Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 423: Qing'an's No. Matchmaker
Although it is said that one should live by the mountain and by the water, if one does not know the techniques of hunting and fishing, one can only watch the prey slip away from one's eyes. Therefore, the development history of the Sun family is inseparable from Old Liu. If Old Liu had not been kind-hearted and took the teenage Sun Jiye to hunt and fish, the three brothers would have definitely starved to death!
As for why Old Liu helped the three brothers? One reason was that he was soft-hearted. The other was that Old Liu already had three sons and two daughters. However, in those days, even though Sandaohe was located on the edge of mountains and rivers and had plenty of food and drink, the winter was extremely cold. The house was drafty and even the kang couldn’t be heated. Moreover, cotton was scarce, so people could only wear single clothes, cover themselves with animal skins and lay on straw in winter. As a result, one son and one daughter froze to death…

Old Liu's second son disappeared while hiking in the mountains and there has been no news of him since. More than 20 years have passed, and this man is definitely dead.

The youngest son left by Old Liu is Sun Jiwei's sworn brother, Da Liu. In order to protect Sun Jiwei, Da Liu died in the mouth of a brown bear. Now Old Liu is lying on the kang with blurred vision, and it is his grandson Liu Zhu who is taking care of him...

Sun Jiwei and Sun Jiye would usually visit and bring some vegetables and meat, and would invite Liu Zhu to their home for dinner during festivals. Sun Jishan arranged for Liu Zhu to work at the Sandaohe Forest Farm, and even if he did not go to work, he would receive a fixed salary every month, ensuring that Liu Zhu's family would not have to worry about food and clothing.

Somehow, Sun Jiye suddenly brought up this topic. He might have been feeling very depressed. He couldn't talk about it with his second and eldest brothers at home, let alone with his relatives and friends, so he pulled Xu Ning to start the conversation in the courtyard of his home.

The Sun family was able to get rich, and the Liu family was indeed the first contributor. Now the three brothers of the Sun family are doing well, but the Liu family has become impoverished. Sun Jiye can't help feeling a little unhappy.

Xu Ning tried to persuade him, and Sun Jiye understood what was going on. He just waved his hand and said, "It's aggrieved, but I know I can't change the facts. I originally wanted to wait for Zhuzi's children to go to school, and I would pay for them until they graduate, but my eldest brother disagreed. He didn't say why, he just didn't want to!"

At this point, Sun Jiye clapped his hands to express his dissatisfaction. When the cool breeze blew in the courtyard, Sun Lianfang, Guan Lei, Sun Liansheng, Xu, Jun, and Wang Hu had already gone into the house to drink tea and chat with their third aunt.

Only Li Fuqiang and Xu Ning were left to sit next to the doghouse with Sun Jiye and chat. Li Fuqiang handed Sun Jiye a cigarette, and then heard Xu Ning say, "It's right not to agree, Third Uncle. Actually, this matter is easy to figure out. You should support Liu Zhu's child to study, so you can give Liu Zhu a stable job and ensure that his family has no worries about food and clothing. Besides, it's Liu Zhu's child, and the child must be close to his parents. You are an uncle, and his parents are still alive, so how can it be your turn?"

Sun Jiye lowered his brows and thought: "There is nothing wrong with what you said..."

Li Fuqiang said, "What is Brother Xu doing at home?"

"He and Lian Jun learned fungus cultivation in the city last year. I rented ten acres of land for them in the back of the mountain to grow some wood ear mushrooms."

Xu Ning was stunned and asked, "Is there anyone in the city who teaches fungus cultivation now?"

"There are none now. Last year, it was a public welfare project organized by the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences. My eldest brother signed up for it. They only started planting this year, so I don't know how it will go..."

Xu Ning glanced at Lao Hei lying in the doghouse and said, "Then we can raise some chickens, ducks and geese. It would also be fine if we build a greenhouse to grow prickly ash in water in the winter."

"Growing prickly ash buds in winter? If you put them in a greenhouse, can they survive?"

"Yes! I'm thinking of using a separate room as a greenhouse after the new house is built, and growing some prickly ash and Chinese cabbage."

Sun Jiye thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll let them try in the winter. They still have some work to do in the forest farm, which is measuring the length of the trees. In the spring, they go fishing on the boat. I think they are young now, so they need to exercise more, otherwise they won't know how to do anything when we are old."

"OK."

This is the difference between a wealthy family and a poor family. When poor families are thinking about what to eat next, wealthy families are already thinking about the rest of their children's lives.

Xu Ning changed the subject and said, "Third Uncle, when I was at Second Uncle's house, Second Lady asked me if there was a girl of Lian Jun's age. I didn't dare to give a guarantee, but I did know a girl... The main thing is, the girl's age is about the same as Lian Jun, but she has to call me uncle."

Sun Jiye took out two cigarettes from the cigarette box, handed one to Li Fuqiang, and said with a smile: "Do you have any real relatives?"

