Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 755 Flattery, a combination of knives, guns, and cannons
Some people may think Xu Ning is long-winded, while others may think he is a responsible person. However, Xu Ning only said things that were appropriate for his position and did not say anything extreme.

He paused for two seconds on the logs, and seeing the smiles on everyone's faces, he continued, "Alright, now I'll arrange transportation for everyone to get home. Let's line up in an orderly fashion and get on the bus. Don't worry! Everyone will get home safely!"

The nearly one hundred people below were completely silent, looking up at Xu Ning and waiting for his instructions.

"The bus to Yang Batou goes to Jingang Laoshanzi, the bus back to Shuangfu Village in Malian goes to Guan Batou, and the bus to Liu Batou comes from a nearby village..."

"Each foreman and team leader must count the number of people. Don't forget anyone, or we'll be in big trouble."

Someone shouted, "People who don't know how to go home, damn it, there's nothing we can do! You can't argue with an idiot."

"Who are you calling a fool?"

"Get lost. When you come back next year, I'm going to give you a good beating."

"Wow, you're really good at bragging. We don't even know who's training whom."

"..."

The group dispersed, slowly moving towards the back of their cars to go home, joking and bantering with acquaintances as they went. The atmosphere was filled with reluctance and nostalgia.

They knew perfectly well that even back home, the food couldn't compare to that of the 28th Farm. Here, they could eat meat every few days, and although it was wild boar meat, it was far better than the greasy dishes at home.

After everyone boarded the vehicle, Xu Ning called the foremen and drivers together. Li Fuqiang distributed cigarettes, and Li Tielin, Lao Zhang, and Lao Lin said with a smile that their vehicles would only take half a day or a day to get home in the evening. They wondered if Xu Ning was treating them like outsiders by making this arrangement.
Xu Ning laughed and said, "Why are you acting like outsiders? I just thought you were getting on in years, so I'm taking care of you as needed."

"Hahaha... I even call your dad 'Big Brother'."

"Then I still have to call you Uncle, Uncle Zhang. This job is actually not very skillful because you have to deliver them to their doorsteps one by one. We have to show the sincerity and importance of the place. For us, we don't need to deliver them to their doorsteps. If they live far away, we just deliver them to the village entrance."

"Understood!" Old Zhang flicked his cigarette ash and nodded.

People like Lao Zhang, Lao Lin, and Li Tielin all came to help. It's not reasonable to ask them to travel long distances, so the closer the better. This way, their families won't have to worry, and I'll feel at ease knowing I've helped.

The three of them, along with Liu Daming and the team leader, boarded the car and drove away from Lengchang.

Xu Ning then turned to Li Fuqiang, Wang Hu, and Guan Lei and said, "You must be careful when you go to Shuangfu Village in Malian. It's almost the end of the year, and the roads might not be safe. There might be robbers. If you encounter them, don't be afraid. We have guns, so we're not afraid of anything. Just fight them!"

Li Fuqiang muttered to himself, "So what if I get beaten to death?"

"What could possibly happen? We're in the right, understand?"

Guan Lei nodded: "Understood, brother. We're passing through Wanye and are thinking of staying here for a couple of days."

Xu Ning knew about this. Guan Lei's car had Wu Haitao and Pan Xiao in it. The two of them had already made their plans. Originally, Pan Xiao was supposed to go back to Wanye with him for the New Year. However, Han Fang and Wu Zhouquan came to Qing'an and met Pan Xiao's brothers. So Wu Haitao invited Pan Yan and his two younger brothers to go back to Wanye for the New Year together.

Pan Yan didn't want to go home before, but Wu Zhouquan had already told him before leaving that they should all go to Wanye for the New Year. So Pan Yan had no choice but to go. Besides, his younger sister was going to marry into Wanye, and as the eldest brother, he had to go and see his sister's mother-in-law. Although he had heard that the Wu family was well-off, he was still uneasy without seeing it for himself.

Xu Ning gave a few instructions and then parted ways with Yang Jun, heading towards Jin Gang Lao Shan Zi Tun. The snow on the road had already frozen, but the road near the forest farm had been covered with soil and sand, so even if the car drove at 50 miles per hour, it wouldn't slip and lose control.

Laoshanzi isn't too far from the provincial capital, but Xu Ning didn't plan to go there this time. Chen Hedong would be coming over after the New Year, and Xu Pao would have his daughter and son with him. He planned to go to the provincial capital with Chen Hedong after the New Year so he could spend a few days there.

