Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 424: A Match Made in Heaven
Wangxing Village, Lao Chai’s house, outer room.

Chai Liangyu sat on a stool, cleaning sheep intestines and tripes. He scattered two handfuls of flour and scooped them back and forth, with a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, his left eye squinting and his right eye open. While cleaning, he said to his eldest daughter-in-law who was cleaning the stove: "Don't go to the fields tomorrow. Just hire two people."

"Dad, I have to go and take a look. You said our three brothers are all busy..."

Chai Liangyu spat out the cigarette on the ground and said, "You are all busy. You will miss the chance to have a child! I asked you to find a partner for Yanzi since last year. What time has it been? You have already met two people..."

The third daughter-in-law came out of the house holding a teapot and said, "Dad, don't be impatient about this. Are you afraid that we won't be able to find someone with our conditions? And if we have two boyfriends, doesn't that mean our family conditions are a bit poor?"

"Hey!" Chai Liangyu sighed, "You guys just don't know the importance of things! These three guys have made a lot of friends outside, how come there is no one suitable for them?"

At this time, Chai Bing strode into the door and said with a smile: "Dad, there is nothing suitable."

"I'm talking about you finding a partner for Yan Zi! Can't you find a suitable one by asking your friends for help and using your connections?"

Chai Bing squatted beside his father and said, "There must be someone suitable, but we have to be picky. Should we let Yanzi suffer if she is poor? Should we let her suffer if she is a bad person?"

Chai Liangyu grabbed a handful of flour paste and threw it on Chai Bing's face, "Get lost! You're just making up excuses!"

Chai Bing wiped his face and said with a smile: "Dad, don't worry, we asked our friends to find them. When we went to Qing'an to deliver bricks to Erning, we saw two young men, but they both have partners..."

"You've said this three times. She's already 20 this year! If we don't find someone else soon, she'll really become an old maid. What will we do then? We have to look at her character and conditions. It's okay if it's just about right."

Since the Chinese New Year, Chai Liangyu has been extremely concerned about the marriage of his eldest granddaughter. It is understandable for a girl of eighteen or nineteen not to get engaged or married, but she is already twenty years old, and if she doesn't get married she will become an old spinster. Don't think that the villagers all respect Chai Liangyu, because who knows what others say behind her back.

Besides, how could there be unmarried girls in Wangxing Village who were 20 years old? Apart from the two disabled ones, there was only Chai Hongyan left! That was why Chai Liangyu was so anxious.

The third daughter-in-law held up the thermos and said, "Dad, drink some tea first."

Chai Liangyu was in a bad mood, and he was getting angry with everyone. "What's the matter? Do you think I'm annoying?"

"Oh my god, Dad, what are you talking about? Isn't this what you've been used to for many years? Drinking tea twice a day..."

Chai Liangyu calmed down after hearing this and said, "I've made you so angry that you're confused. Let's let it cool for a while."

At this time, Chai Shao trotted into the house. As soon as he entered the outer room, Chai Liangyu saw the smile on his face and immediately scolded him unhappily: "You have such an evil smile on your face. You are already old, don't you know how to be cautious? Your daughter is already 20 years old, as a father, don't you know how to be anxious?"

Chai Shao blinked twice and looked at Chai Bing. Seeing that he pursed his lips and dared not say anything, he smiled and said, "Dad! There is news about Hongyan!"

"What the hell?" Chai Liangyu asked in surprise. He stood up and hunched over and asked, "Where did the letter come from?"

"Three rivers!"

The eldest daughter-in-law asked anxiously: "Sandaohe? Who sent the letter? We don't know anyone in Sandaohe."

Chai Shao clapped his hands and laughed, "Who else could it be? Er Ning sent me a letter, and I rushed back as soon as I hung up the phone."

Chai Liangyu grinned when he heard Xu Ning's name: "It has to be this guy!"

After saying that, he turned around with a relaxed smile and went to the washbasin to rub his hands.

Chai Bing stared and exclaimed: "Oh! I've only been back for a few days. I told Er Ning on the day before I left and asked him to help look for it... This brother of mine is really capable!"

"Haha, then we must do it! And the family Er Ning found is pretty good, the Old Sun family in Sandaohe!"

Chai Liangyu wiped his hands and raised his chin and said, "Everyone, come in, let's talk inside! Whose child is this from the Sun family in Sandaow?"

Chai Shao followed the old man into the east room and said, "Sun Jiwei's son is called Sun Lianjun, who is the same age as our Yanzi, but maybe a few months younger. Sun Jishan is the deputy director of the city's Forestry Bureau. Sun Jiwei and Sun Jiye are brothers who run ships and transport in Sandaohe. Their family conditions are definitely not worse than ours."

Chai Bing said: "He also has three brothers, and we also have three brothers? What a fate!"

The eldest daughter-in-law smiled and said, "Not bad, Erning is quite good at finding things. Dad, what do you think of the Sun family?"

Chai Liangyu took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Very good!"

Chai Shao saw the old man pouring him a cup of tea, and hurriedly stepped forward to take it, saying, "When I first answered the phone, I was wondering what difficulties Er Ning had encountered in building a house. I encouraged him to be straightforward and not to be polite with me. Who would have thought that he would help our Yan Zi find a partner? I was so embarrassed."

