; it's a token of appreciation from Dongxu and me."

"You kid, alright then."

They were all fat rabbits weighing five or six catties each; three of them made over a dozen catties of meat, enough for the fifteen of them to have a meal together.

"This kid Ping'an is a stand-up guy."

"That's for sure. I heard he also got into the Procurement Section. His brother-in-law is Jia Youcai from the Fitter Workshop. Brothers, don't make things difficult for him when you're on duty in the future."

"That won't happen."

"Exactly, exactly."

"Alright, everyone come to my place tonight for a gathering. I'll have your sister-in-law show off her skills for you."

"Awesome!"

"Brother Jun is boss!"

Zhang Ping'an and the other arrived at the Logistics Department and directly opened the burlap sack.

"Qiang Ge, come and weigh this."

"Hiss~ Good heavens! Wild rabbits, pheasants, and even a wild boar? Did you go hunting in the mountains first thing this morning?"

"Not exactly. We set the snares and traps last night and went to check the harvest this morning. We didn't expect there to be so much either."

"You guys are the best," Wu Qiang said, giving a thumbs up.

"Little Li, go call the General Manager over."

"You got it."

"It's been a long time since we've received wild boar meat and live wild rabbits and pheasants. The General Manager needs to come and set the price."

"Uncle Qiang, we're not in a rush."

"Mm, alright. I'll weigh them for you first: the wild boar is two hundred ninety-three catties, the wild rabbits are one hundred thirty-three catties, and the pheasants are exactly forty catties."

"Hahaha, Ping'an, Xiao Jia, you two really have given us a big surprise!" Lou Zhenyu's voice arrived before he did.

"General Manager, we just happened to run into them."

"Hahaha, good! Regardless, this meat is solid and real. Wu Qiang, have you weighed it?"

"Weighed it, General Manager. It's right here." Wu Qiang handed the slip of paper he had just recorded to Lou Zhenyu.

"Hmm~ Let's price the pork at eight thousand, the wild rabbits at eight thousand as well, and the pheasants at ten thousand."

"Right." Wu Qiang clattered away on the abacus.

"General Manager, it's three million eight hundred ninety thousand in total for Ping'an."

"Fine, let's add a bit to round it up from this morning—four million. Here you go, Ping'an."

"You got it, thank you, General Manager."

"Mm, keep up the good work."

The two returned home. Zhang Ping'an took out the one million four hundred thirty thousand from yesterday and added today's four million; in just two days, they had earned over five million.

"Dongxu, here is two million seven hundred thousand for you. Keep it safe." Because they had agreed beforehand that they would split it half and half.

"Okay, Uncle," Jia Dongxu said, taking it excitedly.

"Save it well, keep it for finding a wife."

"Hehe, I'll give it to my mother at noon and let her save it for me."

Jia Dongxu was trying to lighten the burden on his father. Lao Jia and his wife were about to have another child, and his family's meager savings wouldn't be enough to support the whole family in the future, unless the Eighth-Grade Worker System came out.

"That works too. Anyway, we have income every day. Let's eat something and rest, then go fishing in the afternoon."

"Okay."

The two found something to eat in the kitchen, washed up simply, and went to sleep.

At this time, Zhang Xiaohua and a group of women also returned from shopping.

"Sister-in-law, your Dongxu has entered the factory now. You, just wait to enjoy the good life from now on; the best days are still ahead."

"Exactly, exactly."

"And you're pregnant again; you really need to take care of yourself. After all, we aren't twenty years old anymore."

"Exactly, exactly."

"Your younger brother Ping'an is also a sensible one, working from dawn till dusk every day. I heard he also got into the factory, is that right?"

"Yes, Ping'an also got into the Procurement Section, but he plans to go to school after summer vacation. He's working from dawn till dusk just to earn enough money to build a house sooner."

"That's true, Ping'an's house must have cost quite a bit, but it's a good thing Ping'an is willing to work hard; as long as one is willing to work, one will be well-received wherever they go."

"Yes, yes, yes."

"......"

When Zhang Xiaohua returned and saw that the things in the kitchen had been eaten clean, she knew that Zhang Ping'an and the other had returned; she looked through the window and sure enough, they were both fast asleep.

Nowadays, Xiao Lei brings three or four people to work in the East Courtyard every day, and Zhang Xiaohua is able to manage the lunch.

"Big Sister Zhang, the work will be basically finished today, and the furniture can be delivered tomorrow, but the ground in the front will still need two days to level."

"So fast? Alright, I'll tell Ping'an at noon."

"Good."

Zhang Ping'an woke up at eleven o'clock, washed his face briefly, and went to the kitchen.

"San Jie, go out and cool off, I'll stir-fry," Zhang Xiaohua had already made the steamed corn buns and was preparing to stir-fry the vegetables.

"Alright." She was indeed hot; pregnant women are afraid of heat to begin with, it was the middle of summer, she was heavy, and she had been tending the fire in the kitchen—how could she not be hot?

"Ping'an, Xiao Lei just said that your house will be completely finished tomorrow, and the open space still needs two days to be leveled."

"Alright, I know."

Zhang Ping'an stir-fried the dish in a flash; it was just fish chunks, stir-fry them, add seasoning and water, and let them stew.

By eleven-thirty, the fish chunks were stewed, and Zhang Ping'an dished out what his family would eat and sent the rest to the Worker masters.

"Master Lei, come and eat."

"Good, little young master, did Big Sister Zhang tell you?"

"She did. Should I settle the bill with Master Lao Lei or with you?"

"Give it to my dad; he'll be coming over in a couple of days too."

"Alright, then you all go ahead and eat."

"Sure, you go ahead with your work."

"Mother, this is what I earned this morning. Keep it safe; you can use it to buy Milk Powder or clothes for my younger brother and sister."

"So much... my son Dongxu has grown up..."

"......"

In the afternoon, a well-fed Zhang Ping'an and Jia Dongxu went fishing by bike again; the two found a random patch of shade, dug up some earthworms, and started fishing.

With the five million from the morning as a base, the two were in no rush and just fished casually. By four-thirty in the afternoon, both buckets were full, and they had filled the tricycle as well, so the two prepared to pack up their rods.

"Yo, you two are packing up? Just in time for me to take over."

"Teacher Yan, you're off work quite early."

Yan Bugui shot Zhang Ping'an a look; he naturally knew Zhang Ping'an was saying that on purpose. He was used to it and didn't pay it any mind. Being able to mooch some fish was a happy thing; usually, when he came to fish himself, he mostly caught bleak or came up empty-handed.

Seeing the catch of the uncle and nephew, he wasn't even jealous; he was numb to it. Almost every time he saw them, it was two or three hundred jin.

"Three hundred and ten jin in total. You two lads earned more in one day than your old uncle earns in a year. Truly, comparing people to one another is infuriating."

"Hahaha, Qiang Ge, we're just earning some hard-earned money. How could it compare to the comfort of you sitting in an office every day, sheltered from the wind and rain?"