Chapter 611: Almost Misunderstood
Since the weather is very bad now, we need to check the condition of the truck carefully.
Otherwise, in today's weather, it would be very troublesome if the truck stalled on the road.
The cold wind came in through the broken window, blowing up the dust in the corner.
Zhou Yimin and Li Feng, wearing oily gloves, surrounded the two trucks and began to inspect them carefully.
Zhou Yimin squatted down and the beam of the flashlight moved slowly across the tire.
He tapped the tire gently with the crowbar he carried with him, listening to the sound to determine whether the air pressure was normal. Each tap was accompanied by a muffled "dong dong" sound.
When the beam of light swept across the side of the tire, he discovered a tiny crack. His brows immediately frowned. He reached out and rubbed it repeatedly to make sure there was nothing wrong with it. Then he straightened up and breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Feng was concentrating on checking the engine.
He opened the hood and a mist of hot white air hit him in the face, mixed with the pungent smell of engine oil.
He tightened each screw with a wrench, his eyes fixed on the various indicator lights on the dashboard, and he kept muttering the parameters and standards.
After checking the engine, he walked around to the rear of the car and carefully checked the brake lights and turn signals, switching them on and off repeatedly to verify whether they were functioning normally.
The two men worked together tacitly, with one checking the vehicle's exterior and tires, and the other focusing on core components.
Zhou Yimin climbed onto the truck bed to check whether the ropes securing the cargo were firm. He stepped hard on the floor of the bed to make sure it was not loose.
Li Feng lay on the cold ground, using a flashlight to check the chassis to see if there was any oil leakage or loose parts.
The entire inspection process was quiet and focused, with only the clinking of tools and the occasional words exchanged between the two people.
After confirming that everything was normal with the vehicle, Zhou Yimin and Li Feng looked at each other and nodded at the same time.
Zhou Yimin wiped the sweat from his forehead with a glove. Although it was cold outside, after a careful inspection, he found that his back was slightly wet.
Li Feng patted the oil off his hands, turned and walked to the cab and started the engine.
The low roar of the truck sounded, echoing in the empty garage, heralding the journey that was about to begin.
The truck's anti-skid chains rolled over the icy road, making a teeth-grinding friction sound.
Zhou Yimin's palms, holding the steering wheel, were covered in sweat, and became sticky and damp inside his cotton gloves.
In the rearview mirror, the other truck driven by Li Feng looked like a slow-moving giant beast, its headlights turning into a hazy halo in the diffuse snow fog.
The mountain road was covered with ice and snow like a mirror. The wheels would slip every time they turned a corner. The two had to drive at the slowest speed. The roar of the engine sounded particularly dull in the silent valley.
The time on the dashboard ticked slowly, and the hour hand moved through one tick after another with difficulty.
It took more than an hour for the two cars to move outside Chidong Village.
The icicles hanging on the old locust tree at the entrance of the village hung down like swords, swaying gently in the cold wind.
Just as Zhou Yimin was about to step on the accelerator, he saw several villagers rushing out from the darkness with weapons in hand, wooden sticks placed across the middle of the road, and bright beams of light piercing straight into the windshield.
"Stop the car!" The leading man was wrapped in a sheepskin coat, and the axe on his waist shone coldly in the moonlight.
"What are you doing here?"
Zhou Yimin hurriedly pulled the handbrake, and his cotton shoes slipped on the ice when he jumped out of the car.
The cold wind instantly blew into his collar. He pulled off his scarf, revealing his red face. "Comrade, we are from the steel plant! We are here to buy chickens."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the other party.
"Steel factory?" The man approached suspiciously, scanning the flashlight over the work badges on the two men's chests.
"I haven't heard the village chief say anything about this! With such a big commotion, could it be that someone is here to steal chickens?"
The villagers behind him immediately became agitated. Some picked up their carrying poles, some gripped their hoes tightly, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Li Feng also hurried over, the hem of his military coat sweeping across the snow.
He took out his work ID: "Look, this is our work ID."
As he spoke, his eyelashes were covered with white frost, and the white mist he exhaled condensed into tiny ice crystals in the light.
Zhou Yimin pulled off his scarf that was blown askew by the cold wind. His cotton shoes made a creaking sound as they rolled on the icy road. Every step he took seemed like a cautious test on the ice.
He raised his hand to turn off the headlights, and the dazzling beam of light suddenly went out, leaving only the low roar of the truck engine vibrating in the empty environment.
"Comrade." He tried to make his tone sound calm, and the white breath he exhaled condensed into frost flowers in the cold air.
"Could you please call the village chief over so that we can know if we stole the chicken?"
Zhou Yimin pointed to the rusty truck compartment and said, "And if we were to steal chickens, we wouldn't be so brazen."
The leading man loosened his grip on the wooden stick, and half of the red belt exposed under his sheepskin coat fluttered in the wind.
He looked up and down at Zhou Yimin's purple lips and the unmelted snow on Li Fengjun's coat. His Adam's apple moved, and he suddenly turned around and whispered to the two people behind him.
