Chapter 31 p1
The next morning, just as the sky was turning light, before the roosters in the village had even crowed, Xu Qingyan came to knock on the door.
Lu Ze was not one to lie in bed, but he had cleaned the house from top to bottom last night. He was both cold and tired, and he didn’t go to sleep until midnight, so he couldn’t get up in the morning.
Hearing the crisp sound outside, Lu Ze closed his eyes, and after gathering his spirits, he called out, “Coming.”
Outside, the wind was cold and fierce. As soon as he got out of the blanket, it was bone-chillingly cold. Lu Ze’s face was expressionless, but he added another pair of pants inside his outer pants. It was a good thing that this body was tall and had long legs, so he didn’t look bloated.
777 watched this scene and secretly laughed in his heart.
There was still some hot water from yesterday in the thermos. Lu Ze made do with it, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. He didn’t make Xu Qingyan wait long outside and went out with his money.
Outside the door, Xu Qingyan had originally thought he would have to wait for him to dawdle for a long time, but he didn’t expect him to be quite neat. He was carrying a large bag and, in the hazy morning light, looked at Lu Ze. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “You’re only wearing this much. It’ll be cold on the road.”
Lu Ze looked at the young man in front of him. Not to mention the bottom, just the top was three layers inside and three layers outside, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded jacket, which made his originally thin figure look plump.
Lu Ze felt that he was dressed okay and was not very cold.
Xu Qingyan pursed his lips and said, “It’s cold when the tractor is running, and there’s also wind in the early morning. You should at least wear a scarf and a hat.”
Seeing his insistence, Lu Ze was silent for a moment and then compromised and went back into the house. He rummaged through the boxes and cabinets and found the scarf that Mother Lu had left behind and Father Lu’s hat, and wrapped himself in three more layers before going out.
Xu Qingyan was finally satisfied.
The gathering place was at the head of the village.
The village chief’s family was the only one in the village with a tractor. They would usually take the villagers along when they went to the market. Of course, it wasn’t for free. The villagers would either give some money or something, as it cost fuel for them to go back and forth, and it was not good to take advantage of them for free.
Xu Qingyan carried the bag all the way, and inside was the two-hundred-jin sheep.
Last night, the family had discussed for a long time how to dispose of this sheep. The most tempting method was to take it to the city to sell.
But then they thought that this was specially brought back by Lu Ze. If they turned around and sold it, it would not look good.
But if they kept it, they would feel sorry for it and would not be willing to eat it.
Xu Qingyan listened to them discuss and, after a long silence, said, “Lu Ze knows what our family’s situation is. Why do we have to pretend to be rich? I’ll take it to the city tomorrow to sell it, leave a few jin of mutton for Dad to supplement his body, and the rest of the money will be enough to make our next year much easier.”
Xu’s father was silent for a moment, and Xu’s mother sighed. “You’re right.”
But she still felt a little embarrassed.
How could they sell something that someone had given them?
If it weren’t for the family’s difficulties…
Sigh.
Two hundred jin was not a joke. Xu Qingyan was not old after all, and he was still growing. His movements were inevitably a little strained.
He had originally thought that since Lu Ze had brought the sheep back so easily, he could do it too, but in the end, he had overestimated himself.
Fortunately, Xu’s mother had sent the remaining baskets and various mountain products to the village entrance early in the morning, so Xu Qingyan didn’t have to worry about anything else.
Lu Ze watched him panting and walking for a long time. He finally couldn’t stand it anymore and reached out to take his bag. “Let me do it.”
Xu Qingyan wanted to refuse, but Lu Ze gestured forward. “What will you say if someone asks later?”
Xu Qingyan opened his mouth. Naturally, they were not the only two who were hitching a ride. The people around were all familiar villagers. If they asked what Xu Qingyan was carrying, Xu Qingyan would really have a hard time fooling them.
He took a step forward. “I’ll carry it with you.”
Lu Ze strode forward directly and said, “You should walk a little faster first.”
Lu Ze was over 1.8 meters tall, with long legs and big strides. It was indeed a bit difficult for Xu Qingyan to keep up with him. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but pout secretly. Although he was more grateful in his heart, he couldn’t help but feel a little shy and annoyed.
He would grow taller!
By the time the two of them arrived at the village entrance, most of the people had already arrived. Xu’s mother had already put the other things on the tractor, and there were also quite a few people sitting inside.
Lu Ze carried the bag up, and the people around couldn’t help but look at each other:
“Is this the Lu family’s kid?”
“It really is… he looks exactly like his father when he was young.”
