Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 702: Lao Jiang gets married and Xiao Xu Pao is a driver with face

After the meal, the old women went home and hid the money. Xu Ning and others sat on the sofa drinking tea, while Meng Ziyan, Wang Shujuan, Sun Lianfang and Guan Hua were working on sewing machines in the second west room. It was now known that the two daughters-in-law of the old Xu family were going to have three children, so they thought about preparing more urine bags and spare clothes, especially small mattresses and quilts, in case the children wet them and did not change them.

Hearing that Xu Ning had returned from the city, Da Laba, Li Feng, Yang Jun and Lao Jiang all came to visit Lao Xu's home in the afternoon. As tomorrow was Lao Jiang and Zhou Hui's wedding day, Lao Jiang told Xu Ning that he wanted to use Lao Dongfeng and asked Xu Ning to be the driver to pick up the bride in Yongpingtun tomorrow.

Xu Ning naturally didn't say anything. Even if Lao Jiang didn't say anything, as a junior he should have rushed forward.

Old Jiang suddenly asked why Wang Biao didn't come back. Only then did Xu Ning notice Old Jiang's attitude. Jiang Qiu'er and Wang Biao were still young, and they shouldn't think too far ahead. However, judging from how much Old Jiang cared about Wang Biao, he already regarded Wang Biao as his brother-in-law.

Han Fengjiao heard this and said, "So why don't we call him now and ask him to come back?"

Lao Jiang waved his hand: "Forget it if he doesn't come back."

Xu Ning said with a smile: "He will come back with my brother in the evening and will leave after you finish your work tomorrow."

"Ah, I thought he wasn't coming back."

Li Feng said, "What do we say tomorrow? Do we need to tidy up the house?"

"We have to clean up a little bit. Today, we have cleaned up every household, even the dust in the cracks of the windows."

Liu Lizhen pinched her waist and said, "Why don't you just open your mouth? There are many people in our family, and two of us can clean it up. Why do we have to let Xiaoqiu clean it up by himself?"

"Not much to do... bring all your dishes and plates to my place tonight, so you don't have to deal with it tomorrow morning."

"Okay, what time do you want to pick up the bride tomorrow morning?"

"It's about 7:20. It takes less than minutes to drive from here to Yongping."

Yongpingtun is relatively close to the street, but is far from Qing'antun.

At this time, Meng Ziyan and Wang Shujuan led Sun Lianfang, Xu Feng and others out of the second west room, said hello to Liu Lizhen, and went to Lao Jiang's house to find Xiaoqiu.

Yang Jun crossed his legs and said, "Can we go to Yongping to pick up the bride with just one car? If not, we can go with two cars."

The loud speaker nodded: "There's nothing wrong with driving two cars, it's a pair!"

"Hahaha, no problem. We need to clean up the trunk. There's still blood in it."

Xu Ning stood up and said, "Then don't just stand there, hurry up and grab your weapons."

Then, everyone took rags and brooms to wipe the car, clear the debris in the car, and put two rows of wooden boards in the back of the car to serve as seats. Red cloth strips were tied to the rearview mirror, but there was no rush to hang the big red flower on the front of the car, as there would be enough time to hang it tomorrow morning.

Shortly after Meng Ziyan, Wang Shujuan and others came back, the fire in the north kitchen had just been lit when the sound of a car was heard outside the yard. A Jeep 212 stopped in front of the door, and then Xu Long, Wang Biao and others got off the car one after another.

Lao Jiang was very happy to see Wang Biao, because Wang Biao had indeed changed a lot during the days when he went out to work as an apprentice. He used to be sloppy, but now he is well-behaved. Although his skin color has become darker, he has become stronger and taller, and looks much more serious than before.

Xu Feng grabbed Jiang Qiu'er and chatted with him, while Jiang Qiu'er would glance at Wang Biao from time to time.

In Xu Ning's impression, after Wang Biao and Jiang Qiu'er got married, their life was neither hot nor cold. Wang Biao was arrogant and had high expectations but poor skills. If no one took care of him, he would be mediocre all his life. Jiang Qiu'er took care of the housework and the children. Even if Wang Biao didn't make any money, she had no complaints because she also had a job...

Xu Ning asked Wang Hu to drive up the mountain to pick up Liu Daming, Guan Lei and others. When they went down the mountain, they happened to meet Xu Laonian and Wang Erli walking on the street.

"Brother, you have to stay with your mother tomorrow."

Xu Laonian nodded: "Okay! Are you two still going to do the ceremony or something?"

"No, we are both so old, and this is our second marriage, it would be troublesome to make it so complicated, it's better to just have everyone get together and have a good meal and drink."

"Then let Lao Yu and Lao Chang write the gift account tomorrow."

"Yeah, I've already told them both."

Why did Lao Jiang write a gift account for his wedding, but Yang Jun didn't? The reason is that Lao Jiang is a local resident of Qing'an Village. If he wants to do something, people he knows in the village must come. If there are too many people, he can't remember them all, so writing a gift account is inevitable.

