Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 512 Preparations before Lifting the Mallet: Terrazzo and Kang
At noon, after Wang Zhongcai and others greeted Liu Lizhen and Han Fengjiao, they were not in a hurry to let them choose the terrazzo pattern because it was time for dinner.

Xu Ning invited Wang Zhongcai to sit at the main table, but Wang Zhongcai refused to sit down no matter what. The people sitting at the main table included people from the Xu family, as well as Yu Kaihe, Meng Quezi, Lao Zhang and others. He knew that he was here to work, so how could he sit at the main table?

Instead of arguing for a while, Xu Ning asked Wang Zhongcai to sit next to Zhang Jinbao. Both of them were craftsmen who were masters, so they should have some common topics.

Although it was his first time entering the house, Wang Zhongcai was used to working outside, so he was not embarrassed to pick up his chopsticks. Under Zhang Jinbao's persuasion, he drank half a glass of wine in a very restrained manner. After he finished half a glass of wine, he put down his bowl and chopsticks.

At this time, Xu Ning, Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao and others had finished eating. He took out the pattern book and said, "Aunt, Erning, you pick out the patterns. I suggest that the reception room should have a large pattern that makes the whole room bright and spacious, such as this diamond flower, or a picture of two fishes..."

Liu Lizhen and Han Fengjiao were delighted when they saw the pattern on the book. They pointed at the picture of Pisces and asked, "Isn't this pattern black and white?"

"No, the Pisces must be red, with a green lotus leaf in the middle."

Xu Ning closed his eyes after looking at the Pisces picture. He knew that his mother and second aunt would definitely like this, but unexpectedly, Liu Lizhen said, "Pisces and lotus patterns are quite popular now, right?"

Wang Zhongcai nodded: "Yes, from the year before last to this year, I have served more than 60 companies, and more than 50 of them wanted the Pisces picture."

Liu Lizhen said, "This kind of diamond-shaped flower is not outdated, right?"

"It's timeless. This pattern is timeless and looks good at any time."

Liu Lizhen nodded: "Then I'll decorate my living room with diamond-shaped flowers, and the borders should be black stripes, not plaid..."

"Okay, I'll draw a picture later and show it to you. What kind of figure does Second Aunt want?"

Han Fengjiao pointed at the lotus painting and said, "I have this lotus painting in my living room..."

"Okay, it's too early to start construction now, let's do some more research."

Xu Ning interrupted, "There's no rush now, Brother Cai, let's go settle down first."

Wang Zhongcai turned around and saw that the three people had already eaten and drunk their fill and gathered behind him. He said, "Okay..."

Then, Xu Ning rode on his donkey and pulled Wang Zhongcai and Yang, while the remaining two rode on their donkeys and pulled the luggage to Guan Lei's house.

As soon as he walked into the door, Wang Zhongcai was attracted by the yellow pineapple combination cabinet. He walked over and knocked on it with his knuckles, saying, "Wow, this is a lot of material! It must cost at least 300 yuan to make such a combination cabinet, right?"

"The wood didn't cost anything. We don't have much else here but plenty of wood."

"This craftsmanship is really good. We went to so many stores, and only your furniture has the best style. Many people in the city buy modular cabinets, which are made of thin boards and all broken pine wood, but they still sell for more than 200 yuan."

Wang Zhongcai touched the kangqin cabinet again. This cabinet was a four-door wardrobe standing on the end of the kang. There was a 1-meter-long horizontal board inside, which was used to store bedding. On both sides were two single-door wardrobes that could hang six or seven pieces of clothing. There were small drawers at the bottom...

"These are all the work of Master Zhang?"

"Yeah. Brother Cai, let's go inside first."

Seeing that Xu Ning did not continue the conversation, Wang Zhongcai nodded and urged the three people to go into the house.

The luggage was placed on the edge of the kang and the bedding was spread out. Xu Ning stood beside it and didn't smell any strange smell. The bedding was also quite clean.

"We can change the sheets and quilts when we move to a new place. Otherwise, if we move to the neighbor's house, it will smell or look dirty, which is so shabby."

"Brother Cai is a clean man. There is a thermos, a teapot, and tea leaves on the cabinet. There are also two bags of taro cakes and biscuits in the cabinet. They will be there for you to eat when you are hungry at night."

Wang Zhongcai's brother-in-law Yang gave a thumbs-up and said, "Exquisite!"

"Hahaha... stop praising me. Brother Cai is quite particular. He only charges 1200 yuan for materials and labor. You can't find such a price in our city. I must be getting a good deal."

"What's the point of taking advantage? Although we're doing this for you, we can't do it at a loss. People are kind to each other. You're so particular about your work, how can I do anything bad? Besides, there's a little money involved between us."

"Okay, then let's not be polite. I have to go to the street this afternoon, so you guys should go about your business."

"Well, you go back first, we'll go to the north end after we finish packing."

After Xu Ning turned around and left, he went straight home. At this moment, Xu Laonian and others had already gone to the north end to build the courtyard wall.

