Although Shen Heng understood Deng Min's meaning, he was unwilling to say more in the first place, and besides, making any guarantees now would seem like he was trying to curry favor.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and rested in the shade of a tree for a while, Li Shiqing promptly returned the tools he had used.
"Your sickle is really good. Just this half-inch is enough for one person to work all morning! Where did you get this thing?"
Li Shiqing weighed the large scythe in his hand a couple of times, then reluctantly returned it to them.
Bai Jiaojiao replied: "My third brother forged the iron, and Heng brother made the handle at the back."
"You made these yourselves?" Li Shiqing clicked his tongue in amazement. "Are these difficult to make? Could you ask your third brother to make a couple for us too? You know, there's so much work to do in the fields, how can we possibly finish it all?"
Li Shiqing's family had many members, so they were allocated more land.
Although hiring a blacksmith costs money, wheat is only harvested once a year, so a new blacksmith can last a lifetime, which is worthwhile.
“It takes a whole day to cut these two blades, and they’re not cheap. If I had known we’d be harvesting so fast this year, I would have told the village chief to order a few more for our brigade earlier.”
Half a day has already passed. If they go to town to find someone, it will take another afternoon. The sickle will arrive the next day, leaving only two days of work. Making the handle also requires manpower. Who has the time to do that? Li Shiqing dares not gamble.
Bai Jiaojiao's words dispelled Li Shiqing's idea of rushing to order one right now.
Li Shiqing was in a hurry to get back to the fields for dinner: "You're not a weatherman, how would you know these things? Okay, I'm leaving now, thank you. Can you borrow our house again when we have dinner? I promise I won't break it!"
Bai Jiaojiao said, "No problem!"
Li Shiqing was satisfied that he could save himself some effort and went back happily.
"Alright, let's get started."
Bai Shihai rubbed his hands together. He was young after all, and after eating and resting for a while, he had regained his strength.
Bai Jiaojiao was assigned by everyone to return the dishes and pots. She understood what everyone meant and was very grateful. Considering her small size, she accepted everyone's kindness.
After she went to the Bai family's house to tidy up the kitchen stove and prepare the ingredients for dinner, she went home and fetched some well water to take to the fields.
Li Hongtao had just come over from another hilltop when he saw Bai Jiaojiao strolling leisurely along the road. He immediately scolded her, "Bai Jiaojiao, can't you see everyone is working in the fields? What are you wandering around for?"
Bai Jiaojiao turned her head.
Hey, isn't this Li Hongtao, the one who was about to hand over the squad leader position to her older brother?
"Captain Li, I've been looking for you!"
Bai Jiaojiao smiled at Li Hongtao, her beautiful face beaming with joy, yet Li Hongtao felt a chill creep down his spine for some reason.
"What do you want from me?"
"I heard about the bet you made with Heng-ge, so I came to ask you if it's true."
This Li Hongtao is quite something. He has the nerve to say she was just wandering around outside, without even looking at how much work he's done in the past half day.
She always acts like she has a big deal out of nothing, taking advantage of the fact that her family has few relatives in the village and is easy to bully. She has made things difficult for her older brother a lot, and now Bai Jiaojiao is determined to make Li Hongtao suffer.
When Li Hongtao heard Bai Jiaojiao mention this, he assumed she had come to plead for Shen Heng.
He scoffed, "Don't meddle in our men's business."
Li Hongtao looked at Bai Jiaojiao smugly: "Your man has plenty of money and is willing to gamble it away. This is a windfall, and I can't refuse it even if I don't want it!"
“Captain Li, that’s not what I meant,” Bai Jiaojiao said deliberately. “I wish Shen Heng would bleed! But what if he doesn’t admit it? You know what kind of person he is. Once he throws a punch, who would dare to disobey him?”
白娇娇说她厌恶沉衡，李洪涛是信的，十里村就没有姑娘愿意嫁给沉衡，一是怕他揍媳妇，二是怕被他克死。
Li Hongtao was completely unprepared for Bai Jiaojiao's words: "The brigade leader can testify. No matter how arrogant he is, would he dare to hit the brigade leader in front of the whole village?"
"That's not necessarily true. You know what kind of person the brigade leader is. He's only concerned about the good of the brigade and he's best at smoothing things over. To be honest, completing so much work is an impossible task, and this bet isn't fair. The brigade leader might not speak up for you in the end."
After Bai Jiaojiao's analysis, Li Hongtao thought it made sense.
He even discussed it with Bai Jiaojiao: "Then what do you suggest? Can you make the decision for him?"
Bai Jiaojiao pretended to be suffering in silence and shook her head: "If I could make the decision for him, I wouldn't have asked Captain Li to help me get revenge."
Li Hongtao thought to himself that Bai Jiaojiao was a fool, that she wouldn't side with her own man, but he said aloud:
"Don't worry, sis, I'll definitely teach him a lesson this time! But you're right, I have no proof, and if he denies it, there's really nothing I can do!"
Bai Jiaojiao feigned sudden realization: "Captain Li, you're right! You can have him draw up a written agreement!"
"A written agreement? Yes, a written agreement! And we need to put our fingerprints on it!"
Li Hongtao's mind was completely blank, as if blood had been drawn to his head. Bai Jiaojiao followed behind him.
"Captain Li, I learned how to write a contract in school. I'll draft one for you; it'll be absolutely foolproof!"
Li Hongtao assumed Bai Jiaojiao was in cahoots with him and happily led her to the brigade.
"Hong Tao? What are you doing here? How's the harvest going?"
The village's over seventy-year-old Party Secretary was sitting in the brigade office. When he saw Li Hongtao enter with a ruddy complexion, he assumed that the wheat harvest was progressing very quickly that day.
“The fields are just like that, Uncle Kuan, I’ve come back to take care of some things.”
Li Hongtao only had toilet paper at home, so he came to the brigade to find some.
"I'll write it," Bai Jiaojiao offered.
“Okay, you write it.” Li Hongtao could read himself, so he wasn’t afraid that Bai Jiaojiao would lie to him.
After Bai Jiaojiao finished writing, she showed it to Li Hongtao. The neat and beautiful handwriting and the watertight betting agreement made Li Hongtao beam with joy.
"Captain Li, just sign here. We'll go find Shen Heng to get his fingerprints in a bit!"
Bai Jiaojiao pointed to a place on the document.
Li Hongtao was in a frenzy. Looking at the note that "Chen Heng shall pay Li Hongtao 50 yuan in one lump sum within one day," he acted impulsively and, after listening to Bai Jiaojiao's words, signed his name in a self-righteous manner.
"Come here, Captain Li."
Bai Jiaojiao smiled and picked up the inkpad box on the table, opened it for Li Hongtao, and handed it to him.
Li Hongtao, flattered, didn't think much of it and used his right thumb to apply ink to his name.
Bai Jiaojiao took the document and checked it.
Well, although Li Hongtao's handwriting looks like a dog's paw print, it's not easy to imitate, and his handprint is clear, so he can't deny his debt.
Bai Jiaojiao put the agreement into her pocket, and Li Hongtao couldn't wait any longer: "Let's go, let's go find Shen Heng to put his fingerprint on it!"
"Okay, let's go!"
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