A good life starts with blind date

Chapter 278 Fighting for a Salary
The interview went relatively smoothly.

Cao Jinhu rode his electric motorcycle out slowly.

When they came, they wished they could sprout wings and fly away, but when they left, they didn't want to leave quickly.

When Fairy Farm was first established, it was open for a period of time.

Later, due to too many problems, it was closed off, and unauthorized personnel were no longer allowed in.

Since I rarely get to come in, how can I not take a good look around?

The bodyguards we're hiring this time are a bit of a hassle. The interview is just the first hurdle. I heard there are exams and tests to follow. In the end, Boss Jiang will personally oversee the selection, and then they'll be sent out for more than a year of training.

It's really troublesome.

But for a starting salary of ten thousand US dollars, I have to work hard no matter how troublesome it is.

It's a little disappointing that I didn't get to see Boss Jiang this time.

Boss Jiang gradually became a legend in Bei'an. The farm had been established for four years. Bei'an was only so big. Through word of mouth, almost everyone in Bei'an knew Boss Jiang, even though Jiang Ning never separated himself from the masses and often went to the night market to eat skewers and drink beer.

But only a small number of people are able to see him.

Even if you run into them, you might not recognize them.

Another day has passed.

Jiang Ning and Lao Yang went to Qize; the county had already made preparations.

I held several meetings and met with the people recommended by Qi Ze.

We held a groundbreaking ceremony and arranged the work.

I stayed overnight in Qize and returned to Beian the next day.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang also came back.

We're having a big grave-sweeping ceremony this year; people from my second grandfather's family in Xinjiang are coming.

The winter vacation lasted less than half a month. In mid-July, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang went to Australia. When they came back this time, they asked for a week off for their eldest granddaughter. Kindergarten is all about playing, so it didn't matter.

We got together in the evening and discussed the matter of visiting graves.

My third grandfather's two cousins ​​were also invited.

There are three days left until July 15th. Tomorrow, the people from my second grandfather's branch in Xijiang will arrive in Bei'an.

My uncle has been handling the arrangements; our parents have met the people from that side.

Jiang Ze and Jiang Wei also had some impression of each other.

But I don't remember much about Jiang Hua and Jiang Ning.

Arranging reception is of paramount importance.

A tour itinerary needs to be planned.

Food and drinks need to be arranged properly.

They can't stay in hotels yet; they have to stay at home.

Fortunately, there are enough houses; Jiang Ning's two houses have been vacant.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang can also give up their house.

Jiang Ze and Jiang Wei both own houses and can give them up.

In short, the goal was to show the Western Frontier clansmen that the clansmen in Bei'an were doing well and that their descendants were successful, but it couldn't be too deliberate and end up looking ridiculous. Jiang Ning's head was spinning from listening to all this; the wickedness of human relationships...

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Ning went to the city in the morning and was summoned by the big boss.

I rushed back at noon to accompany the elders to select sheep.

Jiang Ze and Jiang Wei followed.

Every year when visiting graves, we have to offer sacrifices. In the past, it was very casual; any sheep would do.

This year is different; the elders will choose the items themselves.

We also need to pick one for each of my two great-uncles' cousins.

You can't exactly bring two live sheep over from the western frontier...

After spending half a day looking around the pasture, my uncle took a fancy to a large ram that he had raised for four years.

There aren't many sheep like this on the grasslands because older sheep don't taste good.

Most sheep are slaughtered for meat when they are only half-adult.

Those that can be raised for three or four years are kept for offering sacrifices to ancestors at graves.

After the eldest uncle took a liking to it, he sent his sons to catch it.

Jiang Ning didn't move, but his two cousins ​​and his brother rushed out.

The three pursued and intercepted him, but the result was...

The sheep on the pasture were plump and strong. Although their athletic ability was far inferior to that of the blue sheep, they were not so easy to catch. The three brothers ran around panting and almost ran out of breath but still couldn't catch a sheep. The fathers laughed at them.

