Reborn in 1979, with a female educated youth lying next to me.

Li Zhenhe was taken aback by what he said.

"Old Liu? Why would I want to see him? We're talking about the tractor, what does it have to do with him?"

When Liu Jia asked him this out of the blue, Li Zhenhe was completely baffled.

Seeing the expression on Li Zhenhe's face, Liu Jia's heart, which had been in his throat, settled back down.

Just now, I was really afraid that Li Zhenhe would nod.

After all, Lao Liu's reputation wasn't just for show. A ruthless underworld boss who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals wouldn't always be all smiles.

"It's good that we didn't see each other. It's a good thing we didn't see each other."

"Sanzi, what are you saying? We need to hurry up and tell us..."

Li Zhenhe had only spoken half of his sentence when a young man next to him began to greet him.

"Brother Li, are you done yet? Everyone's been waiting for you!"

"Okay, okay, I'll be right there," Li Zhenhe replied, then quickly turned to Liu Jia, "Alright, keep that in mind for now, we'll talk about it when I get back. I'm going to the hospital first!"

After uttering this nonsensical remark, Li Zhenhe hurriedly ran away.

Liu Jia was both amused and exasperated.

During this period, I felt extremely busy, usually doing the work of two people.

It seems that Li Zhenhe's side is in the same situation.

To fulfill the tasks assigned by the supply and marketing cooperative, one also needs to spare time to manage the factory's affairs, which is not easy.

However, he said he would be back soon and it shouldn't take too long.

So Liu Jia decided to hand in the orders he had on hand first, and then wait for Li Zhenhe at the gatekeeper's place later.

The weather has been nice these past two days, with clear skies.

As policies become more relaxed, people's lives are becoming more vibrant.

Many farmers no longer go to work in factories as before, but instead try to find work in the city.

Some of the more resourceful individuals have already started small businesses.

After finishing their work, most people would take a stroll through the supply and marketing cooperative whenever they had a spare moment.

Therefore, basket sales have been quite good recently.

After several interactions, Liu Jia became acquainted with some of the sales clerks in the supply and marketing cooperative.

So the basket handover went very smoothly, taking less than five minutes in total.

Thinking that Li Zhenhe wouldn't be back anytime soon, Liu Jia went directly to the gate.

"Uncle, are you resting?"

As they were talking, Liu Jia took out a cigarette and handed it to the old man.

Upon seeing the filter tip, the gatekeeper's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile.

The old man quickly put down the enamel mug he was holding and promptly took the cigarette from him.

"Liu Jia, it's been a while since you've been keeping watch over me while I rest. What brings you here today?"

"Don't even mention it. I've been so busy lately, my head is about to fall off. Brother Li asked me to wait for him, so I took the opportunity to chat with you for a bit."

Seeing the old man hand him a stool, Liu Jia didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down on it.

The old man looked at Liu Jia with a smile, "That's great! I've noticed you've been coming to the supply and marketing cooperative quite often lately. Are your baskets selling well?"

"It's alright, I'm just doing whatever I can, it's all hard-earned money."

Liu Jia spoke the truth.

Although the policies are somewhat relaxed now, it's impossible to get rich overnight. You can only seize opportunities and let things snowball.

The old man listened and nodded approvingly.

"That's a good idea. You're a steady young man. It's always better to take things easy."

"A person's fate is predetermined. If you are destined to have this wealth, it will eventually come into your pocket. If you are not destined to have it, even if you work hard to win it back, it will be like trying to fill a basket with water."

"Just like Old Zhang in the supply and marketing cooperative, after all the ups and downs, he probably won't have much left in the end."

Liu Jia sensed that the old man was speaking with some emotion, but before he could ask what was going on, the old man mentioned Lao Zhang.

"Grandpa, who is Old Zhang?"

The old man took a drag of his cigarette.

"He's an old driver from the supply and marketing cooperative. He was one of the first people to get his hands on a tractor. He's honest, steady, and reliable, but he just had bad luck."

"He was busy arranging for his three sons to get married, and his wife fell ill. With retirement just around the corner, Old Zhang was anxious and tried to find work everywhere. But what happened next was that he didn't earn any money and his truck overturned into a ditch."

"You know, you can't fight fate. Everyone knows that tractor in the supply and marketing cooperative is weird, but Old Zhang just wouldn't believe it. Now look what's happened, he can't deny it now!"

The old man spoke slowly, and Liu Jia was completely confused.

"What's so strange about a tractor?"

"Old Zhang must have been distracted while driving. Given his experience and ability to react, it's unlikely he drove into the ditch."

As soon as Liu Jia finished speaking, the old man opposite him began to shake his head.

"You can't say that. Let me tell you, the whole supply and marketing cooperative knows that tractor is something else!"

The old man spoke in a low voice, with a mysterious expression.

Liu Jia immediately became interested.

Listening to him speak was like hearing a bizarre story, and Liu Jia was immediately captivated.

People told Liu Jia that ever since the supply and marketing cooperative bought that tractor, it had never carried any heavy loads.

To put it bluntly, they didn't put in any effort.

It wasn't that the leaders of the supply and marketing cooperative felt sorry for the tractor, but rather that the tractor was always causing trouble.

Everything was fine until I went out, and then something went wrong.

Even though I checked everything carefully before leaving home, making sure the gas was full and the air was on, problems always seemed to arise halfway through the journey.

Later, the higher authorities allocated several more tractors to the supply and marketing cooperative. Everyone knew about this, so they all chose to drive other tractors.

