The Era of Hard Work

Carrying a handbag and a bucket, Lu Dong asked the price in several places along the way, and then found a bunk that he thought was good last time, and greeted the short man in his thirties with a smile: Brother Niu, I'm here again .”

This bunk is like a grocery seller, from pork offal and mutton haggis, to silkworm chrysalis, golden cicada and Shanshui cattle.

Brother Niu saw that Lu Dong's face was familiar, and the slightly immature and honest face reminded him, and asked, Is there really something in stock?

Lu Dong put down the bucket, opened the lid, and there were cicada monkeys everywhere: What's the price today?

Brother Niu stooped down to pick up a handful, looked through them, brought it up to his nose and sniffed it, then threw it back into the bucket without any fuss: Fifteen yuan a catty, I want all of it.

Not one family has received monkeys in the market, and the prices are basically the same. Lu Dong is very happy: Okay!

Brother Niu found a plastic basket, weighed it first, let Lu Dong see it, put it on the big basin in front of the door, Lu Dong poured the cicada monkey into it, and the water flowed down, Brother Niu kept flipping it inside, seeing The blackened cicada monkey took it out and threw it away.

During this period of time, Brother Niu made several purchases, and one of them took away a bag of cicada monkeys and mountain cattle.

Obviously, he has big clients.

Lu Dong didn't speak, just waited patiently.

Drain the water, Brother Niu went to the scale, and Lu Dong was watching.

There are scales in the orchard. When I didn’t go this morning, my old lady weighed leeches and cicada monkeys.

Brother Niu has stable customers in several food stalls and barbecue streets in Quannan. Zhizhihou is relatively small, but has a group of enthusiasts. The size of his business has always been limited by the supply of goods.

He asked Lu Dong to come over and take a look: It's more than three catties and one tael, count as three catties and two taels for you!

Because there was water, some bad ones were picked out, and there were some discrepancies, which was normal. Lu Dong replied, Okay.

Brother Niu counted out 48 yuan and handed it to Lu Dong. Seeing that he was about to leave, he pointed to the empty water glass: Fill it up and go.

Lu Dong was also polite, took the kettle that brother Niu brought from the house, filled it with cold boiled water, and stuffed it into his bag: Thank you.

Brother Niu specifically asked, Are you coming tomorrow?

Lu Dong confirmed: Come, return this time.

Brother Niu raised his thumb: My child now knows that there are not many people who make money.

There is a special area for bicycles in the market, and there is a gatekeeper. In order to save 50 cents for the fare, Lu Dong didn't move the car at all, and walked to the nearby platform without much distance.

A few minutes later, he found the bus stop sign directly to the West Market. It was during the morning rush hour and there were many people on the platform.

There were leeches in Lu Dong's black bag, so he didn't squeeze into the crowd and stayed in a place where there were few people.

Don't worry, I'll be there in a while. A woman's voice was vaguely beside her: The manuscript will be revised when I arrive at the company.

Lu Dong turned his head and glanced. The woman was about twenty-five years old, with neat short hair, black-rimmed glasses, a red mole on her chin, a pink shirt and straight-leg pants, a handbag in one hand, and a handbag in the other. Cell phone call.

Many people around are looking at her, not because she is beautiful, but because of her mobile phone.

Even in 1998, people with mobile phones were still a minority among the minority.

Either rich, or the unit is special.

Mobile phone plus Internet access fee, many people's annual income.

Taking a glance, Lu Dong turned around and saw that the extended bus had arrived.

In this era, Sennan has popularized unmanned ticket vehicles.

Taking out the fifty cents he had prepared, Lu Dong walked towards the front door, but because he didn't want to push hard, he fell behind.

Seeing that it was impossible to get a seat, he slowly moved forward with the crowd.

In the morning rush hour, if you want to grab a seat on the bus, you really have to fight your way out.

After getting on the bus, it was also crowded, and the standing people lined up near the front door.

Lu Dong looked back, he was the third from the bottom, and the short-haired woman who just called on the cell phone was at the end.

The bus is very crowded, especially if there are people standing near the front door, they have to squeeze past to go to the back.

