Chapter 37: Distinguishing Between Near and Distant Relations

Tao Daqiang had dinner at the Li family's house. Li Long told him to come wake him up at six the next morning; he gave an affirmative response and headed home.

It was pitch black outside. Fortunately, the moon was quite large, and combined with the reflection from the snow, the path was clearly visible.

Entering his own courtyard and seeing the lights on in the house, he thought of his father's habits and prepared to grab some coal to bring inside; he couldn't endure the cold any longer.

At worst, he would use the money he earned tomorrow to have Brother Long take him to buy some coal. Regardless, he had to drive the horse carriage to sell fish tomorrow.

Arriving at the coal shed, Tao Daqiang was somewhat surprised to see a significant amount of extra coal. Thinking of a possibility, he immediately scooped up a shovelful and carried it into the house.

Tao Jianshe was still leaning against the *kang* bed smoking, and the room was thick with smoke.

"Did my brother bring coal over?" Tao Daqiang asked.

"Mm." Tao Jianshe sat up straight. Watching Tao Daqiang set the coal down, he pointed to the *kang* and said

"Change your clothes and come sit over here to talk."

Tao Daqiang rarely saw his father acting so solemn, and he felt somewhat uneasy.

He quickly changed his clothes and sat on the *kang*.

"Your brother gave your sister-in-law a scolding and sent the coal over. He said what you said made sense—that he is a member of the Tao family and must think of the Tao family's interests. He even said he'd have your sister-in-law's brother bring the wood back. I figured since we are all relatives, there's no harm in giving the wood back."

Tao Daqiang was surprised that his brother could change, but since there was a shift, he nodded, thinking it was fine to give the wood back.

"From now on, you two brothers shouldn't harbor any resentment toward each other," Tao Jianshe said, tapping his tobacco pipe. "They say when brothers are of one mind, they can break metal. Even though your brother has started his own household, he is still your brother."

"I know that."

"One more thing. I see that you and Li Long's younger brother are making good money catching and selling fish. You can't leave your brother out of this. I'll go borrow a dip net tomorrow. After this, don't follow Li Long's brother anymore. They are two brothers; what are you in the middle of?"

Just as Tao Daqiang was about to explain, Tao Jianshe raised a hand to stop him

"They are two brothers, and don't you two have a brotherly bond too? Tomorrow, tell Li Long's brother that you won't be catching fish with him anymore; you and your brother will go together. There are plenty of fish in Xiaohaizi, and they belong to the state—whoever catches them keeps them. From now on, the two of you catch them, and you and your brother will go sell them together. Split the money equally. Take this chance to earn more before the New Year so things can be easier in the spring."

Tao Daqiang fell silent.

Did his father have a point?

Naturally, he did. In fact, if Li Long hadn't brought him along, he could have made even more money.

The only reason Li Long brought him was because he had proactively pushed his way in. Of course, Tao Daqiang firmly believed that Li Long was kind-hearted and loyal.

But was he willing to abandon Li Long to do this with his brother?

Asking himself, Tao Daqiang felt resistance.

His brother wasn't the shrewd type. He might be okay at catching fish, but he certainly wouldn't be able to make much of anything selling them. Tao Daqiang had followed Li Long for a round and hadn't learned much; how many people in the current rural areas were flexible enough to come up with various methods?

Most likely, when they went to sell fish, they would be like the people in the black market—just sitting there, not even knowing how to shout to attract customers, waiting for people to come and ask.

However, his father's meaning was very clear. No matter how good the Li family was, they were outsiders. If he didn't even help his own brother, what kind of person would he be?

It left him unable to voice any opposition.

At this moment, Tao Daqiang felt a bitterness in his mouth.

***

After seeing Tao Daqiang off, Li Long went to the house of the production team leader, Xu Chengjun.

"Coming to borrow a horse carriage?" Xu Chengjun looked at Li Long, his expression slightly awkward.

