Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 484 Little Crybaby Young Xu Pao
In Sandaohe, the temperature at the end of June was as high as 23 degrees, and the temperature in the afternoon was 26 degrees. You can imagine how hot it was when the west room of Old Sun's house was full of people, and they were smoking, drinking, and chatting...

After telling the story of Xu Laonian's glorious deeds, the atmosphere in the room reached its peak. Almost everyone relaxed, the smiles on their faces never stopped, and the wine glasses in their hands never were put down.

Guan Lei saw that the atmosphere was right, so he quickly stood up and started to toast in a circle, first to Sun Jiwei and Er Niang, then to Xu Laonian and Wu Zhouquan, Liu Lizhen and Han Fang, then to Sun Jiye and Third Aunt, and then it was Xu Ning's turn.

Guan Lei's eyes were filled with tears. He didn't drink too much despite the several glasses of wine he was toasted with just now, because Sun Jiwei had set a good example. He only let Guan Lei take a small sip and didn't let him drink too much. Today was a happy day. If he was drunk after playing in circles, what would he say next?

He looked at Xu Ning excitedly, glanced at the bottom of the wine glass, and said, "Brother! It's only been more than half a year since we met, and I will never be able to repay you for your help in my lifetime..."

Xu Ning tilted his head and smiled, "We just get along well. Don't talk about repaying me. I'm only a few months older than you. Besides, I have arms and legs. What do I need you to repay me for? Keep this in mind, live a good life with Lianfang in the future, go back to Wanye more often, and come to Sandahe more often to see our second uncle and second aunt!"

Sun Jiwei and others were quite satisfied listening to Xu Ning's words. His words were very mature, a bit like what Sun Jishan said.

Guan Lei raised his hand to wipe his eye sockets and said excitedly: "Brother, since we met, we have never drunk alcohol. This is all the wine left in my glass. Don't pick on me."

"Oh, drink it quickly. If you shed two more tears later, Lianfang will laugh at you."

Sun Lianfang sat on the edge of the kang, grinning and laughing, "I've never seen him cry before, but I didn't know this little Shitou is such a crybaby!"

"Hahahaha..." Another burst of laughter came from the house.

Guan Lei turned around and glanced at Sun Lianfang, curled his lips and said, "You are everywhere."

"The little crybaby is quite proud of himself. He is really annoying by doing this. Look at him, his lips are pouting, oh my god..."

Guan Lei waved his hand and turned back: "Don't talk nonsense, these are all elders, why are you so annoying."

"Ha ha……"

Sun Jiwei said with a smile: "What's there to be afraid of? We are all family, who can't help but take a joke? Drink up, your brother has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Hey!" Guan Lei turned around and raised his glass, saying, "Brother, it's all in the wine."

Xu Ning took a sip from the wine glass. He was not being cunning, but was going to use this glass of wine to walk away with them. Although he was a little cunning, no one could blame him. For example, the Sun family would say: Er Ning really gave us face. He didn't even hold a glass of wine at other people's houses, but only came to my house and held a glass of wine.

Wu Zhouquan narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Second brother, since Shitou and Lianfang's matter has been finalized, shouldn't I let my sister-in-law take my wife and my brother's wife to calculate the date tomorrow?"

"Oh my god, we are finally talking about something serious. I was just thinking, if you don't bring it up again, I will bring it up."

Xu Laonian laughed: "Haha, second brother, how could that be possible? I just wanted to wait until Lei Zi finished his circle before talking about this matter. It will be just right for the occasion."

"Okay, then it's settled. Let them calculate the date tomorrow. When will Er Ning get married?"

Xu Ning immediately responded: "Second Uncle, I plan to do it in September, so you all can come over then."

"Okay, we have to be there! I'll bring my whole family over to support you!"

Xu Ning smiled and said, "Then my wedding will surely be a great success."

Everyone at the table laughed. Sun Jiwei said with a smile, "Look at how open-minded Erning is when chatting."

Xu Laonian pouted and said, "Second brother, I'm not trying to pick a fight, but this little jerk in my family makes all the decisions on his own. Have you discussed your marriage in September with me and your mom?"

Liu Lizhen sat on the kang and said, "We have already discussed it. The house will be finished in August. What's wrong with getting married in September?"

"Hey, why didn't you discuss such an important matter with me?"

"What can I discuss with you? My son and Yan got into a relationship without consulting you. What? Are you unhappy?"

"How dare I."

Sun Jiwei said: "Brother, it's a good thing for children to have their own ideas when they grow up. If they discuss everything with their parents, they will become flowers in a greenhouse. You have to let them go out to bask in the sun and experience some hardships."

Wu Zhouquan nodded: "That's right. We have experienced a lot at our age, but sometimes we don't know as much as young people."

Of course Xu Laonian understood what they meant, but he just felt a little unhappy when he saw the little brat. The relationship between this father and son was the type that would make them feel uncomfortable if they didn't quarrel every few days.

