I might as well send the things over first, and he can take the leather and stuff to the county tomorrow.
It's quite a distance from Donglin Street to Baishan Street. Sheng Xiping carried a large basket on his back and walked for half an hour before arriving.
It was almost five o'clock. Zhou Mingyuan had finished work, and Zhou Qingyue had finished school. The father and son were at home cooking and preparing dinner.
Upon seeing Sheng Xiping enter, the Zhou father and son were both surprised and delighted. "Oh my god, what brings you here at this hour? Come in quickly, let's talk inside."
Zhou Mingyuan ignored the food in the pot and dragged Sheng Xiping into the inner room.
"Dad, I came here with a friend from the forest farm on some business. The little train was delayed on the way, so we arrived quite late."
Sheng Xiping went into the house, took off his basket and put it on the ground, and began to take things out of it.
"Dad, put away this meat, mushrooms, pine nuts and stuff, and save them to eat slowly."
"I've prepared these two raccoon pelts at home. You can find a good tailor, and my mom and I can make a hat or a scarf or something."
Raccoon fur isn't too expensive now, only a few dozen yuan a piece. Sheng Xiping originally wanted to keep it to make hats and such for his family.
That day, Zhang Shuzhen said that everyone in the family had hats. Sheng Xiping had plucked a lot of furs in the past two years. Not to mention anything else, wolf skins and such could be used to make hats.
Raccoon fur is a good thing, but it's a waste for a rough guy to wear it. It's better to give it as a gift; it looks nice and is presentable.
So when Sheng Xiping came to Songjianghe this time, he brought two raccoon skins for his father-in-law. Even if Zhou Mingyuan didn't make hats, keeping them as gifts would be a good thing.
"Oh dear, look at you, child! You're keeping this good stuff to sell for money? A single hide could fetch tens of dollars."
"What kind of hats can't your mother and I wear? Last year, with the wolf pelt you gave us, we made several sets of hats and gloves, and even a mattress."
Zhou Mingyuan touched the raccoon's fur; the thick, soft fur felt wonderful to the touch, this was a good thing.
Zhou Mingyuan was a discerning man; he knew the value of raccoon dog pelts, so he couldn't accept them.
In Northeast China, temperatures can easily drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius in winter, so it's essential to take precautions against the cold.
Wearing a thick cotton-padded coat and cotton-padded trousers is the norm, and for people who go out frequently, a thick fur coat and fur hat are essential.
There are many kinds of fur hats. In the past, the hats worn by landlords and wealthy people were generally made of mink, raccoon, or otter fur, while the hats worn by ordinary people were mostly made of dog fur.
Rich people make their hats entirely out of leather, which is both warm and stylish.
Those who were poor used cloth and cotton for the top of their hats, and animal fur for the front and the two ear flaps.
When the weather isn't so cold, the ear flaps of the hat are turned up and tied with a string.
It's getting cold, so I pulled down the ear flaps of my hat and tied the string around my chin to protect my face and ears.
Previously, Zhou Mingyuan wore a dog-skin hat with a trim.
Ever since he got Sheng Xiping as his son-in-law, Zhou Mingyuan has benefited from it. Last year, he specially commissioned someone to make a full wolf skin hat, and many people envied him when he wore it.
When asked, Zhou Mingyuan would cheerfully say that it was a wolf pelt given to him by his son-in-law, and he couldn't be more proud of it.
"Dad, this thing is considered a good thing by other people, but it's nothing special to your son-in-law."
I'm not going logging this year; I have plenty of time to go hunting. Just tell me what kind of pelt you want, and I'll go into the mountains and find it for you.
Sheng Xiping didn't think much of it. With a mountain to guard, as long as you have the ability, you can get anything.
"I'm wearing a wolfskin hat, and people are already envious. If I were to wear a raccoon fur hat instead, what would happen?"
"Our bureau's Secretary Zhao and the others didn't say they were wearing raccoon fur." Zhou Mingyuan waved his hand with a smile upon hearing this.
"Those who know us will think we have a good son-in-law, but those who don't will think your father has embezzled a lot of money."
"No, you should just sell these." No matter what Sheng Xiping said, Zhou Mingyuan refused to accept the two raccoon skins.
Helpless, Sheng Xiping had no choice but to hand over the meat, mushrooms, pine nuts, and other items to Zhou Mingyuan.
"Dad, I'll leave this basket here for now, and I'll come back for it tomorrow morning."
I came to Songjianghe this time with a friend. He has a disability and was too embarrassed to stay at our house, so I stayed with him at a hotel near Donglin.
"There are many people and it's chaotic over there, so it's not appropriate to put these things there."
Tomorrow morning, he's going to the bureau on some business. I just happened to be passing by to pick up some things and head to the county.
Sheng Xiping rummaged through the basket and took out some more things, then put the rest, along with the basket, into a corner to the north.
"Dad, you two go ahead with your work. I'll take these things to Secretary Zhao."
Sheng Xiping rummaged through the items; the mushrooms and pine nuts were in bags, two bags tied together and draped over his shoulder.
Then, carrying a wild boar hind leg in his left hand and half a roe deer in his right, he got up to leave.
"What? You've only been here a few minutes and you're already leaving? The food is all ready, why don't you stay and have a bite?"
Upon seeing this, Zhou Mingyuan hurriedly got up, wanting to invite Sheng Xiping to stay for dinner.
"Dad, I'm not eating anymore. I ate something at the hotel before I came, so I'm not hungry."
"Look, it's already this late. If I don't go to Secretary Zhao's place soon, he'll be having dinner with me," Sheng Xiping explained to Zhou Mingyuan with a smile.
"Tomorrow, I'll go to the county tomorrow morning and come back in the afternoon. Then I'll come home for dinner."
The main problem is my friend; he's never been to Songjianghe before, and it wouldn't be good to leave him alone at the hotel.
Since the son-in-law has said so, what else can Zhou Mingyuan say?
“Okay, it just so happens that your mom isn’t on duty tomorrow. Bring your friend over tomorrow afternoon, have your mom cook some good dishes, and we men can get together and have a couple of drinks.”
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