Return to 1983 Hunting Xing'an Mountains

Chapter 782 Official Start of Work: Baby's Crying Brings Joy
Azure sky, white clouds drifting by.

May 6th, around 6 a.m.

Eighteen cars of different colors, brands, and models were parked in the empty courtyard.

In front of the car stood a group of burly men holding shovels and pickaxes. Old Qian was negotiating with the foreman, while Xu Ning, Old Wei, and Yu Kaihe were in the middle of the open space, one holding a firecracker in one hand and a cigarette in the other. After Old Qian finished talking to the foreman, he waved to Xu Ning. Xu Ning glanced down and saw that the time was up, so he shouted.

Then, the entire courtyard erupted in the crackling sound of firecrackers. Besides Xu Ning and his two companions setting off firecrackers in the open space, Lao Qian's brother-in-law and others also set off two strings of firecrackers at the entrance and four corners. The double-bang firecrackers soared into the air and exploded, the thick smoke somewhat pungent. The white smoke rose slowly into the air with the wind and then gradually dissipated...

Today is the day the auto repair shop officially starts construction. Old Qian has already prepared the pots and pans and bought some vegetables. However, since it is only the beginning of spring, all he bought were pickled vegetables and salted meat, as well as potatoes, cabbage, and radishes that had been stored in the cellar all winter.

However, as long as there is meat, and some lard is added when cooking, these workers are guaranteed to enjoy their food!
Yu Kaihe and Lao Wei came to supervise the construction, firstly to prevent the loss of steel bars, cement, and red bricks, and secondly to prevent shoddy workmanship or workers who were just going through the motions.

Because the workers are paid by the day, and the pay is fixed for each day, if the construction period is extended, Xu Ning will have to pay more.

Old Qian and Xu Ning spent the entire afternoon at the construction site, moving the eighteen cars to a safe location. They drove away around noon and went to a restaurant to treat a manager from a certain unit to a meal and strengthen their relationship.

Time flies, and more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Xu Ning basically lived a three-point life, going out to run business every day, then taking a break to go to the construction site to check on the progress of the project, and only returning home to his family building when it got dark.

Lao Qian and Xu Ning have already separated to run their businesses. Now Lao Qian is very capable and can speak to people in a way that suits them. However, he has a major flaw: he is too calculating!

Xu Ning told him more than once that he could secretly slip some money into his pocket, but Lao Qian said, "I already own shares, so shouldn't I get a share of the profits from the company? Why do something so annoying? Besides, there are other people with shares in the company..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ning nodded silently. Two days later, he took out the formal shareholding contract for profit sharing, took some time to go home and sign the contract with the shareholders, and agreed that the dividends would be distributed at the end of each year.

The foundation of the auto repair shop has already been poured, and the first floor is currently being poured. This time, Xu Ning did not plan to use a brick-concrete structure, but a completely concrete structure! This saves some money on red bricks, but in the end, the difference in cost between a concrete structure and a brick-concrete structure is only about 20 yuan per square meter, but the quality is more than twice as good.

On the east side of the main building, near the rear, Xu Ning suggested that the construction team use the time while waiting for the cement to dry to build a 600-square-meter factory building, and also build a 200-square-meter warehouse behind the main building.

The money has been spent like water. Since construction began on May 6th, he has already spent nearly 5 yuan, including various expenses such as building materials, labor costs, food expenses, etc.

However, he and Lao Qian had made a lot of money from reselling used cars during this period. After discussing it together, Xu Ning and Lao Qian decided to place an advertisement in the newspaper, advertising it in every issue, until three days after the car repair shop officially opened!
This part of the money cannot be saved, after all, the current communication situation is not advanced, they not only have to advertise in the local newspaper, but also in the neighboring cities!
Just after Xu Ning and Lao Qian returned from visiting several neighboring cities, Xu Long suddenly knocked on his door that evening.

Xu Ning rubbed her sleepy eyes, her head still a little fuzzy, and sat up, blinking as she asked, "What's wrong?"

Xu Long rubbed his head and said, "Your sister-in-law might be about to give birth..."

"What the hell? Get him to the hospital right away! Have you packed everything?"

Xu Long nodded: "It was all packed in the first two days. I called home and asked Brother Jun or Brother Qiang to drive my parents over. I just called my father-in-law."

"Let's go quickly, get to the hospital first and then we can talk about other things. Is Uncle San asleep?"

Xu Long said speechlessly, "Third Uncle has been working overtime at his unit for two days and hasn't come back yet. Don't worry, your sister-in-law should be fine now. I think her due date is approaching."

