Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 470: Out of sight, out of mind. Two newspapers
Seeing Xu Laonian's depressed state, Liu Lizhen suddenly pushed his shoulder and said with gritted teeth, "What do you want to do? If you don't drink, how can the third brother not drink? Hurry up and get some wine!"

"Hey, hey!" Xu Laonian was overjoyed, his mouth almost grinning to his ears, clapped his hands and ran to the counter, saying, "Third brother, uncle will drink with you!"

Chai Bing smiled and said, "Okay, uncle, drink less then."

Li Fuqiang grinned and said, "This is exactly what my uncle wants."

"Not really, my brother-in-law is happy to have more dumplings and more wine."

Wang Erli was very conflicted. He actually wanted to drink something as well. After all, there were not only dumplings on the table, but also freshly grown vegetables from the backyard. Although they had eaten a lot of vegetables this winter, the vegetables grown in the greenhouse could never compare with those from their own backyard.

Han Fengjiao said: "If you want to drink, drink less. It's nothing to be afraid of with such a small injury. You value your life very much."

"Oh, then I'll drink less. Big brother, get your treasured Daqu. I'll have a bowl first!"

Xu Laonian said with a dark face: "That's for drinking with Feng'er and Grandpa. What are you talking about? Do you want Yuchun to drink it?"

"drink!"

Everyone grinned and started eating after they filled their glasses of wine. Yang Shuhua prepared a dish called fried beans with three shreds, and Han Fengjiao's stir-fried tiger vegetables, which were paired with dumplings stuffed with leeks and eggs. The taste was absolutely wonderful!
Liu Lizhen and the others made the dumplings bigger to save trouble. Xu Ning ate fifteen or sixteen dumplings, then put down his chopsticks, got up to get a glass of water, and turned around to hear Liu Lizhen, who was sitting on the kang, muttering, "My old son got a certificate for his bravery, but why didn't I see any bonus?"

Xu Ning smiled when he heard that, and quickly took out an envelope from his pocket, saying, "Mom, I was thinking of giving it to you secretly tonight. It's all in here, a total of 600 yuan."

Liu Lizhen rolled her eyes and took it, then poured out six hundred yuan from the envelope. The six hundred yuan was very thick because the largest denomination was ten yuan.

She was holding the edge of the paper and pen with one hand and was about to speak when she saw Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu stand up at the same time.

"Wife, this is my six hundred dollars."

"Mom, I have a hundred and fifty."

The two of them simultaneously handed the money to the edge of the kang and handed it to the old woman. Han Fengjiao and Yang Shuhua had the same expression, both smiling and nodding their heads...

At this time, Sun Lianfang took out an envelope from her pocket and handed it to Liu Lizhen: "Auntie, please save it for me and Xiao Shitou. If I put this money in my hands, it will be spent in two days."

Liu Lizhen took it and said, "When your brother opens a business, invest this money in it and you two can get some shares."

Guan Lei looked up and was about to speak, but Xu Ning said, "It's settled."

Xu Laonian looked at the stack of money in Liu Lizhen's hand with some envy, but he said nothing. He just raised his glass to drink with Chai Bing, Wang Erli, and Liu Daming. At the same time, Xu Laonian advised: "Daming, now that you have a job, do it well."

"Yeah, that's a must!"

Wu Qiuxia smiled and asked, "Erning, what is your main job?"

"If there are animals that harm crops or cause damage to people's property near our forest farm, it's our turn to take action, but there's not much work to do normally, so we'll just do what we did before. When winter comes, my uncle will have to go to the farm to take care of it, and he won't have much time to hunt animals..."

Liu Daming asked: "Then I can just get paid?"

"Well, the place you are in charge of is a joint venture of several of us. When the time comes, you can invest money and get a share, and then we will pay you some salary."

Xu Laonian sipped his wine and nodded: "This arrangement is right. We are a few companies that are partners in opening a market. We can't invest money and work at the same time. If we work, we have to get paid. If we don't work, we have to wait for dividends..."

He is the accountant of the forest farm and knows everything about this kind of things. Although Xu Laonian sometimes does a poor job, he has never made a mistake when it comes to this kind of things.

We didn't talk about this matter in too much detail. Now we haven't got the ticket for the venue yet, so there's no point in saying too much in advance. When it really comes to that, it won't be too late to bring it up.

After 8 o'clock, everyone gathered around the table to drink tea, and Liu Daming, Li Fuqiang, Wang Erli, Guan Lei and others went back home. Before leaving, Xu Ning asked his uncle to drive away in a donkey.

He will have to go with Da Laba to collect the meat tomorrow. With Da Laba's mouth, he will definitely be able to make a big fuss about the situation. Not only can he help Liu Xuemin with publicity, but he can also earn some kickbacks. Why not do it?

