Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 714 Congratulations, my youngest son is better than your father!
Hearing Yang Yusheng's earnest instructions, Xu Ning kept them in mind. He felt that he should talk to Yang Jun when he returned to the village. Currently, Yang Jun was in charge of buying timber for the five lumberyards. Sometimes he would haul two or three truckloads to the city, and sometimes he would haul one or two truckloads to the surrounding villages.

At the end of each year, strict targets are issued, and some people are made examples. If you know someone, you might escape punishment. But if you don't know anyone or your acquaintance isn't powerful enough, then sorry, you'll be punished or arrested as appropriate.

The purpose is to provide support to various units, and secondly, to warn them not to take things indiscriminately. If a deficit is incurred, then they will have to rob Peter to pay Paul, and in the long run, they could empty a treasure trove, which is a scenario that no one wants to see.

Xu Ning naturally understood the importance of this, and simply drank with Yang Yusheng before going upstairs to sleep.

The next day, he took Meng Ziyan to Jinlong Furniture Factory on Xishan Street. Zhang Jinbao was very happy to see him and hurriedly asked Li Fengxia to buy groceries. He had to have a couple of drinks with Xu Ning at noon, but Xu Ning had come to chat with him and he still had to go to the mall to buy some odds and ends later.

After he finished relaying Yang Yusheng's instructions, Zhang Jinbao immediately said that the timber factory's inventory was already full. After deducting the timber used for daily consumption, it was estimated that it could last for more than half a year. This was because the furniture factory was doing very well. People from nearby cities, counties, and villages would come to Jinlong Furniture to take a look when their children got married. Although some of the furniture was relatively expensive, there were too many wealthy people who were not actually there.

These people work every day, from 8 am to 5 pm. Their companies also give them some benefits during holidays. If two people in a family are employees, then the family's happiness level will reach the level of a well-off family. They have meat at every meal, and they have plenty of cotton clothes. They live a very comfortable life and are naturally happy to spend some money to buy some furniture to show off.

Zhang Jinbao took out the account book and discussed the accounts with Xu Ning, and also talked about the future development of the furniture factory. Xu Ning suggested that they should not mess around and that they should continue to develop along the current path.
We don't need to earn hundreds of millions, just enough to live comfortably. The bigger the business, the bigger the goals in our minds become, and if we can't control our ambitions, something bad is bound to happen!
Zhang Jinbao felt that Xu Ning's words made sense, so he nodded in agreement. He decided to follow the plan they had previously made and develop the business for four or five years first, to establish the Jinlong Furniture brand in Northeast China, and then to consider expanding southward.

Afterwards, Xu Ning and Meng Ziyan went to the mall, but there were no lotus seeds in the mall. After a quick stroll around and buying some snacks and hand cream, they went to the farmers' market and finally bought lotus seeds and yams. They also bought two pieces of pork liver and heart, as well as a pork leg, from a butcher shop. The butcher shop did not require a receipt.

Tickets are still useful in the city, for example, when buying grain, meat, cloth, or bicycles at state-run supply and marketing cooperatives and shopping malls. However, when buying things from individuals, they generally don't ask for them; they've come to believe that money is more important than tickets.

Back at the family dormitory, Wang Shujuan had already taken Xu Long, Yang Yusheng, Xu Feng, and Jin Yumantang's clothes out of the washing machine. Since she had difficulty moving around, Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang didn't sit idle either, hanging the clothes on the clothes rack next to the radiator.

Meng Ziyan placed the snacks she bought on the coffee table, so that Xu Feng and Jin Yumantang could eat them when they returned. Then they went out together, drove to a restaurant for a meal, and hurriedly headed home.

Around 4 o'clock, the car stopped in front of Lao Xu's house.

Hearing the commotion, Liu Lizhen pushed open the small door of the plastic shed and rushed into the yard. Her face looked a little off. She put her hands on her hips and said, "You little brat! Why didn't you call home yesterday? Your dad and I were so worried that we couldn't sleep until the middle of the night!"

Sun Lianfang followed behind, laughing and saying, "Look how worried my aunt is, her face has turned white."

Xu Ning jumped out of the car, turned around and laughed loudly: "Hahaha, wasn't I just thinking of giving you a surprise? How come you couldn't even wait a little while?"

"I can't wait! Juan'er, Yan, come on, let's go inside with Mom first, and ignore this brat."

Liu Lizhen, acting childish, grabbed her two daughters-in-law's wrists and led them into the house. Meng Ziyan turned and smiled at Xu Ning, while Wang Shujuan said, "Mom, don't be angry with him. I was really thinking of giving you a surprise."

"What surprise? What kind of surprise do I need at my age? I just want a straight answer, so your dad and I don't have to live in constant fear. This brat really deserves a beating!"

Meng Ziyan didn't know how to comfort her mother-in-law, so she just said, "Mom, guess if I'm having a girl or a boy?"

As they entered the reception room, Liu Lizhen looked down at her stomach, frowned, and said, "Could it really be twins, a boy and a girl?"

"They're twins, a boy and a girl!"

