Knowing where family ties stood

Tao Daqiang had dinner at the Li house. Li Long told him to come get him at six the next morning, and he agreed before heading home.

It was completely dark by then. Fortunately, the moon was bright, and with the snow reflecting its light, he could see the road clearly.

When he entered his yard and saw the light on inside, he thought of his father's habits and decided to break up some coal and bring it indoors. They couldn't keep freezing like this.

At worst, once he earned some money tomorrow, he could ask Brother Long to take him to buy some coal. They would be taking the horse cart out to sell fish anyway.

Under the Coal Shed, Tao Daqiang was surprised to see quite a bit more coal than before. A possibility occurred to him, and he immediately filled a dustpan with coal and carried it inside.

Tao Jianshe was still leaning back on the kang, smoking. The room was thick with smoke.

"Did my brother bring coal over?" Tao Daqiang asked.

"Yes." Tao Jianshe sat up straight. As Tao Daqiang set down the coal, he pointed to the kang and said:

"Change your clothes, then come sit here. We need to talk."

Tao Daqiang rarely saw his father this solemn, and it made him uncomfortable.

He quickly changed his clothes and sat on the kang.

"Your brother gave your sister-in-law a scolding and brought some coal over. He said you had a point-he's part of the Tao Family, and he ought to think of the family. He even said he'd have your sister-in-law's younger brother bring the wood back, but I figured we're all relatives. What's given is given."

Tao Daqiang was surprised that his brother could change, but since he had, they might as well let the wood go. He nodded.

"Then you two brothers shouldn't hold any more grudges." Tao Jianshe tapped out his pipe. "People say brothers working together can cut through metal. Your brother may have set up his own household, but he's still your brother."

"I know."

"There's something else. I see you're making good money catching and selling fish with Second Li. You can't leave your brother out of this. I'll go borrow a Scoop Net tomorrow. After that, stop going with Second Li. They've got each other—what are you doing wedged between them?"

Tao Daqiang was about to explain, but Tao Jianshe raised a hand to stop him:

"There are two of them, but aren't there two of you brothers too? Tell Second Li tomorrow that you won't be catching fish with him anymore. You and your brother can go together. Little Haizi has plenty of fish, and they're public property. Whoever catches them gets to keep them. From now on, you two can catch them and sell them together, then split the money equally. Take this chance to earn more before New Year, and things will be easier when spring comes."

Tao Daqiang fell silent.

Did his father have a point?

Of course he did. In fact, if Li Long hadn't brought him along, Li Long could have made more money.

He had only been included because he'd taken the initiative to tag along. Of course, Li Long was kindhearted and loyal to his friends. Tao Daqiang firmly believed that.

But was he willing to leave Li Long and do this with his brother instead?

Tao Daqiang searched his heart and found himself resisting the idea.

His brother wasn't a shrewd man. Catching fish might be fine, but he certainly wouldn't get very far selling them. Tao Daqiang had watched Li Long do it once and still hadn't figured much out. How many country people these days were quick-witted enough to come up with all those different approaches?

Most likely, they would end up like the people at the Black Market, sitting there without even calling out to customers, just waiting for someone to come over and ask.

But his father's meaning was clear too. However good the Li family was, they were outsiders. What kind of man wouldn't even help his own brother?

He couldn't find the words to argue.

At that moment, Tao Daqiang felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

After seeing Tao Daqiang off, Li Long went to team leader Xu Chengjun's house.

"Here to borrow the horse cart?" Xu Chengjun looked at Li Long, his expression a little awkward.

He had taken his younger brother-in-law into the mountains, only to discover that things weren't nearly as simple as he'd imagined. The snow was almost a meter deep and impossible to get through. He had no idea which route Li Long had taken.

As the Production Team leader, he couldn't bring himself to ask Li Long the way. So he hadn't used the cart again the next day, and someone else had borrowed it.

But two days had passed without a single household bringing back a big load of wood, and the team's horses were idle again.

"Yes, I'm heading into the county tomorrow and need to borrow the cart." Li Long put three yuan and twenty cents on the table. "For two days."

"All right." Xu Chengjun took the money and wrote him a slip. "Going into the county or up into the mountains?"

"Depends," Li Long answered vaguely.

Xu Chengjun knew that Li Long was selling fish. Although the restrictions hadn't been fully lifted yet, he also knew that the authorities weren't enforcing certain rules very strictly, if at all. Only a few households in the entire Production Team had radios, and his was one of them.

Listening to people discuss policies on the radio, Xu Chengjun knew the winds had shifted. That was why he hadn't stopped Li Long and the others from selling fish.

Li Long took the slip to Lao Luo, who accepted it with a smile:

"Ah, you're still the capable one. Those people took the carts out acting like wood was lying all over the mountains, just waiting to be picked up. Then every one of them came back looking like they'd been to a funeral. You never saw such a dejected bunch. They didn't know how to look after the horses either-ran them ragged!"

Lao Luo could say things like that, but Li Long didn't join in. He only said he would come early the next morning to collect the cart, and Lao Luo agreed.

When Li Long got home, he called a few words to Li Jianguo through the window, then went back to his East Room.

Before dawn the next morning, Li Jianguo woke Li Long. After a hurried breakfast, he went to the Stable to collect the horse cart, then headed to the Tao house.

Tao Daqiang soon came out, and the two of them headed back to the Li house.

After loading the fish, they drove the cart toward the county. They had traveled a little over three kilometers when Tao Daqiang haltingly told Li Long what his father wanted.

"That's a good thing." Li Long was a little surprised. Had Tao Jianshe and Tao Dayong turned over a new leaf?

Was the Tao Family taking Tao Daqiang seriously now that he'd become "useful"?

It really was a good thing. At least it could change Tao Daqiang's life, and apparently for the better. The thought left Li Long feeling reflective.

"Then, the two of us..." Tao Daqiang had expected Li Long to be angry. His reaction instead left Tao Daqiang at a loss.

"Go catch fish with your brother. Don't worry about it." Li Long thought for a moment, then said, "After I sell today's fish, I'm going to stop for a while and have a look around the mountains."

Tao Daqiang fell silent.

He was the one who'd proposed splitting up, so why did hearing Li Long say that make him feel abandoned?

"You'll have no trouble catching fish," Li Long said as he drove the cart. "But you need to be careful when you sell them. Enforcement is looser now, but if you let your guard down, there are still people who'll arrest you.

"If you see anyone wearing an armband coming over, run immediately. Even if you have to leave the fish behind, make sure you get away. Otherwise, the fine will be a real headache."

Listening to Li Long, Tao Daqiang felt as though he was being entrusted with the secrets of the trade, and his nose stung.

They talked like this along the way, reaching the County Town before it was fully light.

"Stay here. I'll carry the fish over to sell," Li Long said. "I won't take too much at once, so it'll be easier to run if anything happens. Keep your distance. If you notice anything wrong, drive the cart north of town right away. Circle around, and we'll meet at the Big Meat Canteen."

Seeing Tao Daqiang nod, Li Long picked up a little over ten kilograms of fish and headed toward the Black Market trading spot.

There were still quite a few people selling things, but most of them barely spoke.

When Li Long saw someone leave, he immediately carried his sack over and took the spot. He spread out the urea sack and laid out his fish.

Meat and fish were hard to come by these days, so the moment he put them out, someone came over to ask the price.

A good start.

(End of chapter)