"Can't even catch a sheep."

"I've been eating for nothing for decades."

Jiang Ning chuckled, while Li Fumin and the others rarely watched the spectacle.

Finally, Jiang Ning personally took action and brought the sheep back.

Li Fumin marked the spot and then released the sheep.

On the fifteenth day, they will catch them again, drag them to the grave, and slaughter them.

My second uncle quickly took a liking to one as well, and marked it as well.

Father Jiang was more casual; he just picked one at random and let his son mark it.

Finally, we carefully selected the two largest sheep for our two cousins ​​from the Western Frontier, and marked them accordingly. Our third grandfather's two cousins ​​also each caught one sheep, making a total of seven sheep.

Each of the fathers donated one.

Jiang Ning didn't forget to ask her brothers for money: "Give me money, two thousand for a sheep."

Jiang Wei immediately became uncomfortable: "How dare you ask for money?"

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow: "Nonsense, why would I be embarrassed to accept it? What we gave you to eat is for you to eat. This is a token of our respect for our ancestors. If you don't pay, is the token of our respect mine or my uncles'?"

The elders valued this more and all nodded in agreement: "This money must be given."

Jiang Wei and Jiang Ze had no choice but to each transfer two thousand yuan.

My third grandfather's eldest cousin, Jiang Yong, and second cousin, Jiang Lei, each transferred two thousand.

Jiang Ning happily accepted it, without feeling embarrassed at all.

After all that fuss, it was already past 2 p.m.

My uncle made a phone call and said, "We've already passed the city, we'll be there in half an hour."

My second uncle said, "It'll be quick then, let's wait at the highway exit!"

No one objected, so they drove to the western exit of the highway.

None of them drove, there were more than a dozen people.

Take a Coaster bus there.

We parked the car at the highway exit in Beian West and everyone got out to wait.

Jiang Wei then asked Jiang Ze, "I remember that my second grandfather came to Bei'an more than ten years ago. Do you remember?"

"A little!"

Jiang Ning had a vague recollection of it, but not much.

After all, it's been too long.

Moreover, he was in school at the time and didn't pay much attention to such things.

After chatting for a while, my uncle's phone rang again.

After finishing the call, I saw two cars exiting the tollbooth.

Two seven-seater commercial vehicles.

It has a Xinjiang license plate, so it should be the one.

If it's too far away, taking the train is actually the best option.

But when you go back to your hometown, you can't come empty-handed; you always have to bring something.

Taking the train is very inconvenient; driving is more convenient.

Everyone stared at him, and the uncle waved.

Two cars drove up and parked beside them. As soon as the cars stopped, the doors opened quickly.

Next came six men and five women, a total of eleven people.

The older generation gathered around to greet them, while Jiang Ning and his six brothers stood behind and watched.

After the older generation has given their instructions.

The eldest uncle introduced himself to his nephews and nieces: the eldest uncle is Jiang Hongzhi, and the second uncle is Jiang Hongyuan.

There are also my eldest aunt and second aunt.

My second grandfather had two sons but no daughters, and the names he gave them were very meaningful.

It means to have lofty aspirations and aspirations!

The two have retired and are older than the two cousins ​​of the third grandfather's family. Jiang Hongzhi is only one month younger than Jiang Ning, the second aunt. There are generational names on this side and different generational names on that side. Even the two cousins ​​do not have single-character names.

It is a double character.

Both of my uncles were only children.

My eldest cousin, Jiang Cunwen.

Second cousin Jiang Cunwu.

Their wives also came; both were in their early forties.

After introducing his sons and nephews, the eldest uncle introduced his younger nephew to the relatives in Xijiang: "Jiang Yong and Jiang Yong, and you should still remember my eldest and second eldest brothers, Jiang Ze. This is Jiang Wei from the second eldest brother's family, and that is Jiang Hua from the third eldest brother's family."

