Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 259 It’s better to give a bride price of to an old girl
In previous years, when the Xu and Meng families got together, they were looking for happiness in an awkward atmosphere, and their throats were choked by the wine they drank.

Even if they didn't drink much this year, they were still quite happy, because when their parents saw Xu Ning and Meng Ziyan sitting together, they felt comfortable and drank half of the wine in their glasses unconsciously.

After four or five consecutive days of fighting, Xu Laowen couldn't drink anymore, so when he had dinner at Lao Meng's house on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, he only drank four or five liang.

On the fourth day of the lunar month, Wang Erli did not come back from Wanye. He called the village and told Wu Zhouliang, Wu Zhouquan and Haiquan that they were not allowed to leave, and finally decided to come back on the sixth day of the lunar month.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Laowen got up in the morning and took a brazier and wrote four words on red paper to attract wealth. He hung it on the wall facing the door of the outhouse. Below there were tribute bowls and pots filled with grains. Putting incense in the bowl has the meaning of welcoming wealth, wishing you good health, and sending away poverty.

Every New Year's Eve, dumplings are always served in the morning. Now that Lao Xu's family is more affluent, there is always meat on the table, but it must be paired with vegetable soup, otherwise it will be too greasy and difficult to swallow.

Outside the window, brothers Xu Long and Xu Ning fired their whips and kickers. The jingling sound echoed throughout the village, and they quickly got into the house to have a meal on the kang.

No one came from Lao Xu's house that day, and every household stayed in their own homes because they had to clean the firecracker debris in the front and back yards and at the entrance of the courtyard, as well as the floor inside the house.

On the sixth day of the lunar month, Wang Shujuan's parents and younger brother came over. They were driving a carriage. This red-headed horse was very energetic. Xu Ning fell in love with it when he saw it. However, his family's horses were of no use, so he took the horse to the shed in the backyard of Lao Wang's house. After feeding some fodder, Xu Ning returned to the house.

Yang Shuhua was in charge of cooking, deep-processing the various meats cooked the previous day, and making delicious dishes. This meal also included big goose, stewed dried beans, dried potatoes, and vermicelli.

"Ah." Xu Ning approached him when he heard that it was business. If he was to give him a lesson, he would have no choice but to turn around and run away.

Wang Yuanjun will have to work at the grain station in the next year. This is a good place with plenty of money and money. Even if Wang Minfu has no real power, he can still arrange Wang Yuanjun clearly. It is nothing more than a personal matter.

"It's good! The second brother feeds the truck and pulls coal by himself, and the eldest brother works as a small leader in the coal mine. Hey, he really has no airs, just like our farm director." Wang Erli made a final joke to lighten the atmosphere.

Xu Laowen shook his head and said: "The forest farm is in an emergency now. There are two workers in my family. If I let him go, the forest farm is not run by my family. Wouldn't that cause trouble to Guo Er?"

At this moment, Guan Lei was dragged to the west room by Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang to chat. Wang Erli whispered: "I heard from Hu Zi that you want Lei Zi to settle down in our village?"

"That's right, second uncle, do you mean you want to give him a good time?"

"Lei Zi and I have made an agreement. The bride price will be two hundred yuan. Originally, I meant five hundred yuan. Brother Wu and his second brother are very satisfied. I never thought that Lei Zi would disagree and just ask for two hundred yuan."

Xu Laowen smiled and asked, "What do you think Leizi is thinking?"

"Hey, let me tell you this, why are you talking about this?" Wang Erli took a sip of tea.

Guo Hongxia said: "What's the trouble? It's all my family."

Wang Erli joined the meal, and the drinking lasted until half past six, making Wang Minfu dizzy and dazed. When the ladies cleared the table and washed the dishes in the outer room, Xu Ning diligently waited for Xu Laowen. Someone made a pot of tea.

"...When did I tell Huzi? It's nothing to do with the shadow."

They left Wanye at about ten o'clock. Although they ate some biscuits and cakes on the way, they were dry and had nothing to eat, and their stomachs were growling with hunger.

Xu Ning blinked. Although he had this idea, he never told Wang Hu. How did Wang Hu know about it?

It happened that the old women and children at the kang table had already finished their meal and left the table, so they heated up the food and let them take a bite.

Wang Minfu waved his hand: "What our eldest brother means is that the entire establishment of Erning must be given. If the contract is signed, when can we go?"

Wang Erli picked up a bowl of rice and went to the table, sitting next to Xu Laowei. Wang Shujuan handed him a wine glass, and they drank again.

Why does Yang Shuhua, who is so good at craftsmanship, have to wait a month or two before receiving a job? Isn't it just that there are few people doing things?

Wang Minfu smiled and said: "Xingmin is happy to do foreign things. Xiao Qian'er often let me kick..."

Because in the next three short years, due to a certain mission, the forest area was brutally cut down. Xu Ning forgot what the policy was. Anyway, there was a two- or three-year take-off period, and then the superiors stopped it. , and started a mountain contracting system and divided several zones...

Xu Ning agreed to open Lengchang, why?

