bookrandom Chapter 494 We must keep up with the previous chapter
Chapter 494 We must keep up with the previous chapter
The five of them finally made it down to the foot of the mountain and out of the Daqinggou area.
"Finally down the mountain!" Wang Ergou breathed a sigh of relief and patted the mud off his clothes.
Zhang Yong breathed a sigh of relief: "Thanks to you two brothers, otherwise we don't know how long we would have been trapped on the mountain."
"Don't mention it, we're from the same village. Hope to meet again someday."
After saying goodbye to the three, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou started their journey home.
On the way, Wang Ergou sighed, "Brother Xiangyang, yesterday's rain really came at the worst possible time."
"That's how the weather is in the mountains, unpredictable," Li Xiangyang replied calmly. "But the harvest this time was pretty good; I dug up several ginseng roots that are quite old. I should be able to get a good price selling them to Boss Liu when I get back."
As dusk approached, the two quickened their pace and returned to Xiaoliang Village before nightfall.
As soon as they entered the village, they saw Li Daqiang standing at the entrance, looking around. Seeing them return, he immediately rushed forward: "Xiangyang, Ergou, you're finally back! Everyone was so worried; the rain last night was so heavy!"
Wang Ergou patted Li Daqiang on the shoulder: "Don't worry, we found a cave to take shelter from the rain, we're fine."
Li Daqiang then noticed their disheveled appearance: "Let's go home quickly, everyone at home is worried sick."
Li Xiangyang nodded, said goodbye to Wang Ergou, and went straight home.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, Li Xiaoyun rushed out of the house: "Thank goodness, you're finally back! I was so worried about you last night with all that rain!"
She grabbed Li Xiangyang's hand and looked him up and down: "Are you alright? Why do you look so disheveled?"
Li Xiangyang smiled and reassured his wife, "Don't worry, I'm fine. I just got caught in a heavy rain on the mountain and took shelter in a cave. I only came down the mountain this morning."
"Come inside quickly, I'll boil some water for you to bathe and change into some clean clothes."
Li Xiaoyun pulled Li Xiangyang into the house, saying, "Wangchen just fell asleep. He was so worried about you, constantly asking when his father would be back."
Li Xiangyang felt a warmth in his heart and followed his wife into the house.
Li Xiaoyun quickly boiled water to prepare for a bath, saying as she worked, "You went to Daqinggou just to dig for ginseng? Is it worth taking such a big risk?"
Li Xiangyang took off his wet coat and carefully took out several ginseng roots from his backpack: "Look, this is quite a haul. This one is probably fifteen years old."
Li Xiaoyun glanced at the ginseng and shook her head: "Nothing more precious than your safety. Next time the weather is bad, don't force yourself; go down the mountain earlier."
Li Xiangyang nodded and whispered his promise, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Li Xiangyang felt completely refreshed.
Li Xiaoyun had already prepared a hot meal, and the aroma was irresistible.
"Eat it while it's hot. I made some chicken soup to warm you up." Li Xiaoyun ladled out a bowl of chicken soup and handed it to Li Xiangyang.
Li Xiangyang took the bowl, took a sip, and the steaming chicken soup slid down his throat, warming his entire body: "So delicious, so comforting."
Li Xiaoyun smiled as she watched him wolf down his food: "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."
Li Xiangyang nodded and continued eating.
……
The next morning, Li Xiangyang was awakened by the crowing of roosters.
He got out of bed quietly.
As dawn broke in the courtyard, Li Xiangyang took a deep breath of the fresh air and began to draw well water to wash up.
The cool water washed away the weariness from his face.
Just as he was wiping his face with a towel, he heard soft footsteps behind him.
"Up so early?" Li Xiaoyun rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked to his side.
Li Xiangyang smiled at his wife: "Yes, I've had enough sleep. I want to go check out the venue as soon as possible."
After breakfast, Li Xiangyang rode his bicycle to find Wang Ergou. The two of them rode their bicycles towards the threshing ground at the west end of the village.
With the help of the villagers, the two sheds have now been set up.
One shed, with wooden flooring and a few tables and chairs, served as a purchasing station; the other shed was used to store mountain products, with several rows of shelves inside.
"That's about it," Li Xiangyang said with satisfaction, looking at the completed purchasing station. "Tomorrow I'll go to the county town to sell yesterday's ginseng to Boss Liu and buy some necessities while I'm at it."
Wang Ergou nodded: "Then I'll go with you."
Li Xiangyang patted Wang Ergou on the shoulder: "Good brother, you've worked hard these past few days."
Wang Ergou smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing, this is our own business."
The next morning, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou drove their Jiefang brand truck to the county town.
Upon arriving in the county town, Li Xiangyang first drove to Boss Liu's purchasing shop.
"Oh, Brother Li is here!" Boss Liu greeted Li Xiangyang warmly as soon as he saw him. "I was worried you might have run into trouble in the mountains after yesterday's heavy rain!"
Li Xiangyang smiled and shook his head: "It was a bit dangerous, but we made it down the mountain safely at least."
He carefully took several wrapped ginseng roots from his bag and placed them on the table in front of Boss Liu: "Look at this haul."
Boss Liu opened the package, his eyes immediately lighting up: "Good heavens! This one's at least fifteen years old, the root is intact, and the quality is excellent!" He picked up the ginseng, examined it carefully, then gently flicked it with his finger to listen to the sound, before nodding in satisfaction: "These are all good, Brother Li, you've got incredible luck!"
Li Xiangyang smiled without saying a word, watching as Boss Liu finished inspecting all the ginseng.
“I’ll take all of these, at the highest price,” Mr. Liu said readily. “That’ll be one hundred and eighty-seven yuan in total.”
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Brother Liu is always fair."
Boss Liu took out some money, counting it as he spoke, "Brother Li, I heard you've set up a purchasing station at the west end of the village?"
“Yes,” Li Xiangyang said, taking the money, “I want to expand the scale and buy more mountain products.”
Mr. Liu's eyes lit up: "Great! I've had some new developments lately. People from higher up came and said they're going to regulate the market. From now on, individual business owners like us might need to get business licenses."
"Business license?" Li Xiangyang was somewhat surprised.
Mr. Liu lowered his voice: "Yes, now individual businesses are allowed. With a license, it's more legitimate for us to do business."
Li Xiangyang nodded thoughtfully: "Then we really need to get one done as soon as possible."
Mr. Liu continued, "Oh, right, there's one more thing. Recently, a leather goods dealer from out of town said he's looking to buy fox and otter pelts in bulk, and he's offering significantly higher prices than we do here. If you have any, I can introduce you to him."
Li Xiangyang's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great!"
After leaving Boss Liu's place, Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou first went to the supply and marketing cooperative to purchase some necessities, and then went to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to inquire about applying for a business license.
"It seems things are really about to change," Wang Ergou sighed on the way back. "Before, those individual business owners had to do business secretly, but now they can openly get licenses."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Times are changing, we have to keep up."