Lu Dong was holding a black bag and five cents. He had just stepped into the car when he spotted a short man in his twenties among the people standing in front of him. Squeeze, hand falls on a satchel.

It's a pickpocket!

In this era of crackdown, there are quite a lot of pickpockets on the bus, and they are often not alone.

Lu Dong hurriedly looked away to avoid the pickpocket noticing.

He is not the Virgin, not stupid enough to call for the thief.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Lu Dong stupidly asked the driver in Qingzhao's accent: Master, this bus can't reach the West Market!

The sound was so loud that many people turned their heads to look over.

The short man withdrew his hand and looked towards Lu Dong. Seeing that his face was muddy and his clothes were discolored, he turned his gaze back like a fool from the countryside.

The terminal is here. The driver reminded: You go to the end and pay attention to the station!

Thank you! Lu Dong hurriedly thanked him, put money into the car, and went straight to the back of the car as if he had never seen the pickpocket.

But he remembered the appearance of the pickpocket, and he would be able to guard against it when he encountered it in the car in the future.

The bus was very long, and when I went to the rear compartment, I put my bag in front of my trouser pocket, and there were more than forty yuan in it.

Lu Dong glanced back, the short-haired woman also came to the back half of the car, the pickpocket didn't seem to move, and secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

These days, thieves really dare to use knives. Good people and good deeds must be done within their means, and they must pay attention to methods and methods.

No matter how skilled you are, you are still afraid of kitchen knives.

What's more, he only knows how to punch eight punches.

When the car arrived at the Central Hospital, the pickpocket got out of the car after several people. Lu Dong specially looked out of the car for a while, and the pickpocket walked with a man with a crew cut who got out of the car, obviously in the same group.

The number of people in the car gradually decreased, and Lu Dong sat down on the seat, thinking about making money, and was in a daze.

We were approaching the West Market, and there were not many people on the bus. The short-haired woman reminded Lu Dong, Young man, the next stop is the West Market.

This person obviously heard what Lu Dong said to the driver when he got into the car.

Lu Dong came back to his senses, smiled and said, Thank you.

There are still many good people.

After getting off the car, Lu Dong went straight to the north gate of the medicinal materials market without wasting time, and saw the middle-aged man.

The other party was settling accounts, and Lu Dong waited for him to rest before politely saying, Hello, I am...

The middle-aged man looked up, recognized him, and interrupted directly: Is there a leech?

Lu Dong swiftly opened the bag and took out the convenience bag. Dozens of molluscs wriggled back and forth.

The middle-aged man glanced at him and shouted casually: Xiao Wang, go and weigh him, eight yuan a catty, and put it in the back basin.

A fat guy came over and greeted Lu Dong: Follow me.

Lu Dong handed the convenience bag to the fat guy, and followed him to the electronic scale.

The fat guy squeezed two handfuls through the convenience bag to make sure there wasn't much water, and put it directly on the scale.

More than seventy leeches, totaling three and a half catties, gave Lu Dong 28 yuan.

Lu Dong took the money after greeting him, pretended to be the money and went out.

The middle-aged man didn't look at him again. Lu Dong was self-aware. Compared to such a big store, it could only be regarded as a trivial business.

Today's trip, knowing monkeys and leeches, earned a total of 76 yuan.

In terms of daily salary, this era belongs to high income.

The main reason is that cicada monkeys and leeches are caught less, and the price is also low.

Passing by the small commodity market, Lu Dong bought dry batteries and ten rolls of wide tape at wholesale prices, which cost 27 yuan.

Back in the East Outer Ring Road, I bought a meat fire at a roadside stall for another 50 cents. It tasted really delicious, mainly because I was hungry.

Tossing back and forth, my stomach is empty, I don’t eat, I can’t bear it anymore.

After eating a fire and drinking half a glass of water, Lu Dong picked up his bicycle and headed back under the 11:00 sun, stopping by the river to collect four bait nests.

Fortunately, four bundles of straw smeared with chicken blood yielded nearly forty large leeches.

After returning to the orchard and resting for a while, Lu Dong wrapped tape around the fruit trees, and Hu Chunlan also came to help after taking a nap.