Wang Minfu and Guo Xingmin drank a lot in the past two days, during which they talked about Xu Erning. Guo Xingmin spoke highly of Xu Ning because he almost made a mistake with more than 100 kilograms of kelp and shrimp. If Xu Ning hadn't deliberately reminded him, His way was blocked by himself.

Xu Ning was stunned and instinctively responded: "Second uncle, I didn't offend you. Don't teach me."

Xu Ning sat on the edge of the kang and said, "Dad, this matter has been settled, so don't ask anymore. Shitou, eat quickly, it will be cold later."

Why don't you do things seriously? Because I have no money, I have to pay for rice, noodles, oil and meat. How can ordinary people afford so much?

"That's for sure. Why do I have this idea? After two days of chatting with Wan Ye, I can tell that Lei Zi cares about Xiao Hua. After all, she is just a biological sister who has had no parents since she was a child. So I thought of giving him some advice. Around me, the last time I told Dad about Kai Lengchang, it was not nonsense..."

"Second uncle, you and your dad are secretly saving money just to open a lengchang? Then you two will never be able to open a lengchang after saving for a lifetime. How much does a lengchang cost?"

"What class are you attending? I have business to attend to!"

"Ah, that may be because I am a lackey, but this idea is possible... I understand this kid Leizi, he is very benevolent and righteous, and he is very particular. I feel that there is no development in Wanye. In addition to the transportation team and technical workers in the coal mine, The rest are all from hard work, don’t you think?”

Xu Laowei smiled and said, "Okay, that's it. Brother Wu and Brother Wu are both in good health, right?"

"Haha, brother knows me, come on, let's go!"

If in later generations, techniques like Yang Shuhua's were used in rural areas to make banquets, they would have to make reservations and queue up.

Wang Minfu asked Xu Laowen whether he should let Xu Ning go to work in the forest farm after the Chinese New Year? It's not like staying home all the time.

Two hundred yuan as a bride price is not a small amount. How can ordinary people give a bride price when they get married these days? Even if it is given, it is only ten yuan and twenty yuan, and the two hundred gift is considered to be a sky-high price!
In most ordinary families, the two of them bring their beddings into the same room and sleep on the same bed. Even if they get married, they don't treat guests seriously. At most, they treat relatives and friends to a meal.

After drinking until about four o'clock, we heard the roar of cars on the street. The four members of Lao Wang's family and Guan Lei drove back from Wanye.

"Hey." Guan Lei nodded.

Wang Erli nodded: "Putting aside Wanye, your second aunt has been chatting with Leizi's sister, Mei. Xiaomei also wants Leizi to come out and have a career, but let him put Wanye aside. His uncle and aunt are in charge, so he is afraid of him. Suffer and be tired, don't let him do anything..."

"Haha, why are you trying to support the director!"

"Hey, Er Ning, come here, and my second uncle will chat with you."

Guan Lei raised his head: "Just be nice to my little sister. I haven't earned much money yet, so I can't accompany my little sister..."

After hearing this, Xu Ning thought for a moment and said: "Second uncle, don't be anxious about this. He is a stubborn donkey. It is easy for him to be rebellious like this. If you ask me, just let nature take its course. From now on, he can live wherever he wants. We can't control him." His whole life."

Nowadays, there is no doubt that you can make money by opening Lengchang.

"Then you have to talk to my dad. I'm not the one in charge."

Wang Erli glanced at him: "Lei Zi, just listen to you. If I don't look for you, who will I look for?"

"Let nature take its course, second uncle, aren't you afraid of being dragged down?" "What do you mean by dragging down? After Huzi and Huajie get married, we will be a family, so we can help if we can. I can feed you, and you can help me." Can you starve him?"

This is the truth. When Old Xu's family was in trouble in his previous life, Wang Erli really contributed a lot. If there was any good food, even if he didn't eat it, he had to give it to Old Xu.

"Then I understand what it means." Xu Ning nodded.

When he went to pour tea, Wang Erli joined in the conversation of Xu Laowen, Wang Minfu, and Liu Daming, chatting about the story of Li San who was so dazed that he climbed a mountain in the middle of the night.

Xu Ning went to the West Room without much interest and chatted with Guan Lei, Wang Hu and others. It was past nine-thirty.

After Li Fuqiang and others returned home, Xu Ning vacated the west room and left it to Wang Minfu and his family. He took Guan Lei to the west room of Lao Wang's house and slept on the same bed with Wang Hu and Wang Biao.

On the seventh day of the lunar month, just after breakfast, Wang Minfu was about to leave. Can Xu Laowen agree?

He was dragging him to death and refused to let him go until he had lunch. Wang Minfu had no choice but to stay for lunch.

This time I didn't drink, I just had a dry meal. After all, Xu Laowen and others had been fighting for so many days. Even an iron man would get rusty, let alone a living person.

In the evening, at around seven o'clock, Li Fuqiang was drinking tea with Xu Laowen and others in the east room. He put down his tea cup and said, "Uncle, are you going to my second uncle with me tomorrow? My uncle is coming over."

