Chapter 200 Building a New House
"One, ten, fifteen, twenty" Xu Ling was very happy with the numbers. Although he had been the richest man in the country once in the world of "The Road of Life", the experience of accumulating wealth slowly from scratch was still exciting.
"Thirty-thirty-five, Lao Xu, you've made it big this time." Guo Zizi's eyes were full of envy, but there was no trace of jealousy.
"Old Xu has suffered for so many years, it's time for his luck to turn around." Haisheng feels the same way.
"This good luck is probably brought by the new daughter-in-law. When a man reaches his age, he should have a wife." Dong Kuan said with a smile. He was also happy to see that Xu Lingjun's life was getting better.
"Fifty. Fifty-five. Wow, I can't dig that much in a week." Everyone gathered around.
"Eighty, eighty-five, eighty-six, eighty-seven, eighty-eight." Xu Lingjun finally finished counting. He weighed it, "It's about two ounces after drying."
"I guess it's about the same." Guo Zi nodded. They have been digging Cordyceps for so many years that they have already mastered these basic skills.
He also did the math for Xu Lingjun, "Two taels a day, ten days is two catties, a month is six catties, the supply and marketing cooperative charges fourteen yuan a catty, four times six is twenty-four, one times six is six, wow, that's eighty-four yuan. If he's luckier, Old Xu can make a hundred or so yuan a month."
"How can we calculate it that way? We are not free every day to go up the mountain to dig Cordyceps, and we are not always so lucky." Xu Lingjun said happily. He has already started to plan. After selling the Cordyceps at the supply and marketing cooperative, he will buy some wine with the money and invite Guo Chenzi, Dong Kuan, Haisheng and others to his house for a drink. They have helped him so much, so it's time to repay them a little, right?
Guo Zi smiled and gave him an idea, "That's easy. When we go to the mountains to graze in a few days, we will keep an eye on you and you can go find the Cordyceps. You are married now and you will need money a lot in the future. You have to make more money while the season is right. Otherwise, life will be hard when you have children in the future!"
"Yeah, yes, yes, Lao Guo's idea is good. Herding is just that simple work. One more or one less won't make much difference." Dong Kuan clapped his thigh and applauded.
"That's not a good idea. Wouldn't this cause trouble for you?" Xu Lingjun hesitated. He could indeed earn more money this way, but others would suffer.
"Grown man, why are you talking so much? Is this trivial matter worth talking about? It's settled. We'll go up the mountain to graze the day after tomorrow. You come with us and go find Cordyceps sinensis by yourself when you get to the mountain. Just remember to come back in the evening." Guo Zizi waved his hand nonchalantly and made the decision for Xu Lingjun.
"Bring my gun with you. If anything happens and a gun is fired, we will come right over." Dong Kuan also said. Last time, he said he wanted to get a gun for Xu Lingjun, but unfortunately it was not approved. After all, Xu Lingjun was wearing a hat. What if something happened to him if he was given a gun? The leader was not willing to take the risk.
"Yes, Lao Xu, everyone has problems. Now we are helping you. If we encounter problems in the future, you can also come and help. There is no need to be so formal." Haisheng also came over to help speak.
"Okay, then if I have any good things to find you in the future, you must not refuse." Everyone said so, and Xu Lingjun nodded in agreement, and gave them a shot of prevention by the way.
No matter farmers, fishermen or herdsmen, it is often difficult to survive alone, so everyone has developed the habit of solidarity and mutual assistance. Even if a person has a bad character, he or she must have a few good relationships with them, so that when encountering problems, there will be people willing to help.
After returning home, Xu Lingjun taught Li Xiuzhi how to wash and dry Cordyceps. This thing must be dried before it can be taken to the supply and marketing cooperative for sale. People will not accept wet cordyceps. Washing and drying also requires certain methods. If the method is not right, the quality of the dried Cordyceps will be poor and it will not be sold at a high price.
When Li Xiuzhi was at home, she would go up the mountain with her family to collect herbs, and then come back to process and dry them, so she learned it after Xu Lingjun taught her twice.
Two days later, it was time to go up the mountain to graze again. Xu Lingjun packed up and set off with them. There were fewer restrictions when they left the pasture and went to the mountain. Guo Chenzi and others directly drove Xu Lingjun away and let him dig Cordyceps by himself.
Dahuang and Erhuang were very helpful. With their help, Xu Lingjun basically harvested more than two taels of fish every day. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he could even dig up three taels.
After working for ten days, when Xu Lingjun returned home, he cleaned the Cordyceps, dried it in the sun, and weighed it. It was actually 4.7 jin. Li Xiuzhi quickly calculated the bill, "14 yuan per jin, 4.7 jin is 65.8 yuan!"
"That's amazing. You can calculate so quickly." Xu Lingjun laughed exaggeratedly.
"This is not a difficult thing to do. I had good grades when I was in school. If my family could afford it, I could have gone to middle school. Besides, I haven't fallen behind in any of the lessons you left behind during the days you went up the mountain." Li Xiuzhi said unconvinced.
"Alas, you were born at the wrong time. If you were born a few years later, you might have been able to go to college." Xu Lingjun rubbed her head. In the vast rural areas, there are too many talents who have been delayed.
Fortunately, she still has a chance now. As long as she is willing to learn, Xu Lingjun will continue to teach her. Even if she cannot go to university in the future, she can broaden her horizons and improve her overall quality.
Li Xiuzhi did not ask Xu Lingjun what he was going to do with the money. In her opinion, women should just take care of household affairs, and men have the final say on other matters.
She didn't have to ask, but Xu Lingjun was willing to tell her. After all, they were a family, and they still had to discuss many things with each other. Only in this way could the marriage last.
"After I sell the house, I plan to ask Lao Guo and his friends to help me build another house. It was fine for me to live alone before, but now that you're here, I can't just make do with it. I need a kitchen to avoid the house being filled with smoke when I cook. I also need to build a new kang. The current kang is not warm enough. I'm afraid you won't be able to stand it in the winter."
"I'll use this money to buy wine and food to entertain them. I'll dig a few more Cordyceps and that should be enough."
Building a house on the ranch is easier than building a cave in northern Shaanxi. You don’t have to spend money on materials, and you don’t have to hire a craftsman. As long as you provide meals, you can find a bunch of people to help. If there is any problem at their family in the future, Xu Lingjun can just go and work there.
"I have mixed mud and made bricks in the village. Starting tomorrow, you go up the mountain to collect Cordyceps, and I will make bricks at home. Once we have enough, we will start building a new house." Li Xiuzhi immediately found a job for herself.
Xu Lingjun put his arm around her shoulders and said, "We will have a new house soon, and our lives will get better and better."
"Yes, there will be bread and milk." Li Xiuzhi repeated her catchphrase.
I was away for a few days and when I came back I found that Guo PIAzi's name was not displayed, so I used Guo 谝zi instead.
(End of this chapter)
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