Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 653: The little bastard with the homemade snowplow is doing mischief!

November 1984, 11, the eighth day of the tenth month in the leap lunar calendar, a Friday.

The sun rises and the smoke from cooking rises.

Early in the morning, Xu Ning and others picked up brooms to sweep the snow in the yard. He stood in the yard and looked south, and saw that the endless mountains were covered in silver. Against the snow-capped scenery, the dead leaves on the barren mountains and the green trees on the houses became embellishments.

Although the snow was not heavy in Heilongjiang Province, it made the mountain people feel excited because the snow this year came a little later than in previous years. In the past, there would be a light snow in mid-October and moderate to heavy snow in November. The snow that just covered the ankles to the tendons was at most light or moderate snow.

Xu Ning grabbed a handful of snow particles wearing gloves. The snow was not sandy or fluffy, but rather like ice particles. He could not make a ball with his hands. What did the non-sticky snow mean? It meant that the cold air from Siberia came too suddenly and directly condensed the steam in the clouds into ice particles.

Xu Laonian stood in the yard, a little dumbfounded. The yard of the old house was relatively small, and it only took more than ten minutes to sweep it. But the yard of the new house was too big, and even sweeping the aisle made the elderly Xu Laonian feel sore in the waist and legs.

"Oh, it's such a big yard, who can sweep it all... Just clear a meter wide space for people to pass through."

Xu Ning tilted his head and said, "Go talk to my mom, what are you talking to me about?"

"You really don't know how to chat. I was hoping you could let me in for a rest."

"Impossible! You want me and Brother Dong to clean such a big yard?"

Xu Laonian curled his lips and said, "This snow makes a rustling sound when I shovel it, as if it is ice chips..."

At this time, Xu Ning saw Lao Dongfeng parked in the open space at the gate of the courtyard, and an idea suddenly came to his mind.

"Dad, find two long wooden boards, use nails and wire to tie them into a herringbone shape, then find two ropes to tie to the back of the car. Sit on the herringbone-shaped wooden boards to hold down the car. When I drive, the snow on the street will be pushed to the sides."

Chen Hedong clapped his hands and said, "That's right! The provincial snow-clearing team all does it this way, it should be very convenient!"

Xu Laonian was a little doubtful and said, "Don't waste your time. Have you ever tried it? Just sweep your own yard."

"Why don't you believe me? Then Brother Dong and I will go fix the wooden boards, and you can just sweep the whole yard by yourself..."

After saying that, without waiting for Xu Laonian to answer, Xu Ning threw away the broom, pulled Chen Hedong's arm and went into the lower room.

Seeing this, Xu Laonian slapped his stomach in anger and said with gritted teeth, "I was tricked by this brat again! How damn hateful!"

Unfortunately, he caught a glimpse of Liu Lizhen standing in the plastic shed out of the corner of his eye, seemingly supervising him at work. Xu Laonian hurriedly lowered his head and mechanically swung the broom. When he saw Liu Lizhen enter the house, he straightened his back, hammered his arms, and sighed slightly.

Xu Ning and Chen Hedong, who had gone into the lower house, were also not idle. They first found two wooden boards about 1 meters long, stood them up and nailed them with hinges, and then fixed them with a few short wooden boards. A simple snowplow was made.

As the two men carried the V-shaped wooden board out of the lower house, Xu Laonian came over with vigorous steps.

"I knew you were going to do this. It's the same as a little locomotive clearing snow off the railway track."

After Xu Laonian finished speaking, Xu Ning smiled and said, "Then why don't you make one?"

"I am not willing to move."

Chen Hedong said with a smile: "Uncle Xu, why don't we sit in the back? It should be fun."

"I have to sit! I have to hold the line, otherwise how can I shovel the snow out?"

Then, Xu Laonian threw down the broom and went to Lao Wang's house to find Wang Erli and Wang Hu. The four of them pressed on the herringbone baffle, while Xu Ning drove the Lao Dongfeng from the bridgehead towards the east entrance of the village. The herringbone baffle swept away the snow particles, and the villagers who were sweeping the snow on the road saw that it was Lao Xu's family and smiled and waved to greet them, because this was indeed a good thing.

Liu Lizhen stood in the plastic shed and said, "These two are both very brave. They haven't even finished sweeping the snow in their yard yet, and now they're driving out to show off."

Wu Qiuxia smiled and said, "If the gentlemen want to play, then they can play. Big sister, are our pickled cabbages almost ready to eat? Shall we stew some in the evening?"

"Stewed sauerkraut is fine! I've been craving this for a long time. The last time I ate it was when I slaughtered a pig on the first day of Erning's wedding."

Meng Ziyan said: "This is what my sister-in-law is not at home. If she were at home, she would definitely be happy to eat it."

"Yeah, Juan'er has been feeling pretty proud these days."

Sun Lianfang continued, "Auntie, have you told my sister-in-law to eat less hawthorn rolls? My sister-in-law's mother said that it is not suitable to eat too much hawthorn. Eating too much will make you feel sour."

