Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 740 Educating Xu Feng: Family Trivial Matters and Quarrels
It was Xu Ning's decision to transfer Xu Feng to study in the city. At first, Xu Lao Nian was somewhat unwilling, feeling that it was making his eldest daughter suffer in the city. However, when the report card and award certificate were placed on the table, Xu Lao Nian was extremely excited. You should know that there is a fundamental difference between being the first in the junior high school group in the city and being the first in Qing'an Forestry Farm School.

Xu Feng's family never expected her to get first place. They thought she was struggling academically because of her sudden transfer to another school. The result was a pleasant surprise.

At this moment, the exam papers for the city's junior high schools have been approved. The teachers are proctoring and grading the papers at the same time. The report cards will be available on the evening of the day the students finish all the exams, but the results have not yet been announced to the students. They will have to wait until the return to school day 12 days later.

However, Lao Qian's wife was a high school teacher, so she was qualified to get the report cards back first. She also helped Xu Feng and Jin Yumantang get leave to return to school, which is why she was able to get the report cards ahead of time.

Li Jinyu and Li Mantang's grades weren't bad either; one got third place in their grade and the other got sixth. Li Fuqiang and Yang Shuhua were extremely happy. Although Li Fuqiang, the father, wasn't good at expressing himself, he hugged and kissed his children twice. The children were so embarrassed that they quickly wiped the saliva off their faces and snuggled into Yang Shuhua's arms.

That evening, Old Xu, sipping his wine and crossing his legs, boasted, "It still has to be my eldest daughter. If she gets into university, she'll bring glory to the whole family! Haha..."

Wang Erli laughed and said, "Feng'er has been smart since she was little. Getting into university is a piece of cake for her."

"Hey, hey, don't rush to conclusions. My youngest son may not be a good person, but he's alright at getting things done... What's that saying? Don't rush to show off things that haven't come to fruition yet. It's like a car race. If you celebrate before you've even crossed the finish line, what if you break down 10 meters before the finish line?!"

"Look at my brother-in-law, he's really good at chatting!" Liu Daming grinned.

Liu Lizhen said with a smile, "Feng'er's transfer to another school is all thanks to my youngest son. Otherwise, how could she have achieved such good results? I also have to thank Xiao Qian's wife. If she hadn't helped take care of Feng'er and the other two, they wouldn't have been able to get such good grades."

"Of course, Auntie. We were having dinner at a restaurant the other day, and I made a point of toasting Old Qian's wife. Don't worry, our family won't let you down."

Xu Ning nodded and said, "Yes, you don't need to worry about Lao Qian. Speaking of which, Feng, even though you got first place, you can't be arrogant..."

"My eldest daughter got first place in the whole grade, can't she be proud? Why should she be!" Old Xu said unhappily.

Liu Lizhen glared and said, "My youngest son is chatting with his younger sister, what are you doing interrupting? Is this how you act as a father?!"

"No, it's not like I'm going to let myself show off when I finally get a chance to shine..."

Xu Feng pouted and said, "Dad, your thinking is wrong. My second brother is advising me to stay humble and strive for even greater achievements! How can you stop me from making further progress?"

Wang Erli said, "Hahaha, that's right, Feng'er's chatter is spot on. Big brother, listen to what Feng'er is saying, oh my, I think she's better than both of us."

Xu Laonian's expression shifted between light and dark, and he said with a grim face, "They're definitely stronger than the two of us."

His reason for being sad was that his eldest daughter actually viewed the issue from a third-party perspective, without siding with her second brother or speaking up for him.

Xu Ning was very satisfied with her younger sister; the fact that she could say such things was enough to show that she had grown up.

"Second brother, last time I brought some loach and trevally for the teacher, and he really enjoyed them. When would you like to take me to Little Stone River to catch some more?"

Xu Ning was taken aback, rubbed the back of the girl's head, and asked, "You're still giving away freebies?"

"Hmm, I see..."

Xu Ning interrupted her on the second half of her sentence and advised, "Feng'er, it's good that you have this idea, it shows respect for your teacher, but you can't give gifts like this. Last time you came back during a holiday, what reason do you have to go to the city this time? You even made a special trip to the city just to give him this little thing, he'll have some thoughts about that, he'll think you're young but cunning, understand?"

Listening to Xu Ning's lecture to his younger sister, no one interrupted, and they all felt that what he said made some sense.

Xu Feng nodded thoughtfully, "Then I'll give him some more when school starts."

Xu Ning shook his head: "Does he even know where he's from?"

"I know him, he's from the city, but I think his wife is from Qingshan."

“You’re on holiday, and he’s on holiday too. He’ll definitely be staying at his wife’s house for a couple of days. You don’t need to bring him anything this time. Just bring whatever you need from our house.”

"Oh, that's fine too, as long as you don't come empty-handed."

Xu Laonian pursed his lips and muttered, "Is this how you teach your little sister?"

"How can we teach her? If she can figure these things out, and with her grades, what can't she do in the future?"

