Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 762 Visiting Relatives Before the New Year: Like-minded Comrades

The night passed in silence. In the early morning, everyone woke up one after another and sat in the living room chatting. The aroma of food wafted from the north kitchen and permeated every room. Xu Feng noticed that there were people in the house, so she took a broom and swept the floor in each room. When she heard someone praise her for being diligent, Xu Feng took a rag and wiped the countertops, working with great enthusiasm.

Liu Lizhen, however, did not tolerate such behavior and said with a smile, "Since my eldest daughter is so good at housework, she can clean the ceilings of all four rooms later."

Upon hearing this, Xu Feng immediately lost her energy and said deflatedly, "Mom, I'm not tall enough, how could I reach it?"

Old Xu grinned and said, "It's okay, Dad will carry you... Oh dear, I can't carry you anymore. Well, Dad will find you a ladder, I make sure you can reach it!"

"Hey, Dad, stop meddling in this."

The men and women in the room burst into laughter upon hearing this. A moment later, Wang Biao and Liu Tianen set up three tables in the reception room, and the group sat around the tables, picked up their chopsticks, and began eating dumplings with the leftovers from last night.

The morning was bustling and lively, but no one found it noisy; on the contrary, they felt comfortable staying at Lao Xu's house.

After putting down their chopsticks, Lao Qian and the others got ready to leave. Xu Ning naturally didn't stop them. The New Year was just two days away, and everyone had to be busy before the New Year, visiting relatives and friends.

However, Li Fuqiang replied, "Then let's go together in both cars."

Xu Ning asked, "Are you going to the street?"

"Ah, your sister-in-law said she's going to town to buy some things, which will be a good opportunity to give to her brother and sister-in-law."

"I have to visit some people today, how are you going to go?"

Yang Jun handed over the car keys: "Take my car. Li Feng, Guo Xing, and I have already discussed it. We're going to the small reservoir to fish. Qiangzi can give my wife and Li Hong a ride to town. They also want to go for a stroll around town."

"Hmm, what do you want to buy?"

Xu Ning shook his head: "I'm not buying anything. I've already bought everything for the New Year, including clothes and pants. Brother Jun, you guys go fishing at the small reservoir. Why don't you take Feng'er and Biao with you? They want to go ice skating at the reservoir, but I haven't had time. I'm not comfortable letting them go by themselves."

"Don't worry, my uncle and Brother Jiang both told me about it when we were drinking yesterday."

Yang Jun is about the same age as Lao Jiang and Liu Daming. Calling Liu Daming "Uncle" is a way of following Xu Ning's lead, while calling Lao Jiang "Brother" reflects their friendship. Although it's a bit messy, their feelings for each other are not. It's just a form of address.

However, there is one thing you can't call people by: you can't call Liu Daming "Uncle Xiaoming" or Lao Jiang "Brother Jiang Donkey." Xiaoming and Jiang Donkey are their nicknames. If you call them that, it will seem very impolite and will make Liu Daming and Lao Jiang feel uncomfortable, as if they are outsiders.

If you add a surname as a prefix, such as "Uncle Liu" or "Brother Jiang," there's absolutely nothing wrong with it, since there's no real blood relation. But if there is a blood relation and you still call someone by their surname... then it's not just a matter of being impolite, but a matter of upbringing.

In Northeast China, if someone is accused of being ill-mannered, it's like insulting their parents as well, equivalent to calling them a Japanese soldier—the insults are extremely vulgar!
Why does Xu Ning address his close male friends as Brother Quan, Brother Long, and Brother Sheng, instead of calling them Brother Wu or Brother Sun? It's for this very reason!
Xu Ning addressed Liu Xuemin and Lao Jin by their surnames plus "brother," because that's what Hu Zhibin called them. He got to know the two of them through Hu Zhibin. As for Lao Qian? He's just a friend, so Xu Ning never calls him "brother," he just calls him Lao Qian!

After seeing everyone off, Ma Liu, Lao Zhao, Lao Yang, and Yang Yusheng went for a stroll in the woods to the south. The children went to the small reservoir with Yang Jun and the others. Xu Laonian and Wang Erli went to visit each other's homes. After Xu Ning and Xu Long drove away, only the three pregnant women, Liu Lizhen, and Han Fengjiao remained at home.

"Second Aunt, I noticed that Hua'er didn't eat much this morning. Did she have a fight with Hu Zi last night?"

Han Fengjiao was taken aback, then frowned and said, "We didn't make a fuss. Hua'er slept with me last night."

"Are the flowers getting anxious too?" Meng Ziyan asked.

Liu Lizhen said, "Seeing that you're both pregnant, she's definitely anxious, but your second aunt can't rush her..."

"I really didn't rush him. Did Leizi go to the reservoir with you? Did he say something to Hua'er?"

