Reborn in 80: Starting with hunting in the mountains to get rich

Chapter 385 Lu Zhiqiang Carries the Suitcase

The car drove along the dirt road in the village. Lu Zhiqiang, sitting in the passenger seat, took off his dog-skin hat, rolled down the window, and excitedly waved the hat, shouting, "Hey! Uncle Zhang, Uncle Sun! Good morning!"

Uncle Sun had already heard the car engine roaring. When he saw Lu Zhiqiang in the passenger seat, he stared in surprise and exclaimed, "Lu boy, what are you doing in a car?"

Lu Zhiqiang wanted this effect, and he shouted with satisfaction, "Let's go see Li Ju'an. The division commander brought gifts to Li Ju'an to thank him for saving people."

Uncle Sun exclaimed "Wow!" and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Young man Li is really something, managing to get the attention of the commander. What kind of gift is it?"

Every villager stared longingly at the trunk of the car, trying to peek inside the several large boxes of items to see what gifts were inside, looking so mysterious.

Lu Zhiqiang blinked and laughed, "We'll see him when we get to Li Ju'an's place. Let's drive off."

The car driver was the division commander's driver. He had brought his young master, Chen Xiangqian, to this desolate place, and was already furious. The roads here were all dirt tracks, village roads, which could damage the car's tires.

Although he doesn't have to pay for the tire repairs himself, he's the one who has to put in the effort, lying on his back on the ground, straining to fix the wheel. He's the one who does all the work for others; who doesn't have some resentment?

The driver shouted, "Do we have to keep driving uphill?"

Chen Xiangqian was originally sitting in the passenger seat, but Lu Zhiqiang's rather unceremoniously shoved him into the back seat, where he sat next to Lu Jinyang. He could only say, "Brother Li's self-built house is in a very remote area, and it's difficult to walk in. We'll park at the very end of the dirt road, and we can cross that ditch. Uncle Chen, please help us carry a few more boxes."

Driver Uncle Chen rolled his eyes; he really didn't want to move the boxes. The heavy boxes, weighing him down in his new shoes, felt incredibly heavy as he loaded them into the trunk. He considered himself a respectable man; loading and unloading cargo was something only temporary workers at the docks did. He held the steering wheel; he couldn't handle such dirty and strenuous work.

"That's fine."

Seeing the driver's displeasure, Lu Jinyang tried to smooth things over, saying, "Chen Xiangqian, Lu Zhiqiang and I will help you move it. If the car is parked on the dirt road, some random people might try their luck. Uncle Chen has to keep an eye on the car. Otherwise, if something happens to the car, it will be troublesome on the way back."

Chen Xiangqian agreed when he heard that this made sense.

Driver Chen glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror and looked at Lu Jinyang with newfound respect. He hadn't expected to find such a reasonable young man in such a remote and impoverished place; it was truly rare.

The car stopped, and if you walk any further, you'll reach Wild Boar Gully. Beyond Wild Boar Gully lies dry land, where the only self-built house belongs to the Li family.

Chen Xiangqian, groaning, hoisted the large box onto his shoulder, but Lu Zhiqiang snatched it from him, teasing him with a laugh: "Alright, you carry both boxes. Lu Jinyang will carry the other one. You'll just have to use me as a support, or you might twist your ankle in the ditch."

Chen Xiangqian cursed at him and shouted, "We at least helped Brother Li beat up those two bears, so you can use this stick yourself."

He shoved the ash wood stick into Lu Zhiqiang's hand, and then, as if to show off, actually hoisted the heavy box onto his shoulder, letting out a muffled groan as he exerted himself, and steadily walked step by step into the Wild Boar Forest.

Lu Zhiqiang stared in surprise at how hard the division commander's son was working. He said, "Lu Jinyang, did you see that? The division commander's son is quite capable. I like his temperament, and he's quite skilled. He's much better than many people in our village."