Chai Bing said with a smile: "Then you have no shame? Didn't you want to give Erning some money the day I went to Qing'an? Our father stopped you and said that Erning is a very self-reliant person. If I gave him the money, I would be slapping him in the face."

Chai Liangyu put down his teacup and said, "Let's talk business! Stop talking nonsense. Where is Erning in Sandahe now?"

"Yes! He accompanied Lei Zi to Sandaohe to see his father-in-law. His father-in-law is Sun Jiwei..."

Chai Liangyu frowned upon hearing this, and the two daughters-in-law also sensed something was wrong. Chai Bing turned his head and glanced at Chai Shao, saying, "Brother, isn't this a mistake of generation?"

"What's the difference in generations? Let's talk about each other. Our family has no real relatives with Erning, and Erning has no relatives with the other side of Sandaohe. Dad, what do you think?"

Chai Liangyu nodded and said, "It's fine for each of us to discuss our own issues. I originally wanted to give Yanzi to Erning, but I didn't expect that he already had a girlfriend... Hey, I get angry when I talk about this. At that time, Lao Xu and I had a good discussion, so let's not talk about this. What is the attitude of the Sun family?"

Chai Shao said: "After Er Ning had this idea, he called me first. He hadn't explained it to the Sun family yet, but he should have explained it to me after the call."

Chai Liangyu was quite satisfied with Xu Ning's actions: "Look! It's Xiao Erning who knows what is close and distant. Without our approval, he can't talk about this with the other party."

The third daughter-in-law smiled and said, "Of course, Erning is a reliable person."

Chai Bing asked: "Brother, have you decided when to go on the blind date?"

"What are you deciding? How can I decide without Dad's approval? Right, Dad?"

Chai Liangyu said with a smile: "The boss knows how to flatter, so let's make a deal, let's try it out first, if Yanzi and the kid from Old Sun's family are satisfied, then we can make arrangements later. What did you talk about with Erning?"

"Erning has to go hiking tomorrow. I'll have to wait for him to come back and give me a letter. It will be around six or seven o'clock tomorrow evening."

Chai Bing said with a smile: "If this really works, won't Big Brother give Er Ning a huge red envelope?"

"Of course I will! Otherwise I have to go to his wedding, Dad. Aren't you going?"

Chai Liangyu tilted his head and said, "How can I not go? Old Xu and Old Chang are both here, so the three of us old guys can get together. But matchmaking is matchmaking, and gifts are gifts, so we have to give them separately."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. Erning came here last winter and killed a lot of animals. The most important thing is that it's cheap! There are so many people in our village, and some are still talking about last year. Several people told me that they need to buy meat this winter."

"Erning will be married by then. I don't know if I will have time. Let's talk about it when the time comes."
-
Sandaohe, the old Sun family.

There were only an old couple left in the room, sitting quietly on the kang drinking tea. It was a rare moment of peace and quiet. Sun Jiwei was in a good mood, listening to the storytelling coming from the radio while humming a little tune. His wife was knitting a sweater with knitting needles in her hands.

After a while, there was a noise outside the courtyard gate. Sun Lianfang and Guan Lei were chasing each other and teasing Menzi. Sun Jiye and his wife and Xu Ning and others looked at them with smiles. No one said anything to stop them. This was their unique way of getting along. As long as they were comfortable and happy, it was fine.

When Sun Jiwei and his wife heard the noise, they got up, turned off the radio, put away their knitting needles and wool, and went to the outer room to greet them.

"Hurry up and come in! This tea has only been brewed for a short time. Have you eaten it with your uncle?" "Yes, my aunt cooked some instant noodles with a few eggs! It smells delicious."

Walking into the east room, Sun Jiye sat on the edge of the kang, picked up the teapot and poured water, then said with a smile: "Second brother, Erning wants to tell you something good."

Sun Jiwei was stunned, looked at Xu Ning and asked, "What's the good news, Erning?"

Xu Ning sat down and took the tea from Sun Jiye, saying with a smile, "That's what happened. We were chatting in the room just after dinner. Didn't my second mother ask if there was a girl suitable for Lian Jun? I just made a phone call and there really is one!"

Er Niang clapped her hands and said, "Oh my god! Is it true? Er Ning, why did you say it so late?"

Sun Jiwei squinted his eyes and said in a very understanding way: "What do you know? We should have informed the woman first. It's not too late to tell her now! Erning, go on..."

"Yes, she is the granddaughter of the old Chai family in Wangxing. Her father is the secretary of Wangxing Village. Her name is Chai Hongyan. She is exactly twenty this year, the same age as Lian Jun, but seems to be a few months older than Lian Jun."

Second Mother said with a smile: "I'm not afraid of a few months older. His father and I can accept two or three years older. Girls are more capable of taking care of others at an older age."

"Stop interrupting! Listen to Erning." Sun Jiwei scolded.

His wife even dared to scold Sun Jishan, so she has a straightforward personality and a bit low emotional intelligence, but she is a good person and is not a bad person, and she is a bit protective of her child.