"No, I have a good relationship with her grandfather, her father, and her third uncle. Her grandfather is an old friend of mine, Xu Pao from Qing'an, so I have to call her grandfather "Uncle"..."

Sun Jiye said, "We just met in the snail shell before, and you called me brother, didn't you? If it really works out, we can talk about our own things! Besides, with your relationship, we know each other well, and it will be easy to talk to my second brother and his wife. The main thing is whether the other party's family agrees? Even a blind date will be fine!"

Xu Ning didn't answer in a hurry, but said slowly: "My third brother came to deliver a truckload of bricks a few days ago. At that time, he saw Lian Sheng and my sister-in-law's younger brother and asked if they had a boyfriend. But Lian Sheng is already married, and my sister-in-law's younger brother is a real relative of our family, so there is definitely no way to introduce them."

Sun Jiye nodded: "That's for sure!"

"When my third brother left, he did ask me to help find a partner for Hongyan..."

Li Fuqiang said with a smile: "My brother is the best matchmaker in Qing'an!"

Sun Jiye grinned and said, "Then can you introduce me to him?"

"They are from Wangxing Village. Her father is the village party secretary. Her family grows ginseng and owns a winery."

"Oh, the conditions are similar to ours! How old is the girl?"

Xu Ning turned around and said, "Is this year 19 or 20 years old, brother, do you remember?"

"It should be 20. I remember you were 20 last year and she was 19..."

Li Fuqiang remembers it very clearly because last year Chai Liangyu wanted to introduce Chai Hongyan to Xu Ning, but unexpectedly Xu Ning already had a partner.

"Suitable! The same age as Lian Jun. Hey, then Lei Zi is younger than Lian Fang?"

"Yeah, it should be half a month. Lianfang is half a month younger than me."

Sun Jiye said, "That's fine. My second brother and his wife can accept him even if he's two or three years older than Lian Jun. I'll tell them about it later."

Xu Ning waved his hand: "Don't talk about it yet, I have to call Hongyan's father. Although he asked me to help find a partner, this matter needs to be discussed in advance..."

Xu Ning had been the one who had handled the matter between Wang Hu and Guan Hua, but what was the relationship between Wang Hu and him? His second uncle and second aunt knew the truth and could not argue, but Chai Hongyan was different, and had to do things according to the rules.

Sun Jiye was very concerned about his nephew's matter. "Then let's make a call now? While you are here, both families can arrange a blind date for their children."

"Okay, let's go." Xu Ning stood up and tugged at his clothes.

Then, Sun Jiye looked into the house and shouted, "Fuck! The three of us are going out for a walk."

Auntie San ran out the door and asked, "It's almost dark, what are you doing outside? I was thinking of making some instant noodles for them later."

"Don't delay, I'll be back soon."

Guan Lei walked to the door and greeted him, "Brother."

Xu Ning waved his hand and said with a smile: "You guys go and have fun, we'll be back in ten minutes at most."

Guan Lei, Wang Hu, Sun Lianfang, Sheng, Jun and Xu were playing poker, and they were playing tractor.

The village office of Dahe Village is not far from Sun Jiye's home. You can return to the main road and walk north to reach the village. There is a sign hanging on the door that says 'Dahe Village Committee of Sandaohe Town'. After stepping over the high iron railing threshold and walking into the yard, you will see a group of people playing chess in the pavilion. When they saw Sun Jiye come in, they turned around and greeted him.

However, Sun Jiye did not introduce Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang to them. It was only after they walked into the house and saw the village party secretary that Sun Jiye introduced them.

"Ah, then you guys play, I'll go out and play two games with them!"

"I'll go to Dalingtun to check the accounts later. Please let them know tomorrow."

"Okay!"

After the village secretary left, only Xu Ning, Li Fuqiang and Sun Jieye were left in the room. Xu Ning sat on a chair next to the desk, picked up the phone and dialed a number in Wangxing. After waiting for more than 20 seconds, the call was connected after the transfer.

"Wangxing Village Office, I'm the village secretary Chai Shao, who are you looking for?"

Xu Ning said with a smile: "Brother, I'm here to find you!" "Eh? You... Er Ning?"

"Hahaha, it's me, brother. You can tell it's me just by hearing that?"

"Hey, I recognized it as soon as you spoke. Mainly because you have a charming voice. I feel comfortable when you call me 'big brother'."

Chai Shao smiled and said, "What's the matter? Do you have something to talk to me about? If you have something, just tell me!"

"If there is something wrong, I will just say it straight away."

"Speak! Don't be shy."

Xu Ning organized his words and said, "This is what happened. One of my brothers is dating someone and wants to meet their parents, so the three of us accompanied him to Sandaohe. Now he is staying at Old Sun's house in Sandaohe."

"The Sun family in Sandaohe... that's a legitimate wealthy family. Your brother is Lei Zi, right? Ah, I heard your third brother say that when he came back. Go on."

"Well, didn't my third brother ask me to help find a partner for Hongyan before he left?"

Chai Shao was stunned: "Yes! Did you find it?"