He had taken his brother-in-law into the mountains, only to find that things were not as simple as he had thought. The snow was nearly a meter thick, making it impossible to pass; he had no idea which path Li Long had taken.

As the production team leader, he couldn't bring himself to ask Li Long about the route. Consequently, the carriage wasn't used the next day and was instead borrowed by someone else.

As a result, two days had passed without a single household returning with a large pile of wood, leaving the team's horses idle.

"Yes, I'm going to the county tomorrow to look around, so I need to borrow a horse carriage." Li Long placed three yuan and twenty fen on the table. "I'll need it for two days."

"Alright." Xu Chengjun took the money and wrote a note. "To the county or to the mountains?"

"Depends on the situation," Li Long said vaguely.

Xu Chengjun knew Li Long went to sell fish. Although the policies hadn't been fully relaxed, he knew that some things were no longer strictly regulated, or even not regulated at all. Very few households in the entire production team had a radio, but his family had one.

Listening to the policies discussed by the people on the radio, Xu Chengjun knew the wind had changed. Therefore, he did not stop Li Long and the others from selling fish.

Taking the note, Li Long went to find Old Luo. Old Luo took the note with a smile

"Sigh, you're still the capable one. Those people who took the carriages out acted like the mountain wood was just lying all over the ground for the taking, but they all came back with long faces, looking so dejected. They don't even know how to take care of the horses; it's been a real struggle!"

Old Luo could say such things, but Li Long didn't engage with the gossip. He simply said to come early tomorrow morning to pick up the carriage, and Old Luo agreed.

Returning home, Li Long spoke to Li Jianguo through the window before returning to his own east room.

Before dawn the next day, Li Long had Li Jianguo wake him up. After a hurried breakfast, he went to the stables to pick up the horse carriage and headed to the Tao family.

Tao Daqiang came out quickly and walked toward the Li house with Li Long.

After loading the fish, the two drove the carriage toward the county. After traveling for about three kilometers, Tao Daqiang hesitantly explained his father's intentions to Li Long.

"That's a good thing." Li Long sounded surprised. Had Tao Jianshe and Tao Dayong actually changed their ways?

Because Tao Daqiang had become "useful," the Tao family was now prioritizing him?

It was indeed a good thing. At the very least, it could change Tao Daqiang's life, and it seemed to be changing in a positive direction, which made Li Long feel a sense of wonder.

"Then, should we..." Tao Daqiang thought Li Long would be angry, so he was bewildered by Li Long's current expression.

"Don't worry about following your brother to catch fish," Li Long said after a moment's thought. "After I finish selling the fish today, I'll take a temporary break and head into the mountains to check things out."

Tao Daqiang fell silent.

He was the one who had suggested "breaking up," so why did he feel a sense of abandonment when Li Long said that?

"You two catching fish will definitely be fine," Li Long said while driving the carriage. "But you still need to be cautious when selling the fish. Even though regulations are loose now, if you get careless, people will still arrest you.

If you see anyone wearing armbands coming, run immediately. Even if you have to leave the fish behind, you must get away, otherwise, the fines will be a real hassle."

Listening to Li Long's words, Tao Daqiang felt as if he were being taught secret techniques, and his nose felt a bit stingy.

As they chatted, they reached the county town before it was fully light.

"You stay here, and I'll haul the fish over to sell," Li Long said. "I won't haul too much at once; that way, it's easy to run if something happens. Stay a distance away. If you see something wrong, drive the carriage toward the north of the city immediately. We'll circle around and meet at the Great Meat Canteen."

Seeing Tao Daqiang nod, Li Long carried the dozen or so kilograms of fish toward the black market spot.

There were quite a few people selling things now, but most of them were mostly silent.

Seeing that a spot had opened up, Li Long immediately took the position, spread out a urea bag, and laid out the fish.

In these times, eating meat was not easy, so as soon as he set them out, people immediately came over to ask for prices.

It was a good start.

(End of Chapter)