A good life starts with blind date

Chapter 291 The Storefront
For people in Northwest China, fish is not a necessity.

For example, people in the south rarely eat mutton.

Jiang Ning likes to eat fish, but the fish sold outside is really hard to describe.

Regardless of whether the fish is good or not, the excessive levels of various heavy metals are simply absurd.

When you're poor, it doesn't matter what you eat, as long as you can fill your stomach.

When you have money, you become picky and only want to eat clean food.

The money the farm spent on this fishpond is enough to feed the farm for ten years.

Jiang Ning had eaten grass carp before, and this thing was alright; it tasted quite good when cooked properly.

It has a lot of thorns, and you can easily get them stuck in your throat.

Fish raised in captivity are fed all sorts of things, while wild grass carp are relatively cleaner.

My daughter loves playing in the water; she gets excited whenever she sees water.

"Ah ah ah..."

The little guy clung to the railing, crying out.

Jiang Ning scratched her head and said, "We can't play in the water when it's cold. We can play when it's warm."

"Ah ah ah..."

"Let's go."

Jiang Ning picked up her daughter and left the fishpond.

When we arrived at the rapeseed field, the rapeseed flowers were already gone.

Workers are harvesting rapeseed. After the wheat harvest in July, another crop of rapeseed was planted.

It's harvest season now, and then it'll be time to hibernate.

When I strolled over to the research institute, the horse chestnuts had already withered.

The researcher brought seven seeds, the size of rice grains, which were a deep purple.

I don't know what the use is.

Jiang Ning sensed that the Wood element of the seven-leaf clover had disappeared.

I wonder if it will sprout again next year.

"Give me one seed, and you can plant the rest tomorrow and see how it goes."

Jiang Ning gave instructions, and the researchers put a seed in a small plastic bag specifically for storing seeds.

He put it in his pocket and left with his daughter.

Continue to patrol the territory.

But when we were almost at the grassland, I felt no movement in my arms.

Looking down, he saw the little guy asleep in his arms.

Jiang Ning turned the steering wheel and onto West Third Road.

We're getting ready to go home; we're not going to the pasture anymore.

After dropping her daughter off at home, Jiang Ning drove to the office building.

It was lunch break time, and the hallway was empty; there wasn't a single person in sight.

Call Wang Qiang and have him tow the helicopter out.

The two of them took the plane out for a spin.

I looked at the sand-fixing forest in Shaba and the windbreak forest at Daxikou.

There are also several farms responsible for the subsequent maintenance of planted forests.

Years have passed, and the trees in these places have grown taller, but they still cannot stop the sandstorms. Every spring, sand from the Badain Jaran Desert is blown to Bei'an by the wind, causing sandstorms every few days.

If the root cause is not addressed.

It's always just treating the symptoms, not the root cause.

It is said that sandstorms from the Sahara often reach Greece.

When I got home, my daughter was already awake.

"father!"

Upon seeing his father, the little guy called out and inexplicably became happy.

When he was one year old, he still couldn't pronounce words clearly.

My pronunciation is getting clearer and clearer.

"Call me 'Dad' again."

"father!"

Jiang Ning hugged her daughter and kissed her twice, her heart softening.

Daughters are all their fathers' little angels.

A baby who is a little over one year old is the most adorable.

I carried my daughter downstairs and went to the basement storage room.

I found a flowerpot and went to dig some soil in the back.

After digging for a few minutes, Jiang Tiantian became interested.

He grabbed the shovel and started shoveling.

The flowers and plants were instantly destroyed, chopped up and scattered.

It took the father and daughter a long time to fill the flowerpot with soil.

Jiang Ning restored the damaged ground, planted a seven-leaf clover seed in a flowerpot, watered it, and fed it some Yi Wood essence. He had high hopes for this plant, after all, it was the first plant he had discovered that contained the essence of Yi Wood.

I don't know what the effect is.

I'm quite curious.

Place the flower pots on the first-floor balcony.

He instructed Feng Yu, "Don't break this flowerpot; I've planted something good in it."

Feng Yu asked, puzzled, "What good stuff?"

Jiang Ning said, "A seven-leaf clover."

Feng Yu simply said "oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

not interested.

The three of them tidied themselves up and went out together to take the kids for a walk.

We're almost at the south gate of the farm.

Feng Yu's phone rang. She took it out and was quite surprised.

It was Yang Qiuyan calling. Back then, that woman started a fruit drink shop and even persuaded her to invest 200,000 yuan. That's how they got in touch, and they would call each other from time to time. Three years have passed, and it's said that the woman's branch stores have grown from three to more than a dozen.

