A good life starts with blind date

Chapter 280 Kowtow
Jiang Ning had planned to go to the west after visiting the graves.

Go find the source of the Five Elements.

But Third Grandfather died at the worst possible time. He was fine when we went to his grave, and even ate two pieces of mutton. He passed away that night, catching everyone off guard. Jiang Ning had to make a trip to Jicheng to personally invite the relatives from her hometown there.

If it's something else, then of course there's no need to ask.

That's not enough to make people dislike you.

However, the passing of the third grandfather was a major event for the Jiang family of Bei'an.

The two sides have already established communication, so inviting relatives to attend the funeral is understandable.

The third grandfather is of a higher generation, but the amount of face one has is not directly related to seniority.

It's related to money and power.

Neither of the two uncles was confident they could invite someone.

That's why Jiang Ning was asked to make the trip herself.

After dinner, they set off at seven o'clock. Of course, Jiang Ning wasn't going alone.

There are also his eldest uncle Jiang Youren and his second cousin Jiang Lei.

Jiang Ning had the driver bring the Mercedes over, and the three of them set off that night in the car.

We traveled over 700 kilometers and arrived in Jicheng at 3 a.m.

I randomly picked a hotel and slept for three hours. I got up at 6:30 and went to the village.

The relatives in the ancestral homeland are quite warm towards Jiang Ning. They have visited several times. Last year, they donated 100,000 yuan to repair the ancestral hall, and also donated fruit tree seedlings and paid for full physical examinations for the younger generation who are over seventy years old.

It gives you a lot of face.

First, I went to the clan chief's house and talked about the matter.

After discussing it, the clan chief and elders decided to go to pay their respects in the name of the clan.

So I ate breakfast.

After making some preparations, the clan chief led three representatives and set off with Jiang Ning by car.

I bought some items for the memorial when I passed through the county town.

It was already 7 p.m. when we arrived in Bei'an.

After offering wreaths and other offerings, we had dinner at the funeral company.

Only after they were taken to a hotel and settled in did things finally calm down.

Jiang Ning was exhausted from the journey and was given special permission to go home and get some sleep.

The next day, after breakfast, I went to the funeral company.

With nothing else to do, he would put on mourning clothes and kneel at the door with his brother and several cousins, leaning on mourning sticks, to kowtow to people.

After kneeling for a while, Jiang Yong and Jiang Pin were called to do some work.

Jiang Cunwen and Jiang Cunwu could no longer kneel, so they made an excuse to go to the toilet.

Jiang Wei then asked Jiang Ning, "Who paid for the hotel you stayed at the night before last?"

Jiang Ning said, "Isn't that a pointless question? When you go out with me, which of you has ever paid the bill?"

Jiang Wei said, "That's different. We are us. This time we were doing business for them, which is official business. Asking them to buy things and then not reimbursing them is not a fair thing to do."

Jiang Ze seconded, "That's right. Public and private matters are separate. You're asking us for money for the sheep used for the grave? It's one thing for us to eat and drink together normally, but you won't give us money to buy things for the funeral. That's unacceptable. I've already spent over a thousand yuan on it."

Jiang Ning picked at her ear: "Don't tell me, I don't want to hear this nonsense."

"When people arrive, kowtow."

Jiang Hua gave a shout, and the brothers immediately kowtowed to the man.

"Boss Jiang!"

Suddenly, someone called out to them.

Jiang Ning quickly looked up and saw that it was an old high school classmate.

A little confused: "What brings you here?"

My old classmate said, "I'm a relative; your third aunt is my great-aunt."

"Uh!"

Jiang Ning had nothing to say, so she could only urge him inside: "Come in and sit down!"

His old classmate wasn't in a hurry to go in, but smiled and looked him up and down: "A big boss like you, kneeling here and kowtowing to people?"

Jiang Ning was speechless: "You know he's my third grandfather, why are you still talking nonsense?"

My old classmate laughed heartily: "Give me another kowtow."

Jiang Ning's face darkened; if she weren't a female classmate...

He absolutely had to get up, grab him, and give him a good beating.

……

Addis Ababa.

While Jiang Ning was busy kowtowing to her relatives, Zhang Yuedong flew to Ethiopia.

He came alone. After visiting the graves on the 15th of July, he flew to Guangzhou the next day. It was his first time in a Black country, and he felt completely unfamiliar with it. To be honest, he was quite nervous.

Those black men didn't look like good people at all.

Fortunately, there were quite a few fellow villagers traveling with me.

After leaving the airport, I looked around for a while.

I finally saw my son who came to pick me up at the airport.

Zhang Yulong didn't come alone; Sun Yang came too.

