Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 380 You three are so lucky to have a good mother-in-law
"Don't make trouble, wife!"

Xu Ning couldn't bear the force anymore, so he pushed him away.

Meng Ziyan was very proud, but she heard the four words very clearly. She was slightly surprised and couldn't suppress her joy. She jumped twice on the spot, making a trembling sound in her mouth. She felt very comfortable, with several emotions floating in her heart.

Xu Ning withdrew his hands from the kang, and while adjusting his clothes he stared at her. Seeing her blushing face showing joy, he actually felt very happy too.

This is a little interest that only exists between the two of them. Outsiders cannot fathom the beauty of it because all their words and actions just now were intentional, just like they were performing a plot in a storybook.

There is a tacit understanding between them. After all, they are not together often and can only see each other once every ten days or half a month. Therefore, they don't want to get along too dull. Even if it can't be vigorous, there must be something to remember in their hearts. In this way, when they have children in the future, they can tell them how your father and I got together...

In Xu Ning's heart, Meng Ziyan is a woman who obeys him in everything, but sometimes she is very stubborn, and some of her actions are confusing. However, Xu Ning understands her, so when the two of them are playing little tricks, they are quite tacit and there is no strangeness at all...

After Meng Ziyan finished laughing, she grabbed the cloth shoes and insoles on the edge of the kang, glanced at the courtyard, and saw no Liu Fenfang, so she stuffed the insoles embroidered with a small heart into her cloth shoes.

"Try it out and see if it fits you."

Without waiting for Xu Ning to say anything, she squatted in front of Xu Ning's legs, took off his shoes, and helped him put on new shoes.

She smiled and said, "Go down and take a few steps to see if you can follow me."

Xu Ning stood up and took two steps on the ground, then turned around and nodded: "It fits my style very well, so how about I wear it out and show it off?"

Meng Ziyan covered her mouth and laughed, "Come on, it's so cold now. These shoes are for summer. If your feet get frozen again, I will be heartbroken."

"Oh my, you just say things that make me blush. You are quite thick-skinned."

Meng Ziyan said proudly: "Of course, how can I get you if I'm not thick-skinned?"

"You seem quite confident. Let me tell you, we haven't gotten married yet, so don't jump to conclusions."

Meng Ziyan raised her little face stubbornly, and said seriously: "I got it! I was the one who stole your first kiss. What? You still don't accept it?"

Xu Ning waved his hand when he heard that. "Okay, I don't like to argue with you."

Seeing Meng Ziyan's proud look, Xu Ning was delighted and said to himself: This silly woman, I sold her to her, and she had to help me count the money. Well, since you are my wife, I will let you take advantage of me.

Xu Ning leaned against the edge of the kang, took off his shoes, put on new cotton shoes, and placed the new shoes and insoles on the edge of the kang.

"Don't pull the insole out. It would be so embarrassing if my mom saw it."

"Ah? Are you still afraid of being embarrassed? Just look at it. It's not like my aunt hasn't seen it before..."

Meng Ziyan reached out and stuffed the shoe into his arms, and said nervously, "I've never seen this before. I made this insole secretly. You should keep it in your pocket."

"Okay, you still know how to be rude..."

As soon as Xu Ning put his cloth shoes and insoles into his clothes, Meng Ziyan exclaimed, "My mother is back."

He turned his head and looked through the glass and saw Liu Fenfang just walked into the yard. She was holding a small basket in her hand, but the top of the basket was covered with a white cloth bag, so he couldn't see what was inside.

Xu Ning saw that she was a little flustered, so he pulled her to sit on the edge of the kang and said, "Don't be so flustered. We didn't do anything."

Meng Ziyan raised her hand and wiped her mouth fiercely, then nodded: "Yeah, I'm not nervous."

The door creaked, and Liu Fenfang stepped into the outer room with her left foot and placed the small basket in her hand on the stove. Xu Ning also stood up and walked towards the outer room. As soon as he lifted the door curtain, he bumped into her face.

"Aunt."

"What are you doing? Are you leaving now?"

"Hey, I have to pack my things when I get home."

Liu Fenfang pointed to the small basket on the stove and said with a smile, "Then you take this basket of eggs and save them for eating in Dongshan."

"No need, auntie, we have everything at home."

Liu Fenfang grabbed his arm, stretched out her hand to lift up the basket, and asked him to lift his hand to hold the basket, saying: "We have it at home, it's at home, isn't this what Auntie brought for you, hurry up and take it!"

Xu Ning held the basket tightly, nodded and said with a smile: "Okay, Auntie, I'll go back first."

"Go back and come back when you get down the mountain."

"Eh."

Then, Liu Fenfang and Meng Ziyan sent him to the gate of the courtyard. When Xu Ning went out, he turned around, waved and smiled at the mother and daughter, then walked quickly towards home.

Liu Fenfang narrowed her eyes and watched Xu Ning disappear around the corner. She turned around and tilted her head to stare at Meng Ziyan, saying earnestly, "Yan, why are your lips red?"

"Ah, I'm a little irritated...Mom, did you just pick up the eggs from the store?"