But the investment has not yielded any returns.

Feng Yu said a few words, then covered the microphone and whispered to Jiang Ning, "Yang Qiuyan is inviting us to dinner, are you going?"

"When?"

"This afternoon!"

"Didn't Mom call already? Let's do it tomorrow!"

Feng Yu said a few more words, then hung up the phone and said, "We've arranged to meet tomorrow at noon."

Jiang Ning asked curiously, "How are those two doing? I haven't seen them in a while."

Feng Yu said, "It's alright. We've opened more than a dozen branches, and I heard business is pretty good."

Jiang Ning was skeptical: "The economic climate has been bad these past two years, business has been tough, and people don't have much money and their spending power is insufficient. Fruit drinks are probably the industry most severely impacted. How can business be good?"

Feng Yu said, "I'm not sure. I'm not an economist, so I don't care about these things!"

"father!"

Jiang Tiantian stood in the middle and called out "Dad."

It seems they want to go forward.

Feng Yu patted her little bottom: "Be good and don't make a fuss. Daddy's driving, you can't go and cause trouble in front."

Not long after we left the south gate, Aunt Jiang called again.

When they arrived at Xincheng Square, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang and their sister-in-law Chen Huiru were already waiting with their nephew and niece.

You don't realize it when you live together.

Nowadays, we spend more time apart than together, making us cherish the time our whole family spends together even more.

After playing with the kids for a while, we ran into quite a few acquaintances.

Most of them were farm workers.

I took my day off to go out and take the kids out.

We played until almost six o'clock, then drove to the Xincheng Hotel for dinner.

On the way upstairs, I ran into many farm workers again.

Upon entering the private room, Liu Jinliang rushed over: "When did you return, Mr. Jiang?"

"just came back."

"What would you like to eat?"

"Make a rice soup with hand-pulled noodles, and a few cold dishes."

"Where are the hot dishes?"

"You decide how many to bring out!"

Liu Jinliang agreed and went to the kitchen to find a cook.

After sitting for a while, the waiter came over to pour tea.

Jiang Ning also asked, "Is there a wedding banquet for farm workers today? Why are there so many farm workers here?"

The waiter said, "No!"

Jiang Ning asked in confusion, "Why would farm workers come to a hotel to eat?"

The waiter said, "They work on a rotating shift system. People who don't cook at home usually come to the hotel to eat."

Jiang Ning exclaimed in surprise, "You guys are doing a great job!"

The waiter smiled and said, "Anyway, you're spending money. We're from the same company, so it's only right that we support your business. Besides, the hotel environment is better than those small shops, the home-style dishes are very affordable, and the meat is from a farm. Of course, you have to come."

Jiang Ning nodded. That's not bad.

After chatting for a few minutes, Jiang Hua and her aunt and uncle also came over.

My uncle and aunt arrived last.

My aunt's family went to the United States, and there are fewer and fewer people left.

Chen Xuefeng asked, "I heard your plane arrived?"

Jiang Ning nodded: "It's parked at the city airport!"

Chen Xuefeng said with a smile, "I've never seen what a private jet looks like. When will you let us ride in one?"

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "You can sit anytime you want. Let Kong Fangfei arrange it."

Chen Xuefeng just said that airplanes are not cars.

That thing can't just fly around like that.

After chatting for a few minutes, the waiter brought over the wine and asked Jiang Ning, "Would you like to open it, boss?"

"Open it!"

"it is good."

The waiter agreed and brought over a wine dispenser.

Bring the wine, and fill all the men's cups.

Women are more easygoing; they can drink whatever they want.

Uncle Zhang Yuedong asked his son about his situation in Europe.

Jiang Ning then asked Chen Gang.

Chen Xuefeng said, "They went to the city."

Jiang Ning asked, "What are you doing in the city?"

Chen Xuefeng said, "What else can we do? Wash women's feet!"

Feng Yu maintained her composure, showing no unusual expression.

Chen Huiru pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh.

Chen Xuefeng saw it and said, "Laugh if you want. He has already made me lose face, so I'm not afraid of losing face."

Aunt Jiang Ning didn't look too good.

She wasn't as ambitious as Chen Xuefeng, who spent his whole life hoping his son would bring him honor.

result……

There wasn't much anyone could say; they'd already said too much.

There's no point in saying anything more.

We've done everything we can to help, but I'm still not living up to expectations, and my parents can't do anything about it.

Don't mention relatives.

Working as a truck driver on a farm is comfortable, but I don't want to do it.

