Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Because it happened so long ago, Xu Bei would have almost forgotten about it if his childhood friend hadn't brought it up.

Guo Dong's younger sister, Song Guomei, does indeed seem to be interested in pursuing him.

Moreover, Song's parents didn't seem to object.

She probably thought that since the Xu family only had one son, he would definitely be the one to take over the workers' jobs in the future, and since there were few people in the family, there would be fewer problems after she married into the family.

Xu Bei only considered her as a friend's younger sister; otherwise, if he had any designs on her, he would have made his move long ago.

"Don't talk nonsense and ruin that girl's reputation."

With a glare of his large, dark eyes, he said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Anyone with eyes can see that. Every time we go to Guodong's house, his sister treats you very differently."

"That's because you guys always tease people without any restraint. I'm more composed, so I'm definitely more popular. Let's leave it at that, and don't mention it to others in the future."

After his rebirth, Xu Bei had a clear goal: to ensure his mother could enjoy her later years in peace and to make money.

As for women, once he has money, he can find any kind he wants; he can choose whatever he wants.

As for love, I can only say that I believe it exists and I hope to meet someone who makes my heart flutter, but at the same time I understand that such things are something that can't be forced.

Big Black clicked his tongue twice. "Composed? You're really good at praising yourself. But the girl is quite pretty, it's just that at 1.58 meters tall, she's a bit short for your 1.78-meter height, no wonder you're not too happy."

Xu Bei narrowed his eyes and grinned mischievously, "You little dark-skinned rascal, it's one thing that you know my height, but why are you so precise about that girl's height down to the centimeter? Could it be...?"

Dahei hurriedly explained, "What?! Don't be silly! I heard it from Guodong once, otherwise, how would I know how tall it is since I can't measure with my eyes?"

Xu Bei waved his hand and laughed, "Alright, I was just teasing you. Look how impatient you are, you're really easy to tease."

Dahei complained angrily, "You even said we were flirting with that young girl. You've gone bad now."

Xu Bei shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about it. You become like those you associate with."

After exchanging a few jokes, Dahei pointed to the wooden stool next to the wardrobe and asked, "By the way, I haven't asked you in detail yet. You just said this stool was a gift for someone else, was it a free favor or were you paid for it?"

"Of course I'll pay."

Xu Bei knew his childhood friend's family situation and character, and besides, having another salesperson was a good thing, so he repeated the same explanation he had given his mother.

Hearing this, Dahei immediately had an idea. "A dime a month for each person is quite a lot, more than what I did at the grain depot... Dabei, I can do this job too, can you add me?"

"Sure. Take a wooden stool with you later, and let me know when you order it."

Xu Bei hadn't planted enough trees (five) or opened up any new plots of land yet, so he was worried about not being able to supply these people with enough stock to sell. He added, "However, I need to see if they can actually produce it before I can take delivery."

"No problem, we'd have to wait no matter which carpenter we hire," Dahei said happily. "I didn't expect my trip to be worthwhile; I actually found a good job."

"That's right. I didn't expect such an unexpected gain."

Xu Bei subconsciously imitated the tone of Zhao Benshan's skit when he said this, but unfortunately his childhood friend hadn't seen it and couldn't understand it at all.

When Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan returned from outside, pulling an empty sled.

Big Black also quickly said goodbye and left.

Xu Bei escorted the person to the gate, and when he returned to the house, he saw his mother and sister counting money in the east room with the door open.

The wooden stools sold for a total of fifteen yuan, but the banknotes collected included not only one-yuan and two-yuan notes, but also one-jiao, two-jiao, and five-jiao notes, which were red, green, and reddish-brown with some pink in the hand.

Xu Bei felt that the colors of the third-generation RMB were quite nice.

He teased Xu Juan deliberately, "Have you figured out my son's potential college student yet?"

Xu Juan immediately put down the money, feeling a little embarrassed. "Brother, what kind of college prospect are you? Don't call me that."

Zhao Fengying patted her youngest daughter's head and smiled, "Your calling him 'brother' isn't wrong at all. You're the only one in our family who might be able to get into university someday."

"Yeah, Xiaojuan, you need to be more confident." Xu Bei paused, then said with a smile, "And as you've seen, Mom has already made two yuan and fifty cents selling stools since last night. If she tells her relatives and friends, there will probably be more orders, so there's no need to worry about money at all."

Zhao Fengying laughed and agreed, "That's right, many people don't know yet. In the future, word will spread, and maybe even the previous owners will come."

My dear daughter, don't worry so much. Just focus on your studies and don't concern yourself with anything else.

Xu Juan nodded vigorously and smiled, "Okay, then I'll work hard and study hard."

Next, the 13.5 yuan, still warm from the heat, was put back into Xu Bei's pocket.

He thought to himself, "This kind of business with no capital is great; it makes money so fast."

From yesterday until now, including what Xu Li hasn't taken, it's already more than 30 yuan.

Keep in mind that at that time, workers' wages were only a few dozen yuan, so they were very content and happy.

Zhao Fengying was also very content.

Therefore, I prepared dinner with even more care than usual.

Surprisingly, she wasn't so frugal as to save some of the two pounds of meat Xu Bei bought and used it all up.

In the large iron pot near the east room, steam was bubbling and simmering pre-soaked green bean strips, potato vermicelli, and meat.

On the opposite side of the stove, a large iron pot was simmering with rice.

The edge of the pot lid bounced slightly under the internal pressure, occasionally letting out a wisp of white steam and the aroma of rice, which mingled with the savory fragrance of the stew, creating the most enticing flavor.

Xu Bei and Xu Juan, who were sitting on small stools next to the stove peeling garlic and scallions, were both tempted and their mouths were twitching. The latter even sniffed from time to time.

Zhao Fengying was stir-frying shredded lean pork in a small iron pot sitting on the stove, planning to later mix it with shredded cabbage hearts and dried tofu to make a cold dish.

Turning her head, she saw her two children looking like this and couldn't help but laugh. "You two little gluttons, when the rice is cooked, I'll scoop out some crispy bits for you to eat."

Xu Bei and Xu Juan had no reason to refuse, and both agreed.

Then, the rice cooked in the large iron pot was ready.

Zhao Fengying scooped out the steaming rice and put it into an enamel basin.

The thin layer of golden, crispy crust that remained right next to the bottom of the iron pot was quickly scooped off with a spatula and shared with the brother and sister.

"Eat it while it's hot, it won't taste as good when it gets cold."

Xu Bei hadn't eaten rice-filled rice cakes in a long time.

Especially the rice cooked in a large iron pot over a wood fire in this era, with its more natural flavor, is particularly delicious when eaten with a satisfying crunch.

Xu Juan noticed that her brother seemed to enjoy the food, but after eating a small piece, he stopped eating.

Xu Bei saw this and asked, "Xiao Juan, why aren't you eating?"

Xu Juan clapped her hands and laughed, "I still need to save room for meat. Dad'll be back soon, right?"

Zhao Fengying glanced at the clock in the east room. "He should be here soon, probably already on his way. By the time he gets home, the food will be almost ready, and then we can set the table for dinner."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of a bicycle entering the yard came from outside.

The three of them looked out the window together.

It turned out that two people pushing bicycles came in, but they weren't Xu Dashan.