Mu Jingheng drank his water intently, and Xu Laosan watched intently as well. When Mu Jingheng stopped, Xu Laosan asked with a look of seeking praise, "Brother, isn't it delicious?"
Mu Jingheng: "Mmm, it tastes good. You said you brought this honey back?"
Xu Laosan nodded and said, "I just got it back this afternoon. I had my eye on it a few days ago."
Mu Jingheng became interested: "Are there many on this mountain?"
Xu Laosan: "This is the only one I found so far. It's on the edge of a cliff, very hidden, but I've cut it all off. Do you know how much I cut off? It'll scare you to death if I tell you."
Mu Jingheng asked cooperatively, "How much was cut?"
"See those tin buckets for fetching water in the yard? Just these two buckets," Xu Laosan said, proudly holding up two fingers. "But it was dangerous. I still feel quite scared when I think about it now. There were swarms of bees swarming around them. If I hadn't been experienced, I wouldn't have been able to get them back."
Mu Jingheng: "Did you used to collect honey often?"
Xu Laosan: "There used to be a bee farm next to the military compound. I was very familiar with the workers there."
Mu Jingheng gave Xu Laosan a thumbs up; he really thought this kid was a talent.
Mentioning the mountains, Mu Jingheng became inexplicably excited and asked, "Are there any fun things to do on the mountains?"
Speaking of the mountain, Xu Laosan got excited again, his eyes lighting up. "Of course it's fun! There are pheasants, rabbits, owls, and lots of wild fruits on the mountain. If you're interested, when can we go up the mountain together?"
Chen Jianguo finally found a chance to speak and immediately raised his hand: "Me, and me too, I also know there are wild boars and snakes on the mountain."
Xu Laosan glanced at Chen Jianguo with displeasure. Didn't he know there were wild boars and snakes? But Mu's brother was from the city; what if he scared him?
Chen Jianguo didn't know what he had said wrong. He glanced at Mu Jingheng guiltily, afraid that he would be disliked.
Mu Jingheng didn't miss the subtle exchange between Xu Laosan and Chen Jianguo. He thought the two lads were quite interesting, and perhaps his future happiness in his rural life would depend on their involvement.
Mu Jingheng then gave Chen Jianguo a wolf-like smile and reached out to pat his head as a gesture of comfort.
Chen Jianguo's heart was instantly warmed. He felt that happiness had come too suddenly, and there was definitely hope for his new name.
Mu Jingheng thought to himself, "Children are so easily satisfied."
Mu Jingheng: "When you have time, we'll go up the mountain together, but I still don't know your name."
Xu Laosan: "Brother, his name is Chen Jianguo, and he lives next door to me."
As Xu Laosan spoke, he pointed to the Chen family's house.
Chen Jianguo felt that Xu Laosan's introduction was not comprehensive enough and did not bring him closer to Mu Jingheng, so he immediately added, "Brother, my dad used to be in the army. When I was little, I also lived in the military compound, the same compound as the eldest brother."
Xu Laosan: "Yes, yes, but their family came back a few years earlier than ours."
Chen Jianguo looked at Mu Jingheng and nodded in agreement.
Mu Jingheng: "Okay, I've got it. Your name is Chen Jianguo. I'm new here and not familiar with the place yet. I'll rely on you guys to show me around."
Xu Laosan patted his chest loudly and assured him, "Brother, don't worry, there's nothing in Xujia Village that I, Xu Laosan, can't handle."
Chen Jianguo thought to himself, "Can you even handle your mom not hitting you?" But he couldn't say it out loud. He had to agree with Xu Laosan and help him build up his image, "Yes, yes, our boss is really amazing."
The three of them were chatting animatedly, and seemed to get along very well. Just as Mu Jingheng was pouring his third cup of water, the sound of a bicycle parking and Old Mrs. Chen's voice came from the courtyard.
Grandma Chen: "Oh! Yaozu is off work? Why did you buy meat again? Yaozu, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but it's better to save than to earn money. I know you have a high salary, but you can't keep spending like this. Zexi and Lao San will need money to get married in the future."
Xu Yaozu: "Auntie, it's not as serious as you say. Chen Ping is back from his trip. He even helped me buy this meat!"
No sooner had Xu Yaozu finished speaking than Chen Ping's voice came from the next courtyard: "Mom, what are you doing leaning against the wall again?"
Grandma Chen: "I just saw Yaozu come home from get off work and chatted with him for a bit."
Grandma Chen was nimble and disappeared over the wall in a flash, not forgetting to talk to Xu Yaozu: "Yaozu! I'm not going to chat with you anymore, I have to go watch Yingzi cook. We can't let Aping waste the meat she bought."
Xu Yaozu smiled and shook his head, replying through the wall, "You're busy, Auntie!"
Upon hearing the voices, Mu Jingheng stood up and walked out of the main room, followed by two little tails.
Mu Jingheng: "Uncle Xu!"
Xu Yaozu was stunned when he saw Mu Jingheng. In fact, he didn't recognize Mu Jingheng anymore. Children change a lot, and after so many years, he was no longer the same as before.
Hearing the noise, Yang Chunqin came out of the kitchen. Seeing Xu Yaozu's blank expression, she immediately said, "Old Xu, the Mu family boy just arrived today. How is he? Didn't recognize him at first? No wonder, he's a grown man now."
Xu Yaozu looked at Mu Jingheng closely, then smiled and replied, "You know what, I didn't even realize it at first, but looking closely, you do have a bit of a childhood look. Not bad, you're getting more and more energetic, and you even have a bit of your dad's charm."
Yang Chunqin: "Absolutely! I couldn't take my eyes off it the moment I saw it, hahaha!"
Xu Yaozu: "How was it? Did you go to the educated youth settlement?"
Mu Jingheng: "Xin Ning helped me tidy up before coming over."
Xu Yaozu was stunned for a moment. He was quite surprised that Xu Xinning would tidy up for a stranger. His precious daughter rarely spoke to people after coming back, so why would she take the initiative to help a stranger tidy up?
Is it because the young man is good-looking?
As the saying goes, "A daughter is not meant to stay at home once she grows up," Xu Yaozu suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
Xu Xinning was unaware that her image in Xu Yaozu's mind was beginning to crumble; she was currently lying on the stove waiting for roasted potatoes to be eaten.
Yang Chunqin took the meat from Xu Yaozu's hand and said, "Everyone, wash your hands and get ready to eat. Jianguo, you stay and eat too."
Xu Yaozu turned around to fetch water and called out, "Come and wash up, everyone. Xiao Mu, this rural place isn't as nice as the city. You'll have to get used to it gradually. If you don't like living in the educated youth camp, come and stay at my house."
Xu Yaozu realized his mistake as soon as he said it. He felt he had spoken too quickly and without thinking. After all, he had an older daughter at home. What if his daughter really fell for that guy's looks? Wasn't that like inviting a wolf into the house?
Mu Jingheng was overjoyed to hear this. He felt that Xujia Village was really lucky for him, and everything he wanted was going smoothly.
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