Both father and son enjoyed themselves, and others just happened to watch the fun. They were not afraid of being laughed at. After all, the harmonious atmosphere of the Xu family had spread to Qing'an, Sandaohe, Wangxing and Wanye, and the several families who interacted with them knew what kind of people Xu Laonian and Xu Ning were.

Having said that, there was a reason why Sun Jiwei asked Xu Ning why he got married the day before. Going to his wedding was just a casual expression of his attitude. Guan Lei and Lian Fang were already engaged, so how could the Sun family not go to Xu Ning's wedding?

The most important thing is that I want Second Mother to listen, and when we go to calculate the date tomorrow, we should postpone the date of Guan Lei and Sun Lianfang's wedding, because Xu Ning and Guan Lei are brothers. According to traditional thinking, how can the younger brother get married before the older brother?
After finishing the business, everyone started talking about family matters. Liu Lizhen was very concerned about Wang Ye's situation. She asked, "Has the black bear that injured Wang Ye been found?"

Sun Jiye slapped his thigh and said, "Oh my god, I forgot about this! Sister-in-law, I found it! The night before yesterday..."

He recounted what had happened, and everyone who heard it was trembling with fear, because they had encountered heavy rain in the mountains and were soaked. In such a dangerous environment, running more than 20 miles in the mountains in the dark, looking for the black bear, was indeed very difficult.

"At that time, the black bear was scraping at the bark of a tree. Perhaps it heard the noise, so it turned around and ran towards the Toad Valley River. Zhuzi and I surrounded it from both sides, but there were too many branches in front of us and we couldn't run at all. At this time, Erning fired two shots in the dark from behind and killed the black bear directly on the bank of the river!"

"What a character!" Wu Hailong said, slapping his thigh.

Wu Zhouquan nodded while pinching his cigarette: "It's really accurate! Did you shoot those two shots based on your feeling?"

"Yeah." Xu Ning said, "There was some moonlight and flashlight at the time, but the view in front of me was pretty good where I was standing. I could see the moonlight reflected from the Toad Valley River, so I could see the black bear clearly."

"That's really old fashioned. Erning's nickname of Little Xu Pao is not wrong. He really has the skills of a gunner." Sun Jiwei said.

Sun Jiye said, "Second brother, Er Ning now has the gunner's hand. You haven't run with him in the mountains. His experience and decision-making are no worse than those of the old gunner. Moreover, he is young. His speed and physical strength are at their peak. How old are the old gunners? How can they compare with a young man like him in physique?"

"It's not good..."

Xu Laonian did not say anything. He just listened to everyone praising Xu Ning. As a father, his heart was filled with joy and the corners of his mouth could not help but rise.

Liu Lizhen was much more honest. She couldn't hold back her laughter and just laughed loudly, "Ah, ever since my oldest son left for the mountains, his father and I have been much less worried. We used to be able to eat meat every two or three days, but now we have to eat meat every day. We are tired of it."

Sun Jiwei said: "With a son like this, wouldn't he swing his arms when walking in the village?"

"Hahaha, then we have to get rid of it!" Xu Laonian couldn't help it anymore, he said with a big laugh.

At this time, Xu Ning turned around and said, "Mom, Zhuzi and my third uncle didn't want the bear gall, so they gave it to me. My second mother has already boiled the gall, so think of taking some home when we leave."

Liu Lizhen was slightly stunned, puzzled: "Why didn't you follow the mountain rules?" Sun Jiye said: "Sister-in-law, what mountain rules are there? They are all family members. Besides, I asked Erning to come and help, how can I let him go home empty-handed."

"We can't give him all of it, there are two others who have also contributed..."

Sun Jiwei waved his hand and said, "Sister-in-law, it's settled. Those two are under Zhuzi's control, so they won't suffer any loss. Come on, have another bite!"

Everyone drank slowly, mainly because they wanted to chat more, so no one rushed to drink quickly. The old woman on the kang started a conversation.

They were talking about what to prepare for their children's weddings. The old man didn't get involved in such matters, so they naturally started chatting about all sorts of things, and the topic revolved around the war in the south...

The meal started at two o'clock and ended at nearly six o'clock.

During the meal, everyone took turns going to the toilet, smoking cigarettes, and three or two people stood in the outer room and chatted. They only drank eight bottles of a box of Daqu wine, and when it was evenly distributed among them, each person only drank a little more than half a catty. Moreover, the battle line was long, so no one drank too much. Instead, they became more energetic as they drank.

Xu Ning only drank one glass of wine, and he ran around the two rooms holding Wu Jinbao as if nothing had happened. The child was no longer afraid of him when he saw him, and his eyes were bright and watery, which was particularly endearing.

Although the wine was finished, the table was not cleared because the masters had not eaten much. After Second Mother and Third Aunt heated up the dishes, the masters picked up their bowls and started eating.

After dinner, the old ladies got up and cleared the table. The old men did not go to the east room, but stayed in the west room, drinking tea and chatting. Two people or three people chatted about their own things, but no matter how they chatted, the two groups could always connect the conversation, and then it turned into a group of old men chatting about the same topic.