Liu Lizhen changed the subject: "Hey, let's eat quickly. There are big bones here, hurry up and gnaw on them. It's a golden feast, you two can hug each other and gnaw on them."

Li Fuqiang said, "There's a pile of bear meat here; your aunt specially saved it for you."

Liu Daming laughed and said, "Mantang seems to have gotten quite robust. How's the food in the city?"

“That’s great, Uncle. We’ll eat out all the time.”

"Wow, the food here is better than at home."

Li Mantang laughed and said, "I feel that it's not as good as home. If I had a choice, I would still prefer to eat the dishes cooked by my aunt and my mother."

"Oh my god, hahaha, Mantang has really gotten along well with Feng'er, he's got a whole bunch of sweet talk."

"Okay! That's how you should chat. As long as you have a sweet tongue, you can find food anywhere."

Li Fuqiang and Yang Shuhua smiled happily. What kind of child was Jin Yumantang before?

He used to be quiet, reserved, and a bit insecure, but now he's not only more outgoing but also speaks a lot. The change is quite remarkable.

The atmosphere at home with children is really different; it's noisy and bustling from morning till night.

Xu Feng was beaten with a broom handle by Liu Lizhen just two days after returning home. The reason was that she imitated Xu Ning when he was a child and poked the only living roe deer in the buttocks with a fire poker!

Enraged, Liu Lizhen chased after him and hit him twice, but he finally calmed down when Wang Shujuan and Meng Ziyan protected him behind her. When Xu Ning returned home and heard about this, he laughed so hard that his cheeks were stiff from laughing.

When Liu Lizhen heard him laugh, she pointed at him and said, "You learned it all from you! How dare you laugh?"

Xu Ning didn't say anything. His mother had been in a bad mood lately, so he said a few words to Xu Feng to calm her down.

"Second brother, I heard that Gao Yanhong and Zhang Yan took their child back to their parents' home. The Chang brothers are always going to Brother Feng's house to freeload, they're shameless."

Xu Ning frowned and said, "Don't go asking about things in the village."

"I didn't ask around. I just heard it from Aunt Bai before I went to the convenience store. It seems that Brother Feng and Sister-in-law Li Hong had a big fight, and it looks like they had two battles in a row."

Xu Ning turned his head and asked, "Tiger, have you seen Brother Feng these past two days?"

"No, he hasn't come over these past two days either."

Xu Feng continued, "I haven't seen Uncle Jiang for several days either. He's been pushing his cart and selling meat by himself these past two days. Aunt Jiang had some work to do at her workplace and has been staying at her parents' house for four days."

Xu Ning laughed upon hearing this, "You're almost like an information broker. How do you know everything that's going on in the village?"

"I just heard about it. Yesterday, I took Baozhu to visit Chang Xiaobao, and Grandpa Chang even said that you should go visit him when you have time."

"You told me yesterday? Why did it take you so long to tell me?"

Xu Feng said with a bitter face, "Every day, my head is full of things and information. I have to filter them, and then I forget them."

"You stay home, I'm going to go chat with Grandpa Chang for a while."

Wang Hu stood up: "Second Brother, shall I go with you?" "No need, I'll ride my donkey backwards by myself."

Xu Ning picked up his coat, put it on, walked into the yard, mounted his donkey, started the vehicle, and left the house.

The Xu family used to live in the old house, which wasn't far from the Chang family. But since they moved to the north, the distance has become quite far. It takes about 15 minutes to walk there without riding a donkey.

When Xu Ning arrived at Lao Chang's house, Li Baoquan was chopping firewood in the yard. Xu Ning greeted him and went inside.

"uncle."

Chang Danian sat up from the kang (a heated brick bed). "Hey! You're here, buddy."

Xu Ning glanced around the house and, noticing that Chang Juan and Chang Xiaobao were not there, asked, "Is my sister Juan not home?"

"I took Xiaobao to visit some neighbors on the front street."

Xu Ning sat on the edge of the kang and said, "Feng'er just told me that you asked me to come over when I had time, but the little girl forgot about it."

"Haha, it wasn't anything much to do. I was just thinking of asking you to find some work for your brother-in-law."

"Huh? My brother-in-law isn't... What happened? Sir, just tell me what's wrong."

Chang Danian sighed and said, "Your sister and he are arguing. Ugh, it's making me so upset."

"What's wrong?"

"It's just a small, trivial matter. Your sister is quite assertive, and your brother-in-law used to always give in to her, but now he's not so willing to indulge her anymore..."

"Ah, I understand. You want them to separate for a while? Sir, that's not appropriate. They're a married couple. What's wrong with a little argument? If they live separately, won't their relationship become weaker and weaker?"

Chang Danian pondered for a moment, “What you said makes some sense, but they haven’t spoken for five or six days. They’re both stubborn, what can I do? They’re both quite old, can I really lay a hand on them? Besides, ever since your brother-in-law came to our house, he’s been very kind to me, and he’s been devoted to your sister. He’s even better than my own son! My own son sometimes talks back to me, but he’s never talked back to me.”

