Chapter 75 What's wrong with being in a relationship at 18?
Xu Qingming nodded: "Okay, then let's go over and take a look." After that, he looked at Lu Dongping again: "Thank you!" He looks quite energetic, and seems to be a little taller than himself. It's hard to eat enough in the mountains, so it's rare to see someone who looks so neat.
"You're welcome. You came here to support our production, so it's only natural that we help each other."
Xu Qingming raised his eyebrows. Wow, you are quite aware!
Arriving at the warehouse, Lu Dongping greeted Hu Xiujuan, "There are a lot of new educated youth arriving today, and the living quarters are a bit crowded. My uncle hasn't come back yet. I remember there are some extra planks and shelves in the warehouse, and I want to see if there are any that can be used."
The thread in the warehouse belonged to the collective, and if the educated youth camp needed it, Hu Xiujuan naturally wouldn't stop them: "Okay, go ahead and look through it, but you have to register it after you've looked through it, otherwise I won't be able to explain it later."
"That's for sure."
Part of the team's warehouse was used to store grain reserves, which was monitored by someone. Hu Xiujuan's section was used to store farm tools and other miscellaneous items. Lu Dongping summoned Xu Qingming and Huang Wancheng to dig in, and after a while, they actually found a nearly collapsed bed frame and several planks.
After registering it in Hu Xiujuan's notebook, Xu Qingming and Huang Wancheng also signed their names, and then they worked together to get the things to the educated youth site.
Of course Lu Dongping knew about it, because this thing was kept in his warehouse and belonged to the lone hunter in the team.
The old hunter had a bad temper and no one in the team was willing to associate with him. He was also childless. Only Lu Dongping, who was bold and shameless when he was young, often went to him.
In addition to a hunting rifle, he also had a skinny hunting dog and two stone houses.
He never went to work, and even at the end of the year, he received no rations. He scavenged for food and drink in the mountains, living like a savage. Those two stone slab rooms, a bunk bed, and a yellow mud stove were Lu Dongping's fondest childhood memories.
During the famine years, when Lu Dongping was still a child, the team had nothing to eat. They'd eaten all the mountain grass and tree bark, and some even ate Guanyin soil, their bellies swollen like they were pregnant. They couldn't poop after eating that stuff, so to avoid dying of bloating, some resorted to digging it out with their hands.
Life was really difficult back then. He was not even that old, maybe even less than ten years old, and there was no Lu Chun'e or Lu Donglin yet.
He ran around looking for food every day, and his favorite place was the old man's. In that dark room, the simple stove was always steaming, and all kinds of food were stewed inside.
He didn't know why the people on the team were afraid of the old man. When he was young, he thought the old man was very powerful and would never get sick or go hungry.
It's a pity that the old hunter survived the most difficult famine. When everyone's life seemed to be getting better, he died. His death was very sudden, and when Lu Dongping passed away, he was already stiff.
There was no one to bury the childless man, so Lu Dongping ran back to call for help. Lu Minghai and Lu Mingjiang helped dig a hole behind the old man's house. There was no coffin, so he was buried like that.
The old man died, and the hunting dog died soon after.
Of all his possessions, the hunting rifle was the most valuable, so Lu Minghai, fearing trouble, simply handed it over. All that was left was the pot and the bed, which was relatively intact, which he moved directly to the warehouse, effectively confiscating.
Life was so tense back then that even if it was just a needle, you wouldn't dare take advantage of it for fear of getting into trouble.
This bed won't last long. It's said to be made of top-quality sandalwood, but it's falling apart. It's not rotten, but I wonder if it can still bear the weight of two young men.
"How do we do this? We need to use nails, right?"
Lu Dongping didn't know what to do: "I have a hammer at home, but nails are hard to find here."
He used all the old nails he had collected to make Wen Wan's bed.
If he doesn't have it, then he will have no idea where to find the newly arrived educated youth.
"First find a broom and sweep it in the room to see how it works. Then go back to my uncle and ask him to fix it. If he doesn't help, you can all go live at his house."
Xu Qingming smiled: "That's a good idea."
The male comrades were chatting and laughing quite harmoniously. A few female educated youth from next door peeked over and came over to find Liu Changqing and Wang Jianmao.
"Which of you is Comrade Liu Changqing, and who is Comrade Wang Jianmao? We'd like to ask about dinner."
Wang Jianmao introduced himself: "I'm Wang Jianmao, and this is Comrade Liu Changqing. We used to be together, each contributing our own rations and taking turns cooking. Now that there are more people, we should discuss how to do it. Let's be clear and understand each other to avoid conflicts in the future."
Xu Qingming quietly pulled Wen Wan and said, "Anbao, you two take turns cooking? Sure! You've made it big now and can cook for yourself!"
Wen Wan rolled her eyes at him and said, "I'm not with them. I'm living with them at Lu Dongping's house."
Xu Qingming glanced at her in surprise: "We can still be partners, how do we do that?"
"Get your own rations. You can just give them daily. If you don't have rations, you can give them money or ration coupons!"
Xu Qingming thought this was a good idea, but he had no food and he was still poor.
