Chapter 40

"Really going to buy for two cents a pound?"

"Really buying."

Li Feng took out a large note, slapped it down, and said, "This large note is not something you see every day. It’s only at the end of the year when we settle our wages that we can see it. This brand new large note isn’t something just anyone can take out."

Everyone originally thought Li Dong would buy at most three to five pounds, but this kid actually said he would buy as much as they could bring. Everyone looked at Li Dong with even stranger eyes, thinking this kid’s brain must have been damaged by the water.

Han Guofu and Han Guohong happened to see this scene. Han Guofu snatched the large note from Li Dong’s hand. "Don’t mess around."

"Uncle Guofu, I really want to buy."

"Everyone, bring all the black rice to my yard, I’ll buy it all, no matter how much."

Good grief, this kid is serious. Han Guofu felt that if he didn’t teach this kid a lesson, he wouldn’t know his limits. "Do you know what this is? Black rice. It can only last a few days. Can you eat so much? Just buy a few pounds to try it."

Li Dong had to admit that Han Guofu was right, but he came from the 21st century. In the future, this kind of good stuff would cost two to three hundred yuan per pound and would need to be reserved. This good stuff shouldn’t be left lying around without being refrigerated.

Without exaggeration, Li Dong was confident he could keep it fresh for a month. By then, it would all be sold. "Uncle Guofu, don’t worry, I won’t lose money."

Seeing Li Dong’s confidence, Han Guofu wondered if this kid really had a good plan. Two cents a pound wasn’t cheap. Who would buy this stuff if they had money? Coarse grains were better than black rice.

Actually, black rice wasn’t very filling and didn’t taste great. Who would like to eat this stuff? Sweet potatoes and potatoes were better.

Han Guofu didn’t care anymore and let the kid do as he pleased. "Qiuju, take everyone to pick the black rice and send it to Li Dong’s house."

"Sure thing, Da."

"Let’s all get to work, harvesting black rice."

Li Dong’s offer brought a smile to everyone’s face. Two cents a pound wasn’t low. Although it wouldn’t fully compensate for the reduced yield of the sorghum fields, it could make up for a few percent. Everyone’s enthusiasm was high.

At two cents a pound, this field could yield anywhere from a hundred to three hundred pounds of black rice.

The young people didn’t care, but the elders did some quick calculations. Li Dong would need to spend at least five yuan to buy the black rice. This kid.

"What do we do, just let it go?" Han Guohong asked Han Guofu.

"What can we do? The kid has made up his mind." Han Guofu sighed, feeling helpless.

"I think this kid has a plan. Why else would he be so bold?" Although Han Guobing didn’t fully understand why Li Dong was doing this, he didn’t think Li Dong was the type to lose money.

"Maybe people in the city really buy it."

Han Guofu had to consider the reduced yield of the sorghum fields. Any little bit of compensation was good. Five yuan could at least make up for two to three hundred pounds of coarse grains. "Guobing, let’s go back. We can’t leave the other side unattended. You take care of this."

This situation was a bit awkward. The sorghum fields were in trouble, and everyone’s mood was heavy. Fortunately, there was Li Dong, the silly kid, buying black rice for two cents a pound. Although Han Guofu, Han Guohong, and Han Guobing didn’t say much, they all felt grateful to Li Dong in their hearts.

Otherwise, the team members would have been upset. In a drought year, every bit of food was a bit of security.

Li Dong didn’t know that the leaders of the team committee were secretly grateful to him. He happily joined the women’s black rice harvesting team. The wheelbarrow was too tiring, and his shoulders were swollen.

Now he had a good reason. Li Feng was happy, and Han Guobing didn’t say anything. The others didn’t comment either. They all thought this kid’s brain must have been damaged by the water. They counted the silly things this kid had done in recent days.

One by one, these were all big mistakes. His brain must be damaged. Sigh, what a good kid, how did he end up like this?

Some of the older people who had been thinking about matchmaking for Li Dong now gave up the idea. They couldn’t ruin someone else’s daughter.

Li Dong didn’t know he had made the matchmakers’ blacklist. If Xiaojuan found out, she would probably cry her eyes out.

"The basket is full."

"How much black rice is this?"

The women were almost in tears, but seeing Li Dong behind them, they felt better. At least there was a silly kid to buy it.

Money-rich and brain-damaged, Li Dong happily carried the basket of black rice out. In the morning, he collected two baskets, about seventy to eighty pounds. In the afternoon, he collected more, over a hundred pounds, totaling about two hundred pounds.

At two cents a pound, it was only about five or six yuan. Li Dong thought it was too cheap and wondered if he should raise the price.

Just as Li Dong was thinking about raising the price, Xiaojuan came in crying. When she saw the pile of black rice in the yard, she cried even louder.

At the village entrance, she had met Grandma Wu and Xiaojuan, who told her about Da Da buying black rice. Grandma Wu sighed, "Xiaojuan, go back and persuade him. This money can’t be spent recklessly. It’s a sin to buy so much black rice. What will you do with it?"

Grandma Wu felt deep sympathy. Xiaojuan was so pitiful. Her father was gone, and now she had a new Da Da who was nice to her but had a bad brain. He bought a big goose for four and a half yuan in the morning and now a pile of useless black rice.

