Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 567: Show off, show off, I've wronged you, family matters
In the east room, everyone stood there staring at the sack on the end of the kang, excitement in their eyes and shock in their hearts. No one had expected that those bloody-looking things could be worth so much money!
Xu Laonian, who was the slowest to react, was horrified. He slapped his hip and shouted to the sky: "Oh my god! This time it's really happening! Let me touch it!"

Xu Laonian was trying to squeeze forward, but Xu Ning deliberately stopped him: "Dad, didn't you say you were kidding me?"

"Oh, how would I know that the sack was full of money?" Xu Laonian pulled his son's arm and said eagerly, "Son, even if there is no credit from dad, there must be hard work from dad, right? Isn't that right?"

Li Fuqiang smiled and said, "What else can I say? It must be due to my uncle's hard work. If it weren't for my uncle's careful training, would he have been able to train me and my brother?"

"Hahaha, Qiangzi, what you said is true. My elder brother should get a second-class merit, and my sister-in-law must get a first-class merit!" Wang Erli laughed.

Liu Daming blinked his eyes, feeling very relaxed, and said with a smile: "Erning, open the sack and take a look."

"Okay!" Xu Ning grabbed the mouth of the sack and untied the rope on it, then he opened the mouth of the sack, revealing the bundles of gold inside.

"Oh! These are so old...how can I spend them?" Xu Laonian grinned, obviously looking forward to the future.

Liu Lizhen pinched him in anger and rolled her eyes, saying, "How can you spend it? It's not your turn to spend it. You should just give up on this idea. Besides, this is the money of several families. Do you think it's all yours?"

"I didn't say anything." Xu Laonian pouted, looking a little aggrieved.

Liu Lizhen turned around and said, "Son, we'll divide it later, okay?"

"We can share it after we finish eating. It just so happens that everyone is here today, except that my uncle is not at home."

Liu Daming said: "Why bother with her? I haven't even been with you many times. How much money can I get..."

"Uncle, the mallet we carried to Wanye sold for more than 20,000 yuan. How much do you think we can get?"

"Oh my god, the mallet was sold for more than 20,000?" Liu Daming exclaimed.

Liu Lizhen smiled and said, "Okay, let's eat first and talk later. Yan, your parents and your younger brother have gone to your grandmother's house, you will stay in the west room tonight..."

Xu Ning was stunned and said jokingly, "Live with me in the west room? Oh! Mom, we haven't gotten married yet, so ten days is not a big deal!"

"What are you thinking about? Yan and Hua live in the west room, and you live in the lower room! Tomorrow you can send Yan to her grandmother's house. They are about to get married, and you haven't even been there once..."

Liu Lizhen's tone was somewhat complaining, which was normal because the Xu family had no relatives in Qing'an. Xu Ning's grandfather came here with the army, and all the relatives were thousands of miles away. The two generations had no contact, and they would not recognize each other even if they met. On his mother's side, there was only Liu Daming, his biological brother, and the rest of the relatives were also scattered hundreds of miles away, so they seldom met each other normally. But Xu Ning had to give a notice for his marriage, so they could come if they wanted to, and Liu Lizhen would not argue if they didn't want to.

As for Meng Quezi, he didn't have many relatives. He was similar to Xu Laonian and Wang Erli. His biological father also came with the army, but Meng Quezi's biological father died earlier...

So only Liu Fenfang's maternal family was left. In Xu Ning's impression, Meng Ziyan's grandmother was an old naughty child, and the two uncles were also honest people, but what kind of person was Xu Ning before? He was the most idiotic, and he didn't get along with the relatives on Meng Ziyan's maternal side and couldn't talk to them.

"Even if you didn't tell me, I would have thought about going there. I'll go after breakfast tomorrow. I have to be back at noon. My uncle Xu, brother He, and a friend will come over tomorrow."

"Your uncle Xu came back early? You are very proud!"

"Of course! The main reason is that I was busy with my wedding, so I delayed my trip to Wangxing to protect the farmers. I asked Uncle Xu to help me and go there to protect the farmers. It just so happens that the three brothers haven't seen each other for a long time..."