"Oh dear, there's no rush. She could give birth anytime soon. What are you doing? Can't you plan ahead? Let's go, honey..."

Immediately, Xu Ning spotted Meng Ziyan standing at the doorway, grinning at him with a wide smile.

Xu Long laughed and said, "Go to the hospital tomorrow. I'm telling you, your parents are coming tomorrow, so don't go out anymore. Let's have a meal together as a family."

"Oh, you scared me! Okay, when are you coming tomorrow?"

"We'll probably arrive by noon, then we'll go straight to Brother Liguo's shop."

"Okay, have you named my nephew yet?"

"How could I not have it? His full name is Xu Wenxiao, and his nickname is Xiaoxiao, which was given to him by his grandmother."

"You gave me this fancy name? Wow, your education level has really improved."

"Absolutely! You think I'm just wasting my time at night school? I got fifth in the class in the monthly exam!"

Xu Ning was genuinely shocked, her eyes widening: "Really?"

"You think I'm arguing with you? Don't believe me? Ask your sister-in-law!"

Wang Shujuan poked her head out from outside the door and said, "He did get fifth place. I ran into his teacher a couple of days ago when I was out walking around. He said his attitude towards studying has been pretty good lately."

"Wow, my brother has finally made something of himself!"

"Get lost! You're just going to chat for a bit and then leave. I'm not going to chat with you anymore. Remember to come back for lunch tomorrow!"

"Yes, I know. Is there any food left in the kitchen? I'm hungry."

Wang Shujuan said, "Let me fry some rice for you, the leftovers are a bit sour."

"Oh, sister-in-law, I'll just cook him some instant noodles. You should go back to your room and rest."

Xu Feng grinned and said, "Sister-in-law, set an example for us by having a big, healthy son! Then I'll lead my nephew in jumping rope!"

"Go to hell, you're even more ridiculous!"

Xu Long tossed out a sentence and went to the kitchen, saying, "You guys chat for a while, I'll go cook him some instant noodles."

After he left, Xu Ning was still in a daze. In his impression, Xu Long was a quiet and taciturn man. At home, he was the laziest, and Xu Long was the second laziest. But today, he had a very different opinion of his older brother.

"My brother has really matured."

Wang Shujuan smiled and said, "Your brother has always been quite mature. You must be quite tired lately."

"It's alright, but why do I say I'm tired?"

"My sister-in-law said you went to sleep as soon as you got home, and when she woke up, you were nowhere to be found."

“I didn’t go to my room to sleep the other day. I’m a restless sleeper. What if I accidentally bumped into her while doing some martial arts? So I slept with everyone in the room.”

Meng Ziyan bit her lip and said, "It will be fine after I give birth."

She thought to herself: When we're in bed together again, we can do whatever we want.

After Xu Ning finished eating the instant noodles and two poached eggs cooked by his older brother, everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.

The next day, Meng Ziyan still didn't see Xu Ning when she woke up, but there were her favorite beef buns and steamed egg cakes on the table.

Xu Long was stunned when he saw the steamed sponge cake, and asked incredulously, "This is a steamed sponge cake that Er Ning made? No way..."

Wang Shujuan laughed and said, "Why not? I saw him beating eggs in the kitchen when I went to the toilet this morning."

"Wow, this steamed sponge cake is so perfect! Not a single honeycomb hole, it's so smooth and tender, it's amazing... Sister-in-law, does he have this skill?"

Meng Ziyan was a little confused: "I don't know either, this is my first time eating it too."

Xu Feng grinned and said, "Isn't it normal for my second brother to know how to steam egg cakes? What can't my second brother do?"

Xu Long said sourly, "Your second brother can do everything, but would your second brother dare to eat shit?"

“My second brother is nothing like you, Hu Chao…”

"What the hell? I'm not your older brother, is this how you talk to me?"

"Didn't you say first that you dared to eat shit, but my second brother didn't?"

Wang Shujuan quickly advised, "Alright, alright, can't we just have a proper breakfast first thing in the morning? Why do you have to say everything?"

Xu Ning went straight to the construction site after leaving the family dormitory. The workers had just started work, and he gave Yu Kaihe and Lao Wei two packs of cigarettes.

Old Wei said, "Er Ning, the second floor will be poured in a few days. You'll need to buy some steel bars. The foreman came to talk to us about it last night."

"Okay, I'll call in a bit. Has Lao Qian arrived yet?"

