Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 169 Titles (jasonn+3)

Xia Maosheng said, "How about we bring them one truckload at a time? Let's haul one truckload first and see how long it burns, then we'll send the rest?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "I think delivering them by the truckload is a good idea. Otherwise, the yard would turn into a coal yard, and how would anyone live there?"

Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "Okay, then we'll haul it in truckloads. I forgot about the volume, fifty tons of coal already fills half the yard, haha."

Li Wen asked from the side, "Boss, why do you still burn coal in our shop? Don't we have gas?"

Master Zhai said, "That requires a pipe, and it costs a lot of money to install it separately. Besides, that thing has a very poor heat output, so it's not suitable for stir-frying."

Xiao Wei said, "I did calculate the tank capacity, but that would require modifying the stove, which would be too noisy. Let's talk about it next year. We can't do anything in this weather."

As soon as the door opened, Zhang's father, Uncle Wang, and Aunt Wang walked in, with Chen Hui following behind.

Xiao Wei asked, "Why did you come from this side? It would have been much closer to come in through the back door."

Mr. Zhang said, "Let's take a look around. There's nothing else to do. What's up with that door over there? I see it's locked."

Xiao Wei said, "They're planning to sell steamed buns and twisted rolls over there, just steamed items. The equipment hasn't been brought back yet, but it'll be open by the time you come down."

Xia Maosheng stood up and said, "Let's go, Xiaohui, to the school."

Chen Hui had barely touched the stool when he asked, "What's up?"

Xia Maosheng said, "When they deliver coal over there, we have to open the door and tell them where to unload it, otherwise how will the boiler run for a few days?"

Zhang's father asked Xiaowei, "Are you already hauling coal?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Okay, let's haul one load first."

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Zhang said, "Never mind, let's go back and pack everything up before we start moving. So, you're not moving yet?"

Xiao Wei said, "How are we supposed to live now? We'll freeze to death!"

Hao Xiaodong asked, "Is the boiler over there big?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's bigger than this, with a heating area of ​​over a thousand square meters."

Hao Xiaodong said, "How about this, you all take care of things during the day, and let Lao Yu burn the incense at night. I'll go over there and burn it for you for a few days. I'll come back when Uncle Zhang arrives. That way, it won't cause any delays."

Zhang's father said, "Why call me Uncle? Call me Brother? Call me Big Brother? Let's each be our own. Calling me Uncle makes me feel uncomfortable. And Xiao Zhai, from now on, call me Big Brother." Everyone laughed. Indeed, it's a bit awkward when there's an age difference of about ten years. Calling someone Uncle is fine, but calling them Brother is also correct, especially for someone sandwiched between a father and son. It's awkward no matter which way you address them.

Uncle Wang chimed in, "That's right, let's all keep to ourselves. You can be casual with each other, just call us 'brother' if you want. But calling you 'uncle' makes me all itchy."

Master Zhai laughed and said, "Okay." Actually, they were also a little awkward. But that's the tradition of Northeasterners—you have to follow the way people address you. If you know someone's son first, there's no way around it; you can only call him that. Even among coworkers, some are older than each other's fathers, but when they meet, they still call each other "Uncle."

Xia Maosheng asked Hao Xiaodong, "Brother Hao, how many days do you think it will take to make it habitable over there?" The house has been vacant for many years. It's not as simple as just turning on the heating. The ground is frozen, so it needs to be warmed up first, otherwise people can't stand it.

Hao Xiaodong took a puff of his cigarette, thought for a moment, and said, "If the stove is big enough, it should be able to burn for three or four days. It depends on the specific situation. I haven't been there yet; I've only heard about it from you guys."

Xiao Wei said, "Let's leave tomorrow and go to Fengtian. We can take my dad and my uncle and aunt back there. Then we'll go to Guanyuan Company, settle things, and bring the equipment back. That should be about it by then. We can move right back."

Xia Maosheng nodded in agreement.

Mr. Zhang said, "Leaving tomorrow? That's fine. The sooner you go, the sooner you'll come back. You can go back, pack up, and come over in just a few days. Okay?"

Xiao Wei said, "Dad, don't rush back. What's the rush? We're not here to put out any fires. Take your time, handle things properly, and settle things at home before you come back."