Liu Lizhen said, "Then will you go with Uncle Chang?"

"Yes, I will tell him tomorrow morning and ask him to come over for dinner tomorrow evening."

"What time is it tomorrow?"

"About three or four o'clock."

While everyone was chatting, Yang Shuhua, Guan Hua and Han Fengjiao had already brought the dishes to the table. Although Xu Feng and others were not at home, there were still two tables because one table would not be enough for everyone.

The dishes include fish, meat, and vegetables, a combination of both meat and vegetables. Since getting used to eating Yang Shuhua's dishes, Xu Ning and others dare to be picky when they go to restaurants. After all, the dishes in some restaurants are really not as good as Yang Shuhua's.

"Oh my god! Where did you get this big gold bracelet?"

Meng Ziyan held the chopsticks in her right hand and just as she stretched out her hand to pick up some food, she was seen by Han Fengjiao.

She blushed and glanced at Liu Lizhen secretly. Xu Ning turned around and said with a smile: "I bought it for you."

"Oh, I didn't realize that my nephew loves his wife very much."

"Hahaha, Second Aunt, didn't she buy me a watch first? Look, it's the Plum brand, a genuine foreign product! Foreigners all wear this kind of watch."

Xu Ning stretched out his wrist and waved it in front of Xu Laonian and others, showing off.

"This guy is just showing off to you..." Xu Laonian curled his lips.

Liu Daming said with a smile: "Brother-in-law, why are you looking at me with jealous eyes?"

"Why would I be jealous? You're everywhere, get lost!"

"Hahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter.

Liu Lizhen, who was sitting on the edge of the kang, said, "Why did you just buy a gold bracelet? Why didn't you buy a ring or a necklace?"

"I bought a ring, but not a necklace... I thought I'd save some money first, and when the business starts to make a profit, I'll buy a gold bracelet for you and my sister-in-law."

Liu Lizhen was very happy and said, "I don't want it. You are getting married soon. How can I spend your money?"

Meng Ziyan quickly interrupted and said, "Auntie, we have to live at home after we get married."

"Hahaha, Yan, Auntie is not picky, I'm just teasing Erning."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "What Yan said is correct. You have to live at home even if you get married. You will still be in charge of the family's finances. All my money is yours."

Having said that, she couldn't do that after getting married. Liu Lizhen knew it well. She knew how to get along with her daughter-in-law. What's more, Xu Long and Wang Shujuan had already gone to the city and would settle down there in the future. Only Xu Ning was left, which meant that she and Xu Laonian would be taken care of by their eldest son in the future. This was something that everyone knew and there was no need to say it directly. Everyone knew it.

Liu Lizhen wiped the corner of her mouth and said, "You just try to make me happy. Today I'm going to say this. After you two get married, the money you earn can be spent by both of you. You don't have to give it back to your family. Your father has a salary, and your father and I have enough to spend."

Xu Laonian said nothing when he heard this, which was obviously the result of the discussion between the old couple.

Wang Erli, Han Fengjiao, Liu Daming and others did not interrupt, but listened silently, as if they wanted to use it as a reference.

Xu Ning swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "Mom, what's the matter? You two don't want to live with me?"

"What are you talking about? I mean that the money you earn is yours to manage. If it's a good year, and you're willing to give me and your dad some money, then why wouldn't we refuse it?"

"Hey, it's not time to split up yet, why are you talking about this?"

Liu Lizhen said sternly, "We have to make this clear. There are many families in our village, and they are all quarreling over money? Besides, you have started a family, how can I manage your money? This is settled."

Xu Ning turned his head and said nothing. Xu Laonian took a sip of wine and said, "Your mother is right. Your eldest brother has settled down in the city now. Logically speaking, this matter should be done with the help of Qiang Ziguang..."

Li Fuqiang said: "Uncle, this has nothing to do with me. If I hadn't followed my brother to stop, would my third uncle have cared about me? I don't have that much face, and my third uncle is looking at my brother's face."

