"My third sister said that the two of them didn't have much talent, but it was my third sister-in-law's youngest brother and his wife who were talented and helped their family get better." Li Qiuxia paused, "My third sister-in-law was also picking mushrooms with his youngest brother at Baicaoping today!"
"Collecting mushrooms in Baicaoping? We also went into the mountains to pick some today, but unfortunately we are too far from Baicaoping." Li Qiulan pointed to a bamboo basket nearby, "Today we picked some matsutake, chicken mushrooms, and big-foot mushrooms, and we are going to send them to the town to sell."
"They collect big red mushrooms, big-foot mushrooms, and several kinds of morels!" Li Qiuxia thought for a moment, "Sister, I heard from my third sister's brother-in-law that
The price they offer for morels is very good. They charge 4.5 yuan per pound for large, trimmed ones, and 3.5 yuan for smaller ones. They also sell big-foot mushrooms for 40 or 50 cents per pound."
"Morels cost three or four yuan per pound?" Li Qiulan stared at her, feeling as if she were hearing an Arabian Nights fairy tale.
The day before yesterday, I went to the next town with the villagers to sell mushrooms. A bunch of morels weighing more than one pound only sold for a little over one yuan, and worthless mushrooms like big-foot mushrooms were sold for only four or five cents per pound. Qiuyue's brothers-in-law are really capable people!
"That's right! My third sister's brother-in-law told us himself that they only accept those that have not been opened and have been trimmed cleanly. The big ones are four dollars and fifty cents, and the smaller ones are three dollars and fifty cents."
Li Qiulan knew what she said was true from her expression. She thought that if she collected the mushrooms from the villagers and sold them to her third sister-in-law in Baicaoping, she could earn two yuan per pound, two yuan for ten pounds, twenty yuan for ten pounds...
If this really works, the third and fourth sons won't have to worry about not having money to repair their houses and get married, and the foreign debts owed by the eldest and second sons to get wives can also be repaid.
Seeing her standing there blankly, Li Qiuxia hesitated for a moment and then said, "Sister, they are still collecting mushrooms in Baicaoping today. I originally wanted to ask you to collect mushrooms and sell them, but here, it takes a whole day to go out of the mountain. If we go out of the mountain at night, what if we encounter wild animals on the road..."
"Little sister, wait a moment!" Li Qiulan walked to the kitchen door and said to Xia Erwa, "Hurry up and go to your second aunt's house and tell her that your youngest aunt is here."
"Oh!" Xia Erwa responded with a husky sound, picked up the candy wrapper on the stool and ran out of the yard.
Li Qiulan turned back to the stove and said, "Little sister, I'll call Qiuxiang and tell her about the mushroom harvest. You see, my family has four strong laborers.
Qiuxiang's family also has three. We pick mushrooms during the day and collect some in the village. At night, we drive the mules out to deliver them. With six strong laborers, nothing will happen."
Li Qiuxia regretted her words after hearing this. "Sister, my third sister said that my third brother-in-law's father grinds tofu and sells it at home. He can make a lot of money in a year. I think you can grind tofu and sell it."
"Can you make money? Look at every family in the village. If they want to eat tofu pudding, they just make it themselves. Who would be willing to spend money to buy it?" Li Qiulan felt that this business was not easy to do.
Li Qiuxia said: "Think about it, we have to work for a long time to grind tofu pudding ourselves before we can eat it. Gypsum, beans, and firewood all cost money. Those who sell tofu pudding and bean curd in the county only sell them for 9 cents per pound. We only buy 10 cents at a time and it is enough for us to eat.
I heard that my third brother-in-law and his father sell soybeans for eight cents a pound, and they can also exchange soybeans for tofu and pudding. The conditions in Funiu are better than ours. You grind them and sell them for seven cents a pound. I think if you sell them in several brigades, you can earn one or two yuan a day. "
Li Qiulan looked at her with admiration and satisfaction, "Little sister, if you were not at Big Sister's house today, but were talking to someone outside, Big Sister wouldn't believe that these words were spoken by my little sister who blushes even when she speaks."
