dognovel Chapter 5 The Scoundrel Has Grown Skill
Chapter 5 The Scoundrel Has Grown Skill
"Oh my god, Xiangyang really got a ton of fish this time!"
Sister-in-law Zhao Lijuan pushed open the door and saw the sack filled with fish.
I was somewhat surprised.
At noon, Xiulan told her father that Xiangyang was going to go fishing in the lake, and she was somewhat dismissive of it.
His wife, Liu Xiulan, and his mother, Wang Guiying, also came out one after another and saw that the yard was full of sacks of fish.
They looked at each other, somewhat incredulous.
"Wow, you two got so many fish! I reckon it'll be enough to last until the New Year."
Wang Guiying rummaged through the sack, smiling broadly.
"Mom, not all fish are for eating!"
Li Xiangdong waved his hand, picked up the sack, and pulled it off the sled.
"My brother said most of these fish are going to be sold, and these can fetch more than 6 yuan each…!"
He emphasized the value of the fish, his tone full of pride.
"Six...six yuan? These fish can sell for that much?"
Sister-in-law Zhao Lijuan opened the sack and looked at it again.
shocked.
She had just heard from someone a few days ago that the coal miners in the town only earned 2 yuan a day.
That's a state-owned enterprise, a coveted job.
Just as I was thinking,
Xiao Chunsheng had already picked up a large, frozen carp and was playing with it when she slapped it away.
"Put it down! This fish is worth selling. What if you break it? Go, go back inside and play with your sheep's knuckles!"
Stop causing trouble here; it annoys me.
My 5-year-old nephew, Li Chunsheng, doesn't quite understand what it means to be able to sell something for money; he only knows that the red carp is very beautiful.
But he didn't dare to talk back to his mother, so he pouted and went back to his room shyly.
"This fish...can it really sell for that much money?"
Wang Guiying was somewhat skeptical of her youngest son's words and questioned him.
Li Xiangyang took down the ice-breaking tools such as shovels and spades and explained in a deep voice.
"Yes, I've inquired about it."
Normally, crucian carp sells for 12 cents a pound and carp for 10 cents a pound at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Now that all the lakes are frozen over, fishing is extremely difficult, and with the Lunar New Year approaching, prices should be even higher.
There are over 60 kilograms of fish here, and they cost at least 6 yuan.
His eyes were firm and his tone left no room for doubt when he spoke, which was very convincing.
"Yes, yes, I did the math, and we can make about 10 yuan a day like this, and we can earn back next year's ranch lease fee in 5 days."
Li Xiangdong counted on his fingers and added.
"Oh my... Xiangyang has really gotten to know things now. This morning, Uncle Xiong was completely bewildered, and now he knows you can catch fish in Zhahar."
They even know the price of this fish so clearly.
Zhao Lijuan praised.
She's usually quite talkative and outspoken, but she's not a bad person at heart. She's happy for her brother-in-law that he can do something worthwhile.
"Hehe, little brother has really gotten to know things now. I was just about to say that, but I forgot the word for a moment."
Li Xiangdong echoed, while also feeling very proud of Li Xiangyang's transformation.
"Alright, everyone, come in!"
Especially Xiangdong and Xiangyang, you two are covered in ice. You must be freezing after working for hours!"
Wang Guiying felt sorry for her two sons, so she interrupted everyone's conversation and invited them inside to warm themselves by the fire.
Once everyone realized what was happening, they swarmed into the central room.
Liu Xiulan, Li Xiangyang's wife, exchanged a brief glance with him and then fell silent, listening quietly as others praised her husband.
Husband and wife are one.
Feeling a little embarrassed, her pretty face flushed slightly.
This was the first time in the two years since she married into the Li family that she had heard her family praise her husband. She felt a little proud, and her back straightened up unconsciously.
In this day and age, the traditional husband-to-be-worker and wife-to-housewife model of marriage still prevails!
Especially in rural and pastoral areas, most jobs require physical labor, so whether a woman can hold her head high in the village depends on whether her husband is capable.
Like Li Xiangyang before, who idled away his days doing nothing productive, his wife felt inferior to everyone else when walking on the village road.
Going back to her parents' home made her feel ashamed.
