Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 493: I feel proud thanks to my brother's help
Hu Zhibin clapped his hands and said, "Look! I told you that Erning's head is full of tricks. Instead of just imagining things on our own, why not ask someone who knows better?"

"That's great. It saves a lot of effort."

Xu Ning then helped them develop a detailed price reduction plan. This type of activity has become numerous in later generations, including group buying and issuing vouchers, but it is quite novel nowadays.

After that, Lao Qian put away the notebook. Hu Zhibin took a sip of tea and said, "Don't leave at noon. We are all together today. Let's go to a big restaurant for a drink."

"There's still stuff in the car."

Liu Xuemin said: "The car can't be lost if it is left in the yard!"

Xu Ning glanced at Li Fuqiang and nodded: "That's fine, it's a deal, I'll treat you to lunch, and I'll be furious if anyone rushes to pay!"

"Hahaha, you can't pay this afternoon."

The voice came from the corridor. As soon as the words fell, Lao Jin came into the room carrying three chain saws and said, "I'll pay for lunch!"

Liu Xuemin smiled and said, "Lao Jin must pay the bill! Erning, you don't know, Lao Jin used to stay at home..."

"Grandson! It's okay. We are all family members. Why should we be afraid of being laughed at? To be honest, my status in the family is not as high as that of the dog guarding the gate. Why? My wife is in charge of family planning in our county. Her salary is more than 20 yuan higher than mine. Now, I earn in just a few days what she earns in two or three years."

Lao Jin put down the chainsaw, took a sip of tea and continued, "I went back home a few days ago, and this guy fetched water for me to wash my feet and prepared good meals for me. Even my mother-in-law spoke to me in a nice tone. Oh my god, the frustration I've felt over the years is finally gone."

Hu Zhibin laughed and said, "This is called being proud!"

Lao Jin quite agrees: "Not so good, it's too damn breath-taking!"

Everyone grinned and laughed.

Don't blame Lao Jin's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law for being snobbish. From ancient times to the present, men have been conquering the world. Under the premise that labor is indispensable, men can support a family with just their strength. You can imagine how they are treated.

But if men cannot conquer the world or make money, and earn less than women, they will naturally be looked down upon. It’s not that they are sensitive, it’s just the fact!

Take the relationship between Han Fengjiao and Wang Erli for example. Every day when he gets home from get off work, Han Fengjiao will put down her work and get him a basin of water to wash his face and hands, and serve him the meal...

This is how this generation gets along with each other. In the future, both men and women will have to earn money, because one person's salary is not enough to support a family. What will women do if they don't earn money?

Some people may say that women have to wash clothes, cook and clean after work. To be honest, after 90s, in Northeast China, it is basically the men who cook. If you don’t believe it, just wait until it’s time to cook and lie on the balcony and take a look.

As for washing clothes, there are washing machines. Cleaning is an idle job. Whoever has time can do it. If the couple is fussy about it, you do less housework and I do more, can life last long? It can't last long, so we need to understand each other and keep each other warm, so that we can be happy.

Xu Ning felt the above emotion when he heard what Lao Jin said. He thought that after marrying Meng Ziyan, he couldn't let her do everything. He also had to do what he could to make others envious. He said: Look at the old man in Meng Ziyan's family, he is so hardworking and can do any work. Look at you, you damned thing, you are so picky when eating...

After Lao Jin was proud of himself, he was full of energy, as if he had become a different person. When Xu Ning first met him, he was always hunched over and looked like a man in his forties or fifties. In fact, he was not even forty years old. Now he held his head high and his chest out, and spoke with joy and confidence.

Money is really a good thing, Li Fuqiang muttered to himself as he sat on the sofa drinking tea. He thought about everything from last year to now. He had also changed unconsciously. People said that he was more pleasing to the eye than before and were willing to get close to him. Why? It goes without saying.

After talking about the episode, Lao Jin pointed to the three chainsaws lying on the ground and said, "These three chainsaws have been repaired, but I don't have new chains. I can only sharpen the chain blades with a file. I guess they can still be used for a while."

Xu Ning drank up the tea in the cup and said, "Okay, Brother Jin, I'll come back to see you if the chainsaw breaks down again."

"Okay! If I'm not in the street, then I'll go to the city. Then you can go find my apprentices. They can also repair this thing."

At this time, Hu Zhibin raised his wrist to look at his watch and said, "It's almost noon. Let's go to the hotel. Let's leave Erning's car here."

"It's okay to throw it away. There are guards watching. Nothing will be lost once the door is closed." Lao Jin continued.

"Let's go then."

Old Qian stood up and said, "How about we ride over there on a donkey? There's another one in the yard."

"Yes! But we can hardly pull it."

Xu Ning waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's just walk over there and drink less at noon."

"Drink less... that's fine. Old Jin will be back in the city at around 3 o'clock, and I have to go home too. I can just take your car back. Where is Old Qian going?"