There were also two white men who had come with them as mercenaries.

Zhang Yuedong walked over and waited for his son to greet him.

result……

Zhang Yulong made no move to greet him.

Sun Yang was quick-witted. Seeing that he walked straight up to him, he figured it must be him, so he quickly greeted him, "Hello, Uncle."

"well……"

Zhang Yuedong responded and looked at his son, asking, "How's it going in Africa?"

Zhang Yulong replied dismissively, "It's just like that."

Zhang Yuedong felt he couldn't communicate with his son, so he could only put it aside for now.

Then he glanced at the few white people next to him.

Sun Yang quickly introduced, "Uncle, I'm also from Bei'an. I'm in charge of agriculture in the mining area. I came here in March this year. These are the security personnel from the mine. The person in charge asked them to come and pick you up."

Zhang Yuedong said with a smile, "Thank you for your help."

Sun Yang said it was no trouble, and then spoke a few words in English to the two mercenaries.

The two Americans chattered away and stretched out their hands.

Zhang Yuedong couldn't understand the words, but he could still understand the gestures.

I shook hands with the two Americans and said a few words of thanks.

The two Americans couldn't understand either, so Lian Yang translated for them.

After exchanging a few words, we went to have lunch.

My flight to Kigali is at 3 p.m., so I still have four hours.

Although Sun Yang was a few years younger than Zhang Yulong, he was much more clever. He led everyone to lunch, strolled around the airport area, and browsed the duty-free shops, but didn't buy anything.

At 3 p.m., I flew from Addis Ababa to Kigali.

A little over an hour later, I landed and rented a minivan outside the airport.

Heading straight to the border.

There were many checkpoints along the way, and the closer you got to the border, the more checkpoints there were.

There were even soldiers patrolling.

There was a sense of tension about it.

Yue Dongdong asked Sun Yang, "Is Rwanda also unstable?"

Sun Yang said, "Rwanda is considered to have good public security. This is the border, and the other side is too chaotic, so there are troops patrolling. Once we cross the border and enter the Democratic Republic of Congo, that's when things get really chaotic."

Zhang Yuedong couldn't help but get nervous: "Won't something happen?"

Sun Yang laughed and said, "Uncle, don't worry, nothing will happen. Our people will come to meet us after we cross the border. The boss instructed that the Sea Serpent Boss will come to meet us personally, and the government army has also sent people to accompany and protect us. There won't be any problems."

"The Sea Serpent Boss?"

"He's the head of security at the mine, nicknamed 'Sea Serpent,' that's what we all call him."

"I heard there are special forces soldiers?"

"Sea Serpent is a retired seal, and he used to be a seal instructor."

Are Americans easy to get along with?

"Very easy to get along with."

Sun Yang said, "Foreigners are all straightforward; they say what they mean."

We chatted all the way, and arrived at the border in just over two hours.

After some commotion, we passed the border checkpoint without any major incidents.

A convoy of cars was waiting outside.

Sea Serpent led ten white mercenaries and dozens of black men.

Each one was armed with live ammunition; Zhang Yuedong had never seen anything like it before.

Looking at it makes me feel uneasy.

Sun Yang gave an introduction.

Sea Serpent had already received instructions from the boss and knew that the person coming was from the Zhang family.

He is also Zhang Yulong's father, and he is very enthusiastic.

After shaking hands, Sun Yang exchanged a few words with the translator.

We got back on the bus and set off again.

Zhang Yuedong got into the back seat of a Prado, with Sun Yang accompanying him.

Sea Serpent sat in the passenger seat, and the driver was a white mercenary.

Zhang Yulong didn't get on; he took another car.

Not far along, a row of armed pickup trucks was parked on the road.

Several hundred soldiers lined the road to welcome them.

Sea Serpent lowered the car window and called out, and the armed troops quickly got into the vehicle and set off.

They protected the convoy from the front and rear, placing it in the middle.

Zhang Yuedong stared at the rocket launcher on the pickup truck, clicking his tongue in amazement: "Is this government troops?"

Sun Yang nodded: "Yes, it was sent by the high-ranking official Kakul to provide support."

Zhang Yuedong was quite suspicious: "Does Jiang Ning have that much influence?"

Sun Yang chuckled and said, "The boss has a lot of influence. I heard he called that old black man Kakul and told him that if anything happens to you here, he'll skin that guy alive. Kakul was worried that the convoy would be attacked, so he sent several hundred men to protect it."

Zhang Yuedong was utterly astonished.

You won't know until you come out.

So that's how successful my nephew is.

But they quickly forgot about being surprised.

The convoy hadn't gone far when it encountered two tribal armed groups exchanging fire.