“I know my brother-in-law is a very honest man, but I still don’t recommend that they separate. It won’t solve anything, and it will only make things more complicated.”

Chang Danian frowned and said, "Seeing the two of them like this all the time makes my heart ache! I can't even say anything about it."

"Then why don't you come stay at my place for a couple of days?"

"Come on, what kind of place would it be if someone with children came to your house? Wouldn't the villagers laugh at us if they knew?"

"Hey grandpa, tell me the truth, do you want to go up the mountain?"

Chang Danian was taken aback, then laughed and said, "How do you know everything? I'm just going up the mountain for a couple of days to relax. They can fight all they want at home. Out of sight, out of mind."

"Okay! When would you like to go? I'll arrange a place for you."

"I'm leaving now. I don't want to stay even a second longer."

Xu Ning thought for a moment and nodded: "Then pack your things and I'll take them to my Uncle Ma's place. You two can also invite Old Zhao and Old Yang to have some drinks."

"Okay! I'll pack my things now. You can go back and drive. Hey, before you leave, say a few words to your sister and brother-in-law. I'll have the security guard call her back."

"I understand, I know what to say."

Xu Ning then left in a huff, ignoring Li Baoquan who was chopping firewood in the yard.

After he left, Li Baoquan went inside and saw Chang Danian tidying up bedding, teacups, and other things. His expression changed, and he hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, asking, "Dad, what are you doing?"

Chang Danian said with a dark face, "I don't want to look at you two. I'm leaving! Out of sight, out of mind. Get lost, or I'll beat you up if you try to stop me."

Li Baoquan let go of her hand, stood there stunned for two or three seconds, then hurriedly ran out of the house and rushed to the front street to call Chang Juan back.

"Dad, where have you been?" Chang Juan asked breathlessly, clearly having run back, but Chang Xiaobao was nowhere to be seen.

Chang Danian remained silent, but Chang Juan said anxiously, "Hey, I won't argue with him anymore, okay? You're so old, where can you go? Stop making a fuss."

"It's none of your business! Do whatever you want, I'd rather be driven crazy. You've only had a few good days and you don't know how to appreciate them."

"Dad, please stop! I was wrong, okay?"

Chang Danian tied the bedding with a rope and placed it on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). He turned to the young couple and said, "Who doesn't have disagreements in life? Even the upper and lower lips sometimes fight, let alone a married couple. You two should think about it yourselves."

Hearing the sound of a car outside, he picked up his bedding and dashed out. Li Baoquan and Chang Juan tried to stop him, but were pushed aside.

"Oh dear, Dad..."

Seeing Xu Ning enter through the door, Chang Juan smiled and said, "Er Ning is here! Where are you going, your grandpa?"

Xu Ning said calmly, "Take my uncle to Lengchang to stay for a while. It's not very interesting for him to stay in the village. Sister Juan, you don't need to worry about it."

"No, is there any room in Lengchang? Erning, you should try to persuade your uncle, he's quite old..."

Xu Ning took Chang Danian's bedding and threw it into the carriage. He turned around, walked back, and waved his hand, saying, "Sister Juan, there are some things I shouldn't have said, but what you and my brother-in-law did was too much."

"Why did you two have to drag my uncle into this mess? It's making him feel like he's in a bind! Is this what children should do? You know my uncle is quite old, so why don't you just put on a show and make up with my brother-in-law? Look how angry you've made him, his little face is all yellow and sallow!"

“Originally, I wanted him to stay at my house for a couple of days, but he said he was afraid the villagers would laugh at us because we have children. So I took him to Lengchang to stay for a while so he could relax. Otherwise, he would always be cooped up at home, having to live under your thumbs.”

"Sister Juan, I may have been a bit harsh, but that's just how it is. What couple doesn't argue? Look at Huang Guoxing and his wife, they're always fighting and arguing, but they're not like you two..."

Chang Juan and Li Baoquan stood inside the door, their heads bowed in embarrassment at Xu Ning's words, and dared not step forward to stop her.

Xu Ning knew he was an outsider, but he had already made a deal with Chang Danian, and as an outsider, he should say this; otherwise, Chang Juan and Li Baoquan would never wake up.

"Grandpa, take it easy."

"Let's drive away."

After Xu Ning got into the car and drove off, Chang Danian and Xu Ning looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haha, you're really hitting the nail on the head, that's exactly how it should be said!"

After laughing, Xu Ning pouted and said, "Grandpa, this time I'm the bad guy, you're the one who killed two birds with one stone."

"Haha, I'm killing three birds with one stone, you understand?"

"What's wrong?"

"Let them reflect on their own. My reasons are twofold: first, I want to find some peace and quiet; second, I want to live in the mountains where I can find men to drink with; and third, Xiao Bao is too demanding, and I really can't handle him."

"Hahaha, grandpa, you are this guy!"

(End of this chapter)