There was already a small line of villagers under the shade of the trees by the roadside.
Mr. Dong sat on a small bamboo chair, holding an account book and tapping on a calculator. He wrote down the amount to be paid and made the payment by name.
The most exciting moment had arrived.
Qiqi clenched her fists and stomped her feet in excitement.
They witnessed this scene when Song YuelIang and Dong Wangshu arrived at Taoxi village.
The little child was squeezed together with a few radish heads. She was so excited that her little face was red, and grinned, revealing her cute little teeth.
"So many people? Mr. Dong seems to be giving out money." In the front passenger seat, Dong Wangshu was about to open the car door to join in the fun. "We came at the right time."
Song YuelIang stopped her from moving. "Wait a moment. Let's wait for the other side to finish their work before going down."
"Since you're already here, why wait?" Dong Wangshu didn't know what was going on. He followed Song YuelIang's line of sight and saw the little girl stomping her little feet, "..."
The last time they met was at their family's wholesale market. At that time, Qiqi gave Dong Wangshu the impression that she was timid and soft, like a Mimosa.
He didn't expect to see such a fun side of the little girl when they met again. Her eyes were so bright that Yuan symbols were emerging.
"What a little money-grubber." She found it funny.
Song YuelIang didn't say anything. Her gaze was fixed on the little girl.
Hui City wasn't far from Zhuolu Town, and it would take more than an hour to drive there.
However, from the town to Taoxi village, Song YuelIang spent a full hour.
The mountain road to enter the village was not easy to walk on. Because he was unfamiliar with the terrain, he even took the wrong path.
The fatigue from the long, bumpy journey strangely disappeared when she saw the baby.
The fleet of trucks at the village entrance blocked their vision, and everyone's attention was elsewhere, so no one noticed an additional car beside the convoy of trucks.
Mr. Dong had already finished calculating the first batch of capital. He raised his head and looked at the line that was getting longer and longer. Finally, his eyes swept past little Qiqi and the others. He said, "come, I'll give out the money! "
"Zhang Xifeng, 7123 catties of sweet potatoes. The payment is 213.70 Yuan!"
Zhang Xifeng was at the front of the line. When she heard the amount of the payment, she was so excited that she was a little slow.
Her hands were still shaking when Mr. Dong put the money in her hands.
"Granny, we've earned more than 200 yuan!" There was a source of heat by her feet. The little child hugged her leg. Her eyes curved into a crescent moon. "So many!"
Zhang Xifeng took the child to the side, squatted down, and held the child tightly in her arms. Then she said tremblingly, "Yes, a lot, a lot. I've earned more than I did before."
The weather was hot and uncomfortable to be held, but Qiqi did not struggle. Her small hands wrapped around the old woman's neck, and she smiled shyly.
Grandma was happy, so Qiqi was even happier.
The payment was still ongoing.
"Li Shuigen, 9960 catties of sweet potatoes, 4008 watermelons, the payment is 2302.80 yuan!"
"Li Dongsheng, 1009 catties of sweet potatoes, 3976 watermelons, and the payment is 2283.80 yuan!"
"Chen Jianhe ... The payment is 2657.30 yuan!"
..
Other than Zhang Xifeng's family, the families that grew watermelons in the village paid more than 2000 Yuan.
This time, there were no cheers. Those who were called to take the money quietly walked to the side of the road and squatted down. No one left immediately, and no one said anything.
Many looked at the thick stack of notes in their hands, ranging from 100 denomination to a few cents denomination, and the heavyweight in their hands.
This was the dawn that the Taoxi villagers, who had almost been crushed by life, held in their hands at the end of the dark after enduring year after year.
Many people cried silently. Their tears fell on the money drop by drop.
They had bent their backs for decades to feed their families, living as lowly as dust. Today, they could finally straighten their backs and take a deep breath.
There was hope.
After crying, their tear-streaked faces bloomed with dazzling smiles.
Their laughter was so carefree and heroic that it dimmed the sun.
Zhang Xifeng was still holding Qiqi. Her wrinkled face was on the child's small shoulder. Her eyes were red, but the corners of her eyes were full of deep wrinkles.
Now, they were truly alive.
"Granny, I'll help you grow watermelons next year. By then, you'll be able to earn more money. You'll also be able to earn 2000 Yuan." Her face was wet. Qiqi thought Granny was earning less than other families when she was sad. She comforted her clumsily, "Granny, don't be sad."
Zhang Xifeng straightened her body and put some distance between her and the child. She laughed and cried. "Silly child, Granny isn't sad. Although other families earned more, they had bigger households too. Only two of us are in our family, and we've made quite a bit of money. Besides, you've forgotten that we still have two pigs to sell, and that's the big head of our family."
Qiqi thought for a moment. Then we'll raise two more pigs next year. "I'll help Granny raise them!"
She was very good at cutting pigweed, so it wouldn't be a problem for her to raise a few more pigs.
Now that her Granny wanted to support her, she would have to spend more money than before. She had to help her earn money.
..
The goods from dozens of families in a village were a considerable amount, and it would take a long time to collect all of them.
After the villagers had calmed down, they spontaneously helped box and load the registered sweet potatoes and watermelons into the truck. The employees in the wholesale market could finally take a break.
Qiqi found work for herself again. She brought Huazi, Doggie, and other children to the village to deliver water and food to the employees. She was like a bit of bee that could not stop.
She was the youngest in the children group and the shyest, but she was the most agile.
The laughter and chatter at the scene did not stop, and the atmosphere was harmonious and happy.
Song YuelIang never liked noise, but she felt like she wanted to blend in at that moment.
It seemed too cold and cheerless to sit here.
"Let's get out of the car." She said. Just as she was about to open the car door, a motorcycle suddenly sped from behind and whizzed past.
Dong Wangshu was shocked and almost cursed out loud.
Fortunately, the car door had not opened, or it would have caused an accident.
Song YuelIang frowned and looked up.
On the other side, because of the motorcycle's intrusion, the laughter in the crowd stopped.
When Qiqi saw the person who came, her little face changed as if facing a great enemy.
Doggie glared at the two men on the motorcycle and gritted his teeth. "These two bastards are here again!"
Huazi also said angrily, "last night, the watermelons in our village were almost smashed. They were the ones who did it! It's not a good thing for you to come over now!"
The two boys looked at each other and quietly walked away. When they left, they even picked up little Qiqi.
"What are you guys doing here?" The old village chief had already walked out and glared at Wang Jianzhong and his nephew.
The villagers of Taoxi village also walked to the old village chief's side, full of vigilance.
The motorcycle stopped before the truck and Wang Jianzhong got off. He pretended not to notice the hostility in the eyes of the villagers and laughed as he walked forward, "brother Li, everyone, don't be nervous, don't be nervous. I just came to say hello to my friend here."