Fishing and Hunting 82, Starting with Three Sisters Who Overprotect Their Brothers

Chapter 146 Delivering Meat

under night.

The horse-drawn carriage moved slowly, its wheels creaking as they rolled over the dirt road in the countryside.

Lang Qiuping brandished his whip, while Zhang Wenshan and his family sat in the car.

There were scattered lights in the distance, and the sounds of birds chirping and frogs croaking could be heard from time to time.

Zhang Wenshan glanced sideways at the faint lights in the distance, which must be from other villages turning on their lights at night. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Dad, why doesn't our village have electricity?"

"I don't have money!"

Zhang Jianshe casually agreed, his eyes never leaving the two deer legs.

A deer leg that's over a meter tall and thicker than his waist—how much would that cost?

It's been almost twenty years since I last saw this thing. My son is so lucky; he just went for a walk up the mountain and found it.

"Is it expensive to get electricity?" Zhang Wenshan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Having made a mistake in his judgment about deer antlers, he did not jump to conclusions but instead sought clarification first.

Based on current observations, the village should have some resources, and the three leaders are not short-sighted; they should know the benefits of electricity.

How could it have taken so long?

Zhang Jianshe finally withdrew his gaze and looked up at the lights in the distance, a hint of envy showing between his brows: "After the land was divided, the village discussed that it would cost more than six thousand yuan to get electricity."

"So expensive?" Zhang Wenshan was somewhat surprised.

"The agreement at the time was that the brigade would pay half, and each household would contribute fifty or sixty yuan. Those who didn't pay wouldn't get electricity," Zhang Jianshe said, a hint of regret on his face. "They had already started collecting money."

"Isn't this fine?" Zhang Wenshan was even more puzzled. "Why did the power go out later?"

Zhang Jianshe said with a wry smile, "Some people are unhappy about it! They're complaining that the team's money belongs to everyone, and since their family doesn't use electricity, why should they get a subsidy for electricity?"

"???" Zhang Wenshan asked instinctively, "Shouldn't the team's money not belong to everyone?"

"Sigh, that's the logic, but nobody agrees with it." Zhang Jianshe sighed and shook his head. "After the land was distributed, everyone felt that everything in the team should be distributed as well. The village made a fuss about it for several days, but in the end, it was all dropped."

Zhang Wenshan nodded, looking quite depressed.

That's good now.

He wants to use electricity, but he doesn't know when that will be.

Ultimately, it all comes down to poverty. Everyone's eyeing those pitiful amounts of money, and if someone eggs them on, a commotion breaks out.

As they were talking, the carriage had reached the edge of the town, and the bumps gradually subsided.

The dirt road was replaced with a paved gravel road, which was uneven but much more stable than the dirt road.

As for cement roads and asphalt roads, there's only a short section in front of the government building in the whole town.

"Oh dear, I was so busy working that I forgot the state-run restaurant closes long ago after dark!"

Zhang Jianshe stared at the locked doors of the state-run restaurant, stamped his foot in frustration, and felt somewhat flustered.

When my son told me that venison wouldn't keep, I got so carried away that I didn't think about anything else.

What are we going to do now? Not only has this been a wasted trip, but the venison will also spoil. It would be better to leave it in the village and drain the well to preserve it.

"It's okay, you guys wait here, I'll go find Sister Xia to open the door."

17

Zhang Wenshan remained calm, showing no sign of panic.

He had anticipated this.

We came to the restaurant first because the refrigeration equipment was there. It was safer to ask someone to open the door than to drive a horse-drawn carriage carrying venison around town.

He took out the certificate issued by the brigade from his pocket, stuffed it into Zhang Jianshe's hand, and repeatedly gave him instructions.

"If anyone asks, just say this is a stock order from a state-run restaurant. If you run into an inspector, just show them this note."

.

"If you encounter someone who tries to rob you, don't resist. Just give them the things and don't hurt yourself."

"If possible, ask where they came from. If not, just forget it. Remember, safety first."

After Zhang Wenshan finished speaking, his gaze fell on Lang Qiuping.

My father and brother-in-law are both honest and simple people, but he is impatient and impulsive.

Lang Qiuping quickly straightened his back, patted his chest, and said, "I promise I won't act impulsively, and I'll definitely keep an eye on Uncle Zhang!"

"Fourth brother, what's going on? Someone's trying to steal it?"

Zhang Jianshe immediately tensed up upon hearing this.

"Didn't they say they weren't going to arrest anyone anymore?"

"Is town really that unsafe? Is nobody doing anything about it?"

He was no stranger to people stealing his things.

The problem is, a town isn't the countryside, shouldn't there be rules and order everywhere?

"These are all unexpected situations, and it's highly unlikely we'll encounter them."

Zhang Wenshan comforted his father for a few moments, then turned and ran towards the apartment building where Wu Xia and her husband lived.

There's no other way; leaving them here is just too worrying.

The small gatehouse at the entrance of the family building was lit up. In the dim yellow light, an old man was leaning back in his chair, squinting as he listened to the radio.

As Zhang Wenshan approached the door, the old man immediately opened his eyes, looking him up and down warily: "What are you doing? What are you doing near the family dormitory so late at night?"

"Sir, I'm from the Chishongtun fishing and hunting group, delivering goods to the state-run restaurant."

Zhang Wenshan quickly took out his own certificate and handed it over.

The reason the brigade leader specifically asked him, his older sister, and the fishing and hunting group to separate their certificates was to deal with this kind of situation. In the 1980s, when ration coupons were still in effect, anything could happen. Sharing one certificate with everyone would be too inconvenient.

"You're a hunter, kid?" The old man squinted and leaned closer to the light, making out the brigade's seal on the cover. His wariness lessened a bit.

Although there are no photos, the official seal carries considerable weight these days.

"How did you manage to sneak into the family dormitory building so late?" The old man handed the certificate back to him, his tone more gentle than before.

"I got some fresh meat, but we have nowhere to store it in our village. It will spoil if left overnight, so I had to come and bother Sister Wu tonight."

Zhang Wenshan explained simply, subtly using a friendly term of address.

"Looks like we've got something good."

Upon hearing this, the old man smiled, slowly stood up, and walked out of the gatehouse.

"Okay, I'll take you upstairs. I know Wu's house well."

"Thank you for your trouble, sir." Zhang Wenshan wore a professional smile, but inwardly he was cursing.

As expected, old age brings wisdom; reading between the lines is an essential skill for them.

Upon hearing that he had something good, and given his relationship with Wu Xia, her attitude immediately changed.

Before long, the two arrived at a house.

The old man knocked on the door a few times.

A moment later, a lazy female voice came from inside the room, her tone tinged with displeasure: "Who is it? It's the middle of the night, can't a person get any sleep?"

"I, Old Chiang, have urgent business—"

"If it weren't for me, things would have been very difficult—"

The old man didn't get to the point at all, and he never mentioned Zhang Wenshan's name. His words implied that things would go wrong without him.

"Sister Xia, it's me, Zhang Wenshan."

Zhang Wenshan rolled his eyes and immediately introduced himself.

In the past, he might have ignored it and just watched it as a show, but not now.

Venison doesn't keep well, and we can't afford to waste time.

As he finished speaking.

A series of hurried footsteps could be heard coming from inside the room.

>