Chapter 6 Huang Laocai

It has been more than half a month since Er Gouzi was driven out by his uncle’s family.

In the eyes of the villagers, Er Gouzi had long died in a snowdrift.

When Er Gouzi knocked on the door of Huang Laocai’s house, Huang Laocai almost thought it was a ghost.

He let him in only after he was sure he was alive.

“I heard from your uncle that you kept making a fuss about splitting up the family and running away from home in a rage.”

In this winter, if a person runs away from home without food or water, he will most likely die of starvation and cold, but he just didn’t say it.

“You said you would come, so why did you bring me pork!”

Huang Laocai said rudely, but he took the string of fat meat from Er Gouzi with his hands.

“It’s cold outside, come in and sit down!”

Er Gouzi pulled his clothes and pants at the door, trying to cover the hole on his buttocks, and then walked into Huang Laocai’s house.

Huang Laocai’s family built three earthen brick and green tile houses, forming a semicircle, with a wide yard in the middle.

Much richer than my uncle's family.

"Mr. Huang, I want to rent a few acres of land from you."

After entering the house, Er Gouzi hesitated for a while, but couldn't think of any nice polite words, so he just got straight to the point.

"Oh! How old are you this year?"

When Huang Laocai saw Er Gouzi carrying pork to his door, he had guessed a little bit. After the New Year, the people who came to him to ask for help were nothing more than renting land or borrowing money.

However, Er Gouzi in front of him didn't look grown up yet, not even as tall as an adult's shoulders.

If he didn't grow the land well, he wouldn't even be able to collect the rent.

"I'm 14 years old this year!"

Er Gouzi straightened his thin chest and tried to prove his strength.

"Mr. Huang, don't worry! I've been working in the fields every day these years, and I know everything about farming!"

"You came at an unfortunate time. The land that everyone returned last year has been rented out these days!"

Er Gouzi felt cold in his heart when he heard this. Without land, he had a magic gourd but couldn't use it.

Although it seems that there are barren mountains and wasteland everywhere, these lands all have owners.

If he can't rent a field, he won't even have a place to stand.

"No more at all? One acre will do!"

Er Gouzi said, looking at the fat meat in Huang Laocai's hand.

If he can't rent the land, this piece of fat meat will be a big loss. He was thinking, can he find an excuse to get it back.

Huang Laocai also looked at the fat meat in his hand. He couldn't bear to give it back, but he was soft-hearted.

After thinking for a while, he slapped his head and suddenly realized.

"Look at my memory, I remember that there is indeed a piece of land."

"However, this piece of land is relatively barren. It is a fresh land that has just been reclaimed, and the location is also relatively remote. Do you want it?"

Er Gouzi was overjoyed when he heard this. He had a treasure like the yellow-skinned gourd, which could be planted on the top of a snowy mountain, and he didn't have to worry about whether the land was fertile.

As for the remote location, it was just what he wanted, and no one would discover the secret of his gourd.

"As long as there is a piece of land, I wonder where it is?"

"Shekou Mountain! The old stubborn donkey died a few days ago!"

Huang Laocai said meaningfully.

Everyone around Shexi Village knows the place called Shekou Mountain.

There is a mountain where Shexi originates, and there is a cave at the foot of the mountain, like an open snake's mouth.

A spring flows out of the snake's mouth, creating a large area of ​​farmland around Shexi and Shexi Village.

But there is a legend in the village that there is a snake demon in Shekou Mountain, and anyone who sees it will die!

The villagers are afraid of the legend of the snake demon, and they usually don't go in that direction unless there is something to do.

In addition, Shekou Mountain is above the water source of Shexi, where there is no water. There are more stones than soil on the mountain, and it is impossible to cultivate. It has always been a barren mountain.

However, last year, there was a person in the village who didn't believe in evil, called the old stubborn donkey. He couldn't be persuaded, and he insisted on going to Shekou Mountain to open up wasteland.

At that time, it spread throughout the village.

Regardless of whether there are snake monsters or not, it is not an easy task to open up wasteland, let alone the poor mountains and bad waters of Shekou Mountain.

Sure enough, this stubborn donkey worked for only one year and exhausted himself to death.

"The old stubborn donkey has reclaimed a total of one mu of wasteland, and has not had time to sow. Now I rent it to you. You only need five dou of grain a year for the first three years."

"If you can reclaim new wasteland on Shekou Mountain, the first three years will be free of rent!"

