Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 161 Little Fool

Xiao Bin chuckled and whispered, "Isn't this you guys? If it were normal, we would have kept it. It's all public property, and they can't come looking for it. You don't need to pay this money back; it's just freeing up some funds for you. Such a big school, its operations don't cost money."

Xiao Wei understood immediately. No wonder Master Chang specifically emphasized that it was for replacing the boiler that day, and then waited until the Labor Bureau transferred the money before submitting the work order. Moreover, the Labor Bureau transferred the money so quickly. It seemed that everyone knew what was going on and was just helping them out. This favor was truly invaluable. It would be strange if Old Chen's influence wasn't involved.

He called Xia Maosheng over, and the two of them signed the form, which was then handed back to Xiao Bin. Xiao Bin put the things away, put on gloves, and said, "Then I'll go back. I'll bring the check over to you before noon." He then pushed open the door and left.

Xiao Wei walked to the kitchen door and said to Sister Zhang, "Your company's table costs 500, including the drinks."

Sister Zhang nodded and said, "I understand, I'm doing it."

As soon as the back door opened, Liu Hongliang walked in carrying a basket, followed by Li Gengsheng carrying two large plastic bags.

Liu Hongliang put down his basket and said, "Damn, it stinks! This smell is making me want to throw up." Li Gengsheng, who was behind him, said, "Let me through. My hand is still bound. Get me a basin."

Liu Hongliang said, "Why don't you put it on the ground first?" As he spoke, he turned around, found a basin, and helped Li Gengsheng pour the frozen seafood from the bag into the basin.

Li Gengsheng rubbed his hands together vigorously, grimacing as he warmed them by the fire. His hands were indeed red from the heat, and from the cold, they had turned a bluish-purple. That bag of ice was no easy task.

Master Zhai came over, took a look, and asked Li Gengsheng, "Has this intestine been cleaned?"

Li Gengsheng warmed his hands and said, "I washed them. They said just rinsing them with water would be enough."

Liu Hongliang also went over to warm his hands and said, "You washed them? Why do they still smell so bad?"

Li Gengsheng said, "This stuff smells no matter how you wash it, especially with so many of them together. If it were just one dish, you wouldn't be able to smell it."

Master Zhai reached into the basket and rummaged through it, then said to Sister Zhang, "We need to rub it with salt. This is a rural pig; it's strong and smells quite pungent."

Xiao Wei went over to take a look and asked, "Won't it be salty after kneading with salt?"

Master Zhai smiled and shook his head, saying, "No, if you rub it in to kill the odor, just rinse it off with water."

"Back in our village, we rub the pig intestines with salt before slaughtering them. Haven't you ever seen that? Hmm, you have a good eye, sir. This is definitely a rural pig; it doesn't eat much feed." Zhang's father walked in at some point and chimed in, coming over to look at the intestines.

Xiao Wei said to Master Zhai, "Brother Zhai, this is my dad. Dad, this is Brother Zhai. Master Zhai, and Master Lao Si."

Mr. Zhang said, "Oh dear, then we must try it properly today."

Master Zhai smiled and said, "Okay, Uncle Zhang, what do you like to eat? I'll make you a few."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Just one plate of these intestines will do. My dad loves them, and so does Uncle Wang. But I can't stand offal. Can offal really taste as good as meat?"

Sister Zhang picked up a knife, rummaged through the basket, found a sausage end, pulled it out, and quickly cut it into small pieces. The butcher hadn't lied; it really had been washed and was very clean inside.

Sister Shang came in from outside and said, "The rice is ready, let's eat."

Several people hurriedly prepared for the meal. The restaurant staff had to eat before the mealtime, and the mealtime was staggered from the normal mealtime.

Potato stew with meat, sauerkraut stew with bones. Because Uncle Wang and the others came, Chef Zhai cooked a few more dishes, and everyone squeezed around a table to eat.

Sister Shang also went to cook some dumplings for Zhang's father, Uncle Wang, Aunt Wang, and Xiao Hong to try, which earned her a round of praise.

After lunch, everyone started arranging the four tables for the lunch break. Xiao Wei, Xia Maosheng, and Chen Hui accompanied Zhang's father and Uncle Wang back to the guesthouse to rest.

