Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Is he afraid of the rumors outside...
Lu Lianhua sighed heavily.
He said nothing, yet it seemed as if he had said a thousand words.
Xu Yingxia knew everything now, and her face was full of surprise. "Who started it first?"
If it was Xu Mo, she would definitely not help him if he got beaten, and she would probably even slap him a few more times.
But if it's the other party, it would be a bit unfair.
Lu Lianhua shook her head, "He wouldn't tell me at all. Even if Qiu Ling started it, that stupid boy Xu Mo would only talk about himself."
She was sure of that.
Xu Yingxia thought about it and agreed.
Her nephew, although a man of few words, is not stupid. If it was really the other party who started it, there would be no hope once he confessed to his family, and his family would also have a very bad impression of Qiu Ling.
Xu Yingxia had many questions in her mind.
For example, when did they get together? What is Qiu Ling's personality like? Does anyone else in the team know about this? And so on.
But the first thing she asked was, "What do you think? I understand why the two brothers want to speak up now. They must want me to help you persuade them. But don't worry, you and I are on the same side in this family. I will definitely stand by you."
Lu Lianhua burst out laughing.
She couldn't help but think of the time before they got married, when Xu Yingxia promised her that if Xu Shuisheng quarreled with her in the future, she would definitely stand by her without a word.
But over the years, she and Xu Shuisheng have never had any conflicts. Even when they encountered many difficult times, they supported each other and continued to move forward.
And her sister-in-law had no chance to stand on her side.
But over the years, we have really helped them, otherwise it would have been much more difficult.
Life after marrying into the Xu family was really hard.
I have hardly stopped to rest for more than 20 years, but even if I work harder, my family still doesn't have much savings. The only thing they have is this renovated small yard, which at least provides a shelter from the wind and rain.
So she was very practical. "You know the situation at home, big sister. I am even mentally prepared for my two children to be single. If they can really find a girl who doesn't mind my poor family, as long as she is not as old as me, I will definitely not have any objection."
Xu Yingxia was a little surprised.
I never thought... I never thought...
"My aunt is really open-minded!" Jiang Shuangshuang, who had been silent, couldn't help but say something. Seeing Xu's mother looking at her, she smiled back and said, "Mom, you have to learn from my aunt."
Xu Yingxia said angrily, "Why, are you planning to bring back someone I can't handle to scare me?"
"Of course not." Jiang Shuangshuang pointed to the window, "Don't you have a little son?"
The youngest son was sitting next to the bed, and from time to time he would peek into the kitchen through the gap in the window. He happened to see the wild boar hanging there, and he would slurp it every time he looked at it.
It's simply unbearable to watch.
Xu Yingxia, the mother, didn't want to pay attention to him anymore. She turned around and said, "From what I saw from your expression earlier, I thought you didn't really want to agree."
"If he really wants to marry Qiu Ling, I will definitely agree. Qiu Ling is a miserable girl. No matter what the reason is for them to be together, her temper is not bad. She has no strength to work because the food in the Huang family is too bad. The Huang family is not willing to take care of her meals, so she has to take some of her own food..."
It is quite pitiful, otherwise she would not have pretended not to see anything even though she knew Xu Mo helped her and her daughter from time to time. But their lives were not easy either, and the help was not much. How could Qiu Ling have the energy to work when she went to the fields hungry every day?
But his nature is really not bad.
I have never seen her quarrel with anyone, and she behaves properly. The only unusual thing is that she is with her late husband's good brother.
"If he had dared to speak directly to me, I would have accepted it. But look at how he hesitated just now. He didn't even have the courage to speak. How are the two of them going to deal with the rumors in the team in the future?" This is what Lu Lianhua was most worried about.
Given their family's conditions, it would be a blessing for Xu Mo to have a daughter-in-law. What else could she, a mother who couldn't provide much help, say?
Although it was her second marriage, Qiu Ling was a few months younger than Xu Mo. She got pregnant just a few months after marrying Dazhu, which showed that she was in good health and could bear children.
She is not pretty but well-proportioned. She can even get along with the sarcastic mother-in-law of the Huang family, which shows that she is not the kind of person who picks on people.
Lu Lianhua doesn't like to pick on people's shortcomings. Of course, if that person only has shortcomings, there is nothing to say. For example, her sister-in-law, no matter how hard she tries, she can't find a single good point.
