Chapter 62 Smooth Downhill

Li Qiuyue came out after packing up, looking at the pile of sacks on the bus, "Youngest, can you push it?"

Zhou Huaian glanced at her and said bluntly, "That day you said you could push a chicken bus, wait, let's take turns pushing it!"

Li Qiuyue took a look at the things on the chicken bus and felt unsure, so she said honestly, "I can handle one or two hundred kilograms, but I'm afraid I can't handle so much!"

"When you get to the asphalt road, give it a try. If it doesn't work, forget it."

After Zhou Huaian finished speaking, he didn't wait for her to answer. He helped Yang Chunyan lift the backpack and put it on her back. He then handed her the urea bag filled with beeswax and the small wooden barrel filled with honey, and then helped Li Qiuyue put on the backpack.

"Mom, let's go!" Yang Chunyan picked up the backpack and walked towards the gate of the yard with the honey.

Zhou Huaian walked to the front of the chicken cart, bent down to put the cloth belt on his shoulders, held the handlebars with his hands hanging down, stepped on the pedals with his feet spread out, leaned forward to lift the handle, and pushed the chicken cart towards the gate with a "creak, creak" sound.

At this time, Zhou's mother came out with a bamboo basket filled with dry food, water, and Lazy Chan'er. "It's dark, bring a flashlight."

"No need, Mom. I brought it." Li Qiuyue said as she took out a flashlight from her army green shoulder bag and chased after Zhou Huaian and the other man.

"I'll take you out." Mother Zhou walked quickly to the gate of the courtyard, helped Zhou Huaian push the chicken cart out of the courtyard, sent the three people to the path, and handed the basket to Li Qiuyue, "Be careful on the road."

Zhou Huaian nodded, "Go back quickly, you can still take a nap."

Mother Zhou nodded, then turned around and walked back worriedly.

Li Qiuyue was in front with a flashlight, and Zhou Huaian followed the flashlight, pushing the chicken bus slowly onto the road.

Frogs croaked and insects chirped in the fields. The morning breeze blew towards them with a slight coolness. The three of them strode forward.

Soon they reached the ramp at the bridge head. Yang Chunyan and Li Qiuyue put down their backpacks and the things in their hands, walked to the front of the chicken bus and used their backs to prop up the body of the bus to prevent it from going too fast.

Zhou Huai opened his legs, straightened his waist, dropped his buttocks slightly backward, used both hands to hold the handlebars tightly, and balanced the chicken bus.

He relied on the strength of his hands and legs to balance the weight of several hundred kilograms, so that the muscles in his arms bulged.

Zhou Huaian was panting heavily, trying hard to balance and control the chicken bus forward to prevent it from tipping over.

The three of them worked together to slide the chicken cart down the slope. After crossing the stone bridge, Zhou Huaian put the chicken cart down and sat on the handle of the cart, breathing heavily, feeling a little exhausted. "I'll take a breath. You two go and carry the backpack down quickly."

Yang Chunyan took out the flashlight from her bag and handed it to him, "Here's the flashlight. Let's go carry the basket!"

"Hmm!" Zhou Huaian took it and placed it on the sack, looked at the cloth wrapped around his palm, squinted his eyes, leaned against the bamboo basket and rubbed his sore wrist.

This was the first time in his life that he had used so much strength. Fortunately, the car went down the hill smoothly without any embarrassment.

I squinted my eyes and listened to the chirping of insects and frogs in the rice fields. Suddenly, I felt that the noisy frog croaking was not so annoying.

Yang Chunyan and Li Qiuyue hurried back up the slope, picked up their backpacks and carried their things across the bridge. Zhou Huaian also recovered, and the three of them continued to move forward.

Li Qiuyue said: "Youngest, I didn't expect you to be so good at pushing the chicken bus!"

Zhou Huaian was also a little proud, "It's all thanks to your help, otherwise I would definitely not be able to keep my balance."

Yang Chunyan glanced at him and said, "That's already pretty impressive. I was worried that the car might flip over just now!"

Zhou Huaian complained sweetly in his heart, "I used up all my strength. As soon as I relaxed after going downhill, my legs went weak and I almost couldn't stand."