The old woman was washing the pots and dishes, preparing dinner for the evening. He walked into the room and took a look. He didn't see Wang Biao and Liu Tianen, so he frowned and asked, "Are Biao and the others looking for Qiu'er and Xiaomei again?"

At this time, Xu Feng jumped over the wall and shouted, "Second brother! My brother Biao is shedding sad tears again!"

"This is a piece of crap..." Han Fengjiao muttered softly, raised her head and said, "Erning, send them away quickly."

Wu Qiuxia said, "Send him away quickly. Your little brother has no ambition at all. Your uncle wanted to kill him last night."

"Because of what?"

"Just keep crying."

Zhang Guifang continued, "My Huang Lin also cried for half the night. Why are these children like this?"

Liu Lizhen said: "It's hard to accept it all of a sudden, but it will be fine once they get used to it."

Xu Feng pulled Xu Ning's arm and said, "Second brother, I also want to go to the city..."

"What are you going to do?"

"I want to see the world! I heard from Fatty Li that the city is full of tall buildings and asphalt roads, and the market sells everything."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "I'm not going to the city today, so I'll send them to the street. But don't worry, I'll take you there when I have time..."

Sun Lianfang stood at the door of the west room, and seemed to have something to say, but she held it back. If it were according to her previous personality, she would definitely raise her hand and say, "Brother, since you don't have time, I'll take Feng'er to the city for a walk."

Afterwards, Xu Ning climbed over the low wall and entered the east room. When he lifted the door curtain, he saw Wang Biao lying on the kang. Huang Lin and Liu Tianen were sitting at the end of the kang. When they saw Xu Ning enter the room, the three of them hurriedly stood up and stood on the ground with their hands clasped.

"Take your luggage and wait for me at the door. Don't make me say it a second time."

Wang Biao, Liu Tianen and Huang Lin nodded silently, picked up the luggage bags on the ground and went out, while Xu Ning went to the toilet. When he reached the door, he saw the three people still dawdling. He kicked Liu Tianen angrily and was about to kick Wang Biao, but he quickly dodged and threw the luggage in his hand into the trunk.

"boarding!"

Xu Ning pulled open the door of Lao Zhang's old Jiefang car and got in. Wang Biao and the other two lined up to get in the car, sat down obediently, and glanced into the house.

"Second brother, won't my mom and the others see me off?"

Xu Ning started the car and said with some amusement: "Who are you guys? I'll just give you a ride and feed you."

The three men were silent now. When the car passed the east entrance of the village, they looked back at the familiar village, and only withdrew their gaze after they could no longer see the corner of the village.

"When you get to the city, be diligent. Wash your bedding every ten days or half a month. Wash your clothes when they are dirty. Pick up the dishes after meals. Sweep the floor when it is dirty. Don't wait for your master to tell you to do something. Do you understand?"

"I know." The three of them nodded in unison.

Xu Ning glanced at Huang Lin and said, "Don't let Huang Lin do everything. Your master and I are brothers. If I hear from him that you two bullied Huang Lin, you two will be beaten up. Do you understand?"

Wang Biao and Liu Tianen blinked their dim eyes, "Got it, second brother."

Xu Ning took out 30 yuan in change from his pocket, stuffed it into Wang Biao's arms, and said, "Give each of you three yuan as pocket money."

Wang Biao and Liu Tianen were very moved: "Second brother..."

Huang Lin waved his hands quickly: "Uncle, I don't want it. My mother has given me pocket money."

"Your mother gave it to you, and mine is mine. Take it." Wang Biao said with a smile, "Your second uncle gave it to you, so take it quickly! Besides, your second aunt and your aunt also gave pocket money to your uncle Biao and uncle Tianen..."

Xu Ning raised his hand and hit Wang Biao with a stick, "Why are you saying tongue twisters here? You can't speak properly."

"Hey, second brother, then I am his uncle."

Huang Lin took the 10 yuan pocket money and thanked her. In fact, he felt that the money was a bit too much, because Zhang Guifang only gave him 5 yuan pocket money. However, Wang Biao and Liu Tianen had persuaded him not to accept it, so he was a bit stiff. However, he had already decided in his heart that he would not touch a penny of the money and would give it to Zhang Guifang when he returned home...

The sadness of children leaving home is always short-lived, and just a few words can make them feel better.

After driving into the street, Lao Jiefang stopped on the roadside in front of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Xu Ning asked Wang Biao to get off the car to check the luggage, and he walked into the supply and marketing cooperative. As soon as he looked up, he saw Lao Qian counting the accounts.

"Hey, you came at the right time. Has Brother Cai come over?"

"Yeah, I got the call at around ten o'clock. I've already had lunch. Are you done with it?"

"After you finish this page, you'll be done. Go sit inside for a while. Hey, where's your little brother?"

"I'm outside looking at the car. You do the math first and we'll talk later."

Old Qian lowered his head and began to fiddle with his abacus. After three or five minutes, he closed the account book, walked out from the counter, and said, "The cast iron pot, iron ladle, and No. 4 bucket pot you asked me to prepare are all ready. What else do you want?"