Putting aside the fact that he was getting married for the second time and had a daughter, Qiu Ling thought it would be great if she could really be with Xu Mo.
But even Xu Mo himself didn't have the courage to speak to her, so how would they deal with the rumors in the team in the future?
"If they get together with the wife of my best friend, you can imagine how bad the comments will be. If both of them are not ready to deal with it, I will definitely not agree to them being together." Lu Lianhua shook her head and sighed, "In order to avoid them becoming a couple who are resentful of each other and will never have peace in their lives."
Before his good brother died, he entrusted his child to his parents, but he ended up leaving his child in his own bed.
There's no telling how harsh words like these might be. Regardless of Xu Mo or Qiu Ling's personalities, they would most likely keep them to themselves and not say them out loud. Over time, they would become filled with resentment.
Xu Yingxia frowned, "Xu Mo doesn't seem to be so irresponsible."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Lu Lianhua sighed again. "I'm worried that he's too responsible and takes responsibility for love. If Dazhu entrusts his wife and daughter to him, he'll really spend his whole life shouldering this responsibility."
In fact, she was not sure why Xu Mo was hesitant in front of her.
It is possible that, as mentioned before, you really like the person, but are afraid of the rumors outside and feel timid.
Another possibility is that he himself has not yet figured out whether it is love or responsibility, and has been hesitating and has not made up his mind.
But no matter which one it is, we are not ready.
That's why she always interrupted Xu Mo before he started to speak, because she was worried that he was not ready and was hastily settling the marriage.
Unless one day he dares to admit it in front of everyone, then she will agree.
Xu Yingxia could feel that her sister-in-law thought a lot about Xu Mo. She reached out and patted the back of her sister-in-law's hand, "This child is really a debt."
"That's right." Lu Lianhua didn't like to tell outsiders about her family affairs. No one had ever chatted with her about these things before, but now her sister-in-law was here to satisfy her desire to complain. "Look at Xu Tan, he keeps running out. At that time, I just thought he had learned bad habits from someone, but I didn't expect that he had a partner outside..."
He gestured with his hand and said, "We've known each other for five or six years. I don't know how he could keep it a secret."
Xu Yingxia found it funny, "That's a real talent, you can bring a wife home by yourself."
"It's good." Lu Lianhua also thought about it. If she had known too early, she and Lao Xu would definitely worry every day about how to get the money to marry a daughter-in-law. It was really difficult in the past few years, not much better than it is now.
At least the place they live in doesn't leak. If their in-laws had come to visit them a few years ago, they would probably have turned around and left without even wanting to enter the shabby house or the yard.
She actually understood why Xu Tan kept it a secret from his family, so she was only angry for a while. In the end, she still took out the best things in her house to entertain her in-laws, also thinking of making Xu Tan proud in front of his father-in-law's family.
The two chattered, Jiang Xiaozhou pulled his second sister's sleeve, pointed out the window and whispered, "Cousin."
Jiang Shuangshuang looked in the direction he pointed and found two figures standing outside the yard carrying wood. No one knew when they came back.
The sound of Xu's mother and her aunt's conversation could definitely be heard clearly outside.
She whispered, "When did you come back?"
Jiang Xiaozhou thought for a moment and said, "'We talked about it' at that time."
Jiang Shuangshuang raised her eyebrows. That meant she had listened to it from the beginning to the end, right?
She tutted, "You won't make a sound?"
"I'm going to see the wild boar." Jiang Xiaozhou smiled cheekily, "Sister, wild boar must be delicious. When are we going to eat?"
It was only around three o'clock in the afternoon and the greedy boy was already crying for hunger.
Jiang Shuangshuang ignored him and continued to look at the two brothers outside the door. The two men stood there without moving much, and it was obvious that the conversation they had just heard had a great impact on them.
It was indeed big, and Xu Tan felt that he had taken it for granted.
After he knew about big brother and sister Qiu Ling, he shouldn't have kept urging big brother to confess. What mom just said made sense. Instead, it was his urging that made big brother make a hasty decision.
He couldn't help but think of a female classmate from his previous school.
After her father died, her mother remarried her younger brother-in-law.
