Chapter 87 He Misses Bai Lu
After more than a week of booming sales through three channels, nearly 3,000 jin of chestnuts purchased from Grandpa and Grandma's house and Wang Cuihua's house were finally sold out.
Xiao Cheng is going to Xiao Family Village to purchase goods.
After eating wontons early in the morning, Bai Lu and Xiao Wei saw Xiao Cheng off, reminding him to be careful on the road.
"Don't drive so fast. The mountain roads are steep and difficult to navigate. They're a mix of gravel and mud, and there are no guardrails. Pay close attention to the road conditions... The fog is very thick this morning. If you can't see the road ahead, be sure to drive slowly. Safety is the most important thing..."
I don't know when it started, but Bai Lu has become so long-winded. It's just a trip to the countryside to collect chestnuts, not a long journey, something that can be explained in a few words.
He kept repeating it for a long time.
After hearing the last word, Xiao Cheng gently rubbed her head with his large hand, his palm still warm.
He then turned around, got on the brick truck, and left.
Xiao Wei also went to school with his little schoolbag.
Bai Lu returned home and poured the last hundred or so pounds of chestnuts into the pot in batches. She plugged in the electric stove, watched the sand and chestnuts roll around, and added sugar syrup as needed, frying fifty pounds at a time.
After roasting, turn off the power and pour everything out. Separate the sand and chestnuts with a large strainer, and pour the chestnuts into a large basket.
Back in the pot, pour the sand back in, plug it in, heat the sand evenly and thoroughly, then add the chestnuts...
When Wang Cuihua, Wen Xiuyun, and Yu Fugui arrived, all the chestnuts had already been roasted and were ready to be sold.
Xiao Cheng went to Xiao Guofu's house to collect chestnuts.
Xiao Guofu also wanted to raise piglets, but the wild boars in the mountains were too clever and difficult to catch. He wanted Xiao Cheng to help him buy some from Zhujia Village to raise, but he was too embarrassed to ask.
Finally, it was Li Hongying who spoke up, saying that she had mentioned picking snails by the river that afternoon to Bailu.
Bai Lu agreed at that time.
When Xiao Cheng returned, he heard Bai Lu mention it. She recited a long list of terms like "grandmother," "aunt," and "auntie," followed by names, and he didn't know who was who.
They could only go to Zhujia Village, and brought back another truckload of piglets to exchange for chestnuts with the grateful Li Hongying.
The village chief's family has a large population and a large stock of chestnuts, nearly 10,000 jin (5,000 kg). Xiao Cheng needs to make three round trips to transport them all.
After loading the truck for the third time, Xiao Cheng did not leave immediately, but went to the home of a relative he had never contacted before.
The son of my grandfather's elder brother, Xiao Zhigang's cousin, and the family of my third uncle, Xiao Hongbo.
Xiao Hongbo's wife kept watch outside, eagerly hoping that Xiao Cheng would finish packing the chestnuts and leave soon.
Who knew Xiao Cheng would suddenly come this way.
Xiao Hongbo's wife hurried back to report the news, and Xiao Hongbo, who had been restless inside the house, had no choice but to go out to greet her.
"Xiao Cheng is here. Come in and have a seat. It's been so many years since we last met. Your third uncle almost didn't recognize you."
The only time he had seen Xiao Cheng was during the Qingming Festival some time ago; apart from that, he had never seen him.
His tone was as familiar as that of a long-lost nephew, but they didn't have much to talk about; it was all just small talk.
Xiao Cheng didn't say anything more, took out a yellowed piece of kraft paper from his pocket, and placed it on the table.
"Grandpa's mountain should be returned."
Xiao Hongbo's expression changed. What was bound to happen had finally arrived, and his anxious heart finally settled down.
Kraft paper is a certificate of land ownership.
Before Xiao Cheng's grandfather's family moved to the new town, they were allocated an entire mountain during the land reform. The mountain was covered with fir trees planted by the production team. At that time, the fir trees here were worthless and no one bought them. There were also few people who knew how to make furniture.
Later, the lumber mill bought it for a few cents per cubic meter. The mill owner said that cedar wood couldn't be used to make good furniture, and that even if he bought it, he would just cut it into long blocks and sell it to city dwellers as firewood.
Xiao Cheng's grandparents ran a small business in town and didn't lack the small change from selling cedar wood.
They didn't sell them, letting the cedar trees grow freely.
Afterwards, the family moved to town, and the hilltop was handed over to Xiao Hongbo to manage, so that he could grow other things.
Xiao Hongbo said that he could plant anything, except for the cedar trees, which was what Xiao Cheng's grandfather had left behind.
Xiao Hongbo planted small fruit trees such as sand ginger, lily, and star anise, which prefer shade, under the cedar forest.
Even with a low acquisition price, decades later, Xiao Hongbo won't make a fortune; he'll still barely make enough to live on.
Xiao Cheng returned to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors during the Qingming Festival, but did not mention this matter. Xiao Hongbo thought that Xiao Cheng's grandfather had not left any instructions.
He was secretly relieved, but unexpectedly, Xiao Cheng suddenly came to take back the mountain today, so naturally he was reluctant to part with it.
But no matter how reluctant I am, I have no choice but to return it.
Xiao Cheng is not someone to be trifled with. Moreover, Xiao Hongbo's family also has chestnuts to sell. If he doesn't return the mountain, Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu won't buy his chestnuts. Where will he go to complain?
During the Qingming Festival, Li Shuixian's family said they would take as many chestnuts as they could get, but so much time has passed, and apart from coming to collect 500 catties of chestnuts on the second day of the Qingming Festival, they haven't come since. I don't know what's going on.
The Xiao family in the city is the same; they received the goods once and then disappeared without a trace. They don't even know if they still want the pre-ordered items.
Xiao Hongbo sighed and spoke to Xiao Cheng in a kind and gentle tone: "Child, I'll return the mountain to you. But could you give your third uncle some time to harvest the sand ginger, lilies, and other things on the mountain before you take them back?"
"As you know, there's not much to sell in the countryside. Your third uncle's family relies on growing these cheap little things to sell and buy some oil, salt... to have a couple of pieces of meat for the New Year..."
Xiao Cheng would rather Xiao Hongbo be a cunning and treacherous villain who refuses to return to the mountain, and just give him a beating and let him go.
Speaking to him in such a friendly tone now made him feel uneasy, and he even missed Bai Lu a little.
Whether it's grandparents, neighbors, aunts, uncles, or cousins, Bailu can handle everything with ease and manage all social interactions perfectly.
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