Chapter 52

"How did it end up with only sixteen yuan and fifty cents left?"

Li Dong did the math: he bought a watch for 240 yuan and gave the girl 100 yuan, no, 150 yuan, so that left 90 yuan. He spent 40 to 50 yuan on rice, pork, cigarettes, alcohol, and flour, leaving him with more than 30 yuan.

"That's not right, there's still the mosquito net for 10 yuan."

Li Dong added it up and found he still had more than 40 yuan, but now he only had a little over 10 yuan left. "Sigh, look at me, two hot water bottles, a teapot, cups, a few towels, and a washbasin, plus some small items, that's another 20 yuan, so that's why I only have a little over 10 yuan left."

Sigh, it's been 40 years, but why does money not last as long? Indeed, I need to earn more. "I haven't even bought the stamps yet, which will cost at least 10 yuan."

After this calculation, Li Dong realized that even buying wild chickens wouldn't be enough, let alone other mountain goods. "Sigh."

Xiaojuan, that girl, holds her money so tightly; it's like trying to take money from her piggy bank is as hard as climbing to heaven. "I'm really in a tough spot, I only have one big note in my pocket, and I've spent all my money on living expenses."

What a joke, with only one big note in his pocket, he's spent all his money. Han Weijun had the urge to strangle Li Dong. "You only have one big note in your pocket, and you've spent all your money. Do you know, I only have two jiao left, how am I supposed to live?"

Han Weijun sneaked over, as he hadn't had time to deliver the wild chicken he caught in the morning before Li Dong went to the commune.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Brother Weijun, what's up?"

Li Dong muttered, why is Han Weijun acting so sneaky.

Han Weijun pulled out a wild chicken from his chest, and Li Dong was speechless. "You're good, this must be another one you hid from your wife, aren't you afraid she'll give you the 'Three Mothers' lecture'?" "I just caught a wild chicken and brought it to you."

"It's a rooster, that's good, that's good."

Li Dong thought, you're really capable, catching two in a row. Brother Weijun, I didn't expect you to be so good at this. "Alright, one yuan and two jiao."

"That... that..."

"I understand, I understand, I won't tell your wife or your uncle."

"Sigh, I have no choice."

Han Weijun sighed, took the cigarette, and said, "My wife wants to buy a bar of soap to show off to her sister-in-law when she goes back to her parents' house. I tried to persuade her, but it didn't work."

This is a conflict between sisters-in-law, Li Dong thought, I can't get involved. "Brother Weijun, I think a bar of soap won't do. How about buying your wife a new dress?"

Han Weijun's eyes widened. "You're not being fair, a new dress costs at least seven or eight yuan, do you think I have that kind of money?" "Forget the dress, it's too expensive."

"Don't say that."

Li Dong patted his chest. "Here's what I'll do, for your wife, I'll let you buy it on credit. I can get a new polyester shirt for no more than eight yuan, and you don't need cloth coupons."

"Really?"

Without cloth coupons, eight yuan isn't expensive. Thinking of his wife wearing a new dress when she goes back to her parents' house, he felt proud. "But you know, I can't come up with that much money right now."

"No problem, I'll let you buy it on credit, and you can pay me back with wild chickens later."

"Can it really work?"

Han Weijun hesitated, eight yuan is a lot, but thinking of his wife's angry face, especially after his sister-in-law bought a mirror and made his wife so upset. "Alright." He handed over one yuan and two jiao, and bought the shirt on credit for six yuan and eight jiao.

Li Dong saw Han Weijun off, smiling. This is good, cloth coupons and such, I don't really care about. An eight-yuan polyester shirt isn't expensive in this era, at least ten yuan in the department store.

There's no way to do good deeds, Li Dong thought, now Han Weijun won't have to worry about money for mountain goods or wild chickens.

After Han Weijun left, a few more people came, bringing mountain goods and wild fruits, totaling 50 cents. Li Dong collected them and put them in a basket.

"Sigh, I still have to go to work this afternoon."

He shouldn't have come back so early, Li Dong muttered. What to eat for lunch? Stew some pork, cook some rice porridge, and steam the buns he bought from the commune canteen, a simple meal.

While eating, Han Weiguo sneaked in, and Li Dong was speechless. What are you guys doing, sneaking around like thieves, walking without a sound. "Brother Li."

"What do you have?"

This guy wouldn't hide things in his chest like Han Weijun, Li Dong thought, don't tell me it's another wild chicken. "Hehe, I dug up a few old yellow-precious roots, do you want to buy them?"

"Yellow-precious roots?"

Li Dong slapped his forehead, how could he be so stupid? Yellow-precious roots are a local specialty, known as 'nine steams and nine dries,' comparable to ginseng. Forty years later, they are artificially cultivated and not so rare.

Now, they are all wild. Li Dong looked at the yellow-precious roots Han Weiguo took out, large and with many nodes. Yellow-precious roots grow one node per year, these must be over ten years old, rare and valuable.

Whether dried and sliced or used to make wine, they are more valuable than mushrooms and black fungus.

"I'll take them."

Li Dong said, "Are they hard to find?"

