tractor
Yesterday morning, while it was still dark, the villagers were already busy, carrying baskets of fruits and vegetables onto the truck bed. Zhou Lexing noticed that most of the villagers who went out this time were elderly, so he simply stood by the truck bed and took charge of carrying things.
"Oh, thank you so much!"
"Third brother has become sensible! Yuanxiang, you are a lucky girl, good days are ahead!"
The villagers were discussing it enthusiastically, full of energy and excitement from early in the morning.
Zhou Lexing smiled and glanced at the crowd. The only old man in the crowd, with a dark face, smoking a pipe and not saying a word, stood out in the joyous atmosphere.
Zhou Lexing couldn't help but take a second look. Only after the goods and people were loaded into the truck bed did he realize that the old man was in charge of driving the tractor.
Someone who knew him better asked, "Old Yang, what's wrong with you? It's rare for you to go to town, and you can earn two cents from each household. You're not happy with such a good deal?"
The old man called Old Yang snorted, "You think this money is easy to earn? This tractor is quite precious! It costs tens of yuan to repair each time, and there are annual expenses to pay. After making only a pittance, I really don't want to do it anymore!"
Old Yang complained, but smoked his pipe even harder, his face full of bitterness.
This tractor is not cheap; it's impossible for one family to pay for it.
Every household in Zhoujia Village has a share in this tractor; they saved up for many years to buy it. At the end of the year, villagers will receive a percentage of the profits, but they also have to pay Lao Yang a fee every time they use the tractor.
Maintenance and management were also handled by Lao Yang, who took the lion's share, so naturally he had to put in more effort.
He's been worried lately.
With the end of the month fast approaching, every household needs to go to the market, and the able-bodied young men will have to go into the mountains. Once they come out of the mountains, they will naturally have things to sell. Moreover, it's almost time for the early rice harvest, which is exactly when tractors are needed. This is the time of year when he earns the most.
But a few days ago, the village asked him to drive the tractor to take people to the town to see a doctor, and Old Yang noticed that something was wrong with the tractor.
The old buddy, which usually works hard without complaint, has been having trouble starting up lately. Last time, when it set off in the middle of the night, the villagers were so anxious that they kept urging it on.
Laymen don't understand these things and take it as an act of arrogance, leaving him speechless with bitterness.
When he arrived in town, Lao Yang took the opportunity to go find Xu Laosi, who repaired bicycles and tricycles. However, Xu Laosi demanded an exorbitant price of fifty yuan. Lao Yang left in a huff, but although he left readily at the time, he is now troubled by this matter day and night.
There's only one person in the area who can repair cars, Xu Laosi. He can't just drive his tractor into the city; the fuel cost would be even more wasteful.
It seems that Xu Laosi dared to ask for such a price because he knew this about him, and he wasn't afraid that Xu Laosi would run away.
Old Yang had been worrying for several days, and finally decided to try to negotiate a lower price with Xu Laosi again today when everyone went to the market in town.
But he also knew in his heart that he would not be able to get a good price if he was so eager to buy. Thinking about how he had worked so hard to save money, and that he was about to lose fifty yuan in one go, Old Zhou couldn't help but sigh again.
"Hey, come on, Lao Yang! Everyone in the village knows you're a big shot. If you don't earn much, then we're all dirt poor!" the man teased. Before Lao Yang could reply, someone else popped up from the crowd.
"Stop chatting! Let's hurry up and go, or we won't get good seats!"
"Yes, yes! There are so many people today!"
The villagers all agreed, so Lao Yang had no choice but to put the matter aside for the time being and get into the driver's seat.
When everyone saw him return to his post, they all looked away and started talking about their own little plots of land. But the conversation shifted from trivial matters at home to the mundane farm work in the fields, and from the mundane farm work in the fields to the gossip in the village, while the car remained motionless.
"Hey! Old Yang, you didn't fall asleep in the car, did you?!" someone shouted, and several others immediately followed.
"Let's go! If we delay any longer, it will be dawn!"
"Old Yang, you can't act like this. Each of us gave you two cents. It was agreed upon a long time ago, and it's been this price for years. What's the meaning of your dragging your feet like this?!"
Upon hearing this, even those who hadn't given it much thought couldn't help but murmur among themselves.
The scene immediately became noisy and chaotic.
Zhou Shusheng was happily playing with the windmill Zhou Lexing had made for him when he noticed the commotion around him. He gradually stopped smiling and nervously squeezed next to Zhou Lexing, looking around anxiously. The wooden windmill handle in his hand creaked as if it were about to break under his force.
Zhou Lexing frowned and exchanged a glance with Zhou Yuanxiang, who was reassuring Zhou Shusheng with concern: "I'll go down and take a look."
As soon as Zhou Lexing got out of the truck bed, several people immediately followed him, angrily peering into the driver's seat.
"Old Yang! We can't stand by and watch you do this again and again!"
The one speaking was the same person who had given Zhou Laozhuang and the others a free ride to the small clinic in town last time.
Last time, the people in the truck bed exchanged a few words, and Old Yang started the truck. This time, however, he's been dragging his feet, and the wheels haven't moved an inch yet.
