The Red Era: Starting from Being an Educated Youth in the Countryside

Chapter 87 Fishing

Chen Huaiyang coughed lightly and cleared his throat, "Fatty, if you want to play cards, you have to see if there is anyone there."

"One is planning a blackboard, the other is reading a book, who cares about you? If you have nothing to do, go and study. It's a good thing to know more words."

Fatton shook his head without thinking, with a look of panic on his face, "Please spare me, I'm not cut out for that. Since we don't want to play cards, let's go watch the drainage!"

"The pond is being drained today so we can go fishing. After handing in a certain amount of fish, every household will get a share. Do you want to join in the fun?"

Chen Huaiyang was in a good mood. Although it was cold, it was not a good idea to stay at home all the time. He could join in the fun and kill time!

"That's fine. Let's go take a look after dinner."

Pangdun helped with the chores and started washing the vegetable basin. As soon as he finished adding the water, he saw Liu Xiaoyu with red eyes, looking pitiful.

Liu Xiaoyu looked at the person in front of her who was washing a basin with a smile on his face, humming an unknown tune, with something in his mind.

Pangdun comes from a wealthy family, is simple-minded, and easy to control. He is definitely the best candidate for marriage.

Liu Jun comes out from time to time to disgust people, and the educated youth at the educated youth point are full of disgust towards her. If she doesn't find a way out for herself, she will be unable to survive!
She is not as stupid as Lin Zhen!

If someone as cruel as Golden Retriever dares to follow him, then either don’t get married and have children here, or you have to choose the most powerful candidate.

Fatty has always been her first choice, but unfortunately she never had the chance. Although he worked with the woman, he was in public and the woman's eyes were sharp, so he didn't dare to move at all.

Now that he has gone to the educated youth camp on his own, it means that her chance has come.

Without saying a word, she just sat there wiping her tears.

After Fatty washed the basin, he saw that the person had not stopped crying. He was afraid that the person would faint from crying, so he asked tentatively, "What trouble have you run into? Why don't you eat with us?"

Liu Xiaoyu looked at him and immediately threw herself into his arms, looking uncomfortable and unable to control herself. "Liu Jun threatened me to give him some food. I gave him some, and the old educated youth complained about me."

"Everyone rejects me and gets annoyed by the sight of me."

The fat boy, who had not yet come to his senses, was completely stunned by the buzzing sound in his ears and the sobbing voice.

He was at a loss, not knowing where to put his hands. In the end, he got panicked and pushed people away and ran away.

He completely forgot about saying that he would go with Chen Huaiyang to check on opening the water valve in the pond. The chubby figure disappeared in a moment.

Chen Huaiyang waited and waited, but didn't see anyone. He went out and looked, but the place was empty, with no trace of anyone.

He made a "tsk" sound and said helplessly, "This kid stood me up?"

When I entered the kitchen, the man with glasses was taking a nap and was nowhere to be seen.

Yang Xiaolin was knitting a sweater while Liu Li was sitting beside her crocheting shoes. The two chatted casually and it was obvious that they were in a very comfortable state.

Tian Dong was nowhere to be seen, probably he was carrying his book again.

He curled his lips and inserted himself between the two of them.

"You two ladies are quite clever, aren't you?"

"Comrade Liu Li, you've crocheted these shoes very nicely. Can you also crochet a pair for me? I won't let you work in vain. I'll bring you a bag of brown sugar when the time comes."

Liu Li looked up when she heard the sound and responded with a smile on her face, "I don't have any soles, so I can't hook it even if I want to, right?"

"If you can get it, I'll hook it for you."

Chen Huaiyang nodded and looked at Yang Xiaolin beside him, "Yang Zhiqing's craftsmanship is quite good. Please help me knit a scarf. I will also bring you some brown sugar when the time comes."

"A grown man has rough hands and feet, and is not good at this kind of delicate work. I'm sorry to bother you guys."

Chen Huaiyang's request was blatant. This way, he would have a clear path forward and would not be afraid of being caught and troubled by others when he puts on a sweater or something.

Otherwise, if Yang Xiaolin was found knitting a sweater for him, he would have no way to make excuses. He had to nip the trouble in the bud.

Such a simple matter must not be used to gain any evidence. Anyway, he was generous and willing to make an exchange with others, so naturally no one would be suspicious.

I'm free anyway, and since Fatty is gone, I might as well take a walk around town!

Chen Huaiyang borrowed the captain's car, saying he wanted to go to the town, but the captain's wife took him on a ox cart.

"You can accompany us to drive the ox cart. We need to buy some supplies."

Wang Dani is getting married soon, so she needs to bring some dowry and prepare the quilt, and other things. Marrying into the town is very enviable at this time.

You have to support your daughter and not let anyone look down on her. If you want her to have more confidence, you have to prepare more dowry when she gets married.

Chen Huaiyang also sent a thermos and a porcelain basin, and asked a carpenter to make the boxes.

When I go to town today, I plan to pick out a piece of cloth and make a nice dress, so that at least it won't look out of place when looked at.

Since there wasn't enough space on the bicycle, he decided to drive an ox cart. It would be better if Chen Huaiyang followed him, as there would be someone to help drive the car.

Chen Huaiyang agreed readily, "Okay, but my skills are not very good, I'm afraid you guys don't dare to sit down!"

The captain's wife waved her hand and said, "It's not that difficult. You can learn it after a little practice."

I gradually got used to riding on the ox cart, and driving a car is not that difficult. It never hurts to learn more skills.

