Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 394 Terrazzo Price Encounter with Secretary Hu

After mid-May, the temperature at noon can reach 22 degrees Celsius, and the lowest at night is 8 degrees Celsius. You don’t need to wear a thick cotton jacket when going out. Instead, you can change to a slightly thicker coat and wear a sweater inside.

Sometimes it will rain and snow or light snow or drizzle. At that time, the mountains and forests are damp and foggy, but the early sun is warm like spring.

Now it is really summer, the trees, flowers and grass in the mountains are lush and green, and the branches and leaves are growing more and more dense. People who go hiking now basically don't go for wild boars, roe deer and deer, but for various wild vegetables and medicinal herbs.

However, these days, except for ginseng and ganoderma, the rest of the medicinal herbs are basically worthless. For example, after the mountains were closed for reforestation, hikers would go to pick chaga and kidney essence tea, and they could earn at least four to five hundred yuan a day. But now chaga is worthless. To put it bluntly, no one thinks this thing is a good thing.

When going into the mountains to hunt dogs at this time, you can almost only hear the barking of dogs, but cannot see the dogs and prey. When passing the gun, you need to check whether the vision in front is good. If there are branches and leaves blocking the way, the gun will not fire, and the dog may be injured or even killed by the animals.

It was a little after 8 o'clock, the sun was shining, the sky was clear, and there was not much wind.

Xu Ning wore a sweater and a grey shirt on his upper body, and a light brown suit similar to military green bought by his mother-in-law. He wore woolen trousers and light brown woolen trousers on his lower body, and a pair of Type 65 paratrooper boots. These boots were given by Chai Bing before the New Year. He, Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang each had a pair. It was said that they were Chai Bing’s comrades who were small leaders in logistics…

Before, Xu Ning said that there was no need to dress too formally, but today was different because they needed to send Sun Lianfang to Sun Jishan, so they had to pay attention to their image. Wang Hu let Guan Lei wear his paratrooper boots as they had the same shoe size.

But he couldn't wear Wang Hu's clothes. Guan Lei was too thin, and he looked fat in them. He had to change into Xu Ning's clothes, navy blue pants and a light gray jacket, and then shaved his beard, looking like a cultured man.

Yesterday, Liu Daming brought over half a roe deer. Liu Lizhen originally wanted Xu Ning to give it to Yang Yusheng, but Xu Ning said that Yang Yusheng didn't cook at all, so she could buy him some cigarettes and alcohol later. But she had to take the half roe deer as well. If Yang Yusheng didn't want it, he could give it to Sun Jishan...

Then, the four of them got into the car, with Xu Ning driving, while Wang Hu, Guan Lei, and Sun Lianfang sat on the passenger seat. There was definitely enough room for them, after all, Guan Lei was very thin and didn't take up much space.

"Drive slower! Can you come back tonight?"

Xu Ning shook his head: "Not necessarily, don't worry about us, go back quickly."

Liu Lizhen, Wang Shujuan, Han Fengjiao, and Yang Shuhua stood at the gate of the courtyard and waved, watching the car driving towards the east of the village. To the east was the avenue, which was wide and in good condition, and the car drove all the way towards the street.

On the way, Sun Lianfang leaned against Guan Lei and soon she put her head on Guan Lei's shoulder and fell asleep. Wang Hu smiled and whispered, "Brother Lei, my sister-in-law is really generous."

Guan Lei said with a straight face: "Don't shout nonsense... We don't know what will happen in the future."

"Okay! Hey, Brother Lei, my mom and aunt found a house for you in our village. Did they tell you?"

Guan Lei was stunned: "No, what did you find it the other day?"

"Just a few days ago, my second brother and I went to Dongshan to learn beekeeping. We found a place right here, three doors away from Brother Qiang's house."

"Ah! I have some impression of that. Isn't that a mud house?"

Wang Hu shook his head: "It's not an adobe house. It's made of mud on the outside and stone on the inside. The kang was newly built last year and the ground is rammed earth. Why don't you go and take a look when the time comes?"

"How much does it cost?"

"You don't have to pay any money. My mom said she's bought it for you. You can just live there."

Guan Lei opened his mouth and was about to speak when Xu Ning turned her head and said, "Okay, my second aunt will buy it. If you want to live there, you can go there. If not, you can stay at home. Anyway, you have to go home for three meals a day after you move there."

"That's what happened!"

When we drove to the street, it was already past 9 o'clock. Looking at the crowds on the street, Xu Ning frowned and said, "Is it the market today? Why are there so many people?"

"There is a market every fifth day, and today is April 15th," said Wang Hu.

Guan Lei said: "Brother, shall we buy something?"

"Go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some cigarettes and alcohol. Do you know what she needs to buy when she sees her uncle?"

"know."

Xu Ning parked the car opposite the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative. Then Guan Lei woke up Sun Lianfang, and the four of them jumped out of the car.

He hadn't been to the street for a while. When Xu Ning walked into the door of the supply and marketing cooperative, a young woman saw him, waved and said, "Xiao Xu!"

"Hey, sister, you look more beautiful after not seeing you for a while."