The cold wind swept away his whispered instructions, leaving only a few words floating out: "Something is wrong. Shout loudly."
The two villagers held the farm tools tightly in their hands, and the ice on the blades shone coldly in the moonlight.
The man ran towards the village on the snow, his footsteps particularly clear in the silent night.
Zhou Yimin and Li Feng exchanged glances and simultaneously took a half step closer to the truck.
The cold wind swept through the treetops, and the icicles collided with each other, making crisp sounds, each of which seemed to hit the two people's tense nerves.
Li Feng took out a cigarette, and the moment the match was lit, the orange flame reflected the fine frost at the corners of his eyes.
The five-minute wait felt like a century.
Finally, the sound of chaotic footsteps and the swaying beam of a flashlight were heard in the distance.
The man's voice pierced through the snow and wind: "The village chief is here! The village chief is here!"
Zhou Yimin straightened his back and saw a familiar blue cotton jacket emerging from the snow and fog. It was the one he had seen when he came to collect feed before.
The cold wind blew ice chips onto his face, and Village Chief Chi wrapped himself tightly in his blue cotton-padded jacket.
He squinted his eyes and looked at the man in front of him whose temples were whitened by the wind and snow - his red face from the cold, the ice crust on the shoulders of his military coat, and the pair of sincere eyes always made him feel that he had seen them somewhere, but his mind seemed to be covered with a layer of mist and he could not remember where.
Zhou Yimin stepped on the creaking snow and walked over to them, his breath filling the air between them. "Village Chief Chi, I'm Zhou Yimin from Zhoujiazhuang. Do you remember me? I came to your village before to deliver feed."
As he spoke, beads of ice fell from his eyelashes, creating tiny pits in the snow.
"Yimin!" Village Chief Chi slapped his thigh so hard that the flashlight almost fell out of his hand. "Look at my memory!"
He reached out and held Zhou Yimin's frozen hand, and felt warmth in his rough palm. "How did you find time to come here? And, I just heard that you came here to collect chickens. What does that mean?"
He turned to look at the villagers beside him, then looked back at the two trucks parked at the entrance of the village, his face full of confusion.
Zhou Yimin explained: "I calculated the date. Aren't the chickens in your village ready to be released from the cages? We will take the initiative to come and collect them, so you don't have to trouble you to find someone to transport them."
He pointed at the truck behind him, the fender of the truck clanging in the wind, and said, "Besides, our steel plant cafeteria has a huge demand, so we can collect them all at once, and we won't delay your business at all!"
Village Chief Chi's eyes lit up, he stroked his chin, and the patches on his blue cotton jacket fluttered gently in the wind.
This condition, which can save the trouble of transportation and quickly clear the goods, is really tempting.
He looked up at the night sky, then looked down at the familiar seal on the contract, and finally grinned: "Yimin, you really help me in my time of need! Let's go, warm up first, and then talk slowly!"
After saying that, he enthusiastically put his arm around Zhou Yimin's shoulders and walked towards the village, leaving a trail of footprints of varying depths on the snow behind him.
When I pushed open the wooden door of Village Chief Chi’s house, a warm breeze mixed with the scent of firewood hit me in the face.
There was a low table on the earthen kang in the main room. A kerosene lamp cast a swaying halo of light on the wall. A few old hens were making tiny clucking sounds in the bamboo cages in the corner.
Village Chief Chi lifted the blue cloth curtain and warmly invited the two to sit on the kang: "Come and sit down! This end of the kang is the warmest!"
Zhou Yimin rubbed his frozen hands and warmed them by the brazier, his eyes sweeping over the corn skewers and dried chilies hanging on the wall.
Li Feng stood silently by the door, the snow on his military coat leaving dark marks on the blue brick floor.
"Village chief, let's get straight to the point." Zhou Yimin took out a crumpled notebook from his pocket and asked, "How are you going to sell these chickens?"
Village chief Chi filled the copper pipe with dry tobacco, and the moment the flame lit up, his wrinkled face turned red.
"Yi Min,"
He puffed on his pipe, the smoke swirling in the light: "These chickens of mine are raised on feed and insects. The current market price is no less than three yuan each."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yimin immediately responded: "Village Chief, your price is not reasonable. The heavy snow has blocked the road and the transportation cost is high. Besides, we will cover everything at once, which will save you a lot of trouble!"
The charcoal in the brazier suddenly exploded, splashing a few sparks.
Li Feng quietly moved to the side of the kang and watched the two of them talking. Village Chief Chi took a long puff of his cigarette, and the ashes in the pipe fell down: "Two dollars and ninety! It can't be any less! If this price gets out, I will be criticized by the villagers!"
Zhou Yimin reached out and fiddled with the charcoal in the brazier, and the firelight made his face flicker.
"Village chief, we are purchasing in large quantities, so the transportation risk is also high."
He paused and said, "Two dollars and sixty cents. This price can not only make money for the villagers, but also be acceptable to our factory."
"No, no, no!" Village chief Chi waved his hands anxiously, and his pipe made a thudding sound on the kang table.
The sounds of bargaining echoed in the small room, mixed with the crows of old hens.
