While the women were gossiping happily about the private affairs of nearby families, Yan Mingli had already run to the cowshed.
Looking at the empty space under the cowshed and the obvious rubber shoe prints, he clenched his fists even tighter. These people...
He remembered that he was carrying an empty bucket towards the manure pit. After hearing what Erni said, he immediately put the bucket and the shoulder pole under the eaves of the cowshed, then asked Erni to go back first, and he hurried to the village entrance.
But now, the shoulder pole and the empty bucket are gone.
He took these two production tools out from the brigade warehouse and they were collective property. If he couldn't return them, the custodian and the production team leader would definitely hold on to the matter and he might even face criticism.
Following the rubber shoe prints, Yan Mingli came to the manure pit, which was next to a dry dirt road. The road surface was too dry to have any rubber shoe prints, and next to the dirt road was the forest on the north slope.
If that person had gone into the woods with the empty bucket and the shoulder pole, it would have been even harder to find him. It was also his fault that he didn't carry the bucket to look for his brothers and sisters, but instead left them in this cowshed where no one was currently.
Or he could go to the old carpenter and maybe exchange the money for two wooden barrels and a shoulder pole, but how would he explain the origin of the money?
Yan Mingli didn't want the villagers to know that he earned his money by selling blood. He was afraid that those who liked to gossip would tell his younger brothers and sisters.
They are still too young and should not bear too much of the burden of life, but if the captain takes advantage of the situation, they may have to bear even more.
After standing at the edge of the field and thinking for a while, Yan Mingli decided to go to the old carpenter's house to ask.
After Yan Mingli walked away, Yang Goudan, who was lying behind a big rock on the north slope, dared to carefully stick his head out. Seeing that Yan Mingli really didn't notice him, he swaggered into the deeper woods with an empty bucket and a shoulder pole.
This thing must be worth a few dollars at least! He doesn't want much, two dollars will do.
I can use it to go to Erlaizi for a few rounds of gambling. I must win back the five dollars he lost last time.
Yan Mingli was not aware of Yang Goudan's arrogant behavior after he left Yazilin.
He walked quickly to the old carpenter's door and saw that it was ajar, so he knocked politely.
Immediately, the old carpenter's voice came from inside, "The door is not closed, come in!"
"Uncle, I want to exchange two wooden barrels and a shoulder pole." Yan Mingli pushed open the door and looked at the old carpenter standing next to a high bench in the yard, planing wood flowers with a plane, and said respectfully.
"How big is the barrel?" The old carpenter looked up at him and asked calmly, neither enthusiastically nor disdainfully.
"Fifty kilograms." Yan Mingli said.
"Fifty pounds? A wooden barrel contains six pounds of eggs, and a shoulder pole contains four pounds of eggs." The old carpenter did not directly say how much each egg cost, but used eggs to hint at the price.
The supply and marketing cooperative sold eggs for 48 cents per pound. Two wooden buckets and a shoulder pole could hold 16 pounds of eggs, which came to 7.68 yuan.
"Uncle, can I take the bucket and the shoulder pole away first, and I will bring the money to you tomorrow morning?" It's not that Yan Mingli can't go home to get the money now, but he doesn't want to be seen by his younger brothers and sisters. He wants to take the money from the mud hole under the bed after they go to bed.
The old carpenter looked at him silently for a long time without saying anything. Just when Yan Mingli was about to turn around and go back to get the money, he slowly said, "The bucket is in the main room, the shoulder pole is leaning against the wall, and there is a hemp rope on the table. Go get it yourself."
"Thank you, uncle!" Yan Mingli thanked the old carpenter and quickly went inside to get the hemp rope and tied it to the two wooden barrels. Then he walked out carrying the barrels on a shoulder pole and said as he walked, "Uncle, I'll bring it to you before I go to work tomorrow."
"Yeah, there are a lot of sawdust on the ground." The old carpenter replied and continued to bury his head in planing wood chips.
"Thank you, uncle." Yan Mingli held the bucket rope tightly, his eyes flickering. He was a young man whose soft heart could be touched by a little kindness.
The old carpenter did not respond. Yan Mingli walked out of the door, gently closing it as he did when he came in, and then quickly walked towards the manure pit next to the cowshed.
There is still more than half an hour before work ends, and he can carry a few more buckets and water more fields.
But when Yan Mingli poured two full buckets of manure water on the ground and was about to go to the manure pit again, he was stopped by Nie Xiaoyu who rushed out of the woods.
"Brother Mingli, I have something to tell you." Nie Xiaoyu finally got a chance where no one was around, and she didn't want to miss it.
"I will finish watering the land in Yazilin." Yan Mingli thought she was sent by the team leader to supervise his work, so he said immediately.
"This is not Yazilin's land." Seeing that he had no intention of stopping, Nie Xiaoyu hurriedly pulled the bucket rope.
"I only took half a day off." The captain had agreed to the Yazilin land in front of the other members. Could it be that he wanted to assign me other tasks? Yan Mingli's eyes turned colder.
"I know, I..." Nie Xiaoyu bit her lip, half-closed her eyes, wanting to say something but unable to. How could this person not understand her feelings!
"I've only watered more than one acre of land. I don't have time to do anything else." Seeing that she was still holding on to the bucket rope, Yan Mingli couldn't help but grab the rope and pull it back, without any of the sympathy she had expected.
"Brother Mingli, wait for me." There was no way Nie Xiaoyu would let him go so easily. She hurriedly ran to him in two or three steps and opened her arms to stop him.
"What do you want to do?" Yan Mingli looked at Nie Xiaoyu who was standing in front of him with a fearless attitude, and his brows furrowed more and more.
"Brother Mingli!" Nie Xiaoyu stamped her feet and said shyly, "How can a girl like me be the first to speak about something like this?"
Unfortunately, Yan Mingli had no idea what she wanted to do. He looked at her with cold eyes, his mind full of questions.
Seeing that Yan Mingli had no intention of paying attention to her, Nie Xiaoyu had to muster up the courage to say, "Brother Mingli, I like you."
"You are sick." Instead of waiting for the expected answer, Nie Xiaoyu stared blankly at Yan Mingli jumping into the field, walking directly along the ridge, and walking in front of her again.
"Brother Mingli, as long as you're willing to marry into my family, I can definitely convince my father to agree to our marriage." Nie Xiaoyu chased Yan Mingli down the path, saying as she ran, "And I'll find two good families for Mingcheng and Mingxue, not..."
"Get out!" Yan Mingli jumped onto the path, turned around and glared at her, his ink-black eyes filled with bone-chilling coldness.
His younger brothers and sisters are his Achilles' heel. He has raised them from childhood to adulthood, and he will not send them out to be abused.
"Brother Mingli." Nie Xiaoyu stood there feeling aggrieved. She didn't understand why Yan Mingli had such a big reaction. They were just two bastards, not worth his energy to take care of. It would be better to send them away.
"Stay away from me." Yan Mingli turned around quickly with a cold face and walked quickly towards the manure pit.
This was the first time he was stopped by a girl to confess his love, but this kind of confession was not what he wanted. Marrying into her family? Giving away his younger brothers and sisters? It was a pity that she could come up with such a plan.
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