Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 747 "I beg you to lend me money" made Er Ning cry.
Down the leeward slope, the five people sat around the fire, devouring roasted bear meat and food. Why the black bear hadn't come out when it called for help remained a mystery. Xu Ning and the others didn't want to dwell on it. Whatever the reason the black bear hadn't come out, as long as the outcome was good, that was enough.

After they finished eating, they began packing their things and hurried to leave Laoniugou, which was quite far from Dongbeicha. Even though they had started their journey around noon with Heixiazi, it was almost 4 p.m. when they arrived at Dongbeicha.

Back home, Xu Ning handed the bear bile to his mother to dip in water, while Da Laba and Li Fuqiang skinned and butchered the bear. Since Xu Ning hadn't hunted a bear in a long time, all the fat from this bear was left to render oil. He left a bear paw and 40 jin of meat with bones for Yongfeng's brother. Xu Ning then divided the remaining meat into several pieces and sent them to Yu Kaihe, Chang Danian, Du Shoucai, and others.

After resting at home for a day, Xu Ning called Guan Lei down the mountain and asked him to go to Wangxing with him. Chai Bing called again, saying that Sun Lianfang and Sun Lianjun were going back to Sandaohe and would be staying in Wangxing for two days. Guan Lei could go back to Sandaohe with Sun Lianfang.

Except for Li Fuqiang, who stayed at home, almost everyone else took a car. Xu Ning didn't have much to give, so he took some bear meat, venison, and roe deer meat. The venison was bought; there was no other way, you have to spend money to show goodwill.

Upon arriving in Wangxing, Chai Liangyu personally came out to greet Xu Ning, which showed his fondness for him. Chai Shao, Chai Feng, and Chai Bing were all waiting at home, and the children were very affectionate towards Xu Ning, calling him "Uncle Xu" repeatedly...

Sun Lianfang and Sun Lianjun arrived early in the morning, but they didn't get to eat a proper meal. They only had a couple of bites of instant noodles and a fried egg.

Because there were too many people in the house, Chai Liangyu let the children play in the courtyard while they chatted about everyday things inside.

Xu Ning's purpose for this trip was twofold: first, to visit Chai Liangyu, and second, to help Wang Xing hunt livestock, which was basically the same as last year.

"Brother, this bag contains things that Huang Guoxing gave to his older brother Huang Guofu. I don't know where he lives. Could you take me to deliver it to him?"

Chai Shao waved his hand: "Why send it to him? Let him come and get it himself. He's not some big shot. I don't have to serve him."

Upon hearing this, Chai Liangyu glared at him: "Look at how incompetent you are! Didn't Er Ning make it clear that Huang Guoxing asked him to do something, so he has to do it personally? You even had Guo Fu come and pick it up? Is that the right thing to do?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Haha, grandpa, aren't my brother and Huang Guofu sworn brothers? They're brothers, so it's normal for them to talk like this."

Chai Liangyu pursed his lips: "He can't tell the inside from the outside anymore."

Chai Shao was a little embarrassed and didn't say anything in rebuttal, only smiled.

However, everyone inside was familiar with the way the Chai family talked, just like the Xu family, and no one meant to make fun of them.

After saying that, Chai Shao and Xu Ning drove to Xingguan and delivered the things to Old Huang's house. Huang Deli was somewhat surprised when he heard the reason.

"Wow, Guoxing and his wife are living a pretty good life now, aren't they? These two outfits aren't cheap at all."

Chai Shao laughed and said, "I heard from Er Ning that Guo Xing went into the mountains with him the other day and killed a black bear. He also sells livestock meat in Qing'an and makes some money every day."

“Ah, now that he’s living a good life, I won’t worry about him anymore. When he came here last year, I told him that if all else failed, he could try working with Guofu for a couple of days. But he insisted that his wife and children were in Qing’an and he couldn’t leave them alone.”

"Yeah, my older brother is quite family-oriented..."

Xu Ning and Chai Shao chatted at Lao Huang's house for half an hour before hurrying home.

It was already past 1:30, so don't blame the Huang family for not keeping us for a meal; they had already eaten lunch long ago.

When the food at Lao Chai's house was served, everyone started toasting and chatting about interesting things.

As evening approached, the table was cleared, and Chai Liangyu, holding a teacup, said, "Er Ning, this year we don't need to hunt too many, just aim for 1000 jin."

Chai Shao nodded: "Now everyone in the village can buy pork without ration coupons, so the demand for wild boar meat is not very high. But we still want bear meat, venison, and roe deer meat, and the price is even 20 cents higher than last year."

"Perfect! It's just as well that I didn't bring my dog. It would be a bit difficult to catch a 2000-pound pig."

Chai Feng laughed and said, "How could it be difficult for you?"

"The main problem is that it takes too much time. If I bring all my dogs, I can finish vaccinating them in four or five days. Without dogs, I can only rely on my eyes, which is exhausting."

"Hahaha... Okay, do whatever makes you happy. Your third brother has been cooped up at home for ages, he keeps asking when you're coming. Let your third brother come into the mountains for a visit this time."

