Reborn in the 1980s, starting with fishing and hunting to build a fortune

Chapter 114 Gift Giving

"Five dollars...?"

Liu Quansheng was a little surprised, and rubbed his ears, thinking he had misheard.

This weasel pelt can actually sell for five yuan, while the two ewes on the ground that I've raised for several months only sold for twenty-something yuan, and that doesn't even include the ranch rent and the cost of fodder.

"Yes, it's five yuan." Li Xiangyang held up five fingers, gesturing confidently.

I got an extra five yuan for no reason.

"Okay, okay, five yuan it is, you said it!" Liu Quansheng's face lit up with joy, and he immediately agreed. Afraid that Li Xiangyang would change his mind, he added, "You can't go back on your word! Don't come back and ask me for a refund when you can't sell it for that price at the recycling station."

"Fine, I'll accept whatever loss or gain is my own responsibility. I won't come after you again; there's no such rule on the grasslands, is there?"

Li Xiangyang was almost amused, finding Liu Quansheng quite interesting.

It seems that reading more books and broadening one's horizons is indeed useful; at least one won't be sold out one day and still be happily counting money for the other party.

Of course, Liu Quansheng originally intended to throw it away. Whether it was a sable or a weasel, if Li Xiangyang hadn't discovered it, he wouldn't have gotten a single penny.

It's not a loss.

Moreover, Li Xiangyang was giving him straw, so he was considered a benefactor. He sold Li Xiangyang a sable cheaply as a way of repaying the favor.

In the end, Li Xiangyang gave Liu Quansheng a total of fifty-nine yuan for the two sheep and the sable.

If you convert the amount to three cents per pound of straw, that's 1,966 pounds.

Having acquired a sable, Li Xiangyang was in a good mood and readily gave Liu Quansheng two thousand catties of straw.

The deal was struck, and the ranch was saved.

Liu Quansheng was deeply moved, gripping Li Xiangyang's hands tightly and shaking them frantically, his eyes reddening.

"Thank you, Xiangyang. With these two thousand catties of straw, my ranch can finally be saved."

These days, he is exhausted and can't eat or sleep well. He watches helplessly as the fodder runs out.

People had become somewhat numb, thinking the ranch was going to close down.

Several times he even considered—but he couldn't bear to leave his wife, and he was tormented by his own feelings.

That's why he killed Wong Tai Sin in a fit of anger!

But now things are much better. With these two thousand catties of straw, it will be enough for his remaining six sheep to eat for more than two months. In addition, with the hay reserves on his pasture, it should be no problem to make it through the spring when the snow melts by tomorrow.

After leaving Liu Quansheng's house, Li Xiangyang went to a herdsman's house not far from his home, bought a sheep, and then set off home as it was getting dark.

I made 346.5 yuan selling sheep and chickens at the state-run restaurant this morning. After deducting 40 yuan for the sewing machine ticket and 140 yuan for the sewing machine, I have 166.5 yuan left.

With the 857.9 yuan left at home from last time, we'll be a true thousand-yuan household.

If I sell the three sheep and the sable pelt I have tomorrow, I'll be close to two thousand yuan. My next step is to become a ten-thousand-yuan household.

Just thinking about it makes me happy, and my steps become lighter without me even realizing it.

Before going home, Li Xiangyang even took two frozen sheep to the brigade to ask Chen Guodong to help him sell the two sheep from his family's ranch.

According to the rules, the brigade should go to his family's ranch to count the sheep, but his relationship with Chen Guodong now allows him to skip this step. Chen Guodong simply glanced at the two sheep in the sack and told the team accountant to remove them from the list.

When Li Xiangyang returned to the Li family home after finishing all this, it was already past 3 p.m., and the Li family was preparing to eat.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I heard the smooth and steady hum of a sewing machine coming from the middle room: "Is this crazy? They bought a sewing machine and they're not even eating. They're still making clothes at this hour."

Li Xiangyang shook his head, pushed open the door, and went inside.

As soon as I entered, I saw Zhao Lijuan operating a sewing machine with a smile on her face, surrounded by neighbors who had come to watch.

Zhang Wei and Zhang Lei's mother, Aunt Zhang, Liu Guifang, Chen Guodong's wife, Aunt Zhou Chunmei, and Sun Caimi's second wife were all present.

