Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 927 This brother-in-law is no ordinary man!
Early in the morning, Li Long got up and tidied up the yard. Mingming and Haohao were still asleep, and Sister Yang had already started cooking. Han Fang was helping in the kitchen. When she saw Li Long get up, she greeted him.

School is on holiday, and Han Fang has a lot of free time now—students have less homework at this time, so it's hardly a problem for Han Fang.

So she helped her mother cook and tidy up the yard, and took care of Mingming and Haohao during the day.

Mingming Haohao also likes to play with this older sister, and Gu Xiaoxia jokingly calls them two little shadows.

When Gu Boyuan entered, Sister Yang's meal was not yet ready.

Li Long was tidying up his tools in the yard when he saw his father-in-law come in. He hurriedly asked, "Uncle, what happened? Didn't you sleep well last night? You don't look well..."

Gu Boyuan usually makes his own breakfast at the purchasing station and doesn't come over. The fact that he came over so early today must mean he has something to do.

"Come on, let's go to Xiaoxia's place. I'll talk to you all together," Gu Boyuan asked. "Is Xiaoxia up yet?"

"Get up," Li Long replied, then called inside, "Xiaoxia, Mingming's grandpa is here!"

Gu Xiaoxia was washing up when she heard Li Long's shout, so she came out carrying a toothbrush cup.

Seeing her father approach, Gu Xiaoxia asked:

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Gu Boyuan walked to the top of the steps, calmed himself down, and said:

"Xiaolong, Xiaoxia, I need to tell you that Xiaoxia's younger sister, Xiaoyu, is here and staying at the guesthouse. We met last night, and she's coming to visit you today..."

"Clang..." Before Gu Boyuan could finish speaking, the toothbrush cup in Gu Xiaoxia's hand fell to the ground. She didn't have time to pick it up; she wiped the saliva from her mouth and excitedly asked:

"Dad, what did you say? Who wants to come over?"

Hearing the clanging sound, Sister Yang and Han Fang both rushed out of the kitchen, thinking something had happened.

"Xiaoxia, your sister is here."

That one short sentence shocked everyone present.

Li Long was the first to react, and he hurriedly said:

"Uncle, how about this, you go and invite Xiaoxia's sister over for dinner now? Or Xiaoxia and I can go and invite her?"

"No, no, no, there's food at the guesthouse. She can come over after she's eaten."

"Alright, let's do this: let's eat now, and after that, I'll go to the purchasing station. Xiaoxia, why don't you ask for leave from work? Come back and have a good talk with your sister, this is a big deal! We won't eat at home for lunch, we'll go to Tuanfenglou... never mind, we have everything at home, you can help Sister Yang cook, it'll be more comfortable for us to eat at home."

Gu Boyuan was quite satisfied with Li Long's arrangements.

Gu Xiaoxia naturally had no objections. She said to Gu Boyuan, "Dad, you stay here. I'll go ask for leave, and then I'll go to the guesthouse to pick up my sister."

He is also very curious about his younger sister, Gu Xiaoxia, and is now eager to meet her.

Also, the father didn't mention his mother. So what about her? My sister is all grown up and still comes to see me, so my mother must be alright, right? Is she alright, or is something else going on?

She planned to ask these questions after she met her sister.

However, before she could ask, Gu Boyuan had already said it at the dinner table.

"Dad, are you saying Mom has remarried?" Gu Xiaoxia asked in shock. "She... isn't that illegal?"

"Let's not talk about that. I was the one who wronged your mother and sister back then. It's normal for her to remarry in order to survive... Although we suffered a lot in the village, at least we could eat our fill and no one criticized us."

But your mother is different; she has a child to raise… how will she survive?

Gu Boyuan was very upset.

He was filled with regret. He truly didn't hate his wife for remarrying; he was the one who had dragged her down. Knowing that she was doing well now was enough for him.

For a moment, Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia didn't know what to say.

"Which university did Xiaoyu attend? What did she study?" After a while, Li Long changed the subject.

“I didn’t ask in detail.” Gu Boyuan shook his head. “I just said that she’s now a teaching assistant, and I was thinking of having her buy a house near the college so that it would be more convenient for her to get to work. After all, her current home… isn’t convenient.”

