Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 573: Visiting relatives and friends is a blessing
Xiao Xu Pao's nickname was well-known in Qing'an area. Although Xu Ning had been notorious before, his uncle and others pretended not to know. After all, he was about to become their nephew's son-in-law, so how could they look at him with the usual prejudiced eyes? What's more, Xu Ning had really changed, from a bad reputation to a good one. Countless families envied him in their after-dinner gossip.

The uncle and Xu Laonian are about the same age. After a deep chat, I found out that he is two years younger than Xu Laonian. This year, he is 41 years old and 40 years old. He is in middle age! In addition to ironwork, he also helps his eldest uncle to farm and harvest grain when he is free. His second uncle raises livestock, so he only needs to harvest the grain manually, and there are donkey carts to transport the grain, which is a lot easier.

The Liu family is in Qingli supporting the group. Guo Xingmin said that the three brothers are very particular about their work, but no matter what time, they will be annoying if they don't chat. Therefore, there are only two or three people visiting the Liu family on weekdays. But if there is really something, the people in the village are willing to come and help. After all, the second uncle raises livestock and sells chicken, duck and goose eggs. The eldest uncle is a blacksmith and lives in the village. You never know when they will come to ask for help.

The uncle and the younger brother were quite interested in hunting. They stayed in the house for more than 10 minutes, talking about hunting in the mountains. Then they asked Xu Ning about the situation at home, such as when they would move in after the house was built. Xu Ning told the truth and said that he had to go on a long trip tomorrow and would move when he came back...

After a while, Meng Ziyan was busy going back to her second uncle's house, so her uncle and sister-in-law went back to the west room, wrapped the child in a thin quilt, took the small pillow and mattress, and everyone got up and went out.

The young man raised a cloud of dust while stepping on the dirt road. He held the child in his arms and asked, "Erning, a few days ago I saw two people in your village riding donkeys upside down and selling roe deer meat?"

The uncle said, "I have seen your uncle, but I don't know the two men riding the donkey upside down."

"Ah, those might be Lao Jiang and Li Feng from our village. I have to call Lao Jiang uncle and Li Feng brother. What's wrong with them?"

The uncle smiled and said, "Isn't this a donkey riding upside down that you like? Your brother insisted on asking the price, and he said it was 500 yuan..."

The young man nodded: "Yeah, I think it's convenient to ride a donkey upside down to go anywhere. It's similar to a motorcycle, but it can carry more goods than a two-wheeled motorcycle."

"This thing is very convenient, but you don't need it, do you? You don't need to go anywhere normally."

The young man said, "Why not? Since your sister-in-law gave birth in June last year, I have been carrying a basket of knives, hoes and other things to go to the market."

"Originally I didn't want him to go, but he said that as much as he could sell, he could make some money, so I didn't stop him," said my uncle.

"Ah, young man, I want to ask how much it costs to ride a donkey upside down?"

"Is it not too much trouble?" the young man asked with a smile.

"It's a big deal, but I have to wait until I get back to do it. I don't know what the price is now."

My uncle said, "Erning, don't be embarrassed. If we can negotiate it down to around 400 yuan, I will bite the bullet and buy it for your brother."

Xu Ning smiled and nodded when he heard that: "Okay, it's not a big deal. It's just a matter of talking. If it's around 400 yuan, I'll just ask them to bring it over."

"Pull it here? Send it to Qing'an?"

"Of course they have to come over when I get married."

The young man smiled and said, "That's great! Just do it like this. If there is a donkey with a reverse riding platform, I can easily pull a 300-jin iron block."

Having talked about this, everyone stepped into the threshold of the second uncle's house. When they walked into the yard, they saw the eldest uncle and two brothers plucking the feathers of chickens, ducks and geese. There was a little blood on the ground in the distance. There was hot water in the aluminum basin. The poultry were soaked in it. Just wait for a while and the feathers can be easily plucked. However, the plucking is not clean now. Some fluff cannot be plucked. Some businesses use asphalt to pluck, while in rural areas they use boiled pine oil!

