On the grain drying field, two rows of wood were arranged neatly, with Zhao Zhuangshi and Li Xiaoshan occupying one row each.
There was also a group of young people cheering around, and the village children were jumping and running back and forth. What was supposed to be a boring job turned out to be a waste of time for them.
Zhao Zhuangshi carried the ax and said to Li Xiaoshan with a thief smile: "Hey, let's bet something? If I win, how about giving your wife's red gauze scarf to my little sister?"
"Get lost!" Li Xiaoshan glared, "Don't touch my wife's things with evil intentions. I bought them for her with the money I saved for several years!"
"Tsk, tsk, I picked you," Zhao Zhuangshi wiped his nose and rubbed his hands, "Then if you lose, buy me a box of big front doors!"
A pack of Daqianmen cigarettes costs 35 cents, which is definitely considered a luxury item in the countryside.
Sure enough, Li Xiaoshan refused: "You still want a big front door, why don't you go to heaven? The most you can bet on is a big economic package!"
A pack of economical cigarettes costs eight cents, which is the limit Li Xiaoshan can accept.
"You can dig it to death!" Zhao Zhuangshi cursed.
Li Xiaoshan ignored his aggressive general: "If you don't bet, you will be defeated!"
"Gamble! Who said we won't gamble anymore! The big economy is the big economy, don't deny it!"
Zhao Zhuang felt aggrieved on the surface, but he was happy in his heart. No matter what kind of cigarette it is, it’s better than nothing!
Li Xiaoshan reminded him uneasily: "If you lose, you have to pay me a box of big money."
"I know, I know, how can I beat you?" Zhao Zhuangshi didn't care, "Besides, how can I lose to you?"
Li Xiaoshan snorted and tightened his grip on the ax.
The bet between the two of them was established under the witness of a group of villagers. The onlookers were smiling and chatting, enjoying the excitement of the falling snowflakes.
"Come on, whoever finishes the split first wins, get ready to start!"
As a spectator who acted as a temporary referee waved his hand, two axes began to fly up and down.
The heartbreaking sound of chopping firewood was endless, and the wood wrapped in brown bark was lightly cut open by the sharp axe, and fell to both sides with a snap.
Zhao Zhuangshi and Li Xiaoshan waved axes in their hands and moved their feet forward. They were like wood-chopping machines, moving forward.
Li Xiaoshan is a good worker, but Zhao Zhuangshi really grew up chopping firewood. Halfway through the trip, he left Li Xiaoshan behind.
"come on! Come on!"
"Hurry up Xiaoshan!"
"Work harder!"
The onlookers shouted, their eyes following the axe.
"Click——"
Zhao Zhuangshi swung his ax for the last time, turned around and saw that Li Xiaoshan was five axes slower than him.
"Hey, did you lose? Do you accept it?" Zhao Zhuangshi panted heavily, with steam rising from his forehead.
After Li Xiaoshan finished chopping the last five pieces of wood, he straightened up, gasping for breath, and glared at him: "I will admit defeat, but I will not accept you!"
"Oh shit, why didn't I notice before that you have such a tough mouth?"
Li Xiaoshan ignored him, rolled his eyes and said, "I'll buy you cigarettes after cutting down the trees tomorrow. I don't owe you anything!"
"Okay, I'll wait!"
Zhao Zhuangshi accepted the benefits as soon as he saw them, and he happily stopped being mean-spirited, fearing that he would make Li Xiaoshan anxious and the smoke would fly away.
The grain drying field was very lively. Some people helped to tidy up the plows scattered on the ground. After joking for a while, they continued to do whatever they were supposed to do.
The next day, the snow stopped, and the firewood-cutting team gathered on time to go up the mountain again.
There is snow on the mountain road, but no one cares. They have to walk through the snow for several days almost every year to cut firewood, and they have long been used to it.
Teachers don't have to go to the mountains to chop firewood. The village primary school still has to attend classes. They have serious things to do.
Other educated youths did not have such privileges. They carried axes and followed the large team up the mountain.
Yu Xiangqin was also in the team, with Wen Qingqing and Wen Ruoran supporting her on the left and right.
She didn't have to come, but she didn't want to give up her work points and refused to take leave no matter what.
"Sister Xiangqin, are you really okay? Otherwise, let's forget it? There's still a long way to go!" Wen Ruoruan didn't quite understand what Yu Xiangqin was doing, so she wrinkled her nose and persuaded her.
Yu Xiangqin gritted her teeth so hard that she gasped when she spoke: "It's just a sprain, it's not broken. I can earn five work points a day, so I'm fine."
If she had family members who sent her money and food stamps every month, she wouldn't be happy to suffer this!
But she didn't, she had to value every work point.
If you feel a little pain today, you can get more food next year!
Wen Ruoruan wanted to say something else, but Wen Qingqing stopped her with a look.
They followed them to where the trees were being cut down and waited for the gay men to cut them down before starting work.
Wen Qingqing saw a big stone on the side and said, "Sister Xiangqin, please sit over there for a while and get up later after working."
Yu Xiangqin was really in pain, so she didn't refuse and limped to sit down.
After the Wen sisters settled her down, they went to collect firewood nearby. They were not strong enough to chop firewood, so they followed up the mountain just to pick up fallen branches. Yu Xiangqin can earn five work points, while the two of them can only earn three work points.
Yu Xiangqin sat on the big rock and rubbed her ankles through her cotton pants.
"Hey, why are you running up the mountain with such virtue?"
Yu Xiangqin was stunned, and looked up to see Zhao Zhuangshi leaning against the trunk of a tree with a branch in his mouth. When he saw her looking at him, he raised his eyebrows in a sultry manner.
Yu Xiangqin rolled her eyes: "What? You can come, but I can't?"
Zhao Zhuangshi jumped up and down a few times, showing his lack of virtue: "My legs and feet are fine. Unlike you, I can't walk easily."
Yu Xiangqin was so angry that she gritted her teeth and said, "Just wait, if you want me to test you again in the future, I won't do it!"
"Huh? Why are you so embarrassed after just saying a few words?" Zhao Zhuangshi heard that she didn't care about him, and he quickly took out two roasted chestnuts from his pocket and threw them to her, "I'm wrong, okay? Teacher Yu Don’t be like me.”
"Huh." Yu Xiangqin snorted softly, bit open a chestnut and said vaguely, "If you admit your mistake quickly... I'll spare you this time."
Zhao Zhuangshi was hiding behind a tree and lazing around. He shook his feet and suddenly remembered: "Hey, the last sentence that candidate Zi Lin Nianhe owed me has not yet..."
He was interrupted before he could finish his words. Suddenly, there were frightened shouts in the distance, mixed with screams and exclamations one after another.
"Hey! Get out of the way over there!"
"Run! Run!"
Yu Xiangqin subconsciously looked up and saw a thick tree falling towards her!
It is actually easy to hide when a tree falls. Anyone with experience knows that as long as you take a few steps to the side, you will be fine.
There are two prerequisites for easy evasion, one is experience, and the other is being able to run.
Yu Xiangqin has been in the countryside for many years. Every year she follows the villagers to the mountains to cut trees, so she has experience. But her feet hurt so much that she had to walk slowly, let alone run?
She pinched the chestnuts and watched helplessly as the big tree got closer and closer to her...
"Fuck, you fucking idiot are looking for death over there!"
Yu Xiangqin only heard the irritable scolding in her ears, and then her body was knocked down by a figure that jumped over, and she fell into the snowdrift.
"Bang!"
The trees fell to the ground, and the snow and mist kicked up blinded Yu Xiangqin's eyes.
Under the trees, the snow was dyed red.