“That’s right.” Li Long nodded. “Of course.”

Li Long suddenly wondered if Li Juan and Li Juan, including Mingming and Haohao, went to university, and if they were admitted to Yanjing, could he buy a house there in advance?
Of course, this is just a thought for now.

After dinner, Gu Xiaoxia went to the Education Bureau to ask for leave, Gu Boyuan waited in the courtyard, and Li Long went to the purchasing station.

Sun Jiaqiang had already arrived at the purchasing station and was currently sweeping the loose snow in the yard. Seeing Li Long arrive, he seemed surprised and said as he swept:
"When I arrived, Uncle Gu wasn't home, and the door wouldn't open, so I swept the yard first..."

Sun Jiaqiang had the key to the main gate of the purchasing station. After Gu Boyuan moved in and he moved out, the key to the bungalow was given to Gu Boyuan.

Li Long took the key, opened the door, and said as he walked inside:
"Uncle Gu went to my place. He has something to do today, so I came here to collect some things."

Li Long occasionally came over to collect things, so today's situation wasn't unexpected, and Sun Jiaqiang didn't say anything. After sweeping the yard clean, he went inside to tidy up and saw that Li Long had already cleaned the stove and was preparing to light the fire.

He then swept the charcoal ash that Li Long had cleared out and dumped it in the garbage heap outside the door.

As the stove was set up and the fire leaped up, the purchasing station welcomed its first customer.

Li Long sat behind the counter and began to examine the bag of fritillaria bulbs that the man had brought over—this man must have brought over his summer stock and paid for it in preparation for the New Year.

The price of fritillaria bulbs is slightly lower than during the peak season. A kilogram of high-quality fritillaria bulbs is only about 40 yuan. This small bag of fritillaria bulbs weighs five or six kilograms, is of average quality, and has some impurities, but not many. Li Long offered it for 33 yuan.

While Li Long was packing things up, Gu Xiaoxia successfully got leave from work. Because there was someone at home to take care of the children, Li Long didn't have much to do, and there were no in-laws to serve. Moreover, someone cooked three meals a day for her, so Gu Xiaoxia almost never had to take leave. She was someone everyone in the Education Bureau envied but couldn't do anything about.

Wang was a little surprised that someone was suddenly asking for leave, but when he learned that a relative from Yanjing had come to visit, he readily granted the leave. After all, the Education Bureau's year-end summary was over, schools were on holiday, and there wasn't much work to do, so it was quite relaxed.

After taking leave, Gu Xiaoxia rode her bicycle to the county guesthouse. When she saw her younger sister, Gu Xiaoyu, she felt it was truly amazing.

She couldn't remember anything from her childhood. Seeing a girl who looked remarkably like her, also looking at her with surprise and curiosity, she paused for a moment, then remembered she was the older sister. Smiling, she walked over and said:
"Xiaoyu, come on, I'll take you home!"

Gu Xiaoyu had imagined many scenarios of greeting her sister, but she never expected that Gu Xiaoxia would say such a thing on their first meeting.

The words "I'll take you home" brought tears to Gu Xiaoyu's eyes.

She blinked hard to stop the tears from falling, and carefully examined her sister as she approached.

Unlike many married women these days who get perms and dyes their hair in big waves, Gu Xiaoxia opted for a neat ponytail. She also didn't wear the floral-patterned jackets or cotton-padded coats typical of women in small towns, but rather a down jacket.

This was bought by Li Long from Wucheng. Although the style is not as fashionable as that in Yanjing, it is still very trendy compared to the small county town.

Because she was so excited, Gu Xiaoxia left in a hurry and didn't dress up much, but Gu Xiaoyu could tell that her sister must be living a very happy life. She looked great and, although she was a mother of two, she didn't look like an ordinary woman from a small town. People would believe she was a recent college graduate.

Thinking about what my father said last night, although my sister's living conditions are not as good as mine in Yanjing, she is loved by others, her husband can earn money, and she doesn't have to worry about things at home. In short, she is very happy.

"Okay, let's go home." Gu Xiaoyu snapped out of her thoughts and followed her sister outside.

"Xiaoyu, I'll give you a ride on my bike," Gu Xiaoxia said as she pushed her bike out. "But I haven't given anyone a ride much before, I'm worried you might fall..."