When Sun Lianfang, Sheng, Jun and Xu heard about this, they all looked at each other in bewilderment, because no one had revealed such a thing at Sun Jiye's house just now.

Sun Lianfang joked, "Ah, brother, you guys just went out to make a phone call, right?"

"Well, I just finished talking to Hongyan's father on the phone. He needs to discuss it with the old man. The family conditions are excellent. The Chai family is well-known in the whole Qing'an. They raise ginseng in the garden and have a winery..."

Sun Jiwei said: "Wangxing Lao Chai's family is also famous in our Sandaohe! They have made a lot of money from raising ginseng in recent years, more than we have made from all our hard work. If I remember correctly, his family seems to have three brothers."

"Three brothers! Her father is the village secretary, her second uncle runs a store in the village, and her third uncle manages a winery."

"The conditions are really good. What did they say? Have they responded?"

Xu Ning shook his head: "I'm just telling them first. I have to let you know. If you agree, I'll contact you tomorrow night."

"I agree! His mother and I definitely agree. Where can we find such a good relative? What does the girl look like and how tall is she?"

"About 1.6 meters tall, and quite handsome."

Third Aunt said, "1.6 meters tall is not short, what do you think of me, Second Sister-in-law?"

"I think it's good!"

At this time, Xu Ning took a sip of tea and said, "Second Mother, there is something that is not a big deal. I have to tell you in advance."

"You said."

"I have to call Hongyan's father "Big Brother" and her grandfather "Uncle..."

Sun Jiwei said with a smile: "It's all trivial! We can discuss our own affairs when the time comes. You know there is a grandfather and grandson in our village. The grandfather and grandson went together. Now the two families are discussing their own affairs. But they are not actual relatives. They just lived in the same village for a long time, so they are neighbors discussing it."

"That!"

Sun Jiye joked, "If Lianfang and Leizi get married, and Lianjun marries Lao Chai's granddaughter, what should she call Leizi? Uncle Guan?"

"Hahaha, Third Uncle, you're even better at talking nonsense!" Xu Ning laughed.

Guan Lei stroked his chin and said, "I haven't even seen the granddaughter of the old Chai family, so I have nothing to do with her. If I have to talk about her, I'd better talk about her from my brother's perspective."

Sun Lianfang patted her chest and said, "Isn't that the same thing? Don't worry, Little Stone. When the time comes, I'll call her my sister-in-law, and she'll call you uncle!"

Er Niang rolled her eyes and said helplessly: "Are you a tiger?"

“Hahahaha…” Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

As for where the joke is? Just take your time to savor it.

They chatted in the house until half past eight. After Sun Jiye and his family of three left, Er Niang, Sun Lianfang and Lian Jun sent Xu Ning, Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang to the second room on the east side. This room was quite clean. There was a spittoon in the corner, a urine helmet that had rarely been used was placed on the ground, bedding was covered on the kang, and the pillowcases and quilt covers were all new. It was obvious that Er Niang was a clean person.

What's more, he was very thoughtful and placed a thermos and teapot, instant noodles, biscuits and orange soda on the floor cabinet, just in case they would be hungry at night.

Originally, Second Mother wanted to get water for the three of them to wash their feet, but Xu Ning stopped her. How could she get water for them to wash their feet? At home, Liu Lizhen didn't serve him. At most, she would get water twice when Xu Feng flattered him, and the rest he had to do it by himself...

After soaking their feet, the three of them went to bed, while Guan Lei went to the west room to live with Lian Sheng and Lian Jun. He was the future son-in-law, so it was reasonable for him to live in the west room.

The next day, at half past five, the sky was bright.

At this time, many villagers had finished their breakfast and drove their tractors or cars to the forest farm to work.

After Xu Ning put on his clothes, Li Fuqiang urged him to wash his face quickly because the food had been steamed in the next room.

The schedule here is much earlier than that of Old Xu's family. Xu Ning rubbed his face and went to the toilet. When he entered the outer room, Third Aunt and others were bringing dishes to the west room.

"Come, Erning, sit down! We have porridge, steamed buns, and rice. Erniang will serve you whatever you want."

"Second Mother, I'd rather eat rice."

Sun Jiye pulled Xu Ning to sit down, turned around and muttered, "We will drive past the reservoir and go directly to the west side of the reservoir to hunt."

"Are there no animals around us?"

"How many animals are there to fight? Since the thaw, the animals can't cross the river, and many roe deer and wild boars have drowned."

"Okay, it's up to you."

In addition to yesterday’s leftovers, breakfast also includes egg cake, soy milk, and tofu pudding. This life... is better than that of some people thirty years later!
"Hu Zi, drink some soy milk. There's a lot of sugar in it. Try it. It's very sweet." Aunt San said.

"Hey, Aunt San, did you make the sauce for the tofu pudding at home?"

"No, the places that sell tofu have marinated food. They go from house to house in the evening to ask if they want soy milk or something. Once you place an order, they will deliver it to every house in the morning."

“That’s good.”

You need to be smart to run a business. For example, the Qin family in Qing'an Village is a fool. They only focus on making tofu at home and don't even know how to use the cart to sell it...

(End of this chapter)