The gunfire was deafening; you could hear the gunshots from a great distance.

Zhang Yuedong watched with trepidation.

Living in a peaceful society, I've never seen anything like this before.

However, upon seeing the government troops arrive, the two tribal armed groups that were fighting tacitly ceased fire and made way. They couldn't afford to mess with the government troops to begin with, and with people from the Casoto gold mine in the convoy, they were even less likely to provoke them.

The battle continued only after the convoy had passed.

Gunshots rang out again from the direction they came from.

Zhang Yuedong felt that the world had been opened up, and he didn't want to leave and see it for himself.

I really can't imagine what this world is like.

My hometown is peaceful and prosperous.

Arriving in Africa felt like stepping back into a time of war.

Jiang Ning came to Africa at eighteen and has managed to survive until now.

I can't even imagine what I went through.

Ordinary people who come to this place need protection.

I'm afraid they won't even survive a single day.

The road was too difficult to travel on, full of potholes, and the car couldn't move.

After walking for an hour, we finally saw the city.

We didn't go into the city, we went straight to the mine.

Zhang Yuedong sat in the car, looking around, and felt that this provincial capital was not as good as his hometown county.

Refugees were everywhere on the road, and their eyes were green.

If it weren't for the army protecting them, Zhang Yuedong felt that the refugees would have pounced on them.

We also saw large refugee camps along the way.

After listening to Sun Yang's introduction, I learned that it was a refugee camp established by the United Nations.

To provide aid to refugees ravaged by war and left homeless.

But there are too many refugees, and the United Nations simply cannot provide them all.

After another hour or so, we finally arrived at the mining area.

It was already completely dark.

The government troops escorted them all the way to the mining area before turning back.

The mine manager led a group of people to greet them, and they exchanged pleasantries for a long time.

Zhang Yuedong was arranged to stay at Jiang Ning's house, and Zhou Tong also came.

Accompanying them to meals to familiarize them with the environment.

While eating, Zhang Yuedong said, "The conditions are not bad!"

Zhou Tong laughed and said, "When we first came here, the conditions were very poor. We lived in bungalows. These houses were built later. We lacked everything here. The steel bars, cement, and sand were all transported from outside. It took a lot of effort."

Zhang Yuedong asked, "How's your work going here?"

Zhou Tong said, "It's fine. Apart from the harsh conditions and the inconvenience of going out, everything else is great."

Zhang Yuedong asked, "Have you been home?" Sun Yang replied, "I don't plan to go back for now. The wheat harvest is finished, and I've planted some vegetables. In two months, the rainy season will arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It rains every day during the rainy season, so there's nothing to do. I'll go back then."

"Will you come again next year?"

"I'll definitely come; it's too hard to find a job back home."

"How much salary does Jiang Ning pay you?"

"Three thousand US dollars a month."

"Not less or not?"

"That's quite a lot. At the current exchange rate, it's 21,000 a month. They take care of all our food and drink. The mining company also gives us a living allowance of 1,000 US dollars a month, and we get holiday bonuses too. That adds up to more than 4,000 US dollars a month."

Zhang Yuedong asked about the two people's situation.

Only then did I ask about my son.

Zhang Yulong returned and then disappeared; no one knows where he went.

The father-son relationship has deteriorated to this extent.

Zhang Yuedong could only endure it and inquire about the situation from others.

After dinner, Sun Yang and Zhou Tong did not stay any longer.

Left quickly.

Zhang Yuedong took a shower and was tired from the long journey.

I went to bed early.

The next day, accompanied by Sun Yang and Zhou Tong, they first visited the mining area.

The mining equipment has arrived and is currently undergoing renovation and expansion.

Nothing fancy.

They also visited the refugee camp and toured the vegetable gardens planted by Sun Yang and Zhou Tong.

The mine conditions are alright, but it's too isolated.

The place is too chaotic, and it's too inconvenient to go out.

Finally, we visited the black children's target practice and met my son.

Zhang Yulong was on vacation, but Hai She asked him to keep his father company.

As it turns out, this kid didn't want to see his father.

They came over to shoot targets with the little black guys.

Zhang Yuedong asked, "Was this fired with a real gun?"

Sun Yang quickly replied, "They're all real guns. Originally, there were only forty-odd mercenaries in the mining area, which wasn't enough for security. So the boss had Sea Serpent recruit over three hundred 'little blacks' for training, all of whom were trained to SEAL standards."

Zhang Yuedong took a deep breath; the world was truly amazing.

After watching for a while, I got a little itchy to try it myself.

So he asked, "Can I try?"

"sure!"