"No need, sis, let's just walk there," Gu Xiaoyu said, wanting to talk to her sister alone. "It's not far anyway."

"Okay. By the way, have you eaten?" "Yes, I have."

Actually, I didn't eat much. I didn't sleep well last night, and when I woke up this morning, I was so excited about seeing my sister that I didn't have much of an appetite.

However, things calmed down after the meeting, similar to the situation when I met my father yesterday.

"The two kids are named Mingming and Haohao, right? Aren't they well-behaved?"

“He was so well-behaved when he was first born, I didn’t have to worry about him much. Now that he can walk, he’s started to get naughty. Luckily, Sister Yang and your brother-in-law are there to keep an eye on him. I’m mainly working during the week, so I only spend more time with him on weekends.” Gu Xiaoxia said this a little shyly. “Mingming and Haohao aren’t very close to me, they especially like playing with your brother-in-law. By the way, Xiaoyu, do you have a boyfriend?”

"Not yet." Gu Xiaoyu was too embarrassed to say that someone at school was pursuing her, and her mother had also introduced her to potential partners, but she hadn't accepted any of them.

"Then you should find someone." Gu Xiaoxia smiled and said, "How is Mom... how is she?"

Although her memory of her mother was very vague, she was still her biological mother. Even though she knew her mother had remarried, Gu Xiaoxia still wanted to know how her mother was doing.

Perhaps because he was happy after getting married, he only felt longing and curiosity about his mother, Gu Xiaoxia, and wanted to know how she was doing. He didn't want to bother her, just knowing was enough.

“Mom is doing well. She has a job now and isn’t too busy,” Gu Xiaoyu said after thinking for a moment. “She occasionally mentions you… and Dad, but I didn’t tell her this time. Actually, I came here last time, the year you gave birth, but I didn’t see you and Dad…”

The two chatted and time flew by; it felt like they hadn't said more than a few words before they arrived at the courtyard.

"You live here? This courtyard... is it an old courtyard?" Gu Xiaoyu was a little surprised as she watched Gu Xiaoxia open the door. She knew that Ma County was an old county town, and an old county town would naturally have some old buildings. But she had seen them when she came yesterday. Most of the courtyards in the county were built in the last ten years or so. Some of the older houses were very small, short and dilapidated.

Only some units' houses look more impressive and spacious.

I never expected that my sister's house would be like an old courtyard house in Beijing, with such a big facade!
"Yes, your brother-in-law bought it."

"Living with others?" Gu Xiaoyu asked again, and then explained, "There are also some courtyard houses of various sizes in Yanjing, where several families live together in one courtyard, which is quite lively."

"No, your brother-in-law bought the whole yard. This is a small county town, yards like this aren't expensive."

"You bought them all?" Gu Xiaoyu was somewhat surprised. Although her father had given her ten thousand yuan yesterday, she still couldn't help but ask:
"These courtyards have several sections?"

“Two doors.” Gu Xiaoxia had already opened the door, and Gu Boyuan also walked to the door at this time. He had basically been wandering around the yard, waiting.

Gu Xiaoyu didn't ask any more questions. After entering the courtyard, she looked around and then saw Sister Yang and Han Fang.

Gu Xiaoxia had already told her about her family situation, so Gu Xiaoyu took the initiative to greet Sister Yang and her daughter. Han Fang looked at this aunt curiously, and after calling her "Auntie," Gu Xiaoyu smiled and took out a small makeup mirror from her bag and gave it to her.

Then I saw Mingming Haohao.

The two children had been playing with Han Fang inside the house. After the door opened, they followed Han Fang out and were now looking up at the person who looked very much like their mother with curiosity.

"Are you... Auntie?" Mingming spoke first, asking before adding, "She looks like Mom."

"Yes, just like Mom." Hao Hao agreed earnestly.

The two little ones' serious tone and expressions made everyone burst into laughter.

The atmosphere in the courtyard immediately became more relaxed.

Sister Yang was also a little surprised. Hao Hao looked exactly like the person she had watched grow up. Gu Xiaoxia and Gu Xiaoyu did not grow up together, yet they looked so alike, and their temperaments were also quite similar. This was quite unexpected.