Chen Huaiyang was puzzled. He was free at the moment, so why didn't he choose a day that was close by? "Auntie, it will be very cold when it snows in the future. Why don't you find a good day in advance?" The captain's wife laughed and said, "How can we prepare it immediately? We have to wait until the pigs are slaughtered, otherwise what can we use to entertain the guests?"

"You can't have guests come to your house and only have the same bowl of greasy vegetable soup, right? Apart from anything else, at least there should be two pieces of meat!"

"The brigade raises pigs, and when the quota is paid, a pig-killing banquet is inevitable. Those who need it will buy some, so we have to wait for the pigs to be slaughtered!"

"When the time comes, everyone will be happy and can taste meat. Isn't that a good day?"

Chen Huaiyang nodded in understanding. They were all waiting to slaughter the New Year pig. It wouldn't be so lively by then.

"Then aren't all the families in our brigade who are getting married waiting for those few days?"

The captain's wife smiled and shook her head, "It's not that exaggerated. Not everyone has a wedding banquet. Some people discuss the betrothal gifts, choose a suitable time, and then the family has a meal together."

Only families with some background would hold a wedding banquet. Of course, the captain's wife would not say this. Chen Huaiyang is such a smart man, he will definitely understand it.

He nodded in understanding and praised the captain again. As a captain, it would be a lie if he didn't have any background.

The standards of the captain's family are considered to be of special importance.

It was very cold while driving the car. I could still feel the chill even with gloves on. When we arrived in the town, we felt a chill in the wind. No one wanted to go out unless we needed to buy the necessary supplies.

He shook his body and regretted not wearing a military coat. If he had put on the coat, it would have been like wearing a quilt on his body and he would not have been cold at all.

I'm just thinking about it now, I can't go back and change it.

The supplier selected two pairs of shoes of his size and also brought two pairs for Yang Xiaolin, choosing a color that would resist dirt.

The captain's wife looked at them and said with a smile, "You bought these, and you can also crochet?"

Chen Huaiyang waved his hands repeatedly, "I am so rough and crude that I don't know how to make these delicate things. I saw Liu Li, an educated youth, weaving shoes, so I asked her for help."

"I also asked Yang Xiaolin, an educated youth, to help me knit a scarf so that people wouldn't work for nothing. I brought people a bag of candy as a thank you gift."

The captain's wife nodded and praised his communication skills. Being thick-skinned can be quite useful sometimes.

Chen Huaiyang smiled, "I don't have the skill to do this, so I don't want to ask for help for nothing. I heard that brown sugar is very good, so I brought a bag of brown sugar."

The captain's wife stopped chatting with him and turned around to buy her own things.

Chen Huaiyang bought it as quickly as possible and then went out to exchange it with Wang Dani. He had to keep an eye on the ox cart, otherwise, if the oxen were abducted, it would be a huge loss.

As he waited, the captain's wife came out and pulled him aside, saying with a bit of embarrassment, "Xiao Chen, do you have any extra cloth coupons?"

"I plan to sew a new dress for Dani, but I don't have enough cloth coupons."

After hearing this, Chen Huaiyang readily took it out for her, "I have more here! My mother sent it to me. I can't use it, so I'll give it to you!"

"Don't return it to me. Give me some dry goods when the time comes. My family is not short of tickets, but food. I plan to send them some supplies."

When the captain's wife heard this, she immediately smiled and said, "Dried goods are no problem. We have dried garlic sprouts and radishes at home, and some cornmeal. We are not short of these things."

It is difficult to get tickets, but it is much easier to get practical information.

I was just worrying about how to change the ticket, but now I feel relieved.

This trip can be described as a fruitful return.

When we got off the car, the captain's wife reminded us, "Return the cow later, and come over to get the dry goods!"

Naturally, Chen Huaiyang had no reason to refuse. It was a mutually beneficial deal, so he would feel comfortable taking it.

The captain's wife packed half a sack. When Chen Huaiyang came over, she said, "Just mail it out tomorrow."

"Get up early, ride your bike, come back as soon as you're done delivering the mail, and go fishing with your uncle. Those who participate can get an extra fish. This is a rare opportunity."

Otherwise you have to pay to buy it. A fish can weigh at least several kilograms, and it costs 5 cents per kilogram, which means you have to pay a lot of money!
Money is not so easy to make. An ordinary family may not be able to save 20 yuan a year!

Chen Huaiyang nodded, "I understand. I will hurry up when the time comes. Thank you for your generosity, Auntie. Our family is short of food, so I won't be polite to you."

The captain's wife waved her hand, "Take them quickly, these are not valuable, you can just plant more when the time comes. If you want to talk about taking advantage, I'm the one taking advantage of you!"

Chen Huaiyang waved his hand, "Let's stop being polite. It's freezing. Let's go home!"

Back at the educated youth camp, Chen Huaiyang handed the shoes to Liu Li, along with some brown sugar, and said, "Thank you for your help, Comrade Liu."

If the benefits are given in place, there is no need to worry about not doing the work efficiently.

Liu Li pushed him away, "How can I really want yours? I'll just hook it."

Chen Huaiyang insisted, "I've already bought it. Who would want to drink this stuff as a grown man? It's not nice to push it around."

"I still have to ask Yang Zhiqing to knit a scarf for me, so I won't waste time here."

Liu Li looked at the receding figure. It was no wonder that he was able to make it big. Who wouldn't like someone as smart as him?

Shaking my head, I decided not to think about it anymore. I’m not as rich as him!

(End of this chapter)