Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 500: Do you want to beat the old man? Come home!
After Xu Ning left, Xu Laonian grinned and laughed twice. Du Shoucai saw his expression and said with gritted teeth: "You are just pretending to be a good boy after getting an advantage. Why are you pretending to be such a coward?"

"Hahaha, big brother, I feel relieved!" There was no outsider in the room, so Xu Laonian didn't put on airs and spoke frankly.

Du Shoucai understood Xu Laonian's mood changes very well. Now Xu Ning was half the head of the family. Originally, Xu Laonian should have run or called to inform relatives and friends, but now the little calf had already done his job. How much worry did he save? How could Xu Laonian not be satisfied? It was just that in front of Xu Ning, as a father, he was unwilling to praise him.

Then, Xu Laonian and Wang Minfu talked on the phone for five or six minutes, clearly informing them of the date for raising the beam, and asked Wang Yuanjun if he could come back from the city, saying that if he could come back, it would be on the same route as Xu Long. Then he called Guo Xingmin and Zhang Deyu from the forest farm. The three of them didn't chat. When he was working at the forest farm, Xu Laonian had told the two in advance, and they both said they would definitely be there...

It was already past three o'clock. Xu Ning rode his donkey backwards to Lao Hu's house, but found the door closed. He frowned and thought for a moment, then turned around and went to the village headquarters. As expected, when he arrived at the entrance of the village headquarters, he saw Lao Hu and Lao Deng playing chess in the yard, with tea and half a plate of melon seeds beside them.

Because Hu Zhibin has gone to work in the city, his wife Liu Shu'e went to help him decorate the house approved by the city. These days, the children are taken care of by Zhiyong's wife Zhao Yuefang. Ever since Hu Zhiyong went to Lao Xu's house to help build the house, even after Hu Zhibin left, he never missed a day. In the morning, he rode a donkey with Li Ye and Da Laba to Qing'an, and then rode to Taiping in the evening.

Xu Ning turned off the engine of his donkey and just leaned forward to walk into the yard. Lao Hu and Lao Deng turned their heads to look at him and smiled, saying, "Are you not busy at home?"

He walked quickly to the two of them, sat down on the wooden stool without any formalities, grabbed a handful of melon seeds and said, "Busy, isn't this happening for a reason?"

"What do you need my help with? Just let me know." Old Hu said seriously with a serious face.

Xu Ning smiled and said, "My two lords, I need both of you to come to my house for a drink at noon on the 10th! Please do me a favor."

"Hey, what was I wondering about? Turns out you're here to treat us two brothers to a meal? Are you going to put up a beam in your house?"

"Yes, on the morning of the 10th, we will put up the windows and doors. My parents said we will gather ten tables for lunch so that everyone can have a good time."

Old Hu was shocked and said, "Ten tables? That's a lot! Okay, I'll go with your Uncle Deng."

"Okay, my brother Bin has gone to work in the city, my brother will tell him, and then they will come back together."

Old Deng asked, "I heard you have a proper job now?"

"Yes! It's mainly patrolling the mountains and protecting the forests, with a minimum wage of one month, but I haven't seen what the salary looks like yet."

"What's the matter?"

"It was sent directly by the Municipal Forestry Bureau. I don't have time to go to the city to pick it up. I can only wait for my brother to come home and bring it with him..."

"Then why are you worried? The money won't be lost. Then you can set up ten tables at home and everyone in the village can come over?"

"No, we have invited a few families to help out in our village, as well as a few families who have a good relationship with my father's second uncle. We also invited the old Chai family from Wangxing and the old Sun family from Sandaohe... I don't think we can even seat all ten tables."

Lao Deng said, "Prepare three more tables of food. Don't let others laugh at you if you don't serve enough."

"Yes, I told my mother about this at noon. She said there were ten tables, so it would be normal if thirteen or fourteen tables could be occupied."

Old Hu nodded and said, "What vegetables are you still missing? I'll ask your brother Bin to buy some in the market."

"No, we have everything. We can eat all the vegetables in the backyard. At most, we can buy some meat..."

Hearing this, Old Hu stood up and walked into the house, saying, "You stay here and chat with your Uncle Deng for a while, I'll go in for a while."

"what."

Xu Ning didn't think much about it. He thought that Lao Hu had other things to do. But after Lao Hu entered the room, he picked up the phone and called Hu Zhibin.

Old Hu looked at Xu Ning and Old Deng who were chatting in the courtyard. He deliberately lowered his voice and asked, "Bin, is your job stable?"

"It's been stable for a long time. My colleagues here are very caring towards me. What do you think..."

"Er Ning came to invite me and Lao Deng to drink Shangliang wine. I thought we should not go empty-handed this time..."

Hu Zhibin smiled and said, "Dad, I just finished talking to Dalong on the phone, so I know what you mean. How about this? I'll ask Shu'e to go back early and go to the big market with Xuemin to order a pig and buy a dozen smoked chickens. How about that?"

Lao Hu smiled and said, "Okay! Remember to give a red envelope for celebration."

