Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

After Wang An finished speaking, Mu Xueli and Wang Li didn't hesitate at all and each took out 30 yuan.

These two were present when Wang An bought these parts, so they knew all too well how expensive they were.

After the two men paid, Wang An taught them how to connect the amplifier to the flat feed line and how to adjust the resistor. The two men then happily took the amplifiers home.

After the two left, Wang An and his family tidied up the house and yard. He then led Huang Zhong to the fishpond to catch a few fish to eat during the New Year and the first month of the lunar calendar. After that, they started writing Spring Festival couplets in the living room.

During lunch, Wang An asked Huang Li and her brother Huang Zhong:

"Do you two want to spend the New Year here, or do you want to go home for the New Year?"

The oriole said timidly:

"I want to go home for the Chinese New Year."

Huang Zhong glanced at his sister, then turned to Wang An and said:

"I also want to go home with my sister for the Chinese New Year."

Wang An nodded, took out 40 yuan, gave 20 yuan to each of the two sisters, and said with a smile:

"You two sisters have both done a good job this year, so I'll give you 20 yuan each as a reward. If you want to stay home a few more days, then stay a few more days. If you have nothing to do at home, then come over early. We have a lot of work to do every day, so come and help out."

As they were talking, Wang An placed 20 yuan on the table in front of the two sisters.

The oriole quickly said:

"Brother, I don't want money. Didn't you give my dad all my salary for three years back then?"

Huang Zhong immediately added:
“I haven’t done anything all day, and I’ve been eating such good meals every day. Brother, please don’t give me money. I can’t accept it.”

Wang An smiled and said to the oriole:

"Salary is salary, and bonus is bonus. Take it if it's given to you."

Turning his head, Wang An then addressed Huang Zhong:
"You too, you didn't do much, but you did plenty of odd jobs. Alright, don't be so polite with your older brother, you still have to give me the reward I deserve, so hurry up and put the money away."

After Wang An finished speaking, Liu Guilan put down her chopsticks and said:
“Your older brother gave you money, so just accept it. Oh, and I’ll give you some candy and cookies to eat when you get home for the New Year.”

As she spoke, Liu Guilan stood up and walked towards the back room where rice and flour were stored.

This time, when Wang An and his two sisters drove to buy a TV, they also bought quite a few biscuits, candies, and baked goods in Harbin. Liu Guilan packed a little of each for the two sisters.

Even instant noodles, which are relatively rare, were given to the two sisters by Liu Guilan. All the items together filled a bulging bag.

The oriole siblings couldn't refuse, so they had no choice but to accept it.

Wang Dazhu suddenly said:
"You two should take a sled together in a bit, otherwise Weizigou is quite far away. In this freezing weather, if you walk, you won't get home until dark. After that, just harness the mule. The mule is the most docile. If you try to harness a horse, I'm afraid you won't be able to get home halfway."

The term "honest" here refers to the docile nature of livestock.

Wang An's eldest son's horse and the three blue horses were fine for Wang An and Wang Dazhu to command, but they weren't so obedient for Liu Guilan and Mu Xueqing.

For example, if you shout "Giddy up," they won't move; if you shout "Hey," they won't stop, as if they're deliberately trying to go against you.

As for the white mare and the chestnut mare, although they are very docile, they are both currently with foals and are quite protective of their foals, so they are not very suitable for pulling sleds in the mountains.

Those two Oroqen horses were too useful to Wang An, because he needed them for both herding in the mountains and carrying sticks, and it was impossible for him to lend them to Huang Li and her brother.

After Wang Dazhu finished speaking, Wang An added about Huang Zhong:

"Before you leave, sling your Type 56 semi-automatic rifle over your shoulder and take two boxes of ammunition. If anything happens, shoot if necessary. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong." This time, before Huang Li could refuse, Huang Zhong said excitedly.
"Don't worry, brother. I'll keep that gun safe. As long as the gun is there, I'll be there; if the gun is gone, I'll be gone."

Upon hearing this, Wang An burst out laughing, and said to Huang Zhong with a wry smile:

"You better hurry up and get out of here. As long as the gun is there, you're alive. If the gun is dead, you're dead. You have to keep the gun safe for me, and you have to be alive too. Damn it, don't try to learn anything from TV in the future."

Wang An clearly remembered a line from the TV show last night: "The gun is the man, the man dies when the gun is dead." Huang Zhong, on the other hand, put it to good use today.

Wang An's words made everyone at the table laugh.

Huang Zhong scratched his head, gave a simple, honest smile, and said nothing.

And so, under the arrangement of Wang An's family, Huang Zhong drove a mule sled, carrying a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle on his back, while Huang Li sat on the sled, pulling a bag of New Year's goods. The two siblings headed towards Weizigou.

Not long after Huang Li and her brother left, several villagers came to Wang An's house under the guise of visiting each other to watch TV.

Wang An neither gave the crowd a hard time nor drove away those who had come the day before. He simply smiled and reminded them:

"If you smoke, throw your cigarette ash and butts into the jar. If you need to spit, go outside and find a place with dirt to spit. Don't spit inside, and don't spit right at the door as soon as you open it. It looks really disgusting."

After Wang An finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing everyone's answers, Wang An chuckled and emphasized again:

"Then it's settled, don't blame me for turning my back on you later. If I really beat someone up, don't act like it happened."

After Wang An finished speaking, he went back to his house to sleep.

However, it must be admitted that, whether it was because Wang An beat up Niu Laowai yesterday, or because Wang An's power and influence were so righteous and domineering, it is hard to say.

Anyway, after Wang An finished speaking, everyone voluntarily threw their cigarette ash and butts into the jars, and they no longer dared to spit on the ground.

To be honest, people can be quite stubborn sometimes. They won't listen to reason and you have to give them a good beating to calm them down.

After breakfast on New Year's Day, Zhao Cuiyun, with her son Goushengzi, and Shen Wei, with her daughter Xiaolai, went to Wang An's house.

Just the day before, Liu Guilan had invited these two widows with children to her home for the New Year.

In fact, Liu Guilan initially only wanted Shen Wei to come to her home to celebrate the New Year together, since the fact that Shen Wei was Wang An's young wife was already an open secret.

In name only, Shen Wei and Zhao Cuiyun were the same, so without showing favoritism, Liu Guilan invited Zhao Cuiyun as well.

Anyway, the Wang family isn't short of food for two people, and this way they can appear to be generous.

After Shen Wei and Zhao Cuiyun arrived at Wang An's house, they fed the livestock in the yard as usual.

Of course, the main task is still to feed the horses and the deer. As for the wild boars and gazelles, they have been slaughtered and there are not many left.

The main reason was the construction and cultivation of greenhouses. In addition, Wang An and his two companions made another trip to Anguo and collected bear bile for about ten days after returning. As a result, Wang An and his two companions basically did not go into the mountains more than a few times during the winter. Without going into the mountains, they had no source of meat.

So, in order to ensure that Wang An's family could eat meat at every meal, those wild boars and gazelles had to sacrifice their lives.

Of course, Wang An originally didn't want to raise gazelles and wild boars anymore. The main reason was that gazelles don't grow very big and have a very low meat yield, while wild boars not only have a lower meat yield than domestic pigs, but their meat is also not as tender and delicious as domestic pork.

Therefore, Wang An plans to buy some local fine-wool sheep and traditional large black pigs for breeding.

Wang An's purpose in raising sheep and pigs was simply to eat meat; he didn't consider economic benefits at all. (End of Chapter)