Yang Jun is a junior, and all those who come to his wedding are elders. The number of people of the same generation can be counted with two hands, so there is no need to keep a gift account on the spot. He only needs to find a book to record it when he and Sun Cuiping count the money in the evening.

In the evening, everyone gathered at Old Xu's house to toast and chat. The dishes were bought by Old Jiang. He gave Xu Long 100 yuan and told him to spend it all. He didn't have much money now, so he could still take out 1000 yuan.

From this we can also see that for gentlemen, having money and having no money are two different concepts with a huge difference. Those without money have to bend over when walking, while those with money can even wish they could poke a hole in the sky!
After dinner, clear the table.

The group didn't chat until midnight and went home at around 8 o'clock.

But before leaving, Lao Jiang pulled Xu Ning aside and whispered, "Give me some tiger blood wine tomorrow night?"

"Oh, I would have forgotten if you hadn't told me. I'll go and decorate it for you now..."

"No, no, no, it's not good if the children see it. Give it to me secretly tomorrow."

"Okay! Uncle Jiang wants another one?"

Lao Jiang's face turned red: "Don't talk nonsense, I'm not that old anymore."

He and Zhou Hui are both nearly 40 years old, and Zhou Hui is unable to give birth, but normal needs still have to be met. As the saying goes: You don't know if there is water underground unless you knock it twice.

In the west room, Meng Ziyan was kneeling on the kang with her butt sticking out and covered with the quilt. Xu Ning was standing on the ground, looking at her from behind and smiling. Ever since she became pregnant, Xu Ning felt that she was becoming more and more mature, and her figure was becoming more and more plump, not as skinny as before.

Meng Ziyan noticed him entering the house, looked back and said, "After Uncle Jiang and Aunt Zhou got married, how can Aunt Zhou go to work on the street?"

"Uncle Jiang will pick me up on his bike..."

Normally, the couple can talk about anything, and they can talk all day long about family matters.

After they both crawled into bed, they pulled the light cord, lay on their sides and talked in a low voice.

At the moment, they were sleeping with two blankets, because Xu Ning was restless when he slept, and he was afraid that he would dream about hunting in the mountains and kick Meng Ziyan...

When I woke up, it was still dark outside the window.

However, the sound of pot lids scraping against the wall could be heard in the north kitchen. Liu Lizhen, Han Fengjiao, Wu Qiuxia and Yang Shuhua were all busy.

Xu Ning tore off two newspapers and ran to the toilet. When he came back, Wang Hu, Li Fuqiang, Da Laba and others had already gathered in the reception room.

I glanced at the clock and it was already 6:08.

The old woman brought the cooked food to the table, pointed at the lunch box on the stove, and said, "Son, go and give your uncle Jiang and his two sons something to eat."

Wang Biao ran over and said, "I'll go! Auntie, I'll go!"

"Then why don't you take a bite first?"

"No, give me another lunch box. Uncle Jiang and I will eat together." Liu Lizhen served him the meal and instructed, "Tell Uncle Jiang not to worry. We will be there soon."

"Yeah, I know."

After everyone finished their breakfast and put down their chopsticks, they got up and went about their business.

For example, he had to drive a donkey home to carry the table and benches, and put the bowls, chopsticks and plates into a large aluminum basin, which would then be delivered directly to Lao Jiang's house.

Xu Ning, Xu Laonian, Wang Erli, Li Fuqiang, Wang Hu, and Liu Daming drove to the gate of Lao Jiang's house. They were all going to pick up the bride, while the rest would stay at home to help with the housework.

After tying a big red flower on the front of the car, Lao Jiang saw that the time was almost up, so he discussed with Xu Laonian when to leave.

"Odd numbers go to pick up the bride, and even numbers return. There are four of us, me, your second brother, Daming, and Guoxing. You have to arrange for one more person."

Lao Jiang was stunned and asked, "Where are Erning and Qiangzi?"

"They are drivers, not human beings."

Xu Ning said unhappily: "What are you talking about? Today is my uncle Jiang's big day, I'm going to give you some face, you can go home!"

"Oh my... are you trying to provoke me? Do you believe I can slash you in front of everyone?"

"I do not believe!"

Xu Laonian was about to rush over when he heard this, but was stopped by Wang Erli: "Brother, stop making trouble, and help Jiang Er figure out who to let go."

"Let Biao go with him."

After Lao Jiang finished speaking, Wang Erli was stunned and asked in surprise: "What do you want him to do?"

"Brother, Xiaoqiu can't go, so we have to let Biao be the representative. That's it."

Old Jiang turned around and shouted twice towards the house, and Wang Biao rushed out, "What's the matter, Uncle Jiang?"

Wang Erli said with a sullen face: "Your uncle Jiang asked you to go with him to pick up the bride, so behave yourself over there and don't let Erzheng down!"

"Oh mom...it's OK! Uncle Jiang, don't worry. Although I'm still not as good as my second brother in speaking and doing things, I can still chat with most people."