"Don't interrupt me. I'm just relying on you... Feng'er will have to get married in the future, and you'll be the only one left at home."

Xu Ning tilted his head and smiled: "What's the matter, are you afraid that I won't support you?"

"How dare you?! If you don't support me, I will go to the city to seek refuge with your brother and let everyone in the village laugh at you..."

"Hahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter again. Liu Lizhen pouted and said, "Any good words taste bad in your mouth. Your dad means that he has wronged you."

Xu Laonian took a sip of wine and nodded with a red face: "Yeah!"

Xu Ning was stunned for a moment, and almost choked while chewing celery. He swallowed it and said, "Oh my god! Is this my biological father?"

"Get lost, that's what I mean."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "No, I don't feel wronged. Why should I feel wronged? This is the result I want. I want to stay in our village all my life! Besides, there may not be fewer opportunities in the mountains than in the city. When the business is done, I will have other arrangements. Don't worry, I will make sure our family will have enough food and drink!"

Xu Laonian frowned upon hearing this and said, "Stop making blind promises! Our life is good now, and your mother and I are quite content."

Wang Erli said: "I believe in my second nephew. From now on, you will be the leader of our family."

"Not so good. Apart from my second nephew, who else can get so much money?"

Xu Laonian picked up the wine glass and said, "Stop hesitating. Come on, let's drink!"

"Okay, let's drink together."

Everyone raised their glasses and took a sip, then Liu Lizhen asked, "You said you were going to Wanye? What are you going to do?"

Xu Ning said: "A friend asked me to go into the mountains to look for someone. He specializes in collecting clubs. It's a coincidence..."

He explained the whole story, and Xu Laonian frowned and said, "Your brother He's friend can't go into the mountains to look for bones right before or after your wedding. What was he thinking?"

Li Fuqiang said with a smile: "Uncle, what can I say about this buddy? He is a very particular person, but he is too practical. There are some things he has not thought about."

"Well, I think the reason he's in a hurry is that he wants to get the money from his grandfather as soon as possible, because as long as he finds his great-grandfather, all the money left by his grandfather will belong to him."

"For money? That's understandable. Jane, go ask Mrs. Zhang tomorrow to see if there's anything to be said about this matter. Don't let anything else happen before our wedding day."

"Okay, I'll go tomorrow."

Then, Xu Ning and others talked about what they saw and heard in the provincial capital, starting with the encounter with armed robbers who blocked the road, and then encountered a gang of eight hooligans...

"Did you meet your old friend from outside?" Liu Lizhen asked with a frown.

"Yes, both of them come from poor families, but they are definitely good people. One of them has a scar on his face, and he took a knife to the face because he was trying to stop it for me."

Li Fuqiang asked in surprise: "Scarface?"

Seeing Xu Ning nod, Wang Hu and Guan Lei looked at each other and said, "Brother, I haven't heard Scarface mention this."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "They definitely won't mention it, because they are not that kind of people. Otherwise, why would I want them to come to our place to work? If they were not good people with good character and low quality, would I let them come?"

Xu Laonian turned around and asked, "You used to be quite arrogant outside, didn't you?"

Xu Ning held up the wine glass and said, "So, beating up old men and women and kicking three or four-year-old kids is just that rampant!"

“Hahahaha…” Everyone looked up and laughed.

Liu Lizhen said: "Since they are both good people, it would be nice to have them come over to help with the work."

"Well, come here, a young man in his twenties, what kind of work can't you do? Your uncle Guo said a few days ago that after you get married, you should go to the felling field to clear a piece of land and quickly build a shack, otherwise the ground will be frozen when winter comes."

"I know. Did the forestry farm send someone?"

"We are now going to Lengchang No. 2 to practice Taoism. It will be completed in more than 10 days."

"It's my uncle Guo who thinks of everything ahead of time."

Wang Erli said, "Erning, Hu Zhiyong came to Guoxing to ask about you a few days ago. He must have something to ask you."