A perfectly good tractor was simply left idle.

It was quite a coincidence.

The day before yesterday, Lao Zhang's tractor needed repairs. He could have taken a break, but Lao Zhang chose to work an extra shift instead.

"The tractor had been sitting in the supply and marketing cooperative for almost half a month. Before leaving, Old Zhang carefully checked it over and made sure there were no problems before driving it out."

"The trouble started around midnight last night."

"I heard from them that Old Zhang was driving his tractor just fine, but when he went over a ditch, the steering wheel suddenly stopped working and he crashed into the ditch."

The old man shook his head as he spoke, his face full of regret.

Liu Jia's eyes were fixed on the screen.

"How could such a thing happen? Sir, are you kidding me?"

The old man got anxious as soon as he heard this, and his eyebrows shot up high.

"I've been talking to you for so long just to fool you? I could have spent more time drinking tea than that! I knew you wouldn't believe this nonsense, so it was pointless to talk to you."

"Look, you're getting anxious just talking. I was just wondering about it, so I asked a few more questions."

After hearing Liu Jia's explanation, the old man was no longer as agitated as before.

"That's the truth, but the rumors outside are even more outrageous. Old Zhang is still lying in the hospital. By the way, you said Li Zhenhe asked you to wait for him here. He's probably gone to see Old Zhang with the people from the supply and marketing cooperative."

Liu Jia suddenly realized.

No wonder Li Zhenghe was in such a hurry when he saw me earlier, and said he had something to say.

Could this be what he wanted to tell me?

Which tractor is it about?

Liu Jia suddenly became excited.

If that's really the case, then they've struck gold.

The old man just made it very clear that the tractor hadn't been used much and was almost completely replaced.

If the car crashed into the ditch but didn't damage any important parts, it would be absolutely necessary to retrieve it.

However, this strange phenomenon still needs to be studied carefully.

"Scared now? We don't follow those feudal superstitions anymore, but there are still some things we need to be careful about."

The old man's words had a hidden meaning, and he even pursed his lips after he finished speaking.

Liu Jia smiled.

"Sir, you're often here. Is that tractor new?"

"How can it not be new? It's brand new! In winter, it's kept in the shed, protected from the wind and rain. What's the difference between it and a brand new one!"

After he finished speaking, the old man seemed to realize something, and his expression suddenly became serious.

She drew a spot next to Liu Jia again and spoke in a voice so soft it was barely audible.

"Kid, let me tell you, don't get any funny ideas. There are some things you shouldn't touch, and it's best to stay as far away from them as possible."

"What are you saying, sir? I was just asking."

As the two people were talking, a group of people walked over.

Four or five people walked and talked, and when they were still some distance away, someone called out to the old man to open the door.

Liu Jia looked in the direction of the voice and immediately spotted Li Zhenhe in the crowd.

"They're back. These drivers from the supply and marketing cooperative are back, aren't they? I'll open the door."

As the old man spoke, he stood up, and Liu Jia followed suit.

After greeting the old man, everyone went about their own business.

Li Zhenhe did not follow them forward, but instead beckoned Liu Jia to go out.

Just a few meters from the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Zhenhe hurriedly said to Liu Jia, "Sanzi, I have something to tell you. Something strange happened at the supply and marketing cooperative. Old Zhang overturned his tractor!"

Liu Jia nodded and continued speaking, following Li Zhenhe's lead.

"Yes, not only did Lao Zhang's vehicle overturn, but that tractor has basically never been moved since it arrived at your supply and marketing cooperative. People think it's strange."

"How did you know? It spread so fast!"

Li Zhenhe stared wide-eyed at Liu Jia in disbelief.

"What do you mean the news spread so fast? Do you think all the unverifiable things in your village have reached Xili Village? It was the old man guarding the gate who told me."

Only after Liu Jia said that did Li Zhenhe feel relieved.

The matter was already strange; if the truth had spread that far, it would have become an unsolved mystery.

The two walked forward while talking, both heading towards the big locust tree without prior arrangement.

Ever since they started dealing with the supply and marketing cooperative, the area around the big locust tree seemed to have become the place where Liu Jia and Li Zhenhe discussed important matters.

Originally, Liu Jia had planned to tell him about Liu Yurou if he had time.

Now, it was Li Zhenhe who brought up the tractor first.

What Li Zhenhe said was pretty much the same as what their old man said.

Old Zhang's family wasn't well-off, and in order to earn more money, he took the initiative to use the tractor that people didn't think highly of.

But what Liu Jia cared about most was the information about which tractor it was.

"I don't believe in that nonsense, Brother Li. Could you find out how badly the tractor was damaged and if it's even for sale?"

"Sanzi, are you kidding? That tractor is... it's really dangerous. Even if we have to wait a little longer, we shouldn't get this kind of old-fashioned stuff."

When Liu Jia heard Li Zhenhe say "grandma's stuff," he almost burst out laughing.

Unexpectedly, after spending a lot of time interacting with them, Li Zhenhe also learned their slang.

So-called "grandma's goods" are products that are a lot of trouble and are typically useless.

It's a waste to throw it away, but if I use it, it won't be of much use.

To put it bluntly, it's an object that annoys you and makes you feel suffocated all the time.

"Grandma's stuff is fine, as long as it can fulfill its value, we'll accept it!"

Li Zhenhe frowned.

"I need to ask about this for you. After all, it's public property, and it's not something that one or two people can decide on."