Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

After Xu Bei finished speaking, he took the lead and walked ahead carrying the silk bag.

Xu Juan, who was walking behind, was flanked by Zhao Fengying and Xu Li, whose curiosity had been strongly aroused. They each put their arms around her.

"What did you buy, my dear girl?"

"Yeah, little sister, you couldn't possibly not know that, could you?"

Xu Juan always kept her brother's instructions in mind and understood her family's personalities. If they spoke out in the yard, they would inevitably get excited and speak loudly, which would not be good if the neighbors heard them.

"You'll find out when you get inside."

The mother and daughter exchanged a glance and quickened their pace to enter the house.

Xu Bei carried the silk bag directly into the east room and placed it on the ground, then took off his hat, gloves, and coat.

Seeing her mother and the others head straight for the bag, she smiled and exchanged a knowing smile with her sister.

When Zhao Fengying opened it and saw what was inside, she exclaimed, "Son, why did you buy so much meat and ribs! How much did this cost?"

Xu Li was also extremely surprised, and subconsciously swallowed. "Little brother, are you kidding me? You spend money way too much! You men really shouldn't be allowed to buy things..."

As Xu Bei casually hung up his coat, he said with a smile, "I ordered fifty stools today, and I still have some money left over after buying all of them."

Zhao Fengying's eyes widened, thinking she was hallucinating. "What? How many? Fifty?"

Xu Li instinctively clutched her chest, still somewhat incredulous. "My God, bro, is this for real?"

"Of course it's genuine. They even gave me the 5 yuan deposit."

As Xu Bei spoke, he even took out the little change he had left in his pocket to show it to everyone.

Zhao Fengying had a pretty good idea of ​​how much money her son had, so she immediately believed her. "Son, you're so capable! I've been selling for several days, and not counting the dozen or so orders I received today, I've only earned 4.5 yuan!"

Xu Li echoed with mixed feelings, "Mom, I don't even have as much as you. After deducting the 16 I haven't delivered yet, I only earned 4 yuan. Little brother, you really surpassed us without making a sound."

Xu Bei had expected to see his mother and sister so upset.

However, in order to make some of the money legitimate and to pave the way for not returning to work at the company in the future, this arrangement had to be made.

"I was just lucky. I happened to run into a wood products dealer in the city, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to order so many. And good things like this don't happen every day."

Zhao Fengying thought her son made sense. "That's true. If we ordered this many every day, we'd be laughing in our dreams."

Xu Li still looked envious and started asking probing questions, "Brother, where did you find so many people? How are you going to deliver them? It's not close to the city from our forestry bureau."

Xu Bei calmly and confidently delivered the words he had prepared beforehand, "I encountered it at the market. As for delivery, that's not something I, someone who earns commissions, should worry about. Let someone else figure it out."

"Indeed. If it were closer, we would have delivered it, but it's so far, there's no car, and it's the dead of winter, there's nothing anyone can do."

After Zhao Fengying finished speaking, she began to rummage through the meat and ribs in the bag.

Xu Li chimed in, "That's exactly right."

Then, turning her gaze away from her mother's actions, she added, "Are you both hungry? Hurry up and prepare to eat; the food is warming up in the pot."

"I'm not too hungry yet. My brother bought some big meat-filled buns for lunch, they're really filling," Xu Juan said as she walked out. "Sis, I'll help you carry them."

In the east room, only the mother and son remained for a moment.

Xu Bei watched his mother squatting there with a smile, picking at the ribs and meat, and he was in a particularly good mood.

As he placed the kang table, which was standing next to the cabinet, onto the kang, he casually asked, "Mom, what are you making tonight?"

"I made a stew of Chinese cabbage, tofu, and glass noodles with lard, and I also added some dried shrimp. It was so delicious!"

Zhao Fengying paused, then looked up and said, "Son, what I'm saying is, Dahei's family gave us such a big piece of roe deer meat. If he comes to pick up the stool later, let's return the favor by giving him some ribs and a small piece of meat."

Xu Bei naturally had no reason to object, and said with a smile, "Sure, besides the new candied hawthorns we bought yesterday, we really didn't know what else we should let him take with him."

Zhao Fengying nodded in agreement, "That's right. It wouldn't look right if you were selling candied hawthorns."

The food and dishes were served one after another, and the three siblings quickly took off their shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and sat around the table to eat.

Zhao Fengying was also on the kang (a heated brick bed) nearby, doing needlework while listening to the radio broadcast, and chatting occasionally.

Xu Bei ate the still-warm cabbage, vermicelli, tofu, and cornbread, along with his homemade pickled vegetables, and surprisingly, he found them delicious. He didn't find the cornbread harsh on his throat at all.

Xu Li and Xu Juan didn't eat as much as him, so after they finished eating, they went to the side to listen to the radio and chat.

Just as Xu Bei felt he had almost finished eating, he heard a commotion coming from the courtyard.

"Is Big Black here?"

As Zhao Fengying spoke, she, like her two daughters, peered into the courtyard through the undrawn south-facing window.

Xu Bei thought it sounded like there was more than one person.

However, because the lights were on inside, it was not easy to see the situation in the pitch-black yard. Just as I was about to put on my shoes and go down to take a look.

Big Black followed a man who was shorter than him into the house, one after the other.

"Oh my, what brings you two together?"

As Xu Bei spoke, his gaze lingered on the latter, filled with mixed emotions.

After all, he had met Dahei several times since his rebirth, but this was the first time he had met Song Guodong.

Song Guodong and Song Guomei look quite alike. They are about 1.68 meters tall, but not particularly thin.

The last time the two met in their previous life was when the other was undergoing chemotherapy for mid-stage cancer.

People who have already lost height due to old age, and are now suffering from illness that seems to have drained their vitality, are truly heartbreaking to see.

Big Black chuckled and said, "We met at the crossroads near your house. Auntie, have you finished eating?"

"We've finished eating. Have you eaten? Have some more."

Zhao Fengying greeted them warmly, and even pretended to get down to get some more food and drink.

Xu Li and Xu Juan also slid down to the ground to help.

"I've finished eating. I ate at home before coming here."

Dahei and Song Guodong rushed to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to block them.

"Yes, Auntie, please don't be so busy. We really ate at home before coming here. We can't fake it here."

After some polite conversation, Xu Bei quickly led the two to his room to sit down.

As the youngest in the family, Xu Juan also brought freshly brewed tea and clean cups.

Song Guodong laughed and said, "Da Bei, you actually ran into my sister and the others at the movie theater. I'm sorry to have troubled you to spend money."

Xu Bei waved his hand and laughed, "What kind of waste is that? It didn't even cost a few cents. Did your sister tell you when she got home?"

Song Guodong laughed helplessly, "I told her, and then she asked me who was prettier, her or my female classmate. I've only met her once... so I could only say that my own was prettier against my will, and then she got angry with me."

Big Black couldn't help but press, "Just how beautiful is your sister's classmate? So you've all seen her, but I'm the only one who hasn't!"