"Xiao Long, how about it? I was fast, wasn't I?" Xu Jianjun pointed at the reed bundles on the donkey cart and said with a smile, "Just like you specified: twenty reeds, two and a half meters, three wires. All good."
Li Long could tell at a glance that quite a few of the reed bundles tied to the donkey cart looked odd.
He walked up to the cart for a closer look. Beside him, Xu Jianjun hurriedly untied the rope securing the reed bundles and asked:
"Well? Where should I unload them?"
"Don't rush. These reed bundles of yours need a thorough inspection." Li Long didn't want him unloading everything. Once they were off, loading them back up wouldn't be easy.
"Then inspect them." Xu Jianjun looked utterly unafraid of an inspection.
"Take them to my front courtyard first," Li Long said. "It's inconvenient to pile these in my eldest older brother's yard."
The sun hadn't set yet, and Li Jianguo and the others were still drawing reeds and tying bundles.
Xu Jianjun led the donkey cart after Li Long, talking as they walked:
"Xiao Long, let me tell you, this job of yours still needs everyone in our team backing you. Otherwise, you might not actually be able to finish it."
"Our patch isn't the only place with reeds." Li Long understood what Xu Jianjun was getting at. "I do need everyone's help to finish this job, but our team isn't the only place that produces reeds. If I didn't want to do it and someone else took the job, there's no telling whether it would come to our team."
Xu Jianjun understood Li Long's meaning too, and chuckled awkwardly.
He didn't dare argue, naturally because he didn't want to lose this work. This job alone every winter