"Oh, my second brother has made great progress. He has collected all the chickens, ducks and geese."

The second uncle stood by and smoked, glaring and said, "It's not for you to eat, Erning, come in quickly, there's a smell outside."

"You are a complete idiot, but Erning is not. I want to chat with Erning." said the uncle.

The uncle smiled and said, "Brother, we will have plenty of time to chat later. Let Erning go into the house and rest for a while. You guys hurry up and get ready."

Meng Yinhe said with a smile: "Uncle, let me help you."

"What can you do? Just wait for the food and go inside."

Liu Fenfang, second uncle Mo and others came out to greet Xu Ning. After welcoming him into the house, they went to work in the outer room.

There were the old lady, the second uncle, the eldest uncle and others in the house. The young man said he had something to do and went out. When he came back, he was holding two big carps in his hands.

Isn't there a small reservoir next to Qinglitun? Usually people go there to cast nets, and after catching the fish, they raise them in a small fish pond. Of course, this kind of fish doesn't cost money, because it is the brigade's livelihood. During the New Year and other festivals, the brigade gives each family two fish. But in two years, this small reservoir will be contracted by others, and you will have to spend money if you want to eat fish.

Xu Ning chatted with everyone in the house until 10 o'clock, then asked: "Brother, why didn't the child come back at noon?"

"They have to wait until school is over in the evening..."

The old lady said, "We have such a good lunch at home, how can we let the children eat boxed lunches at school? Second, you should find a way to bring the children back home so that they can meet their uncle and then send them to school after lunch, or ask the teacher for leave."

The second uncle clapped his hands and said, "Okay! Then I'll go with the donkey cart..."

Xu Ning hurriedly stopped him: "Why use a donkey cart? We already have a car. It would be better to just drive there."

Meng Quezi said, "Second brother, let Erning drive you to school. It should be quick and won't delay anything."

"Ah, let's hurry up now."

Xu Ning stood up and said, "It's a good opportunity for us to go to my uncle Guo's house first. We can go there when I come back, right?"

"Go to your uncle Guo... Director Guo's house? Sure."

The old lady smiled and said, "Go quickly and come back soon."

"Don't worry, grandma, I will definitely come back for dinner!"

Afterwards, Xu Ning and Meng Ziyan walked out the door, and Liu Fenfang chased them to the courtyard and asked quietly: "Yan, did you get the things?"

"Here, the stuff is in the back compartment."

There was no mung bean cake prepared for Guo Xingmin, only cigarettes, alcohol, malted milk, and two cans of food. The reason was that not so many mung bean cakes were bought, and they were given away to several families, so only half a bag was left for Old Xu's family.

Since you are in Qinglitun, you must visit Lao Guo's house, otherwise it would be considered as incompetent and flawed.

He and Yan did not drive. Instead, they got into the trunk to take out their things and walked towards Guo Xingmin's house. The two houses were quite far apart, about 150 meters away. Not only were they separated by the east and west of the village, but there were also several rows of front and back streets in between.

It would be more convenient to drive to this distance, but Xu Ning had his own plans. He wanted to visit relatives and friends who were relatively close, so it would be best to walk. Although driving was faster, it would inevitably lead to gossip. In addition, he had to let the people in Qingli Village know that the grandson-in-law who came to visit Lao Liu's family had some relationship with Lao Guo's family.

When he reached the gate of the courtyard, he happened to see Uncle Guo who was carrying beans. He smiled and called out to him. Uncle Guo looked up and saw him, and was startled. He quickly stood up and said, "Oh my god, Erning!"

Xu Ning directly stated his intention: "Uncle, this is my girlfriend Meng Ziyan. She is visiting her grandmother's house today. I thought I would bring her here to meet her."

"This girl is so pretty! Well, you two look like a good match, come in!"

"Eh!"

The two of them carried their things into the house and placed them on the counter. Uncle Guo turned around to make tea, but Xu Ning stopped him and declined on the grounds that he had just finished drinking it at his second uncle's house.