Li Qiuxia thought of her past self and sighed, "Sister, people are forced to do things. I never thought that Dalin and I would have the life we have now."
"Now that you can make money in the city..." Li Qiulan thought of what she had not finished saying, "The grass in your field is taller than a person. What are you going to do?"
"My third sister helped us register our household registration in their brigade. We came back this time to start the migration. We plan to harvest the crops that have been planted in the fields for the neighbors. As long as they help us pay the public grain for this season, it will be fine."
Li Qiulan frowned and said, "Move your household registration away. Qiuyue has already distributed land to each household. After you go there, you won't have land. What will you do in the future?"
"Sister, we can earn three or four yuan a day when we are doing less, and more than ten yuan when we are doing more. We can buy anything in the city. Our life is much better than staying in Jianshanzi."
"Qiuyue has been really good to you guys."
"Well! If it weren't for the help of my third sister, our family..." Li Qiuxia sighed, "I'm afraid we would have all broken up."
"It's all right now, and we'll live well from now on." Li Qiulan patted her shoulder, "You can't give the crops to your neighbors. They can't beat the Gao family. You have to find the shameless Gao family that you dare not provoke."
Li Qiuxia thought about it and agreed. "Then I will give the crops to my uncle's family. He has many sons, and that old woman won't dare to mess with them."
"They are good." Li Qiulan put the hot buns from the pot into the bowl and poured the porridge into the pottery bowl. "We still have some fungi that we washed this afternoon. I'll fry them for you."
"Don't bother, just pinch some pickled peppers and ginger and you can eat it."
"If you don't have any, you'll have to make do. The mushrooms I washed in the afternoon are just right for frying now." Li Qiulan went out with a basket to pick mushrooms, and saw Li Qiuxiang leading Xia Erwa into the yard.
"Big sister, where are the youngest sister and Dalin?"
"Second sister!" Gao Dalin quickly stood up and shouted.
"Second sister, you're here!" Li Qiuxia also walked out from the kitchen.
Li Qiuxiang looked at Li Qiuxia and her husband and said, "Little sister, Dalin, if I saw you outside, I wouldn't even recognize you."
"Third sister said we have gained weight and look more energetic."
The two sisters greeted each other happily, and Li Qiuxiang was even happier when she learned that Gao Dalin's leg had healed.
After the three sisters went to the kitchen, Li Qiulan rushed to tell Li Qiuxiang about the Zhou family's mushroom collection, "Qiuxiang, if your family dares to do it, we sisters will go to Baicaoping to take a look."
Li Qiuxiang thought for a while and said, "Qiuxia is worried that there are so many wild animals in the forest after dark. If we encounter any wild animals, it will be bad if any of them are hurt. We need to gather all the men in the family and discuss this with them."
Li Qiulan realized that she was anxious, "Yes."
Li Qiuxia suddenly remembered something, "Eldest sister, second sister, and third sister-in-law's family are still collecting mugwort. The mugwort collected before and after the Dragon Boat Festival seems to be 70 to 80 cents per pound!
As long as the mugwort is not wet, it won't go bad if you leave it for a day before giving it away. Go cut it quickly tomorrow and give it away early the day after tomorrow. You'll still have time to sell the last batch."
"There's plenty of mugwort on the mountain. We'll go harvest it early tomorrow morning." Li Qiulan was delighted. "It's better outside the mountain. Even mugwort is only 7 or 8 cents a pound, which is more expensive than potatoes and soybeans."
"Let's go to Baicaoping to see how the third brother-in-law's family harvests mushrooms." Li Qiuxiang said, and then asked, "Little sister, have you found Li Laoer's wife Hongxing?"
Li Qiuxia shook her head. "I don't know. Last time at Li Laoer's house...Luckily I met my third sister, otherwise Dalin's life would be over, and our family would be over too."
Li Qiuxiang frowned and said, "The Zhou family collects truffles and mushrooms in Baicaoping. There are a lot of truffles and mushrooms in Baicaoping. How come Li Laoer doesn't even have the money to ask Li Hongxing for a wife?"
Li Qiuxia curled her lips and said, "Both father and son are lazy and cunning, and the mother and daughter are not honest and willing to work... You don't know, they even wanted to steal the bicycle from my third sister's house!"