Sun Lianfang pouted and said, "So that's why he was chasing after Brother Jun. He got into trouble! That little stone, I'll definitely give him a talking to when he gets back. Second Aunt, don't worry."

"Oh, why am I in such a hurry? Why say anything to him? Just ask him when he gets back. They're siblings, so even if I said something harsh, they'll be fine."

"Not really."

On the morning of the first day, Xu Ning and Xu Long drove to Lingdong and gave Zhang Deyu 10 jin of fresh pork that they had slaughtered the day before, as well as more than 5 jin of mutton with bones, and cigarettes and alcohol.

Zhang Deyu was not surprised by the arrival of the two brothers, but lamented that since his retirement, the house had become increasingly deserted. Even his eldest daughter-in-law said that people had left and things had become cold. In the past, the floor of the east room would be piled up like a mountain every New Year, but now it was like a plain with only a small hill.

The old lady's hearing was getting worse and worse. She wanted to join in the conversation as she watched Xu Ning and Zhang Deyu chatting, but Xu Ning had to shout loudly into her ear for her to hear a little bit.

After drinking two cups of tea, Xu Ning was about to leave, but Zhang Deyu stopped him, saying, "Dalong, Erning, I heard that your third uncle is going to make a rash move?"

Xu Long was taken aback. Xu Ning turned around and nodded: "Yes, Master Zhang has heard about it too."

"How could I not have heard? Several people from our village work in the city and usually keep in touch with our family. I have a younger brother here who came from our village and now works in the city. Why don't you ask your third uncle to get in touch with him and strengthen your relationship?"

"Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Zhang."

"Don't be so polite. It's within his capabilities. Besides, if he wants to climb higher, he needs like-minded comrades by his side!"

"Understood, hehe... Mr. Zhang, when you go to the city, I'll have my third uncle treat you all to a meal?"

Zhang Deyu looked up and laughed: "You, I just gave you a hint, and you're already picking up where I left off. Alright! Let's wait until after the New Year."

"Alright, we'll be going now."

Xu Long waved his hand in a simple and honest manner. After Zhang Deyu, his youngest son, and his eldest daughter-in-law saw the two of them off at the door, and watched the old Dongfeng slowly drive away, the youngest son couldn't help but say, "Dad, isn't it a bit early now?"

"It's not early. I already had your uncle contact Yang Yusheng, but he insisted on keeping his distance. Look at the state he's in now, what a waste of the 'Chang' in his name!"

Inside the old Dongfeng truck, Xu Long gripped the steering wheel and asked doubtfully, "Does Master Zhang mean...?"

"Well, we're like-minded comrades, so our relationship should be pretty good. You can talk to your third uncle about it later."

Xu Long thought for a moment and said, "It seems there aren't any high-ranking officials in the city with the surname Zhang."

"It doesn't have to be Zhang; you can have other surnames. Don't be too rigid in your thinking; you need to be flexible."

"Hey, damn it, can you stop lecturing me every time you get a chance?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "I'm not giving you a lesson, but you need to lay the foundation for your future now. One is having connections, another is being able to keep your mouth shut and get things done, and the last one is having a keen sense of smell. Your sense of smell is still a bit lacking."

"Am I some kind of wolf? You think I can smell the meaning behind your farts?"

"My goodness, if you can do that, your future and achievements will be immeasurable, understand?"

"Go to the side and pull it. I've noticed that you're not only willing to take care of Feng'er, but now you're willing to take care of me too."

“If I don’t care, who will? Our dad just plays all day. To give the next generation a better life, my brother and I have to work hard and climb as high as we can! You should be taking your college entrance exam after the New Year, right? You must study hard…”

"Go away, get lost! My affairs are none of your business."

Xu Long said this, but in his heart he knew Xu Ning was right. However, as the eldest brother, he naturally had some pride. Seeing Xu Ning remain silent, he regretted his words and stammered, "I... well..."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "As long as you know what's going on, we brothers will each go our own way. As long as we can settle down in this small town, it will be a shortcut for our children!"

So-called shortcuts in life are just the same old story of one generation planting trees so that another can enjoy the shade.

After returning to Qing'an, the two brothers went to the home of Guo Xingmin, a deputy farm manager, and didn't return home until nearly 11 a.m.

"Mom, aren't they coming back for lunch?"

Liu Lizhen said, "If you're playing wildly outside, quickly grab a broom and sweep up the dog poop. If anyone comes to visit during the New Year, they'll think our house is filthy."

"Oh dear, I just finished shoveling the other day, and I've already hauled so much today."

"Why don't you say how many dogs you have? If you're a diligent person, you'd probably scoop them eight hundred times a day!"

Xu Long didn't dare to say a word, but silently picked up the broom and pretended to sweep the floor.

"The floor was just swept a short while ago. Who are you trying to fool by pretending to clean it? You took a rag and wiped the kitchen ceiling. You're a big guy, but you have no eyesight at all."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shujuan, Meng Ziyan, Sun Lianfang, and the others covered their mouths and chuckled.

