Chapter 437 No Agreement
There is no scenery when living in the mountains for a long time, but when I come back occasionally, I feel that there is scenery everywhere.
Zhao Dongmei found the fun of picking fruits, and Gao Guobing was not idle either. Under the leadership of Gao Mingcheng, he climbed up a small hillside of Niuweiling. Standing on the high place, he could overlook the old village and take in its low houses and vast rice fields.
Gao Guobing pointed to the low hills surrounding the old village and said, "Gao Fuqiang's family is going to build a new house. He dug a brick kiln on his own hilltop and said he would start burning bricks this year and build the house in the spring of next year."
"After his house is built, other people in the village will probably build houses one after another. Soon, our village will be transformed! This is good, the villagers' lives will finally get better."
Gao Guobing's tone was quite emotional and joyful.
When everyone renovates and builds new houses, the old houses will completely disappear, but people will live a happier life in their place.
Gao Mingcheng calculated the dates and found that the villagers did build houses one after another during this period. Only a few poorer families started saving money to build houses in the late 1990s.
But at that time, a large number of young people had left the village, and more people earned money by working outside, so they no longer returned to live in the village. The village would only return to its former bustle during the Chinese New Year.
Gao Mingcheng remembered that he had asked Zhang Chengyuan to build a house this year, but now seeing that there was still no movement in his family, he planned to ask later.
While he was thinking, the quiet little Xuxu suddenly screamed, twisting his body and struggling, with an anxious look on his face. As soon as Gao Mingcheng saw this, he knew that little Xuxu was addicted to milk.
"Uncle, little Xuxu wants to be fed. I'll take him back first."
Gao Guobing said, "Let's go down the mountain together. I'll go to your vegetable garden again."
"Oh, okay."
So the two of them went down the mountain, Gao Mingcheng carried little Xuxu to find Xuanmei, while Gao Guobing went to the vegetable field.
Xuanyue was cooking in the kitchen. When she saw Gao Mingcheng coming over with little Xuxu in his arms, she immediately knew that little Xuxu needed to be fed.
Xiao Xuxu is already seven months old. Although he can eat porridge and soft noodles, he is still breastfeeding. People in the village usually breastfeed their children until they are one year old, and some families even breastfeed until they are three or four years old.
As far as Gao Mingcheng knows, there was a child in the next door village who was breastfeeding until he was seven years old!
She said that her family was poor and they couldn’t afford nutritional supplements, and the child was weak, so she had to feed him with breast milk.
"The dishes are almost done. Just fry the last one, the water spinach." Xuanyuemei held little Xuxu in her arms and prepared to go to the room to feed him. She gave him some instructions before leaving.
Gao Mingcheng glanced at the washed water spinach in the basin and responded.
He seldom cooks and his cooking skills are average, but he can stir-fry Chinese kale with ease!
Wash the pot and pour in oil. After the oil is hot, add the water spinach. The temperature of the large iron pot is high and it is easy to stir-fry. Vegetables stir-fried over high heat will cook quickly without becoming dehydrated and turning yellow. They look green and refreshing.
For people who are used to using big iron pots, it is not easy to get used to using small pots and stoves when they go to the city.
Of course, the big iron pot also has its disadvantages. That is because the big iron pot is embedded in the stove, it is not convenient to take it out for cleaning. If it is used for a long time and is not very hygienic, then the cooked dishes will always have some black residue.
This is because the pot was not cleaned thoroughly and the fire was too high and the vegetables were burned.
In just a few minutes, a plate of green water spinach was ready.
Gao Mingcheng poured half a bucket of water into the pot, and then took out all the firewood from the stove. He buried the half burning firewood in the cold ashes below, and the flame would go out, so he could use it again next time.
After putting the dishes on the table, Gao Mingcheng prepared to call Gao Guobing and others to come and eat.
As soon as I walked out of the yard, I saw Chen Dasong and others coming over carrying freshly picked fruits.
Zhao Dongmei was carrying a basket of peaches with a smile on her face.
"Brother, Uncle Chen, Duofu, take some fruits home to eat!" Gao Mingcheng generously asked them to take some fruits away.
They also had smiles on their faces, but were very polite and didn't take more than they wanted. Each person took four or five and that was enough.
Zhao Dongmei put the basket on the ground and said with a smile: "Mingcheng, you made the right decision to contract this small rich mountain! I think it can really bring you wealth!"
"I really like your mountain. I must remember these fruits when I return!"
Gao Mingcheng smiled and said, "Why worry about it? When the fruits are ripe, you and uncle can come here to pick them when you have time!"
"In another month, bayberries will be ripe, and in two months, grapes will be ripe. In autumn, there will be dates, persimmons, chestnuts, oranges, and grapefruits."
Listening to Gao Mingcheng naming the fruits, Zhao Dongmei repeatedly said that she would come again in the future.
