Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 773 Is this child introverted and takes advantage of his age? Everything is under control.
The sound of horses' hooves approached, and the Xu family, who were about to clear the table, suddenly fell silent. Someone said that Er Ning must have returned, and then everyone in the house got up and moved to the courtyard.

Liu Lizhen and Xu Laonian stood at the gate of the courtyard. When they saw the tractor drive across the small bridge and Li Fuqiang driving the tractor, everyone behind them smiled.

Li Fuqiang waved and parked the tractor at the door, manually turning off the engine. The surroundings immediately fell silent. Xu Ning, Wang Hu, and Guan Lei jumped out of the truck bed, pointing at the large brown bear inside with smiles on their faces.

His mother and the others were naturally overjoyed. However, Xu Ning often returned from hunting bears, so they had long been used to it. Although the family was always worried whenever Xu Ning went out hunting, their greatest joy was seeing him return safely each time.

After chatting with his family for a bit, Xu Ning told Wang Hu to go downstairs to get a tarpaulin so they could unload the brown bear outside the yard. The main problem was that the bear was too heavy, and its body had been frozen solid due to being exposed to the elements for a long time. Even though the flesh near its belly wasn't frozen, it wouldn't be easy to drag it into the yard.

Liu Lizhen turned around and went into the house with Yang Shuhua, Han Fengjiao and others to prepare food for Xu Ning and the other three. Xu Laonian and Wang Erli stood there with their arms crossed, watching and occasionally making comments.

A tarpaulin was laid on the ground, and the brown bear was dragged directly onto it. Li Fuqiang then took charge, first skinning the bear, then using an axe to chop its spine and a boning knife to remove the tendons and skin from its joints. His dismemberment technique was performed with such fluidity that no one could find fault with it.

Wang Biao and Liu Tianen carried a large basin, lifted the unloaded meat into the house, and after nearly half an hour of chopping with axes, finally cut the bear into eight pieces.

After Li Fuqiang finished cleaning up the tarpaulin, he followed Xu Ning into the house, washed his hands and face, and changed his clothes. By then, Yang Shuhua and Liu Lizhen had already prepared four dishes. They sat at the table and started eating. Their mother and the others watched with great satisfaction and smiles. After all, the men had come back with money and deserved a hot meal...

Liu Lizhen dipped the bear bile in the sauce when she had a moment, and Xu Laonian took it and hung it up in the downstairs room. When he came back, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he asked, "Are you selling this bear meat or giving it away?"

“We’ll keep some for ourselves and give the rest away. We didn’t catch any bears before the New Year, so my Uncle Du and the others didn’t get any. Now that we’ve finally caught one, how can we sell it? We’re not short of money right now.”

"That makes sense, but even though this brown bear weighs seven or eight hundred pounds, if each family gives twenty or thirty pounds, it's not much of a deal. Let's focus on your business first and not delay the important matters."

"Don't worry, business won't be delayed. I know what I'm doing. The day after tomorrow is the fifteenth, so tomorrow I can take some meat to my uncle and the others and make some dumplings. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. Xu Ning said, "I'll have my sister-in-law's parents come over tomorrow, and I'll invite my father-in-law too, so we can have a lively celebration."

Liu Lizhen said, "Your dad told you everything this morning. Guoxing said he'll go to the reservoir and get two fish to bring over tomorrow..."

"Well, shouldn't Biao and Tianen be heading back to the city by now?"

Liu Tianen nodded: "Yes, Second Brother, I spoke to my master on the phone yesterday. He told us to go to town to find him, Sixteen."

Wang Biao scratched his cheek: "Second Brother, do you think we should bring anything when we go to my master's house?"

“You didn’t go before the New Year, so even if you don’t go after the New Year, you should still take something. There are gift boxes and such in the cellar, so pick one and take it.”

"Alright, will Feng'er come with us?"

Xu Feng puffed out her cheeks with anger, put her hands on her hips and said, "We haven't started school yet! I'll have to stay home for a while longer, Brother Biao, you don't need to be jealous of me."

"Haha, who's jealous of you? I'm just worried you'll get bored at home."

"I'm so funny, I'm always asking Sister Qiu to play jump rope, hmph..."

Wang Biao pursed his lips and remained silent. If it came down to talking, eight Wang Biaos couldn't out-argue one Xu Feng. Xu Feng was the most formidable aunt in the history of the Xu family.

It was past 10 p.m.

Xu Ning splashed away the foot-washing water, turned around and went back to the west room, slipped on his slippers, got into bed, and crawled into the quilt.

He reached out and pulled Meng Ziyan into his arms, saying, "After the fifteenth, you'll come to the city with me."

"Oh, me too? Is that a good idea...?"

“What’s wrong with that? You didn’t get a check-up at the end of the year, so you and your sister-in-law can go get one. I have to stay in the city for a while and won’t be back for a short time.”

"Okay! Was it cold staying on the mountain last night?" Meng Ziyan asked, grabbing his hand and placing it on her chest.

Xu Ning paused and said, "It's not cold. I slept from around nine o'clock until almost four o'clock before I got up. My older brother, Shi Tou, and Hu Zi didn't sleep much."

