Chapter 109 Birthday Gift

Chapter 109 Birthday Gift

"Brother Shanzi, I can't take it! It's too much!"

Lang Qiuping waved his hands repeatedly.

Zhang Wenshan did all the work of catching fish and hunting; he only assisted at most. He even learned the skills for nothing, so how could he possibly accept money?

Yesterday's situation is something everyone in the village has experienced.

The other two people had to settle their own affairs, as Shanzi Ge felt uneasy taking the money.

Zhang Wenshan, not wanting to waste time, chose the simplest method: "Mother."

"Here, take this." Xu Xiulian took the money and stuffed it into Lang Qiuping's hand without saying a word. "Don't be polite with your brother Shanzi. If he dares to bully you, come and tell your aunt."

Lang Qiuping wanted to refuse, but dared not push too hard, though he really wanted the five yuan.

Xu Xiulian spoke up again, "I know about what happened yesterday. I won't feel at ease if you don't take this money."

"Don't worry, Auntie. Even if I die, I'll die before Brother Shanzi."

Upon hearing this, Lang Qiuping no longer declined, nodded emphatically, and made a promise.

"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Xu Xiulian pretended to be angry and patted Lang Qiuping on the head.

"Hurry up and have something to eat with your brother Shanzi, we still have to keep going."

While Zhang Wenshan's family was enjoying a harmonious time, Old Li's family was in complete chaos.

"What? They know I cheated at cards?"

Li Dong jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed), his head slamming against the ceiling with a thud. He cried out and fell to the ground, clutching his head and rolling around on the spot.

"My dear grandson! Let Grandma take a look!"

The white-haired old lady rushed over and then turned around to scold her son.

"What kind of father are you? Look how scared you've made my grandson!"

"What exactly happened?" Li Dong got up, impatiently pushed his grandmother away, and stared straight at his father, Li Yuegang.

"It's all because of that jinx, Sun Xiaoqin! She got into a fight and blurted everything out!" Grandma Li scolded. "No," Li Yuegang quickly waved his hand, "It was Old Mrs. Wang who was arguing with your mother and it leaked out."

"How did she know?!" Li Dong was even more confused. "Why did my mom argue with her? What happened these past two days?"

Li Yue had just lit a cigarette when he began to explain the whole story.

Li Dongyue's face grew darker as he listened.

No wonder the way I was looking at him earlier was off!

No wonder they've all suddenly become so shrewd!

No wonder----

"Damn it!" He slammed his fist on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), feeling both angry and regretful. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't have time to go to town to look for you!" Li Yuegang retorted angrily. "Who knew you'd come back without a word!"

"Why are you yelling at my grandson?"

Grandma Li immediately defended her son and started scolding him.

"It's all that good-for-nothing Sun Xiaoqin's fault. She's more trouble than she's worth. Go and teach her a lesson."

"Alright!"

Li Dong waved his hand impatiently to interrupt.

"Take good care of Tao Jun next door. He is the son of the captain of Xikouyingzi. The men who came with him are all experienced fishermen."

"I found out from them that the fish have been staying in shallow water to breathe these past few days. If you find the right spot, catching 700 or 800 pounds at a time is no problem!"

"Let's make enough money first, then tell the villagers. We can make money and gain favors at the same time, which will make things easier for us in the future."

He spoke with great enthusiasm, spittle flying everywhere.

It was as if he could already see the villagers surrounding him like a star, treating him as their savior.

But when I turned around, my father and grandmother looked at each other, not happy at all, but rather embarrassed.

"Grandson, we're too late."

Grandma Li sighed repeatedly.

"Yesterday, that brat from Old Zhang's family already spread the word that all the fish in our village have been caught!"

"Huh?" Li Dongren was stunned. "We don't have any fish at home!"

"Our family didn't go."

"I----"

Li Dong's breathing instantly became heavy, and he felt his chest becoming increasingly suffocated. He muttered, "Why? How come he always gets there first—"

"Old Zhang's kid is really weird." Li Yue threw his cigarette butt on the ground and said with lingering fear, "Ever since we got involved with him, nothing has gone right."

"It's all because of that jinx, Sun Xiaoqin—"

"Alright," Li Dong shouted impatiently, "Give me some money. The snail-collecting business can't be delayed. We have to completely crush that Zhang guy."

At this moment, all he could think about was Zhang Wenshan's provocative smile.

Li Yue shook his head vigorously: "That's money reserved for the oil mill; not a single penny can be touched."

"Grandma's money is for you to get married." The old lady quickly clutched her pocket tightly. "Go find your mother, she has money."

Because Li Dong caused trouble.

Today, the fishing and hunting team arrived at the state-run restaurant half an hour later than usual.

Zhang Fengxia knocked on the door as if she knew the way well, but no one she recognized came out.

"Zhao, Comrade Xiao Zhao?"

"It's me, Sister Fengxia, you—"

Zhao Linlin, a waitress at the state-run restaurant, responded with a smile. Her gaze passed over Zhang Fengxia and landed on Zhang Wenshan immediately, her eyes lighting up instantly.

She quickly walked around and stood directly in front of Zhang Wenshan.

"Is that the lucky fish you caught?"

"it's me."

"Could you catch another one?"

"Huh?" Zhang Wenshan was stunned for a moment, his mind racing.

Zhao Linlin comes from a well-off family, and the red-tailed golden carp is not something an ordinary girl would covet.

Zhang Fengxia watched from the side, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of them, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

Her younger brother has recently become very eloquent; he can even talk the dead back to life.

When have you ever been so silent?

The only possibility is —

"Money is no problem, please help me." Zhao Linlin clasped her hands together, her face full of pleading.

Zhang Wenshan carefully considered his words before speaking: "That kind of thing is extremely rare; there's a high probability we won't be able to catch it."

"Sigh... okay." Zhao Linlin slumped her shoulders, looking dejected.

"May I ask what you need it for?" Zhang Wenshan pressed on, "If it's suitable, perhaps something else can be used as a substitute, like a soft-shelled turtle, a big fish—"

"It's alright." Zhao Linlin tilted her head and thought for a moment. "It's my grandfather's birthday next month, and I want to give him something different so that no one can outdo me."

A big deal is coming.

Zhang Wenshan asked calmly, "Is your grandfather still in office or has he already retired?"

"Why are you asking this?" Zhao Linlin immediately became alert.

"Think about it, the things that current officials and retired officials can accept are different. Some things are too hot to handle and can have a bad influence."

"What's wrong with giving it to my grandpa?" Zhao Linlin raised her chin. "Don't overthink it. As long as you get something good, that's all that matters!"

"Okay, how should I notify you then?"

"Just come to the state-run restaurant, or you can tell Sister Xia."

Having finalized the details, Zhang Wenshan clenched his fist and gently swung it.

Judging from Zhao Linlin's demeanor and speech, her grandfather was definitely not an ordinary person.

This relationship must be maintained.

All his information about the 1984 crackdown came from conversations among the elderly men in the welfare home. Even knowing there was some exaggeration involved, he didn't dare to gamble.

What if?

Having more connections now means having more security when things get tougher next year.