"Hahaha, what's so beautiful about that? You've got wrinkles after the New Year." This young woman used to sell stationery, and now she's working as a cashier.

Xu Ning said with a smile: "What wrinkles? They are called crow's feet, a symbol of adult women! Is the old money in the house?"

"It's in the house, just go over there."

Sun Lianfang followed Guan Lei and whispered, "Brother, do you know this woman?"

"The manager here is a good friend of my brother."

"Ah, it is quite relevant."

Guan Lei frowned and said, "Stop talking. Why do you talk so much?"

Sun Lianfang curled her lips, "I just wanted to talk to you about my thoughts, but you still dislike me."

Following Xu Ning to the manager's office, he knocked on the door twice and pushed it open. Qian Shude was working at his desk, writing something with a pen in his hand. When he saw someone enter the room, he suddenly looked up and was startled.

"Hey, fuck?! Why did you just come?"

Xu Ning said with a smile: "I didn't make time a while ago. I have to go to the city later. You should quickly get me some good cigarettes and alcohol. My brother has to go see his relatives..."

Then he introduced Guan Lei and Sun Lianfang to Qian Shude, and they followed behind each other.

Qian Shude closed his pen, stood up and said, "Okay, are six small pieces enough?"

"Enough. Prepare a few bottles of good wine and good cigarettes for me. I'm going to the city to visit my elders."

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll have someone arrange it."

When Qian Shude walked out of the office, Xu Ning asked Sun Lianfang to sit down. Guan Lei said with a smile, "Brother, this old Qian doesn't look as old as Brother Qiang."

"Well, he's a few years younger than my eldest brother, so you can just call him Brother Qian."

Not long after, Qian Shude came into the house carrying four bottles of soda, handed them to them with a smile, and said, "I went back home a while ago and met someone who was installing terrazzo floors. He estimated that it would cost more than 1,000 yuan to install terrazzo floors in all five rooms, which is 200 yuan per room, but it doesn't include stones and cement..."

One thousand yuan for five rooms, this price is really not expensive, why? Because the process of terrazzo floor is very complicated, with many steps. I won’t talk much about the most basic quartz stone, glass, and gravel. The construction workers also have to do the basic treatment, such as drawing horizontal lines to find the height, leveling, laying patterns, smoothing, rough grinding, filling grout, polishing... and finally polishing and waxing.

Moreover, the construction technology is also uneven. Some people can polish the floor so smooth that it can reflect light, and the floor looks shiny, just like the floor tiles of later generations.

The patterns are also beautiful. The surrounding area can be paved in various colors, and then paved with diamond shapes, patterns and other patterns. It looks more ornamental. It is also easy to clean. After sweeping it with a broom and then wiping it with a mop, it is basically clean.

Xu Ning thought the price was reasonable and nodded: "This price is acceptable. I wonder how good his craftsmanship is. When will he be able to do it?"

"His craftsmanship should be quite good, and his price should be reasonable, otherwise the work cannot be scheduled until autumn. I didn't ask him exactly when he is free, how about I ask him to call you when he comes to the street to do the work? You two can talk about it in detail, how about that?"

"to make!"

Qian Shude said, "I saw Master Yang from the Grand Hotel a few days ago. He said he found a few brick factories for you, but you never came. He asked you to go to the Grand Hotel to find him when you are free."

"Okay, wait until I come back from the city. I really can't spare the time today."

At this time, a young man in work clothes knocked on the door and said, "Manager, everything is ready." Qian Shude turned around and said, "Let's go, take a look at the things first. The cigarettes and alcohol I took are Maotai and Wuliangye, which are the most prestigious. The remaining four items are large fruit gift boxes, boxes of canned food, large bags of milk powder, and barrels of biscuits."

Guan Lei felt quite satisfied and said with a smile: "Thank you, Brother Qian."

"Why are you being polite? We are all brothers. I have a relationship with your brother. If you call me Brother Qian, I will treat you as my younger brother."

Wang Hu laughed and said, "Brother Qian is really a man of good temperament."

The group walked to the warehouse at the back and saw the things on the ground. Xu Ning pointed at Maotai and Wuliangye and asked, "How much do these two kinds of wine cost now?"

"The retail price of Moutai is 11 yuan, and Wuliangye is 8 yuan. I will give it to you at the purchase price of 6 yuan and 6 yuan respectively. These two wines are too expensive. Usually, only big restaurants can buy a few bottles. How can ordinary people like us afford them?"

"Okay, then leave me four bottles of Moutai and six bottles of Wuliangye, and I can take them when I come back."

Qian Shude was stunned. "What are you doing with it? No, this thing is just for show..."

"Is it just for show? My dad is going to use it for his dinner party, so he has to get some good wine, right?"

"Okay, you can get it when you come back."

Xu Ning nodded: "You calculate the price. I will pay for the two bottles of wine and the two stone forests, and the rest will be paid by the stones."

Qian Shude understood immediately, "This is indeed a matter that each of us has to pay for ourselves."