He is not Wenwan, and he doesn't have a job. He didn't save much of the New Year's money he received at home. His family gave him some money when he left, but it wasn't much. How could he dare to spend it carelessly?
"Seventh Brother, if you can't, why don't you just come and share the kitchen with me first? Once we're settled here, you can start cooking with them. Let me tell you, cooking for yourself is incredibly tiring. You have to get up as soon as it gets light outside in the morning, and then you have to fetch water. The wooden bucket is so heavy, I can't even lift it with one hand. The most important thing is that there are no private plots at the educated youth camp, and there's not even any vegetables. Unless you pay to trade with the commune members, you'll have to eat corn grits porridge every day, which is enough to make you vomit."
Xu Qingming hissed, "Don't scare me. I'm a coward."
"Why should I scare you? Really, would you consider it?"
Xu Qingming was a little moved, but when Wen Wan spoke again, he was not moved at all.
"Seventh Brother, I have to tell you something first."
"What, what happened? Anbao, don't look at me like that. It seems like you've done something bad."
Wen Wan feinted and kicked him. "What? What bad thing? What bad thing could I do? It's Lu Dongping. He said he wants you to go to his house for dinner tonight."
Xu Qingming's brows jumped. He glanced at Lu Dongping who was standing there with his arms folded. He had a bad feeling in his heart and smiled: "No, we are not relatives or friends. Why would he invite me to dinner?" These days, life in the city is tight, let alone in the mountains.
Wen Wan made up her mind and confessed honestly: "Because I'm dating him, and you're my brother. You came all the way here, so isn't it normal for him to treat you to a meal?"
"What, what the hell? Wen Wan, say it again!"
Xu Qingming was about to jump up. What had he heard? Their Anbao had been in the countryside for only two or three months and was already dating someone from the mountains? Oh my god, someone's going to die. If the old man and old lady at home knew about this, they'd be devastated.
"Don't yell, it's just a date, why are you making such a fuss? People can get married at 18, so what's wrong with me being in a relationship at 18?"
Just as Xu Qingming was about to speak, Huang Wan's voice came over: "Comrade Xu Qingming, we have a long way to go. Let's talk about the past later. Let's take care of the meal first, and then go find the captain to find a way to fix the bed!"
Xu Qingming rarely had a serious expression on his face. He glanced at Wen Wan and pointed at her: "Just wait for me!" After that, he got up and left.
After he left, Lu Dongping found a chance to come over and ask Wen Wan: "Have you told your brother to come over for dinner tonight?"
Wen Wan looked at him blankly and then looked down at her feet. There was a small stone under her feet, which she kicked far away.
"I told you, he might not go."
Lu Dongping raised his eyebrows: "Don't want to go? Then I'll go and call again."
Wen Wan quickly pulled him away and shook her head: "Don't go. He, I told him that we are dating, and he seemed very angry."
Are you angry? That's totally normal.
"Okay, I get it. Let's go back and eat. Don't tell him about this anymore. I'll do it."
Wen Wan looked at Lu Dongping worriedly and said, "Don't fight with him."
Lu Dongping laughed: "Are you afraid that I will beat him? No." Even if he is my cousin, he will be my future brother-in-law. I can't curry favor with him, so how could I possibly hit him?
Wen Wan shook her head: "I'm afraid he will beat you, so stay away from him." The boys in the Xu family were all wolves who had been sent to the army for training. Xu Qingming looked fair and clean like a weak scholar. He was still young, but when he could be cruel, he was no less cruel than his brothers.
Lu Dongping didn't know and didn't take it to heart. He felt that for the sake of the object, a couple of hits was nothing.
"Let's go, Mom made some delicious food. If your brother doesn't come, you have to eat more."
The two of them murmured, and soon Lu Dongping had the other person away. When Xu Qingming finished speaking to the other person, Wen Wan was nowhere to be found. That bastard Lu Dongping had coaxed his An Bao away right under his nose.
Xu Qi was so angry that he almost died!!
When they got home, Lu Mingjiang and Zhang Hongying came out, and Lu Minghai was there too, so there were only Lu Dongping and Wen Wan.
"Wen Wan, your brother didn't come?"
Wen Wan said, "He just arrived, so it's hard to get any special treatment. He has to be with the other educated youth."
Zhang Hongying nodded: "Okay, there's plenty of time in the future!"
Only Lu Minghai raised his eyebrows and sneered at Lu Dongping. The meaning was self-evident: he was just there to watch the fun.
Lu Dongping sneered, "Uncle, the male educated youths at the educated youth center have nowhere to live, and you're still hiding here. If you don't go and solve the problem quickly, don't blame me for not telling you when I come to your house to make trouble."
Lu Minghai couldn't laugh anymore: "Didn't I tell you to take care of the arrangements? What have you been doing this afternoon?"
"I didn't do anything. I just moved the bed I had in the warehouse and got a few boards. But the bed had been there for a long time, so it was broken and falling apart. I needed to fix it with nails. I don't have those things, so what can I do?"
Lu Minghai smacked his lips, muttered a few words, and ran back in a hurry. Lu Mingjiang couldn't stop him even when he called out to him.
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