Liu Lizhen nodded: "I told her that she only eats four or five rolls a day."

In Qing'antun, Lao Dongfeng was driving slowly on the street. Xu Ning saw Xu Laonian sitting cross-legged on the fender through the rearview mirror. He came up with a bad idea. Before Xu Laonian could hold on firmly, he suddenly stepped on the brakes. Then he saw that the four people sitting on the fender all fell backwards into the snow piled up in front of them.

Xu Laonian struggled to stand up and shouted, "What are you doing? Bah! The snow particles are piercing my face..."

Wang Erli raised his head with red marks all over his face. He spat out a mouthful of snow water mixed with saliva and said, "Oh my god, this guy looks like he took a shower! Erning, you didn't do this on purpose, did you?"

Xu Ning opened the car door and looked out, wondering, "What's going on? There were two geese in front of me, and I braked to avoid them."

"You are just talking bullshit! Where is the goose? You little bastard, I'll let you do something bad! Get out of the car, I'll drive, and you sit in the back!"

Xu Laonian jumped out of the snow pile and was about to go straight to the driver's seat. Seeing this, Xu Ning quickly closed the door and grinned, "Aren't you happy to play? This is so beautiful. The whole village knows that you are good at playing in the snow."

Chen Hedong and Wang Hu were fine. They had been holding on to the tailgate tightly, fearing that Xu Ning would stop the car by braking. So the only ones who understood Xu Ning were his brothers.

Wang Hu smiled secretly and said, "Brother Dong, I told you that my second brother would do something bad. You can be right if you listen to me."

"No problem! Look at what we made for our uncles. Snow has filled their necks."

"It's not that bad..."

Xu Laonian couldn't open the car door no matter what he did, so he slapped the door out of anger. Then he thought that this car was quite valuable, so he used his sleeve to wipe the place where he had slapped, wiping off the palm-shaped water stain.

"Little boy, you're going home!"

Xu Ning was sitting in the car grinning, making Xu Laonian, who was sitting under the door, so angry that his cheeks were swollen.

Wang Erli quickly pulled him back and said, "Brother, Erning probably didn't do it on purpose, just pull him back."

"Not on purpose? I know what this kid smells like when he farts. How could he not do it on purpose?"

Xu Laonian was dragged back onto the baffle, and Wang Hu said, "Uncle, hold on tight, don't get stuck in the snow again."

"Get lost, none of you are fun to deal with. What good reputation can you gain by hanging out with this brat?"

At this moment, Xu Ning suddenly stepped on the accelerator, and Xu Laonian almost fell backwards again. He grabbed the edge of the wooden board and shouted, "Slow down! You little bastard, just wait for me! I will definitely beat you when we get home!"

Xu Ningke ignored those things and just stepped on the accelerator to drive forward, which frightened Xu Laonian so much that his hands and feet were in a panic, his eyes were trembling, and he kept cursing at the little bastard. After the main road of the village was cleared, Xu Laonian's cursing spread throughout the village. The people in the village just listened to it as a joke, and did not say that the father was not a good father and the son was not a good son, because the Xu family did a good thing, they had no time to praise it, how could they spread gossip.

It was nearly 7 o'clock when they got home. Xu Ning parked the car and rushed into the yard, heading straight for the north kitchen where Liu Lizhen was. Xu Laonian chased after him, shouting, "Stop, you little bastard! I won't cut you, I'll scratch your itch!"
Xu Ning turned a deaf ear to this and hid behind Liu Lizhen. Han Fengjiao and others hurriedly asked, "What's going on? Why did they suddenly start fighting?"

"I was joking with my dad, and he got angry! I will never play in the snow with him again."

Wu Qiuxia said, "You guys had a snowball fight? Oh my god, you're grown up, why are you still having a snowball fight?"

"Isn't this just reminiscing about childhood?" Xu Ning grinned.

At this moment, Xu Laonian had already hurried into the house from the plastic shed. Seeing Xu Ning hiding behind Liu Lizhen, he took off his shoes, picked them up and ran to the kitchen.

"You little bastard, don't run away if you dare! Just wait and see how I'm going to beat you today..."

Liu Lizhen pinched her waist and said, "What are you doing? What are you doing? You threw your shoes into the stove without wearing them! You are so excited that you didn't even sweep the snow in your yard, and you drove to the village to show off. This guy thinks you are capable."

Liu Lizhen started to criticize without any reason, leaving Xu Laonian speechless. He twisted his face and said, "Zhen, this little bastard is a bad guy. We were driving steadily, but he suddenly braked and pushed the four of us into the snow. Look at my neck, it's full of water!"

Xu Ning retorted: "There was a big goose in front of me, otherwise how could I have stepped on the brakes? Dad, you have to be reasonable..."

Just as Xu Laonian was glaring with anger and wanted to refute, Meng Ziyan calmly took out the Great Unity, stepped forward and pretended to stop Xu Laonian, but actually stuffed the Great Unity into his hands.

