Chapter 95

In order to give his daughter a fulfilling National Day holiday, Li Dong decided to advance some of the farm's construction plans, including the paving of the small path leading to the fields with bluestone slabs, to be completed before the holiday.

"Uncle Wei Shan, today, you and I will level the path in front," Li Dong said early in the morning. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, there were few young couples visiting, so there wasn't much to do during the day.

Wei Shan went to fetch the tools, placing the hoe and spade on the cart, and then brought a basket of grass. The farm had horses and deer, which all ate grass, so the weeds on the path couldn't be wasted.

"Uncle Wei Shan, are there still any old oxen in the village for plowing?" Li Dong asked casually, holding a sickle and following the cart.

"There are a few left."

"That's great. At noon, could you ask if anyone is willing to sell? I want to buy two." Li Dong smiled. "A few days ago, someone wanted to experience plowing. We can set up a project for that."

"Plowing?"

Wei Shan shook his head, not understanding what city people were thinking. Experiencing plowing wasn't an easy task.

"I'll ask around."

When they arrived at the path, Li Dong cut the grass while Wei Shan leveled the uneven ground. There were many weeds, but Li Dong was patient, and the two of them worked all morning.

At noon, Wei Shan found out that the price of the oxen wasn't cheap, and with the plow, a set would cost nearly 5,000 yuan.

"5,000 yuan, so two would be 10,000 yuan." It wasn't cheap, considering they were old oxen.

"Alright."

They agreed, and Li Dong and Wei Shan brought the oxen back in the afternoon. The oxen were in good condition and could still be used for a few years. "We'll try plowing the field tomorrow."

Over the next two days, they cleared the weeds from the path and tested the oxen, which worked well, plowing a piece of paddy field.

On the third day, the bluestone slabs arrived, and Li Dong and Wei Shan laid some of them. "Uncle Wei Shan, stay for dinner at the farm tonight. Invite Uncle Wei Guo as well."

The vegetables from the farm hadn't been sold in the past few days and would go bad if not eaten, so he invited Wei Guo and Wei Shan for a meal.

The farm's business hadn't been good recently, with few people fishing and even fewer young couples visiting. A few bird enthusiasts came to take photos, but they didn't spend any money.

At least the previous visitors bought a few fish to feed the cranes, but this batch was freeloading.

In the evening, they prepared a table of dishes, with Wei Guo cooking. Li Dong opened two bottles of local Jinmutong wine, which cost about 80-90 yuan each.

"Uncle Wei Guo, Uncle Wei Shan, you've both worked hard recently." Li Dong poured them some wine.

Wei Shan was indeed a bit tired, but since the boss, Li Dong, worked alongside them without complaining, he didn't dare to say anything. "Uncle Wei Shan, I'll toast to you; you've really worked hard these past few days."

"Tomorrow, you'll work one more day, and the day after, you can take a break."

Li Dong explained that once the bluestone path was completed, they would need to hire someone to build the bridge, so he decided to give Wei Shan a day off. He had planned to give Wei Shan a day off the next day, but Li Dong needed to go to the city to buy some vegetable seeds to expand the farm's garden and set up a vegetable picking project.

He also needed to buy seeds for Han Guofu, as he was a bit wary of buying seeds online and preferred to go to the city, where the prices were higher but more reliable.

As they ate and drank, they chatted about the changes in Han Village, and both Wei Guo and Wei Shan were quite nostalgic, reminiscing about the 1960s and 1970s. "Sigh, back then, life was tough, but there was less pressure."

"Everyone was just focused on getting enough to eat, so there was no time for other things."

Indeed, Li Dong agreed that back then, people had fewer distractions, focusing solely on survival. Even young people rarely broke up, as life was too busy and time moved slowly, allowing for only one love in a lifetime.

After the meal, with two bottles of wine, the three of them, all with big bellies, didn't leave much behind.

Li Dong tidied up the farm and returned to the old house, finding a note he had written earlier. "For the autumn work, we need rubber boots, gloves, towels, red flower oil, and pain-relieving plasters."

"We also need at least 30 pounds of rice and flour."

The autumn work required so much, Li Dong thought, it was really not easy. "But it's said that the autumn work is quite lively, so it will be a good experience."

After a shower, Li Dong opened his phone and started browsing Taobao to buy a set of four-piece bedding and mosquito nets for his cousin Gao Min. The website he had used before was good, so he bought ten sets of bedding and ten mosquito nets.

He planned to bring a few sets this time and use the rest as gifts. Huang Xiaotian was getting married, and Han Weiguo, Han Weidong, and Han Weichao would also appreciate these as wedding gifts.

"Right, I almost forgot about buying old films."

He had promised to get some good films for Huang Xiaotian, and he couldn't forget. If he didn't, it would be embarrassing to ask for a movie screening during the house construction, and there was no guarantee they would come.

"Hey, they even sell projectors?"