“It’s so early in the morning. It’s rare to see him…”
The people around were not speaking loudly, but Lu Ze could naturally hear them. He looked up and called out to them one by one, “Uncle, Aunt.”
“Hey, hey.” Those people were obviously a little surprised. After looking at each other, someone tentatively asked, “Is the Lu family’s kid also going to the market?”
“Yes,” Lu Ze smiled. “I’m going to the city to have a look.”
“Oh, oh, good, good.” That person was a little embarrassed and didn’t know what to say. Someone else looked at the big bag behind him and asked curiously, “What’s in that big bag that the Lu family’s kid is carrying?”
They had seen that the things were not light. When he came up, there was even a thump.
Xu Qingyan, who was on the side, heard this and couldn’t help but lick his lips.
Lu Ze smiled and said lightly, “There’s nothing at home. I went up the mountain yesterday to try my luck and happened to run into a lone sheep. I thought I would take it to the city to sell today.”
“Aiyo!” a group of people exclaimed in unison. “A sheep is a rare thing! This one looks like it weighs over a hundred jin!”
Lu Ze said, “It’s not big. It’s probably a lost lamb, less than a hundred jin. I don’t know how to cook it at home, so I thought I would sell it to buy something else.”
“Hehe, yes, yes.” Although everyone was envious of his good luck, they were not familiar with him after all, so they couldn’t say anything more. They just thought that since it was the slack season for farming and there was nothing to do, they would let their own sons go up the mountain to have a look in the future. Not to mention a sheep, even a pheasant or a rabbit would be a meal of meat.
Xu Qingyan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He had never been good at dealing with these uncles and aunts. If he said something he shouldn’t have, it was inevitable that someone would be jealous.
While they were talking, everyone had arrived. The tractor started, and the rumbling sound was very loud.
Xu’s mother had come early and had saved them a good spot, at the front of the tractor, where there was something to block the wind, so it was not as strong.
Xu Qingyan moved closer to Lu Ze and whispered “thank you” in his ear.
The wind around was cold, and the warm breath in his ear was fleeting, but very obvious.
Lu Ze turned his head to meet Xu Qingyan’s face. The young man’s mouth and nose were covered by a scarf, leaving only his eyes exposed, which were black and bright, like the most brilliant obsidian, dazzling and splendid.
Lu Ze was stunned for a moment, then said it was nothing.
Before he could turn his head, a warm thing was suddenly stuffed into his hand. He looked down and saw that it was a freshly made oil pancake with some chopped green onions inside. It looked fragrant and crispy, the kind that would crumble in one bite.
The sound of the tractor was rumbling and very loud. Xu Qingyan could only lean close to his ear and say, “My mom made these pancakes this morning for us to eat on the road.”
He then took out a water cup from the bamboo basket on the side, which was wrapped tightly in a towel and was warm.
Xu Qingyan said, “There’s also water. Drink it while it’s hot.”
Lu Ze’s mood was a little complicated for a moment.
He knew about the Xu family’s situation. They probably saved a lot on food and drink. Yesterday, they had steamed a large pot of rice to entertain him. Today, they had made pancakes, and they had even used white flour.
Lu Ze took a bite and said, “Thank my aunt for me.”
Xu Qingyan took a bite and said in a small voice, “We should be the ones thanking you.”
He watched Lu Ze all the way. When he saw that he had finished one pancake, he stuffed another one into his hand. After eating three in a row, and seeing that Xu Qingyan was about to stuff another one, Lu Ze said helplessly, “I’m full.”
Xu’s mother had used very good ingredients. After two pancakes, he was warm and almost full.
Xu Qingyan then handed him the water. Lu Ze hesitated for a moment, then unscrewed the cap, opened his mouth without touching the bottle, and took a few sips.
Xu Qingyan naturally noticed his action, and his eyelashes lowered slightly, thinking to himself that he was a particular person.
After waiting for a while, he silently finished the pancake. He felt a little choked and held the bottle and asked Lu Ze, “Do you want some more?”
Seeing Lu Ze shake his head, he then brought it to his own lips and took a sip.
Lu Ze paused when he saw this, but he didn’t say anything.
The dirt road in the countryside was not easy to walk on. It was bumpy all the way, and it took nearly an hour to get to the city.
By this time, it was already bright, and the city also looked a little more lively.
Most people were going to the market, but Lu Ze had the village chief’s son drop them off in front of the state-run restaurant.
An ordinary family could not eat a whole sheep, and they did not have the conditions to kill and sell it on the spot. The best way was to sell it to a place like a restaurant.
Among them, the state-run restaurant was the richest.