Chai Baotong said, "Grandpa, I want to go too."

Chai Shao turned around and scolded, "What are you doing? Just stay home and cause trouble!"

Chai Liangyu frowned: "The child is talking to me. Are you his grandfather? Wherever there's trouble, come here! I've given you permission."

"Okay, Uncle Xu, can I join you?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Okay, but you can't complain about being tired."

"Oh no, that won't work. I used to have weak legs, but I've built them up now."

The following day, after having dinner, Xu Ning, Wang Hu, Guan Lei, Chai Bing, and Chai Baotong left with cloth bags and guns.

The place they went to was called Laojingou. Xu Ning had been here before and was quite familiar with the terrain. They ran around in the mountains all day and didn't get home until after dark, but they only managed to kill two wild boars. Xu Ning was very dissatisfied with this result, but he did manage to spot two boar tracks and one deer track.

The next day, they followed the boar tracks for more than 20 miles and finally killed a nest of 6 wild boars on a sunny, gentle hillside. Including the two they killed the day before, they had a total of 8 wild boars, weighing more than 1000 jin. Xu Ning's mission was thus successfully completed.

But what about the remaining deer trail? Given Xu Ning's personality, he certainly couldn't give up. He rested at home for a day and played mahjong with Chai Liangyu, Chai Bing, and others for half a day. Also today, Sun Lianfang, Sun Lianjun, and Guan Lei drove to Sandaohe. Before leaving, Chai Bing gave them two cases of ginseng wine.

"Brother, why don't you take my sister-in-law with you? We can go back together then, okay?"

Sun Lianjun, sitting in the driver's seat, advised, "Of course, why don't you all go and stay for a couple of days?"

Xu Ning waved his hand: "Let's see if there's anything going on at home. If there's nothing, we'll go and stay for a couple of days."

"Okay! Let's go then..."

After they left, Xu Ning followed Chai Liangyu around the village and met many familiar faces. They all treated Xu Ning very well, not because of Chai Liangyu, but because Xu Ning had hunted the 1000-jin wild boar in just two days. Who could surpass such efficiency?

Xu Ning, Chai Bing, Wang Hu, and Chai Baotong went into the mountains for two more days and hunted two deer. One was given to Lao Yan and Lao Li by Chai Liangyu, and the other was cooked in half that same day.

While drinking that evening, Chai Liangyu, holding his wine glass and with squinting eyes, said, "Er Ning, I heard about your plan to open a car repair shop in the city. You've been here for five or six days now, why haven't you mentioned it to me? Do you treat me like an outsider?"

Xu Ning was taken aback by this: "Oh, no, I don't consider you an outsider. Otherwise, would I have come over?"

Chai Shao said, "This is also the main reason why your uncle called you over. You said you're not that old, but if you want to open a car repair shop in the city, how much money would that cost? You've earned some money in the past two years, but it's not enough. As long as you open your mouth, your uncle and your three brothers can give you some money!"

Xu Ning smiled broadly, feeling warm inside. He raised his glass and said, "Grandpa, brothers, your words have really warmed my heart! Really! I'm not lying at all. The reason I didn't tell you is because I'm confident in my abilities. I don't have any barren fields or wastelands. I'm thinking of mortgaging them to the credit union and getting a loan, which should be enough for me..."

Chai Bing frowned and said, "Don't loans have interest? Why are you going through all that trouble? You say you're short of money, but you won't even ask. It's like we're begging you to lend us money." "How can you talk like that? Third brother! You're just making Er Ning think too much," Chai Liangyu scolded.

Xu Ning quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, sir, what my third brother said makes sense. Then, then can I borrow a little bit?"

Chai Shao laughed and said, "Don't just borrow a little bit, just tell me how much you need."

"Oh dear, that's a huge difference. To open a car repair shop, you'd need at least 50 yuan."

Chai Liangyu was a little stunned and said, "You need that much? Then I'll lend you 5 yuan! You can raise the rest yourself."

The three brothers, Chai Shao, Chai Feng, and Chai Bing, exchanged glances. Chai Shao spoke first: "Big brother, I'll give you 20,000!"

Chai Feng scratched his head: "Er Ning, your second brother can't give you too much. I need to buy more goods for the shop, and I haven't paid off the debts I owe. I can only give you 10,000."

Chai Bing took a sip of his drink and said, "I'll pay 30,000! The winery's profits are good this year, all thanks to the people your third uncle introduced."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ning almost burst into tears. What kind of feeling was it? It was a feeling of choking up, a little uncomfortable, a little excited, and even wanted to slap the table and laugh out loud.

Of all the friends he made after returning, only the Chai family were the most sincere, selfless, and genuine towards him!
Xu Ning took a deep breath, downed the wine in his glass, and said, "Grandpa, my three brothers, you've almost made me cry!"

Chai Liangyu laughed and scolded, "What are you crying for? You're so spineless! You don't need to rush to pay back this money, and you don't need to think about paying interest. You can pay me back whenever you have the money."