The cast iron pot is 6 inches, which means it is about 60 cm in diameter, enough for 5-8 people to eat. The ladle is used for cooking or scooping water, and the bucket pot is used to steam rice.

Xu Ning bought so many tools in preparation for going to Laoxianzi to carry the mallet.

"Batteries for the kettle, raincoat, flashlight..."

Lao Qian nodded and said, "Aluminum kettles will do, right? We have some ready-made in the warehouse. How many raincoats do you want?"

"Let's take 6 first."

When they walked into the warehouse, they saw pots and shovels. Lao Qian took a kettle and more than 10 aluminum lunch boxes from the shelf and said, "These toys can't be sold. You can use them."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "For free? That's great!"

"It has to be given for free. If you hadn't stopped me, I wouldn't have been able to ask for money for this pot."

"You work for the government, so how can we let you spend money? Besides, you and Brother Bin have already spent so much money."

"Hey, no matter how much money I spend on you, it's not too much! Erning, let's not talk about money between us brothers, otherwise I will feel uncomfortable..."

"Hahaha, you always feel like you're taking advantage of me, don't you?"

"Not at all! You said that I am the elder brother, and I earn some money with my younger brother's advice and connections..."

"Okay, that's enough. I'll need you a lot in the future."

"Okay, I won't say no."

Xu Ning bent down to pick up the pot and spatula and asked, "You will leave soon."

"Well, the accounts here are settled. I have to go to the city to report and also purchase goods."

The two men carried the things out of the warehouse and entered the supply and marketing cooperative's goods area. Lao Qian asked someone to bring six raincoats, batteries and other things.

All in all, the total cost is less than 20 yuan. Apart from the discount, these things are not expensive in themselves. For example, the retail price of the No. 4 barrel pot is only 2 yuan, and the No. 2 cast iron pot is 6 yuan after the discount...

After paying the money, Xu Ning and Lao Qian carried the things out of the door. As soon as they went out, they saw Wang Biao and Liu Tianen standing on both sides like door gods.

"Brother Qian!" the two men greeted.

"Hey, these two kids are pretty adventurous."

Xu Ning exposed his past and said, "What's the point of going out to explore? It's just a complete mess. I cried all night at home."

"Oh, second brother, I can't bear to leave you..."

"Come on, let Huang Lin look after the car by himself again, right? You two should stop bullying him, okay?"

"I know. We are here to carry some things. He doesn't have to work if he just watches the car for a while."

Old Qian laughed when he heard this, "Haha, this Wang Biao is quite good at chatting, Old Jin will definitely appreciate it."

Then, they walked towards the old Jiefang car, threw the things into the passenger seat, took the luggage from the trunk, and threw it into the trunk of Lao Qian's old Jiefang car.

"Something will happen when you three get over there. If anything happens, give your family a call. My eldest brother is in the city, and he should be able to come over tonight."

"Yeah, got it, brother."

Xu Ning nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go back then, you guys go slow."

"Okay, just be careful."

"fine."

Xu Ning got into the car, turned the steering wheel and drove away from the supply and marketing cooperative, while Lao Qian took Wang Biao and the other two to the city.

It was already past 4 o'clock when we returned to Qing'antun. Meng Ziyan, Sun Lianfang and Guan Hua were watching the two pots in the yard.

"Send the three of them to the city?" Meng Ziyan asked.

"We sent them to the street, and Lao Qian took them to the city."

Sun Lianfang glanced at the pots and pans in the passenger seat and asked, "Why did you buy another pot?"

"I'm going out in a few days."

After bringing the pots and raincoats into the house, Liu Lizhen said, "What do you take with you when you go out? I can prepare it in advance."

"No need to prepare in advance, just grab something when the time comes."

That night, the night was quiet and the wind was light.

Wang Zhongcai was sitting at the table drawing a picture, with Xu Ning, Xu Laonian and others standing beside him. Liu Lizhen and Han Fengjiao finally decided on the terrazzo pattern. The reception room had diamond-shaped flowers and lotus flowers, and the four sides had 12-centimeter-wide black lines. The dining room had a patchwork pattern, and the corridor and the four rooms were all plain colors.

After deciding on the pattern, Wang Zhongcai took three people and Lao Wei, Yu Kaihe, Dalaba and others to start making the kang. Three people were responsible for one room, and a total of seven rooms needed to be built.

Because the second west room in Old Xu's house is used as a study, a large bed, bookcases, desks, etc. will be placed in this room in the future, so there is no need for a kang, but two fire walls must be built, otherwise people will freeze to death in this room in winter.

Old Wang’s family didn’t want a study, so they had to build four rooms with kangs and fire walls.

Fire walls are indispensable in Heilongjiang Province at present. Due to the cold winter, the temperature can reach around minus 30 degrees Celsius. The house cannot be warmed up by the kang alone. The fire wall provides an additional source of heat.

Moreover, the fire wall uses a cast iron stove, which is installed when in use and removed when not in use. You only need to smooth the chimney opening or block it with something.

(End of this chapter)