Three women make a drama, and everyone was chattering away, not even noticing Li Xiangyang walk in.

"Oh, Lijuan, I really envy you. With this sewing machine, it will be so much easier for you to make clothes in the future."

Aunt Zhang said with an envious look.

"With just a few quick flicks of the fan, the front panel is sewn up in no time. It's really fast!" Zhou Chunxia's eyes lit up as she watched. Then she asked Sun Caimi's daughter-in-law, "By the way, Sun's wife, I heard your family bought one last year. Is it the same one? I've never seen it before."

"Pretty much, pretty much. It's just that mine is a loose powder brand from Shanghai Dongfeng Factory, which is a bit cheaper than Sister Lijuan's Flying Man brand, but it has fewer functions."

The granddaughter-in-law smiled awkwardly.

His family used to be the envy of the whole team, but somehow, now it's suddenly become the Li family's. Whether it's the radio or the sewing machine, they surpass his family in everything.

All that's missing is the bicycle.

"Oh my, how much did Lijuan's family spend on this sewing machine? It's more expensive than the Sun family's!" Aunt Zhang immediately became curious.

She had heard people say that Sun Caimi's family spent over 120 yuan just on that sewing machine, not including the sewing machine's airfare. If the airfare were included, it would cost at least 150 yuan.

The sewing machine in the Li family's house is even more expensive than theirs, it must cost more than two hundred. The Li family... is really rich.

"Hey, it didn't cost much..." Zhao Lijuan was about to say when she heard someone cough behind her. She turned around and saw that Li Xiangyang had returned.

He immediately stood up and said, "Xiangyang, you're back."

Everyone else turned to look at Li Xiangyang. They all knew that Li Xiangyang had bought the sewing machine, and their eyes were filled with admiration for him.

Only Liu Guifang deliberately avoided looking at Li Xiangyang, lowering her head and blushing as she looked at her feet.

She didn't know how to face Li Xiangyang now.

"Xiangyang's back! Come and eat!" Wang Guiying came in from the kitchen with a fish soup in her hand, all smiles. She said politely, "I made some fish soup, everyone come and have some."

"No, no, you guys go ahead and eat. It's getting late, we should head back too."

Zhou Chunmei started the conversation, and the others followed suit, saying their goodbyes one after another.

These days, nobody's well-off. They're not relatives or friends, and there aren't many holidays, so how could they possibly stay for a meal?

However, the food at the Li family's house was indeed delicious. Just as they were gathered around the middle room watching Zhao Lijuan sew clothes, they could smell the aromas of fish soup, chicken, and white rice.

The steam coming out of the kitchen was covered in oil and water, making one's mouth water just from the smell.

"Dad, come on, let me fill your glass." Li Xiangyang was about to reach for the bottle of Ningcheng Laojiao that he had given to Li Zhenshan at noon when Li Zhenshan tapped his hand with his copper pipe, causing him to pull his hand back.

"What's there to drink?" Li Zhenshan said indifferently. "This wine is expensive, it would be a waste for me to drink it. Your mother and I have already discussed it, and when Xiulan comes home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, we'll bring some for your father."

"Um...isn't that unnecessary? This was bought especially to show my respect to you." Li Xiangyang smiled wryly.

But he also knew that these days, people here still value face a lot. If they have something valuable, they don't think about keeping it for themselves, but rather about giving it away as a gift during holidays.

That's how you save face.

"Then let's drink some deer blood wine instead." Li Xiangyang got up with a grin and went to the kitchen to get the deer blood wine.

Compared to baijiu (Chinese liquor), he preferred beer from later generations, especially in the sweltering summer. After a long day of work, when he was covered in sweat, a bottle of ice-cold beer was the perfect treat.

However, beer is not yet available in the market in eastern Inner Mongolia; it is estimated that it will not appear for several years.

His only comment on baijiu (Chinese liquor) was that it burned his throat.

Just as he and Li Zhenshan were getting into a good time drinking, the courtyard gate rang.

When he opened the door, he saw the herdsman who had sold him a frozen sheep yesterday. Zhao Jinzhu had come looking for him, and it seemed that he had brought two other people with him.

What are they planning to do so late at night?

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