He picked up the large suitcase in front of him. The suitcase was so heavy he couldn't even lift it on his first try. He had to take a deep breath, hold it, and yell before hoisting the suitcase onto his shoulder. The sudden movement of the suitcase on his shoulder caused him to slump downwards, his steps faltering and his knees unable to straighten.

Chen Xiangqian, who was carrying a suitcase in front of him as if walking on flat ground, couldn't help but say, "Damn! Lu Jinyang, look at that kid, he's really got some strength. What did he eat to train for that strength? He's as strong as a wild bull."

"Alright, let's carry it over there quickly."

The Lu brothers were so exhausted that they were panting like oxen pulling a bellows, and they barely managed to carry their suitcases across Wild Boar Gully.

The Li family's self-built house was just ahead, and they could hear the barking of the hunting dogs. They could hear two more hunting dogs chasing and fighting with the falcon.

Chen Xiangqian has already met Li Ju'an.

Li Ju'an's leg was strapped in, but not in a cast. He had only sprained his leg; there was no serious injury. However, his meniscus had effusion, and the joint was leaking fluid, requiring some rest. Once the fluid was absorbed by the tissue, it would regain its previous strength. But he couldn't engage in strenuous running or use his knee.

When Lin Mei saw the visitors, she warmly invited the three of them to come in.

Lu Zhiqiang, panting heavily, put the suitcase on the ground and shouted, "Chen Xiangqian, you're strong, come and help. We can't let Li Ju'an drag his bad leg to do the work."

Chen Xiangqian put the suitcase into the Li family's house, chatted and laughed with Li Ju'an and his mother Song Lanhua, and then turned around and called out, "Lu Zhiqiang, carry it in yourself. Didn't they say that young masters in the city can't lift things by hand? You can't be less capable than a young master."

These words enraged Lu Zhiqiang. He couldn't stand being provoked; if he was, he would become like a general shouting and ready to go to the battlefield.

Lu Zhiqiang shouted loudly, "Who said Grandpa can't lift it? I'll carry one and show you. Lu Jinyang, give me this one too. Yes, stack them up."

Two large leather suitcases were pressed down on his back. The heavy suitcases made his spine feel numb, and his shoulders burned with pain. Lu Jinyang had to help him hold them up, afraid that the suitcases would fall and hit his insteps. That wouldn't be a big deal, but it would be a disaster if the teacher's good intentions were ruined.

Lu Jinyang said, "Be careful, go slowly. It's okay if you break it, but Commander Chen's gift can't be damaged."

"What the hell? Lu Jinyang, are you my brother? You don't cherish your brother? You only have one brother."

The people inside burst into laughter.

Lu Zhiqiang carefully carried the suitcases in, and then carefully squatted down, telling Lu Jinyang to put the two large suitcases on the ground, while shouting, "Slow down, put them down gently, be careful not to crush them."

Unlike later trunks, which have wheels and can be pushed in all directions, trunks from that era were made of cowhide, were rectangular in shape, very sturdy, and could hold a lot of items; they were also quite heavy. They didn't have zippers; two buckles snapped together with a "click," and then the clasp was fastened, securely preventing them from coming apart.

Despite the pain in his shoulders, Lu Zhiqiang gritted his teeth and pretended to be strong in front of Chen Xiangqian. He was exhausted but didn't utter a sound. He said casually, "This is nothing. It's just a box weighing about 200 pounds. If there were four or five more, Grandpa could carry them all by hand."

The mother, Song Lanhua, exclaimed, "This must weigh over two hundred pounds? Little Chen's is quite light."

She moved the suitcase that Chen Xiangqian was carrying a little further back to make room for Lu Zhiqiang.

This action was effective, instantly calming the air down.

Lu Zhiqiang and Lu Jinyang stared wide-eyed in surprise, looking at the leather suitcase Chen Xiang had mentioned, and then at the two-hundred-pound leather suitcase in his hand.

He tried lifting Chen Xiangqian's suitcase with his hand.

It was so easy, like lifting a chick, he just lifted it really high in one go.

Lu Zhiqiang raised his voice and shouted, "You little bastard Chen Xiangqian! You're playing me for a fool!"