1980: I have a spiritual spring

Chapter 70 Once facing the wind, now with the wind at your back

in the afternoon.

Qiao Dajiang rode his bicycle home with a big smile on his face.

Seeing this, Qiao Sanduo couldn't help but laugh and said, "Big brother, it seems that your sister-in-law's family is very satisfied with the New Year's gift you sent!"

Qiao Sihai winked and said, "Of course your sister-in-law's family is satisfied. Didn't you see how happy your brother is, like he found money?"

Qiao Dajiang laughed and scolded, "You brat, you even dare to tease your older brother."

Qiao Erhe laughed and said, "With all the New Year's gifts that my elder brother brought, which father-in-law and mother-in-law wouldn't be satisfied!"

After the siblings chatted and laughed for a while, Qiao Dajiang said, "At lunch, I reminded my father-in-law that the jar of sweet glutinous rice wine was a good thing and that it would be good for his health. I told him to keep it and drink it slowly. I didn't expect him to ignore it and just let my mother-in-law open the wine."

As a result, he drank the entire jar of sweet glutinous rice wine at lunchtime, not a drop was left. I felt so sorry for him.

Qiao Erhe smiled and said, "Anyway, you'll be visiting your sister-in-law's family after the New Year. Bring a jar of sweet glutinous rice wine with you then, and I'm sure your parents-in-law will appreciate it."

Qiao Dajiang hesitated and said, "Second brother, we still need to send New Year's gifts to our aunt's family and uncle's family. You also need to send New Year's gifts to Xiao Su's family. In addition, we family members also need to drink. Is there any extra for me to take to pay New Year's visits?"

Qiao Erhe said, "I already reserved this, don't worry!"

Qiao Dajiang said happily, "Okay, I'll give them another surprise after the New Year."

……

The 21st day of the twelfth lunar month.

Personnel Department of Shashi First People's Hospital.

After finishing her work, Sister Li approached Su Jinxiu and asked with a smile, "Little Su, didn't you send the design drawings to Comrade Qiao yesterday?"

Su Jinxiu shook her head and said, "No, he's not in a hurry to use it anyway. Judging by the time, he and his brother should be coming to Shashi to sell eggs in the next couple of days. I'll give him the design drawings then."

Sister Li lowered her voice and said, "Xiao Su, I don't know how far you and Comrade Qiao have gone, but as colleagues, I feel it's necessary to remind you that Comrade Qiao is just a professional chicken farmer. There's a huge difference in your social status. If you want to be with him, your parents probably won't agree."

Su Jinxiu naturally knew that Sister Li said these words for her own good. In this era, the status of self-employed people who set up stalls to sell things was really low. Not to mention a family like hers, even ordinary working-class families would look down on such a person.

However, Qiao Erhe is no ordinary self-employed individual. He not only has a long-term vision and broad knowledge, but also possesses amazing winemaking skills, which are unknown to outsiders.

Su Jinxiu didn't explain to Sister Li, but just smiled and replied, "Sister Li, thank you for reminding me. We're just good friends now, not the kind of relationship you're thinking of."

Sister Li said, "I'm just glad you don't mind me talking too much."

……

after get off work.

As Su Jinxiu rode her bicycle out of the hospital gate, she saw that familiar figure and couldn't help but smile.

The two greeted each other, and then Qiao Erhe took the bicycle and left the hospital with Su Jinxiu.

Su Jinxiu spoke first: "Brother Qiao, Sister Li gave me the design drawings for the townhouse a few days ago, including an estimate of the amount of steel and cement to be used. The drawings are in my bag now, I'll get them for you later."

Qiao Erhe laughed and said, "There's no rush about the blueprints. Today is the last time we brothers will come to Shashi to sell eggs this year. The next time we come to Shashi to sell eggs will be next year. So I brought you some New Year's gifts, which I left at the egg stall."

Su Jinxiu exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Qiao, you even prepared a New Year's gift for me?"

Qiao Erhe nodded and smiled, "I gave New Year's gifts to all my relatives a few days ago. You're my good friend, how could I forget to give you one!"

Su Jinxiu revealed a smile that no one else could see, and asked, "Brother Qiao, you didn't come to bring me sweet rice wine, did you?"

Qiao Erhe laughed and said, "You guessed right. There is indeed glutinous rice wine, but there are only two jars. When my family finishes building our new house next year, I can brew more glutinous rice wine. Then, you can have as much as you want to drink."

These words, which sounded almost like a confession, made Su Jinxiu blush. She quickly said, "Thank you, Brother Qiao."