Meng Ziyan said, "Uncle, stop working, let's chat for a while."

"That's fine. I won't keep you two at home for lunch. Is your grandmother's home the Liu family in the back street?"

"Yeah, my second uncle raises livestock!"

"Then I know, Liu Erzhu! Your three uncles are famous in our village. Everyone says that they are smart and capable. Is your grandmother in good health?"

"fine……"

Xu Ning and Meng Ziyan stayed in the house for more than 20 minutes before saying goodbye to Uncle Guo. She really didn't want to keep Xu Ning, after all, he was visiting relatives. After sending the two to the door, Uncle Guo waved and said, "Next time you come, you don't have to take things. Yan, do you hear me?"

"Hey! Uncle, please come back to the house quickly. We are going home soon."

The two hurried back to their second uncle's house and glanced at their Plum brand watches. It was just past 11 o'clock.

After entering the house, Xu Ning and his second uncle's son Liu Hongjun got into the car and drove straight to the school.

The guard at the gate had been replaced, and Teacher Zhang must have a class, so he got off the car to say hello, then went into the school with Liu Hongjun, calling the teachers of each class to take several children out. Although it was not yet time for school to be over, the parents had all come, and it was impossible for the teachers not to let the children out. The children came out with backpacks on their backs.

When they were about to reach the school gate, Xu Ning took out a red envelope from his pocket and gave one to each of the four children. Liu Hongjun wanted to stop him at first, but could Xu Ning let him stop him? He stuffed the red envelopes into his schoolbag twice, and Liu Hongjun didn't fight with him.

The children looked at Xu Ning curiously. The eldest uncle's grandson scratched his head and asked, "Uncle, you look like Xu Feng's second brother?"

"Hahaha, what do you mean, I am Xu Feng's second brother! How do you know Xu Feng? We are not in the same class."

"She's famous in school. The teachers all like her very much. We usually play skipping rubber rope together at noon. Last time, there was a boy named Li Pang in the second grade who was beaten up by Xu Feng's two brothers. It seems that Huang Lin was the one who caused it..."

The child was quite willing to chat. Xu Ning chatted with him all the way to the school gate, and Liu Hongjun asked them to sit in the back of the car.

Then the car drove towards Qingli and arrived home at exactly 11:.

The four children jumped out of the car, ran into the house, took out red envelopes from their bags and showed them off, "Mom! Look at the red envelope my uncle gave me!"

"dad……"

The eldest sister-in-law laughed and said, "Why didn't you thank your uncle?"

"Oh, how can I not thank you, Mom? You know, my uncle is Xu Feng's second brother..."

My uncle laughed and said, "This kid is always chattering. He can talk to anyone all night long."

“I don’t know who he takes after as a chatterbox.” The eldest brother muttered.

Xu Ning smiled and said, "It's good to be with anyone. He's good at talking and he's not afraid to travel around the world. This kid is adventurous!"

Inside the house, the noisy sounds of children added a festive atmosphere.

Everyone chatted for a while in the house, and Liu Fenfang and her eldest sister-in-law went into the house to set up the table. The children picked up bowls and chopsticks. As the home-cooked dishes were served one by one, the second uncle took out six bottles of Longjiangchun from the cupboard. The eldest uncle waved his hand and asked him to get more. He didn't like to drink bottled wine and thought it was not strong enough.

"If you don't want to drink, forget it, Erning, how about we have a few bottles?"

The uncle said, "Please stop mistreating your nephew's son-in-law. There are so many dishes here, who will hold the bottle with you?"

Meng Quezi said with a smile: "Second brother, let Erning drink more with you next time. He has something to do in the evening and has to go on a long journey..."

Liu Fenfang chimed in: "Not really. Erning doesn't drink much to begin with. Don't let him drink too much."

"Oh my god, you two are protecting your uncle, right? Okay, then drink less, okay, Erning?"

"Okay! Second uncle, I'll drink as much as I can. Let's take it slow. Today I mainly want to chat with you guys more."

