Chapter 168 If you want to make money, you have to be brave
Chapter 168 If you want to make money, you have to be brave
After hearing this, Ge Changfa thought of what Li's father said, "I heard from my uncle that you guys approved the housing land in Nanshan. When you buy wood, just let me know. I have two friends in the mountains who can get good wood."
"That's great. Wait until I call my brother-in-law to calculate how much wood is needed, and then you can take us to have a look." Li Changle thought that the demolition would take another thirty or forty years, so the wood had to be selected from the best quality.
"Brother, what kind of wood is needed to build a house? My grandma told me that there are many requirements for the materials used for rafters, purlins, and beams."
Li Changle thought about it and said, "Most rafters are made of chestnut wood, which is tough and not prone to cracking.
Fir is light, has a straight trunk, is insect-resistant and not easily deformed, so it is suitable for making purlins and floor slabs. Cypress is hard and straight, so it is good for making columns. Pine is hard and is mostly used for making beams.
In my previous life, I had a lot of short videos on my phone about modifying and building houses. I would watch these videos to pass the time when I was on the boat, and I really learned a lot.
Ge Changfa looked at him in surprise, "You haven't been fooling around on the streets, you have learned all these."
"Those retired workers on the street have nothing to do but brag."
The three of them talked as they walked, and soon arrived at the Changtang Stone Bridge. The village radio was still shouting that the storm had not yet gone away and might recur, so everyone was advised not to go out to sea, and those who went fishing should be careful not to be swept away by the waves.
Ge Changfa gave the eels to Li Changle and asked him to help deliver them to the restaurant and sell them for a good price. The three of them then went their separate ways and went back.
When I got home, Brother Li (eldest brother) and Brother Li (second brother) had already returned and were now at my parents' house. The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, and Zhou Ruonan, the mother-in-law, and her daughter-in-law were busy in front of the stove.
When Brother Li saw the two men coming back, he hurried forward to help catch the backpack and asked, "What good stuff did you get?"
"Sand dragon, earth dragon..."
"There's also a snow eel. Great! We got so many goodies in just one morning."
"The snow eel belongs to Ah Fa." Li Changle put down the bucket and took out the big bamboo snail. "I won't sell this. Here are the shrimps. Everyone can share them among yourselves."
Father Li stretched his neck to take a look and said, "There is only half a bucket left. Pick out the small ones and keep the big ones to sell."
"Yes, don't listen to Ale. You can eat any good thing." Mother Li couldn't help but shouted in the kitchen.
The others all smiled and nodded. A large bamboo snail could be sold for one or two yuan, so he was the only one who was willing to keep it for himself.
Chen Yongwei picked up a net bag and said, "Brother, I don't want shrimps. I want to take some oyster snails back to eat."
"Pick the ones you like!" Li Changle took off his raincoat. "Come here right after dinner, deliver the fish to the town, and then go to Zhangjia Pier."
Chen Yongwei nodded in agreement, took a net bag, filled it with some oyster snails, and left in a hurry.
Mrs. Li and Zhou Ruonan took out a rice washing basket and a porcelain basin to sort the shrimps. The green shrimps and sword shrimps had died long ago, but the taste of sea shrimps was more tender than river shrimps and farmed shrimps, and they could be sold for three or four cents a pound.
Brother Li hurriedly took out the rubber bucket, and everyone gathered around the backpack to sort out the seafood.
Mrs. Li came out with a soup basin and saw the fish in the rubber bucket. She couldn't help but feel envious. "Ah Le is so lucky. He always catches big fish when he goes out. The neighbor next door brought back a big bucket of clams and blood clams and was so proud of it."
"Yes, if we hadn't made an agreement with the ship owner over there today, we would have gone fishing as well."
"We didn't go to the pier, but to the muddy beach. The beach was full of snails and shellfish. When the wind and waves are a little smaller, we will go there to buy seafood."
"Okay, you can take us there then."
"Ah Le, the boat has been bought and sailed to Zhangjia Pier. When you come back from town in the afternoon, stop by Ah Xi's house. We will go to the foundation with Uncle Dong at home."
"Okay! I'll go to town and buy two packs of cigarettes and a few bottles of good old wine. Dad will give them to Secretary Wang." Li Changle pointed to the backpack, "Leave one earth dragon and give it to Uncle Dong in the evening."
Father Li looked at it and said distressedly: "The foundation has been marked out. We are all relatives, not strangers. Why give him such a good thing?"
Li Changle smiled and said, "Dad, it is precisely because we are not outsiders that we should be more polite. Two bottles of old wine and two packs of cigarettes are enough for outsiders."
Father Li rolled his eyes at him in annoyance, "You know this now?"
It's strange that this guy who doesn't know anything is now here to teach him how to be a human being.
"Dad, it's right to listen to Ah Le. There are still many places where we need their help in building the house!" said the second brother Li. "Ah Le, buy what you need, and we brothers will share the cost equally."
Brother Li also nodded repeatedly, "Tulong costs more than ten yuan per pound. Good cigarettes and good wine are very expensive. If you buy them, we can share the cost."
Li Changle smiled and said, "No matter how expensive the earth dragon is, we caught it ourselves. No money is charged for a business without capital. The money for buying cigarettes and alcohol will be shared equally by the four of us."
"Okay, we won't be polite with you."
