Now that we have the capital to continue buying ginseng, we don't need to use the four gold bars that Grandma Jiang gave us for the time being.
Most importantly, Li Xiangdong doesn't know how to turn gold into money!
Should I exchange it at a bank or sell it at a pawn shop?
None of them seem very reliable.
After all, farmers across the country are very poor right now. If someone were to take out four pounds of gold to exchange for money for no reason, it would definitely raise the vigilance of the government, and it wouldn't be good if it led to other problems.
In addition, although the newly issued document this year, "Notice on Adjusting the Price of Gold," raised the purchase price of gold from 262.5 yuan per tael to 390.625 yuan per tael, which is the highest increase in the history of gold price adjustments.
However, it is more than 200-300 per gram, not more than 300 per gram.
According to Li Xiangdong's experience, the price of gold in China will continue to soar after that.
never mind!
Let's send it back to our master first!
So, Li Xiangdong, with the four gold bars he hadn't even had a chance to warm up, went to Quanshui Village again.
Looking at the gold bars spread out on the kang (a heated brick bed), Old Mrs. Jiang raised her eyebrows in surprise and asked, "What's going on?"
Li Xiangdong sighed, "I went back and thought about it, and realized we can't exchange the gold bars for money!"
After she expressed her concerns, Grandma Jiang fell silent. What Li Xiangdong said did make some sense.
"Please accept this first!"
"You're not short of money?"
"Hehe, we're not short of any more. We just sold all the ginseng."
"That's good!"
Grandma Jiang wrapped the gold bars up and stuffed them into the cabinet.
Li Xiangdong, still worried, instructed his master, "Hey, you'd better keep it safe, don't let a thief steal it!"
Seeing his pleading look, Grandma Jiang stopped what she was doing. "Why don't you take it back and keep it?"
Li Xiangdong rubbed his hands together, thought for a moment, and said, "That works too!"
Grandma Jiang was furious, "Then why did you send it back to me!"
The master and apprentice were playing cymbals when they heard someone shouting into the house from the courtyard.
"Grandma Jiang! Grandma Jiang! Is Doctor Gu here?"
It was a woman's voice, and there was a hint of anxiety in it.
Grandma Jiang quickly put down the gold bars and locked the cabinet. At this moment, Li Xiangdong came out.
The person standing in the courtyard was someone he knew well—his third sister Li Ying's neighbor, whom he usually called Sister-in-law Zaohua.
"Sister-in-law Zaohua, Dr. Gu isn't here. What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry to find Dr. Gu?"
Sister-in-law Zaohua slapped her thigh, tears welling in her eyes, "Oh dear, what are we going to do! Where is Doctor Gu?!"
With that, she turned to leave.
Grandma Jiang came out at this moment and called out to Sister Zaohua, "Zaohua, what exactly happened at home?"
Zao Hua's face was already streaked with tears. She sobbed, "Xiao Lei's stomach hurts. He's been in pain all night. I thought it was because he caught a chill, but now the child is in so much pain that he's passed out!"
Grandma Jiang said anxiously, "Then why don't you hurry up and get him to the hospital? What's the use of you looking for Lao Gu like a headless fly!"
Aunt Zaohua's shoulders were sobbing. "How much will it cost to take her to the hospital? We don't have any money..."
"You, you—"
Grandma Jiang was so disappointed in her that she didn't have time to scold her anymore. She quickly told Li Xiangdong to ride his bicycle to Zaohua's house and take Xiaoleizi to the hospital.
Li Xiangdong pushed his bicycle, walked a few quick steps, his long legs flashing, and rode straight to Zaohua's house.
Grandma Jiang didn't even bother to lock the door, and pulled the sobbing Zao Hua's sister-in-law towards her house.
"What's the use of crying? The child is sick, and we're counting on you to make decisions. You better straighten up; tears are the most useless thing!"
"Grandma Jiang... hiccup... if anything happens to Xiao Leizi... hiccup, I won't live anymore..."
Grandma Jiang ignored her, grabbed her wrist, and strode quickly towards Zao Hua's house as if she were on fire.
Before we even arrived, we heard a woman throwing a tantrum and wailing.
"Where did you come from, you child trafficker? Trying to snatch our child! What a terrible thing to do!"
"Neighbors, come quick! Someone's come to steal my child!"
A middle-aged woman with disheveled hair, resembling a chicken coop, was sitting on the ground, her hands wrapped around Li Xiangdong's thighs. Li Xiangdong, his face ashen, was struggling. The child he was holding had a pale face and lay limply in his arms like a rag doll.
It was 10 a.m., and many people were still busy in the fields or fishponds, so there weren't many people watching around.
When Grandma Jiang saw the middle-aged woman clinging to Li Xiangdong's leg, she was furious and scolded fiercely, "Shi Tou's family! Xiao Lei is so sick, and you still won't let Xiangdong take him to the hospital? Have you lost your mind?"
Upon seeing Old Mrs. Jiang, Shi Tou's family member visibly flinched, but soon she started making a scene again, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around Li Xiangdong's legs like iron hoops, muttering incantations.
At this moment, those who hadn't gone out to work heard the commotion and came out.
The news spread like wildfire, quickly forming a circle around the group. Not knowing the specifics, everyone pointed and whispered among themselves, trying to find out what was going on.
Seeing that the baby in his arms was breathing more and less, Li Xiangdong was anxious, but the woman on the ground was too strong, and he couldn't pull his legs out at all.
"Sister Zaohua, quickly pull your mother-in-law away! Xiao Leizi is dying!"
Li Xiangdong said anxiously to Sister-in-law Zaohua.
After hearing Li Xiangdong's words, Shi Tou stiffened his neck and sneered, "I'd like to see her dare!"
Sure enough, Sister Zaohua's leg, which had taken half a step, froze in mid-air.
Grandma Jiang, exasperated, gave Sister-in-law Zaohua a shove and said, "Go now!"
By this time, the people around had a general idea of what had happened, and their expressions were not very good.
"This Zao Hua is too cowardly. Xiao Lei is so sick, yet she doesn't dare to resist."
"What kind of illness has caused him to become like this? I think it's all the fault of the Shi family! She's disliked this adopted grandson for a long time."
"Yes! She comes out every day saying that Xiao Leizi took the place of her own grandson, and that she feeds a young master at home for free every day, while her son is a fool and is raised by someone else!"
"......"
Zao Hua stared at her motionless son, her ears ringing. She didn't know how she had taken that first step, or how she had made her move.
Anyway, she couldn't remember anything afterward.
What the villagers saw was that Zao Hua, like a mother lioness protecting her cubs, quickly walked up to her mother-in-law, grabbed the small bun at the back of her head, and slapped her hard seven or eight times!
The Shi family was momentarily stunned by their daughter-in-law's sudden outburst, which made them feel like chicks. They loosened their grip on Li Xiangdong, and Li Xiangdong quickly seized the opportunity to escape. "Sister-in-law Zaohua, stop hitting him! You hold Xiaoleizi, I'll take you to the hospital on my bike!"
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