Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 449: The two ounces of oil in the stomach are all impatient

Old Xu's new house faces south, with a belt in front and a mountain at its back. Due to the high terrain, a water flow slope has to be built in front of the door. But after building this slope, they have to deal with the water coming from right to left, so a low dam needs to be built beside the stream as a buffer.

Master Li suggested that Xu Ning add grooves to the door frame. If there is a flood, he can insert wooden boards into the grooves to make a dam. This dam can withstand small floods, but it will definitely not be able to withstand a big flood, because there are only two families around, and it is located on the edge of a mountain...

After Xu Ning understood, he took out five yuan from his pocket and stuffed it into Master Li's pocket, saying it was the survey fee. Master Li couldn't stop laughing and told him some things to pay attention to in the house. The five yuan was worth it! Why? Who doesn't want to find a good place to live? If you control the details firmly, it can't be a big deal, but as long as you are safe and wealthy, it's fine.

As for choosing between elm doors and iron doors, Xu Ning prefers elm doors. He has always thought that elm doors are the first choice for wealthy families because old elm wood can be used and, with some maintenance oil every year, can even be used for a hundred years!
While an iron door may look festive when it is first installed, it will have many drawbacks over time, such as paint peeling, rust, and bottom decay. It can only be used for eight or ten years at most. Moreover, an iron door is expensive, at least three or four times more expensive than an old elm door!
Northeast China is the main producing area of ​​elm trees. Elm wood is free of charge. You can fill a truck with it by searching in the forest farm. Then, it will be pretty fast to let Meng Quezi and his apprentice make two large doors by hand. The only troublesome thing is that the door knockers, copper rivets, large hinges and bearings are a bit difficult to deal with.

But Master Li said that he could help get these things, and he could ask the driver from the quarry to bring them over tomorrow. The price would be around 30 or 40 yuan, which was not too expensive.

The current copper price is 1350 US dollars per ton, and the exchange rate is 1:2.327, so 1000 kilograms of copper is 1570 yuan, or 1 yuan per kilogram of copper. The rivets, door knockers, and hinges are all made of copper. Including the production process, the price is already very reasonable.

While chatting with Master Li, Wang Erli, Li Fuqiang and others had also finished unloading the kang stones in the distance. Xu Ning sent Master Li and the driver to the front of the car.

"Master Li, if you have this ability, why don't you try to earn some pocket money?"

Master Li patted his hip pocket and said, "Isn't this just pocket money? Besides, you know the current situation. Apart from the big boss, how many other people can trust me? This is just using the oil in your stomach to exchange for some food money. You can't rely on it to support your family."

The driver laughed and said, "That's why our boss asked Master Li to come here."

Xu Ning understood and said with a smile: "I may not stay at home tomorrow, so let my eldest brother settle the bill with you. Go back and tell your boss. I'll remember this favor, but you can see that my family is building a house, and I will be busy getting married in the fall. I also have to go to Wangxing to protect farmers. This is a task assigned by the city. If I am free in early winter, I will definitely go!"

"Okay! There's nothing wrong with what you said. I'll go back and explain it to the boss."

"Okay! Then you two can walk slowly."

The driver and Master Li waved and got into the car, then the two drove away.

Wang Erli and Li Fuqiang came over with cigarettes in their mouths and asked with a smile: "What are you talking about? Are you talking about the old elm wood or the iron door?"

"Uncle, I think we should use old elm wood! This thing is durable. We have plenty of elm wood in our forest farm, and the price is not high. Don't listen to my dad's nonsense."

Wang Erli nodded: "Okay, then you can tell my eldest brother that there are not many large boards in this pile of wood. They are all boards for making small doors. I will go to the forest farm in a few days to look for them and bring them back if I find them."

At this moment, the foundations of the two buildings with a total of ten rooms have been poured, and they are backfilling with sand.

Xu Ning saw that this job would not be completed in a short time, so he called Yu Kaihe and asked him to ask everyone to eat first.

Yu Kaihe glanced at his raised wrist and said in surprise: "It's already past two o'clock? Oh my God! Look how anxious I am working... Zhang'er! Stop..."

"Let's go eat first and fix it when we get back. If Er Ning hadn't checked the time for me just now, I wouldn't have realized it was already past two o'clock. Oh, you're all hungry, right? Let's go, let's go..."

Yu Kaihe was really dedicated during the time he came to help. He was the one who took care of the construction of both houses, following the steps. He was thinking of working for just one last day and taking a break the next day, so he was a little anxious.

Lao Zhang and Xiao Liu from the forest farm, and Lao Wei, Lao Jiang and others from the village had no complaints, because they thought the same way in their hearts. The old ladies headed by Liu Lizhen prepared several dishes for every meal. Although they missed the delicious food, they could not be too greedy, otherwise they would appear to be shallow.

"Brother Yu! There are only a few things left, let's finish them all! It's past two o'clock now, let's do it after we finish eating and come back. My sister-in-law still has to prepare dinner for us all night..."