Instead of going to the cashier to pay, they counted the money in person. Xu Ning spent 16 yuan and Guan Lei spent 4 yuan. Sun Lianfang was about to rush to pay, but was frightened by Guan Lei's look and stood at attention.

After all, Guan Lei was going to meet Uncle Sun Lianfang. Regardless of whether he could get in or not, the gifts must be prepared.

Now the relationship between the two is basically established, even though they have only met three times in total.

The first time they met was in a dark snail shell with a face scarf wrapped around it, and the two of them didn’t see his face.

The second meeting was at Old Xu's house. At that time, Sun Lianfang was very proactive and aggressive, which made Guan Lei retreat a little. Later, after talking with Xu Ning, he figured it out.

The third meeting was last night. Sun Lianfang came very quickly. Guan Lei was confused at first, but then he thought that if a woman was so proactive, he, as a man, would still be a man if he retreated.
So when Guan Lei held her hand in the car last night, they had already decided on a relationship. Although they had not obtained the consent of each other's parents, what matters now is free love. As long as they don't let each other down and keep going for a long time, their lives will definitely get better and better...

As the four of them were carrying their things and walking out, they saw a man walking towards them with a briefcase under his arm. He shouted to Qian Shude who was walking in front of them, "Manager Qian, let's get married..."

Before he could finish his words, the other party saw Xu Ning and the other two were stunned and exclaimed: "Hey! Er Ning! Why didn't you tell me that you came to the street?"

Xu Ning looked up, waved his hand and said with a smile: "Brother Bin! We are going to the city, so we came here to buy some things first."

"Ah, then when will you come back?" Hu Zhibin asked.

"I'll be back tomorrow at the latest."

"Okay, then come find me at the county compound."

Qian Shude said with a smile: "Secretary Hu, do you know each other?"

"Then why don't you know each other? Our villages are next to each other..."

Xu Ning confronted Wang Hu next to him, and Wang Hu blinked and said, "Second brother, when we get back tomorrow, let's go to the brick factory first, and then to the agricultural machinery station?"

"We'll talk about it when the time comes. We may not be able to make it in time."

Hu Zhibin heard this while chatting with Lao Qian, and asked, "Why are you looking for a brick factory? Do you want to buy bricks?"

Xu Ning told the truth: "My family is going to build a house, so I want to buy some bricks and stuff."

"Then come to me! You don't treat me as your friend, right?" Hu Zhibin was a little unhappy.

Xu Ning said with a smile: "Oh, how can that be, Brother Bin, this is my eldest brother's brother-in-law, and it was Master Yang from the Grand Hotel who helped find him..."

"Ah, I know Master Yang. I heard about him last time. How about this? I'm going to the Grand Hotel later. I'll meet Master Yang there. We'll discuss finding a few brick factory owners. When you come back tomorrow, we'll have lunch at the Grand Hotel. How about that? You have to let me pay this time, otherwise you don't treat me as a buddy!"

"Okay, Brother Bin, why do we need to talk about that with our relationship... That's perfect, I have something else to do. I'm thinking of going to the agricultural machinery station to buy a second-hand four-wheeler. I can use it to build a house at home, or to pull wood in the mountains. Can you help me research it?"

Hu Zhibin smiled and said, "We must study it! Since you can tell me this, you don't treat me as an outsider. I will definitely do it for you! Manager Qian, you have known Erning for a long time, right?"

"Yeah, it's been many years."

"Then we are not outsiders either."

Manager Qian said with a smile, "It's definitely not an outsider! Secretary Hu has taken good care of me over the years. He always settles the bills on time and never delays. He is very supportive of my work!"

Xu Ning said: "My brother Bin is an honest man."

"Then it's settled. Manager Qian will come over tomorrow and we can get together."

Qian Shude said with a smile: "Then I won't call you Secretary Hu anymore, just call you Brother Bin."

Hu Zhibin nodded and said, "Okay! Then I'll call you Brother Qian, is that okay?"

"Nothing wrong!"

Guan Lei didn't interrupt just now, but now he stopped. Hu Zhibin glanced at Sun Lianfang and then said, "Brother Bin, this is my girlfriend, Sun Lianfang."

"Hey, sister-in-law! Look, I was just busy chatting and neglected you."

Sun Lianfang pretended to be shy and said, "Hello, Brother Bin."

"Okay! Are you going to the city to meet your elders?" Hu Zhiyong asked, looking at the six-piece suit in Guan Lei's hand.

"Well, Brother Bin, it's getting too late. We have to go first."

"Go quickly, and don't forget to come find me when you come back tomorrow!"

Xu Ning turned around and waved: "Don't worry, I won't forget it!"

The four of them got into the car, and Xu Ning drove towards the city. He looked at his watch and found that they could arrive before noon at the current speed, so he didn't rush to drive fast...

Qian Shude and Hu Zhibin watched the four people leave and smiled at each other.

"Brother Qian."

"Brother Bin."

The two of them laughed, and then Qian Shude said, "Brother Bin, let's go inside and chat."

"Okay! The county compound just happened to be ordering a batch of stationery, so we should talk about it in detail this time!"

Qian Shude understood immediately and nodded: "We must talk about it in detail."

(End of this chapter)