God-Tier Get Rich System – CH86

Chapter 86: Double Joy

Over the next month, Mu Lantu continued working, while Xu Huazhang made daily trips to the county town.

He was busy with matters regarding the diesel harvester.

During this time, Xu Huazhang also published two articles in the Daily of Danjiang City. One was titled “I Am a Youths: Humble Opinions on Ensuring Grain Yield,” and the other was “The Mechanical Factory of Shuangfeng County in My Eyes.”

Although there was no payment for the articles, Xu Huazhang gained recognition in the Chaoyang Commune and became even more well-known at the mechanical factory.

Every few days, when he returned from the county, he would bring back gifts others had given him—sometimes food, sometimes ration coupons.

Mu Lantu also prepared things for him to take as return gifts—dried vegetables, pickles, wild pheasant meat, eggs, and so on.

By the end of July, Xu Huazhang’s homemade diesel harvester was completed. Though it looked ugly—since all the parts were scavenged and cobbled together—it worked perfectly and its diesel efficiency was far superior to any combine harvester currently on the domestic market.

The brigade leader was overjoyed when he heard the news and started spinning in circles with excitement.

He and Xu Huazhang secretly made an early trip to the county town.

The harvester was temporarily stored at the mechanical factory.

By mid-August, just two more days and the wheat could be harvested.

The Dongfanghong Brigade held a mobilization meeting before the wheat harvest.

At the meeting, the brigade leader announced that the brigade would soon have a harvester and that Mu Lantu would be its driver. He also announced the benefits that came with being the harvester operator.

The entire group erupted in shock!

How did their brigade suddenly get a harvester? And how did Comrade Mu suddenly become its driver?

Even though this was great news, nobody was convinced!

The villagers weren’t convinced! This was their brigade, the Youths were outsiders. Why should an outsider get to drive their harvester?

The Youths weren’t convinced either! They were all Youths—none thought they were inferior. Why was Mu Lantu the chosen one?

The threshing yard was filled with noise, like thunder.

The brigade leader stood calmly on a raised platform, waiting for everyone to finish venting. Then, he slowly explained the reason.

The diesel harvester had been independently designed and built by Xu Huazhang!

Once he said that, both villagers and Youths were rendered speechless.

The brigade leader then delivered a third announcement:

“Starting tomorrow, Comrade Xu will no longer work in the fields. He is now a glorious technician at the county mechanical factory and will start work there tomorrow! Let’s give him a big round of applause!”

Everyone stared blankly, clapping numbly.

Comrade Xu… Xu Huazhang had become a worker?

At that moment, all feelings of jealousy toward Xu Huazhang and Mu Lantu vanished from the other Youths.

The gap was too big!

They were still scrabbling for food in the fields, while Xu Huazhang and Mu Lantu had already become outstanding individuals.

Once the crowd snapped out of their daze, they surged toward the two, surrounding them layer upon layer, offering congratulations one after another.

Mu Lantu said loudly, “Thank you, everyone! Xu Huazhang and I are heading up the mountain now to see if we can catch a few wild chickens or rabbits—maybe even a wild boar. Tonight, we’ll have a pig-killing feast! And in a couple of days, it’ll be time for the wheat harvest, so we should all replenish our strength so we can contribute to the country with full energy!”

These two sentences finally subdued the crowd’s excitement. Meat had a stronger allure than status. Whether the Youths earned an iron rice bowl had nothing to do with them—but meat, that they could actually eat!

The mood was excellent. The brigade leader, party secretary, and accountant were all smiling warmly, like kindly elders.

“What if you can’t catch a wild boar?” someone asked, throwing cold water on the excitement.

The crowd fell silent.

Mu Lantu was about to speak, but the brigade leader glanced off to the side and chuckled, “That’s not a problem. We’ve got an old hunter in our village. If we let him lead, I’m sure we’ll find a boar.”

The crowd was cheerful again.

“Right, right! Uncle He is worth two men!”

An elderly man stepped forward from the crowd. Though his hair was grey, suggesting he was over fifty, his body was strong and tall. His arms were thicker than Mu Lantu’s legs, muscular and powerful. His face was dark, with grey eyebrows and eyes that gleamed like light bulbs.

“I’ve got no problem taking them into the mountains,” said Uncle He, “but Brigade Leader, you better not dock my work points.”

The brigade leader burst out laughing. “I won’t, I won’t. Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang will make up the points for you. Right, you two?”

Mu Lantu replied cheerfully, “Of course. Not only will we make up the points, if we’re lucky and catch some wild chickens or rabbits, we’ll give two to Uncle He!”

Uncle He laughed heartily. “Then I’ll hold you to it!”

The three of them returned home to prepare, while the other villagers went to work.

Mu Lantu, Xu Huazhang, and Uncle He met up behind the village and headed toward the back mountain.

Uncle He brought a hunting dog—a black German Shepherd, tall and powerful, standing thigh-high to a grown man, its limbs strong and its head held proudly, exuding dominance.