"Okay, I know... Then my three sisters-in-law..."

Upon hearing this, the sister-in-law turned her head and said, "We've already discussed it, so you can use it without worry."

"Thank you, sister-in-law. I won't say anything more then."

Meng Ziyan was a little confused by the behavior of the Chai family. She didn't know how her husband got along so well with them. She guessed that he must have won their hearts with his sincerity.

That evening, Xu Ning and Meng Ziyan slept on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the small house. She whispered, "Uncle Chai and the three brothers are so good to you."

"Yeah, we've only been dating for a few years, and you dared to scrape together 11 yuan to lend me during such a difficult time. This can't be explained by feelings alone."

Meng Ziyan said, "My parents also said they would give you money, but they haven't taken out the money yet because you haven't started working on your side."

"Forget it, tell your parents to keep the money and use it to get Yinhe married in a couple of years."

Meng Ziyan was a little unhappy: "I didn't make a fool of myself. They both told me that day. The reason they didn't dare to tell you was because they were afraid you wouldn't be happy."

"Why would I be unhappy? They're giving me money to do business, isn't that a good thing?"

Meng Ziyan blushed and said, "I was just afraid you'd be embarrassed to take your father-in-law's money."

"Oh my god, how could I be shy? If they offer them to me, I'll take them, hehe..."

Meng Ziyan shrank back, gripped his hand and said, "Now Bao-ge's timber mill and log yard don't need any investment or money, but next year you'll be raising bees, raising cattle, and opening a car repair shop. Will you be able to manage all that?"

"Raising cattle isn't urgent. My brother-in-law needs two years of proper training to properly manage the beekeeping. Tiger can keep the bees at home; my Uncle Ma can take care of them too..."

Meng Ziyan snuggled closer to him and said, "Anyway, my sister-in-law and the others said that after they invested 1 yuan, they would still have some money left in their pockets. If you want to use it, just take it."

Xu Ning nodded, then gently pulled Meng Ziyan into sleep.

The following day, Xu Ning, Meng Ziyan, Wang Hu, and Guan Hua packed their things and prepared to leave.

Chai Liangyu stood reluctantly at the courtyard gate, repeatedly instructing Xu Ning. Chai Shao handed him a cloth bag and said, "There is 11 yuan in here. Take it and use it first."

"Oh my god, everything's ready?"

"OK……"

Chai Liangyu said, "I know you have a lot of ideas, so you can figure it out yourself. This is all the help we can give."

"Sir, this is a great help. Okay, I'll take it for now."

"Take it. Call home if anything happens."

"know."

Xu Ning put the cloth bag into the glove compartment and waved to Lao Chai's family.

The old Dongfeng slowly drove north, then east along the Songhua River, heading straight for Sandaohe.

Chai Liangyu turned and went back into the house. Chai Shao smiled and said, "Dad, Erning is reliable. You don't need to worry about him."

“I didn’t have any designs on it. This kid is different from others. He wanted to start a car repair shop. He had already planned it out a long time ago. Otherwise, why would he have someone set up a reverse-riding donkey business? Those people who set up the reverse-riding donkey business must have made a lot of money, right? Er Ning didn’t get a penny. It’s not that he didn’t want it, but that he couldn’t let that money go into his pocket. In other words, he was using the reverse-riding donkey business to make friends.”

"Yes, I only figured it out these past two days. He told me before that ginseng prices were going to drop and the market would collapse, but I didn't really believe it at first..."

"Do you believe me now? Take a look at the newspapers in Jilin Province. The number of households growing ginseng has increased by thousands. In another two years, the price of ginseng will definitely drop. Let's start reducing the planting area from next year and shift our focus to the winery. Didn't Third Brother open up the market in Qing'an City? You should get to know the people in our city more."

"I understand. I'll go find them for a drink in a couple of days and chat a bit. The second son said he wants to hand over the responsibility of stocking the convenience store to Baotong. Dad, I'm not too keen on that, Baotong..."

“He’s not young anymore. It’s time to let him get some experience. If you always protect the sapling, when will it ever grow up? Even if it grows straight, won’t it eventually be cut down and used as fuel? Since you’re not happy about it, then let Baotong continue to work with his third uncle in the distillery. The distillery is a better training ground for people.”

After Chai Liangyu finished speaking, Chai Shao nodded. At this moment, Chai Feng entered the room and said, "Dad, how about I hire someone to drive? We've already negotiated with the suppliers, and we just need to settle accounts with them on time. I'll take Baotong to Jilin Province to run around and maybe we can get some ginseng at a lower price..."

"It's not the right time yet. Let's wait until next year or the year after. You can wait another two years, okay?"

Chai Feng laughed and said, "Sure, why not? You can make money doing anything."

This shows that the Chai family has a grand vision and listened to Xu Ning's advice, paying attention to some changes in the ginseng farmers in Jilin Province, and then began to adjust the focus of their family business.

(End of this chapter)