Old Qian smiled and said, "Where can I go back? I have to go home and chat with my wife today, and go see my father tomorrow..."

He travels between the city and the street. His wife has not yet been transferred to the city high school and will start working in September next semester.

Then, they strolled out of the farm machinery station and walked towards the big restaurant. Along the way, they chatted about this and that, and the topics they talked about were very fragmented.

As soon as we walked into the hotel, the manager came to greet us. Hu Zhibin was a frequent visitor here. As soon as he showed his face and said nothing, the manager said, "Secretary Hu, the four big rooms are all occupied. Can we go to the medium room?"

"Okay, serve some of our signature dishes. Tell Chef Yang in the kitchen that Erning and Qiangzi are here."

"Ah! Okay, let's go upstairs first. I'll go to the kitchen myself later."

"Thanks, who's here this afternoon?"

The manager and Hu Zhibin whispered a few words, and Hu said, "Then I'll go and toast later..."

Inside the private room, there was a large round table with ten seats, with tableware and napkins neatly placed along the edge of the table. Several people sat down next to each other and were chatting when Yang Liguo walked into the room wearing a chef's uniform.

"Hey, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Xu Ning, Li Fuqiang, Hu Zhibin and the others stood up, greeted each other first, and said, "We just happened to meet. Are you busy this afternoon? Come over for a drink later."

Li Fuqiang came closer and said, "Brother, Erning can drink now. If you are not busy, come over and get two cups."

"Erning can drink alcohol now? Oh my god..."

Seeing Yang Liguo's surprise, Hu Zhibin and others explained to him and he felt relieved. It is not a bad thing to drink a little in a bad situation.

He smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go get some dishes and come back later."

Lao Jin followed him out the door. The two whispered a few words outside the door. Then Yang Liguo went back to the kitchen, and Lao Jin went to the cashier and put three hundred yuan on the table, saying that he would refund any excess and pay more if he failed to pay.

In fact, he would not even need three hundred yuan, but Lao Jin seldom went to big restaurants and subconsciously believed that the consumption in big restaurants was very high. He heard from others that a bottle of unnamed wine cost fifty yuan, braised bear paws cost thirty yuan, and even stir-fried garlic sprouts cost ten yuan.

This is completely a rumor. Ordinary people would not even enter the door after hearing the extremely high prices, let alone take a look at the real price of the vegetables.

Why? Because I have no money.

Lao Jin went back to the private room and started chatting with him. After waiting for about half an hour, the dishes were served one after another. The first dish was a cold dish called three-strand fried beans, the second was braised pork, the third was stir-fried shrimp, the fourth was eggplant with fish scales, followed by fried eggplant boxes, sweet and sour spare ribs, dry-fried silkworm pupae, and fried pig intestines. There were eight dishes in total, and the total cost of these dishes was less than 60 yuan. The hotel also gave us two extra side dishes, one was the signature mixed cold dish, and the other was fried peanuts with salt.

"What shall we drink?" asked Lao Jin.

Hu Zhibin asked: "You are treating us, we can drink whatever you say, we are all family and we can't be picky."

Lao Jin spread his hands and said, "You see, I don't come here often. I usually hear that Wuliangye and Maotai are delicious, and the rest are Daqu and Xiaoshao. How about Wuliangye? I haven't even tried it, so I want to try it out."

Liu Xuemin said with a smile: "Why haven't you drunk it before? You didn't drink it last time you were at my house."

"Oh my god, that's Wuliangye? Why did my uncle put Wuliangye in cans?"

"To keep a low profile, let's drink Wuliangye, okay? Erning?"

"Anything is fine. There are so many dishes. They make me hungry."

Lao Jin got up and went out to ask the waiter for a box of Wuliangye. Xu Ning, Li Fuqiang, Liu Xuemin and others were all a little confused. This was too much. Wuliangye sold for 6 yuan in the supply and marketing cooperative, but it sold for 6 yuan in a big restaurant...

"Brother Jin, why would you buy a whole box? Four bottles are enough for us."

"Hey, if you can't drink it, just go back, so you don't have to call someone over to nag you."

Liu Xuemin said with a smile: "Old Jin has really stood up now."

"Haha, isn't this all thanks to my brother's help..."

Soon Wuliangye came into the house. Lao Jin first handed the soda on the wine box to Li Fuqiang, and then picked up a bottle of Wuliangye and was about to pour wine for Xu Ning.

Xu Ning quickly covered the wine glass and said, "Brother Jin, what are you doing? Don't do anything stupid."

"It's my duty." Old Jin grinned.

Liu Xuemin nodded and said, "Indeed, Erning, just let Lao Jin go."

