There are many families in Tangli Village who carve rosewood, but only one family can drive a tractor, and they are called Old Ox.
The old ox can drive a tractor and drink.
After breakfast in the morning, I took a nap.
At noon, find two side dishes and pour a bowl of soup generously.
If there is a main course in the evening, a pot of water is a must.
Just last month, the old ox drank some wine at night and drove a tractor back home. The tractor was shaking all the way, and the old ox was bumping all the way. His internal organs were churning due to the force. The old ox held the tractor with one hand, stuck his head out and vomited all the way.
At that moment the tractor turned sideways and turned upside down.
Now, there is not even a single person in Tangli Village who can drive a tractor.
They mainly transported wood and delivered goods, which originally required the help of old oxen.
"Oh my, what should I do now?"
Tang Sannan's house is full of rosewood carving masters. He has the best craftsmanship in the village and everyone follows his lead. Such a big thing has happened, affecting their livelihoods.
He distributed cigarettes around and told everyone not to worry. He said so, but his gloomy expression was not convincing at all!
"That old ox is really something. He's addicted to alcohol. He drinks so much that he'd have drunk himself to death long ago!"
"That's right, that's right!"
"Let's see if he dares to drink next time?"
"It's not a question of whether there will be a next time or not. Let's first think about how to solve the problem at hand!"
“…”
Everyone was talking at once, but no one came up with any serious ideas.
Tang Sannan took a deep puff of his cigarette, squinted his eyes and exhaled, flicking the ash. This was really a difficult matter!
Seeing a cigarette burning his butt, Tang Sannan threw it under his feet and pressed it hard with the sole of his foot.
"However, we can only go to a village farther away and hire someone to drive a tractor."
As soon as Tang Sannan opened his mouth, everyone fell silent. What he said made sense. They had to solve the current difficulties first.
However, hiring people from far away is expensive and not a long-term solution.
"We've solved the immediate problem, but ultimately, our village still needs someone who can drive a tractor."
Everyone nodded in agreement, but in the end it was still up to Master Tang to give the final say!
But at this moment, Tang Sannan still had a big frown between his brows. He touched his clothes pockets with both hands, then touched his trouser pockets, but found nothing.
The whole circle of cigarettes has just been distributed!
He had no choice but to put his index finger under his nose and smell it to relieve his craving for cigarettes.
"Who do you think is suitable to learn how to drive a tractor?"
After asking this question, the room suddenly became quiet. No one nodded or shook their head, and everyone looked sad.
We are all craftsmen carving rosewood. If we learn to drive a tractor, it will take ten days or half a month. Wouldn't the important work at home be put on hold?
Besides, if I am asked to drive a tractor every now and then in the future, should I carve mahogany or drive a tractor?
Seeing that no one was talking, Tang Sannan realized that no one was willing, so there was nothing to discuss further.
"That's it for today. I'll go hire someone tomorrow morning. We'll see about the tractor training and find someone reliable."
"Yes, yes, I will look for it."
"The old ox is no longer reliable. Even after he is discharged from the hospital, we can't hire him."
“Yes, yes, yes…”
The crowd dispersed in twos and threes amidst the voices of agreement.
Tang Sannan went back to the house and took out a pack of cigarettes, then found a rattan chair to sit on in the yard. "Sizzle--" the match was lit, and the cigarette lit up a small spark, which flickered in the night with every movement of his cigarette.
Erhua also moved a bench and sat down. He used a palm-leaf fan to swat away mosquitoes, otherwise he would have been carried away by mosquitoes before he even sat down in the dark summer night.
"Master..." Erhua thought for a while before speaking, "How about I learn to drive a tractor?"
Tang Sannan didn't say anything. He just saw the cigarette butt constantly lighting up, and the cigarette was about to burn his butt.
"My brother's godfather, Sun Ada, drives a tractor. If I want to learn, he will definitely be willing to teach me."
This is true. During the busy farming season, Erhua had not yet rejoined his master. At that time, his family was discussing whether he should go to Sun Ada to learn how to drive a tractor.
"If you want to learn, it probably won't be a big problem." Tang Sannan sighed and said, "To be honest, I don't want you to learn.
"You are the good apprentice I carefully selected. If you go to drive a tractor, what will happen to my skills? I can't give it to someone else, right?"
Erhua became anxious when he heard this. He didn't want his master to take in another disciple at all.
"Master, of course I want to learn how to carve redwood, but I also need to drive a tractor. It will be convenient for transporting things in the future, right?
That way, we can find someone later. I think it’s not hard for Sun Ada to drive a tractor, just those two tricks!”
Erhua has a particularly big problem, which is blind self-confidence, or in our current words, blind credulity.
He watched Sun Ada drive the tractor. It was really simple. He just inserted a hand crank into the tractor head and cranked it twice. It would make a rumbling sound. He jumped onto the seat and operated it this way and that. Then it started to drive, right?
It looks light and convenient, what's so difficult about it?
So when he returned home this time, Erhua couldn't wait to bring up his idea of learning how to use a tractor at the dinner table.
"Don't you want to learn how to carve rosewood?"
Mom was thinking: Could it be that he is having another quarrel with Luo Zhen?
This time, Dad didn't get angry. He patiently listened to Erhua's story.
He nodded and said, "This is just the master facing a problem, and it's only natural for the disciple to step up and help. Tomorrow, you and I will go to Sun A's house and ask him to teach you."
The next day, the two went to find Sun Ada. When the other party heard their purpose, he agreed without saying a word.
Erhua started to learn at this moment.
Sun Ada inserted the hand crank into the tractor head and cranked it a few times, and the tractor rumbled.
Liang Erhua inserted the hand crank into the tractor head and cranked it hard a few times. The tractor suddenly hummed, and there was no sound from the back.
"This requires some skill." Sun Ada cranked it a few more times, and the belt on the head of the tractor started to turn.
Erhua followed the same pattern and did a few more laps. It was already hot under the sun, and sweat was pouring down his face. It was not only because of the heat, but also because he felt guilty.
I never thought that the first step in learning to drive a tractor would be so difficult!
He had already made a big promise in front of his master and Luo Zhen. He really wanted to help his master solve his problems, and he also really thought that tractors were easy to learn.
Blind confidence is also true!
I worked on it for the whole afternoon, from the time when the sun was shining overhead until the sun went down, and all I could hear in the distance was: thump, thump, thump, woooo—
Finally, Erhua mustered up his last bit of energy for the day and cranked the tractor five times, and the belt on the tractor head began to spin rapidly.
He Erhua finally started the tractor!
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