Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 539 Third brother, you hate it

Xu Fengming, who has been smart and flexible since childhood, has great confidence in his elder brother.

Just like the night before yesterday, when he learned that his eldest brother asked his sister to call someone from the newspaper office, he immediately understood his intention.

After all, he grew up with his eldest brother Xu Qing, and he could more or less figure out his thoughts.

Xu Qing heard the conversation between his sister and his third brother, smiled and picked up the rice soup cooked by Aunt Feng, and took two sips while it was still hot.

In fact, he has been very happy these past two days.

Although it is said that motorcycles are no longer rideable, the business of the grain depot was extremely prosperous yesterday and today.

Just half of the grain sold yesterday, without a penny of capital, can almost be said to have earned him a motorcycle.

In addition to the more than 17,000 kilograms of grain sold today, half of which was divided by his ability, it can be said that he can earn another motorcycle.

In the next few days, the business of the grain station will definitely continue to be booming.

In this way, the fact that his motorcycle was taken away by Li Laosi from the vegetable market not only did not make him feel a little depressed, but instead made him feel a lot more happy.

As the saying goes, blessings may turn into misfortunes, but misfortunes may also turn into good things.

Xu Qing took advantage of the situation and turned things around.

The grain station gained both fame and fortune, and gained more than it lost.

No matter what you say, the grain station earns more money and improves its reputation in Sijiu City.

This made everyone in the city, invisibly, have a deeper impression of the grain station.

This invisible harvest actually makes his grain station stand out from the other personal grain stations opened in the city this year.

In any case, among the other personal food stations, I haven't heard of anyone who dares to take something as valuable as a motorcycle as the first prize for activities.

Of course, some people have already imitated him and tried every means to win business.

But Xu Qing used a 750-yuan motorcycle as the first prize. In this year when the economy had just been reopened and the supply of supplies was still tight, it was considered to have hit the ceiling.

The rest of the individual grain station owners can only look forward to it and sigh.

On the other hand, state-owned stores, supply and marketing cooperatives, and even department stores and other state-established units sell food and can use motorcycles as a gimmick for activities.

But the problem is, first of all, those public units sell other things besides food.

Secondly, there is no shortage of customers for them when it comes to food sales.

There is no need to worry about the impact of personal grain stations.

Even with last year and this year, many personal grain stations have opened in Sijiu City.

However, when have public institutions ever worried about efficiency?

Salespersons work to earn money. The more they sell, the less they sell, it has little to do with themselves.

Even if it is sold at a loss and does not earn a penny, the state will take care of it.

As for using motorcycles for activities, there is no way to talk about it.

What's more, before the reform, when people in the city wanted to buy food, there were almost no other formal channels except going to various places set up by the state to buy it.

The red-hot briquettes in the stove warmed the room, and the kettle sitting on it was emitting white steam.

Xu Qing was sitting on the hot kang eating rice. When he saw Aunt Feng put down her chopsticks and walked towards the stove, she didn't let her son go and said to Liu Aiqian:

"Have you not sent a letter to your family for a whole day?"

Liu Aiqian shook her head and said, "Aiguo called me back at around three o'clock in the afternoon and told me that he would have to study abroad tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. He and the directors of several other branches will not be back until the day after tomorrow."

Hearing this, Xu Qing nodded, then looked at his third brother beside him and said:

"Feng Ming, Xiujuan's parents didn't come to our compound today. When did they leave?"

Xu Fengming took a sip of rice soup and said hurriedly:

"Around six o'clock in the afternoon."

"Didn't you stay at our house for dinner?" Xu Qing asked.

When Xu Fengming was about to speak, Tang Xiujuan rushed over and said, "Brother, it's like this. My parents are going to Lao Mo's place tonight to have dinner with two overseas Chinese who just returned to China yesterday."

When Xu Qing heard his third sister-in-law Xiujuan say this, he didn't ask any more questions. He turned sideways and looked at his younger sister Xiaoya and said:

"When will Jianjun come back from overseas?"

He knew about his brother-in-law's business trip. He heard it from his sister the day before yesterday.

Xu Xiaoya pinched her chopsticks and said thoughtfully: "Tomorrow afternoon. Before he left, he said he wouldn't be back for three or four days."

Xu Qing nodded, raised his hand to drive away the civet cat Xiao Hui who was looking at him eagerly to grab the buns, and continued eating.

The grandparents returned to the village a few days ago, and the second brother Aiguo and brother-in-law Jianjun were on a business trip again.

There are not many people here tonight, but that's not the case.

It's easier said than done when the whole family is here every week.

Aiguo and Fengming are both married, and Xiaoya is also married, and each has his or her own job.

How could it be the same as it was in the 1960s, when the four brothers and sisters were together every day.

After dinner, it was around 9:30 in the evening. Xu Qing and Feng Ming escorted their younger sister Xiaoya out of the compound.

Xu Xiaoya seemed a little unhappy without Patriot.