Hu Zhibin and Qian Shude also advised him a few words. Xu Ning did not insist and moved his hand away. Lao Jin went around and poured the wine, then returned to his seat, raised his glass and said, "I am the oldest in this room. A few years ago, I thought I would be like this for the rest of my life, but something unexpected happened halfway through. Thanks to you brothers for your help. I have never seen a big scene, and this is my second time to come to this big restaurant. The first time was when my wife's boss came here for a meal..."

Lao Jin was telling the story in a very calm manner, and Xu Ning and the others were listening attentively. No one thought that Lao Jin was being nagging, they just thought that this guy was quite kind, and that his work was quite comfortable.

"Er Ning, I don't know how to say polite words. I'm just talking about what's on my mind. If you have anything to say in the future, just tell me. I won't frown. I'll just do it..."

"Don't do it! Lao Jin, why are you so anxious?"

Lao Qian and Hu Zhibin hurriedly stopped them, and Xu Ning said with a smile: "Let's take our time, don't rush, otherwise this table of delicious food will be ruined."

"Well, let me say a few words, Erning..."

Then, Hu Zhibin, Lao Qian, and Liu Xuemin each said some euphemistic words of thanks. It had been six or seven minutes since the four of them finished speaking. Hu Zhibin raised his glass and said, "We are friends from the heart, so I won't say it's all in the wine. Let's take a sip?"

"all!"

After a few drinks, they started to eat. While filling their stomachs, Lao Jin was still very polite to Xu Ning. He stood up and used a serving chopstick to pick up ribs for him and Li Fuqiang, and his three sentences were full of gratitude.

Xu Ning waved his hand and said, "Brother Jin, we are buddies. I don't treat you as an outsider. Look at how polite you are to me. I feel embarrassed."

Lao Jin was stunned, and Liu Xuemin quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "He didn't know why he was chatting with you. He was just making money, and he was so excited!"

"Yeah!" Old Jin nodded honestly.

"Let's deal with it as it should be. I just offered some advice and didn't expect anything in return. How can we deal with it if we keep being so polite?"

Old Qian said with a smile, "That's not bad. Old Jin, you take one by yourself, and Brother Bin, Brother Liu and I will take one with you. Erning, you won't take one with you, too?"

"Come on, come on."

After they finished drinking, the door of the private room rang, and then Yang Liguo came in wearing his own clothes.

"Brother, please sit next to Erning." Li Fuqiang stood up and gave up his seat.

Yang Liguo asked, "Why didn't you drink?"

"I don't drink. I have to drive my brother and Brother Bin home later."

Yang Liguo was quite satisfied: "Okay, you have some self-control. You're late, guys, should I have a drink as punishment?"

"Brother Yang, just sit down. What's the punishment?"

It was almost two o'clock at this time, and Yang Liguo finally had time to go downstairs to join the dinner, otherwise the kitchen would be indispensable. He drank half of the full glass of wine in two gulps and started chatting with a few people.

After three rounds of drinks, Yang Liguo pulled Xu Ning aside and said, "Brother, I never expected that Qiangzi would be where he is today! My third uncle certainly didn't expect it either. We don't see each other often, but brother, I miss you!"

Hu Zhibin approached the two of them, holding a wine glass and said in a daze: "Erning, I admit that I had some other ideas when I contacted you before, but after what happened to me, I have to admit my mistakes to you. I was too narrow-minded!"

What was he talking about? It was about the six bear paws and Hu Zhiyong. At that time, he did give money to Xu Ning and also went to Old Xu's house to give gifts, but could that stuff be called a gift? And his father Old Hu was also in trouble, so he took advantage of the alcohol to talk to Xu Ning about it.

"Why are you saying this? I don't take it to heart. Brother Bin, if you think I'm wrong, just drink this little bit of wine."

"Okay! I was wrong, I have to admit it." Hu Zhibin raised his head and drank the wine in the glass.

They are not drunk now, and although their words are drunken, they are the truth spoken from the bottom of their hearts.

Moreover, at the dinner table, they basically praised Xu Ning. In fact, Xu Ning was not sensitive to flattery. He never told others that he had helped anyone or solved problems for anyone. Because before doing such things, he did not think about getting anything in return. He would only think in his heart whether this thing could be done. If it was difficult, he would not agree to it, just like the time when Li Tielin's sister-in-law...

Because it was their first time drinking with Xu Ning, it was understandable that Hu Zhibin, Liu Xuemin and Lao Jin were polite to him. However, Yang Liguo also came to his senses after hearing Li Fuqiang say, "This is my brother, you are my eldest brother, why do we say these things as a family?"

At around 2:40, the drinking party ended and there was a lot of food left on the table. Lao Qian asked Lao Jin to pack up some food and take it back for the children, but Lao Jin declined, saying he had to go back to the city.

"Brother Jin, take them back to the city and save them for when you're hungry in the evening. There are so many delicious dishes here, otherwise it will be wasted."

Liu Xuemin said: "Listen to Erning, you can go to the city to have a look at the cracks in the evening."

"That's okay too."

(End of this chapter)