"Hurry up and sit down, Mom. Are you going to put it on the table or on the floor with us? Drink less."

The old lady waved her hand: "I only have two cups. I won't get involved with you. You just keep Erning company."

"That is required!"

There were 10 dishes on the table, including chicken, duck, fish and goose, as well as red sausage brought by Xu Ning, fried meat with celery, fried meat with fresh hazel mushrooms, fried eggs with leeks, etc.

The old lady raised her glass and said a few words, and everyone picked up their chopsticks to pick up food, drinking and chatting.

Xu Ning did not stand up and walk around. With so many elders, if he toasted them one by one, he would not be able to stay down with his alcohol tolerance. So he just raised his glass for the sake of politeness. Meng Quezi also wanted to protect his uncle and did not intend to let him drink too much. The three uncles did not complain because Xu Ning could make them laugh out loud when chatting with them in just two or three words.

No matter how badly the eldest and second uncles spoke, Xu Ning could always smooth it over, so the second and eldest uncles hardly raised their glasses. The old uncle looked at him and said with a smile: "Er Ning, you really need to let your younger brother learn these two tricks. Your younger brother has taken after me and is not very good at chatting."

The eldest brother said, "Uncle, isn't my younger brother much better than me?"

Liu Hongjun said: "My younger brother is indeed better than the two of us, mainly because my uncle is not that aggressive when he talks to me."

"..."

How to say this, character determines a person's height. The disadvantage is the height limit, and the advantage is the sand and gravel for paving the road.

When talking about this topic, my uncle pursed his lips and said, "When you are at a crossroads in life, every choice you make determines your future, but a life that is always smooth is not always easy, because it is very likely that an earthquake, landslide, or any other disaster will occur halfway through."

Xu Ning clapped his hands when he heard this: "Oh my god! Uncle, you are so good at talking! Most people can't say these words."

My uncle was very happy and said with a wink, "I am just talking nonsense. After living for so many years, I have some understanding."

"This is not something that ordinary people can sense. I can tell from one glance that my uncle is spiritual. He will definitely be blessed in the future!"

"Hahaha, he must be blessed. My grandson is so big now, how can I not be blessed?" said the uncle with a grin.

The old lady had put down her chopsticks and was leaning against the windowsill, watching everyone chatting. Sitting next to her were Liu Fenfang, Meng Ziyan, her sister-in-law and others, and the topic they were chatting about was also about Xu Ning.

Second uncle and others praised Xu Ning's various merits. Meng Ziyan felt more and more embarrassed the more she listened. She didn't think what they said was wrong, but it was too right! Mainly because the old uncle said that she had a good vision. She was able to find a man like Xu Ning. After having two more children in the future, she could wait and enjoy the happiness.

The drinking session lasted until 2:30 in the afternoon. Xu Ning only drank half a catty, his three uncles drank more than a catty, and his three brothers drank six or seven taels. In fact, they all had a good alcohol tolerance, but they were just busy chatting and didn't raise their glasses frequently.

After the old women cleared the leftovers from the table, everyone sat around the table drinking tea. The second uncle asked his daughter-in-law to brew a special Longjing tea for Xu Ning, because the eldest uncle and the oldest uncle did not like to drink Longjing tea, thinking it had no taste and no color.

After chatting until around 3 o'clock, Xu Ning got up and prepared to go home.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Aren't you leaving at night? Wait a little longer."

Xu Ning said with a smile: "Second uncle, isn't there a visitor at home? I have an old man who came back from the provincial capital to help me with something, so I have to go back to meet him in advance."

"Is Xu Pao back?" Meng Quezi asked.

"Yeah, Wangxing's third brother is here too, as well as a few friends from the provincial capital."

The three uncles all nodded when they heard this, and the eldest uncle said, "Then don't waste time, go back quickly, and we'll have a good drink next time."

"That's it."

Liu Fenfang asked, "Erning, we will go back on the 7th and tell your parents."

"Okay, we have everything we need for our wedding, so there's no need to rush."

(End of this chapter)