She could only come back once a week, so she felt gloomy without seeing her second brother.

After walking through the dark alley, Xu Qing held a flashlight and Feng Ming sent Xiaoya to the entrance of the alley.

Xu Xiaoya pushed the bicycle, stopped and said:

"Brother, please go back with your third brother. When my second brother comes back in a few days, ask my sister-in-law to tell me."

Xu Qing smiled and hummed, raised his hand to help his sister straighten her wind-blown hair, and said:

"Slow down on the way back. It's freezing. Be careful of falling."

Xu Xiaoya tilted her head, leaned on Xu Qing's shoulder, and said with a smile:

"It's okay, brother, I'm an adult now, I'm no longer a child."

Xu Fengming stood aside, flashing the flashlight in his hand towards his sister's face and saying:

"You also know, who told our sister-in-law last time that she fell down as soon as she went out in the morning?"

"Third brother, you are annoying!"

Xu Fengming smiled and did not argue with his sister. He gave the flashlight to Xu Xiaoya and said:

"Hold it, don't drop it on the ground, otherwise I will ask Jianjun to pay me ten points next week."

The darkness of the night was deep and quiet, and not many people could be seen on the streets. The light of the street lamps dimly illuminated the dark streets section by section, extending into the distance.

"Brother, third brother, please go back quickly, I'm leaving!"

Xu Xiaoya got on the women's bicycle without a beam, turned around and said to Xu Qing and Feng Ming, turned around, and walked along the street.

Xu Qing stood at the entrance of the alley. He was not in a hurry to return to the compound. Instead, he took Feng Ming and watched his sister riding a bicycle through sections of dark roads and passing dim street lights. Until she was far away, the beam of the flashlight came out again. After he couldn't see it anymore, he turned around and projected the flashlight beam into the alley.

"Feng Ming, how do you feel about being the former factory director these days?"

Xu Fengming put his hands in his trouser pockets, raised his head, looked at the cold night with his eyes and said:

"Brother, I think other than being very busy every day, everything else is fine."

Xu Qing smiled faintly. The factory director these days is no idle worker.

The country must realize the four modernizations, promote economy and develop.

There can be few things.

Aiguo succeeded his eldest brother to manage the fifth branch of the Red Star Rolling Mill. In the past two years, he was either in meetings or on the way to meetings.

Feng Ming is now the acting factory director. Regardless of the size of the hardware factory, it is natural that he is busy every day.

There was no one else in the alley at this point, and the people in the compound were all sleeping in their own homes.

When Xu Qing and his third brother returned to the compound, they saw no one in the front yard.

On the other hand, the lights in the third uncle Yan Bugui's house and those of Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li were all on.

When passing by the middle courtyard, Xu Qing saw Qin Huairu whispering to her aunt in the courtyard.

And Qin Huairu also saw him coming back after sending Xu Xiaoya away with Feng Ming. Qin Huairu immediately stopped talking to Aunt Ma and faced Xu Qing and said:

"Qingzi, sister, I've heard about your motorcycle in the past two days. If you and Jinghong need any help from our compound people, just ask."

The aunt was wrapped in a dark blue cotton-padded jacket with floral patterns, which looked dark at night. A smile appeared on her face and she echoed:

"Huairu is right, Xiaoqing, we are all neighbors in the same courtyard. When we encounter difficulties, we just say that because of you and Feng Ming's patriotism, our courtyard was rated as an 'advanced courtyard' run by our street. We all How can you just sit back and ignore this?"

Xu Qing put out the flashlight and said, "Auntie. Sister Huairu, I appreciate your kindness, but it's really nothing about my motorcycle."

Qin Huairu lightly stamped her feet and nodded. The braid she used to have was cut short this year, with some white hair leaking out of her hair.

Banggen is a young man in his twenties, and Xiaodang and Huaihua have also finished their studies and gone to work.

Qin Huairu was a few years older than Shazhu. After Jia Dongxu passed away, she raised three children by herself and took care of Jia and Zhang.

Although he is only in his early forties, he looks much older than his peers.

There was nothing she could do, she was a young widowed woman, and due to Jia Zhang's interference, she missed the opportunity to remarry, and she didn't get along with Silly Zhu.

She has to take care of everything at home alone.

Jia Zhang helped occasionally, but overall, the burden fell on her.

Even though Qin Huairu had a good foundation since childhood, the traces of time and the hardships of life still made her formerly delicate face look haggard early on.

"Qingzi, then you and Feng Ming should go back to the backyard to rest early. If something happens, don't say anything."

Qin Huairu shrunk slightly and said.

Xu Qing agreed, and took Feng Ming to tell the aunt that they would see her tomorrow, and then went back to the backyard by the light of the middle courtyard.

The sky was so cloudy in the early morning that it almost touched the ground.

The wind howled for half the night last night.

It didn't snow in the morning, but when Xu Qing and Jing Hong got up and stood outside the house, they both felt that it might snow today.