Yang Chunyan looked at him and said, "The Fangtian Brigade has a tractor. If we encounter it, we can take the tractor to the street."

"Okay." The road is too far, and it's worthwhile to spend some money and save effort to push such a heavy thing.

The three of them stopped talking and walked forward in silence. They stopped once and reached the asphalt road. At this time, the sky gradually brightened.

"Take a break!" Zhou Huaian put down the chicken bus before he finished speaking.

Yang Chunyan put down the bag and the small wooden barrel in her hands. Zhou Huaian grabbed the edge of the backpack and helped her put it down before going to help Li Qiuyue.

The three of them sat down on the rocks under the yellow horn tree. Yang Chunyan took out a kettle and handed it to him, "Huaian, it's dawn. Maybe there's no tractor to go to Ning'an?"

Zhou Huaian took a few sips and wiped his sweat, "Don't worry, there should be some on the asphalt road."

"Let's wait and see when we get on the asphalt road!" Li Qiuyue found that it was really unbearable to carry such a heavy thing and walk a long distance.

Zhou Huaian pounded his sore legs and said, "The Yu family in Fangtian Brigade bought a tractor last year, why is it that no one in our brigade bought one?"

Li Qiuyue glanced at the two of them and said, "Youngest, if you keep doing this, I think it won't be long before you're the first one in our team to buy a tractor."

"Me?" Zhou Huaian pointed at the tip of his nose and laughed at himself, "Third sister-in-law, you are almost the same as Third Brother!"

Li Qiuyue sighed, "I do want to think about it, but where can I find so much money?"

"Take it easy. You can't get fat in one bite!" Zhou Huaian said and stood up. "Let's go. If we don't leave now, the sun will come out soon."

"Yes!" Yang Chunyan and Li Xiu Yue stood up, put on their backpacks, and followed Zhou Huaian with their things in their hands.

Not long after walking, I heard the sound of a tractor's motor behind me.

Li Qiuyue shouted, "The tractor is coming, let's stop it."

"Okay!" Zhou Huaian parked the chicken bus, turned around and waved at the tractor, "Master, give me a ride, Master..."

The tractor slowly slowed down, and a man in his thirties looked at the group and asked, "Brothers, where are you going?"

"Master, have a cigarette!" Zhou Huaian smiled and took out a cigarette and handed it over, and then said, "Let's go to Ning'an North Street. We'll pay for the fare."

The man thought that he also wanted to go to Ning'an, so he took the cigarette and nodded, "Okay, three cents for three people and the goods, and I'll take you into the city."

When Li Qiuyue heard that it would cost ten cents each, she felt a little distressed and looked at Yang Chunyan. Before she could open her mouth, Zhou Huaian readily agreed.

Yang Chunyan smiled and said, "We can save some energy if we take the car."

Zhou Huaian smiled and waved at the two of them, "Yan'er, Third Sister-in-law, come over and put the backpack in the truck bed."

Yang Chunyan nodded and walked over.

The two men put the things in their hands into the tractor bed. Zhou Huaian had already opened the bed. The tractor driver also got off the vehicle and helped Zhou Huaian put the backpack away.

When the driver saw the chicken bus, he shook his head and said, "I didn't expect you three to carry so much stuff. I'll lose money if I charge you three cents."

Zhou Huaian smiled apologetically: "Thank you for your help, thank you for your help!"

The four men lifted the sacks from the chicken bus onto the vehicle, and Yang Chunyan and Li Qiuyue sat in the truck bed.

Zhou Huaian sat next to his master, and looked at him enviously as he drove the tractor forward, wondering if he could buy a tractor someday.

It was indeed much faster to take the tractor, and we arrived in the city at dawn.

Yang Chunyan paid the fare, and Zhou Huaian took a few corns from the basket and gave them to the master. "Thank you, master. These are early-maturing corns grown at home. Take them back and try them!"

The master took it readily and said, "I won't be polite. Next time we meet on the road, just call me."

"Yes, yes!" Zhou Huaian responded repeatedly.

(End of this chapter)