Two hours later, at four o'clock, everyone had finished getting ready and then they pulled the raft down the mountain.
It takes about three and a half hours to go up the mountain and about three hours to go down, so it's not easy either.
Zhang Hongmei didn't go to the canteen with the others; instead, she went home.
"Hongmei, my mom wants us to go home for dinner."
"Okay, let's go back. My aunt told me to make noodles when we get back."
Hearing the commotion, Hu Aifen knew that the people who had gone up the mountain were coming down, so she immediately started kneading the dough. By the time Zhang Hongmei and the others arrived, the noodles were already rolled out.
"How's Hongmei? Tired?"
"Auntie, I'm fine. They didn't make me do any work. I just went to buy soy sauce."
"Buying soy sauce isn't a job, is it? Just going up the mountain would be exhausting."
"Hehe, it's alright."
"You two wash your hands and faces, and we'll be eating soon."
After washing her hands and face, Zhang Hongmei went to the old lady's room.
"How was it? Any success?"
"Yes, quite a lot, more than three thousand catties."
"That's quite a lot? Aren't you exhausted?"
"It was alright. It was my brother Jingze who dragged me up the mountain, so it was much easier on the way back. Nobody made us do any work."
"Go eat first, then go to sleep quickly."
"Let's eat in this room. Would you like some too?"
"I won't eat. I can't sleep if I eat too much at night. You guys eat."
Liu Jingze came in carrying two bowls of noodles. "Grandma, my mom served you half a bowl. Have a few bites."
"I'm not eating anymore. Eating too much will make me feel unwell and unable to sleep. You two eat more."
Hu Aifen brought in another bowl, but when she heard that the old lady wasn't eating, she didn't try to persuade her further.
"Grandma, can I have two eggs?"
"Okay. Eat more, you haven't eaten anything on the mountain, have you?"
"I only ate a few bites, and I felt choked."
Liu Jingze took Zhang Hongmei home. "Hongmei, I heard from the village chief that he wants to sell the fish."
"Hehe, as long as I have food, I don't care about anything else. I have no objection. My third uncle and his wife will definitely go to discuss it with my great-grandmother. I'm just wondering where to sell it and how to transport it there?"
"Hehe, if Wang Hongxi can make money, I'd even have him carry it to deliver it."
"Yes, selling vegetables in August is so hard. But the village chief is still happy. If it's really about selling in the city, I think he should ask the bus conductor. Maybe that will work. It's just a matter of selling her a few more fish."
"Go inside and go to sleep. I'm going back too. Do you want to come to the city if I'm going?"
"I don't really want to go."
"If you don't go, I'll go in your place and deliver the gift before the New Year."
"Sure, I'm scared of riding in cars."
"It's alright, I'll go there myself."
The next day, Liu Jingze came over and asked Zhang Hongmei to have breakfast together.
"Liu Maocai and Wang Hongxi came over this morning. Grandma agreed to let them go buy fish. They'll definitely come back to get their bicycles in a little while."
"Let's wait until I'm sixteen before giving the bicycle to the brigade, otherwise it will be inconvenient for us to ride it ourselves."
When Liu Jingze heard Zhang Hongmei say that they felt especially happy, did she mean that she approved of him? "Yes. It won't make a difference if we stay a few more days."
Are you riding your bicycle to the countryside?
"Yes, then take a car to the city, and Wang Hongxi will find a way out on her own."
"Actually, I think paying the black market price would be better."
"They wouldn't dare. It's better to take the open path."
"Yes, to avoid any trouble, it's not worth it."
When the two arrived at the cafeteria, they saw Wang Hongxi speaking.
The idea was to sell the fish to pay off the debt, which everyone agreed to; nobody wanted to owe money.
“Hongmei, you’ve come at the right time. I’ll ride your bicycle to the village.”
"Okay, I'll go home after I finish eating. So you can't come back today?"
"Then come stay at my house."
"No need, I'll stay in a hotel. It's convenient and warmer that way."
Yes, even living in your own home means you have to light the fire and cook your own meals.
“Uncle Village Chief, if you’re taking the bus, sell one fish each to the ticket seller and the driver.”
"Okay, I was thinking of using a car to haul fish into the city."
"Village Chief, you reacted really quickly." Zhang Hongmei gave Wang Hongxi a thumbs up.
Wang Hongxi went back with Zhang Hongmei and Liu Jingze, and left pushing their bicycles.
“Hongmei, I’m not staying in a hotel in the city, I’m staying at home.”
"Okay, I'll give you the key when you leave."
As for Wang Hongxi, he loaded five large silver carp onto his bicycle and rode to the village. Besides the fish he sold to the driver and ticket seller, he had three left over, just for show—he needed to show them the fish so people would be more willing to eat them.
The price has been agreed upon, the lowest being 70 cents per pound, the same price as pork in the previous three years. But Wang Hongxi is not worried about selling at all; people will buy it even if it's only one dollar. He sets his price at one dollar.
It would be even better if we could make more money, since the village still owes a lot of money. We made a little over two thousand yuan from selling vegetables, and if the fish sells well, we could make over three thousand yuan.
Let's go to the post office first. Huang Ying seems like a straightforward person, and she's on good terms with Hongmei.
Wang Hongxi also loaded the bicycle onto the vehicle and printed tickets for two people.
"Ticket seller, do you remember me?"
“I remember, I remember, you are the village chief.”
"Hehe, quite a few people went to the city today."
"There will be a lot of people these days, after all, it's almost Chinese New Year."
"Ticket seller, I brought fish to the city today. Hongmei said she wanted to sell one to you and one to the driver."
"That's great! I was just looking for that girl. She did so well on the exam. Turns out I know the top scorer."
"That girl is doing chores at home."
"Thank you so much, sir. Please give it to me when we get to the city."
"Hehe, you're welcome. I didn't bring a scale, so you'll have to find one yourself."
"No problem, brother. When is that girl getting on the bus?"
"I'm not too sure about that either."
When we arrived in the county, another five or six people got off the bus, leaving twelve or thirteen people on board.
The ticket seller, sitting in the seat in front of Wang Hongxi, asked, "Brother, this bag contains more than just two fish, doesn't it?"
Wang Hongxi moved forward a bit, since he was sitting in the last row and was now alone. He lowered his voice and said, "There are five. I'll sell you two, and I'll use the rest as samples to find markets in the city."
Upon hearing this, the ticket seller became excited and leaned forward, whispering, "How will you get it over here, with all this snow soaking the ground?"
"Hehe, could you do me a favor? Can I pay for two baskets of fish as one person's ticket?"
"Okay, but brother, you can only sell me three or five."
"Okay, I can only sell you five at most. Let me tell you, each one weighs seven or eight pounds."
"Such a big fish? That's great! Don't worry, brother. You guys hurry up. We've agreed on a place. We'll go over there to load it. We won't load it at the station. Load it up in advance and then I'll go to the station to send it off."
"Thank you so much, sister! We'll decide on a place after I get back by car. You're such a kind person, sister. On behalf of everyone in our village, thank you so much!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com