In fact, there are many such cases, but it is also very unpleasant to be said by outsiders. Many people in school make fun of the female classmate for this matter, and in more serious cases, they even team up to bully her...
Xu Tan himself was not sure if he could bear the ridicule and sarcasm. "Brother..."
"Let me think about it." Xu Mo patted his shoulder, then put down the firewood and walked out of the yard.
He had a bitter smile on his face. It turned out that his parents already knew what he was afraid to say, but he was like a coward and couldn't even say a word.
Is he afraid of the rumors outside?
In fact, he had been teased for this before, and it really was not a pleasant feeling.
But compared to this, he felt more confused in his heart. There were many things he hadn't figured out yet, so he couldn't bring it up with his parents.
"Xu Mo? What are you doing standing outside?" Xu Guodong and his men came over here. He asked hurriedly, "Is your cousin home? I have something important to discuss with her."
"At home." Xu Mo came to his senses and opened the yard door to let them in.
In addition to the captain, there was also Aunt Wu. It was obvious that they came here because of what the cousin had said on the mountain.
Xu Mo hesitated for a moment and decided to follow.
He didn't quite understand, but he always found what his cousin said very interesting.
Xu Guodong came here in such a hurry because he really had something to ask for advice.
After entering the room, without much greeting, he took the initiative to talk about the matter mentioned by Jiang Shuangshuang. He said: "It is not uncommon for the factory purchasers to come to the brigade to purchase supplies as you said, but the conditions in our brigade are not good. Naturally, every household does not have enough to eat and cannot bring anything to exchange. They almost never come to us. The most important thing is..."
When Xu Guodong first heard Aunt Wu talk about this, he really thought this was a good idea.
It was not the first time that he traveled a long way to the station yesterday. He was thinking about whether he could find some work to increase the income of the members, even if it was just a few more dollars a year.
But it's hard, really hard.
He was just the captain of a small production team, in charge of many things in the team, but who would know him if he really went out? He had no connections, and he didn't even know which direction the front door was.
If the suggestion made by Xu Yingxia's daughter could be implemented, the brigade members would be able to earn a lot of money a year without having to work, which would be no worse than taking manual labor outside.
However, there was one thing he couldn't do. "Unless the factory takes the initiative to contact our brigade, our brigade is not qualified to take the initiative to contact the factories. We must go through the commune to connect. Otherwise, if we are held responsible, I, as the brigade leader, will not be able to escape."
He wanted to generate some income for the brigade, but he wasn't so noble as to send himself in. The policy was what it was. If the factory contacted them directly and purchased supplies from the production brigade in the name of the factory, there would be no problem at all. Even if someone didn't like it, they wouldn't cause trouble.
But they cannot contact the factory directly, they must go through the commune. There is a trick here. With the help of the commune, the money from the sale of wild boars will not all go to their production team, but the commune will also get some of it.
He had never studied the exact share, but it would have to be at least one third or even half, so he was thinking about whether he could save the money. Compared with dividing it up to the commune, he would naturally like to keep the benefits for his own team.
After Xu Guodong explained all the twists and turns, he finally stated his request, "So I thought you guys don't live in the city, can you help me get in touch?"
Before Jiang Shuangshuang opened her mouth, Xu Yingxia spoke first, "Should we ask the textile factory to come here to purchase? It's not impossible to give it a try. I remember that Mr. Liu's son is in the purchasing department, right? We can ask him when we get back."
"That's great!" Xu Guodong grinned happily, "I'll help you ask when you get back. I'll go to the commune's telephone room every afternoon to wait for your news."
Jiang Shuangshuang also spoke up: "Not just the textile factory, can the captain take me to the commune so I can contact the unit and see if they are interested in capturing one or two wild boars."
"Your unit? Isn't that the Public Security Bureau?!" Xu Guodong exclaimed. It would be great if it was really related to the Public Security Bureau. He quickly stood up and said, "Sure, wait for me here. I'll bring the ox cart over to you."
I was so impatient that I got up and left the yard.
After the man left, Aunt Wu told them what they had just discussed, "Take half, and the remaining half will go to the production team. According to Shuangshuang's suggestion, find four people to help me divide the work points equally, and give me five or six pounds of meat each time as a reward."
Jiang Shuangshuang listened and nodded, "Not bad."
This profit-sharing method is good for everyone.