Gu Boyuan took his two daughters to the main hall, where melon seeds, peanuts, candies, and tea had already been laid out.

Sister Yang took Mingming and Haohao to the east room, leaving the father and his two daughters alone here.

The purchasing station wasn't busy today; not many people came to sell their goods, so Li Long was quite relaxed. He bought things at about the same price as Gu Boyuan, so no one else had any objections.

When he had free time, Li Long would ask Sun Jiaqiang about his family situation, such as whether he wanted to go back to his hometown or when he wanted to have children.

“We won’t go back yet. Lan Hua definitely won’t be used to life there. We’re thinking of saving up more money so we can go back in style…” Sun Jiaqiang’s idea was very realistic. “If we bring more money back, no matter how dissatisfied our family is, they won’t show it. We can just buy some things for my parents to make them feel proud.”

Sun Jiaqiang has been here for more than half a year. He has called the village through the purchasing station, but his family is not very enthusiastic about him. The most frequent questions they ask him are how much money he can earn and how much money he can send home.

“They knew we were married and were quite opposed to it, so we didn’t plan to go back anytime soon.” After marrying Tielanhua, Sun Jiaqiang became more and more determined. “Let’s save money first, then have children, and then we’ll see.”

Tielan Hua's family is conservative and traditional, and Sun Jiaqiang's family also has some "traditions." This is what is meant by "every family has its own problems." Families like the Li family, where the elders don't cause trouble, the brothers don't quarrel, and the children aren't unruly, are really very rare.

This is why many people envy Li Long's family—in fact, Li Long himself knows that it's just a one-life existence.

In my previous life, I would have been the most unstable factor in my family.

Seven people came in that morning, and the total price of the items they sold was over 1,100 yuan. Li Long judged that he could earn about the same profit from it.

Okay.

Soon it was noon. Li Long told Sun Jiaqiang to go back first, locked both doors, and then returned to the courtyard.

Dinner was about to start when Li Longtou saw Gu Xiaoxia's younger sister, Gu Xiaoyu, for the first time.

A beautiful girl like Gu Xiaoxia, possessing the temperament of a big-city student and the composure of a sophisticated urban woman.

In modern terms, she possessed a temperament somewhere between a loli and a mature woman.

Looking at his wife, she had a happy smile on her face, and her demeanor was no less impressive than that of her sister-in-law.

Yes, my choice was ultimately the right one.

"You must be Xiaoyu, welcome, welcome," Li Long said with a smile.

"Hello, brother-in-law." Gu Xiaoyu looked at Li Long with curiosity. Although this young man was not highly educated, he had done things that the young professors and scholars in the city who talked eloquently in front of her could never do.

Gu Xiaoyu had attended university and was now a teaching assistant, so she naturally knew that this curiosity came from the unknown, just like the saying "foreign monks chant better sutras".

It's not that Li Long is stronger than them, it's just that they're on different levels.

What surprised Gu Xiaoyu was that her conversation with her father and sister today quickly turned to her brother-in-law after just a few sentences. It seemed that her father and sister's lives over the past few years had almost all started because of him, and even revolved around him.

That made her even more curious.

However, once you meet them, you'll find that apart from being tall and strong, they don't have any particularly special qualities in terms of temperament.

Her gaze was clear only when she saw herself; most of the time, her eyes were fixed on her sister and the child.

Hmm, not bad, at least my sister chose a good husband.

Lunch was plentiful. To cater to Gu Xiaoyu's tastes, the staple food was rice, and the stir-fried vegetables came from the greenhouse.

Stir-fried eggs with tomatoes and chili peppers, eggplant with minced garlic, stir-fried meat with chili peppers, stewed fish, and spicy chicken.

This time, Gu Xiaoyu was genuinely surprised. It turned out that her father and sister weren't lying when they said life here was good—even in Beijing, the meals provided by her school wouldn't be this good in the dead of winter.

Every day, she mainly eats potatoes, cabbage, and radishes. Although she can eat meat once or twice a week, how can she eat like that?
I had previously heard my father and sister say that we ate meat almost every meal, and I thought they were exaggerating, but now it seems to be true.

At this time, these spicy eggplants are more expensive than meat!

(End of this chapter)