Huang Laocai looked at Er Gouzi's thin body, which was almost like a chicken. He just said so, and didn't expect him to reclaim wasteland.

The two of them had already discussed and decided, and signed a document immediately.

Er Gouzi rented an acre of wasteland on Shekou Mountain. In the first three years, he paid five dou of rice every year, and after three years, it would return to the normal one stone.

If Er Gouzi can reclaim new land, the first three years will be free of rent...

The paper was filled with black and white words, and Er Gouzi could barely recognize most of it, and the rest could be roughly guessed.

Fortunately, before his parents died, he was given a year of private school to learn a few words and lay a foundation.

After his parents died, Dagou forced him to learn a lot of words every day.

After Dagou died, he could only learn a few words secretly while his cousin was reading and writing.

Ergou looked at the content on the white paper and found that it was no different from what he had discussed. Then he picked up the pen and wrote the three characters "Zhang Ergou" crookedly.

He has a name, Zhang, and Ergou. Gou means to linger and survive!

After signing, each party kept a copy and kept it well. If there is a dispute between the two parties in the future, this will be the evidence.

"It's getting late, let's just finish dinner before leaving!"

Huang Laocai folded the lease, put it in his arms, and smiled as he kept the meal.

Er Gouzi was still eating breakfast, and he was already hungry.

Seeing Huang Laocai's initiative to invite him, he hurriedly thanked him.

"Thank you, boss!"

Huang Laocai immediately ordered his concubine to take the piece of fat meat to the kitchen to fry it.

Not long after, Huang Laocai's concubine had brought a dish.

The dish was on the table, still steaming, and the aroma of meat could be smelled from a long distance.

Er Gouzi tried his best not to swallow his saliva, but it was like a spring in his mouth, and the saliva gathered more and more, and he couldn't hold it in.

In the end, he could only lower his head and quietly swallow his saliva several times, trying not to make a sound of swallowing saliva.

After swallowing his saliva, he looked around, hoping that no one would notice.

It turned out that Huang Laocai had been looking at him with a smile.

Er Gouzi's face turned red instantly, so undignified, so useless!

"Er Gouzi, come sit down and eat. I've served you the rice."

At this time, Huang Laocai and his several older sons were all sitting at the table, each with a bowl of white rice in front of them.

In the middle of the table was a plate of pork fried with dried radish.

Er Gouzi picked up a bowl of rice and was about to go to the side to eat.

In the eight years since Dagou died, he had never been allowed to eat at the same table with his uncle.

He felt that he was not qualified to eat at the same table with Mr. Huang, as it would make him seem ignorant of the rules.

"Sit down! Just sit here and eat peacefully. It's not reasonable for guests not to sit at the table!"

Er Gouzi couldn't resist, and finally sat on the same bench with Huang Laocai's eldest son Huang Fugui.

He picked up the rice and took a big bite.

This is probably the strength of the richest man in Shexi Village, eating white rice every meal.

"Er Gouzi, eat vegetables, eat vegetables!"

"Don't just eat without vegetables!"

"Er Gouzi, eat as much as you can, there's plenty of white rice!"

Er Gouzi picked up a piece of fat and two pieces of dried radish.

The dried radish absorbed enough lard, and it was crispy, sweet and refreshing.

The pork fat was soft and tender, and the mouth was full of oil. The pork was so delicious that people wanted to swallow their tongues.

He ate three bowls of rice and five pieces of fat meat.

After everyone finished eating, there was still half a plate of fried pork and radish on the table.

In fact, Er Gouzi felt that he could eat at least ten bowls of rice.

"Thank you, boss, I'm leaving first!"

When he walked out of the Huang family, the sky had begun to turn dark.

A few pedestrians in the village were walking home.

Just when he turned the corner of a house, he almost bumped into the person opposite.

"You...you..."

This person was the second child of the uncle's family. The moment he saw Er Gouzi, he was shocked and puzzled for a long time, and couldn't say the rest of the words.

"What's wrong with me? Are you curious that I'm not dead?"

Er Gouzi stared at this cousin who usually bullied him because he relied on the protection of adults.

One night, he kicked himself in the face with his foot, and he was very happy.

Er Gouzi looked around and saw no one around, so he suddenly grabbed his cousin by the collar.

"Pa pa pa..."

He slapped him from the front, and then from the back. He slapped him from left to right, and slapped him ten times in a row, making his cousin's face slightly swollen.

"I'll collect some interest today!"

After beating him, he pushed him to the ground and ran away.

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