The two cousins ​​smiled and nodded, having visited Bei'an more than ten years ago.

I still remember it.

He was just a teenager back then, and now he's over thirty.

The uncle pointed to Jiang Ning again: "That's Jiang Ning. He was only ten years old when you came here in 07."

Jiang Ning quickly greeted them: "Hello, Uncle. Hello, Second Uncle."

The two uncles smiled and nodded, giving them a good look.

Some of them, I haven't seen for more than ten years, and I don't recognize them anymore.

He also introduced Sun Yi, followed by three young men: the eldest, Jiang Ming, 23 years old, son of Jiang Cunwen; another, Jiang Kai, son of Jiang Cunwu; and a 17 or 18-year-old girl named Jiang Mingyue, daughter of Jiang Cunwu.

The three of them, bewildered, greeted Jiang Ning's uncles one by one.

This is Uncle Zhen, a relative within five degrees of kinship.

Jiang Ning was already used to being an elder and took it for granted.

After introducing the people on both sides...

Jiang Hongzhi then asked, "Youren, how are your third uncle and aunt doing?"

Jiang Youren, the eldest cousin of my third grandfather's family, said, "Last year was pretty good, but things started to go downhill after the New Year."

Jiang Hongzhi said with a smile, "My third uncle and aunt are both over eighty years old, which is considered a long life."

Everyone nodded in agreement; he was indeed of advanced age.

Jiang Ning's grandparents passed away when they were in their sixties, and as the youngest grandson, he had little memory of them.

My great-grandparents in Xijiang are said to have passed away more than ten years ago.

When they received a call from Xijiang, my uncles, father Jiang, and a few others made a special trip there.

Jiang Hongyuan also asked, "Are your eldest and second eldest sisters in good health?"

Uncle Jiang Youli chimed in, "Everything's fine. Let's go to the hotel first and settle in before we talk more."

So they all got on the bus and let the people on the Coaster.

Reflecting on the past and present along the way.

Jiang Ze and Jiang Wei were assigned by their uncle to be drivers, driving the two cars from Xinjiang behind them.

A fresh start.

Jiang Hongzhi asked, "Is this a vehicle from Jiang Ning Farm?"

Jiang Youli nodded: "Yes, it's quite convenient to ride this car when there are more people."

Jiang Hongzhi and Jiang Hongyuan then began to praise Jiang Ning for being promising, saying that she seemed capable even when she was young, and so on.

Although I haven't been back to my hometown for over a decade, I have a general understanding of the situation on both sides.

Jiang Ning has made something of himself this generation, so his uncle will naturally speak to the other side about it.

It's impossible to keep everything a secret.

Upon arriving at the residential area, we escorted the person to Building 8 and settled them in.

Two families live right across from each other.

No one lingered; they exchanged a few words and then went downstairs.

It's over a thousand kilometers from western Xinjiang, and it took two days to get here.

Driving must be tiring; we need to let our relatives rest.

At 5:30, we picked them up and took them to the Xincheng Hotel.

They even invited their third grandparents over.

My third grandparents are already unable to walk properly and rarely go out.

They don't even come out for regular family gatherings.

But this time, people from western Xinjiang came and still made it through.

Jiang Hongzhi and Jiang Hongyuan led their children and grandchildren downstairs early to greet them.

These are my own uncle and aunt.

My eldest aunt's and youngest aunt's families also came, but my second aunt's family was nowhere to be seen.

Jiang Hongzhi and Jiang Hongyuan were quite surprised, but they didn't ask any questions.

We went upstairs and sat in two private rooms, with a total of more than fifty people.

One grandfather started a family that has multiplied to this extent over five generations.

And this wasn't even all of them. Jiang Ning was quite surprised to finally see her older cousin: "Oh my, President Zhou has finally decided to come out and meet people."

Zhou Aiguo's face twitched: "Speak properly, stop being sarcastic."