He had spent over ten yuan in one day. How could they afford this? Even a mountain of gold and silver wouldn’t be enough. Who would dare to matchmake for such a kid? It would ruin the girl’s life. Grandma Wu’s words made Xiaojuan’s tears uncontrollable.

If Da Da couldn’t get a wife, she wouldn’t have a younger brother. No one would carry her when she got married, and her in-laws would look down on her. The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. When she got home and saw the pile of black rice, she cried even harder, especially when she remembered that Da Da had no money in his pocket.

Xiaojuan wiped her tears and ran into the house. Li Dong was confused. Who dared to bully his daughter? He would skin them alive. With a look of anger, Li Dong followed Xiaojuan into the house.

He saw Xiaojuan counting her small savings, crying loudly. "Xiaojuan, what’s wrong?"

"Who bullied you? Tell Dad, and I’ll beat them up."

Xiaojuan looked at Li Dong and couldn’t stop crying. "This kid, speak up, why are you crying?"

"I’m not crying, I’m not crying."

Li Dong remembered the surprise he had prepared for Xiaojuan. He closed the door and took out ten large notes. "Xiaojuan, don’t cry. Look, what’s in Dad’s hand?"

Xiaojuan wiped her tears and looked up, stunned. Li Dong smiled. "How about that? All this is what Dad earned. Count them, ten notes, one hundred yuan."

"Ah."

Xiaojuan stopped crying, wiped her nose, and grabbed the money, counting it several times. "Da Da, where did this money come from?"

"Do you think your Dad is stupid? The things I collect and the turtles and eels I catch are all worth money, big money." Li Feng smiled. "Don’t tell anyone, okay?"

"I won’t tell anyone."

Xiaojuan hugged the ten large notes, her thoughts swirling. Her Da Da wasn’t stupid at all.

One hundred thirty-five yuan and seventy-six cents. No, there was still five yuan borrowed from Da Da that needed to be returned, making it one hundred forty-five yuan and seventy-six cents. Xiaojuan started writing and drawing again.

The little girl had asked Grandma Wu and the team leader’s wife. Building an extra room for a wife cost one hundred yuan. For a wife from a nearby village, it was one to two hundred yuan. For a city girl, it was at least five hundred yuan, and they might not even want to come.

Seeing so much money, and with Li Dong promising more, Xiaojuan’s thoughts became more active. She didn’t want a wife from a famine-stricken area. She wanted to save more money.

Yes, Da Da would save more money to marry the prettiest girl from a nearby village. With money, they could have a handsome little brother. Xiaojuan was filled with beautiful dreams for the future. Li Dong had no idea what she was thinking, or he would have been shocked.

"Uncle."

"It’s Xiaohei and the others, bringing more stones."

Li Dong grabbed some candy and was about to go out. Xiaojuan immediately got out of bed. Da Da was generous, and he might give away all the candy. This wouldn’t do. They needed to save money. The more money they saved, the prettier the wife Da Da could get.

Good grief, if Li Feng knew Xiaojuan’s thoughts, he would definitely earn more money for his daughter. Her little brain was full of beautiful dreams.

"Hey, what are you kids carrying?"

"Wild fruits we picked."

"Will you buy them, Uncle?"

Xiaojuan saw the hawthorns and wild jujubes. They could be picked on the way to school. "We don’t want them."

"I’ll take them."

Fresh wild fruits. Li Dong smiled and weighed them. "One cent a pound, that’s ten pounds, ten cents, and a piece of candy for each of you."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Ten cents and a piece of candy each, the kids were overjoyed and ran off. Xiaojuan pouted, thinking these fruits were free. Li Dong thought, "Little girl, we’re making a fortune. These fruits would cost at least five cents a pound in the city."

In the 21st century, they would cost five yuan and be very sweet. The hawthorns would be great for making hawthorn jelly. Good stuff, good stuff. Li Dong looked at the yard full of good things and suddenly remembered.

"Oh no."

He had forgotten about the two gluttons. His black rice! The two swans were eating the black rice. They had already eaten five or six pounds. This was killing Li Dong. How could such good stuff be eaten by animals? "I’ll eat roast swan soon."

The swans were very proud and showed no remorse. They even pecked Li Dong, making him jump in anger. He finally moved the black rice to a safer place and started thinking about how to transport all this good stuff back. "The sun has been good these days. I’ll go back tonight."

"But one trip won’t be enough."

Troublesome. Li Dong was worried. He had bought too much black rice, sigh.

"I won’t think about it. Let’s try some black rice first."

Li Dong had only heard about black rice but never tasted it. Now he had it, and it would be a waste not to try it. Steamed, cold mixed, or stewed? Li Dong was stumped. "How do I cook it?"

"I’ll do it."

Xiaojuan sighed at her silly Da Da. "What can I do? Maybe Grandma Wu was right, Da Da’s brain is damaged. Poor Da Da."

Li Dong didn’t notice Xiaojuan’s concerned look and was happy that she offered to help. He was exhausted from the day’s work, even though he had found a lighter job in the afternoon. "I’ve been in the sun for a few hours. I need to go back. How can I bring all this black rice back in one trip?"

Li Dong was very sad. If only he could get more sun in 2018 to store more sun energy, he could make a few trips to bring back the black rice. Yes, why didn’t he think of that?

"How smart am I?"

"Ring, ring"

The bicycle bell. It was Gao Weimin, who had forgotten to deliver the grain tickets.

Sure enough, it was him, and his girlfriend was with him.