Siheyuan: Banggeng and I are classmates

Summer goes and autumn comes, and another year of biting north winds comes.

Li Muhua and a few others struggled to tie up Dazhuang and Xiaozhuang tightly and put them on the ox cart.

After bidding farewell to the three female comrades, they drove the ox cart towards the food station.

Dazhuang and Xiaozhuang seemed to know their fate. They lay on the cart, groaning, twisting and struggling.

Hu Lai sat at the front of the cart, driving the oxen with a whip.

The space on the cart was too small, and there was no place for people to sit after putting down the two pigs, so Zhao Quan and Li Muhua could only follow behind the cart.

Private slaughter of pigs is not allowed, so the three of them went to the food station to sell the pigs.

Hu Lai's job as a breeder was indeed not for nothing. Every time he herded the cattle, he would cut some pig grass and hide it, and then get it back after work. He raised both pigs to be fat and strong.

"I estimate that these two pigs weigh at least 250 kilograms. It won't be difficult to sell them for 100 yuan. We finally made money this year!"

Zhao Quan shook his head and said, "I spent 28 yuan to buy the piglets, and the remaining 72 yuan was divided among the six of us, so each person only got 12 yuan."

"I estimate that this year's labor value will be slightly higher than last year, but not much higher. At least I will have to put in a dozen yuan."

"After adding in the daily expenses, we not only worked for a year in vain, but also lost 30 or 40 yuan!"

Seeing Zhao Quan's low spirits, Li Muhua encouraged him: "It's good enough if we can do this in the second year. We will definitely make money next year and next year if we work harder!"

Zhao Quan shook his head and disagreed with Li Muhua's statement.

"It's hard to make money. We only have to pay 30 or 40 yuan this year. We are lucky that one of our two pigs survived. If we want to make more money, we can only sell eggs to save food and pay less food tax at the end of the year."

Without waiting for Li Muhua to comfort him, Hu Lai turned back and said reluctantly: "What do you mean by lucky that the pig didn't die? It's obviously because I raised it well."

"Okay, okay, you're almost raising Da Zhuang and Xiao Zhuang as your own sons, how can it not be okay?"

Li Muhua joked that he had often seen Hu Lai take corn out of his pocket to feed the pigs. These were all feed grains that he had withheld from the farm. It was because of his overt and covert tricks that he was able to raise these two pigs so big.

"Hey, what are you talking about!"

Hu Lai turned back reluctantly and looked at Li Muhua and complained: "My son is my son, and I am the one who takes care of him, but we have to share the money from selling the pigs."

"Well, I am the one who is not a human being in every way, and I have to bear all the losses!"

Seeing Hu Lai complaining about this, Li Muhua smiled and said, "Why are you losing money? You should eat meat today. After we sell the pigs, we will go to the next door to buy meat as soon as we get the money and notes."

"Let's not talk about anything else. When we get home tonight, I'll cook four or five meat dishes for the New Year. How about letting you start eating first?"

Hu Lai looked at the fat pig reluctantly, turned his head and said, "This is better. I'll make the stir-fried pork you mentioned last time. In the middle of winter..."

Seeing Hu Lai wipe his saliva, Li Muhua nodded and agreed, "Okay, I'll buy the meat today and cook it however you say."

"That's pretty much it!"

Hu Lai responded in a hypocritical manner. In order to sell his son for everyone, he became the highest-ranking official in the educated youth point today.

Li Muhua felt deeply moved as he looked at Hu Lai. He had not expected that the little fat boy on the train could actually endure so much hardship.

The job of a breeder seems easy. Usually, you see them letting the cattle out to eat grass and feeding them feed.

When it comes to cleaning the cowshed, making compost, delivering babies, etc., none of these jobs are easy, they are all dirty and tiring.

Thinking of his changes before and after, Li Muhua felt that his stay here was not in vain and he was still of some use.

When they arrived at the entrance of the food station, they lifted Da Zhuang onto the scale and the three of them looked at the inspector nervously. The inspector was a man in his fifties. He looked around Da Zhuang with a shrewd look, then touched his back and pinched his belly.

“130斤，6级猪，白肉94斤，60块1毛8。”

Hearing that Da Zhuang was only a level 6 pig, Hu Lai rushed over and shouted, "Are you mistaken? I'm a breeder. Can I raise a level pig? Take another look, take another look."

