HLnovel Chapter 18: They Stole the Bullets
Chapter 18: They Stole the Bullets
Ding Mei and happy Lian said:
"I recently wanted to buy a new coat, but I didn't have enough money, so I tried to trade it for the ginseng I dug up in the mountains last year. But the guy at the supply and marketing cooperative said he didn't want the ginseng. He said he liked hunting and wanted to trade it for carbine bullets, but I didn't have any. So I took the ginseng around to different houses and asked if anyone wanted to buy it."
As he spoke, he took out Lu Yao's ginseng:
"This is old ginseng. It's very nourishing. It's said to be able to make an eighty-year-old man young again, giving him the abilities of a twenty-year-old. It's a pity the supply and marketing cooperative doesn't want it. Auntie, if you have extra money, please keep it for me."
After saying all that, Xilian only said one thing: "The eighty-year-old man turned into a young man and listened to it."
I'm in my early thirties, an age when I'm as vigorous as a wolf or a tiger.
Zhang Mazi would only touch her twice a month, and when he did, it was always a quick and perfunctory affair.
If this continues, I'm going crazy.
I really hope he can let me experience being a woman to the fullest.
Otherwise, it would be nice to have a son or daughter, so that I'd have someone to rely on when I'm old!
Staring blankly at the ginseng in Ding Mei's hand:
"Little Meizi, how much do you sell this ginseng for?"
"I heard that it should cost at least fifty yuan, but the pharmaceutical company buys and sells all the herbs, and the price they offer is too low. I can't even buy the coat, so I won't sell it to them."
"So expensive?"
Aunt Xilian was a little disappointed.
Zhang Mazi had a leg injury, and the production team took care of him by making him a pig feeder, but he earned fewer work points than others.
Where would I get fifty yuan to buy ginseng?
Besides, Ma Zi is extremely proud.
If you're afraid of him, why not spend money to buy ginseng? He'd probably beat you up!
We can only say that he was picked up from the street. We'll secretly boil some water for him to drink so he won't get angry.
Xilian's eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked up to ask:
"You just said the guy from the supply and marketing cooperative said something about exchanging bullets? How many bullets does he want?"
"He said he'd trade me his overcoat for twenty rounds of carbine ammunition, and even give me a tube of imported Soviet lipstick! Where am I supposed to get him ammunition for something so important and difficult? If anyone had twenty rounds, I'd trade them ginseng!"
Ding Mei's big eyes sparkled, and her acting was phenomenal.
He acted like a young naiveté, desperately wanting a wool coat and willing to spend a fortune.
Lu Yao, standing outside the window, shifted his gaze from happy Lian's chest to Ding Mei's face.
This girl is a natural-born drama queen.
No wonder she was such a troublemaker when she became my mother-in-law.
Xilian stared intently at the ginseng, as if she saw it as a precious treasure with its head held high!
"Here's what we'll do, Xiao Meizi, you keep this ginseng for me. I'll see if I can get some money or bullets in the next few days."
"How many days?"
Ding Mei pretended to be embarrassed.
Scratched his head.
"I need it urgently. How about this, I'll go ask around. I remember Uncle Sanhouzi mentioned wanting to buy ginseng before."
"No, don't go!"
Xilian was getting a little anxious.
"Wait a minute, I'm going out for a bit. I remember your pockmarked uncle found a few bullets last time..."
As she spoke, she got up and started getting dressed.
Lu Yao is laughing outside the window.
I knew this woman liked this kind of thing.
After Zhang Mazi was arrested, Xilian became the public enemy of the women in the village.
There aren't many men who haven't slept with her.
Xilian put on cotton-padded trousers, but didn't wear a cotton-padded jacket; she simply draped a coat over her shoulders.
Then it came out.
They insisted that Ding Mei not come along and told her to wait inside.
Lu Yao quickly crouched down in the shadows.
They watched as Xilian came out.
After looking around, I headed towards the chicken coop.
He looked back, afraid that Ding Mei would follow him out.
When we got to the chicken coop, we squatted down and reached in to touch it.
After searching for a while without finding it, he simply lowered his body, knelt on the ground, and crawled inside, leaving only his buttocks sticking out.
The old hen inside was so frightened by her that it started clucking loudly.
After a while, she pulled a small cloth bag from deep inside the chicken coop.