Sun Yang said solicitously, "Uncle, come with me, I'll fire a couple of shots for you."

Zhang Yuedong followed.

Sun Yang also had his own gun. There was no shortage of weapons and equipment at the mine. Jiang Ning had gotten a lot for him, all of them were American military equipment. Sun Yang also collected a rifle and a pistol, but he didn't go back to get them. Instead, he asked for an M16 for Zhang Yuedong to practice on.

It was Zhang Yuedong's first time handling a gun, and he wasn't quite sure how to use it.

Sun Yang was already an expert and was giving instructions from the side.

I fired a few shots; it felt pretty exciting.

Even after emptying a magazine, he was still not satisfied.

Zhang Yulong wanted to say a few words to his son, but he avoided him by keeping his distance.

……

Jiang Ning never understood why people had to wait five days before being buried after they died.

Those Taoist priests dressed in modern clothes, talking nonsense, looked like swindlers no matter how you looked at them.

Occasionally, they would come out and play the suona, holding a small, tattered notebook and reciting a few unintelligible eulogies in the Bei'an dialect. It is said that three Taoist priests could earn several thousand yuan in five days, and the funeral company would also give them a commission. Being a charlatan is indeed a very good profession.

It's much better than working a regular job.

The memorial service was held on the fourth day, and the family members ate at the banquet.

We booked twenty tables, but there weren't enough seats.

The Jiang family could only wait for the additional feast and let their relatives eat first.

Jiang Ning, who was in a bind, asked Jiang Yong, "Why didn't you reserve a few more tables?"

"We ordered it, I don't know anything about it."

"What nonsense! You're forty years old, how come you don't know anything? Is it that you don't know, or that you can't say for sure? Is it going to kill you to book a few more tables and spend a few thousand yuan? Let Wei Tao, an outsider, make decisions about the Jiang family's affairs? Damn it, are we all dead?"

"..."

Jiang Yong was stunned; he hadn't expected Jiang Ning to scold him.

With so many people around, how can we save face?!
Wei Tao happened to be passing by and quickly turned to avoid him.

Jiang Wei, Jiang Ze, and the others were also a bit confused, so they quickly pulled Jiang Ning outside.

You will be laughed at.

To be honest, we've all been feeling pretty down these past few days. Originally, this was a matter for the Jiang family, and how to handle our third grandfather's funeral should have been a matter for the Jiang family to discuss and decide. But many things were being decided by Wei Tao, Jiang Youyi's son-in-law.

After all, there's a grandfather between them.

Some things are hard to say.

Jiang's father and his two brothers could only pretend to be confused.

The younger generation should especially not say anything.

This time, Jiang Ning had reached her limit. No family should book more tables for a banquet. But when relatives came, there weren't enough seats. A table meant for ten people was crammed with twelve. This wasn't just a disgrace to one family, but to the entire Jiang family.

Not to mention the relatives from Jicheng and Western Xinjiang.

What will people think?
The people from Jicheng were invited by Jiang Ning.

I've saved face and spent the money I needed to.

Jiang Ning was furious that things had turned out this way.

He can't scold his elders, but scolding his brothers is fine.

"This matter is done..."

"It's really hard to describe."

Jiang Ze and the others sighed repeatedly, also full of complaints.

"I'm not eating anymore, I'm too angry to eat anything."

Jiang Ning left after saying that.

Jiang Wei looked at Jiang Ze, and Jiang Ze looked at him back.

The two of them actually wanted to leave, but Jiang Ning could be willful.

They cannot act willfully.

If Jiang Ning is unhappy, she can scold Jiang Yong; she can just leave without even eating at the banquet.

They're no good; they don't have the power to act recklessly.

Jiang Ning's temper only lasted three minutes; once she arrived at the farm, she stopped thinking about these upsetting things.

The workers had already eaten, and only some leftovers remained.

We've already eaten at home.

Jiang Ning ate some of the workers' leftovers before returning to the villa.

Feng Xue was tidying up in the kitchen, while Feng Yu was taking care of the child.

He was surprised to see him: "Why are you back?"

Jiang Ning said, "We haven't booked enough seats."

Feng Yu was even more surprised: "How come there aren't enough seats? Didn't you book more tables?"

Jiang Ning said, "Those two families were so stingy. They only booked twenty tables, squeezing twelve people into tables meant for ten. It was incredibly embarrassing. I scolded Jiang Yong and came back."

Feng Yu was both amused and exasperated: "He's already forty years old, and you're still scolding him."

Jiang Ning took her daughter and kissed her twice, saying, "So what if he's forty? If he were twenty, I wouldn't scold him. But a forty-year-old with no backbone, letting Wei Tao, an outsider, make decisions about the Jiang family's affairs—what a coward! Of course I'd scold him."