Han Weiguo thought, they are hard to find. Last night, he followed a weasel into the mountains and got lucky. "They are hard to find, usually small, and such large ones are rare."

"Okay, one yuan per root."

Li Dong wasn't sure about the current purchase price. "By the way, I was just thinking of finding you, wait a moment." He rummaged around and took out a polyester shirt. "How about this?"

"Ah, a shirt?"

"Isn't it nice?"

"Nice."

Han Weiguo nodded, thinking how good it would look on Xiaofeng. "Brother Li, what's this?"

"How about it, do you like it? Eight yuan."

Li Dong smiled. "No cloth coupons needed."

"Really?"

No cloth coupons, eight yuan, Han Weiguo was pleasantly surprised, but he felt a bit embarrassed when he checked his pocket and found no money.

Li Dong noticed Han Weiguo's expression. "Here's what I'll do, I'll let you buy it on credit, but you have to keep it a secret."

"Can I really buy it on credit?"

A glint of surprise flashed in Han Weiguo's eyes. Li Dong thought, I'm not broke, you guys keep bringing wild chickens and yellow-precious roots, what can I do? I'm in a tough spot too. Besides, there are too many polyester shirts, and Li Dong was worried they wouldn't sell well in the city.

I'm a failed businessman, stuck with a bunch of unsold goods.

"Here's what I'll do, you can pay me back with wild chickens, wild rabbits, or mountain goods."

Li Dong handed the shirt to Han Weiguo. "Don't tell anyone about this."

"You can trust me, I won't tell anyone."

Han Weiguo's eyes were red, thinking how good Brother Li was, buying him a shirt on credit to help him find a girlfriend, a big favor indeed. He couldn't tell anyone, or everyone would want to buy on credit, and Brother Li would be in trouble.

After sending off the grateful Han Weiguo, Li Dong went back to his room and took out a small notebook to record the debts: Han Weijun owed 6.8 yuan, and Han Weiguo owed 5 yuan.

Not bad, he thought, he hadn't spent a cent and had two debts.

Li Dong hummed a tune, and in the afternoon, he was assigned to Han Weijun's group, making his work easier with Han Weijun's help.

"Stay behind, Li Dong."

As it got dark, the production team finished work, but Li Dong was asked to stay. "Tomorrow morning, we'll repair the warehouse. You should prepare at home, and take the opportunity to fix your roof."

"Alright, Uncle Guofu, is there anything else I need to do?"

"Nothing, just follow and learn. It will save you money in the future when you repair your own roof."

Li Dong thought, I'll build a brick house in the future, no need to fix a thatched roof.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

"Stop dealing with turtles for now."

"Ah."

Li Dong thought, did someone report him? "Alright."

"After all, the reservoir belongs to the collective."

Han Guofu didn't really want to interfere, but someone had reported it, so he couldn't ignore it. "The team will clean the ditches in the fall, and the reservoir will be cleaned at the same time. When we catch turtles, they will be sold for 20 cents each. You don't need that money, so don't deal with turtles for now."

20 cents each, Li Dong thought, if he had known, he wouldn't have bothered with the mosquitoes and bugs at night, catching a few turtles for nothing.

Back home, Li Dong made dinner and thought about how to make money. "What should I bring next? Watches? They are in high demand, but they won't sell in the countryside. In the city, I don't know anyone, and I might get caught for speculation, which is a serious crime. Selling farm products is different."

Sigh, it would be great to have some relatives in the city, to help with connections, and the watches would have sold long ago. "Sigh, let's sell clothes for now." Li Dong muttered, he couldn't sell pork, which was selling for up to 1.8 yuan in the black market without meat coupons.

Compared to speculation, selling pork was a lesser crime, and the patrol team would turn a blind eye to it.

Li Dong was frustrated, he had good things but no way to sell them. "If I were a bit braver, it would be easier."

"Let's fix the roof first."

Xiaojuan came back and saw the new items in the house: porcelain basins, tin hot water bottles, and a large teapot. She looked at Li Dong suspiciously. "Money."

"No, I really don't have any money."

This girl, always thinking about money, not knowing how hard he works.

Xiaojuan huffed, opened the cabinet, and counted her money, which was still there. She relaxed, and Li Dong looked at the big notes, thinking he shouldn't have pretended to be so rich. Now he had no money in his pocket.

I'm in a tough spot, he thought, I can't take her money without feeling ashamed. "I need to find more customers, like Weijun, Weiguo, and Weidong."

He didn't think about what would happen if Han Guofu and the elders found out, he would be in trouble.

"Go to bed."

After dinner, Li Dong planned to help Xiaojuan with her homework, but she said she had learned everything. Li Dong felt a bit sad, his smart daughter had taken away his chance to tutor her. Having a smart daughter was tough.

Is this how heaven likes to punish me? Can't I have a normal child? Being a genius's father is hard.

Li Dong sighed, envying fathers who could help their children with homework. "I'm in a tough spot, no chance to help my daughter."

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Who's knocking so early in the morning?"

"Uncle, it's me, Xiaohao."

Han Xiaohao was up to something, Li Dong thought, what's in his arms?

"Uncle, do you want to buy this?"

A live baby deer, you're giving me a hard time again.