Li Dong clicked and downloaded the Xianyu app, which had a lot of second-hand items, including several projectors, some of which were from Chicheng City.

"Over a hundred old films, a projector, and a pedal generator for 15,000 yuan. Not cheap, but worth it."

Li Dong noted the number and planned to call the seller the next day. If the price could be reduced and the items were good, he would buy them. Having a vintage film screening at the farm would create a great atmosphere.

"Right, we need one more shovel for the self-cultivated land."

Li Dong thought about the upcoming busy days and decided to learn more. His daughter would be on holiday during the National Day, so he could teach her more. "We need a saw for cutting wood for the house construction; using an axe would be too slow."

Li Dong wrote down the items he needed and went to the city the next morning. He arrived at the east end of Dong Street, where various items were sold. This old street had been around for over 20 years.

He bought the saw, shovel, and spade, which Xiaojuan had been wanting for a while. The spade was more convenient for Xiaojuan to use when collecting pig feed than the sickle.

"Are you Mr. Liu?"

"Who are you?"

"Yesterday, I saw on Xianyu that you have a set of projection equipment for sale. Are you available today?"

"I have some time at noon."

"That's great."

Li Dong and Liu Zhen agreed on a time, put the tools in the trunk, and then went to the agricultural station to buy some vegetable seeds, mostly a half-bag of Chinese cabbage seeds.

He then went to the grain and oil company to buy some rice, flour, and oil, and stopped by a supermarket to buy some hotpot seasonings. Once the trunk was full, he drove to the agreed location, where Liu Zhen was already waiting.

After a chat, Li Dong learned that the equipment belonged to the public but had been kept by Liu Zhen since the 1990s. Liu Zhen was moving to a new job and leaving Chicheng, so he couldn't take the equipment with him.

They agreed on a price, and Liu Zhen demonstrated the equipment, which worked fine. Li Dong paid and arranged for a truck to transport the equipment back to the farm.

"There are quite a few films."

The film reels were stacked in boxes. Li Dong found a few from the 1970s and 1980s, planning to screen them that evening. He also found some Hong Kong films, including two 1970s martial arts films.

Huang Xiaotian definitely hadn't seen these, so Li Dong decided to keep them and bring one back later. Two would be too heavy.

"I'll show some old films to Jingyi, like 'Tunnel War,' 'Guerrilla War,' and 'Shangganling.' They are all good."

Li Dong was thinking about his daughter when his phone rang. It was Gao Jiajia, and he wondered what she wanted.

"Dad."

It was a coincidence, as he had just been thinking about her.

"School's out?"

"Yep, just got out."

Li Jingyi's voice was light and cheerful. "Dad, I have some good news."

"Good news?"

"Yep."

Li Jingyi said with a hint of pride, "Mr. Chen said we're organizing an autumn outing next month on the 14th. I thought of your farm first and recommended it to Mr. Chen. He heard about the cranes, swans, and deer at the farm and thought the environment was great and close to the city, making it perfect for the outing."

"Also, Mr. Chen asked me to take photos of all the activities for everyone to enjoy."

Li Dong shuddered. Li Jingyi, you haven't thought this through. Do you want to lose your classmates? Most importantly, he didn't want to be scolded by her grandparents and great-grandparents.

Li Dong hesitated, thinking about pushing it off. The activities he had prepared were too intense. If the classmates experienced them, the scene would be unimaginable, and he wasn't sure if his daughter could still fit in at school. It was a bit scary.

"Jingyi, do you have Mr. Chen's phone number?"

"Sure."

Li Jingyi gave him the number, and after chatting with his daughter, Li Dong immediately called Mr. Chen.

He hadn't met the new homeroom teacher yet, feeling a bit irresponsible as a father.

Li Dong explained the situation to Mr. Chen.

"Mr. Chen, I'm really sorry. The child didn't know the situation."

"That's great."

To his surprise, Mr. Chen praised him. "Mr. Li, it's impressive that you thought of educating the children through such activities."

"Mr. Chen, these activities are quite tiring."

Li Dong emphasized, hoping Mr. Chen understood that these weren't just for fun.

"Children nowadays are too comfortable."

Mr. Chen agreed with Li Dong's activities and decided to hold the autumn outing at the farm. "Mr. Li, keep this a secret from the students. It will be a surprise."

"Alright."

Li Dong smiled bitterly, feeling convinced but worried about his daughter. He wondered if his parents would come over and blame him for putting their precious granddaughter through this.

Even if his parents didn't come, he thought about Jingyi's grandparents and aunt Gao Jiajia.

Li Dong realized the only one he didn't need to worry about was Gao Lan, who might even support it. "Daughter, I didn't expect this. Your teacher has dug a big hole for you."

He decided to find Uncle Wei Shan the next day to plan some fun activities, not just physical labor. "I'm really in trouble. Daughter, I can only pray for you now. Your classmates are all hardworking, so this surprise might be too big!"