Mu Lantu tried to build rapport. “Uncle He, your dog is amazing—looks fierce and strong at a glance.”

Uncle He looked over at Wangcai, who was plump, agile, and in great shape, and said, “Your dog’s a good one too. With proper training, it could be a hunting dog.”

Wangcai only stood about five centimeters above an adult man’s knee, shorter than the shepherd, but otherwise no less capable.

Mu Lantu laughed. “It’s pretty smart. Maybe it can pick up a few tricks from this dog brother here.”

Uncle He chuckled.

“Let’s see how it performs. If its temperament matches my General’s, they can hunt together more often. It might really learn something.”

Once they entered the mountains, Uncle He became silent.

Mu Lantu didn’t chatter either and followed behind quietly with Xu Huazhang.

They didn’t have bows—just specially sharpened wooden spears.

When Mu Lantu spotted wild vegetables, he didn’t pass them up.

Under a tree, a rustling sound triggered barking from General and Wangcai.

Xu Huazhang quickly hurled a wooden spear.

“Got it!” Uncle He was surprised. He couldn’t see from his angle, but he could hear well—and that sound definitely meant a hit.

Mu Lantu nodded with a smile. “It hit.”

As a former regent prince, Xu Huazhang had participated in many imperial hunts. His martial arts and archery were top-notch.

Wangcai dashed off and returned with a gray wild rabbit weighing four or five pounds.

As they ventured deeper into the mountains, wild veggies and game became more abundant.

A wild pheasant startled by General’s bark took flight, and Mu Lantu swung his stick to knock it unconscious.

He didn’t use the sharpened spear—it would’ve been odd if both he and Xu Huazhang had the same technique.

The spear was prepared for Xu Huazhang alone. Mu Lantu wanted to maintain the image that he relied on strength to “smash” his prey.

“Lucky shot,” he said with a relieved expression.

Uncle He twitched his mouth but didn’t overthink it. Young folks having sharp reflexes was normal.

That day, many children were gathering wild vegetables and firewood at the base of the mountain. They kept glancing uphill every few minutes.

Near noon, some noise came from the mountain base.

It was Mu Lantu.

The kids rushed over to him.

“Comrade Mu!”

He spotted Tie Dan, Gou Dan, and the little girl with braided pigtails from before.

“Go get the adults—we caught two wild boars!”

The kids took off running toward the village, only remembering to cheer halfway down. Their laughter carried far and wide.

Uncle He truly lived up to his reputation—he took down two wild boars, one weighing over 200 pounds, the other over 300.

Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang, keeping a low profile, didn’t show off—they simply protected Uncle He from injury.

The three returned safely without a scratch.

Besides the boars, Uncle He also caught three wild rabbits and two pheasants. If they’d had more hands, he could’ve gotten even more.

Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang got three rabbits and one pheasant.

One of the rabbits was Wangcai’s catch, which Mu Lantu decided to reward him with.

Mu Lantu also caught a hazel grouse—but since that species later became endangered, he “accidentally” let it go.

Uncle He was disappointed; he said hazel grouse meat was famously fragrant and delicious.

Mu Lantu decided he’d just buy it from the Labor Honor Mall later. You could eat as many as you wanted there.

The brigade leader soon arrived with some villagers and an ox cart. When he saw the two fat boars, he beamed with joy.

The boars were carried to the riverside to be butchered.

Mu Lantu pulled out a rabbit and a pheasant for Uncle He. “Uncle He, let us walk you home first.”

Uncle He waved him off. “I’m a hunter. I don’t lack meat. You keep it.”

“Don’t say that—we agreed on this,” Mu Lantu said, pulling him along. “Come on, we’ll walk you.”

Uncle He couldn’t refuse. “Fine. You should at least get to know where I live—drop by sometime.”

A little meat meant nothing to him, and they were still just kids. But Mu Lantu’s manners made him feel very comfortable. He figured he’d return the favor another day.

Mu Lantu and Xu Huazhang returned home with two jin of cured meat that Uncle He insisted they take.

Cured meat had a different flavor from fresh pork—Mu Lantu liked it.

That afternoon, Mu Lantu didn’t have to work, but Xu Huazhang hadn’t officially started his job yet and didn’t want to give anyone reason to gossip, so the two still went to the fields.

The other villagers were friendly but clearly distracted.

The brigade leader probably knew everyone was dreaming about that stew tonight, so he let them off a little early.

At the threshing yard, six big cauldrons were set up. Elderly folks sat around chatting with bowls on their knees. Children ran circles around the bubbling pots. It was festive and bustling.

Inside the cauldrons, the half-cooked “pig-killing dishes” were bubbling: big pork ribs, thick meat slices, bones, blood sausage, potatoes, radishes, vermicelli… all churning together. The rich aroma wafted out, filling the air, spreading through the threshing yard and beyond.