Chen Dasong and his friends were not eating here, so they took the fruit and left. Gao Guobing had also returned at this time, so Gao Mingcheng asked them to sit down and start having lunch.
It was a simple lunch, but because the food was all vegetables freshly picked from the fields, Gao Guobing and his wife, who had lived in the city for a long time, were very satisfied.
After dinner, everyone went to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables, while Gao Mingcheng picked up a hoe to dig potatoes.
While I was working, Zhang Chengyuan and Xuanyue came.
Xuanyu came with her child. After arriving, she talked to Xuanmei. The two sisters sat on wooden stakes under the shade of a tree and exchanged parenting experiences.
"Let me do the digging. I was planning to do it tomorrow." Zhang Chengyuan said, stepping forward to take the hoe from Gao Mingcheng.
Gao Mingcheng didn't give it to him, but said, "I'll dig it, brother, you pick up potatoes in the back."
That was fine, so Zhang Chengyuan didn't insist anymore. He took a bamboo basket, squatted on the ground, and dug the potatoes out of the loosened soil.
While working, Gao Mingcheng asked Zhang Chengyuan about building the house.
Zhang Chengyuan said: "I was originally planning to buy bricks, but then I heard that Gao Fuqiang was digging a brick kiln, so I thought about renting his kiln and making bricks myself."
Gaojia Village has the skills to make bricks and tiles, but making bricks and tiles by yourself is very troublesome and tiring.
For example, Gao Fuqiang's family dug a brick kiln on their own hill and started making bricks. They can start making bricks this year but will be able to build a house next year!
Before firing bricks, a large amount of firewood has to be prepared. When firing bricks, people have to be hired to make bricks. The brick kiln has to be watched day and night, and firewood and water have to be added in time. Those few days can make people exhausted.
Gao Mingcheng frowned and said, "It's better to buy bricks. After buying the bricks, we can start building the house. If you want to burn bricks, where can you get so much firewood?"
When Zhang Chengyuan was asked about firewood, he looked embarrassed for a moment.
At this time, under the shade of the trees, many beautiful sisters were also talking about building houses.
Xuanyu said directly: "I plan to rent a brick kiln to make bricks myself, which will save a lot of money. Duomei, you don't live in the village all the time anyway, so you can give me the firewood in your home to make bricks first, and I will pay you back later."
Xuanyuemei's expression froze and she looked at her second sister suspiciously.
According to her understanding of her second sister, this loan was a non-repayable one.
When Gao Mingcheng contracted Xiaofushan, he cut down most of the trees in the mountain. The big trees that could be sold were all sold, and the miscellaneous wood and crooked trees were cut down and piled at the foot of the mountain. After they were dried, they could be slowly burned.
Until now, the firewood has not been completely burned and is still piled up like a small hill.
Xuanyuemei did not agree immediately, but said: "I have to ask Mingcheng about this. Although we don't often live in the village, we also use firewood to cook in the county."
Xuanyu was not very happy and said, "You have so much firewood at home that you can't use it all at once. It's okay to lend it to me first. Besides, it's easy for you to get firewood if you want to live here."
Many beauties were also unhappy.
She looked at her second sister and said bluntly, "Making bricks is not a one- or two-day job. There are only you and your brother at home. You have to do housework and take care of the small stones. Your brother has to do the brick-making. In this case, your brother's salary will be deducted for the month you make bricks."
Gao Mingcheng invited Zhang Chengyuan to work for him and paid him on a monthly basis.
Once Zhang Chengyuan and his team start making bricks, they will have to work on it for at least half a month, making it difficult for them to take care of the work here.
Xuanyuemei said this because she wanted her second sister to think carefully about whether to make bricks and whether it was cost-effective to make bricks by herself.
Gao Fuqiang's family has many people. If he wants to build a house, he will have to spend a lot of money to buy bricks. But as for making bricks, he can handle it because there are so many people.
There are only three people in the Yu family, and one of them is a little kid who is just over one year old.
"You are my biological sister, how can you say such things?" Xuanyu's face changed and she stood up unhappily.
When she heard the word "deduction of money", Xuanyue felt that her fourth sister was cutting her flesh.
Xuanyimei said sternly, "It's not that I don't want to give you firewood, nor do I want to deduct money from you. But we are sisters, and we have to settle accounts clearly. You can't always let my family suffer losses."
When buying bricks to build a house, Zhang Chengyuan had to be busy with his own house, and he must have slacked off on the work in the fields.
But in that case, Gao Mingcheng and Xuanyuemei would not tell anyone about the deduction of money.
The main reason is that making bricks is really time-consuming and laborious. If Zhang Chengyuan did not have this stable job, it would be understandable for him to make bricks in order to save a little money.
The two sisters parted unhappily as they failed to reach an agreement, and Xuanyu left holding Xiaoshitou's hand.
(End of this chapter)
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