Hearing this, Xu Laowen smiled and said: "I would like to go, but I can't go. If I go, can your uncle eat and drink well? I won't go with your second uncle. We will let Dalong and Juaner go tomorrow. Go with Erning Leizi, Huzi, Biao, and Tianen will go too, you guys will have a good time."

Wang Erli nodded: "That's cool! We old guys are so lazy... It's good for you guys to be lively and lively."

There is nothing wrong with Xu Laowen's words. He is Li Fuqiang's uncle. He and Wang Erli are both elders, and Yang Liguo has never met these two elders. They will definitely be unfamiliar if they come into contact. Don't eat or drink well by then. , what kind of trouble will it cause again?

Liu Lizhen came into the room and said, "Shuhua also told me just now that your uncle and I have the same idea. You brothers can have fun."

"It's not good..."

Li Fuqiang did not continue to persuade him. Anyway, he often came over for dinner, and it was not short of such a meal, but Yang Liguo would definitely have to come to Lao Xu's house for a meeting. After all, Lao Xu's family had a lot of helpers for Li Fuqiang and Yang Shuhua.

In the past, Yang Liguo had no skills and hated iron but could not make steel. Now Li Fuqiang has become a good steel. Of course, he has to thank the talented people who forged steel, otherwise his old sister would still be suffering and poor with Li Fuqiang.

"The loose basket your third brother brought is gone. You will leave later and pick up a box of bottled ginseng wine." Xu Laowen said.

"If you don't want to take it, don't take it. There is wine at home. The Shuhua store bought ten kilograms of red sorghum a year ago."

Xu Laowen waved his hand: "Take it as you are told. If you put this bottle of ginseng wine on the table, won't it make you and Shuhua look bad?"

"That's fine."

Xu Ning asked: "Do you still have melon seeds, hazelnuts, etc. at home?"

"There are quite a few more."

That night, Liu Lizhen brought out a basin of cooked meat, put down the rack and pulled out two silver carps, a small basin of old man fish, and some fish meatballs. Then Li Fuqiang and his family returned with ginseng wine and a basin of meat. Home.

When he was about to go to bed at night, Guan Lei looked at Xu Ning and said, "Brother Ning, I'm going back to Lengchang on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year."

He was a little unsure, so this sentence was half-certain and half-question.

Xu Ning turned to stare at him, "Let's talk about it after the fifteenth day. It's just a few days away?"

"No, I just thought that I haven't worked for a long time. It's easy to get started if I start working again suddenly. I went back in advance to familiarize myself with it."

"Hurry up. If you really want to work, follow me up the mountain to pull firewood in a few days."

"...That's okay." Guan Lei nodded.

In the early morning, as soon as Xu Ning got up, he saw that the sky outside was turning blue and the temperature was obviously two to three degrees higher. It was a good day at first glance.

And if the weather is fine on the eighth day of the lunar month, it means a bumper rice harvest this year...

Xu Ning looked at the five plates of dumplings on the table and felt that his head was big.

During the Chinese New Year, he saw more dumplings than roe deer on the mountain. He was really tired of eating, so he only swallowed a few dumplings and put down his chopsticks.

His behavior was scolded by his mother, but she felt sorry for her son. She patted his neck twice and then sent him to work in the yard to chop firewood.

"You are still picky. You have no time to do any work. You chopped all the firewood in the yard. Let me see if you can swallow it. You are used to it!"

Liu Lizhen pinched her waist and just finished speaking, Xu Laowen added: "You really live a good life, and you are very picky when eating dumplings. In our time, those who have a stutter are good!"

Guan Lei wanted to step forward to help, but Liu Lizhen stopped him, "Leizi, don't move. Come, follow me into the house."

Wang Hu and Wang Biao were lying on the wall, and they shrank back when they saw Xu Ning's resentful eyes.

Xu Long sneered, "Yes!"

Xu Ning held a big ax and chopped two pieces of firewood angrily, then stayed there with his eyes closed to rest.

Xu Feng pouted and ran out secretly, holding a large fruit and two chocolates in her arms.

"Second brother, if you want to eat this, you should put it on the table first."

Xu Ning grinned: "Hey, she's still my old girl."

"That's necessary. Our mother scolded me just now, but I didn't take it seriously."

"Haha."

After Xu Ning finished eating the big fruits and chocolates, he went into the house and coaxed his mother to sleep with a few words. In fact, her mother was not angry at all. Who could make Xu Ning not cherish the fruits of his mother's labor?

At around nine-thirty, when Xu Ning and others were preparing to go to Li Fuqiang's house, they did not expect that Rhubarb's barking dog suddenly sounded at the door of the courtyard, and then Li Fuqiang led the two people into the courtyard.

Next to Li Fuqiang is a little old man about fifty years old, a bit stooped. His face is covered with traces of time. If you look carefully, you can see that he has no little finger or ring finger on his left hand.

At the far end was Yang Liguo, holding cigarettes and wine in his hands, walking forward simultaneously with Li Fuqiang.

Inside the house, Xu Laowen and others heard the dog barking, and turned to look towards the courtyard. When they saw Li Fuqiang and two people following him, they hurriedly called the family members to come out to greet them.

(End of this chapter)