Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 412: I borrowed money from two uncles and never thought that this day would come

In the afternoon, around three o'clock.

At the new residential land at the north end of Qingantun, several people were digging the ground with pickaxes, while Li Fuqiang, Wang Hu, Xu Ning, Wang Yuanjun and others were shoveling sand and soil into a wheelbarrow with shovels, and then pushing the sand and soil to 20 meters in front of the stream to raise the ground...

On the eastern side of the homestead, there is a canopy built with five logs. The water-retaining cloth on the top is made of tarpaulin. In the middle is a longer log, and four short logs stand in the corners, supporting a tent-like shed.

Below was a round table and several benches and wooden stools, and on the table were a thermos, a teapot, a teacup, and trough cakes.

In just half a day, this group of people dug the foundation deeper. At this moment, Yu Kaihe, Lao Wei, Li Feng and others were digging the ground, preparing to dig a cellar directly, and then build an arched roof with red bricks, so that there would be no need to worry about the cellar collapsing.

"Erning! We have to ask the brick factory to deliver bricks tomorrow. The cellar has been dug two meters deep. It will be finished tomorrow or the day after tomorrow!"

Yu Kaihe ran to the shed to drink some water and said to Xu Ning who was shoveling soil with a shovel.

"Well, I called the brick factory when I went to get the cart this morning, and they said they would deliver it this morning, but not all at once. The brick factory only has two carts, so I estimate it will take two or three days to deliver them to the site."

Xu Ning was willing to do things in advance. He not only called the brick factory to ask for bricks, but also asked for steel bars, lime and sand. Xu Ning even called Director Liu of the Agricultural Machinery Station, wanting to borrow a mixer from him. Director Liu naturally did not say a word and went to the warehouse to find out a horizontal mixer and a simple mixer. These two machines were bought when the boiler room of the county compound was built the year before last and had never been used.

Is Qing'an rich? If you want to say it's rich, it's rich. But if you want to say it's poor, it's really fucking poor...

These two mixers will be brought here with the brick factory's truck the day after tomorrow. Anyway, it will take another four or five days to lay the foundation, so there is no need to be too anxious.

With a mixer, there is no need for manual labor and concrete. You just need to pour lime, sand and stone into it and mix them.

The people who came to help did not slack off at all. They worked as hard as if they were doing their own chores, sweating profusely. Even if they were thirsty, they had to endure it for a while before going to the shed to smoke a cigarette and drink some water.

At noon, they had lunch at Old Xu's house. Liu Lizhen and others prepared six dishes and set up two tables.

Fortunately, Xu Ning went to the mountains and hunted two wild boars yesterday, otherwise there would not even be meat for this meal, which would have been really embarrassing.

Since there was no shortage of meat at home, Liu Lizhen stewed 40 kilograms of meat and two pig legs. In addition to the pickled cabbage and big bones, Yang Shuhua pressed 20 kilograms of meat last night and put it in the cellar overnight to solidify. The remaining five dishes were various wild vegetables fried with meat and scrambled eggs...

Du Shoucai came specially to accompany Yu Kaihe, Lao Wei and others for a drink, but they did not drink too much. They said frankly that they still had work to do in the afternoon and refused to drink after just two drinks. Du Shoucai did not continue to persuade them, but asked them to eat more dishes and drink in the evening.

After dinner, many people came to help Liu Lizhen. Da Laba's wife Zhang Guifang came with him in the morning. Zhao Yue'e and Chang Juan came after ten o'clock. It was very easy for so many old ladies to cook six dishes, but their main work was to wash dishes, wash pots, and boil water. Then they had to prepare meals in the evening. Don't think that this job was easy, it was quite busy and tiring.

In the evening, after Xu Feng and others came back, they went to the new residential site in the north end. She and Li Jinyu could not do heavy work, but they could still pick up some firewood by the mountain. Wang Biao, Liu Tianen and Li Mantang picked up shovels and shoveled sand and soil into the cart.

As it was almost half past five, Xu Laonian and Wang Erli came over, smiling and inviting everyone to go home for dinner.

Xu Ning shouted: "Let's call it a day! Let's go home and have a meal and a drink in the evening! Take the shovel and other things back..."

Immediately, everyone threw shovels, pickaxes and other tools into the tractor's bed. Wang Hu, Guan Lei, Li Fuqiang and others carried tables, benches, thermoses and other things and put them into the rear compartment of the Dongfeng.

"Oh my god, you really did a lot today! You dug the cellar this deep?"

Xu Ning said, "Yes, the cellar was dug by Uncle Yu, Brother Feng, Uncle Wei, and Uncle Jiang."

"Then we must drink more tonight!" Xu Laonian said with a smile as he passed cigarettes to them.

"Haha, okay, the main thing is that your food is so hard that my mind is not on the wine, but on how to eat it."

"Then eat more food. We are all brothers, and we are not outsiders. If you want to eat food, eat more. If you want to drink wine, drink more."