The next day, after breakfast, Chai Bing, Xu Ning and Wang Hu loaded the donkey-riding bicycle onto the car. He had to go back today, but old Xu's family had nothing for him. Fortunately, Xu Ning used his face to buy him a donkey-riding bicycle. At that time, Liu Xuemin asked for 150 yuan, but could he really accept it?
He definitely wouldn't accept it. With Liu Xuemin's emotional intelligence and IQ, it was impossible for him to offend Xu Ning. Besides, Chai Bing was from Wangxing, and the villagers who raised ginseng were all quite rich. Riding a donkey backwards was cheaper than a four-wheeled vehicle or a Dongfeng car. Although it couldn't carry much stuff, it was much cheaper than a cart or a donkey-horse cart, and it was quite convenient.

"Old Third, wait until Erning goes into the mountains to catch black bears, deer, roe deer, etc., then come over!"

Chai Bing sat in the driver's seat and said with a smile, "Yes, I know, Auntie, please come in."

Everyone waved goodbye to him and watched him drive away. Then everyone went into the house. Wang Erli rubbed his face and said with a sad face, "Or I should ask for leave. If I go to the forest farm with this look, I will definitely be laughed at."

Xu Ning said with a smile: "Uncle, if you don't go to the forest farm, you will be laughed at. So many people were watching last night."

"Ah, don't I think that out of sight means peace of mind?"

Han Fengjiao patted his shoulder and said, "Just go with me. I'll take care of it for you if anything happens. What are you afraid of?"

Wang Hu advised: "Dad, a short pain is worse than a long one. Look at my uncle playing with Diao Chan last time. Shouldn't he go back to work now?"

"My second uncle is not as thick-skinned as my father."

After Xu Ning finished speaking, Liu Lizhen and others all burst into laughter.

Xu Laonian glanced at the little brat, swallowed his anger and dared not say a word. At this time, Xu Feng, Wang Biao and others carried their bags and went to school.

Wang Erli took two sips of tea, thought for a while, gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He stood up suddenly and said, "Brother, let's go! Go to the execution ground!"

Xu Laonian was stunned and muttered, "It's not that serious."

The two brothers staggered out of the house and ran into a few forest workers. Wang Erli immediately lowered his head. The forest workers smiled and asked a few questions. Xu Laonian knew that his brother was embarrassed, so he took the initiative to explain to them. The loud voice attracted a lot of people. Wang Erli wanted to die walking in the crowd...

In the morning, Xu Ning went for a stroll to Old Meng's house. Liu Fenfang, Meng Ziyan and Meng Yinhe all came back. After sitting in the house for half an hour, he went to the store and bought some seasonings and wine. Liu Lizhen brought him half a bag of rice and noodles. At nearly 10 o'clock, he drove a donkey with Wang Hu and Guan Lei to Dongshan.

"Just throw him down the mountain."

Wang Hu asked worriedly, "Can't we lose it?"

"It can't be lost. It's hidden in the woods. No one can see it from outside."

The three men covered the upside-down donkey with branches and went up the mountain carrying rice, flour, cigarettes, alcohol and seasonings.

Xu Ning hadn't visited Ma Liu for a long time. When he reached the cellar, Ma Liu was sitting on a wooden stool at the door, cutting wood with a knife.

"Uncle, what are you doing?"

"Hey, why are you here at this time? Are you done with your work at home?" Ma Liu quickly stood up and put down his knife and wood, saying, "I was thinking of making a funnel. Now we need to collect honey. It would be better if you could go up the mountain later so that you can get some honey for your parents."

Xu Ning said with a smile: "It's too late. I have to come up soon. These two bags are rice and flour. My father doesn't smoke tobacco anymore, so I brought you the remaining ones at home..."

Ma Liu didn't say anything polite, he waved his hand and said, "Come in! Let's have lunch here. I picked some mushrooms yesterday and stewed a chicken." "Okay, didn't you see you brought two brothers here? I just wanted to drink with you."

"Hahaha, good!"

There was no heat in the cellar, so Ma Liu only heated the kang at night and cooked on the stove outside during the day. He kept the house very clean and placed two wooden stools and a low table in the corner.

"How's the house going?"

Guan Lei handed Ma Liu a cigarette. Xu Ning said, "We just finished laying the foundation a few days ago. We stopped work these two days to wait for the cement to dry. Uncle, do you know that I did something brave to help others?"

"What's going on?" Ma Liu was stunned and asked, "What do you mean by bravery?"

He has been in Dongshan for many years and has relatively isolated sources of information, so it is normal that he doesn't know.

Xu Ning smiled and told him again: "I went to receive the award certificate and bonus yesterday. The city arranged a job for a few of us."

Ma Liu was surprised, happy, and worried when he heard this. He said, "It's good to have a job. Nowadays, jobs are stable. As long as you don't make any mistakes, you'll be fine! Do you know anyone in the city? Can someone arrange a job for you?"

"Yeah, I do know him..."

Ma Liu nodded and warned, "Don't rush forward if you encounter this kind of thing again. Hide if you can. You have a family to support. You have to think about your parents, wife, and children. Don't you understand?"

"I know. The main reason is that Lao Ba knows me. Our relationship is quite complicated. If I don't punish him, I'm afraid he will punish my whole family."

"You're fine, but if you don't handle this properly, you'll end up in a lawsuit. You better be careful."

After that, Ma Liu stood up and ate some pheasant stewed with mushrooms in the pot, then turned around and asked, "When are you getting married?"