Seeing the three brothers discussing things, Father Li's smile deepened. "Once the homestead is cleared, I can throw away my crutches. Then you can do your own things and I'll help manage the construction site at home."
Li's mother came out with hot water, "Your leg will take some time to heal. Leave the house to Jin, and we will help with the work. What are you worried about?" "Building a house is a lifelong event. How can you not keep an eye on it?" Li's father said, "It's my own leg. I know it well. I won't mess around."
"Who cares? You're already in your 60s, but you're still so stubborn!" Mother Li handed the hot water to Li Changle, "Go wash up and come eat."
"got it."
By the time Li Changle had taken a shower and changed into dry clothes, the food had been prepared. While they were eating, Li's mother began to arrange tasks.
"Xiao Tao and Xiao Mei will stay with Grandpa to look after the house. Xiao Yang, you two will come with us to the new house foundation to help cut the grass together."
Sister Li Xiaoqing nodded obediently, "Grandma, the new house is ready, we want to live in a room of our own."
"Okay, okay, there are six or seven rooms upstairs and downstairs. You can choose whichever one you want."
Li Xiaoyang curled his lips and said to Li Changle, "You guys never keep your word. Last time you said you would take us to the island to fish in the sea, but you didn't."
Li Changle stretched out his leg and kicked him, "You little bastard, the wind is so strong, why don't you go to the island and drink the wind!"
"You just said there are more seafood on the mud flats," Li Xiaoyang said, looking at his parents, "Then when the wind dies down, you can take us there to fish. I'll give you half of the money from selling the fish."
Li Changle looked at Li Xiaoyang with amusement, who was always thinking about making money. He felt that it was really his nature, as he knew how to bargain at such a young age.
"You eat and wear what's in your family, what do you do with the money?" Mrs. Li hit him on the head with a chopstick in anger, "You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you're already thinking about saving some money for yourself."
Li Xiaoyang rubbed his head and said, "Let's save money to buy erasers and pens, so that we don't have to ask you for money and you scold us again."
I've given you everything, but you don't even have enough money to buy a bowl of ice water or a popsicle.
"That's right!" Li Xiaoqing and Li Xiaotao nodded, "Aniang is the most stingy. She didn't even give us the money to buy erasers. Second Aunt and Third Aunt are not like you. You are the most stingy person in the family."
"...You're itching for firewood, right?" Mrs. Li cursed angrily. If I'm not stingy, where will the money for building the house come from?
In the future, I will have to find a wife for you and save up a dowry. If you have many children, you will have many debts, and they are the kind that you will never be able to pay off in your lifetime!
Big Brother Li glared at Li Changle who was trying not to laugh, "Okay, you guys should be more diligent and help with the housework, and I will give you half of the money I earn from fishing."
"Dad is still generous." Li Xiaoyang looked at his brother and sister-in-law proudly. The younger ones were also satisfied. They felt that dad was easy to talk to, and decided to go to him when they wanted to negotiate conditions in the future.
After dinner, the rain finally stopped and the wind died down, but the sky was still gloomy and it looked like it would continue to get worse.
Li Changle and Chen Yongwei went to the town to sell their catch. The Li family and Grandma Chen took sickles, hoes, and machetes and walked happily towards the Nanshan homestead.
The neighbor who was weaving a net in the alley stopped what he was doing with a curious look on his face when he saw the whole family coming out.
"Aunt Ahua, where is your whole family doing?" Agen's wife asked with a smile.
Mother Li looked at them happily and said, "We are going to Nanshan to cut grass. The children have allocated housing land there."
"You should have built a new house a long time ago." Agen's wife said sourly, "Your Ale has been making a lot of money recently. He earned thousands of yuan yesterday. It's no problem to build a three-story building."
"Yeah, I heard that several big bosses went to the dock and took it away from Adong's house!"
"Oh my!" Li's mother laughed so hard that her face was wrinkled. "Look at how this rumor spread. Where did they get thousands of dollars? But they only sold it for 700 or 800 yuan. There's not much to share among the four brothers. Forget about building a three-story building. We have to borrow money from relatives and friends for a two-story building!"
You gossipy woman, you told people behind the second wife's back that she will be poor all her life and that she wants to build a new house to divide the family property in her next life. Now the construction of my new house has started, but yours hasn't even laid the foundation!
For the first time, Agen's wife found Li's mother's smile extremely dazzling. "Your family still needs to borrow money. We are in a difficult situation. We don't even know where the money to build a new house will come from!"
"Hey, Aunt Agen, stop crying poor. You just don't want to build one. If you want, it will only take a few minutes!"
"Grandma, what are you doing?" Li Xiaoyang turned around and pulled Li's mother, who was about to say something, "Hurry up, or we will be late."
"Here he comes, here he comes, little brat!" Mother Li followed her grandson happily. She was in high spirits and walked more skillfully than any young man.
Agen's wife looked at Li's mother, who was walking briskly, and spat at her back, "Bah, your whole family is not clear-headed. They didn't choose such a good location at the entrance of the village, but chose the valley in the south mountain."
"Agen, we followed Ale last time, but we didn't see him find any good stuff. Do you think his family is selling the goods?"
"His Ah Le used to be obsessed with making money by selling goods. Maybe he has actually succeeded!"
"It's better to be brave these days. People like us who are timid can only watch others enjoy the good life."
"Yeah, yeah, if you want to make a lot of money, you have to be brave!"
(End of this chapter)