After thinking for a moment, Su Jinxiu added, "Brother Qiao, since you've already brought me a New Year's gift, it would be impolite to go to a restaurant for dinner. Why don't you come home with me for dinner and meet my parents? They've been wanting to meet you for a while now anyway."

Qiao Erhe had originally planned to pay a visit, so upon hearing this, he readily agreed, "Sure, then I'll be bothering you."

This was the first time Su Jinxiu had taken it upon herself to bring a male friend home for dinner, and her heart was racing. She said, "Then when you see the public phone booth, stop the car. I'll call home and tell my mom first."

Qiao Erhe asked, "Jinxiu, tell me the truth, is it convenient for me to come here so abruptly?"

Su Jinxiu said, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. It's just that if we don't prepare in advance, we'll probably only have some ordinary home-cooked meals to serve you. I just hope you won't mind."

Qiao Erhe laughed and said, "I'm not a picky eater."

……

The staff quarters of the Industry and Commerce Bureau.

Su's mother was busy in the kitchen, while Su's father, as usual, sat on the sofa reading the newspaper.

Suddenly, the phone next to Su's father rang, and he answered it without hesitation: "Hello, this is Su Jianguo."

Su Jinxiu's voice came through the phone: "Dad, it's me."

Su Jianguo couldn't help but tease, "Jinxiu, what's up with your call? Is it because your brother Qiao is in Shashi again, and you're having dinner with him?"

Su Jinxiu said with a smile, "Dad, Brother Qiao has brought us a New Year's gift. Among the gifts is the glutinous rice wine that you've been longing for. I'll bring him home for dinner later. Please ask Mom to cook a couple more dishes."

Upon hearing this, Su Jianguo immediately sat up straight. The effects of this glutinous rice wine were amazing. It not only completely cured his back pain, but also allowed him to connect with the Shashi government, giving him hope for a higher position.

Now, the young man who brewed this sweet glutinous rice wine is coming to deliver New Year's gifts to him, and this sweet glutinous rice wine is among the gifts. Su Jianguo is both surprised and delighted.

"Great! Then bring the person back quickly, and I'll have your mom cook a few more dishes right away."

Su Jinxiu smiled and said, "Okay, that's all for now, I'll hang up."

Su Jianguo's phone call reached his mother in the kitchen. She came out and asked, "Old Su, who's coming over for dinner?" Su Jianguo replied with a smile, "It's Comrade Qiao who's bringing us New Year's gifts. Our daughter is bringing him back with her. Hurry up and cook a few more dishes."

Upon hearing this, Su's mother became happy and quickly said, "I'm so glad to finally meet this promising young Comrade Qiao. I'll go cook a few more dishes right away, but unfortunately, I don't have time to prepare them. You should tidy up the living room quickly."

Su Jianguo said, "Alright, you go ahead and get busy, the person will be here soon."

Su's mother responded and hurriedly went into the kitchen to get busy.

Meanwhile, Su Jianguo, the bureau chief, also started tidying up the living room.

……

Twenty minutes later.

Qiao Erhe entered the Su family home carrying gifts.

Su Jinxiu introduced with a smile: "Dad, Mom, let me introduce you. This is Brother Qiao, whom I've told you about before."

Qiao Erhe immediately greeted them, saying, "Hello, Uncle Su and Aunt Su, my name is Qiao Erhe, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Su Jianguo smiled and said, "Hello, Comrade Qiao. We are also very happy to meet you. The glutinous rice wine you brewed is truly amazing. It completely cured my back pain. I don't know how to thank you enough!"

Su's mother chimed in, "Yes, thank you so much, Comrade Qiao. My husband has been suffering from this back pain for so long that he hasn't been able to get a good night's sleep. But ever since he drank the sweet glutinous rice wine you gave him, which cured his back pain, he's been so much more energetic. We really want to thank you properly."

As Qiao Erhe handed over the gifts, he said with a big smile, "Uncle Su and Aunt Su, you're too kind. I brought you two jars of sweet glutinous rice wine this time. Please drink it sparingly. After my new house is built next year and I have an underground cellar for brewing and storing wine, I can start brewing wine to my heart's content. At that time, as long as you like to drink it, I guarantee there will be plenty of sweet glutinous rice wine."

Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu couldn't help but glance at him. He had just said this to her, and now he was saying it to her parents as well. What was he trying to do?

When Mr. and Mrs. Su received the gifts, they couldn't help but exchange a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

In their view, this glutinous rice wine, with its exceptional taste and efficacy, must have been brewed with many precious medicinal herbs, making it quite expensive. However, judging from Qiao Erhe's words, he could brew this glutinous rice wine in large quantities.

"Then thank you in advance, Comrade Qiao. Please have a seat."