At noon, Xu Ning and Yang Jun switched shifts. Xu Ning sat in the passenger seat, swallowing a steamed rice cake. He had to drink two mouthfuls of warm water from the thermos before he could swallow it down. Meanwhile, the people in the carriage were eating cornbread buns. They didn't have any warm water either, so they just chewed dry to fill their stomachs.

The cornbread buns were posted by Yang Shuhua, Wang Shujuan and others over two days. This morning, Wang Hu, Guan Lei and Liu Daming went to each shack and gave each person three. As long as they could make sure they didn't go hungry, Lengchang could be considered to have done its best and had a clear conscience.

Around 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon, the car stopped at the entrance of Laoshanzi Village.

Feng Ye got off the car carrying large and small bags and called out, "Brothers, come eat at my place tonight!"

Da Zhi waved his hand: "You should go home quickly. When you get home, tell your mother that you should invite your family to my house for dinner tonight."

There is a difference between being older and younger. While Da Zhi can't be said to be all-encompassing in his arrangements, he can at least handle the things he can think of. Feng Ye, on the other hand, is less thoughtful.

Feng Ye paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay! I'll go to the street ahead and buy some meat or something. You can tell my aunt not to buy any meat."

"Okay, you should go now, everyone's waiting for you."

Feng Ye turned around and saw that everyone in Laoshanzi Village was staring at him. He smiled slightly and waved, saying, "Let's go home first!"

The group waved goodbye to Xu Ning and Yang Jun, and then the car drove off again, speeding towards Jin Gang. The two places were very close, and they could reach their destination in no time.

The journey was uneventful, which put Yang Jun at ease. He was worried that a group of robbers might suddenly appear on the way, and he would have to deal with them. Getting the workers home safely would take a lot of effort.

After arriving at Jingangtun, the car stopped, and the people in the carriage all got off. Xu Ning also got off and took a look, saying, "You guys hurry home. Before Lengchang resumes work after the New Year, I will contact Dazhi. Anyone who still wants to work in Lengchang can go to him to sign up."

One of them nodded and asked, "Boss Xu, I wanted to ask if your workshop needs any more people? I have a brother-in-law who's not doing much at home, and I was thinking of having him come with me to work at the workshop."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "I can't agree to this. We all have our own roles. I don't handle things at Lengchang. You'll have to ask Headmaster Yang and Dazhi..."

Yang Jun chimed in, "You should just sign up with Dazhi directly. As long as you're willing to work hard, we're short-staffed at Lengchang, so it should be fine."

He didn't dare to make any definitive statements, since with the current workload at the forest farm, these people could barely finish the work. If the forest farm had any tasks to assign after the New Year, then they would have to recruit more people.

"Alright, then it seems I'll have to flatter Dazhi a bit more..."

Da Zhi waved his hand and laughed: "Why would I flatter you? I'm just a squad leader. Alright, you guys go ahead. Don't you miss your wives and kids after not seeing them for so long?"

"Of course I want to! Okay, we'll be going now."

Everyone waved and left. Then Da Zhi pointed to a spot about 60 or 70 meters ahead and said, "Er Ning, that's my house. You can stay here tonight." Xu Ning didn't stand on ceremony: "Let's go. I haven't been to your house yet."

The three of them got into the car and headed towards Dazhi's house. His family consisted of his parents, wife, and children, a total of five people. He didn't have any brothers, only a few cousins, but they lived far away and couldn't help him with anything. To put it bluntly, their relationship wasn't very good.

When Xu Ning and Yang Jun got out of the car, they were carrying two packs of cigarettes, a basket of eggs, five catties of steamed rice cakes, and two bottles of Fengcheng Laojiao liquor—a total of four gifts.

The reason Xu Ning carried the things was simply because he and Zheng Dazhi were close friends; besides their professional relationship, they also had a very strong personal bond.

"Mom and Dad! I'm home! Look who's here!"

Inside the house, Zheng's father and mother craned their necks to look out the window upon hearing the sound. They saw Zheng Dazhi carrying large and small bags as he stepped into the house, followed by two strangers and a car parked on the side of the street. They were immediately startled. Dazhi's wife had a beauty mark on her face, and as their expressions of astonishment changed, the beauty mark trembled.

"Oh my god! That bastard is finally back..."

Zheng's mother clapped her hands and said, "You said you'd be gone for months without a word."

Mr. Zheng frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Those two people behind him are probably his boss who works for him..."

How did you know?

"Dressed so smartly, how could you be a worker? Hurry up and go out to greet him, are you sprawled on the kang (heated brick bed)?"

"Oh dear, am I still in a daze?"

The elderly couple and their daughter-in-law, who was holding the child, hurriedly left the house. Why didn't the Zheng family hear any car noises on the street?