"Not really, don't wait so long, wait till you finish the work before eating. If anyone is hungry, there is a trough cake on the table to eat first."

"Hurry up and fix it...it would be nice to have a drink after that."

Yu Kaihe turned around and said with a smile: "Erning, did you hear that? Go back and tell your mother not to cook the dishes yet."

Xu Ning said, "Okay, I'll tell her, when can it be finished? Let them prepare the dishes in advance."

"About four o'clock."

After hearing the exact time, Xu Ning said goodbye to everyone and left.

When Liu Lizhen heard the news, she hurriedly pulled out two sticks of firewood from the stove and asked Yang Shuhua to scoop two scoops of water into the big pot. Liu Fenfang, Zhang Guifang and others had finished their meal. They sat on the edge of the kang and rubbed the cow hair...

Li Fuqiang was chopping firewood with a big axe in the yard, while Xu Ning was holding a hand saw and stepping on the wood. He said as he sawed: "It would be much more convenient if there was an electric motor."

"why?"

"If we have a motor, we can turn it into an electric wood splitter, and then we won't have to chop wood all the time."

Li Fuqiang said with a smile: "That's great. Hey, do we have time to go to the agricultural machinery station? You want to repair the motorcycle engine, right?"

"I can't go now. He asked me last time and said his father is very proud of roe deer and venison. I can't go empty-handed next time."

"That's right... but where can we get deer now? We haven't caught many deer this winter..."

"Well, deer are hard to catch. You have to find animal paths to set traps and snares. Sometimes it's just a matter of luck. It would be great if you could come across a group of deer. You can definitely kill two."

"Then what else is there to say..."

Half an hour later, a pile of firewood was piled up under their feet. Xu Ning kicked the firewood to the wall, then put away the hand saw and went into the house. Li Fuqiang carried some of the scattered firewood into the house. These firewoods were enough to burn today and tomorrow. Li Fuqiang would go to the old forest to fetch some more tomorrow.

After washing his hands hurriedly, Xu Ning thought about going home to take a look, but he ran into Xu Laonian as soon as he went out.

"Why haven't they come back for dinner yet?"

Xu Ning said: "He said he would finish the rest of the work before eating."

"Well, I'll go to the north end and take a look. You accompany your uncle and brother to the village headquarters to make a phone call."

"Okay, are they home?"

"I've just turned the corner. You can catch up with me if you run a little faster."

Xu Ning nodded and quickly chased after him. When he turned the corner, he saw Chai Bing and Sun Jiye, who were smoking under the wall.

"Uncle San, Brother San! Let's go."

Sun Jiye smiled and said, "Is the foundation finished?"

"No, I worked for most of the day and didn't even have lunch."

The three of them arrived at the village headquarters while chatting.

At this moment, Du Shoucai was sitting in the room. He was reading a book. When he saw the three people walk into the room, he put the book away.

After greeting each other, Xu Ning went to chat with Du Shoucai, while Chai Bing and Sun Jiye sat at the table. The two of them gave way to each other, and finally Chai Bing made the first call. After the call was connected, Chai Shao's voice sounded, and Chai Bing told the process of Chai Hongyan and Sun Lianjun's blind date in great detail. Chai Shao was very happy to hear this, and laughed twice and said, "So she fell in love with this guy?"

"I like it! Big brother, Jun'er's uncle and I have already made the appointment during lunch this afternoon. We will discuss when to meet again when we get back..."

Chai Shao said, "Why don't you just decide when to meet? Isn't his third uncle put aside? You two should decide first, and focus on the child's matter. The old man is waiting for news at home."

Chai Bing said, "Brother, how about I discuss number 12 and 3 with the third brother?"

"There's no problem with our family. Why don't you ask the other party if it's okay?"

Sun Jiye was listening nearby. Seeing how efficient Chai Shao was, he said, "Third brother, then it's the 12th! Let's make the decision over the phone. I'll talk to the second brother later. He doesn't have much to do at home anyway."

Chai Shao smiled and said, "This is the third brother's succession, right? I am your eldest brother!"

"Hey! Big brother, I'm listening! Haha, this was done so smoothly, my second brother and his wife must be so happy."

Chai Shao said: "I am very happy too!"

Chai Bing replied, "Brother, I will stay in Qing'an for two days before returning. It's a good opportunity for Yanzi and Jun'er to spend more time together."

"Oh, okay! Your third brother isn't going back either, is he?"

"No! Tomorrow we will go into the mountains to hunt with Erning." Sun Jiye said.

"Oh, that's good!"

The three of them chatted on the phone for six or seven minutes. After Chai Bing hung up, Sun Jiye immediately dialed a number home.

"Hey?"

Sun Jiye was stunned when he heard the voice, "Second brother?"

Sun Jiwei slammed the table and said, "Didn't you let the two kids meet at noon? Why did you call me just now? Do you know how long I've been waiting in the village office?"