"Well, Erning has to stay in Dongshan for more than half a month. What can he eat on the mountain? Giving him a basket of eggs can also satisfy his craving."

Meng Ziyan grabbed her arm and walked into the house, saying with a smile: "Mom, you are so nice. Anyone who has a good mother-in-law like you would wake up with a smile in their dreams."

"Stop flattering me."

Liu Fenfang turned her head and stared at her, saying seriously, "Yan Na, you have to be careful when you get along with Er Ning. You are a girl, you should be reserved when necessary and generous when necessary, understand? Don't have a child before you get married, then how can your father and I go out and meet people?"

"Oh, Mom, I know! I didn't do anything with him."

Seeing her daughter's stubbornness, Liu Fenfang said with a smile, "I'm an experienced person, how could I not know how you got your lips done? I'm not worried about Erning, I'm just afraid that you'll be too impulsive!"

Hearing this, Meng Ziyan did not dare to refute, she just lowered her head and said, "I know, Mom... I'm quite reserved."

"You're still being reserved? You're just about to find a place where no one is around and push Er Ning to the ground. Don't I know you?"

Meng Ziyan pouted and said, "Didn't you win my dad over by taking the initiative?"

Liu Fenfang glared and took a breath, "Nonsense! It was your father who chose me first, and then your grandmother found someone to act as a matchmaker. Why are you talking about you and Erning here, and why are you talking about me and your father? Hurry up and go into the house!"

"Haha, okay..."

Seeing her happy face, Liu Fenfang felt mixed emotions and could only sigh: After all, she is my own daughter.

……

As soon as Xu Ning entered the courtyard, Liu Lizhen saw the basket in his hand and asked, "What is that?"

"My aunt gave me some eggs and told me to save them for eating in Dongshan."

"Oh, your aunt is really worried."

Han Fengjiao said with a smile: "Not bad, Erning will be relieved to have such a good mother-in-law in the future."

"That is required!"

He placed the eggs on the stove, and Liu Lizhen opened the white cloth bag and said, "This must weigh six or seven pounds. How are you going to carry it up the mountain?"

Xu Ning said: "How would I know how to get it?"

"Nothing can be blamed on you!"

Han Fengjiao said, "Sister-in-law, why don't you ask Huzi to make a box out of wood and put some straw underneath. This way it won't be easy to beat."

"That's fine, old man, you and Huzi go and nail a wooden box..."

Xu Ning had just entered the house and hadn't even waited to sit down when he heard his mother assigning him a job. He raised his hand to call Wang Hu, who was cleaning the gun. The two of them walked out of the house, found a board in the lower room, sawed it into four pieces, and then found a hinge to make a movable cover. It didn't take long to nail it down.

It was about 2:30 in the afternoon. Liu Lizhen and Han Fengjiao were squatting on the ground putting eggs in a wooden box, and they talked about giving Guan Lei the whole house. Xu Ning thought about it and said, "It will be more convenient for Huzi and Huaer to get married, but Shitou will have to go to work in the field in the second half of the year. How long can he live here?"

"It doesn't matter if he lives here or not. Your second aunt mainly wants to take Xiaohua here. Besides, the houses in our village are not expensive now..."

"Isn't it expensive? Li Feng spent 60 yuan to buy the old Dong's shabby house. How many years has that house been there? The roof leaks, the windows are drafty, and the kang is hard to heat..."

Old Dong’s house is made of wood with seams filled with yellow mud. The house is not well insulated and is cold in winter and hot in summer.

Liu Lizhen tilted her head and said, "Leizi earned it back by working in the field for two months, didn't he? He can buy a house with two months' salary, and you're still complaining that it's too expensive?"

Xu Ning was stunned. It was indeed not expensive when he thought about it this way. If it were thirty or forty years later, two months' salary could only buy two square meters, and he could not even afford a toilet.

Han Fengjiao said, "Erning, don't let Lei Zi pay for it. Second Aunt will pay for it. I just want Xiaohua to have a place to stay when she comes."

"Okay, I'll tell Shitou later."

"What are you waiting for? Go find Lei Zi right now and settle this matter quickly. Your second aunt and I still have to find a house."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "Mom, why are you in such a hurry..."

"Hey, you can go now!"

Xu Ning raised his arm and glanced at his watch, saying, "It's almost three o'clock now. It's definitely too late to call the forest farm. How about waiting for my eldest brother to come back and then borrowing a car from Lao Lin?"

"That's fine, go inside and rest."

"You don't need me anymore?"

Liu Lizhen waved her hand: "Get lost now."

Xu Ning turned around and lifted the door curtain to enter the house. Wang Hu bared his teeth and said, "Second brother, this was not my idea."

"You don't have the guts to do that. It must have been your aunt who suggested it. Have you cleaned the gun?"

"Well, I tried a few lead bullets. Some of them had burrs and had to be sharpened with a file."

"Then let's grind it out. We'll make money with these two air rifles when we go to Dongshan."

"..."

At around three o'clock, Wu Qiuxia arrived at Old Xu's house and saw Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao, Wang Shujuan, and Yang Shuhua sitting on wooden stools or stools picking thorny old buds, so she joined them.