After hearing this, the inspector looked at Da Zhuang again, shook his head and said, "Not a single word will be changed. If you don't believe me, we'll kill you tomorrow morning."

"Next!"

Helplessly, the three men could only lift Xiao Zhuang onto the scale again.

"128 jin, 6..."

In the end, the three of them took nearly 120 yuan and 6 kilograms of meat coupons, turned around and walked into the supply company, cut two thick slices of pork, and let Hu Lai hold one in each hand.

Seeing Hu Lai grinning from ear to ear, Li Muhua walked to the counter. The shelves were still empty, so she could only buy some oil, salt, vinegar and soy sauce.

On the way back home, Zhao Quan drove the ox cart, and Li Muhua and Hu Lai sat in the cart.

Thinking that it was almost the end of the year, Li Muhua asked the two people, "Are you going home for the New Year this year?"

Hu Lai looked at the pork with great joy, then shook his head and said, "I won't go back. The round trip fare is more than fifty yuan, which is more valuable than the Da Zhuang I have raised for a year. I can't bear to spend two days on the train with it."

Zhao Quan in front also shook his head.

Seeing that both of them said they didn't want to go back, and it was still about money, Li Muhua suggested: "Last year I saw people hopping on trains, and some even hid in coal trucks to return to the city."

Hu Lai shook his head.

"Forget it. It's pointless to go back and forth like this. We have chickens, ducks, and meat here. It's not worse than at home. When you and Zhou Ru leave, the four of us will have a feast and enjoy the New Year. I don't know how comfortable our lives will be."

After hearing this, Li Muhua stopped trying to persuade him, and instead scolded him with a smile, "Hey, this is a loss for Zhou Ru and me!"

"When we pay for the chickens and ducks, we get our share, but when we eat them, we don't even get a hair on them. Well, next year I won't pay for the chickens and ducks."

Seeing that Li Muhua was fussing over money, Hu Lai shouted anxiously, "Don't worry, next year you can spend less money on chickens, or you can eat more eggs, which are nutritious. If we don't buy chickens, where will you get eggs to eat?"

Li Muhua was deliberately trying to tease him, and was about to say that he could buy eggs when Zhao Quan, the driver, interrupted with a smile, "Don't worry, Muhua is not that kind of person."

"Let's not talk about anything else. Just the canned food we got from them in the second half of the year, as well as the cakes and candies, and the braised pork and dried meat they sent us some time ago, which one is not more expensive than the money we spent on buying a chicken?"

"So don't worry, he's just teasing you when he says this!"

Li Muhua shook her head and said, "Not necessarily. My family paid for all those things. I had to pay for the chickens myself. I'm not as open with you as my parents are with their son and daughter-in-law."

After hearing this, Hu Lai stopped talking about money and instead said with a sour look, "Hey, hey, have you got the marriage certificate yet?"

"You're not even ashamed to call me daughter-in-law before I even open the door."

Li Muhua didn't care and said calmly: "Why rush? Aren't we going to meet our parents when we go back this time?"

"We'll get engaged first, and then we'll get the marriage certificate next year."

Hu Lai was stunned after hearing this, and he looked at Zhao Quan and asked tentatively: "Are you going to be transferred back, or move out of our educated youth camp with Zhou Ru?"

Li Muhua thought for a moment and answered: "I don't think I'll be transferred back. If I move out——"

Hesitantly said: "Probably not."

After hearing what Li Muhua said, Hu Lai felt relieved and murmured, "That's good, that's good. Without you, how can we live?"

Li Muhua ignored Hu Lai's crying and started thinking about her own marriage, which she felt was a bit too rushed.

He and Zhou Ru are getting along very well now, and they are very much in love. In his heart, he agrees with the idea of ​​getting married.

But they are both young people who have gone to the countryside now, and they will have to go to college in the future, so they cannot have children at all.

If they continued to live in the educated youth camp after marriage, Li Muhua felt that the marriage would be meaningless and like a joke, so it would be better not to rush into it.

But Zhou Ru meant that it was better to do it sooner rather than later. After hearing her secretly mention it several times, Li Muhua had no choice but to go along with her wishes.