"We've only been gone a short while."

Xu Ning chatted with the two of them for a while, then drove an old Jiefang truck in good condition that had been collected the day before to the Municipal Bureau.

Upon hearing the news, Ye Xu rushed out of the building and nodded in satisfaction when he saw the old Jiefang truck.

"This car was just picked up yesterday. Apart from needing to change two tires, it's basically fine! If you think it's okay, I'll have Lao Jin fix it up, and then you can drive it away."

"Okay, I'll take this car. How much?"

"How about 4800 yuan?"

"So cheap? You didn't rip me off, did you?" Xu Ning grinned slyly and whispered in his ear, "It was a discarded item from some unit. I got it through connections. Otherwise, would it be this price?"

Ye Xu immediately understood and nodded: "Okay, then I'll have my uncle treat you to lunch at Yanbin Restaurant!"

"Oh my god, Xu-ge, come on, it's not a big deal. Why treat us to a meal? You'd be better off buying the kid something nice to eat. Besides, lunchtime is definitely out of the question. My brother dragged me out of bed last night and said my parents are coming over this afternoon..."

Ye Xu suddenly realized, "Ah, right! Your sister-in-law is about to give birth, isn't she? Okay, I won't drag you to lunch. Tomorrow at noon, my wife and I will go and see your sister-in-law."

"Okay, then I'll take the car to Lao Jin's place. It'll probably take two or three days to clean up. Then I'll have my younger brother drive it to your house."

"No need, just leave it with Lao Jin. My uncle will pick it up himself in three days, and then he can give the money to Lao Jin, okay?"

"Okay, just give it to Lao Jin, I'm leaving now."

"Hey, make sure to give this to my aunt and uncle!"

"okay."

At noon, at Yang's Home-Style Restaurant.

There were already five tables of diners inside. After Zhao Lan brought the steaming dishes to the table, she saw Xu Feng, Jin Yumantang, and her two children who had just finished school.

"Go directly to the kitchen and take the dishes to the inner room."

"Okay, my parents are here?"

"We've arrived. Let's chat inside."

Then, Xu Feng and the others went to the kitchen, each carrying a dish into the inner room through the back door.

Inside the house, Xu Laonian and Wang Minfu were boasting, Liu Lizhen and Guo Hongxia were studying the baby's diaper, and Li Fuqiang was smoking at the door.

"Brother Qiang, my sister-in-law said she wants you to go to the kitchen and get the brazier!"

Li Fuqiang nodded: "So you're making sauerkraut hot pot now?"

"Ugh... Oh my god..."

Liu Lizhen's single glance made Xu Feng swallow her words. Xu Feng turned to look at Guo Hongxia and said with a grin, "Auntie!"

"Hey, you're back from school."

After the children entered the house, they greeted each other and waited inside for a while before all the dishes on the table were served.

Xu Long frowned and muttered, "This Er Ning is really ignoring what I said. It's already this late, why hasn't he arrived yet?"

"He must have had something to do... but here he is!"

Xu Ning swaggered into the house, grinned, and greeted Wang Minfu and the others, saying, "Not too late, right?"

"If you had come three minutes later, we would have finished eating."

Liu Lizhen retorted to Xu Laonian, "Why are you being so sarcastic as soon as we meet? Can't you speak properly?"

Xu Ning laughed and said, "My dad always tries to get some money out of my pocket the moment he starts thinking about it. I know him too well."

"Hahaha..." everyone laughed.

They all took their seats. Today, not only Wang Minfu and his wife came, but Wang Yuanjun also brought his partner.

His girlfriend is of average appearance and speaks softly. She seems like the kind of person who wants to settle down and live a simple life. I heard at the dinner table that they are getting married this year. The wedding date is set for mid-July. They will hold the ceremony in their village first, and then have a small banquet in the city to treat their colleagues to a meal.

After the meal, everyone sat in the house chatting until they sobered up, at which point Xu Long drove Wang Shujuan to the hospital.

Aunt Qu booked a single room for Wang Shujuan, which also had two beds for accompanying her. Liu Lizhen and Guo Hongxia naturally took the rooms.

Xu Laonian lives on the first floor of the family quarters, while Li Fuqiang and Yang Shuhua live on the second floor. However, they can't wait for Wang Shujuan to give birth because they have a lot of things to do at home, so they will go back tomorrow.

The following day, at noon.

Xu Long's friends, Xiao Du and his wife, Yan He and his wife, and Ye Xu and his wife, all came to the hospital to visit Wang Shujuan, bringing many gift boxes of health supplements.