"You must be tired too, go to sleep."

Xu Ning didn't care about Meng Ziyan's little schemes and turned to the side to start snoring.

This action left Meng Ziyan stunned, yet amused, because she seemed to see a trace of childishness in Xu Ning's actions and expressions.

It's worth noting that Xu Ning was only 22 years old (by Chinese reckoning) and 21 years old (by Western reckoning) after the New Year. At such an advanced age, he was already working hard in society and shouldering the heavy burden of his family. You can imagine how much pressure he was under.

He'll be a father this year when his child is born, and things will be a completely different story then.

The next day, Xu Ning rode a donkey backwards with Wang Hu to deliver bear meat, mainly to the Chang, Yu, Du, and Hu families, and also gave some meat to Lao Wei and Lao Jiang.

In the evening, Big Horn arrived on another donkey, excitedly greeting Wang Biao and Liu Tianen. After half the people inside had left, Big Horn, carrying half a bag of toads, walked to the plastic shed and said, "This is a great idea! I've got a whole bunch of willow roots here as soon as I get here!"

Xu Ning took the bag containing the toads and asked, "Didn't you go to the reservoir?"

"Yeah, but I went to the north side of the reservoir first. There are ditches and streams there. Li Ye, Li Mazi, Lan Dadan, and I used glaciers to smash holes. We smashed four holes in total, and we got something from them all. Look! We got a whole sack of willow vines, and there were also old men, goat yaks, and loaches..."

In the north kitchen, there were two large basins. One basin was filled with small fish, and the other basin was filled with silver carp and common carp. It was estimated that there were more than 100 jin (50 kg) of fish, and if you included the ice, it would be close to 200 jin (100 catties).

"Guoxing, have you two eaten?"

The loudspeaker waved his hand: "I just got back, I haven't eaten yet, Auntie."

"Then you two hurry up and wash your hands, I'll go cut some bear meat and stir-fry it."

"Don't bother, there's food here, we can just have a bite."

"Will that work? Huang Lin, go wash your hands quickly..."

Wang Biao filled a basin with water, leaned against the wall, and said, "I told you to come and wake me up this morning, why didn't you come?"

Huang Lin grinned and said, "I'm afraid you two can't handle the cold. Besides, what's the point of having fun in the freezing cold?"

"You had a great time, but when you go back to fishing, I definitely won't call you."

The loudspeaker came over and said, "Biao, I told him not to call you two. It's windy in the mountains today, you'll catch a cold."

"Oh, I know, I was just teasing him. We left on the morning of the 16th..."

"Leaving on the sixteenth? Ah, once the fifteenth is over, the New Year will be over. Come on, all of you study hard. How's your studies going?"

"I know a little about welding and electrical circuits. I mainly repair starters and fuel systems, and the rest are tires and such."

The loudspeaker nodded, and Li Fuqiang said, "Their master taught them well, and the three of them learned quickly. Before the New Year, Lao Jin came over and told you that the three of them would graduate this year."

"Oh my god, I completely forgot. I was just focused on drinking."

Xu Ning laughed and said, "Brother, why don't you have some more?"

"I'm not drinking anymore. I'll conserve my energy and drink it on the fifteenth."

"Haha, you're quite shrewd."

"Absolutely." Yang Shuhua stir-fried another plate of bear meat, and Da Laba and Huang Lin sat down to eat while chatting with Xu Ning and the others.

Meanwhile, Xu Laonian and the others sat on the sofa, shelling corn. These corn shells were for lighting lanterns the following night. They were to be scattered along the road from the Xu and Wang families southwards, until they reached the crossroads.

Everyone had something to do, and Xu Ning was no exception. He leaned against the wall, eating sunflower seeds and drinking tea, while Meng Ziyan massaged his legs and hands.

After everyone dispersed and went home to sleep, the Lantern Festival arrived.

In the morning, Xu Ning got up very early, around six o'clock, to set off firecrackers, and then went back inside to eat dumplings with his family.

The dumpling filling was made with bear meat and onions, and Liu Lizhen also added some carrots to the filling, giving it a unique flavor.

On the morning of the 1st, Wang Yuanjun arrived in a car carrying Wang Minfu and Guo Hongxia. The car belonged to Wang Yuanjun's father-in-law's work unit.

Not long after they entered, Meng the Cripple, Liu Fenfang, and Meng Yinhe also arrived. This gathering of in-laws inevitably involved boasting, joking, and gossiping about family matters.

Xu Ning also sent Guan Lei up the mountain to pick up Ma Liu and the others. At noon, everyone gathered together, and ten dishes were laid out on the table. They enjoyed drinking together.

“I took my sister-in-law and wife to the city for a check-up, and then let them stay in the city for a while, and I’ll send them back whenever I have time.”

Xu Laonian said dejectedly, "You want your sister-in-law to go to the city to take care of you? How could you be so heartless?"

Wang Minfu laughed at the table and said, "Brother, why are you talking about Er Ning? He's thinking of taking Juan'er and Yan to the city to recuperate. Can they do some work? Besides, what's wrong with them cooking a meal? It's not like it's anything strenuous."