Wang Shujuan laughed and said, "Mom, they really are twins, a boy and a girl. That old Chinese medicine doctor examined them several times before he could confirm it."

"Oh my god, really? This is wonderful news! Juan'er is pregnant with my eldest grandson, and Yan is pregnant with my second grandson and eldest granddaughter... Oh my god, I seem to have all the good things in the world."

Liu Lizhen stood by the coffee table, grinning from ear to ear. Han Fengjiao, Wu Qiuxia, and others chimed in with a few words. Just as Liu Lizhen was about to speak, she saw Xu Ning carrying things into the room and rolled her eyes.

"Don't laugh. If you push me too far, I'll give you a good beating."

Xu Ning grinned and threw himself into Liu Lizhen's arms, saying, "You hit me, and I'm actually quite pleased with myself. So, why don't you hit me?"

"Get lost, I don't even want to look at you, what kind of crap are you holding?"

"I bought pork liver, lotus seeds, yams, and stuff like that. This bag contains pork hock and pig's trotters..."

"Why are you buying lotus seeds... Oh, are you buying them to nourish your wife and sister-in-law?"

Wang Shujuan said, "Mom, I can't take any more supplements now. The doctor said I'm over-nourished. Not only am I gaining weight, but the baby in my belly is also growing too big, making it difficult for him to come out when I give birth."

Meng Ziyan nodded: "Yes, Mom, the doctor specifically instructed that."

After watching her two daughters-in-law finish speaking, Liu Lizhen opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. At this moment, Xu Ning handed the things to Sun Lianfang and said, "Mom, you don't need to specially prepare eggs or anything for my sister-in-law and her husband. Just eat whatever you normally eat. These lotus seeds and yams are for Yan; the doctor said she has insufficient qi and blood..."

"Oh my god, why is she suffering from blood deficiency? Her face looked perfectly fine before," Liu Lizhen exclaimed.

Han Fengjiao said, "Sister-in-law, the smoke is probably caused by the two babies competing for nutrients in your new pregnancy. Don't worry, there's plenty of time. You can take your time to replenish your nutrients."

“My second aunt is right, what’s the rush?”

Liu Lizhen said, "I'm just worried something might happen. Have you told the doctor at the hospital that we'll be giving birth in the city?"

"Of course we have to say that. The doctor at the hospital is my brother Du's aunt. We have to call her Aunt Qu. She'll be the one to deliver the baby."

"Oh, okay! Go to the city and get something for your Aunt Qu, so she doesn't work for nothing."

"I know, of course I know. Do you think I can't figure out such a small thing?"

Liu Lizhen pretended to pinch his waist and rolled her eyes, saying, "You're really something."

After a round of laughter from everyone inside, Xu Ning lay down in the west room for a while before Xu Laonian and Wang Erli strode in.

As soon as he entered the house, Old Xu started yelling and fuming, "Where is that little brat? I'm going to teach him a lesson today, and nobody can stop me, I'm going to break his legs..."

No one in the living room or the north kitchen uttered a sound. Old Xu's face stiffened, and he felt as if he had been punched and kicked all over his body. This kind of cold violence was really embarrassing.

Fortunately, his good brother Wang Erli was behind him, nudging him and saying, "Brother, Erning is lying in the west room."

After saying that, Wang Erli turned around and asked, "Sister-in-law, is there any news yet?"

"Twins! A girl and a boy."

"Wow, this is going to be quite lively."

"..."

Seeing Wang Erli chatting with the old woman, Xu Laonian's face darkened. What a good brother! He turned around and betrayed him.

He blinked and entered the west room, where he saw Xu Ning lying on his side at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed) watching TV, while Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu sat on the edge of the kang. He immediately grinned and said, "Youngest son, congratulations! Now you have both a son and a daughter, better than your father!"

Wang Hu and Li Fuqiang, who were sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), couldn't help but burst into laughter. This made Xu Laonian's face turn pale, and he glared and pouted, saying, "What are you laughing at? Go help your aunt carry firewood! Hu Zi, you'd better hurry up too, you have to learn from your second brother. Look how quickly he got to his place..."

Wang Hu grinned uncontrollably, while Xu Laonian rolled his eyes and said, "You go out and gather firewood too! Annoying, when I want to say something heartfelt, why are you so rude?"

Li Fuqiang and Wang Hu left quickly, stopping at the north kitchen. Li Fuqiang, his face flushed, said, "Auntie, do you know what my uncle and my brother were talking about just now?"

"What are you talking about?"

Li Fuqiang laughed and said, "My uncle said, 'Congratulations, son! Now you have both a son and a daughter. You're better off than your father!'"

"Hahaha……"

Upon hearing this, the group in the north kitchen burst into laughter, almost lifting the roof off. The noise was so loud that it made Xu Laonian, who was sycophantically flattering Xu Laonian in the west room, blush with embarrassment.

Wang Erli laughed loudly: "How can my elder brother be so shameless? How could he say such a thing?"

"That good-for-nothing son of a bitch, he has no manners as a father at all." Liu Lizhen's chest heaved with anger.

"Hey, I think Big Brother's got quite a temper. Did he go drinking at the forest farm at noon?"

