"My hands too. This is a relief." Zhao Xiaoli sighed.
"Sister Xiaoli, do you think we’ll definitely be assigned to shuck corn? Why not buy one from Aunt Jiang ourselves? That way, the three of us can complete the work more easily."
"Sounds good, let’s ask Old Yang later."
There wasn’t any break at noon, and while they were having lunch, Zhao Xiaoli shared Jing Chu’s idea.
"Alright, I’ll go over there tonight and bring back a machine. Tomorrow, I’ll have Village Chief Wang allocate your task directly."
"Uncle Yang, won’t others be envious?" Jing Chu asked with a playful smile.
"They definitely will be, just finish your own work."
"Yeah, if they’re jealous, they can buy one themselves."
After lunch, Old Yang advised Zhao Xiaoli to take a break, while the four of them went to the threshing ground to continue working.
Li Yungui and the others arrived at Sun Family Village and were welcod in the sa way. Sun Shengli was so engrossed in the work that he didn’t want to stop.
"Old Sun, we’re leaving now."
"Old Li, can you sell a few more machines?"
"Not this ti, co to our village in a few days and pick them up yourself."
"Okay. Old Li, I’ll have the accountant get the money, I won’t see you off."
Li Yungui watched his old friend, like a child with a new toy, unwilling to let go.
Four machines fetched one hundred and sixty bucks. "Old Li, aren’t you charging less?"
"Cost price. Old Sun, we’re off now, we still need to go to Zhengjiazhuang."
"Old Li, when should I co by?"
"Co by in four days, it’s quite a hassle to make these, it won’t be ready too soon."
"Alright, got it, I won’t see you off."
Three machines were reserved for Zhengjiazhuang, they can co the day after tomorrow to pick them up, not sure how many more are available but at most three more can be provided.
Collected two thousand five hundred and two bucks from Zhengjiazhuang. Li Yunqiang fastened the money around his waist, feeling uneasy about the amount.
Xiandong left ahead, and by the ti the brothers reached Liu Village by cart, Liu Dazhi was already waiting for them.
He already knew they only left three machines for Zhengjiazhuang but reserved four for them.
"Yunqiang, thank you so much."
"Big brother, don’t ntion it, let’s go test them first."
Once again amazed everyone in Liu Village.
"This truly is good stuff, good stuff indeed," everyone marveled.
With four machines unloaded, Li Yungui watched their excitent, knowing he didn’t have ti to linger.
"In-law, just get the money, four machines cost you one hundred and sixty."
Liu Dazhi felt a bit awkward, "Second brother, I forgot, I’ll have the accountant get the money right away."
At this mont, an elderly man ca over, "We will definitely pay, but you must also give us the four machines on the cart."
Liu Dazhi’s smile faded instantly.
"Xiao Shuang, go get the money, one hundred and sixty." He ignored the old man, who was his true second uncle, the forr village chief. It was because of him that many died during the famine years, and that’s why he stopped being the village chief.
"Liu Dazhi?"
"I’m the village chief now, and what I say goes. You should stop talking. If you hadn’t encouraged those older folks to interfere initially, we would have planted the wheat long ago. If you want to be in charge, have everyone elect you as village chief, then you can do whatever you want.
But not now, now I call the shots, and nobody should interfere. I still say, if soone wants to be in charge, then get rid of .
From now on, nobody should make trouble for , what I say goes. If you have the ability, then co and compete."
This was the first ti Liu Dazhi showed no courtesy to his second uncle, and it was done in front of everyone.
"Liu Dazhi, is this how you talk to ?"
"What else would you have say? You ddle in every matter like a stirring stick, never accomplishing anything right. Our village had such good conditions, with a son-in-law who speaks for us, but you ruined it all. If I weren’t looking out for everyone to avoid hunger next year, I wouldn’t bother to flatter others for favors.
Enough, stop it, it’s embarrassing."
"Dazhi, your second uncle wants to keep them all too, so we can quickly finish up and deliver the public grain."
"You’re cunning? This was squeezed out from negotiations."
At this mont, the accountant ca over with one hundred and sixty bucks, and Liu Dazhi handed it to Li Yungui.
"Second brother, rest assured, Xiang Dong is my nephew, I won’t shortchange him."
"Alright, we still have to go to Huanggezhuang, if you still want corn shuckers next week, just co to the village and pick them up."
"Okay, I’ll definitely co by, this thing won’t spoil."
Actually, under normal circumstances, Li Yunqiang should call the old village chief second uncle too, but since his wife’s family has severed ties with him, Li Yunqiang doesn’t say anything.
Finally, he bid farewell to his father-in-law and mother-in-law before driving away, unwilling to get involved in their village’s issues, nor wanting to know more.
After the Li Family Brothers left, Liu Dazhi glared fiercely at the group of elderly folk who had stepped forward earlier, "Don’t bother in the future, you can go figure it out if you have a way."
After saying that, he left to find the captain to discuss leaving so people behind to gather public grain tomorrow, while the rest urgently harvest corn stalks and sweet potatoes. This year can’t be late since last year’s sweet potatoes had so frozen, and he had to endure eating foul sweet potato flour all year.
Really fed up with those dragging everyone down.
"Dazhi, you should’ve been like this sooner."
"Sigh, all delayed by being soft."
"You gave them face, they don’t give you any respect. Alright, I’ll arrange it, ten people will collect corn tomorrow. Elderly folks and kids under ten will stay to shuck corn, and the rest will go to the field to dig sweet potatoes."
"Alright, let’s plan it out. I’ll go check on Xiang Dong in the field."
"Aren’t those three boys there? Relax."
"Even so, I have to check, let’s go together and see the good stuff, even though we can only admire."
The two watched the tractor plowing the field, mouths full of awe.
"Dazhi, when can we have a tractor?"
"Where’s the money? We’ve just paid off the famine debt. One hundred acres costs six hundred bucks. After we pay, what’s left?
I heard it’s several thousand bucks? Even if we want it, we can’t get one."
"Why are days like this? We used to be the richest village, and look now, our village is ruined."
Liu Dazhi didn’t say anything, such a crooked mindset won’t do. At least within three years, they can’t recover. Whenever Liu Dazhi thought of this, he considered leaving everything behind.
But his whole family was here, should they follow them and live years burdened with famine debts?
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