Xu Laonian knew, of course, that he meant what he said to Wang Minfu, otherwise, if his in-laws had wild thoughts, wouldn't that affect family harmony?

Guo Hongxia said, "Brother, don't worry too much. We're going to the city on the 18th of the first lunar month too. It's not too far away, so we can take care of anything. Don't worry."

Xu Ning clapped his hands and laughed, "Look! Isn't this a perfect coincidence!"

"Don't let your sister-in-law and Yan do any heavy work..."

"Am I that kind of person? Don't wrong me."

After this matter was settled, everyone started chatting about all sorts of things.

We drank quite late tonight, not finishing until after 8 p.m. Actually, we didn't drink much; we mostly just chatted.

A single topic can be discussed in two parts, and if there's a target to criticize, the discussion will never end. For example, when the Chang brothers were mentioned, everyone present was filled with righteous indignation...

After everyone dispersed, Xu Ning asked Wang Biao and Liu Tianen to go to the cellar and pick out a few gift boxes, along with two bottles of Wuliangye liquor and cigarettes, saying, "I'll take you to town tomorrow."

"Alright, second brother... why don't you come to the city with us? It would save you the trouble."

Xu Ning waved his hand: "I have to wait two more days, you guys go ahead."

He really had to wait two days. He had originally planned to go to the city to deliver the gift on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, but after calling Xu Long, he learned that the person he was supposed to meet was not in the city, but had gone back to his wife's home in the countryside and would not be able to return until the seventeenth day of the first lunar month after all the units had resumed work.

Moreover, he also needed to use these few days to sort out the affairs in the village, such as sending Li Baoquan to study and dealing with the matters at Lengchang.

Xu Ning had already arranged a rendezvous time with Liu Eryin, Da Zhi, and others, and this time could not be changed, so he needed to wait two more days...

The next day, morning.

Xu Ning drove Wang Biao, Liu Tianen, and Huang Lin to the street, arriving at Lao Jin's house at just after nine o'clock.

Old Qian was sitting inside Old Jin's house drinking tea when he heard a noise and looked out the window. Then he went out with Old Jin, Old Jin's wife, and their child.

"Sister-in-law! Happy New Year!"

Old Jin's wife smiled broadly and said, "Happy New Year! This dish must be quite cold. Come inside and warm up."

Old Jin kicked his child and scolded, "Speak up, are you mute?"

"Uncle Xu... Happy New Year."

Old Jin's son is a bit introverted and doesn't talk much. When he does speak, he keeps his head down, as if he's embarrassed to be seen by people.

Xu Ning nodded and casually took out a red envelope from his pocket, saying, "Okay! Here, this is your New Year's money. Put it in your pockets. You can only spend it yourselves. Don't give it to your parents."

Old Jin laughed and said, "Your Uncle Xu gave it to me, take it."

"Thank you, Uncle Xu."

Xu Ning smiled and said, "These two children are so polite..."

"What kind of manners does he have? He'd be a piece of trash at school, but he acts like a proper person at home."

Old Qian laughed loudly: "Hahaha, don't say that to the child. There are so many people in the room. You'll hurt the child's self-esteem."

"You laugh the most heartily."

"Oh dear, I just couldn't hold it in."

Wang Biao and the other two stepped forward and placed the items on the counter. Old Jin said, "Didn't I tell you three not to take anything before the New Year?"

Wang Biao cleverly said, "Master, this isn't our fault, it was all my second brother's fault!"

Xu Ning chimed in, "Yeah, I let them have it. You're the master, and the three of them are apprentices. Isn't it only right that they bribe you with something? Besides, other apprentices have to pay money, and it's one thing that the three of them didn't pay anything, but you still pay them wages."

“I really love these three kids. Biao is good at handling things, Tianen is smart, and Linzi can endure hardship… Please sit down, let’s chat for a while, have lunch here, and then we’ll leave.”

Xu Ning nodded without refusing, and asked, "You and my sister-in-law just got back too?"

“I got home around 7 p.m. last night. Oh my, my sister-in-law’s parents insisted on keeping me here. They were so hospitable.”

"Hahaha...did you drink too much?"

"Yeah, I'm a little groggy. I was feeling a bit better this morning. You mentioned opening a car repair shop, so what about our small repair shop in the city?"

"Let's do it! We definitely have to do it! Repair shops fix big trucks, while repair stalls fix motorcycles and bicycles. Even a small mosquito bite is still meat..."

Old Qian said, "Then we don't have enough people."

Xu Ning grinned and said, "That's enough! I didn't work for nothing before the New Year. I went to several parts factories with Brother Sheng. There were a few mechanics in the factories who were about to retire, so I paid them to come and help out at our repair shop. We haven't signed a contract yet, but we've reached a verbal agreement."

"That's great! The mechanics at the parts factory are all quite skilled, there's just one downside."

"You mean they're taking advantage of their seniority? No way. This is a company, not a place to employ idle people. Besides, as long as they can work, what can they do about taking advantage of their seniority? Once we're fully capable, we'll use our own people."

Old Jin and Old Qian exchanged a glance and smiled.

(End of this chapter)