At this time, Xu Ning and Sun Liansheng, driving the tractor and Dongfeng respectively, had already turned around. Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang called on everyone to get on the vehicles quickly. The two vehicles could definitely carry so many people and tools such as wheelbarrows. After arriving at the door of the house, everyone jumped off the vehicles and started unloading...

Li Fuqiang approached Xu Ning and said, "Brother, we can't keep doing this. Why don't we build a shack at the north end and I'll go over to watch over it at night. We can leave the stuff there so it won't get lost."

"It's still a little cold at night, so please excuse me..."

"Oh, it's okay! You and Hu Zi can live in Dongshan, so why can't I live there? I'll build a shack tomorrow."

Guan Lei came over and said, "Brother Qiang, let's keep each other company."

Xu Ning frowned and said, "Come on, forget it. You can go to Sandaohe with Lianfang and Brother Sheng later. Brother Sheng is here. I feel embarrassed to have worked all day today."

Sun Liansheng had sharp ears. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "What's there to be embarrassed about? If they get together in the future, I'll still be Leizi's brother-in-law. We're all related, not an outsider!"

Wang Hu grinned and said, "That's not a big deal. Brother Lei is still my uncle. Brother Sheng, then we are really related."

Guan Lei nodded and said, "They are indeed relatives!"

At this time, everyone had unloaded the carts and various tools, and were queuing up under the eaves to wash their faces and hands. Wang Shujuan, Sun Lianfang, Xu Feng, and Li Jinyu held gourd ladles and scooped the warm water from the water tip into the basin.

Since so many people came to Old Xu's house, Xu Laonian and Wang Erli sent the dog gang to Old Wang's house when they came back. Otherwise, there would be strangers in the eyes of the dogs, and the dog gang would have to bark all the time.

A group of people moved into the house, filling up the east room immediately. But they all sat on the edge of the kang or on stools. No one took off their shoes to go to the kang. Why? They worked all day and were sweating all over. The key point was that their feet were covered all day. Moreover, most of them wore army green rubber shoes. Anyone who has worn such shoes knows that these shoes are smelly! So no one dared to take off their shoes, fearing that after taking off their shoes, the room would be unfit for people to stay.

There were two tables in the east room and one table in the west room, a total of three tables, which were enough to keep these old ladies busy for a while. The dishes were not served until six o'clock. The evening meal was even more delicious than the noon meal. There were fried pork slices with dried tofu (with batter), braised tofu with sauce, pork belly, fried peanuts, fried eggs with prickly ash, stewed pork ribs with sauerkraut, stir-fried roe deer meat, and pheasant stewed with hazel mushrooms.

Xu Ning looked at the pheasant stewed with hazel mushrooms and was a little confused. Where did the pheasant come from? He went to the outer room and asked, and Liu Lizhen said, "Your uncle Chang went for a stroll in Dongshan today and picked up two pheasants. After he was done, he saw your uncle Ma at the place where you set up the roe deer trap. They chatted and your uncle Ma brought a lot of roe deer meat. Half a sack must be more than 30 kilograms!"

"Ah, lend it to our two uncles, otherwise we will have no vegetables at home, which is really embarrassing. Why didn't my uncle Chang come over?"

Liu Lizhen said, "Your sister-in-law went to call him, saying that Xiaobao was too noisy to come. When the dishes were just ready, I asked Xu Feng to send some pickled cabbage, pork belly, and peanuts."

"That's okay too."

Liu Lizhen pushed her old son and said, "Come into the house and eat quickly. You are very tired today..."

After saying that, just as Xu Ning was about to turn around, he vaguely saw his mother seemed to have shed two tears. Xu Ning was stunned, turned around and hugged his mother and walked out, tilted his head to look into her eyes, and said with a smile: "What's the matter? Did you quarrel with my dad?"

"No." Liu Lizhen shook her head.

"Then why are you crying?"

Liu Lizhen wiped it twice and said, "I'm so happy. Seeing you can be the boss and I don't have to worry about anything, I never thought I would have such a day. You said you were like that before, how could I dare to think about it?"

"Oh, isn't that all in the past? Mom, just think boldly. I promise that good days are still to come for our family! Do you believe it?"

"You are my old son, how can I not believe it?"

Liu Lizhen said with a pout.

She is much better than other parents in that she dares to believe her child even after the child has made a big mistake. Other parents would rather believe the lies of outsiders than the words from their children's heart, even if the children say and do the right things. Instead, they would say, "What the hell do you know?"

Or they may say something nice, but then do the opposite... until the incident leads to irreversible consequences, they will still say, "I'm doing this for your own good!"

It was normal for Liu Lizhen to shed two tears. She was a woman who cared deeply about her family and children. The child who had worried her the most in the past was now arranging the construction of a house for the family. How could she not be happy?
After a while, the three tables in the two rooms were full of people. Xu Ning went to the west room. He didn't drink, so he sat at a table with Li Fuqiang, Wang Biao, Wang Hu, Liu Tianen, Jin Yumantang, Xu Feng, Sun Lianfang, and Guan Hua.