"I know. I am just trying to discuss with Xuemin and Lao Qian how much is appropriate to give."

"Then you guys can research it. I won't get involved."

After hanging up the phone, Lao Hu came out with a smile and said, "Come in and sit for a while. The tea is cold. I'll make another pot..."

"No, sir. I'll just sit for a while and then I'll go back."

Seeing this, Lao Hu did not force him to persuade him. He just sat down to drink tea and chat, and said, "Your place is starting to recruit workers?"

"Well, Uncle Yu and Uncle Wei are helping me find someone. My brother Bin's place hasn't hired any workers yet?"

"I have contacted two foremen, and there are more than 60 people in total, but I still need you to help negotiate with the forest farm for equipment and tools."

"Okay, it's time to sign the contract in a few days. I'll let you know when the time comes."

Lao Deng said, "Do you need to find a night watchman for the whole camp? I originally thought of waiting for Dabin to come back. I know an old man who is now alone and lives in a broken thatched house in Mangliutun. In winter, it is windy and snowy, and the house must be very cold..."

Old Hu looked at Xu Ning and said, "Er Ning, you and Bin Yong are partners in this business, so you are the one who makes the decisions."

"Ah, let's go to my brother Bin's place? I don't think it's a problem. How old is this old man? If he is too old, it won't work. To put it bluntly, if he has some problem and dies in the place, it will be a bit unlucky..."

"That's impossible. He's from Mengdong, he's in his fifties, and he's in good shape."

Lao Hu asked: "You are from Mengdong, why did you come to our place? Did you do something wrong?"

"No, he came here to look for his relatives two years ago, but his daughter and son-in-law were both dead, and there was no future for him, so he found a thatched house in Mangliutun and settled down there."

Xu Ning was eating sunflower seeds: "So how did you two meet?"

Lao Deng said, "Last year, I was on my way back from the street when I slipped on my bicycle and fell into the fields! He happened to be coming back from begging on the street and pulled me out of the snow. I saw that he had frostbite on his face, hands and feet, so I left him some medicine. We got to know each other after a few visits."

"What's his personality like?"

Old Deng frowned and said, "He doesn't like to talk much and doesn't seem to have a temper. He basically listens to whatever you say and does whatever you tell him to do. Ah, he must have been a soldier before. I can tell by the way he walks..."

Xu Ning nodded and said, "Okay, Brother Bin and I will go talk to him in a few days."

"Okay, I felt sorry for him. He's a very honest man. We only knew each other for a few months last winter, and he gave me two fish and two pheasants. I didn't want to accept them at first because I was afraid they were not easy to come by, but he said he got them by himself, so I accepted them."

"He can set traps? He's also a mountain runner." "I didn't talk to him in detail."

In fact, there are many such people in the Northeast, such as the Mangliutun near the small reservoir. What does Mangliut mean? It means people who have no property or land and no legitimate jobs. They are considered refugees.

Due to various reasons, they came to the Northeast to make a living. Some of them moved to the Northeast from the same village, built houses and enclosed land in the mountains, and established a village with a certain place name. Because they arrived earlier, they got a share of the houses and land, so they said goodbye to being vagrants and became locals.

The later group of people were not so lucky. They had no house or land, so they could only rent the west room of someone else's house, or find an abandoned shabby house to live in.

The old man that Lao Deng was talking about lived in a thatched house that was built when the forest farm was first established. The place was formerly called Shengxing Village. Later, Shengxing was incorporated into the forest farm and was dispersed into 12 family settlements.

The deserted Shengxing Village became the residence of the vagrants and was renamed Mangliutun.

After returning to Qing'antun, Xu Ning did not go to the construction site, but went to Guan Lei's house and measured the size of the doors and windows with Zhang Jinbao and Meng Quezi. If the window holes in the outer wall were too large, they would have to add a layer of wood or apply more cement.

After everything was prepared in the next few days, everyone worked overtime to build the wall. They prepared six ladders and two large racks. Xu Laonian also borrowed two winches from the forest farm. They only needed to install the winches on the large racks to lift the beams...

At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the outer walls of the two houses had been completed. Li Feng, Li Ye, Lao Jiang, Yu Kaihe and others were using shovels to scrape away the protruding cement blocks on the outer walls, while Wang Hu, Li Fuqiang, Guan Lei and others were pouring water on the outer walls...

At this moment, an old Jiefang truck drove into the west entrance of Qingantun. In the back of the truck was a live pig and more than ten smoked chickens wrapped in oil paper, as well as six boxes of Daqu liquor and two packs of Yingchun cigarettes.

Sitting in the driver's seat was Lao Qian, and sitting in the passenger seat were Hu Zhibin, Liu Xuemin and Lao Jin.

After the car passed Li Fuqiang's house, it slowly stopped at a fork in the road. Looking to the north, they could see several people pushing carts to transport sand and soil. The four of them discussed it in the car and decided to go over and say hello, so Lao Jiefang drove towards the north.