"I found it..."

Chai Shao was surprised and said, "Oh my god, the third brother has only been back for a few days, and you are so efficient. Erning, thank you for this, brother. The fact that you think about this shows that we are really getting along well!"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Haha, brother, it's just a coincidence."

"Where is the other person from? He should be from Sandaohe, right? What's his family situation? How old is he?"

"The man is Sun Lianjun from the old Sun family in Dahe Village, Sandaohe. He is twenty years old this year, the same age as Hongyan, but seems to be a few months younger than Hongyan..."

After Xu Ning finished talking about Sun Lianjun's family situation, Chai Shao was silent for a moment and said, "It's okay for a few months. His family conditions are indeed quite good, and they are a good match for ours. But I can't make the decision on this matter by myself. I have to discuss it with the old man and his mother. What did the old Sun family say?"

"Now only his third uncle knows about it. I haven't told Lian Jun's parents yet. Shouldn't I inform you first about this?"

"That's right! You know your uncle's temper. If I had told him about this, he would have whipped me. Erning, I'll call you back tomorrow. Are you okay tomorrow?"

Xu Ning said, "We're going to go hiking tomorrow. We probably won't be back until the evening. I'll call you when I get back."

"That's fine. There's only a mountain between Sandaohe and Wangxing. The straight-line distance isn't far, but it's a long way to go by mountain road."

"Brother, there is a boat here! Let's go to Songhua River by water first, and then we will reach Wangxing."

"You have a quick brain. Hahaha, that's exactly what's going on. OK! Then I'll go back and discuss this with Grandpa..."

"Hey, my uncle is in good health?"

"Very well! I went to the provincial government for a checkup two months ago, and the doctor said there was nothing wrong."

"That's fine..."

After hanging up the phone, Sun Jiye said with a smile: "You are very popular. You have friends everywhere."

"It's just to make do with what I have to offer. The main thing is that the people I come into contact with have good personalities and I can get along well with them."

Sun Jiye nodded in agreement: "This is fate! Let's go back?"

"go!"

Li Fuqiang said with a smile: "My brother is much better at dealing with people than I am."

Sun Jiye stepped out of the door and turned back to say, "You all have your own responsibilities. That's how we three brothers were in the beginning. A team must have a brain, two legs and arms. Only when they are combined together can they form a complete body and do whatever they want."

"Third uncle, what you said is very insightful!"

When I returned to Sun Jiye's house, Aunt San was busy cooking instant noodles in the outer room. There are two main types of instant noodles in Northeast China now, Longtan and Sanxian Yimian. Aunt San cooked Sanxian Yimian, and she cooked more than ten bags, which cost more than ten yuan!
Longtan instant noodles taste better when chewed dry, but have no taste when soaked or cooked.

"Wow, why did Auntie San give me fried eggs?"

Third Aunt said with a smile: "We had lunch late, and I was worried that you would be hungry. Come in quickly, and you will be ready soon."

"Got it."

After entering the house, Sun Lianjun handed two bottles of orange soda to Xu Ning and Li Fuqiang. Sun Lianfang smiled and held a pile of money in front of him, showing off: "Brother, look, these are all won by me! Isn't it amazing?"

"Great! How did you beat this old guy?"

Sun Lianxu said: "My third sister doesn't allow me and my brother to play cards, so all the wins belong to us."

"You are talking nonsense! When did I not let you play a card? It was because you didn't want to play..."

At this time, Sun Jiye patted his son on the back and said, "Just play with your third sister and have fun. Go pick up the bowls and put them on the table."

"Oh, Dad, the money my third sister won came from your pocket. My mom paid for it."

Sun Jiye was stunned, and said with a smile: "Just take it, it's not much money in total."

“Hahahaha…” Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

After a while, a folding round table was placed in the east room, and everyone sat around the table. After Third Aunt put a large bowl of instant noodles on the table, they picked up the instant noodles with chopsticks and had a poached egg each. The two bowls of instant noodles were basically finished.

Sun Jiye and his wife didn't eat. They said they were old and it was hard for them to digest if they ate too much at night. In fact, these were all excuses. The three brothers of the Sun family were actually quite simple. They were not the kind of people who would shake the basket just because they had money, but they were not the kind of people who would show off.

In life, they are ordinary people who live frugally, but they just have a little more money than other people.

At about 7:30, Aunt San finished washing the dishes in the outer room. As soon as she entered the room, Sun Jiye said, "Wife, let's go and take them back."

"Ah... Then I'll put on some clothes."

Third Aunt was a little surprised. Normally, Sun Jiye could have gone by himself or with Sun Lianxu, so why did he have to drag her along? Maybe he had something to say.

When they reached the outer room, Third Aunt turned her head and stared at Sun Jiye. He winked at his wife and then glanced at Sun Lianjun. She opened her mouth and said silently, "Blind date?"

Sun Jiye smiled and nodded, patted his aunt's buttocks, and gave her a thumbs up: "Smart!"

(End of this chapter)