Xu Laonian glanced at him with his peripheral vision, his heart slightly moved, and then he said reluctantly: "Little bastard, I still say the same thing! Just wait, when your mother is not at home, we can have a good chat!"

"Hey, what are you doing, brother? Hurry up and wash your hands and take a rest. We both have to go to work later."

Wang Erli came into the room and tried to dissuade Xu Laonian. With the help of money, Xu Laonian reluctantly forgave him...

However, during breakfast, he was still picky about Xu Ning and provoked Xu Ning with words from time to time, but Xu Ning didn't say anything at all and was completely cold and violent. Xu Laonian clutched the money in his pocket and thought to himself: If my daughter-in-law hadn't given me the money, I would have skinned you alive today!
After Xu Laonian and Wang Erli went to work, Xu Ning, Chen Hedong, Wang Hu, and Li Fuqiang swept all the snow in the yard to the front vegetable garden.

It was past 9 o'clock and Xu Ning was at home with nothing to do, so he drank tea and watched TV. Televisions these days could only receive a few channels. The antenna of the TV was in the shape of an aluminum tube, which was given by the boss when he bought the TV. It could only receive one central channel and one provincial channel.

Chen Hedong was indeed a little homesick, so he asked whenever he had time: "It's snowing... Can your brother come back today?"

"Should be able to. I'm thinking of staying at home for one night."

"Then come with me to the military headquarters later, and I'll call your sister-in-law."

"Tell her when she'll be back?"

Chen Hedong nodded: "I guess so. The main reason is that my child's birthday is coming soon. As a father, I have left the child to my mother-in-law. I must go back for his birthday, otherwise my son will not recognize me."

"Hahaha, Dong Ge, you're a really shitty father! You should always play with your children, or chat with them. Look at me and my dad. We just have fun when we have nothing to do. That's called having a life!"

Chen Hedong laughed and said, "If my son were like you, I would wake up laughing in my dreams."

"Hey! Brother Dong, what do you mean..."

After saying this, everyone looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

Suddenly, the dog in the yard barked twice. Xu Ning wanted to look out through the glass window, but there was a layer of plastic sheet blocking his view, so he couldn't see who was coming.

Meng Ziyan went out to take a look and then called out, "Uncle Wei, Brother Feng! Come in quickly..."

Xu Ning stood up and went out to greet him. Hearing this, he heard Lao Wei ask, "Is Er Ning home?"

"It's in the west room..."

Xu Ning walked to the dining table and bumped into the two of them. He smiled and said, "Why are you two here together?"

"It's fate! I just finished beating pine cones, and Li Feng just finished burning Sanqi for his father. I happened to be free today..."

Xu Ning looked at Li Feng and asked, "Is your father already 37 years old?"

"OK."

"It's so fast. More than 20 days have passed in a blink of an eye."

Li Feng said with a smile: "It's getting old. I just don't have much fun staying at home. After the 37th day of the lunar month, I can finally go out and get some fresh air."

Old Wei looked at the plastic shed and said, "I heard that your family is the first to install a plastic shed. I want to learn from you. I heard that three rooms cost 32 yuan? It can't be cheaper."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "I wanted to tell you before that this plastic shed is relatively simple to install and not dangerous. You can discuss with my brother Liu to see if you can form an installation team yourself. From now on, Qing'an will be your responsibility."

Old Wei was stunned for a moment and said, "Ah, I can do this! Erning, thank you so much, you always think of me when there is something good."

"You're such a chatterbox. Our two families have been friends for so many years, so you should know each other's temperament and character. I've already talked to Brother Liu. If you're willing, I'll take you to see him."

"Yes! How could I not want to?" Old Wei grinned and smiled.

Li Feng continued, "Build a plastic shed for my house, too. I think Old Tang's house is pretty good."

"Okay, tomorrow they'll go to Taiping to install the plastic shed, and I'll take you two there then."

Old Wei nodded: "Okay... I picked up six sacks of pine cones on the mountain. I'll ask Hu Zi to ride his donkey to my house to get them. There are also two small bags of hazelnuts."

"Don't worry, it needs to be dried after it's fixed. The weather is not very good now..."

Li Feng suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, right, didn't the forest farm say they would organize a hunting expedition after the snow fell? Have you heard from them yet?"

"There should be news in the evening. What's the matter? Are you going into the mountains to hunt?"

Li Feng scratched his forehead and said, "My two brothers-in-law are in need of a helper when they go hiking, so they want me to form a gang with them."

"Get married. They are good at hunting, but they don't do anything else..."

Chen Hedong smiled at the end of the kang, thinking to himself: It's really surprising that the words "not caring about anything" can come out of your mouth.

Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu were not moved at all when they heard this. They were used to it and even warned: "Feng, if you follow Chang Xifeng into the mountains, you must be careful. Last time my brother saved their lives in Shetanggou, what did they do when they returned to the village? They almost sold my brother out!"

(End of this chapter)