Sitting on the kang in the east room were Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao, Wu Qiuxia, Zhao Yue'e, Zhang Guifang, Chang Juan and Yang Shuhua; sitting around the table on the floor were Xu Laonian, Liu Daming, Wang Erli, Yu Kaihe, Li Feng, Wang Yuanjun, Li Baoquan, Da Laba, Li Ye, Lao Wei, Lao Jiang, Sun Liansheng and Guan Lei.

The food was plentiful and there was plenty of liquor. After two rounds of toasting, everyone got into the mood. Building a house was a big deal, and Xu Laonian was also very happy. When there were outsiders around, he spoke very tactfully, not as casually as when he was with his family. At the wine table, he even praised his three children for being filial and sensible. His voice was so loud that Xu Ning, who was eating in the west room, felt embarrassed after hearing it.

Because in Xu Laonian's mouth, he was the best, most sensible and the one who needed the least worry from his parents among the three children.

Yu Kaihe, Lao Wei and others also kept praising Xu Ning for his ability, and talked about Xu Ning's ability to restrain the leopard and use the thunder to blow up the bear warehouse.

"How can ordinary people have such brains and courage? Er Ning's brothers are also very powerful..."

Xu Laonian quickly said modestly: "Ah, it's just that flavor..."

Although he was a little drunk, Wang Erli did not compare himself with Xu Laonian in public. There was a time and place for such a comparison, and now that there were outsiders around, he couldn't let others laugh at him!
"After I finish the work at the end of the month, I will take a leave at the beginning of the month and recruit a few more people. I want to build the house as soon as possible. Why? His mother and I are anxious for him to get married! They say that getting married can make things more stable..."

Yu Kaihe said with a smile: "Er Ning is pretty stable now."

"Yes! Then wouldn't a father want him to be more stable?"

"Hahaha, that's right!"

After five dishes and three rounds of wine, the old woman at the table on the kang drank half a cup, while Xu Laonian and others at the table on the floor did not drink too much either, and drank half a pound of wine to relieve their fatigue.

After Liu Lizhen and others cleared the table, the outer room belonged to the old women. They were busy washing pots, bowls and the stove. The children, led by Sun Lianfang, went to the courtyard of Lao Wang's house to jump rope and play pocket fighting.

"Hua, you and Huzi go and heat up the kang first. Has my second aunt prepared the bedding?"

Wang Hu nodded: "Yeah! Then I'll go over first?"

Xu Ning glanced out the window and said, "You tell Shitou to bring Lianfang and Biao along. It will be more lively with more people and we won't have to worry about gossip."

"Eh!"

Guan Hua lived with Han Fengjiao yesterday, but today she has to move to the newly bought house, otherwise gossip will spread easily. She is not engaged yet, and even if she is engaged, she cannot live in the man's house all the time, otherwise the spit of these old women in the village will drown her.

Why did Sun Cuiping die in the previous life? In addition to Li Shan's idleness and fighting with her, there was also the effect of gossip in the village. Why did Zhang Yanfang from Lao Niu's family stay at home all year round? Wasn't it because she was afraid of hearing bad words?

Wang Hu and Guan Hua went out, climbed over the wall and went back home. They took their bedding and went to their new home with Guan Lei, Sun Lianfang, Wang Biao, Xu Feng and others.

Xu Ning went into the east room, poured a cup of tea, found a stool and sat down, listening to Xu Laonian and others chatting.

After chatting for a while, everyone sobered up. Xu Laonian asked, "When will the bricks, tiles, steel bars and other things be delivered?"

"I'll deliver it tomorrow. You don't have to pay me yet. After I'm done, I'll go to the street to settle accounts with the owner of the brick factory. When the brick factory comes to deliver bricks later, maybe they can bring two mixers. I borrowed them from someone..."

"Oh! Having a blender can save a lot of effort!" said Lao Wei.

"It's not that bad. Besides, there's water at the north end. We don't need to dig a well first."

Old Wei shook his head: "No, I have to look for a place to dig a well tomorrow, otherwise it will be difficult to find a well after the house is built."

"Old Wei, you are an expert in this matter. I won't be polite with you. When you dig the well, just call a few people and you will get the money when the time comes."

Lao Wei waved his hand and said, "Brother, it's too polite to say that. What kind of money do you want? Isn't that insulting me?"

"What do you mean by 'shit'? You can work for me for free, but what about the people you called over? They are not even familiar with me, how can they work for free?"

Xu Ning continued, "Uncle Wei, listen to my dad about this matter. We can talk about it alone tomorrow. Let's not talk about it today."

"That's fine..." Old Wei's family is a bit poor, but he is still quite humane. It's just because of his co-workers, otherwise he would definitely not be able to take the money from Old Xu's family.

Xu Laonian smoked a cigarette and said, "You ask Lei Zi, Lian Fang and Lian Sheng to stay for two more days. When your uncle and I are done with this, we will ask for leave and find a few more people to come. Then you, Hu Zi and Qiang Zi can accompany Lei Zi to Sandaohe. Otherwise, I will be worried."

Xu Ning looked up at his father and said with a smile, "What are you worried about?"

"Hey, just go when I tell you to. Why are you talking so much?"

(End of this chapter)