In the east room, Xu Ning stood on the floor holding Wu Jinbao. Second Mother, Third Aunt, Liu Lizhen, Han Fang, Sun Lianfang, Guan Hua and Guan Mei gathered together to stare at the big black ten. On the kang mat there was also half a pound of gold sand, two silver ingots and nearly eight hundred yuan.

If this gold sand is melted, it can produce about 100 grams of gold. The silver ingot is an antique, and in later generations one of it can be worth about 10 yuan.

Moreover, there was a gold bracelet on Sun Lianfang's wrist. It was entrusted to Han Fang by Guan Lei's mother, asking her to give it to Guan Lei's future daughter-in-law.

In this case, the betrothal gift is not small, it can even be said to be a lot!

Auntie San looked at the big black ten and the silver ingot and said, "Leizi's family used to be quite wealthy. I have never seen this kind of money before."

"Not so good. The biggest ticket we saw at that time was three dollars."

Second Mother looked up and asked, "Sister-in-law, was Leizi's family very rich in the past?"

Han Fang nodded and said, "He is quite rich. His father once mined gold in a gold mine. His mother is the third daughter of a landlord. These things were originally buried in the mountains. His father dug them out after the rumors spread. Later, his father fell ill and passed away."

Han Fang seemed unwilling to say more about Guan Lei's parents. Xu Ning knew the reason, but he didn't dare to say it directly.

Liu Lizhen understood what he said and asked, "How did his father and Brother Wu know each other?"

"I grew up naked. At that time, we had no clothes to wear, so we shared a pair of pants. We had no shoes, so we peeled tree bark to make shoes..."

Second Mother said, "Well, it was really hard back then. Jun'er's father almost starved to death one year. It was all thanks to San'er who went to the mountains to hunt livestock..."

After talking about this topic for a while, Er Niang smiled and put more than 800 yuan, half a catty of gold sand, and two silver ingots into the red bag, then handed it to Sun Lianfang and said, "Take your own things."

Sun Lianfang grinned: "Mom, can't you cover it for a while?"

"Why should I cover it up? A married girl is like water spilled. I have already prepared for this."

That being said, Er Niang felt bad too. She had raised her daughter to this age and now she was getting married off. The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt.

"Oh mom, Xiao Shitou and I will definitely come back often, so don't worry, I am not something that can be easily forgotten."

Xu Ning said, "My second mother has to keep this thing and give it out on the day you and Shitou get married."

"Oh, that's not bad! I didn't even think of this. Erning is quite experienced."

The time when Er Niang, Liu Lizhen and others got married was 20 years later than now. How poor were they back then? It was simply incomparable to now, so they had long forgotten some of the procedures.

Xu Ning must have experience, after all, he had been married before, and his marriage to Meng Ziyan would be considered a second marriage. He grinned, "How could I have experience? I just heard it from others."

At this time, there was a burst of laughter coming from the west room. Xu Ning handed Wu Jinbao to Guan Mei and went to the west room.

Sun Jiwei turned his head and stared at him, saying, "Erning, your father just said that he was lifted up two meters high by the big egg and his waist was almost broken?"

"Yeah! That was pretty dangerous..."

Xu Laonian pinched his cigarette and said, "It's not dangerous at all. If you hadn't stopped me, I would have hit it with a sledgehammer!"

Xu Ning covered his face and said, "Dad, everyone in this room is my family. Why are you being so strong? Just tell the truth."

Xu Laonian rolled his eyes and waved his hands: "You're swinging it with a sledgehammer. You'll kill the big egg fry with one blow. Is that ok?"

"Oh my god, Erning is so strong? Didn't his knuckles get cracked?"

Xu Ning shook his head: "Nothing happened, my arm just felt a little sore at the time."

They chatted in the house until after eight o'clock. During this time, Second Mother and Third Aunt cooked some rice and heated up four dishes. After they finished eating, everyone got up to leave.

Sun Jiwei said, "I'm going to make donkey meat dumplings tomorrow morning. Are there any onions left in the cellar?"

"There are still quite a few left. How about the donkey meat hotpot for lunch?"

"Okay, Jun'er, go to Old Fei's greenhouse tomorrow and pick some vegetables."

Liu Lizhen said, "We'll make dumplings tomorrow morning, so let's chop the stuffing now to save ourselves the hassle of nagging in the morning."

"Well, then you guys go inside and chat for a while, we'll go to bed after we're done."

"You guys go ahead and do it. My brothers and I will go outside to see if there is Diao Chan in the moon."

"Hahaha……"

With the help of Liu Lizhen and Han Fang in cutting the meat, Er Niang and San Shen chopped the stuffing quite quickly with two knives. In less than twenty minutes, they had chopped a pot of donkey meat. However, they did not cut the onions, as they had to be cut before use, otherwise they would easily produce soup.

After packing up, they went back to their respective rooms. Xu Ning, Wang Hu, Xu Laonian and Liu Lizhen lived in the second east room, while Wu Zhouquan and Han Fang slept in the west room...

(End of this chapter)