Sure enough, at noon, Xu Qing had just finished lunch with Er Mazi, Hui Dehai, Lao Wu from the grain station warehouse and others in the office of the meat factory.

Snowflakes fell silently from the always gloomy sky.

Er Mazi was wrapped in a military coat and glanced at the snow that had just begun to fall. He had eaten enough and had nothing to do. He didn't have to go to the countryside recently. He took out a cigarette and handed it to Xu Qing:

"Qingzi, why don't we go to Sanhuzi's house for a walk? We haven't seen anyone else in the past few days, and we don't know how the walls of his pigsty are doing."

Xu Qing looked at the falling snow, which was not too cold at this time.

It's snowing, no matter how cold it is, it can't be compared to when the snow is gone. I've just had lunch and my body is warm.

After hearing Er Mazi's suggestion, they walked out of the meat factory together and walked slowly along the frozen dirt road to San Huzi's house.

He hasn't seen Sanhuzi for several days. After the last visit to the fields, his second father went to the city, his grandparents returned to the village, and his motorcycle was drawn. These days, he is busy with home and work. things.

I spent the entire day yesterday at the grain station.

When we arrived at San Huzi's house, San Huzi was wearing a patched cotton jacket and cotton trousers. He was coughing frequently while eating.

Xu Qing opened the door curtain, walked into the house, and said to Sanhuzi's mother:

"Auntie, it's time to eat."

When San Huzi's mother saw Xu Qing and Er Mazi coming, she quickly put down the bowls and chopsticks, got down from the kang, picked up a feather duster, and helped Xu Qing dust off the snow on his clothes. She said with a smile on her face:

"Xiao Qing, you two came just in time. I just steamed a pot of pumpkin buns at noon today, and I was planning to ask my son to bring some to your factory later. Now that's done, you can eat some while they're hot. indivual."

Er Mazi randomly patted the snow on his military coat and said with a grin:

"Auntie, your skills in making buns are really good. As soon as I sniffed them, they smelled delicious."

Er Mazi said, sitting next to San Huzi, eagerly grabbed a bun, stuffed it into his mouth and ate it.

Sanhuzi's mother looked at Ermazi with a smile, without any blame on her face. She was very happy when she heard Ermazi's praise. After helping Xu Qing sweep away the snow with a feather duster, she turned to the kitchen and took out a few pieces from the pot. The hot buns were served in an old bowl that had been used since the Republic of China. He handed them to Xu Qing and said:

"Xiao Qing, you should try it too."

Xu Qing held one in his hand and hurriedly thanked him:

"Thank you, aunt."

"You kid, coming to my place is just like going back to your own home, no thanks."

After Sanhuzi's mother finished speaking, she placed the Laba garlic on the kang and motioned to Xu Qing:

"I just soaked it last month. Try it soon. There are also pickled pickles."

As soon as Xu Qing took the green Laba garlic from San Huzi, he saw San Huzi's mother went to the kitchen again.

Within a minute, two bowls of freshly scooped rice soup were brought out.

Xu Qing smiled and waved his hands and said: "Auntie, Brother Mazi and I, we just had dinner in the cafeteria of my factory early in the morning."

Sanhuzi, who had a cold, said: "Qingzi, it's okay. My mother has scooped rice soup for you two. Then you can drink and eat some at my house."

Er Mazi held the pumpkin bun in his left hand and Laba garlic in his right hand, eating happily and said:

"Qingzi, it's not like you don't know that our aunt is very warm-hearted. The rice soup she makes is also delicious. It's much better than my wife's. I want to drink two more bowls."

Xu Qing glanced at Er Mazi and was too lazy to pay attention.

It's natural that Sanhuzi's mother cooks delicious food.

Having been busy around the pot for most of my life, I must be very good at cooking.

Xu Qing took the trumpet garlic, swallowed the buns in his mouth and said:

"Auntie, don't be busy."

San Huzi's mother smiled and got on the kang again. Xu Qing then turned to San Huzi, who looked unhappy, and said:

"Have a cold?"

Sanhuzi responded: "No, this weather is so cold and freezing, I'm a little bit cold."

Er Mazi chewed the buns in his mouth and said:

"San Huzi, why are you in a hurry? Let's rest for a few days and wait until the weather warms up. It won't be too late to start again. It's snowing again today. Don't let your body collapse and make my aunt feel bad."

Sanhuzi nodded, indicating that he understood, and then said to Xu Qing:

"Qingzi, I've heard about your motorcycle. If you have any friends who can help, just ask."

Xu Qing smiled and said, "You will do me a big favor by raising pigs next year. I said I would use the motorcycle as the first prize on New Year's Day last year. It was taken away a few days ago. It was only a matter of time."

Sanhuzi took a bite of the bun and didn't ask about the motorcycle. He paused and thought:

"Well Qingzi, my piglets, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you tomorrow when spring starts."

(End of this chapter)