What can others do?

The food was served, and I ate and drank two glasses of wine.

Chen Xuefeng had just mentioned that someone had introduced Chen Gang to a potential partner.

"Where?"

Zhang Yulan was most worried about this matter, after all, both of her sons were married and had children.

And parents don't have to worry about it.

The only things that could worry her were her siblings' children.

The others also perked up their ears; Chen Gang was no longer young.

He's in his thirties and still single; getting married is the most important thing for him.

Chen Xuefeng said, "From the city."

"how old are you?"

"Same age as Chen Gang, thirty-two." "Is she divorced or a girl?"

"Girl."

Zhang Yulan was surprised: "There are girls this big?"

Zhang Yuzhen finally spoke: "She said she hasn't gotten married yet because she's too old."

"What are you doing?"

"They said he works at a trading company."

How much is the salary?

"More than two thousand yuan."

"Do you have any photos? Let me see."

Zhang Yuzhen scrolled through her phone and found a photo.

Everyone should pass it around and read it.

When it was passed to Feng Yu, Jiang Ning also went over to take a look.

She is indeed a bit old, clearly a woman over thirty. She is slightly overweight, and her appearance is fairly decent, but her face has a somewhat strong look, making her seem like someone who is not easy to talk to, although that may not be entirely accurate.

Zhang Yulan asked, "You're over thirty and still not married? Have you inquired about it? Is there a problem?"

Zhang Yuzhen said, "We're not familiar with the city, so we don't know where to ask for directions."

We chatted for a while, and then the meal was almost over.

Chen Xuefeng asked Jiang Ning, "We're going to meet in the city this weekend. Do you have time? You could come and sit with us for a bit."

Jiang Ning was surprised: "Is it inappropriate for me to go?"

Chen Xuefeng said with a smile, "You're the face of the family now, there to make your relatives look good."

Everyone laughed, and Jiang Ning chuckled twice.

When Zhang Yulong got married, his uncle made him have dinner with his in-laws.

Jiang Youxin asked, "Have you taken care of the house?"

Chen Xuefeng said, "I won't look. They're not coming to Bei'an. If it works out, they can give it to the city to buy a house."

Zhang Yulan exclaimed in surprise, "How can this be? Chen Gang doesn't have a job in the city, and we don't know where he'll go in the future. Why would he buy a house in the city? Is this a house for my family or for you?"

Chen Xuefeng said, "The house is definitely ours."

Zhang Yulan said, "Even if it's yours, can Chen Gang stay in the city forever? What's the point of buying a house if he doesn't stay in the city anymore? Isn't that a waste?"

Zhang Yuzhen sighed, "There's nothing we can do. It's a seller's market now, there's no room for negotiation. Chen Gang is useless. If he were as capable as Jiang Ning, we wouldn't be being manipulated like this, like we're being forced to marry into someone else's family."

Feng Yu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Feng Xue quickly lowered her head and ate her food, desperately trying to suppress her laughter.

Chen Huiru couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Auntie, what are you saying? How can getting a wife be a business transaction?"

Zhang Yuzhen said, "Am I wrong? These days, wives are all bought with money. Except for Feng Yu, who didn't ask for money and was given to Jiang Ning for free, which of you didn't buy your wives with money? Some cost hundreds of thousands, and some cost millions!"

Chen Huiru opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

This is an undeniable fact.

It may not sound pleasant, but it's the truth.

Chen Xuefeng asked, "How much did you spend on your wedding?"

Chen Huiru immediately shut her mouth and fed her son.

Zhang Yulan did the math: "The house cost over 400,000 yuan to move into, the car was cheap, 100,000 yuan, and the wedding cost 180,000 to 190,000 yuan. Including the house, it cost over 700,000 yuan, and without the house, it cost less than 300,000 yuan, which is considered low."

Chen Xuefeng said, "Compared to Zhang Yulong, it's really little. How much did Zhang Yulong spend? A million, right?"

Zhang Yuedong didn't want to talk about it.

Wang Xia said, "The car and the house cost 800,000 yuan."

The conversation then shifted to the cost of getting married.

They gossip about everyone, from this family to that family, about how much money they spent on getting a wife.

In fact, Jiang Ning spent the most money on her wedding, with the wine alone costing over 100,000 yuan.

But nobody mentioned it.

Because the circumstances are different, it's not appropriate to make a comparison.

After dinner, everyone went home.

Jiang Ning didn't return to the farm; instead, the whole family of four went to the residential area.

I stopped by Building 8 to look at the apartments before heading to Building 12.