Jiang Ning got excited: "Am I not speaking properly? President Zhou is a very important person and very busy. It's not easy for me to see you. It's harder to see you than to see the President of the European Union. I can just make an appointment with the President, but seeing you is a real pain."

Zhou Aiguo's face darkened, and he ignored him.

He found a seat for himself.

The elders pretended not to hear.

They don't get involved in the grudges and conflicts of the younger generation.

The elders sat with the third grandfather and third grandmother at a table that had more than twenty people.

Jiang Ning and his brothers sat at the table next to them.

The grandchildren were in the next private room, while Feng Yu and Feng Xue were at the same table with their daughter.

Jiang Ning is the youngest of his generation, and so is his daughter.

The little guy was happy when there were many people around. He grabbed a shrimp chip and ran to Jiang Ming's side, looking at him curiously.

Jiang Ming also looked at her curiously; she was just over a year old.

According to seniority, she is actually the younger sister.

My aunt and I are the same age; the concept of generational hierarchy is truly fascinating.

But it can't be called chaos yet.

It's one thing if they live far away, but they're not even within the fifth degree of kinship!

Seeing her daughter's curiosity about Jiang Ming, Feng Yu called out to her, "Sweetie, call him brother."

The little one, giving his mother face, called out in a childish voice, "Dede."

Jiang Ming was instantly charmed and reached out to touch her breasts.

The little guy, however, wouldn't give me the time of day and wouldn't let me touch him.

She took two steps back, then turned and ran to find her mother.

At the main table, the meal was halfway through.

Jiang Hongzhi then asked Jiang Youli in a low voice, "Youli, is something wrong at home with your second sister?"

Jiang Youli hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Guo Youping went in. Second Sister's family rarely goes out."

Jiang Hongzhi was quite surprised: "What happened?"

Jiang Youli said, "The former magistrate of Bei'an was a man who couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing. He arrested more than 200 people in three years. Guo Youping's public works project ran into big problems, and he got caught in the crossfire."

Jiang Hongzhi was extremely surprised and asked, "Didn't you think of a solution?"

Jiang Youli said, "There was nothing we could do. The previous one was too principled. Even Jiang Ning's pleading was useless. He resigned this year. He was supposed to be promoted, but he refused and quit without a job lined up. When he left, 100,000 people from Bei'an lined up at the train station to see him off."

Jiang Hongzhi was even more surprised: "Are there still people like this nowadays?"

Jiang Youli sighed, "If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, no one would believe that there are still such people in this day and age."

Jiang Hongzhi also sighed, "It's such a pity about Youping. He was already a section chief, wasn't he?"

Jiang Youli nodded and said, "It is indeed a pity. He finally became the top leader of the township."

Jiang Hongzhi said, "Then let's go see Second Sister tomorrow."

The meal lasted two and a half hours, and it didn't end until almost 8:30.

They were taken back to their residential compound to rest, and then everyone went home.

The next day.

The two families, full of energy, began their visit.

First, we visited my third grandfather and grandmother. The two elderly people originally lived in a rented bungalow in the courtyard, but to avoid being laughed at, they moved to Jiang Youyi's house overnight. Jiang Hongzhi and Jiang Hongyuan bought a lot of health supplements for the two elderly people.

Whether it's useful or not is another matter.

This sentiment is truly heartfelt.

After visiting the elders, I went to see Aunt Jiang Ning.

This is my older cousin, who is also my eldest sister.

We only visited two places in the morning. We didn't have lunch at my aunt's house because there were too many people and not enough seats. My father, brother, and two cousins ​​from my third grandfather's family also accompanied us. Everything was arranged in advance, and we ate lunch at the farm.

One table was occupied in the private room of the canteen, and the rest of us shared a meal with the workers.

After lunch, we didn't rest.

First, we visited the farm, and the Coaster took us around.

There were too many people and not enough seats, so we called a minivan.