Born in the countryside and raised in the countryside, this is not a job.

Lu Dong also mentioned the harvest this time, and Hu Chunlan would not give money.

Don't waste your money! Hu Chunlan has seen young people who have gone astray because of looking for money, and this society has become more and more realistic: You can't do without money, and little girls don't care.

Lu Dong didn't answer this topic, and continued to work hard.

The two of them worked for most of the afternoon to finish. When the sun was westward, Lu Dong took the fishing net and water bag to the river.

He owes Lu Lanlan fish to Uncle Tie's family, and he will use chicken blood in the future, so he can't use it in vain.

Lu Dong came to the Triangle Dam again.

The tide of fish brought by the flood discharge of the reservoir has dissipated, and the big fish are scattered in the river. The first net is only a palm-sized Gaya, not even a leech.

Putting the fish away, Lu Dong changed the place and continued to cast the net, but the big fish never disappeared, only a few leeches and crucian carp were harvested.

When the fifth net was cast, a grass carp weighing half a catty was finally caught.

Returning to the dam, Lu Dong harvested the fish and then cast them into the net. After changing his previous bad luck, a large catfish weighing three and a half catties was dragged up.

It must have come down from the reservoir. The Lujiacun section often cuts off the flow during the dry season, and occasionally the water will dry up. It can't grow so big at all.

In the next two hours, Lu Dong caught some Gaya and catfish, both of which were average in size, and the largest of the latter was only more than a catty.

After a short meeting, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl came over from the chicken farm, climbed up the embankment, and shouted at Lu Dong, Brother Dong! I'm here!

Lu Lanlan took a hard cigarette case, squeezed out melon seeds and threw them into her mouth, they were very tasty.

When she came to the triangular dam, she handed the cigarette case to Lu Dong: Brother Dong, eat melon seeds.

Go ahead and eat. Lu Dong dragged the water bag and asked her to come over and look at it: The big fish are grass carp and catfish, and the other bag has some squid. Lan Lan, you can pick whatever you want.

Lu Lanlan has known Lu Dong since she was a child, and she is not polite: Is catfish okay? My dad killed one last time, and it weighed five catties. It was delicious!

Lu Dong stared at the sky speechlessly, thinking of the catfish in Uncle Tie's chicken manure pond, ninety-nine percent of the time he was talking to Lan Lan was the one.

Feed your daughter chicken manure to feed big catfish, Uncle Tie, are you Lan Lan's real father?

Thinking of that catfish, Lu Dong felt that he would not be able to eat catfish in the future.

Now he finally understands why the catfish fell from the altar.

When Lu Dong came to Lalayang, he wanted to take the biggest catfish.

Small ones are fine. Lu Lanlan hastily stopped her: Just the small ones.

Lu Dong didn't take the smallest one, so he grabbed a catfish weighing more than a catty, pierced his mouth with lala seedlings, handed it to Lu Lanlan, and specially told: Lan Lan, let your mother kill and stew it when you get back, don't let your father keep it. .”

Understood. Lu Lanlan ate up the melon seeds, threw the cigarette case on the shore, took the fish, and asked, Brother Dong, have you gone to the city today?.

Lu Dong said vaguely, I went there.

Lu Lanlan shook the catfish: I also want to go to the city to play, but my father is not willing, saying that there are many bad people in the city.

Thinking of the pickpockets he saw today, Lu Dong said, There are a lot of bad guys.

Lu Lanlan suddenly remembered, and called out: I'm going first, go back and let my mother cook fish.

The little girl ran down the bank in a hurry.

Lu Dong looked at the sky, didn't rush to go back, and continued to get off the net.

At the same time, I was thinking about a question.

These days, things are somewhat chaotic, including rural cities. In the future, he may often take the bus, and there is a high chance of encountering pickpockets.

The small business he did was all in cash, and if he was targeted by pickpockets, he might just rob him if he couldn't steal it.

Do you want to get a knife or something for self-defense? Lu Dong immediately shook his head, how can a good person use a knife, now they are being severely cracked down, and if something happens, they won't be able to tell.