Lao Jiang was very happy and said with a smile: "Okay, let's get in the car quickly."

Then, they drove two cars towards Yongping Village. After a bumpy ride, they arrived in Yongping before 8 o'clock. However, they did not enter the village immediately. They waited at the entrance of the village for five or six minutes and finally drove to the door of Lao Zhou's house in time.

There were dozens of people watching the fun at the door. When the car was 10 meters away from the door, two people holding wooden poles with small whips hanging on their heads lit their cigarette butts, and suddenly there was a crackling sound.

A thick smoke rose in the fresh air, and a smell of gunpowder was inhaled into the nose, which was really choking.

"Oh my god! Brother-in-law, you're finally here. My sister has been wondering why you haven't come yet..."

There are quite a lot of people in the Zhou family. When Xu Ning heard this man calling Lao Jiang "brother-in-law", he thought he was Zhou Hui's younger brother, but he didn't expect that he was actually her brother-in-law.

Lao Jiang jumped out of the car and greeted them with a grin, and then Lao Zhou's family welcomed Xu Ning, Xu Laonian and others into the yard.

Then there was a knock on the door. After everyone entered the house, Lao Jiang solemnly introduced Xu Laonian, Wang Erli and others to Lao Zhou's family.

When the Zhou family heard that it was the Xu family from Qing'an, they suddenly felt something strange in their hearts. It was not jealousy, but envy.

Because the Xu family is very famous in Qing'an area, especially Little Xu Pao, the Zhou family was quite surprised to learn that Little Xu Pao drove for Old Jiang. This shows that the Xu and Jiang families get along very well, otherwise how could such an awesome person like Little Xu Pao drive for Old Jiang?
"This guy, this is my first time seeing Xiao Xu Pao, he's even more handsome than people say!"

Xu Ning waved his hand and smiled: "My uncle Jiang is the most handsome today!"

"No problem... That's a nice thing to say."

Xu Ning and others sat on stools eating melon seeds and drinking tea. Lao Jiang went into the east room to serve tea to Zhou Hui's parents. Although both of them were remarried and were nearly 40 years old, they went through all the necessary procedures. Because the Zhou family attached great importance to this matter, Lao Jiang naturally could not shirk it because of the trouble.

It was not until 9 o'clock that Lao Jiang carried Zhou Hui out of the house. She was wearing a red coat with a black sweater underneath. This was all very particular...

There were 11 people in the Zhou family who went to Qing'antun, and the two cars were just enough to accommodate them.

It was nearly 10 o'clock when they returned to Qing'an. After entering the house, Lao Jiang introduced Lao Zhou's family to him.

At this moment, more than 40 people had gathered in the yard and the house. Yu Kaihe and Chang Danian were sitting at the table at the door of the house writing the gift account. Xu Ning had nothing to do, so he sat down and drank some tea.

Chang Danian asked: "How do you feel about killing the big cat?"

"What other mood can I be in? I feel great!"

"Hahaha, you're quite capable. Didn't you leave some big cat meat?"

Xu Ning spoke the truth: "I didn't dare to keep more, so I only kept more than three pounds. The rest, including the intestines and stomach, were sent to the city. I still have some frozen meat at home. I'll ask my mother to fry it one day and invite you to come and have a taste."

"Okay! That tiger blood wine is pretty good. Your dad brought me a pot. It just tastes a bit fishy..."

"I've already poured a lot of wine into this, and I thought about throwing some rock sugar in it, but my dad said it was a waste of food."

"Don't throw in the rock sugar, the original flavor is the most effective!"

"Well, when I have time I have to go to the province to get some for my uncle Xu to try. He has been running around in the mountains all his life and has never drunk tiger blood wine?"

"Yeah, he did drink it. He was young at that time, and we didn't have a very good relationship. A big cat jumped out of their side, and was later shot to death by a group of bandits with machine guns. He tried a bowl of it and told me that he felt dizzy and fell asleep after drinking it. When he woke up the next day, he touched the quilt and found it was all wet. He thought he had wet himself, but it turned out to be sweat!"

"Hahaha, this thing really works. My dad and the others couldn't sleep the whole night after drinking it."

Chang Danian nodded: "Yeah..."

At this time, Lao Jiang came out of the house and handed Xu Ning a red envelope, saying with a smile: "Er Ning, it's unfair to be a driver."

"Oh my god, Uncle Jiang keeps saying this. Why should I feel wronged? There is a red envelope here."

"Hurry up and take it. Why don't you accompany my brother-in-law to drink at noon? Let Brother Chang and your father accompany your Aunt Zhou's uncles..."

"Row!"

Steam was coming out of the two stoves outside the yard, and a rooster and fish were stewing in the pots. Yang Shuhua and others were cooking on the stove in the outer room.

Du Shoucai and Du Manzhi had already arrived. They were entertaining Zhou's family in the house. They had to bring two gifts. Why? Because Du Manzhi and Zhou Hui were colleagues!

(End of this chapter)