Open it, pick things out from inside, and count them as you go:
"1, 2, 3..."
They counted until they reached "20" before tying up the small cloth bag and pushing it back.
He muttered to himself, "I'll only take twenty. Old Ghost shouldn't be able to tell there are so many!"
After saying that, he went inside.
Lu Yao waited for her to enter the house.
Head straight to the chicken coop.
With a sharp eye, he stretched out his waist and reached in, pulling the small cloth bag out from the crack in the wall next to the egg basket in the henhouse.
I ate a lot of chicken poop.
Without even opening it, I could tell it was a carbine bullet just by feeling it through the bag.
Moreover, judging from its heavy weight, Lu Yao estimated that it contained more than a hundred bullets.
They've made a fortune.
With bullets and a gun, I can be king of the mountains!
Excitedly, he grabbed his ammunition pouch and ran outside the wall to wait.
Not long after, Ding Mei came out.
He was holding twenty bullets wrapped in brown paper.
Lu Yao didn't show her the ammunition pouch he had obtained.
He reached out and took the twenty coins from her, stuffing them into his pocket.
Ding Mei couldn't help but ask:
"You country bumpkin, how do you know Uncle Pockmarked's family has bullets? Trading ginseng for bullets is pointless without a gun!"
"That's none of your business. Go home, it's late. I'll find you tomorrow morning!"
Lu Yao pushed Ding Mei away.
Ding Mei sensed something was wrong and turned to stare at Lu Yao:
"Hey kid, did you just peek through the window and see Xilian naked?"
"You're not naked, you're wearing a bellyband!"
"You actually watched it? Then what are you staying here for? You're not going to do anything shameless, are you?"
Lu Yao angrily flicked her forehead:
"Stop making wild guesses. Zheng Shuang learned her suspicious nature from you!"
Who is Zheng Shuang?
"..."
Lu Yao was used to saying this.
It's actually a bit sad to say this now.
I miss my gentle yet slightly willful wife so much.
Unfortunately, even if Ding Mei were to give birth to her now, the baby would be a tiny infant who wouldn't be able to speak.
Pushing Ding Mei along, he said, "Let's go home quickly. When we have time, we'll go to town together and find a man named Zheng Wenli. We'll give him some money and make him have a child with you as soon as possible. I've already come up with a name: Zheng Shuang!"
"Fun my ass! Lu Yao, I'm warning you, if you spout any more nonsense, I won't let you get away with it!"
Ding Mei was really anxious.
Why are you always in such a hurry to let a young woman have a baby?
When she got angry, she really stopped talking to Lu Yao.
Ding Mei swayed and left.
Lu Yao squatted at the door of Zhang Mazi's house, racking his brains for ideas.
The bullets are in hand.
The gun was hidden in a secret compartment under the mat on his kang (heated brick bed).
Aunt Xilian is lying on the kang now, I can't just rush in, tie her up, and then lift the kang mat!
At least we need to get this woman out of here!
It's better to do things sooner rather than later, otherwise, if Old Mazi comes back and Xilian reveals the truth about exchanging bullets for ginseng, the old bandit might find out.
If the gun is moved, I won't be able to find it.
When thinking about a problem, I habitually touch my nose.
Holy crap, that stinks!
It smells like chicken manure.
I was rummaging through the chicken coop to get bullets and got my hands all covered in poop.
correct!
Lu Yao was hit by the smell of feces, and a flash of inspiration struck him.
We still have to rely on these chickens!
Xilian raised six laying hens, which were her family's treasures.
Fearing being carried away by weasels, they built chicken coops with bluestone and blocked the doors tightly with wooden planks at night.
Lu Yao buried the bullet pack in the snowdrift by the door.
Then he jumped over the low wall.
They opened the wooden planks again.
All six chickens were brought out.
But these chickens were very well-behaved when it got dark, lying there motionless.
Lu Yao simply threw one to the east and one to the west.
Then I picked the biggest one, carried it, and went to the window.
"Clatter"
He imitated a rooster's crow, and then threw the old hen directly onto the window paper.
Startled, the hen stretched out her claws and tore a hole in the window paper with a "whoosh".
Inside the house, Xilian screamed in fright:
"Who is it? What do you want!"
Lu Yao rolled over and lay down in the dark corner behind the door.