Sun Jiye was a little embarrassed. He glanced at Chai Bing and said with a smile, "Second brother, I have to have a meal and drink some wine with Yanzi's uncle."

"...Ah, yes, yes! Your second sister-in-law kept urging me, and it made me very anxious. So, how are the two children?"

After Sun Jiye finished speaking truthfully, Sun Jiwei laughed and said, "Good! Very good! San'er, you have done a great job! When will Yanzi... No, when will we go to Wangxing to meet with the other party's elders and settle the matter of the two children as soon as possible."

"Second brother, the third brother and I just discussed it and we are thinking of meeting on the 12th or 13th."

Sun Jiwei said anxiously: "Why did you delay it for several days? Your second sister-in-law wanted to meet her daughter-in-law as soon as possible."

"Second brother, the third brother and I will go hiking with Er Ning tomorrow. This will be a good opportunity for Yan Zi and Jun Er to get to know each other better. The two kids have only just learned a few places, so we can't rush this matter."

"Oh, how can I not be anxious? You said Jun'er has been in love with two people, but he never liked them. Now he finally found one. We have to hurry up! It's so difficult to find a partner nowadays."

Chai Bing said with a smile: "Is it the second brother? Don't worry, my third brother and I have already discussed it. Besides, these two children are also very active. Before we left, they were chatting quietly."

Sun Jiwei laughed loudly: "Hahaha, good! Third brother, did you listen to what second brother said just now? Second brother is not yelling at you, I am really anxious!"

"I know! I just talked to my eldest brother on the phone, and he was also very anxious. We are all doing this for the good of the child."

"That's right..."

Five or six minutes later, Sun Jiye hung up the phone with a slightly tired look, and said with a pursed mouth: "My second brother and his wife both have short tempers, so don't take it seriously."

"It's okay. My second brother and I also have quick tempers. Our two families are quite similar."

Sun Jiye smiled and said, "Isn't this fate?"

They both turned their heads to look at Xu Ning, then turned their heads to look at each other and smiled.

Xu Ning was chatting with Du Shoucai about the matter of the mountain behind the new homestead. Didn't he want to contract the mountain? Du Shoucai gave him some advice, which came to two points: one was to find Hu Zhibin before he left, and the other was to go directly to the Forestry Bureau in the city to get a note.

"Have you got the approval for the Lengchang lumberjack? Once it's approved, we should start looking for workers. I'll use a loud speaker to make some calls in our village, and then have someone else use a loud speaker to make some calls in Taiping Village. We should be able to gather two Lengchang lumberjacks anyway..."

Xu Ning said: "The application has not yet reached the forest farm. I estimate that it will be in July before it can be delivered to the forest farm. I will start recruiting workers in August to catch up."

Sun Jiye walked over and said, "It's not the right time to recruit workers in August. You have to recruit workers two months in advance. There is nothing in the field. You still have to build shacks, put up stoves, and build a tool warehouse. These tasks will take at least half a month to complete..."

Xu Ning turned around and said, "Uncle San, how many workers do you think I should hire?"

"That depends on how big your field is and how much wood you need to cut. I'll calculate it for you in the evening when I find a pen and paper."

Du Shoucai said, "Why are you waiting for the evening? We have paper and pen right here. Do you want to use an abacus? I'll find it for you."

He stood up and went to search on the ground. Xu Ning stood up and picked up the thermos, found a few enamel pots and poured some water into them. He said, "If you don't leave it here, I'll have to go to the forest farm to find someone."

"What are you looking for? This will be figured out in a little while. Is this new Lengchang opened by the forest farm for cultivation?"

"Yes, but the roads we repaired are not many, only about 28 meters. The two ridges and 28 ridges I'm responsible for are next to each other. Li Baotou of the ridge is a buddy of my uncle, so there aren't that many problems."

Sun Jiye nodded: "That's fine, but I'm afraid there will be too many messes. Last winter, two fields in my area started doing this."

Chai Bing asked, "Why?"

Du Shoucai came back with a paper, pen and abacus, and said with a smile: "What else could it be? It must be that they crossed the boundary. They cut down trees in one field and then cut down trees in another field. Or they stole wood from the mountain."

Sun Jiye nodded: "Yeah, these two are next to each other, right? I lost more than ten wooden blocks a few times before, and then I lost two inverted sets..."

The forest area is not very harmonious. Even the farmers working in a woodyard will sometimes fight over the wood, and it is normal to get their heads broken and bleed.

Then, Sun Jiye picked up a pen and started to do the math. The math included the area that needed to be cleared in the field, as well as the expenses for building shacks, making kangs, setting up stoves, building warehouses, and buying tools.

Xu Ning stared at the numbers and felt more and more helpless, because the money needed was too much. It was not enough for his family to build a house and get married. Although he could use 10,000 yuan of the 20,000 yuan he brought back from Sandaohe, this money could not be seen in public.

What to do?

(End of this chapter)