After taking a walk around, we also went to the pasture to check on the sheep that were being prepared.

The uncle asked his nephews to bring the sheep meant for the relatives in western Xinjiang, and let his two cousins ​​inspect them. To avoid embarrassment, he didn't let the incompetent ones make a fool of themselves, nor did he want to directly order the farm workers around, so he asked Jiang Ning to catch the sheep.

Jiang Ning caught the sheep, showed it to the two men, and then released it.

Jiang Hongzhi was quite surprised: "Does Bei'an also have black-headed sheep?"

Jiang Youli said, "Beian doesn't have black-headed sheep. Jiang Ning is greedy, so he specially sent someone to the Western Regions to buy black-headed sheep."

Jiang Hongzhi suddenly realized and asked, "How are the sheep prices in Bei'an?"

Jiang Youli said, "Around thirty yuan."

Jiang Hongzhi nodded: "They're about the same."

Jiang Hongyuan asked, "How many cows are raised here?"

"More than one thousand."

"Quite a lot."

"Not many. The cattle and sheep here are all raised by Jiang Ning for his own consumption; he doesn't sell them."

Jiang Hongzhi and Jiang Hongyuan looked at each other, and the others also looked at each other.

More than a thousand cows and several thousand sheep, but they won't sell them.

They raise themselves to eat meat.

It feels like a fairy tale; my relatives back home are actually so arrogant...

Jiang Hongzhi said, "We came from the highway yesterday and saw a large area of ​​forest over there. Is that also a farm?"

Jiang Youli said, "It's another farm, which Jiang Ning and the county jointly established. It's mainly a ranch, specializing in raising cattle. It has more than 900,000 cattle, which is much larger than this farm, about ten times the size."

"More than 900,000 heads?"

"Yes, there are many cows over there."

"His!"

Everyone gasped in shock. What does it mean to have over 900,000 cattle?
One cow is worth ten thousand...

I dare not calculate it.

After watching one show, I wasn't in a hurry to see the second.

First, I went to see Jiang Ning's second aunt, who tried her best to entertain me.

Upon seeing his brother from afar, he burst into tears.

After sitting for a while, we went to my aunt's house.

My aunt has already prepared dinner and is waiting for me; I can't wait to eat.

I had dinner at my aunt's house.

The group of over thirty people took turns eating at the table. Jiang Ning and his brothers were even chased away by their uncle, who didn't even give them a meal and made them go to a restaurant on their own. The next day, they visited the second site, continued to visit relatives, and prepared things for the grave.

The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, falls on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month.

The people of Bei'an were busy with ancestor worship, and the farm gave them a day off.

There was no holiday originally, but since the workers all wanted to visit the graves, we decided to give them a day off.

This became a tradition, resulting in an extra holiday.

The Jiang family also went to the grave, a large group of ten cars.

There wasn't enough room in Chester, so they brought two more vans, but there still wasn't enough room.

Two more vans from the Xincheng Hotel were requisitioned, but there still weren't enough seats.

Jiang Ning drove his 570 with his wife and children, while Jiang Wei and Jiang Ze drove their trucks loaded with goods. They got up at six o'clock and set off early. Jiang Yong, Jiang Lei, and Jiang Hua also went up with the trucks first to set up tables and chairs in advance.

Mr. Jiang originally wanted to go up and help.

The eldest uncle didn't let him go up, so he let his nephews do it.

I'm in my thirties, I can't expect my father to do everything for me.

Jiang Ning was the only exception; she set off with the main group.

570 led the way.

Feng Yu, sitting in the passenger seat, remarked, "It's really lively."

Jiang Ning nodded: "It is quite lively. Such an event only comes around once every ten years."

Feng Yu asked curiously, "I heard your second grandfather is moving back?"

Jiang Ning asked in surprise, "Where did you hear that? I've never heard of it before?"