Xu Long originally wanted to treat them to a meal at noon, but they all refused in unison. After all, Wang Shujuan was now a key person under observation. What would it look like if Xu Long went out to eat and drink with them?
So Xu Long sent Xu Ning out of the mountains to treat them to a meal at Yanbin Restaurant, but when it came time to pay the bill, he was told that Ye Xu had already paid, which made Xu Ning feel a little uncomfortable.

Wang Shujuan had been in the hospital for four days, but there was still no sign of pregnancy. One evening, Wang Shujuan said that her stomach hurt, which scared Liu Lizhen and Guo Hongxia so much that they rushed to find a doctor. The doctor came over and examined her with a stethoscope, but said that Wang Shujuan was too nervous, which caused her to have some phantom pain in her stomach.

On June 11, around 4 p.m., Wang Shujuan's water broke suddenly on her way to the toilet, prompting Liu Lizhen to call for a doctor.

The doctor in charge of the single rooms was very responsible. Hearing the noise, he immediately rushed out from the rest room, calling for the nurses to bring over the trolley while instructing his apprentice to prepare the delivery room.

After Wang Shujuan was wheeled into the delivery room, Guo Hongxia reminded Liu Lizhen that it was time to call Xu Long back.

When Xu Long arrived at the hospital, it was already past 1 a.m., but Wang Shujuan still hadn't come out of the delivery room. Listening to the sounds coming from inside, Xu Long felt his heart tighten...

"How's my sister-in-law?" Xu Ning strode up to his mother and put his arm around her shoulder.

"It's been over an hour..."

"Oh, it's alright, Aunt Qu is inside. You should find a place to sit for a while; it's tiring to stand here."

Grandpa Xu ran over carrying a small stool and said, "Sit down and rest for a while. Oh my god, stop crying and choking on your pee. My daughter-in-law and grandson will definitely be fine!"

Liu Lizhen pursed her lips and remained silent, while Guo Hongxia nodded: "It's definitely nothing."

Ten minutes later, Wang Minfu, Wang Yuanjun, and his partner arrived. The group waited anxiously outside the delivery room. About half an hour later, the baby's cries finally came from inside the delivery room.

"Wow! That little noise was really loud! Hahaha..."

Old Xu slapped his thigh and stood up excitedly.

"My eldest grandson is here! Great! So great!" Wang Minfu was so excited that he was almost incoherent.

Three to five minutes later, the delivery room door was pulled open.

The nurse came out carrying the baby and said, "It's a boy."

"Hey, my eldest son! Haha... How's my wife?"

The nurse glanced at Xu Long and said, "Aside from being a little tired, nothing unexpected happened."

"Thank you."

Seeing this, Xu Ning took out a red envelope he had prepared beforehand from his pocket, stuffed it into the nurse's pocket, and said, "Let me share in the good fortune."

Xu Laonian, Liu Lizhen, Wang Minfu, Guo Hongxia and others all surrounded Xu Long who was holding the baby. After Wang Shujuan was wheeled out of the delivery room, they all gathered around her, chattering and asking her how she was feeling.

Aunt Qu came out and gave a few instructions, which everyone listened to carefully. Xu Ning, under the pretext of taking her back to her office, also slipped her a large red envelope in a secluded corner.

For nearly a year, Xu Ning had troubled Aunt Qu with her check-ups quite a bit, and Aunt Qu always did her best. Xu Ning felt that this was a good opportunity to repay her kindness.

Aunt Qu pulled out a large red envelope from her pocket, squeezed it, and laughed, "This isn't a small red envelope, Er Ning. Let's not do this kind of thing with our relationship, shall we?"

"Aunt Qu, this is just to share in the joy, please accept it."

"Come on, that's a lot of money, it must be at least 100 yuan. Earning money isn't easy these days, take it back now!"

"No... Aunt Qu..."

"Listen to me! You're a good child in every way, except you're too cunning."

Xu Ning scratched his head, feigning embarrassment, and said, "I just wanted to share in your good fortune, that's all."

Seeing his expression, Aunt Qu asked, "Do you have any change in your pocket?"

"Yes!" Xu Ning pulled out a few banknotes from his pocket.

Aunt Qu pulled out a two-yuan note from the banknotes and said with a smile, "Good things come in pairs, and everything is perfect. I'll take this one to share in the good fortune. You can keep this one."

"Alright, Aunt Qu!"

(End of this chapter)