Seeing everyone enter the main room, the thoughtful woman quickly took a bucket out to collect snow and boil water for them to soak their feet.
"Father, we're back."
Upon entering the central room, the two brothers, Li Xiangyang and Li Xiangdong, called out in unison.
They first took off their frozen leather boots, and then their mother and sister-in-law each took a rag and helped them sweep off the ice and snow from their bodies.
otherwise,
The temperature difference of 40 to 50 degrees Celsius between indoors and outdoors quickly melts the ice and snow clinging to your clothes into water, which is extremely uncomfortable.
Just as the Li family was enjoying a harmonious time, a deep voice rang out, shattering the peace.
"You just said those fish are worth 6 yuan? Who are you going to sell them to? Where are you going to sell them? What if you get caught?"
Father leaned against the earthen wall, his gaze sharp, and asked in a cold voice.
As expected of the head of the family, he was among the first to decide to contract a pasture for sheep farming in the first year of the household contract responsibility system pilot program, even before the policy was clear.
Thinking about problems means going deep into them.
Unlike others who only think about how much money the fish is worth, without considering that it's only worth that much if it's sold.
Moreover, these days, compared to ice fishing in the lake, selling fish in town is the most difficult thing; you could get arrested at any moment.
They were accused of speculation and profiteering, and of undermining the collective interests.
Are they the only smart ones? Knowing how to catch fish to sell? Are all the others stupid?
"Ah, this..."
Li Xiangdong was taken aback, stumped by his father's question.
He only heard his younger brother say that the fish was valuable, but he never thought about how to sell it.
Wang Guiying and Zhao Lijuan looked at each other, and finally turned their attention to Li Xiangyang, the one who proposed the idea of breaking the ice to sell fish.
I'd like to hear what Li Xiangyang has to say.
"Father, I've found out about this too."
There's a black market a few streets behind the town's supply and marketing cooperative. Every day before the city management team starts work at eight o'clock, it's very lively there, and nobody cares. After eight o'clock, it's considered to be closed, and we just leave with them.
In Li Xiangyang's previous life
I've met a few small business owners who started reselling goods in town back in the 80s. This is what I heard from them, and now I'm telling my dad the same thing.
"Xiangyang, are you sure about this? Don't let yourself get arrested later; your family doesn't have the money to bail you out."
Li Zhenshan immediately thought this method was feasible.
But given Li Xiangyang's carefree and irresponsible personality over the past twenty-odd years, I was still worried and asked him one more question.
"Clang!"
Liu Xiulan had just brought in the boiled water for washing her feet when, out of the blue, she heard that they were going to grab Xiangyang, which startled her so much that she dropped the wooden basin.
With a splash, the warm water was poured onto the floor, splashing all over the room.
"Oh dear, Xiulan, what are you doing! You're always so clumsy. Father was just assuming, he's not really going to arrest Xiangyang and lock him up. Look how scared you are."
Zhao Lijuan was closest to the door and got splashed with water on her trouser leg; she sounded somewhat resentful.
"No, no... I'm sorry, sister-in-law! I'll go and boil another pot."
Liu Xiulan came to her senses and realized she had lost her composure. She quickly picked up the wooden bucket and, despite her feet being soaked, got up to go out and fill it with snow to boil water again.
Just as he picked up the wooden bucket, Li Xiangyang, whose expression was somewhat displeased, pressed him down.
"You're not allowed to go!"
Your feet are soaked, didn't you see? You still ran out, what if you get frostbite and who will take care of DouDou?
Go back inside, change your pants, and warm yourself by the fire.
Li Xiangyang's tone left no room for argument; he felt a pang of sympathy for his wife.
Over the years, because of his laziness and love of food, his wife has always been looked down upon at home.
"Uh-huh!"
Liu Xiulan felt a warmth in her heart.
She's not stupid; how could she not hear the concern in Li Xiangyang's words? It's just that she was used to being bossed around by her sister-in-law.
He has never defended her.
Xiangyang really gives off a different vibe today!
Before returning to the house, she was still a little worried, so she turned back and gave him some more instructions:
"Xiangyang, if it's too dangerous, then don't go. We can figure out a way to get the money later."