In the car.

Mr. Zhang said, "It's nice here, but the wind is too strong, and it's much colder than where we are."

Xiao Wei said, "If you walk a few hundred meters to the east, you'll reach the Daling River. Of course it'll be cold there. It'll be better in the summer. You can take a stroll along the river at night and even go fishing."

Zhang's father laughed and said, "That's great. There's just not much water where we live. We've never actually stayed by a river before." There are rivers near the county town, but they're too shallow. The deepest part is only a little over a meter deep. As for Honey Cliff, there are just a few small ditches where four- or five-year-old children can play.

Xia Maosheng patted Chen Hui, who was driving, and said, "Stop up ahead, I'm getting out."

Chen Hui turned the steering wheel to the side of the road and asked, "What's up?"

Xia Maosheng said, "I'm going to find Li Xing to get his driver's license." He said goodbye to Zhang's father, Uncle Wang, and Aunt Wang, then got out of the car and went to the police station.

Aunt Wang said, "Why don't we just not go back to the guesthouse? We'll just be sitting there doing nothing. Aren't we moving there? Let's go find a place to buy things; we'll need to buy quite a few things for luggage and such."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Let's go this afternoon, and wait for Lao Xia to come back. We're all from out of town, and we might not be able to find our way around, not to mention we could easily get hurt." Aunt Wang thought about it and agreed, and the car continued towards the guesthouse.

After driving a short distance, Chen Hui suddenly slapped the steering wheel and said, "Damn it, what the hell? Why buy luggage? I can just have someone get it from the guesthouse; it'll definitely be better than buying it outside."

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "This little thing isn't worth it. Don't let people look down on us."

Chen Hui turned his head and said, "Can't we just not take advantage of them? Let's pay them, at their purchase price."

Xiao Wei reached out and ruffled Chen Hui's hair: "Look at the road, why are you turning around while driving?"

When they arrived at the guesthouse, everyone got out of the car. Chen Hui parked the car in the heated storage room, went inside and ran to find the logistics staff, but Xiao Wei didn't agree.

Just as Zhang's father and Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang sat down in the room, Chen Hui jogged up to them and said, "Alright, we have stock. We'll just pay them the purchase price. They can report the loss and then buy more. We won't take advantage of them. Let me tell you, the stuff we buy here is definitely better than what's on the market. It's thicker and all new cotton."

Xiao Wei turned to Xiao Hong and asked, "Shall we buy them? How many?"

Xiao Hong turned to look for her mother, and Aunt Wang laughed and said, "You two, oh dear, you're all so silly. Your yard isn't easy to manage. You nailed that bed yourself, so it's not very practical to buy one. Why don't you just use it as a kang (heated brick bed)? Just make sure you have a few extra mattresses. As for blankets, two should be enough for one room. You can add more as needed later."

The conditions in Northeast China are different from those in the South. In the South, mattresses are made with cotton wadding directly, but in the Northeast, they need to be wrapped with a covering, which is a bit of a hassle.

Xiao Wei asked, "Then do we need to lay down a layer of linoleum?"

Aunt Wang nodded and said, "We need to lay it. Otherwise, won't the planks scratch a lot?"

Uncle Wang said, "It doesn't matter whether you lay it or not. It's just a clean surface with paint on it, why bother scraping it?"

Aunt Wang said, "Really? I didn't look closely. If the surface is clean and varnished, it's fine without linoleum, it'll just be a bit stiff."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Then let's put it on, it'll block some of the wind, there are gaps in the boards anyway."

Xiao Wei asked Chen Hui, "Where did you buy this? Can't you make it to order? Wouldn't it be better to just make a whole one according to the size of the bed?"

Aunt Wang laughed and said, "Oh no, it's so big, how are we supposed to take it apart and wash it? Who can wash it? It would take several days to sew it back together."

Chen Hui said, "Just make the bed, then wash the sheets."

Xiao Wei asked Chen Hui, "Where did you get such a big bed sheet?"

Chen Hui scratched his head and laughed. The mattress was easy to get, but the sheet was definitely too big.

(End of this chapter)