Li Qiulan served the stir-fried mushrooms and said, "It's time to eat. After you're done, wait for your brother-in-law and nephew to come back. Let's discuss it. Let them go back with you tomorrow morning to complete the migration, so that the Gao family won't cause you any trouble."
Li Qiuxiang hurriedly advised, "Sister, please stop talking like that. If Dalin hears it later, he will be unhappy."
"Okay, I won't tell you." Li Qiulan smiled and went out to invite Gao Dalin to dinner.
After the couple finished their meal, they gave the food for Li Qiuxiang. When it was completely dark, the two brothers-in-law and several nephews returned home, looking exhausted.
After the two families discussed, they decided to go cut mugwort tomorrow and send it to Baicaoping to sell. By the way, they would also see how the Zhou family harvested morels and big-foot mushrooms, and try to get some out.
Li Qiuxia and her husband stayed at their eldest sister's house for one night. The next day, the two sisters and two nephews accompanied them back to Jianshanzi.
The group first went to their great uncle's house to discuss the land issue. Seeing that they only had to put in some effort to help pay one season's public grain tax, and they would get one season's grain for free, their great uncle's family immediately agreed.
After the agreement was reached, the group went to the brigade secretary's home to start the move. Li Qiuxia took out the agreement with Uncle Gao and the acceptance certificate from Funiusu Village, and took out a net bag from her backpack.
Inside were the Da Chongjiu, two bottles of Daqu wine and two packages of pastries that she bought under Yang Dongmei's guidance.
Seeing that the payment of public grain would not be delayed and that there was a big gift to be received, the brigade secretary politely issued a relocation certificate to Li Qiuxia according to the acceptance certificate.
As soon as they came out of the brigade secretary's house, the old couple Gao came with their son and daughter-in-law.
Mrs. Gao looked at Gao Dalin, whose leg had healed, and her face turned blue with anger. "Aren't you lame and dying? Why are you standing here?"
Gao's father also pointed at him and cursed: "You are a disobedient and unfilial thing. In order not to support your parents and to separate from the family, you pretend to be lame. Sooner or later, you will be struck to death by lightning."
Gao Dalin looked at his parents fiercely as if they were his enemies, and his heart seemed to be immersed in ice. "I started cutting grass and working since I could walk, and when I grew up, I was just like the animals in the family.
I am worse than an animal. Animals worry about being exhausted. You are just treating me like a slave. Am I your biological child?"
"I carried you for ten months..."
"Did you really give birth to me after ten months of pregnancy?" Gao Dalin interrupted her harshly, looking at his father with a gloomy face, "Then why are you so partial? None of my brothers and sisters have suffered as much as I have. Even my wife and children work like slaves for me."
Father Gao saw the villagers talking among themselves, and with a red face, he shouted, "You disobedient and unfilial bastard, I feed you, clothe you, and find you a wife, and this is how you repay me?"
Gao Dalin thought of what was shown on TV, "A father is kind and a son is filial. You are not kind to me, so why should I be filial to you? For the past ten years, I have been your slave. From now on, forget it!"
"I'm going to beat you to death, you bastard..." Gao's father picked up a hoe and hit him.
Li Qiuxia was so frightened that she screamed, "Dalin, get out of the way!"
The villagers watching also cried out, "Ah~ No way, no way..."
Xia Tiezhu, who was standing next to Gao Dalin, saw this and quickly raised his back clamp to help him block it. Gao Dalin took the opportunity to grab the hoe.
He grabbed Gao's father's hand, leaned close to his ear and asked, "Old Gao, I'm not your son. I'm a bastard, right?"
Bastard! Father Gao watched him move his lips a few times, his expression changing, and after a while he said, "Get out! Get out!"
After saying that, she struggled to break away from him, turned around and left. Gao's mother and others hurriedly followed her.
Gao Dalin understood everything after seeing them. He watched them walk away, then turned to look at Li Qiuxia who was looking at him with a worried look on her face. "Xiaoxia, you don't have to worry about me anymore." (End of this chapter)
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