Actually, they weren't idle all morning either; they were the ones cleaning the windows. These women are very hardworking. They know that the men work hard outside, so they handle things at home themselves whenever possible and never let the men do any extra work unless there's something they really can't do.

Around 3 p.m., Wang Biao, Xu Feng, and others, their bodies covered in ice, rushed into the courtyard carrying cloth bags and burlap sacks.

"Mom! Mom! Look at this! Oh my god, Mom, this whole bag is full of fish! My brother Jun and the others have caught a lot of them!"

Yang Jun, Guan Lei, and others entered the house and placed the burlap sacks in a large basin. Yang Jun laughed and said, "Auntie, going to the reservoir today was really great. Brother Guoxing and I took turns anchoring fish, and we caught fish as soon as we put our hands down. We caught nearly 50 jin this morning..."

The loudspeaker nodded and grinned, "Yeah, we went to the ditches and ponds to catch fish this afternoon, and we caught quite a lot of willow root and loach."

Liu Lizhen said, "You must be freezing. Go inside and warm up on the kang (heated brick bed). Leizi, pick out all the fish from the big basin."

Guan Lei glanced at Sun Lianfang, only to see his wife winking at him. He scratched his head and said, "Okay, Auntie, Hu Zi and the others haven't come back yet."

"No, he should be back soon."

Xu Ning squatted by the large basin, pointed at a yellow, spiky fish, and said, "Why did you get more than 20 of them?"

"Yeah, the ditch is connected to the reservoir, and it was created by drilling holes."

Xu Long said, "You didn't smash up anyone else's fishpond, did you?"

"No, it must be a wild ditch or pond."

Han Fengjiao stood at the door of the north kitchen and waved to Guan Lei: "Leizi, come and help me with some work."

"……Eh."

Guan Lei was a little puzzled, but he put down the fish in his hand and ran to the north kitchen.

Han Fengjiao leaned closer to him and whispered, "Did you say something to Xiaohua? She didn't look too good this morning."

Guan Lei pursed his lips and said, "Didn't Tiger tell you?"

"What are you saying?" Han Fengjiao asked doubtfully.

“When we went back to Wanye, my grandparents kept urging Hu Zi to have a child, but this isn’t just his problem. I talked to Xiao Hua about it this morning, and she talked back to me. I might have been a little harsh with my tone…”

"Oh dear, you're being so unnecessary. Why are you bringing this up with her? Let having a child happen naturally. Don't put pressure on her. This isn't something you can accomplish just by urging her."

“I know, Second Aunt.”

"Don't rush me anymore."

Guan Lei nodded, and Xu Ning leaned over and asked with a smile, "What are you whispering about?"

“She didn’t say anything, brother. My second aunt just had a heart-to-heart talk with me.”

Liu Lizhen walked over with a cutting board and said, "Let's make noodles tonight, and we can make mutton offal soup tomorrow. Fengjiao, have the cilantro and scallions you planted grown grown yet?"

“He’s already grown up, and his dad covered him with a plastic film.”

Hearing them talk about the food, Xu Ning and Guan Lei returned to the living room. They squatted down next to a large basin of mixed fish and whispered a few words to each other.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ning frowned and said, "Don't be so nosy in the future. Since Hua'er has married Hu Zi, it's their business. As her brother-in-law, you shouldn't put pressure on your sister. You're biased towards Hu Zi, but how can Hua'er feel good about it? You're just worrying unnecessarily."

"I heard my grandparents urging Tiger, and he was so embarrassed..."

"That's none of your business. They're elders. What are you doing here? Besides, how old are Xiaohua and Huzi? What's the rush?"

Guan Lei remained silent, only lowering his head to squeeze the fish's belly.

A short while later, Li Fuqiang, Yang Shuhua, Wang Hu, Xiao Hua, and others returned.

They carried large bags and packages into the house, and Sun Lianfang asked, "Brother Qiang, did Sister-in-law Lihong and the others go straight home?"

"Hey, come on over! Everyone who calls me brother, come and get two pairs of socks, your sister-in-law bought them for you..."

Li Fuqiang raised his hand to call out, and Xu Ning, Xu Feng, Wang Biao and others hurriedly rushed into the east room, gathered around the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and looked at the colorful socks, picking out two pairs on the spot.

“My sister-in-law has great taste; she knows I like this kind of flashy stuff.”

"Haha, you're right, these red socks are for my uncles."

"..."

Liu Lizhen went inside and glanced around, then smiled and said, "Shuhua bought these socks for me last year too. She's so thoughtful."

"Shuhua is thoughtful and cooks well. Qiangzi is lucky to have married such a wife. Our eldest sister has great taste!"

"That's for sure..."

(End of this chapter)