Although Aunt Wu gave up the profit, at least she felt more at ease. The brigade did not do anything but still got to split the profits in half, and every member of the brigade could get a piece of the pie.
The four guys who helped were just putting in some effort to lift the prey in front of the tiger. They could get five or six pounds of meat each time, which was considered quite generous.
"That's the division for now, and we'll talk about the future later." Aunt Wu herself was not a greedy person, otherwise she would not have stayed in the mountains for the past thirty or forty years and was unwilling to go out.
If she had cared more about money and power, she would have been able to do well no matter where she is.
Take half first to build up the family savings, and she may give up some more after she feels more at ease.
But this is something for the future, so let's not talk about it for now. "In the future, let Xu Mo and Xu Tan go to help me, and Wu Peng and the captain's kid will also go with them."
She thought these four boys were all of good character.
Not only were they of good character, but the people in their house were all villagers who were grateful to her. When she lived halfway up the mountain, she often came to them to exchange daily necessities. She didn't say who gained or lost, but she was still willing to accept their willingness to help.
"Okay then." Lu Lianhua patted her two sons on the shoulders, smiling brightly, "Let them follow you. Just tell them what kind of work there is. They are young and strong and can do it."
Nowadays, pork costs 20 yuan per pound, and you have to pay for it with a pork ticket.
Who wouldn't be happy to help with five or six pounds of meat?
As they were chatting, Xu Guodong drove the ox cart over. He said outside, "We should be able to get back in time for dinner if we go there now. So, shall we set off now?"
Xu Yingxia asked, "Do you want to let your cousin go with you?"
Jiang Shuangshuang made a suggestion, "If you don't mind the trouble, you can get one or two now. Who knows, I might have some news when I come back."
"Really?"
Jiang Shuangshuang nodded, with an affirmative look on her face: "Don't underestimate people's appetite."
Wild boar may not be as delicious as domestic pork, but it is still meat!
…
"Master Zhang, if you're tired, do you want me to keep watch for you for a few hours?" In the small pavilion outside the Public Security Bureau, a young man with a crew cut advised helplessly.
Although Mr. Zhang is the gatekeeper of the Public Security Bureau, no one really wants him to guard here for several hours. After all, he is old and has pains all over his body. We definitely can't let the old cadre bear it like this.
So there is an unwritten rule in the bureau.
Anyone who has nothing to do can come and stand guard for the old man. After all, the old man is not the real gatekeeper in their department, but a mascot.
That's it...
The old man has a stubborn temper and doesn't like to listen to them.
The older you get, the more rebellious you become. Look, even though his waist hurts so much that he can't sit still, he still sticks his neck out and pretends nothing's wrong. "I'm tired? When I was young, I didn't feel tired even if I didn't sleep for three days and three nights. What's that? Even if a thief comes now, I can chase him for three blocks... Oh, this phone ringtone scares me. When will I take it apart and put it in the office? Don't keep it here with me."
There is a dedicated telephone in the security booth, but it is basically useless.
No external calls are made here. Usually, people from the bureau will say something and ask us to pass on a message.
Grandpa Zhang picked up the phone. He first said "Hello". When he heard the voice on the other end of the phone, his eyes lit up instantly, "Xiao Jiang, haven't you been away for just two days? Why are you calling me... Wild Boar?! Yes, yes, yes... Wait for me, I'll go ask Lao Cao and call you back within 20 minutes!"
After hanging up the phone, he pulled the flat-headed man into the pavilion and said, "Guard the door for me. I'm going to find Lao Cao."
The last time Mr. Zhang ate wild boar was more than ten years ago. His old comrade-in-arms sent him some from his hometown. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to cook it, so he just boiled it and fried it. He thought the wild boar was rotten at the time. Later, Lao Cao helped to process it. Oh my! The smell was so delicious that it killed him.
It’s a pity that the old comrade was not as lucky as him. He has managed to survive until now and has not entered the coffin. Unlike his old comrade, he was reincarnated early and missed out on so many delicious foods.
He thought that he must persuade Lao Cao to catch the wild boar, so that he could eat more meat and consider it as helping his old comrade.
But Mr. Zhang was wrong.
He didn't need to persuade him at all, Cao Da Ye agreed immediately, and the two old men rushed into the building and knocked on Director Wei's door, forcing him to issue a purchase approval order...
