Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

In front of the group, apart from Xu Juan's glass which contained orange soda, everyone else's glasses were filled with baijiu (Chinese liquor), only the alcohol content varied.

Then, Zhu Wenliang took the lead in raising his glass to express his sincere gratitude to Xu Bei and Zhao Fengying for their hard work and dedication.

Xu Bei didn't really like these kinds of polite formalities at the dinner table.

But seeing that his mother was smiling happily, he let it go.

After Zhao Fengying picked up a bite of food, the others began to eat.

Xu Bei first picked up a plump dumpling and put it into his bowl.

After taking a bite, you can immediately feel the combination of roe deer meat and pork, with plenty of scallions added, making it exceptionally delicious.

The thin-skinned dumpling with a generous filling not only forms a round, plump meatball, but also has broth flowing down the dumpling skin.

After finishing a fragrant dumpling, Xu Bei took a piece of pork rib that looked delicious.

I've been back from the dead for a few days now. I've eaten pork, but this is the first time I've ever had ribs from this era.

Pigs that have been raised for a long time are indeed different from those that are slaughtered after only a few months.

Not only is the pork firm and flavorful, but the ribs also have plenty of cartilage and the bone marrow is especially fragrant.

My mouth was covered in oil from the food, and then I took a small sip of spicy liquor. The heat instantly spread from my esophagus to my stomach, completely dispelling the chill from my body.

In the depths of winter, with the cold wind howling outside, enjoying a hearty meal in a warm room is truly a wonderful experience.

Soon, Xu Juan, who doesn't drink alcohol, was the first to finish eating and leave the table.

Immediately afterwards, Xu Li and Zhao Fengying also put down their chopsticks and went to the kitchen to clean up, leaving only Xu Bei and Zhu Wenliang to continue sitting on the table.

Zhu Wenliang's face flushes easily when he drinks, but he definitely has a high alcohol tolerance and is considered a heavy drinker.

"Little brother, it's only been a few days, and your brother-in-law has already eaten meat and ribs that you paid for twice. Once the expenses come up in a couple of days, your brother-in-law will definitely treat you to something nice..."

If Xu Bei hadn't considered that his mother and sister were probably whispering to each other and didn't want Zhu Wenliang to hear, he certainly wouldn't have wanted to sit here and listen to the other party's rambling.

So he just mumbled an agreement, "Okay, then I'll wait for you to arrange it, brother-in-law," but he didn't really mean it.

"No problem. Your brother-in-law doesn't like doing chores."

As Zhu Wenliang spoke, he let out a hiccup. "Brother, your sister told me that you're really capable. You ordered fifty of them all at once, making five yuan just like that. That's like several days' wages."

Xu Bei laughed it off, saying, "I was just lucky to run into someone who deals in wooden products. Otherwise, where would I have gotten so many orders?"

Zhu Wenliang suddenly leaned closer and said, "Brother, your brother-in-law has had an idea these past few days, but I don't know if it's feasible."

Xu Bei subconsciously waved his hand to dispel some of the smell of alcohol, then looked intently at the other person and asked, "What are your thoughts? Tell me."

Zhu Wenliang said excitedly, "Your sister and I work in a woodworking factory. It's not like we can't make stools. Why should we sell them for others? Let's just do it ourselves!"

We use the factory's scraps and lumber, so we don't have to spend any money ourselves. At most, we give some to the workshop supervisors and experienced workers. The rest isn't all profit...

Xu Bei almost laughed when he heard this.

A state-owned factory is not a small private workshop, and putting it into practice is not so easy or simple.

What he told Old Scar before was all pure nonsense.

"Brother-in-law, have you ever thought that if someone reports you or catches you, you might lose your job, and they might even convict you of some crime and put you in jail? You'll end up losing more than you gain."

Zhu Wenliang knew that his brother-in-law wasn't exaggerating, but seeing how tempting it was to make money, it was hard not to be tempted.

"If that really doesn't work, we can set one up ourselves... but we can't get those machines, and the paperwork is difficult to get done."

"But do you know that person? How did they do it? It must be the method I mentioned, otherwise how could a carpenter produce so many high-quality products?"

Xu Bei will definitely open a factory in the future and make it bigger and stronger.

However, it cannot be when one is required to be affiliated with another or when one is wearing a hat.

Otherwise, it would be tantamount to putting oneself in a dangerous situation, allowing others to exploit one's weaknesses.

He said in a serious tone, "Brother-in-law, others can do it because they have connections and influence. We have no connections and no money, so we shouldn't even think about it. We should be happy if we can get a little something along the way. We can't be too greedy."

Zhu Wenliang moved his lips, as if he wanted to say something more, when he heard someone coming from the courtyard.

The two could no longer continue their conversation.

Zhao Fengying rushed out to greet them faster than they did.

"Oh, Guodong's here. Come in quickly."

Xu Bei quickly went out to greet them.

Judging from his buddy's excited expression, I could tell that quite a few orders had been placed.

As a result, after entering the outer room, before he could even ask, Song Guodong took the initiative to give the number.

"Da Bei, do you have twenty at home now?"

Xu Bei considered that he could wait and see about his sister and Da Hei's group. "Yes, let you take them away first. Not bad, Guo Dong, so many things at once."

Song Guodong smiled, a little embarrassed but also proud. "The thought of earning a dime for each one I sell gives me a lot of motivation. But these aren't all mine; some were ordered by my mom too... Well, since it's still early, I'd better hurry up and take them away. It's getting late, and some families should be resting."

Xu Bei naturally wouldn't object, "Sure. Let's move them out now."

The two went into the west room, which was lit, one after the other, to get stools.

Zhu Wenliang, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, also came in to help.

Therefore, the twenty stools were quickly secured on the cart that Song Guodong had brought.

After seeing the person off, Zhu Wenliang hurriedly went to the toilet, while Xu Bei and Zhao Fengying went back to their room first.

With only a few family members present, Xu Li no longer hid her emotions.

"How could my dad be like this! Everyone else is fierce inside, but he treats outsiders like hot potatoes, without considering our little family at all. He's not even as good as the people from other families."

He wasn't home. If he were, I would definitely have a go at him!

If things don't go his way, he starts yelling and screaming. He's so old, what's wrong with him?

"Mom, you're still treating me like this because you spoiled me! You can't spoil men, otherwise they'll take advantage of you and become arrogant..."

When Xu Bei saw that his sister had swept up a large group and included him in it, he couldn't help but chuckle.

However, he felt that it didn't matter much whether it was a man or a woman, because that's just human nature.

Intimacy can easily breed contempt.

Relationships between people are also a kind of game.

"Sister, you're right. But we can exclude me for now."

"You're not even married yet, who knows if you'll end up like Dad after you get married?" Xu Li sighed. "I'm just afraid you'll inherit the Xu family's traits. Like your brother-in-law, sometimes he behaves quite well, but other times he's just like the Zhu family, stubborn and unyielding..."

Zhao Fengying glanced at the dark window and hurriedly said, "Alright, Xiaoli, say less. It won't be good if your Wenliang hears us when he comes in."

"Mom's getting old, and you're all grown up. This is pretty much how your life will be. Making sure you live your own life well is more important than anything else."