My brother and sister-in-law also took their children to Building No. 12 and stayed there until nine o'clock before going home.

Jiang Ning drank alcohol but didn't drive; she sat in the passenger seat.

Feng Xue sat in the back row with her child.

As Feng Yu drove, she said, "Your brother and sister-in-law's wedding cost over 700,000 yuan?"

Jiang Ning hummed in agreement: "I haven't even finished paying off the debts they incurred for their wedding since I came back!"

Feng Yu clicked her tongue twice: "The cost of getting married now is too high. Not counting the car and house, 200,000 yuan is considered a low price. In Bei'an, the bride price is as high as 200,000 yuan. It's okay for one son, but raising two sons will drive people crazy!"

Jiang Ning hummed twice: "So young people simply don't get married."

Feng Yu asked curiously, "Your uncle must have a lot of money saved up, right?"

Jiang Ning said, "The total over the past few years should be around two million."

How much does an apartment in the city cost?

"It costs four or five thousand per square meter, so moving in would cost at least six hundred thousand!"

"That's alright. Do you think that woman is reliable?"

"How would I know? I haven't met him in person. Besides, you can't judge a book by its cover. Who knows what kind of person he is?"

We chatted for a few minutes, and then didn't talk about it again.

Feng Yu talked about her family situation: "My mother asked my sister when she was going to have a baby!"

Jiang Ning then asked, "What did you say?"

Feng Yu said, "Let's try next year. I'll get pregnant around May or June next year. By the time my sister gives birth, Tian Tian will be three years old and ready to go to kindergarten. We can send her there and have Mom and Dad pick her up and drop her off. My sister and I will take care of the younger one."

Jiang Ning nodded; this arrangement was quite appropriate.

Feng Xue listened quietly, without offering any opinions.

Back at the farm, my daughter had a late-night snack.

Jiang Ning and Feng Xue went downstairs, took a shower, and went to bed.

Having sex with Feng Xue and having sex with Feng Yu are two different experiences. It can effectively satisfy a man's need for unreliable people, which is why he has always kept himself pure and did not mess around outside. Of course, Kong Fangfei is not an exception.

After fussing over it, I rinsed it again.

Jiang Ning lay on the bed while Feng Xue trimmed his toenails with nail clippers.

I don't know what other men's lives are like.

Anyway, he felt that life was wonderful.

Feng Yu wouldn't agree to his unreasonable requests without limits, but Feng Xue was different; she would grant almost any request. Washing his feet and trimming his toenails were routine for her. He had a lot of athlete's foot, but Feng Xue never complained.

After trimming my toenails.

Feng Xue washed her hands again before getting into bed and crawling under the covers.

She held Xiao Jiang with one hand and wrapped her other arm around his waist.

"sister!"

Feng Xue looked up at him.

Jiang Ning carefully examined his fair face, running her right hand over the corner of his eye, and said, "There's not a trace of a mark. He looks like he's eighteen."

Feng Xue smiled and pressed her face against his chest.

Jiang Ning placed his left arm under her neck and his right hand on her back.

Thinking about life.

Thinking about pursuing something.

Thinking about family...

In short, I'm just having wild thoughts.

Sometimes, I have this crazy thought: with two such understanding wives, why bother pursuing a career? Why not just find a secluded mountain forest with beautiful scenery and live a simple life of farming and weaving? That little valley in the Kunlun Mountains would be perfect.

Ok!

That's a really crazy idea.

The next day, I took a walk around the office building.

After sitting with Lao Yang for a while, Kong Fangfei came over with a pile of forms.

Make him sign.

Jiang Ning immediately felt a headache coming on. While signing the documents, she delegated authority to Lao Yang: "From now on, for business trips, purchases of spare parts and office supplies, you can just sign the expense slips for expenses under 200,000 yuan. Let the finance department directly record the transactions. You don't need to wait for my signature anymore."

Old Yang refused: "That's not appropriate. The finance department still needs a pen."

Jiang Ning quickly signed the document: "What's inappropriate about it? There are more and more things going on outside, and I have less and less time. I don't even have time to worry about the farm. Just sign it. Do you think you'd embezzle anything?"

That's what I said.

The old man could only agree: "Alright, but I can't work for many more years. I'll only work for another three years before I have to retire. You need to find a replacement as soon as possible, so you don't end up scrambling to find someone in the meantime."

Jiang Ning asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to retire? Wouldn't it be better to make more money?"