Su Jianguo first thanked him, then gestured for Qiao Erhe to sit down before changing the subject and tentatively asking, "Comrade Qiao, brewing this glutinous rice wine must have been quite difficult, right?"

As the saying goes, old age makes one wiser, and Qiao Erhe naturally understood a principle: whatever is too easily obtained will not be cherished.

So, upon hearing Su's father's question, Qiao Erhe replied with a smile, "Uncle Su is right. It is indeed not easy to brew my glutinous rice wine. Compared with ordinary glutinous rice wine, the cost is much higher. However, in this world, problems that can be solved with money are not problems."

These boastful words from a wealthy person left the Su family of three looking at each other in bewilderment.

Su Jianguo said, “Comrade Qiao, we all know that your family now raises several thousand laying hens, and the income in the future will be very considerable. You are definitely not short of money. But as an elder, I naturally cannot take advantage of you. When you brew this glutinous rice wine next year, please let me help cover part of the cost. After the wine is brewed, you can give me some more, and then I can accept it without any guilt.”

Qiao Erhe said noncommittally, "Uncle Su, brewing wine is a matter for a few months later, let's talk about it then, shall we?"

Su Jianguo smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, we'll talk about it later."

Mrs. Su smiled and said, "Comrade Qiao, you chat with Old Su first. I'll go into the kitchen and stir-fry some vegetables, then we can start eating."

Qiao Erhe said politely, "Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Su."

Su's mother said, "It's not hard work."

Su Jinxiu volunteered, "I'll go help serve the dishes."

After the mother and daughter entered the kitchen, Su Jianguo lowered his voice and said, "Comrade Qiao, on the prescription you gave my daughter, besides those rare medicinal herbs, there were also things like tiger bone and tiger penis. The tiger bone goes without saying, but the tiger penis..."

Qiao Erhe understood the meaning behind the song, and as the saying goes, "In the past, I could pee ten feet against the wind, but today, even with the wind at my back, my shoes get wet." This saying truly captures the bitterness in the hearts of men over forty, and only men of this age can truly understand it.

Although Qiao Erhe's body is young, he truly experienced what it means to be powerless in his previous life.

Now that Su's father is over forty years old, he must have a deep understanding of the feeling of "not being able to do what he wants".

So Qiao Erhe lowered his voice and said, "Uncle Su, you must have a lot more energy than before after drinking that glutinous rice wine. If you had tiger penis and those rare medicinal herbs, the medicinal wine you made would be much more effective than glutinous rice wine."

"Uncle Su, let me put it this way: even a man in his sixties or seventies can regain his masculine vigor after drinking the medicinal wine I make by soaking tiger penis."

Upon hearing this, Su Jianguo's eyes lit up immediately, and he asked impatiently, "Does this medicinal wine have any side effects?"

Qiao Erhe shook his head and said, "There are no side effects. The medicinal wine I make is healthier the more you drink it. It's just that the cost of making such medicinal wine is too high, and I don't have the means to make it at the moment."

Su Jianguo immediately said, "Comrade Qiao, don't worry. I will get you all the medicinal herbs, tiger bones, and tiger penis around the Dragon Boat Festival next year. All you need to do then is soak them in the medicinal wine."

Of course, the age of the medicinal herbs cannot be determined according to the prescription. After all, many medicinal herbs are extremely rare and hard to come by, and even the government might not be able to collect them all, let alone my personal efforts.

Qiao Erhe smiled and said, "I understand. The ingredients on the prescription can theoretically bring the medicinal wine to its most perfect state, but collecting all those ingredients is indeed not something that one person can do alone."

Fortunately, this prescription can be adjusted, just not as strongly. Compared to those medications with severe side effects, it's infinitely better.

Su Jianguo nodded and said, "As long as the effect is better than that of glutinous rice wine, then it's all worth it."

Qiao Erhe smiled confidently, "The herbs used to soak the medicinal wine are much better than those used in sweet glutinous rice wine. Needless to say, the effect is definitely much better than that of sweet glutinous rice wine. Uncle Su, you'll know once you try it. You definitely won't be disappointed."

Su Jianguo laughed and said, "Then I'll wait and see."

Just then, Su Jinxiu's voice came from the kitchen: "Dad, Brother Qiao, come and eat!"

"Ok."

"coming!"

……

PS: Dear readers, starting today, the update time for this book will be fixed at 7 PM. The word count will be increased to 6000 words starting tomorrow. Those who have followed since "Back to 1980 to Enjoy Life" should be familiar with this update time ^_^. I hope we can continue our connection and meet again at 7 PM every night.

(End of this chapter)