After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation returned to the terrifying wild boar king.
"You tell me."
Zhang Dazhu asked, his mouth full of gruel, as he gnawed on a pig's trotter.
"Why is this beast so weird? It has a transparent shell on its head, and you can even see its brains..."
"It's just a wild monster."
Old Wang took a sip of wine.
"Over time, it absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, and thus became a spirit."
"Brother Jianguo."
A young militiaman approached, his eyes filled with admiration.
"How did you know it was playing dead? If you hadn't fired those two shots..."
Su Jianguo put down his wine glass and looked around at everyone.
"That beast is too clever. Last time we hunted it, it played dead and escaped. How could it make the same mistake a second time?"
...
The next day
Sunlight streamed onto the threshing ground in Sujiatun, and the air still carried the smoky scent of last night's campfire.
Su Jianguo stood beside the tractor, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers, his brows furrowed as he stared at the notebook in his hand.
"Brother, everything's packed."
Su Jianjun patted the luggage on his bicycle, which contained several bags of freshly picked vegetable samples and more than ten kilograms of wild boar meat.
"Check again to see if anything is missing?"
Su Jianguo closed his notebook, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and slowly exhaled.
"I'll explain the greenhouse matter to you again."
Su Jianjun immediately straightened his back, took out a small notebook from his pocket, licked the pencil tip with his tongue, and prepared to take notes.
"Brother, you tell me."
"First, the wall in shed number four that was damaged by the wild boar king must be repaired today."
Su Jianguo gestured in the air with a cigarette butt.
"Use double-layered plastic film with straw sandwiched in between for insulation. Zhao the carpenter still has some leftover timber from the last house construction; I've already spoken to him, so you can go and get it."
"I've got it."
Su Jianjun wrote crookedly in his notebook.
"Secondly, starting today, you, Zhang Dazhu, and the other three young men will live in the greenhouse."
Su Jianguo's voice was very serious.
"We take turns keeping watch at night, each equipped with a hunting rifle. Not because we're afraid of wild boars, but to prevent anyone from coveting our vegetables."
Su Jianjun paused, then looked up at his brother in surprise.
"Brother, you mean... someone's going to cause trouble?"
"One should always be wary of others."
Su Jianguo squinted.
"This greenhouse represents all our savings, and we're about to see a return on our investment. We can't afford any mistakes."
A breeze blew by, carrying the coolness of early autumn.
Su Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette and continued.
"Third, record the temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse twice a day, morning and evening. The cucumbers will be ready for their first harvest in ten days, and the tomatoes a little later, but no more than two weeks. Remember, start picking early, at four in the morning, and load them onto the truck immediately and send them to the city."
"clear!"
Su Jianjun nodded vigorously, the pencil scratching on the paper.
Su Jianguo took out a wad of banknotes tied with a rubber band from his pocket and stuffed it into his younger brother's hand.
"Here's five hundred yuan for emergencies. If you encounter any problems you can't solve, call me immediately. The old Party Secretary has a phone; I've written the number down here."
He handed over another note.
Su Jianjun took the money and the note, very excited.
"Brother, don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on the greenhouse."
The two brothers were silent for a while, when they heard the sounds of women washing clothes and children playing in the distance.
Su Jianguo suddenly whispered.
"There's one more thing; keep an eye on the villagers' reactions."
"What was the reaction?"
"If our greenhouse really makes money..."
Su Jianguo looked at his younger brother with a meaningful expression.
“It’s inevitable that some people will be jealous. The old Party Secretary is getting on in years and can’t handle things easily. If anyone causes trouble, please bear with it for now and wait for me to return to deal with it.”
Su Jianjun nodded thoughtfully, keeping his brother's words firmly in mind.
As the sun rose higher, Su Jianguo looked up at the sky.
"It's getting late, I should go."
He patted his younger brother on the shoulder.
"Remember, these next two weeks are crucial; you absolutely cannot afford any mistakes."
"Brother, don't worry!"
Su Jianjun straightened his back.
"If I, Su Jianjun, can't even keep an eye on a few greenhouses, I don't deserve to be your brother!"
Su Jianguo smiled with satisfaction, turned around, and got on his bicycle.
...
Around noon.
Su Jianguo rode his bicycle into the hutongs of Beijing.
It was mealtime, and the alleyway was filled with the aroma of cooking from each household.
He glanced habitually at the neighbor's yard, then suddenly slammed on the brakes.
The gate to the neighboring courtyard was wide open, and an elderly woman with gray hair was struggling to carry a large wooden box into the house.
Behind her stood a young woman, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, holding a two- or three-year-old child in her arms.
The woman wore a blue cloth jacket, her hair was simply tied back, and her face was pretty but looked somewhat haggard.
Su Jianguo stood there, stunned, unable to react for a moment.
The Zhang family lived next door; the couple had a grandson in middle school. Why did they suddenly change their household?
"Comrade, could you please move aside?"
A gentle female voice interrupted his thoughts.
Su Jianguo then realized he was blocking the middle of the road and quickly pushed his bicycle to the side.
The young woman spoke; she nodded to Su Jianguo and then turned to the old lady.
"Mom, you take a break, I'll move it."
The old lady waved her hand.
"You're holding the baby, this little bit of stuff won't tire me out."
She looked up and saw Su Jianguo, and a smile immediately spread across her face.
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