Wang An chatted for a while longer with the apprehensive Li Er-lengzi.
Then, he patted Li Er-lengzi on the shoulder and promised with a chuckle
"From now on, we brothers will cooperate. Whenever you hear any news, tell me directly. I definitely won't cheat you out of your share of the benefits!"
After saying this, Wang An turned and left, leaving Li Er-lengzi standing alone in the wind, completely bewildered!
Upon returning home, Wang An mentioned his idea of building a house on the small western hillside to his parents and Mu Xueqing.
Wang Dazhu frowned immediately after hearing this. Who wouldn't know what the area around their own home looked like?
He asked in confusion, "That place is nothing but rocks; how are you going to clear it? Can you even build a house there?"
Liu Guilan was even more displeased, saying, "Of all the places to pick, you choose a rotten rocky slope? Did a donkey kick you in the head?"
Only Mu Xueqing remained silent, though she looked at Wang An with a puzzled expression, seemingly waiting for an explanation.
Wang An explained his thoughts in detail, mentioning that he would borrow a bulldozer and an excavator to clear the land!
He told his family about the meeting he had heard about at the brigade headquarters regarding the allocation of land to individual households, and he fabricated some stories about individual businesses!
He further explained that in the future, whether it was trading or livestock farming, everything would be liberalized. In that case, that location would be perfect for raising mountain livestock and domestic animals.
However, according to the regulations for residential land, each family could not exceed three mu. If they wanted to farm livestock, they would have no space left.
But if that rotten rocky slope were handled correctly, he could negotiate with the brigade to enlarge the residential plot. Since the land was ruined and useless for anything, no one else wanted it.
Furthermore, he could move his private plot there. This way, the entire hillside would be theirs! It would be very spacious for future livestock farming or any other ventures!
The whole family's eyes lit up upon hearing this, because the most headache-inducing part of that hillside was the clearing!
As long as it could be cleared, it would make an excellent courtyard. They wouldn't even need to dig a well; they could just build the house and move in. They wouldn't even need to build courtyard walls, as the thickets and shrubs would serve as natural boundaries!
In the rural Northeast at the time, courtyard walls were made of earth. These earth walls were built section by section using wet soil and formwork. To make the walls sturdy and durable, a "chicken-egg roller" had to be used to constantly tamp the soil throughout the process, which is why it was called "hitting the wall"!
A chicken-egg roller was an egg-shaped stone with symmetrical sides, weighing over ten catties. It had indentations on both sides so it could be gripped with both hands, lifted high, and slammed down heavily. The people doing this work were called "egg-roller swingers"!
Once the family agreed on the residential plot, Wang Dazhu couldn't sit still. He immediately put on his shoes and headed toward the brigade headquarters.
It was as if the hillside would be snatched by someone else if he arrived even a moment later.
That was how things worked in the village; many things belonged to whoever claimed them first!
After Wang Dazhu left, Wang An didn't stay idle either. He turned around, grabbed his sledge, and headed to Han Da-jiugang's house.
This time, Wang An planned to buy more liquor to soak the bones of the leopard and the spinal bones of the sika deer.
Although these things could be sold for money, it was far more cost-effective to soak them in liquor himself!
Moreover, Wang An had a clear premonition. Right now, he was like a braying donkey; if he just kept messing around with Mu Xueqing and Shen Wei every day, even the most powerful body would eventually give out!
If he didn't prepare early, wouldn't he be left shedding tears in vain when he saw a naked Mu Xueqing or Shen Wei in the future?
Besides, as a man, maintaining a strong physique was extremely important!
At the very least, he wouldn't shrink during a fight! With so many degenerates around these days, who knew when he'd have to get into a brawl?
Arriving at Han Da-jiugang's house, he saw Han Shuisheng tidying up the yard.
"Uncle Han, busy? You're quite diligent these days," Wang An greeted him cheerfully.
"Busy with what? Just tidying the yard. The lad is here—what's up, run out of liquor?" Han Shuisheng replied with a smile.
"Not yet, I was just thinking of making some soaked liquor, so I came to see you, Uncle," Wang An said.
"Haha, soaked liquor is good!" As Han Shuisheng spoke, he led Wang An toward the inner room.
"I heard you got a big bear's patella?" Han Shuisheng suddenly asked.
"Ah, yes, Uncle. I got lucky and ran into a crippled one," Wang An was stunned by the question, wondering to himself: *How did this news get out?*
"Lad, I was thinking of discussing something with you. Could you spare that bear's patella for me?" Han Shuisheng asked directly, as if he had planned this for a while.
The patella was a great raw material for soaked liquor and a medicinal ingredient known as "false tiger bone." It could be sold for money; a pair of patellae could sell for at least ten yuan!
However, Han Shuisheng used the word "spare," which meant he wanted it for free rather than buying it!
Since they weren't close relatives and Wang An didn't get the liquor for free, it seemed inappropriate to ask this, right?
Thus, Wang An was momentarily stunned!
But after a moment, Wang An immediately asked with a smile, "Uncle, are you planning to soak some liquor too?"
"My legs ache every day and I can't sleep. The patellae I soaked before are useless now, so I thought I'd get some more to soak and drink," Han Shuisheng answered slowly.
As the saying goes: an old man is shrewd, an old horse is slippery, and an old rabbit is hard for an eagle to catch!
From Wang An's diversion, Han Shuisheng knew that Wang An had misunderstood his meaning and thought he wanted it for free!
So he continued, "I'm not asking for that bear's patella for free. I'll trade an old 'lao-zao' (wild ginseng site) for it. That site doesn't have any 'big goods' left, but you should be able to find a fourth-grade leaf and a few 'lamp-stands.' You'll have to dig them up yourself, but in the end, you won't be losing out!"
Hearing this, Wang An realized he had misunderstood. This old man was not the type of person to take advantage of others!
But even if he had misunderstood, he certainly couldn't admit it! Who told him not to be clear? He worked so hard every day; nothing came easy!
So he said cheerfully, "Sure thing, Uncle! I'll bring it to you as soon as I get home. I also have a pair of black bear patellae; I'll bring those over too."
The reason Wang An was so generous was that a single fourth-grade leaf was priced at 200 yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative!
Moreover, since he already had leopard and deer bones, the bear patellae didn't hold much value in his hands other than for sale.
Although there was no guarantee for the "club" (ginseng), and he had to dig it himself, learning from this old man and gathering information was worth it. Even if there was no harvest, it would be good practice!
After filling the liquor and paying the money, Wang An grabbed his sledge and left. This time, Wang An bought a full 100 catties of sorghum liquor, walking home slowly and carefully!
Upon returning home, he didn't linger. He grabbed the black bear and brown bear patellae and headed back to Han Da-jiugang's house!
Dear readers, please keep following the story!
(End of Chapter)