I didn't go to the funeral home in the afternoon.

They didn't go over at night either, even though they used to have to keep watch every night.

I don't want to go tonight, what's the point of staying here?

It was almost nine o'clock.

Mr. Jiang called: "Don't forget the funeral tomorrow?"

"Mmmmmmm!"

Jiang Ning hummed in agreement a few times, but didn't say much to his father.

Father Jiang didn't say he was being willful or reckless; he just reminded him to attend the funeral the next morning.

It's okay if I don't eat at the banquet.

It's okay if we don't keep watch at night.

But he couldn't skip the funeral, and Jiang Youxin was worried that his son wouldn't understand.

That's why I specifically called to remind you.

I got up at four in the morning and took a Coaster to the funeral company.

Everyone acted as if nothing had happened, going about their business as usual.

According to Bei'an tradition, the burial must take place before sunrise.

Jiang Ning didn't understand the reasoning behind it; she just wanted to make up the numbers.

In the past, there were filial sons carrying coffins, but now everything is modernized.

Who but Jiang Ning could lift that thing!

A shelf was placed under the coffin, and four wheels were attached to it.

They were pushed directly out of the mourning hall and lifted up by the truck crane.

Simple, convenient, and hassle-free.

We were all ready to leave at 5 a.m., before dawn!

There were over a hundred people in the funeral procession, with more than thirty vehicles of various sizes.

They drove in a grand procession towards the countryside.

When we arrived at the cemetery, it was just dawn.

The hearse drove straight in, and after a busy half-day, they lowered the burial chamber into the rectangular pit that had been dug beforehand, right next to Grandpa Jiang Ning. The men each had a shovel and shoveled soil to backfill the pit, while the women knelt on the ground, crying their hearts out.

Jiang Ning wanted to laugh; he hadn't been filial while the emperor was alive.

When someone dies, the people who cry are more heartbroken than the last.

What is the use?

Fortunately, he knew his limits and didn't actually laugh out loud.

I paid special attention to my second aunt, and she really did cry.

Jiang Ning was secretly amazed; they were all good actors.

After working for half a day, we shoveled a large mound of earth.

The sun came out, and everyone was panting heavily from exhaustion.

After tidying up, they headed home.

After Coaster took the person to the funeral home, Jiang Ning didn't eat.

We went straight back to the farm.

The relatives from Jicheng also went to the farm for a visit.

I can only feel envious.

Taking advantage of the situation, the clan chief feigned poverty: "Young Ancestor, life back home is tough. Could you help us find some business?"

Jiang Ning asked, "What are your thoughts?"

The clan chief said, “We have little land, and most of it is mountainous, so there’s not much we can do. I’ve thought about it, and the only thing we can do is grow some fruit trees, but the fruit isn’t easy to sell. Could you help us find some channels?”

Jiang Ning asked, "How much land can you offer?"

The clan chief said, "The village has a total of more than 2,000 mu of land, and with the mountain land, it can reach 5,000 mu."

Jiang Ning said, "Then let's plant more apple trees. I'll give you the saplings, and once the fruit is ripe, the farm will help us find sales channels."

The clan chief was overjoyed, if only the occasion hadn't been inappropriate.

I really want to swear to him.

This personal visit shows great respect for the Beian branch.

That's why I came.

So far, the results are quite good.

This young master is very easy to talk to.

Fruit tree seedlings are not cheap, and high-quality ones are even more expensive.

I shamelessly asked for some before, but it was too little.

If you want to set up an orchard of thousands of acres, the seedlings alone will cost several million.

After lunch, the relatives from Jicheng returned to Jicheng first.

Jiang Ning accompanied her cousins ​​from the Western Frontier to see them off.

They also prepared a bunch of farm specialties for me.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang are also going to Australia tomorrow.

The family had dinner together in the evening; ten people, young and old, fit perfectly at one table.

Zhang Yulan asked Feng Xue to sit next to her and said a lot of things.

Feng Xue blushed slightly, unsure of what Aunt Jiang had said to her.

I asked Feng Yu about it before going to bed that night.

Feng Yucai said, "Mom wants my sister to have a child soon."

Jiang Ning then asked, "What are you thinking, sister?"

Feng Yu said, "My sister said she'll have another one next year. When she gives birth to Tian Tian, ​​she'll be three years old and starting kindergarten, and I'll be able to help her take care of the child. You can take my sister to the hospital for a check-up later to see if there are any problems."

Jiang Ning readily agreed, but there was no rush.

He needs to go to the West Sea first.

(End of this chapter)