Zhou Yimin took out a pen and did a quick calculation on a notebook, while Village Chief Chi counted the breeding costs with his rough fingers.
When Zhou Yimin said "two dollars and seven cents", Village Chief Chi's pipe froze in mid-air.
After a moment's silence, he suddenly grinned, revealing his gums with a missing tooth: "As you wish! But be careful when loading the truck, don't hurt the chickens!"
The moment the price was finalized, the earthen kang in Village Chief Chi’s house became lively.
He opened the heavy cotton door curtain and shouted at the dark courtyard: "Old Zhao's family! Call all the young and strong men to come! Bring the bamboo cages and hemp ropes!"
The shouting startled the icicles under the eaves and caused them to fall, creating tiny holes in the snow.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the entrance to the main hall was crowded with villagers wrapped in cotton jackets and wearing dog-skin hats.
Village Chief Chi stood in front of the crowd and said, "Everyone listen up!"
Village Chief Chi stood on a low stool, waving his pipe up and down as he moved: "Chief Zhou and his team at the steel mill have bought all our chickens! Now we can exchange them for food for the New Year!"
Before he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in uncontrollable cheers, startling the roosters in the chicken coop to crow one after another.
The scene of catching chickens suddenly became lively.
Several young men grabbed bamboo cages and rushed to the chicken coop. The startled chickens' feathers fluttered like snow in the beam of their flashlights.
A chicken flapped its wings and rushed to the top of the wall, but was immediately poked down by the quick-eyed and quick-handed old man with a bamboo pole, and fell into the net bag that had been opened long ago.
"Be gentle! Don't hurt the chickens!" Village chief Chi stamped his feet in anxiety.
These chicks are precious, and if they are injured, they cost a lot of money!"
The cold wind blew snow particles against the windows, but the house was bustling with activity.
The women squatted at the door of the main room, skillfully tying the wings of the caught chickens, and the children joined in the fun holding oil lamps, their faces flushed by the firelight.
Village Chief Chi squatted in the corner, using a branch to scratch the account book on the ground, muttering: "This batch of chickens can be exchanged for 3,000 kilograms of cornmeal, and then I can go to the black market to buy some white flour..."
His chilblained hands were trembling slightly, but his cloudy eyes were surprisingly bright.
By the time the first cage of chickens was loaded onto the truck, nearly three hours had passed.
Zhou Yimin looked at the chickens crowded together in the carriage, and the laughter of the villagers echoed in his ears.
The village chief held his hand for a long time, and the calluses on his palms hurt: "Yimin! This year's New Year, thanks to the feed from Zhoujiazhuang, otherwise we wouldn't be able to raise such good chickens."
Zhou Yimin said: "Village Chief Chi, we are mutually beneficial."
Village Chief Chi immediately changed his words: "Yes, it is mutually beneficial."
Sporadic sounds of firecrackers were heard in the distance, startling a group of jackdaws, which fluttered over the treetops that were still covered with icicles, as if even the air was filled with the festive atmosphere of the upcoming New Year.
The sound of roosters crowing could be heard from the truck compartment filled with live poultry.
Zhou Yimin breathed out white air and stood on tiptoe to check whether the ropes of the canvas awning were secure. The hemp ropes that his fingertips touched were covered with a thin layer of ice.
The villagers of Chidong Village were still gathered around the truck. Some stuffed roasted sweet potatoes into their arms, and some forced frozen pears into their arms. Their warm words mixed with white mist rolled in the cold air: "Drive slowly on the road!"
"Come again next time!"
Li Feng started the engine and the truck made a low roar, shaking the bamboo cage in the truck bed and making it creak.
Zhou Yimin waved his hand for the last time, and the snow on his cotton gloves fell off. He then opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
The frost on the windshield had not yet completely melted, and every time the wipers moved, they drew a translucent fan-shaped line on the glass.
"The next stop is Qingya Village, and there is still 20 miles of mountain road."
Zhou Yimin opened the oil-stained route map and pointed his red, frozen fingers at a vague mark on the map.
Outside the car window, the mountains were covered with snow and turned into a vast silver-gray color. Icicles hung from the exposed branches, colliding with each other in the wind, making a crisp sound.
The truck crawled slowly along the winding mountain road. The anti-skid chains made a harsh sound when rubbing against the icy road surface, startling a few foraging jackdaws, which fluttered over the roof of the car.
When we reached halfway up the mountain, a strong wind suddenly blew up a curtain of snow and visibility dropped sharply.
Li Feng immediately stepped on the brakes and squinted his eyes to identify the road: "In this weather, I'm afraid it's going to snow blizzard."
Zhou Yimin leaned forward, the cold wind instantly blowing into his collar. He stared at the vaguely visible road sign ahead, and said solemnly, "Hurry up and get going. If the road is closed, today's mission will be in jeopardy."
The truck started up again, the roar of the engine echoing through the valley. The two stopped talking and focused on the road ahead.
The chickens in the carriage seemed to feel the tense atmosphere and occasionally made anxious cries.
(End of this chapter)
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