Daily life of fishing and hunting in the 1980s

Chapter 360 I like sacks of money

Li Changle went to the restaurant to get some money, and then bought some fishing line. Then he rode his bike to Caishi Street and saw Zhang Dejin and several craftsmen working in the shop.

On the side where fresh goods are sold, there is a row of pools about one meter high built against the wall. They seem to be used to hold sea water or fresh water. There is also a row of glass tanks for raising fish above the pools.

When Zhang Dejin saw him coming, he quickly put down the putty in his hand and went out to greet him.

"I went to Nanshan this morning. Dad said you guys were going out to sea today. Why are you still in town?"

"I'll leave as soon as I get back." Li Changle said as he took out the oilcloth bag filled with fresh produce from his backpack, "Take these fresh produce with you when you go back."

Zhang Dejin took the bag with a smile, "We are still installing the insulation board at the back. The fresh goods side will be finished tomorrow, and the shelves and containers for dry goods will be ready in another seven or eight days."

Li Changle followed him in and took a look around. He saw that there were still workers working in the backyard. "When will the warehouse be completed?"

"The master said it will be finished in the afternoon."

"Then go buy some ice this afternoon. We'll go back and fetch some fresh goods to store in the warehouse. We'll try it out for a few days. When the monsoon is over and the dry goods are almost ready, we'll pick a day to officially open for business."

"Okay, I'll go buy it this afternoon."

“Is the bamboo basket ready?”

"A Xi found a few people in the village to help weave bamboo baskets. They made about 600 to 700 bamboo baskets. Uncle Kun said that bamboo baskets are not strong, and plastic baskets are stronger, but they are more expensive than bamboo baskets."

"In the long run, plastic baskets are more cost-effective. They are also better for storing ice cubes than bamboo baskets. Go ask about the price. We can buy them together. If the quantity is large, the price should be cheaper."

"I'll go ask the master when he takes his lunch break."

Li Changle nodded. "Brother-in-law, if we start the construction of the warehouse I told you about last time now, how long will it take to be completed?"

Zhang Dejin calculated, "If I buy all the purlins and rafters at the lumber mill and have them processed, I can hire two more craftsmen and it will be finished in half a month."

"Then buy it at the lumberyard. Find someone to start the work, and I'll buy the blower when I get back."

"I'll go back and find someone to deliver the bricks and tiles to Nanshan Ao tomorrow."

Li Changle looked at Zhang Dejin, who had become much darker and thinner, and said gratefully, "Thank you for your trouble, brother-in-law."

"Be polite to me!"

Li Changle said goodbye to Zhang Dejin and returned to Shatou Village. When he arrived at the Lord's Palace, he saw Xiang Xiaoyu walking in front of him with a bucket. "Ayu, the tide hasn't receded yet, what are you doing with the bucket?"

Xiang Xiaoyu turned around and saw that it was him, and greeted him happily, "Uncle A Le, are you still going out to sea?"

"Yes!" Li Changle rubbed his messy hair, "It's time to get a haircut. Cut your hair shorter so you look energetic. A good spirit will bring good luck."

"Yeah!" Xiang Xiaoyu looked at him with a smile in her eyes. "Laili Guang is not at home. I'll go and take care of it when he comes back."

Li Changle nodded, "We just harvested the late rice. Have you eaten the new rice yet?"

Xiang Xiaoyu shook his head, "My father owed them money and he used the grain to pay the interest." Then he smiled at him and said, "It's okay. I can pay off the money after I finish this month, and I won't owe them any money in the future."

"Ayu is a great guy!" Li Changle couldn't help but give him another slap. "How much does your family owe them now?"

"I used grain to pay the interest, and now I still owe my uncle's family 300 yuan."

"How much interest do you owe? How much rice can your family harvest?"

“The money I earned has paid off the interest of previous years and the principal of 200 yuan. The remaining 300 yuan is 108 yuan in interest per year.

After my parents passed away, my family's land was given to my uncle to cultivate. They paid agricultural taxes and head taxes and provided us with food rations every year.

My uncle used to give me money. This year, my aunt said they wanted to install a diesel engine and the family didn’t have enough money, so they didn’t give me rice this season. We sold the rice to pay the interest.”

Li Changle held his thin shoulders and said in a tone that could not be refused: "I'll give you the 300 yuan you owe me first. When I come back from the sea, I'll sell you a set of second-hand ground cage nets, and you can pay me back in installments."

"Thank you, Uncle A-Le!" Xiang Xiaoyu lowered his head and wiped his face, then looked up and said, "I will earn money and pay it back to you soon."

"Don't worry! When the weather gets cold, the catch in the jars and traps will only get smaller and smaller. I'll lend you another two hundred dollars. Go to the dock and collect some mantis shrimp or prawns, then dry the shrimp meat and sell them to me."

Li Changle then added, "In addition to dried shrimps and shrimp meat, you can also dry other things. If you don't know how, ask Grandpa to teach you. Do you have a bamboo rack or drying rack at home?"

"No! I'll go cut some bamboo to build it." Xiang Xiaoyu thought about it and said, "Uncle A Le, I'll dry it."

"I believe it. After these two busy days, I'll ask Ah Xiao to help you." Li Changle paused, "I'm going out to sea soon, I'll ask Teacher Zhou to send the money to you.

Before you return it to them, remember to call Old Man Xiang and have him go with you to your uncle's house to explain the matter of using grain to pay the interest, so as to avoid trouble in the future."