When Xu Ning saw the familiar old Liberation, he put down his work, walked onto the makeshift bridge, waved at the oncoming cars, and turned to call Xu Laonian.

Qian Shude, Liu Xuemin and the other two jumped out of the car one after another. Old Qian laughed and said, "Hahaha, you didn't think we could come here earlier, did you?"

Liu Xuemin grinned and said, "Is there a place for us to stay?"

Xu Ning smiled: "How can I not have that? Just live in the same room with me! Aren't you guys busy these two days?"

"I'm not that busy. I'm working in the city. I don't have much to do at work and my boss hasn't given me any important tasks, so it's pretty easy. But Lao Qian is running around..."

Lao Qian said: "I'm OK. I'm busy, but I live a fulfilling life."

At this time, Xu Laonian and Wang Erli came over. Xu Ning turned around and introduced them: "This is my dad and second uncle."

Lao Qian, Lao Jin, and Liu Xuemin all greeted each other. Xu Laonian smiled and said, "Let's go under the shed and have some tea. Don't just stand there and chat."

"No, Uncle Xu, we have plenty of time to chat, we just wanted to come over to say hello."

Liu Xuemin said, "Well, Erning, there are some things in the car. Can we go to your house to unload them? It's just right for entertaining guests tomorrow."

"Why are you bringing things over again? Didn't you send a whole truck last time?"

Old Qian said with a smile, "We can send you ten trucks, and that's not too much. Stop being polite, the trucks are already here. Uncle Xu, let's go over first, shall we have a drink in the evening?"

"You have to drink! You guys can go home and chat. There's nothing else to do here."

Then, Xu Ning rode his donkey upside down in front to lead the way, and Lao Jiefang followed behind. After Xu Laonian and Wang Erli returned to the crowd, everyone's voices became chaotic. They were all asking who the three people following Hu Zhibin were.

After Xu Laonian told the truth, everyone looked at them in amazement. They didn't expect that the director of the agricultural machinery station and the manager of the supply and marketing cooperative were Xu Ning's buddies. No wonder Xu Ning could buy cheap tractors and ride a donkey. After knowing this relationship, all the things that they hadn't figured out before now became clear.

When they arrived at the door of their house, Sun Lianfang and Meng Ziyan were lighting a fire at the stove outside. When they saw an old Jiefang car approaching, Sun Lianfang turned around and ran to the outer room, hurriedly saying, "Auntie, I'm home!"

Liu Lizhen was puzzled: "Who is it?"

At the same time, the old women walked towards the door of the house. After seeing Hu Zhibin and three unfamiliar people jumping out of the car, Liu Lizhen and others put down the work in their hands and walked towards the courtyard.

Sun Lianfang followed closely and whispered, "The driver is the manager of the supply and marketing cooperative, named Lao Qian..."

Xu Ning called out at the door, "Mom, my brother Bin, brother Qian, brother Liu, and brother Jin are here. They teamed up to take down the donkey rider."

Liu Lizhen suddenly realized what was going on and waved with a smile, "Bin, come in quickly."

"Hey!" Hu Zhibin responded.

Xu Ning raised his hand and introduced them: "This is my mother and second aunt... Mom, this is Liu Xuemin, the director of the agricultural machinery station, my brother Liu, the master in charge of maintenance, and my brother Jin..."

After the introduction, the three of them greeted Liu Lizhen and said, "Aunt, we have been thinking about coming here for a long time, but we have never found the time."

Liu Lizhen said: "I always heard Erning talking about you guys before. You guys helped me build my tractor and donkey. You also sent me a truckload of stuff a while ago. Oh my god, I feel embarrassed. Why are you guys being so polite..."

Liu Xuemin smiled and said, "Aunt, we are not being polite. We just treat this place as our own home. So how can sending something to your home be considered polite?"

"That's right, auntie. Erning and I have known each other for many years. When Erning was hanging out outside, we were good friends. This time we are finally getting to know each other..."

Xu Ning reminded, "Mom, let's go inside and talk later. My brother Bin and the others brought us something again this time."

Liu Lizhen frowned and said, "Why are you taking things again? It's only been a few days since the last truckload of stuff was delivered."

"Mom, my brother Bin and the others have brought it, so let's not be polite."

"I'm not being polite, it's mainly because you gave me so many gifts a few days ago. Bin, if you continue to do this, I'll be embarrassed."

Hu Zhibin said, "Aunt, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. We are all family, so don't be polite."

Lao Jin said: "It's not that bad. If it weren't for Er Ning, I don't know how I would live now."

Liu Lizhen looked at Xu Ning in confusion, and he said, "Mom, you guys go into the house first, we'll talk later."

"Then hurry up, Juan'er, and get some tea for Bin and the others."

After Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao and Sun Lianfang entered the house, Xu Ning pointed at Meng Ziyan who was standing in the corner and waved to her. Seeing this, she hurried over.

Xu Ning took her arm and said, "This is my wife Meng Ziyan."

(End of this chapter)