Feng Yu said, "Just now when we were gathering in the community, I heard two uncles from Xinjiang discussing with your uncle. It seems that your second grandfather wanted to return to his roots, but he was too busy before and didn't have time. Now that he's retired, he has time and wants to move his grave back to be part of the ancestral grave."

Jiang Ning said, "I don't know, this is none of my business."

Feng Yu said, "I heard from my uncle that they're going to repair the grave again."

Jiang Ning was quite puzzled: "How can we repair it? Isn't our family's grave impressive enough?"

Feng Yu said, "I'm not really sure either, I just overheard a few sentences."

Jiang Tiantian clung to the seat and stood in the middle, watching her father drive with curiosity.

Feng Xue sat in the middle, supporting her to prevent her from falling.

"dad……"

The little guy nudged Jiang Ning's shoulder.

"Oh, my sweet baby."

Jiang Ning responded, her left hand resting on the steering wheel.

He freed his right hand and took his daughter's little hand.

The little guy pulled his hand back and clung to the armrest box, trying to climb to the front.

Feng Yu quickly stopped her: "Sweetie, be good, don't be naughty, sit in the back with Xue's mom."

The little guy wouldn't listen and insisted on climbing to the front.

Feng Yu had no choice but to pick her up and place her on his lap.

The little guy was restless, staring at the buttons on the center console.

They were incredibly curious and reached out their little hands to press it.

"Be good, don't cause trouble!"

Feng Yu quickly stopped her, not daring to let her press the buttons randomly.

The little one wouldn't listen to his mother and insisted on pressing the button.

When she got impatient, she started protesting at her mother with loud "ah ah ah!"

It took more than half an hour to get to the grave, where the logistics team had already set up tables and chairs.

Jiang Wei and the others set off at six o'clock and arrived at the cemetery before seven o'clock. They worked for three hours to unload tables and chairs from the car and set them up in advance. The stove was ready, with a large pot on it and the water already boiling.

A water truck has arrived at the farm to ensure water supply for today.

The food and drinks were already laid out on the table.

Various offerings were also taken down and placed on the altar.

After the main group arrived, they took out the paper money and offerings they had prepared. The 1.5m x 2m altar was almost full, and the 2m x 2m fire pit, which was specially built with square bricks for burning paper money, was also piled with all kinds of paper money.

Besides paper money, there were also various clothes and items.

For example, Ferraris and the like.

There are also villas and houses.

I wonder if you need a driver's license in the underworld. Where would our ancestors go to refuel if we sent a Ferrari down there?

The seven sheep have been unloaded and tied to the cart with ropes.

Today, everyone was present; there were over sixty people of all ages.

My second aunt's family also came, except for my second cousin who really couldn't come.

Everyone who could still move came.

Grandpa and Grandma were naturally invited up as well.

The pine trees in the cemetery have grown lush and green, reaching a height of sixteen or seventeen meters and a thickness of a thigh.

It has grown into a pine forest of more than 30 acres, and the cemetery is not visible from the outside.

The sun was blocked, so the tables and chairs were placed among the pine trees.

That way, we don't need to build a sunshade anymore, which saves a lot of trouble.

When the people of the Western Frontier saw this, they were all astonished.

When I came to my hometown more than ten years ago, the cemetery was overgrown with weeds and dilapidated.

A few lonely graves, looking rather shabby.

I never expected that it would change so drastically after more than a decade.

The pine trees have grown so tall.

We set off at nine o'clock and arrived at the cemetery at nine-thirty.

After a period of busy work, the sacrifice begins.

Everyone knelt at the grave, forming three layers around it.

Most people squatted down, afraid of getting their pants dirty.

Jiang Hongzhi and Jiang Hongyuan knelt down firmly on both knees. When they turned around, they saw their grandson squatting instead of kneeling and glaring at them several times. The people sleeping on top of them were their own grandparents, whom they hadn't returned to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors for more than ten years.

How can we not be sincere?

(End of this chapter)