"Thank you, Uncle Ale." Xiang Xiaoyu picked up the bucket, "I caught some jumping fish this morning and brought them to you to eat."

"You little brat!" Li Changle looked at the fish in the bucket and felt a warm feeling in his heart. "You can sell these first, and then bring them to me when your uncle comes back from the sea." "Teacher Zhou, grandpa and grandma can also eat them." Xiang Xiaoyu hung the bucket on the faucet of the car, turned around and ran.

Li Changle watched Xiang Xiaoyu run away, took down the bucket and put it in the backpack, then rode his bike back to Nanshan and saw Brother Li packing up his fishing gear for going out to sea.

In the dam in front of the construction site, Li's mother, two sisters-in-law and a few other women were drying dried fish.

"Brother, are Awei and Acheng here?"

"Here they are. Ajie is here too. They are all going to the beach to help pick the fish." Brother Li said as he stepped forward. "I heard on the radio that it's going to be windy again. We have to go and come back quickly this time."

"That's what I was planning as well." Li Changle took out the bucket, took out a bundle of fishing line, and picked up a heavy sack. "Call my second brother and Awei back. We'll divide the things and set off."

Brother Li looked at the craftsmen and laborers working in the back, followed him into the house, pointed at the sack and whispered, "Is this what you use to store the money?"

Li Changle patted the sack and smiled at him proudly, "I think it's good to put it in a sack. Those three hands can't think of it even if they rack their brains. I'll put the money here."

"Money in a sack!" Brother Li smiled and shook his head, thinking that his third brother was the only one in the entire Pan Town who would put more than 20,000 yuan in a sack.

When he went out, he looked back again and pondered the words "filling the sack with money" in his mind again. Suddenly, he felt that this method of filling the money was quite profitable.

Li Changle took out the more than 41 yuan he got last night, added it to the more than 34513 yuan he got from the restaurant today, and the yuan he got from selling yellow crucian carp, totaling yuan.

Brother Li and his three friends each received 6902 yuan. After they counted the money, they heard the voices of Brother Li and his friends talking outside. He walked over and opened the door, "Brother, Awei, come in."

"coming."

The three followed him into the house. Li Changle pointed at the banknotes and bills on the cabinet and said, "Each of you will get 6902 yuan. Check the bill to see if it is correct. Then count it again to see if it is correct."

"Brother, if you're going to make a mistake, then I can do the same." Chen Yongwei picked up the sack and stuffed the money into it with a grin. "I'll take the money back and give it to my grandma, and then I'll wait for you at the dock!"

"Don't delay, set off at high tide!"

"okay!"

Brother Li and Brother Li put the money into the net bag and said, "Ah Le, have you figured out what to do on this trip?"

"When we went there, we started to cast the net in the waters of Zhushan Island, raised the net at Huzi Island, and pulled another net from Huzi Island to Turtle Island. We put away the traps and pots and returned at high tide."

"Okay, let's do as you say!" After saying this, Big Brother Li and Second Brother Li went home to put the money away.

Li Changle put the money away, locked the door and went out. He saw Wang Jie and A Cheng coming back. "A Jie, have you decided to follow the boat?"

"Yes!" Wang Jie nodded solemnly, "I, I will do my best!"

"Okay!" Li Changle looked at Wang Xincheng, "Take Ajie and deliver the fishing gear to the dock."

"Yes!" Wang Jie looked at Wang Xincheng happily and pushed the tricycle out.

Li Changle brought the jumping fish into the kitchen and saw her mother packing cakes for them. "Mother, these fish were given by Yu. Remember to cook them."

"When you come back, I'll buy some tofu and stew it for you." Mother Li handed him the bamboo basket and said, "There are square cakes in it. You can steam them and eat them when you're hungry."

"Well! When An Nan comes back from get off work, ask her to send 500 yuan to A Yu's house..."

"A Le!" Li's mother frowned and interrupted him, "I know that A Yu is a good and sensible child, but no matter how sensible a child is, he can't do without his parents to supervise him! You lent him so much money, what if he can't pay it back?"

"I believe he is not that kind of person."

Li Changle repeated what Ah Yu had told her, "Mother, I lent him the money to pay back the principal, and then the Xiangs will have to give him this year's food rations, so that the two brothers will have an easier time after the weather gets cold.

Also, tell Ah Xiao to go to his house and help him build a few racks when he is free, and teach him how to make a drying rack."

"Alas!" Li's mother sighed and shook her head. "People are all made of flesh and blood. How can Xiang Da and his wife be so hard-hearted towards their nephew?"

"Some people have sharp tongues but a soft heart, while others have soft tongues but sharp hearts." Li Changle said, picking up the bamboo basket. "Mother, we are leaving. Don't pick us up at the dock tonight."

"Okay, everything is fine." Li's mother followed him out. Li's father and Li's eldest and second sisters-in-law also came back. They sent the three of them to the intersection before going back.

Father Li looked back at the three brothers who were walking in a hurry. "You two are disobedient. It would have been better if you had listened to me and put away the traps earlier. Now you have to make another trip. The round trip diesel money will be quite a lot."

Mother Li rolled her eyes at him and said, "You old man, if you say that, they are only concerned with making money and don't care about your life or death, then they are obedient and filial?"

"That's not what I meant. I just feel sorry for them running around!"

"Then why do you say they don't listen to you?"

"I won't talk to you. I'm going to go pick some mantis shrimps." Father Li said and walked towards the beach. Mother Li glared at his back and said, "You old man."

(End of this chapter)