"We'll find a date after we finish building the house. I estimate it will be September before we can get married. Uncle, you have to come down the mountain for my wedding, right? It would be wrong if you don't."

Ma Liu grinned and said, "Go! How can I not be present at your wedding? I was thinking of attending the wedding."

"Then you can come down the mountain after my family finishes building the house. Get to know my parents first. You know, we have been together for such a long time..."

Before he finished speaking, Ma Liu put down the spoon, straightened up and said, "I can go, but I won't stay. I'm used to living in the mountains, and it's not comfortable to sleep in a village all of a sudden."

"Well, we'll talk about it later. If it really doesn't work out, I'll give you a whole house at the foot of the mountain and you can live there by yourself. You said you're so old, I'm worried about you living on the mountain by yourself."

Ma Liu paused, then said with a smile: “If I really die, you should bury me in the open space over there, and I will have to guard the cellar…”

"That's not the right thing to say now."

Guan Lei and Wang Hu didn't interrupt. They went to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks, and then went to the pot outside to get rice bowls...

Xu Ning continued, "We should talk about life while we are alive. Uncle, is there something wrong with our relationship?"

"What are you talking about? How can I accept something from you if we don't have a good relationship?"

"Then why are you being so polite to me? Ask your niece's wife to make you two sets of clothes in a few days, and you can go down the mountain when the house is built."

"I really don't want to live down the mountain. Don't try to persuade me about this. I'll listen to you on everything else. Is that not enough?"

He is not as stiff when chatting as before, and now he knows how to discuss things with Xu Ning.

Xu Ning frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "Okay, if you don't want to live at the foot of the mountain, then wait for me to open the hall and you can go there to help me patrol the night."

Guan Lei interrupted, "Uncle, if you stay with me, we can have some company. Otherwise, my brother will be worried."

Ma Liu looked at his cellar, bent down to serve the food, put the dish on the low table, and said, "That's fine, but I have to go back to the cellar in spring and autumn..."

Xu Ning was convinced. He smiled and said, "Do whatever you want. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable."

Ma Liu explained, "I can't abandon beekeeping. These queen bees are all wild bees I've been looking for. Erning, you care about me for my own good. I know it's not that I'm not a decent person, but that I'm not suitable to live in a village. With my temper, I'll resort to violence after just a few words. If I really cause you trouble, what shall I do?"

"You are my uncle, who can mess with you? Hey, let Hu Zi and Shi Tou drink with you, are you done holding it in?"

Seeing that he was changing the subject, Ma Liu smiled and said, "I'm really done. When you were building the house, Lao Chang and I had a drink together."

At that time, he and Chang Danian picked wild vegetables and mushrooms together and sent them to Old Xu's family, otherwise Old Xu's family would have no vegetables to eat.

It was already past 1 o'clock in the afternoon when the four of them finished their meal and drank. Xu Ning and the other two carried the empty wine jugs down the mountain, took the donkey out of the woods, and rode it to the old forest to collect firewood. In the afternoon, they chopped firewood in the yard.

In the next few days, as there was nothing to do at home, Xu Ning called Wang Hu and Guan Lei to take the dogs out for a walk twice. They brought back three wild boars and a lame female roe deer. The meat was enough to feed thirty or forty people for six or seven days.

That morning, Old Xu's family baked pancakes, fried five plates of shredded potatoes, and made radish and meatball soup.

Lao Zhang, Xiao Liu and others from the forest farm came. Yu Kaihe and Li Feng, Li Ye from Taiping, and Dala were also sitting at the dining table. They were eating wraps and drinking soup, eating with great enthusiasm.

After the meal, everyone did not rest but walked towards the north end one after another. Xu Ning and Liu Daming drove donkeys, and Li Fuqiang drove a tractor, to transport tools such as carts, as well as thermoses, teapots and teacups.

When they started working again, everyone was full of energy. After all, they had been raising the children for so many days...

In the evening, Du Shoucai came to Lao Xu's house holding two newspapers. A group of people filled the east and west rooms. Those who knew him greeted him, and those who didn't know him nodded.

"Brother, let's have a drink together. Come and sit down."

Xu Laonian pulled Du Shoucai to sit down, and Wang Erli brought him a wine glass, bowl and chopsticks.

"The wound on Erli's head has healed. You can't even see it."

Wang Erli smiled and replied, "Yeah, it will be almost healed in two or three days."

Du Shoucai handed the newspaper under his arm to Xu Laonian and said, "Take a look. Erning, Qiangzi and others are all in the newspapers. This one is the city morning newspaper, and this one is the provincial daily newspaper! There is also a group photo of them..."

Xu Laonian opened the newspaper with a smile on his face. The provincial daily newspaper was dated the day before yesterday, while the city morning newspaper was dated today.

On it are photos of Xu Ning, Li Fuqiang, Wang Hu, Guan Lei holding their award certificates and Lin Dongliang, Yang Yusheng and others.

The text below describes in detail how Xu Ning and others bravely acted, as well as the criminal facts of Lao Ba and Li Quan!

Although it occupies a small space, it is in a very conspicuous position.

(End of this chapter)