Old Yang has a clear understanding of life: "What's the use of making so much money? My monthly living expenses of three thousand yuan are enough. I can't even spend all the money I've saved over the years plus my retirement pension. Although my son isn't very capable, he doesn't need me to help him with his daily expenses except for buying a house. While I still have some time, I should take a break."

Jiang Ning said, "Now that things are on the right track, you don't need to work so hard. If something comes up, just come and handle it. If nothing comes up, just do whatever you need to do. If you want to go on a trip, just take a car and go around. The expenses will be settled through the bank."

Old Yang shook his head and said, "If you have responsibilities on your shoulders, you can't let your guard down. It's different."

Jiang Ning sighed and scratched his head: "People are never satisfied these days, it's not easy to find someone you can trust."

Old Yang, however, had a different opinion: "Is it easy to find?"

Jiang Ning asked, "Do you have a suitable candidate?"

Old Yang shook his head: "No, you have to find it yourself. I can't recommend anyone. But people are all made of flesh and blood. Greed is because their needs are not being met. As long as the money is enough, who would be willing to take the risk of embezzling? Take officials for example. If they were paid a hundred or two hundred thousand a year, how many people would risk going to jail to embezzle and engage in corruption?"

Jiang Ning thought about it carefully and said, "That makes sense. There's no rush. We can talk about it later. I'm sending my parents to Australia in a few days, and then I'm going to Africa. Do you want to come with me? You've never been to Africa before!"

Old Yang continued to shake his head: "No, I'm not going. With my old arms and legs, I'd just be a burden if I went out. I'd better not run around and just stay home and enjoy a peaceful life!"

Jiang Ning didn't insist, because people are different.

Some elderly people like to travel around after retirement, and many of them drive themselves.

Some, like Old Yang, don't want to go anywhere.

The best life is to get together with three or five old friends, have a few drinks, and chat.

After signing a bunch of receipts, I went to the second venue again.

Old Yang also went for a walk around.

A new Party Secretary has arrived; he was sent by the county.

Liang Guoping introduced him as Zhang Yu, a retired cadre nearing retirement.

Jiang Ning shook hands and simply nodded.

Nothing was said.

Old Yang was very familiar with him and greeted him with a smile: "Old Zhang, you're lucky. You can still contribute even before you retire."

Zhang Yu also laughed: "I can't compare to you. I'm here to be a beast of burden. You're so carefree."

“You represent the county; I’m just a migrant worker.”

"How can I represent the county? How about we switch places?"

"I'm retired now, so I won't take your job."

After listening to the two old guys chat for a while, I went to the office building.

The senior executives said a few words and gave a brief report on their respective areas of responsibility.

The finance department then brought over a stack of receipts and forms.

Jiang Ning listened to the report while signing the orders, occasionally asking a few questions.

If there's anything unclear, you have to call the department head over to ask them in person.

Unlike signing a contract, where you don't even look at it carefully and just sign it off.

With Lao Yang, that hardworking old ox, taking care of things, there won't be any problems in the first round. Lao Yang will tell him in advance about the money that needs to be spent, and he won't let Lao Yang handle the money that shouldn't be spent. It really saves him a lot of trouble. The second round is different.

Other things are easy to discuss.

The only thing that cannot be delegated is financial power.

Otherwise, who knows what might happen.

We spent half an hour signing the papers and talked for about half an hour.

To go see the ranch, Cao Junqing quickly called Coster.

Erchang also bought a Coaster, but only found out when he got downstairs.

The vehicle wasn't from the second factory; it belonged to the county.

Jiang Ning asked, "What's going on?"

Liang Guoping said, "There was an important reception before, and the county's vehicles were a bit outdated, so we borrowed a vehicle from the farm to handle the reception and made a temporary change."

Jiang Ning didn't say anything and got into the car.

When you arrive in the pastoral area, you see harvesters everywhere.

In this season, the wilderness outside is already covered with withered yellow leaves.

The farms are still lush and green, and the grass in the pastures is still green. It will not turn yellow and wither until the end of October. Various pastures are making the most of the time to store up winter stock. In the past, they were afraid that they would not have enough time, so they started to store up winter feed in June or July.

It only started in August this year and will continue until the end of October.

The carts carrying oxen came and went, seemingly without ever stopping.

Some are being hauled out, while others are being brought here to graze on pastures.

It was much more lively than a single event.

After walking around for a while, Jiang Ning was about to leave.

Liang Guoping answered a phone call, and after finishing, he said, "President Jiang, Boss Zhu is here."

Jiang Ning said "Oh," and then said, "Then we'll wait."

(End of this chapter)