For Xu Guodong, the twenty minutes of waiting were very hard to endure.
He was afraid that he couldn't do it. Even if Miss Xu Yingxia said there was no problem, he would still feel uneasy. In his anxiety, he couldn't help but talk more. "Actually, life is much better now than before. Ten or twenty years ago, there were people starving to death almost every year. But we can't be satisfied with the status quo, right? We just want to generate more income so that the villagers can have enough food and warm clothes. It would be best if they can ride bicycles like the family in the next brigade. But..."
This chatter lasted for twenty minutes.
Jiang Shuangshuang didn't feel impatient. She actually enjoyed listening to these past events.
But it was obvious that the captain couldn't wait, so she called back after 20 minutes. The other party must have been waiting as well. The phone was picked up after one ring. Grandpa Zhang and Grandpa Cao were fighting for the microphone and talking. She smiled and replied, "Talk one by one. I can't hear you all so noisy."
The other end finally quieted down, but Jiang Shuangshuang didn't have time to reply. They kept responding with "um", "oh", "ok", and "OK". Xu Guodong was so anxious that he couldn't stop walking beside her. As soon as she hung up the phone, he asked hurriedly: "What's the matter? Are they willing to accept it? If they think it's too far, we can also deliver it over there. The team can still afford the few cents for the fare..."
"No."
"Ah——" Xu Guodong was stunned, "No, you don't want it anymore?"
Jiang Shuangshuang chuckled, "They have taken the wild boar, but we don't need to send it over. They will arrange a car to pick it up tomorrow. You need to kill it and clean up the dirt first."
"Okay, okay! Let Wu Peng kill them, and my wife will find a few more people to clean them up!" Xu Guodong smiled so hard that wrinkles appeared on his face. He walked around excitedly and suddenly slapped his thigh, "Let's go, let's go back and tell everyone the good news!"
At this time, the Changnan Brigade was also quite lively.
Mother Wu took four young people into the mountains and came back down the mountain carrying two wild boars in less than two hours. The grunting sounds of the pigs attracted the entire group.
"Auntie Wu is amazing. If I had her ability, we would never lack meat for our family."
"Need I say more? Look at Xiao Tiancai, how thin he was before? His parents said he was born not to gain weight, but look how long has it been since he got married? He must have gained 20 to 30 pounds. If I had known earlier, I would have let my boy get married. It is a blessing for my family to be related to Aunt Wu."
It’s a pity that the Xiao family did not have this blessing.
Xiao Tiancai was a really smart guy. He didn't say whose family he was going to marry into before he got married. But when he heard him yelling that he wanted to marry into the family, he got so angry that he broke off relations with him directly. In order to avoid being embarrassed, he even went to the captain to sign a letter of severance of relations.
But when the Xiao family learned that he was going to marry into Aunt Wu's family, they were really dumbfounded.
Who is Aunt Wu?
This mountain is like her backyard. She can catch anything she wants. She can fight even the wild leopards in the mountains. She can even fight bears. How can there be a lack of meat at home?
If you really want to become her relative, are you afraid that you will have no meat to eat in the future?
I guess Xiao Tiancai knew this, so he kept the relationship a secret so as to avoid having a bunch of relatives following him around and asking for money.
"With so much meat, it will take years to eat it, right?" Someone smacked his lips, becoming more and more hungry the more he spoke.
Some people are now considering whether they have any extra snacks at home. "Auntie Wu is the most generous. I'll ask her when we kill the pigs. I'll give her a pound or half a pound of snacks to satisfy our hunger."
"I'll go too, I'll go too."
In the early years, whenever Aunt Wu caught prey, she would let everyone in the group exchange it, no matter if it was food or daily necessities. The price was much cheaper than outside, and everyone wanted to buy a pound or half a pound to satisfy their cravings.
But that was all several years ago. It’s a rare opportunity to have it this year, so I had to buy some, otherwise the kids at home would cry for a long time.
It was just a coincidence that while Aunt Wu was carrying two wild boars down the mountain, Xu Guodong was returning to the brigade on a bullock cart. On the way, he happened to meet a few villagers who were planning to go home to exchange food for meat. Xu Guodong got anxious when he heard about it, "What are you exchanging? You are not allowed to exchange!"
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