Tonight the Xu family is going to make dumplings with prickly ash oil filling. Xu Ning, Liu Daming and others have brought back a lot of food from the mountains these days. If they don't eat it now, it will become wilted. Liu Lizhen hates wasting things the most. It's okay to eat any good thing, but if it goes bad and can't be eaten, Liu Lizhen will be upset for several days.

Xu Ning lay on the kang with his eyes closed, while Wang Hu leaned against the kang piano cabinet and read a picture book. This picture book was borrowed by Wang Biao from his classmates. It was about Swallow Li San...

The house was very quiet, but there was a lot of chirping outside. The old women couldn't keep their mouths idle while working, otherwise it would be boring.

At this time, continuous shouting was heard coming from outside the yard.

"Brother! Brother!"

Hearing the sound he knew it was Da Laba. Xu Ning stood up with his hands on the kang, looked back, and saw Da Laba carrying an old stick on his back and hurriedly walking into the courtyard.

Wang Hu wondered: "Why did Brother Huang come back alone?"

Xu Ning frowned and said, "Is there something wrong?"

He jumped down and ran to the outer room, where he saw Liu Lizhen push open the door and asked, "Guoxing, what's the matter? Why did you come back alone? Where are Daming and Jiang'er?"

Dababa was panting, standing at the door and taking a deep breath, and said, "Auntie, they are still on the mountain."

"Is everything okay?" Xu Ning asked.

"no!"

Hearing that nothing happened, everyone felt relieved.

Dababa panted and said, "Well, the three of us picked up a sack of fish on the mountain and killed six wild boars. We couldn't get them back, so my uncle asked me to come back to you and ask you to think of a way to get the animals back."

Liu Lizhen asked: "Why did you kill so many wild boars?"

"Where did you pick up the fish?" Xu Ning asked.

After catching his breath, Dababa said, "We were strolling along the upper reaches of the Little Stone River, and we saw that the ice in several ditches and ponds had melted, and there were many fish floating on the shore. Some of the fish were smelly, so we didn't take them. We only picked up the ones that were still alive.

Then at noon I went to the back garden to pick traps, but before I got there I saw a group of wild boars. There were probably more than twenty wild boars in the group. The three of us fired our guns and shot down two of them, and the rest all ran away.

But I didn’t expect the herd of wild boars to run to the second step, which was more than ten meters high. The wild boars jumped down from the step and fell to the ground. The three of us ran over and held down the other four…”

"Oh, you three have a great idea today." Xu Ning clapped his hands.

The loud speaker laughed and said, "Of course! I really found it today."

Xu Ning asked, "Are my uncle and Uncle Jiang still on the mountain?"

"Yeah, I'm picking up fish in the ditch and pond."

"Then we have to go into the mountains to pick them up at Little Stone River?"

"Yes, otherwise we wouldn't be able to catch them. The six wild boars are not small. There are two small yellow-haired ones, one old sow, and the remaining three are big yellow-haired pigs."

"You take a break first. Hu Zi and I need to change clothes."

"Well, let me get some water."

Liu Lizhen pointed at the teacup on the floor cabinet and said, "Guoxing, there's something warm in the teacup, and the water in the thermos isn't too hot either. Are you hungry?"

"I'm not hungry! The three of us had a grilled fish each for lunch, and it was delicious."

"Okay, you sit here for a while, and we'll eat here tonight. We'll make dumplings stuffed with prickly ash sprouts."

Dababa didn't say anything polite, just smiled and nodded: "Okay, Auntie, I'll eat here then."

Xu Ning took a cotton jacket from the west room, threw it on the kang and said, "Brother, do my uncle and Uncle Jiang have much to wear?"

"It's OK. It was a little cold in the morning. At noon, the three of us took off our cotton-padded jackets and worked in sweaters. We were sweating all over."

"It's better to wear more clothes. We can't borrow a car now, and it would be too slow if we drive a donkey cart. I was thinking, why don't we wait for my eldest brother? Then let Lao Lin drive, and the five of us will go to the mountains to pick them up. Then we can bring some fish and pork to Lao Lin. How about that?"

"That's fine, but won't it be five or six o'clock when Qiangzi comes back? Won't the two of them complain in the mountains?"

"There's no point in complaining. The three of us walking from the village to Xiaoshi River is not much faster than waiting for my eldest brother to come back."

It takes nearly four hours to walk to Xiaoshi River. It is now a little after three-thirty, and Li Fuqiang should be back at six o'clock. Then we can drive along the path of Yongshengtun to Yongpingtun, park between Yongpingtun and Dongbeicha, and go to Xiaoshi River along the mountain ridge, which only takes half an hour.

Walking is only about half an hour faster than waiting for Li Fuqiang to come back and drive to Xiaoshi River. Besides, if you walk there, you will have to drag the animals back.

Hearing this, Loudspeaker nodded: "That's fine too..."

At this time, Wang Hu climbed over the wall, stepped into the door and greeted: "Second brother, let's go?"

"Wait a moment, we'll drive there when Big Brother comes back."

"what……"

(End of this chapter)