Zhang's father said to Uncle Wang, "This guy is even lecturing me now."

Uncle Wang laughed and said, "You're a bit too hasty. Otherwise, your back wouldn't have broken down in the first place. It's just a matter of moving in a day earlier or later. It's not like you don't have a place to stay. Why are you in such a hurry? The more you rush, the more forgetful you'll be. Just handle things one by one, explain everything clearly, and then come back."

Zhang's father chuckled a few times. People with an impatient temperament are often just impatient without any other thoughts in mind. This is an inherent problem that they can't control. But when things are urgent, it's easy to make mistakes and oversights. Therefore, one must remain calm when faced with a situation.

Xia Maosheng and Chen Hui went to the courtyard, while they started preparing the meal.

The two of them returned to the restaurant just in time for dinner.

After finishing the meal, we went over the matter again. We entrusted the restaurant to Sister Zhang and Brother Zhai, and left the back to Huang Laowu and the others. They didn't need to worry about this side, so Xiaowei and Xia Maosheng were free to do nothing.

A group of people squeezed onto a van and strolled around Longcheng. Braving the north wind and snow, they admired the North and South Twin Towers, looked around the Daling River from inside the van, and then went to the city center shopping malls for a quick look around. They didn't buy anything. These days, large shopping malls are all state-owned, and they don't even have air conditioning. The heating is just a formality, and you have to jump around to keep warm. It's really not a place to shop.

After wandering around for less than two hours, they finally went to the train station, bought train tickets, and then headed back to their guesthouse.

A group of people came out of the restaurant all warm and cozy, but returned to the guesthouse shivering from the cold. Even Xiao Wei, who is usually resistant to the cold, was a little chilly. Chen Hui simply stayed in the car with the heater on for the rest of the journey and didn't dare to get out.

Upon entering the guesthouse, the overwhelming warmth was the best comfort, easing everyone's tense muscles, followed by fatigue. Winter in Northeast China is a pure full-body workout; walking requires the exertion of the whole body, and the cold also causes the whole body to tense up. When the muscles tense to a certain extent, they begin to tremble, as if they are rubbing themselves together to generate heat in an attempt to resist the cold.

Everyone sat down on the sofa to rest. Chen Hui crossed his arms and said, "It's so much better inside. This lousy place is just too cold."

Aunt Wang nodded and said, "It is indeed cold, colder than where we live, about ten degrees lower."

Uncle Wang took off his hat and put it aside, saying, "It's not that bad, it's just that the wind was too strong, and it got chilly inside. Xiaowei, you guys should wear more layers here, okay? If this wind penetrates to the bone, you're doomed. You'd be lucky to stay in the hospital for ten days or half a month. Don't take it lightly."

Xiao Wei nodded in agreement. He had always worn cotton-padded clothes since he was a child, so he wouldn't get cold. However, he couldn't refuse the old man's concern.

Chen Hui watched Xiao Weile from the side. Uncle Wang rolled his eyes and said to Chen Hui, "What are you laughing at? If you were my son, I'd beat your legs until they were swollen. Look at what you're wearing! You don't even have a decent sweater. How can you keep warm with those things? What's the point of wearing those clothes? Look at your shoes. What time is it and you're still wearing flip-flops? What if you get really cold? In the end, it's your parents who suffer. You're such a worry."

The fees are only rounded up to the nearest whole number; this chapter is 21 words short, which would cost an extra cent. It's not that I can't add them; 21 words is easy to add. This reminds me of a class composition I had in sixth grade, which was 800 words. Zhu Mengcai (now a leader at a provincial party school) and I finished writing and counted them—not enough. So we counted the words and added 810. When the grades came out, we both got zero. Teacher Chen scolded us, saying, "Even if you didn't write enough words, I'd still give you full marks for writing well. Writing is for others to read; it should be comfortable to read, not just padding the word count." This incident had a profound impact on me. From then on, I would read my writing several times, deleting and revising words, and gradually fell in love with writing compositions. In junior high, my compositions were often used as model essays for the grade. I'm very grateful to Teacher Chen, but unfortunately, I only remember her nickname, not her full name. (T^T)

(End of this chapter)