Wang Erli laughed and said, "Yeah, I drank yesterday and I'm still hungover."

In the west room, Xu Laonian paid no attention to what was being said outside, focusing intently on Xu Ning, grinning and saying, "Old man, you've got some skills now. I'm congratulating you, why don't you say anything?"

Xu Ning pretended to snore, which immediately broke Xu Laonian's defenses. He rushed forward and said, "Will you install another one for me? Hurry up and pay!"

"Haha, you're going to fight me, so I definitely can't give it to you. Stand at attention, here's a ten-yuan note, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Laonian immediately stood at attention and said, "I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

Xu Ning was amused by her father's actions and generously pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket, handing him a large denomination bill and asking with a smile, "You keep asking me for money in all sorts of ways, what are you after?"

"I can do whatever I want, it's none of your business."

Xu Laonian, who had accepted the money, immediately turned his back on him and said as he turned around, "Tell Jun not to haul any more timber out these days."

"I know, my third uncle also reminded me yesterday."

Old Xu stuffed the money into his pocket, went outside, and saw a group of people staring at him, making him feel uncomfortable. He just said with a forced smile, "This little brat just became a father. I'm just congratulating him. What's wrong with that?"

Wang Erli laughed and said, "Brother, you really have something important to say! Weren't you just arguing about cutting Erning down?"

"He's my son, I can do whatever I want with him!"

Xu Laonian stumbled and swayed to the east room, not daring to look at Liu Lizhen at all, for fear that the ten yuan in his pocket would be confiscated.

A moment later, Guan Lei returned in Yang Jun's car. Upon entering the house and hearing that his sister-in-law was pregnant with twins, he smiled and offered his congratulations.

Sun Lianfang said quietly, "You'll have to work harder from now on, otherwise by the time our brother and sister-in-law's kids are old enough to run errands, we won't even know where our own kids will be."

"Hey, this guy's got you all worked up. Just wait until tonight and see how I deal with him!"

Sun Lianfang snorted but didn't refute, thinking to herself that she didn't know who would beat whom, with her small frame, she could easily stuff her into a soy sauce vat.

Yang Jun arrived after dinner. Since marrying Sun Cuiping, he had been going home to eat and sleep every day. Lately, his complexion had become visibly pale, and his dark circles under his eyes were getting worse. It has to be said that at this age when his energy and mental strength are failing, he has encountered someone who can eat and drink to his heart's content...

After Xu Ning relayed Yang Yusheng's instructions, Yang Jun nodded solemnly and said, "Haitao said he'd be going home at the end of the month. He and Pan Yan have agreed that he'd take Pan Xiao back with him. He's asking if you can come along."

Xu Ning frowned and asked, "Why is he in such a hurry? How far have things progressed between him and Pan Xiao?"

"How would I know? Anyway, Pan Yan is quite satisfied with him, and I can tell that too. Mainly, she's satisfied with his family's financial situation."

Xu Ning nodded: "I'll go to Lengchang with you tomorrow morning and ask him what he's thinking."

Wu Haitao and Pan Xiao are dating. The question here refers to their future relationship; logically, he's only 19, he shouldn't be in such a rush…

"Is there a shortage of meat in Lengchang?"

"I was just about to tell you. We just finished eating last week, and we haven't found any meat for this week yet. If you have time, you can go and hunt a few."

"Alright, we'll go to Lengchang tomorrow. It's convenient since it's close to Lengchang."

"Yeah, I'll call a few people to pull it out when it's done."

As darkness fell, Li Feng, along with Da Laba, Lao Jiang, and others, came over for a visit.

Li Feng sat in the corner of the sofa, holding a teacup, and said, "These Chang brothers are really never quiet!"

Seeing that his expression was off and his tone was somewhat resentful and angry, Xu Laonian asked, "What's wrong with those two brothers?"

"Oh dear, my injuries are almost healed, and Chang Xifeng shamelessly went to my wife, saying that he and his brother have helped our family a lot over the years, and now they've spent a lot of money on medical treatment, so he wants my wife to give them some money."

The loudspeaker announced, "They want money? Do they need money? They've been hunting livestock all these years, and they're better off than my family."

"They're definitely well-off; they're just looking for an excuse to ask for money. They even said their gun was broken and they needed money to repair it... I'm really fed up. It's always something like this or that."

Wang Erli said, "Feng, don't get upset. It's really impossible to deal with these two brothers-in-law."

Li Feng laughed in anger as soon as he thought about the Chang brothers, and said, "Second Uncle, I really don't want to be like them. Why do you think they make up such excuses? It's not like their house is collapsing. My wife sees the two brothers like this and her heart softens, so she gives them 20 yuan. I don't dare to say anything."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Then what are you still saying? Even if their bones are broken, their tendons are still connected."

Liu Lizhen said, "Lihong is much kinder than her two brothers. She was just angry earlier..."

Old Jiang said, "I've heard a lot from the villagers lately. The reputation of the two Chang brothers is getting worse and worse. My daughter told me that their children are being bullied at school. Gao Yanhong has been to the school several times because of the fight between the children."

(End of this chapter)