The reason is that his front yard is particularly spacious, about fifty or sixty meters from the gate to the main house, and the back yard is more than thirty meters long.

Seeing the elderly couple come out, Zheng Dazhi quickly introduced them. Zheng's father exclaimed, "Oh my, boss! You're so young! And this foreman Yang is quite... robust too."

Yang Jun laughed and said, "Hahaha, Uncle Zheng, don't treat me like a boss. Since you're here, just treat me like your own nephew."

Xu Ning nodded and replied, "That's absolutely true. My relationship with Dazhi is quite special. We used to be allies! I had some business to attend to before, and then I ran into Dazhi and Feng Ye, so I had them come with me to do some work."

Mother Zheng nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, Dazhi told us that he has a really good friend who is going to take the two of them to get rich. At first, I couldn't believe it, but after seeing everyone in the village go with him, I finally felt relieved..."

"Hey, why are you saying all that useless stuff? Hurry up and come inside, it's quite cold outside."

Zheng Dazhi led Xu Ning and Yang Jun into the house, and the two put their things on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). Xu Ning said with a smile, "I came in a hurry, and it's almost Chinese New Year, so I came early to wish you a Happy New Year."

"Oh my god, this child is so kind. You said you were coming, why did you bring anything?"

"Of course, I've spent a lot of Dazhi's money in the past. He treats me like a younger brother, so I can't treat him like a fake older brother. He and Feng Ye used to hang out with me and caused a lot of trouble, which made the grandparents worry."

Mr. Zheng laughed and said, "This kid is really good at talking. Well, let's not talk about the past. Besides, my Dazhi is no good either. Originally, I wanted him to settle down and get married, but who would have thought that he and Feng Ye were still out there messing around. It's a good thing he met you and found a proper job. Otherwise, they would both be ruined."

"Absolutely. I know my son too well. He can't stand not causing trouble for a day."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Haha, isn't that the same as me?"

At this moment, Zheng Dazhi took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and took out the money inside, which totaled more than 240 yuan.

"Mom and Dad, this is what I earned after working at the farm for several months. Please keep it."

When Zheng's mother saw the thick wad of money, she was immediately astonished. "My goodness, how did you earn so much? Did your friend take care of you?"

Xu Ning waved his hand: "What do you mean by taking care of me? I don't usually go to the training grounds, and I don't get involved in anything. Brother Jun, you tell me."

Yang Jun took the cigarette from Zheng's father and said, "Dazhi has become a squad leader in Lengchang. He usually leads two groups of people to work, so his salary is relatively high. I also ask him to help me with some side jobs. I don't earn much, just enough to make ends meet."

"This isn't much... This money is enough for his dad to earn for a year and a half!"

Mr. Zheng smiled sheepishly, and Xu Ning said, "You can make money in any industry. It doesn't matter how much you make, as long as you can make money. My uncle isn't young anymore. When Dazhi becomes the pillar of the family, won't you two have an easier time?"

"Yeah! That makes sense... Xu..."

"Auntie, Dazhi and I are buddies, you can just call me Erning."

"Okay, Erning, I'm not very educated, and my words may not be very pleasant, so please don't take it to heart."

Da Zhi laughed and said, "Don't worry, Mom, Er Ning isn't petty. Alright, stop nagging and hurry up and get some food ready. Feng Ye and his family will be coming over soon..."

"Ah! Good, Feng Ye is back too?"

Da Zhi said, "What are we talking about here? Jun Ge and Er Ning specially drove us back! There were also four cars that went to Wan Ye to drop people off. Oh my, Er Ning is so thoughtful. You should go now. I'll have my dad have a drink with Er Ning and Jun Ge tonight."

Zheng's mother usually doesn't allow Zheng's father to drink, because drinking means spending money. Now that there's a child in the family, it's a time when money is needed. But when she heard Zheng Dazhi's words, she didn't argue. Instead, she nodded and smiled, "Okay, then I'll go to the back street to buy some meat or something!"

"Hey, Feng Ye will bring the pork when he comes later, so you don't need to buy any."

"I need to go to the back street too. You guys keep chatting, I'll be right back."

Xu Ning nodded and sat in the house chatting with Zheng's father. Zheng Dazhi and his wife went to the outer room to be intimate. The two hadn't seen each other for a long time and naturally missed each other terribly. They were a young man and woman in their early twenties, like dry wood meeting a raging fire. If there weren't other people at home, well, let's not talk about that.

Xu Ning and Yang Jun were chatting happily at Lao Zheng's house when their old Dongfeng truck, traveling from Wanye towards Shuangfu Village in Malian, was blocked by a horizontal tree.

(End of this chapter)