Xu Ning said, "Let my eldest brother go find Brother Huang tomorrow and tell my sister-in-law that my uncle Xu is coming back and needs to clean up the house."

"I know. Let's go with my uncle. Has my uncle sold any meat these past two days?"

"I've been selling them. Oh, I remember something. Didn't Old Fang's family in Taiping have a black bear die? We offered him 1 yuan per catty, but Old Fang didn't sell it. Later, he and Little Fang pushed the cart around the village but no one paid any attention to them. They also went to Taihe and Tai'an villages, but still couldn't sell them."

Guan Lei asked in doubt: "What's going on?"

"What else could it be? Everyone in these villages knows what kind of person Lao Fang is and they don't want to pay any attention to him. Besides, the three of us have been doing this for a long time. Everyone in these villages recognizes us three and no one else! Then Lao Fang shamelessly went to find Guoxing. Guoxing didn't agree to pay even a dollar and asked Lao Fang to find Li Feng. After he found Li Feng, Li Feng said that he could only give him 1 cents at most because the little black blind had been dead for most of the day and the quality of the meat had changed..."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "My brother Feng is a good businessman."

"Well, Lao Fang was almost mad at himself, and he gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement. Then Li Feng gave it to the three of us at 9 yuan. The three of us walked around the two villages and sold them all at 1 yuan."

"Li Feng is quite sensible."

Li Fuqiang said, "Not really. If you ask me, this is how you do business with Lao Fang! You talk to him nicely, but he doesn't take it to heart. Then you have to put pressure on him! How's Li Feng's father?"

Liu Daming shook his head. "Not very good. I heard from Li Feng that he is getting thinner and thinner. In a month or so, he will be nothing but skin and bones."

"Oh, isn't Li San going to be finished?" Wang Hu exclaimed.

"About the same. He only eats half a bowl of rice in one meal, and then he throws up or he gets bloated. The day before yesterday, Li Feng went to see Old Tang and talked to him about Li San's funeral. The whole package seemed to be 30 yuan, not including the banquet..."

Yang Shuhua looked up and said, "Li Feng asked me a few days ago, and I said that cooking would cost 10 yuan."

Li Fuqiang nodded: "10 yuan is fine. After all, Li Feng has a good relationship with us, so we shouldn't ask for more."

"Sister-in-law, if you find it tiring to be a chef, don't take any more jobs. My elder brother can earn money now, and he's the one supporting the family. Why do we need you to go out and earn money? Besides, my sister-in-law has gone to the city, and Feng'er and Jin Yu Mantang are not at home. You can come over whenever you want, and you'll have someone to chat with my mom and the others."

Yang Shuhua said: "I haven't taken any work for two months. Now I only take work in our village and Taiping. I won't take work far away. Your eldest brother doesn't want me to go out..."

There was no solution before, but now that the family has a pillar, if Yang Shuhua goes out to cook, it will be easy for others to laugh at her. Moreover, Yang Shuhua is very introverted. She was forced to show up in public before, but now that she has a choice, she certainly wants to stay in her comfort zone.

Xu Laonian said with a smile: "Qiangzi has made a lot of money this year, and Shuhua has suffered a lot before. It's time for her to stay at home and enjoy herself."

Liu Lizhen curled her lips and said, "What are you enjoying? After serving the little ones, I will serve you, an old man!"

Li Fuqiang said, "Aunt, isn't this as she should do? My parents and her parents are both gone, and there are only two elders in the village. How can she not serve them? It's as she should do!"

"I am happy to hear what Qiangzi said, mainly because I am used to eating Shuhua's cooking. It makes me sick to eat other people's dishes!"

Liu Lizhen pursed her lips and said, "Oh my god, you still dislike me? I am happy to cook for you, right?"

Xu Laonian's face froze, and he said, "Zhen, I didn't say anything about you!"

"Who are you talking about? You're just pointing fingers at others."

Xu Ning put down his chopsticks, and stood up to watch the fun, saying, "Mom, cut him!"

(End of this chapter)