It was a gloomy night outside, with snow falling and strong winds. The wind blew the snowflakes so hard that it hurt people. After finishing one wedding, they were waiting for Zhang Ziwen's wedding.
Zhang Laoer was not busy discussing the wedding next New Year. He was pulling the three Ping'an brothers to the west room and asking them what else they had in their hands?
Since they knew that the other party was exchanging things for their family with good intentions, the three Ping'an brothers did not hide it from him. They were a little careful to keep the money they carried with them, and then put all the things on the kang.
Zhang Laoer looked at them with amusement, "Why don't you ask Uncle Er first?"
"What's there to ask? You're my second uncle, so we'll just listen to you."
"Give it all to me."
"No problem, leave some for Brother Ziwen's gift, and take the rest."
Zhang Laoer was very happy to be trusted by the children and to see how generous they were. He felt that all his hard work to take care of the children was worth it.
He didn't bother to tease the children, but got straight to the point: "How about I replace all of your goods with pork and local specialties?"
"Black market? Uncle, will you be in danger? Forget it."
As soon as Ping An said this, Liuyi and Wuyi looked at each other and secretly rolled their eyes. His brother was determined to be shameless to the end.
"We can't buy much pork on the black market. I'm thinking, your parents make a lot of money every month, so there's no need to take it all back home. I'd rather turn it all into food for you to take back."
It just so happened that at the end of the year, many families in rural areas had to produce a certain number of pigs, and they would sell half of the remaining ones and keep the other half. Some families with poor financial conditions would even sell most of them.
Some families are reluctant to sell to the purchasing station at a low price, so we can buy the meat they have on hand. The price is lower than the black market, so we can barter without losing out."
Ping An nodded with a smile, "Listen to Second Uncle, you can handle it however you want. I'll ask my dad to send you more cigarettes when we get back."
"Haha, that's fine. You don't know how impressive it is to show off those cigarettes. Last time I went to the provincial capital to do some business, I only had one." Zhang Laoer held up a finger. "People saw it, and they did it quickly and enthusiastically."
Ping An's eyes flashed, and he smiled and said, "Then I'll send some over."
Zhang Laoer quickly shook his head, "No, there's no point in having too much. Your father has too many social engagements outside, and I'm useless here except when I go to the provincial capital for work. Letting the villagers smoke it, they don't know the value of it, they prefer cut tobacco. In the county town, with your father's face, there's no need."
As he spoke, he was worried that Liuyi and Wuyi wouldn't understand, so he explained to them, "Our family is now considered a well-known family in the county. If Second Uncle has one cigarette every day and he has one special supply cigarette every day, then he will be like an idiot. People will respect you on the surface, but behind your back they may mutter about you showing off. This is not doing good to others, but making enemies."
"It's the same with you back home. Of course, you're different from Second Uncle. You show off, and outsiders don't dare say anything, but you must be unhappy inside. If someone asks where you live, you just say you live at your grandpa's house. If someone asks about your parents, you pretend not to know. Do you understand what Second Uncle means?"
The two brothers smiled and nodded obediently to show that they remembered it.
Liuyi took the initiative and pulled a duffel bag from the closet. He had to let them take it away, right? As for how much to exchange, since he was hiring someone, he should be treated with a cautious attitude.
After seeing Zhang Guoqiang off, the three brothers realized it was getting late, it was freezing cold outside, and there was nowhere to go, so they poured some hot water and washed up before getting on the kang.
The three brothers huddled in the hot kang and cozy quilt, whispering, "I saw the red envelopes from Mai Sui and the others. They each got one dollar."
“Somewhat of a loser.”
"Wuyi, you're being so dishonest. You gave her a benefit and you accused her of being a spendthrift. I think she's quite straightforward, but her methods are a little off."
"Haha, you can't ask for too much. At least I went to college."
"Guess what Mom would say if she saw this?"
"He glanced and left."
As soon as Liuyi said this, the three brothers immediately covered their mouths and burst into laughter. It was incredible that their mother would actually react in this way.
"I think our aunt is very happy with this daughter-in-law, but she didn't say a word to us tonight."
Ping An sarcastically laughed, "You're just feeling bad that we brothers wasted a whole table of good food and wine. Those eyes can only see the immediate benefits."
Liuyi also sneered twice, "She's a shameless person, why bother paying attention to her? If she goes too far, I'll just slap her in the face and embarrass her."
…
Not long after, Zhang Ziwen, who had agreed to sleep with them tonight, came in quietly. "Everyone is resting. I want to tell you something before you go to bed."
Wuyi immediately looked at him with a vigilant look, and said with a smile, "What kind of thing would keep you from getting up and shivering from the cold?"
"Little thing!" Zhang Ziwen asked with a smile, "Are you going to wait until I finish the wedding before returning?"
This is certain.
"It's winter, why don't you go home early? It doesn't matter whether you attend the wedding or not. Your intentions are already there, but it wouldn't be nice if you weren't at home for the New Year."
"ah?"
"What I mean is, my wedding is just a simple meal. There's no need for you to wait here. Xiao Mao and I will treat you to a meal together tomorrow. Is that okay?"
Ping An looked at him with a half-smile, "Are you not welcoming us to your wedding?"
"How could that be? With all three of you here, my uncle and the others must be worried sick. Comrade Wang and the others have to go back home for the New Year, right?"
Liuyi whispered quietly, "They really aren't going back to celebrate the New Year."
Zhang Ziwen repeatedly confirmed: "You really don't want to go back?"
"Yeah, we have to go back after drinking the wedding wine."
"Then come back to the county with me. We can't get out here, and if we go back to the county, I can call my uncle or send him a telegram, so they can rest assured."
Ping An looked at his brother, thought for a moment and said, "Wait two more days before we return to the county town."
"No, if you sneak away to the mountains, I really can't face my uncle. Listen to my brother, I will definitely take you out to play when I return to the county."
Oh, it turns out that I said all this nonsense because I was worried that these three brothers would do something wrong.
Wuyi immediately raised his hand and said, "I can assure you, Koukou, that we are definitely good comrades who can stand the test."
Liuyi beside him nodded slightly and said softly, "Safety first. We won't go into the mountains when the snow is so heavy."
Hearing this, Zhang Ziwen looked at Ping An worriedly.
Ping An laughed and shook his head. "My dad made three rules for us before we came here. Don't worry, I won't let my eight-year-old brother go up the mountain."
"Well, I trust you this time. You'll go back to the county town with Grandpa and the others the day after tomorrow, and I won't come to pick you up. Is that okay?"
Ping An nodded with a headache and quickly changed the subject. Otherwise, if he continued to talk about this question, it would be dawn.
The other party meant well, but after attending Xizi's wedding, he missed his wedding. Even Zhang Chunming, his uncle-in-law, didn't mind, but what about those outsiders who were unaware of the situation?
Since the three brothers have come all this way, there's no need for them to wait even for a few days. Comrade Zhang Ziwen, you're overthinking it.
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