Old Yang was sweating profusely with anxiety. His brows seemed to deepen with worry, making him appear even more unapproachable: "What's the rush! If you're so capable, stop standing there babbling and come right over here! Drive the car away!"
Hearing this, the man became even angrier, his face turning red and his neck bulging: "Old Yang, that's not fair of you! If we knew how to drive a tractor, what would we need you for!"
Back when the village was funding the purchase of tractors, many people vied for Old Yang's position. In the end, Old Yang's experience of learning to drive tractors in the production team gave him an advantage; otherwise, this lucrative opportunity might not have fallen into his lap.
Seeing that the two groups were about to start arguing, Zhou Lexing looked at Lao Yang's actions and asked, "Is there a problem with the tractor?"
Old Yang's curse words caught in his throat, and his sudden speechlessness immediately made everyone grasp the key point.
"Old Yang, the village has only had the tractor in your hands for less than two years, right? And you've already broken it?"
"Yes, you yourself said it's a precious item, how come it broke down so quickly? This is no small matter!"
This is also why Lao Yang never told others about the tractor in detail.
His position as the tractor driver was already the envy of many in the village. What if they found a pretext to take his place?
Old Yang looked embarrassed and snorted, "What machine doesn't break down? It's lucky it's in my hands. If it were in the hands of you roughnecks, it would probably be broken by now! And did I say I wouldn't fix it?! I'm just going to town to see Xu Laosi. What's the rush?"
The two sides disagreed at first and then started arguing even more fiercely.
Zhou Lexing raised his hand: "Alright! There are kids here, what kind of bullshit and swearing are you spouting?! Do you think a tractor will start moving by hurling insults at each other?!"
Zhou Lexing has a reputation as a bully, and the few punches he threw a few days ago when Zhou Laozhuang came to his house to cause trouble have intimidated many people.
Although the villagers didn't say it to his face, they were gossiping about it behind his back, gaining a clearer understanding of his fighting prowess. Now that he had spoken, everyone fell silent as if they had been suddenly choked.
Among the heads peeking out from the truck bed, besides Zhou Shusheng, a child, there were indeed several other little kids, ranging from 5 to 10 years old, staring wide-eyed at this direction.
The grown men, meeting the curious gazes of the little kids, reluctantly looked away.
"Please come down, I'll go up and give it a try."
Zhou Lexing tapped on the edge of the car. Old Yang opened his mouth to refuse, but when he saw Zhou Lexing's dark eyes and his overly cold face when he wasn't smiling, he felt inexplicably uneasy. Especially when his gaze fell on the wound on Zhou Lexing's hand that hadn't healed after hitting someone, he immediately got out of the driver's seat obediently.
Zhou Lexing took his place and tried to start the tractor.
The sound of the old-fashioned tractor struggling to start was quite loud in the quiet morning. Zhou Lexing quietly watched the oil pressure pointer on the dashboard, which remained at zero, then turned off the engine, got off the tractor, and leaned close to the gap in the engine compartment.
Amidst the tractor's sluggish engine noise, one could indeed faintly hear a "putt-putt" sound like an old ox panting. If one got closer, one could smell the stench of rotten eggs. Although the light was dim and no smoke could be seen, Zhou Lexing had a general idea of what was going on.
"It's probably a problem with the fuel injector. Do you have a wrench and screwdriver at home? Also, some diesel fuel. If you're quick and efficient, you might still be able to make it in time."
Zhoujia Village wasn't the only place in town with a market. If you arrived late, you might not even be able to set up a stall at the market entrance. Although there weren't the same restrictions on buying and selling as in the old days, you weren't allowed to set up a stall on the street at will. There were rules about what you bought and sold, as well as the time and place to set up your stall.
Only the black market and the pigeon market don't have these restrictions. Unlike those restricted goods, who would specifically go to the black market to buy vegetables?
Seeing Zhou Lexing's confident demeanor, Old Yang's suspicions lessened somewhat, but he still cautiously asked, "You really know how to fix tractors, kid?"
The original owner was a proper hoodlum, always wandering from house to house, and was rarely seen. The people of Zhoujia Village didn't know what he was busy with on weekdays, so while they had their doubts, they also had high hopes.
"Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. Sir, you'll have to gather all the tools for me first so I can check them before I can give you a precise price."
Hearing this, the people around them, filled with anxiety, couldn't help but urge, "Then let's investigate quickly!"
"Yes! If we keep dragging this out, it'll be dawn soon. These vegetables won't last until next month. Who will be responsible if they rot?"
The crowd echoed in agreement.
Old Yang was not unexcited, but before he could get the village bully to make a move, he still had to ask clearly: "So, how much money do you want?"
Zhou Lexing originally wanted to say that no money was needed, but seeing Lao Yang's suspicious and scrutinizing gaze, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Then please waive the car fare for my family."
After all, the original owner had a good reputation, so if he said he wouldn't take money, the old man would probably think twice.
Sure enough, upon hearing Zhou Lexing's words, Old Yang breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, okay, I'll go get it right away!"
This is much more cost-effective than fifty yuan. Old Yang was overjoyed and darted out in an instant, his movements no less agile than those of a young man.
His tools were bought along with a tractor when the village purchased them, and they are still sparkling clean. They've hardly ever been used, and now they finally have a chance to see the light of day again.
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