Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

After chatting for a while, Dahei handed over the money he had collected for the wooden stools to Xu Bei.

Xu Bei paid a commission of 2.6 yuan and made a net profit of more than 23 yuan.

After he helped his childhood friend load the twenty newly ordered wooden stools onto the sled, he saw the person off.

Seeing that his mother had already started stewing cabbage and frozen tofu with a large iron ladle on the stove, he figured they would be able to eat soon, so he didn't rush to get the goods.

Soon, a square kang table was placed on the kang in the east room.

The brother and sister carried bowls, chopsticks, and steaming hot food into the house.

The family of four sat down around the kang table to eat.

As a result, Xu Dashan sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), asking for soy sauce one minute and scallions the next, making Xu Juan, who hadn't taken off her shoes and was on the kang, run to the kitchen two or three times.

It wasn't until Zhao Fengying couldn't help but say a few words to him that he calmed down.

Xu Bei was too lazy to look at his father. He ate a steamed bun with dried food, a bite of cabbage and frozen tofu, and some pickled vegetables, which he enjoyed very much.

Unfortunately, Xu Dashan had his eye on him.

"Your grandma and the others will arrive tomorrow morning. You should get up early and wait for me at the entrance of your workplace. Then we'll go to the city to pick them up together."

Xu Bei really didn't want to pick it up, but he didn't seem to have a suitable reason to refuse.

In particular, only he knew how infuriating the mother and daughter later did.

It gives one the feeling of being the only one sober while everyone else is drunk.

"Okay."

Seeing that his son agreed so readily, Xu Dashan felt a little better and then looked at Zhao Fengying and said.

"The old ladies must be quite dirty after such a long train ride. Why don't you take them to the staff bathhouse for a shower?"

Zhao Fengying was already used to coming here every year. She swallowed the frozen tofu in her mouth and replied, "Okay, we really need to wash up properly after this long journey, otherwise our newly washed bedding will get dirty."

Xu Dashan found these words extremely grating and unpleasant to hear.

Although he knew that his mother and sister in the countryside were not very hygienic and might have lice, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue in order to avoid arguing.

Xu Bei could tell that his father was about to lash out, but he held back.

He thought to himself, wondering how long the other party could tolerate it.

After finishing his meal, Xu Bei pretended to go to pick up the goods by pulling the sled.

As a result, not long after he left, Xu Dashan had a stomachache and went to the toilet. Before he left for work, Xu Li and Zhu Wenliang came to his house together.

Furthermore, the two did not come empty-handed; they brought a large piece of pork fat.

This made Zhao Fengying, who came out to greet her, extremely happy; she was grinning from ear to ear.

But she still said, "You two can come, but why are you being so polite at home? If you do this again, I won't let you come again."

Xu Li smiled and said, "Mom, it's not that we're being polite. My younger brother has bled twice in the past few days, once with pork and once with ribs."

Then we got paid today, and Wenliang said that since we had already made the announcement, we had to make proper arrangements and not slack off.

It just so happened that a relative of Old Li from our workplace sells pork, and they had reserved a lot of pork fat for him, so we shared some. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to get in line and buy any. "Where's my younger brother?"

Xu Juan quickly answered, "Sister, my brother went to get a stool."

"Yes, they just left a little while ago," Zhao Fengying echoed, then asked her son-in-law in a kind and gentle tone, "Wenliang, did you leave any of that pork fat for your family?"

Zhu Wenliang said with a smile, "Don't worry, Mom, both our families will get a share."

Several people were chatting noisily in the courtyard when Xu Dashan came out of the toilet while fastening his belt.

"You two are here."

When Xu Li saw her father, she only called out "Dad" and then fell silent.

Zhu Wenliang said affectionately, "Dad, you haven't gone to work yet."

"Okay, we'll be leaving in a bit." Xu Dashan adopted the air of a strict father. "Your grandma and aunt are arriving tomorrow morning, so come over for lunch."

Xu Li already harbored resentment towards Xu Dashan because of her parents' previous argument, and when she heard that the mother and daughter were coming, she became even more hostile.

It was only after Zhao Fengying tugged at her arm that she stopped speaking rudely.

Zhu Wenliang, however, gave his father-in-law face and said with a pleasant surprise, "Grandma and Aunt are coming? We didn't know before. We'll have to come early after get off work tomorrow at noon. The last time we saw them was when Xiaoli and I got married."

Xu Dashan was very satisfied with his son-in-law's reaction, and a smile appeared on his face. "Yes, it's been more than half a year since you got married. Don't freeze in the yard, come inside and sit down to warm up and have some tea."

Zhu Wenliang smiled and said, "Great, Dad, let's chat a little longer while you're not at work."

The father-in-law and son-in-law entered the house together, chatting and laughing.

Zhao Fengying and Xu Li deliberately slowed down and fell behind.

Xu Juan knew that her mother and sister must have something to say, and that her father and brother-in-law also needed someone to serve them tea, so she quickly walked into the house.

Xu Li frowned and said, "Mom, I came to pick up the stool yesterday, but none of you were home. I only saw the note you left and knew you were going to the movies. Why didn't you mention that Grandma and the others were coming?"

"I forgot, and I was thinking of telling you when we met." Zhao Fengying patted her arm. "Mom said, don't talk back to your dad in front of your Wenliang, or what will people think?"

"Let him think what he wants. This is just my personality, he knows that." Xu Li looked at her mother, exasperated. "Mom, you're not going to let Dad coax you back into the relationship again, are you?"

"It's normal for couples to have some disagreements in their lives, but they shouldn't treat each other like enemies."

To reassure her eldest daughter and calm her down, Zhao Fengying lowered her voice and said, "Besides, your younger brother, your younger sister, and I are going this afternoon..."

Xu Li's smile grew wider and wider. "My little brother is really something! Let's see how they can get away with this now! Mom, you should listen to my little brother more often, you can't go wrong..."

Zhao Fengying nodded in agreement and said, "Your brother has really become quite capable now, and he's got a knack for persuading people. I wonder where he learned that."

Xu Bei estimated that it was about time, and when he pulled the sled back to the vicinity of his home, he could smell the familiar smell of rendered lard in the air even before he entered the yard.

When I looked through the open gate and saw my sister and brother-in-law's bicycle parked in the middle of the yard, I knew without a doubt that it was the pork lard they had bought.

Hearing the commotion, Xu Li and her husband ran out to greet him and quickly confirmed that his guess was correct.

"Brother, we've been waiting for you for ages."

"Yes, Mom is rendering lard in a big pot now, and we'll have some juicy lard to eat in no time."

Xu Bei said with a smile, "Really? Then I'm really in luck. I've been craving this lately."

Upon hearing this, Xu Li and Zhu Wenliang were both very pleased.

The latter, in particular, felt like a perfect gift for my brother-in-law, catering to his preferences.

"Brother, eat more later."

"Of course, brother-in-law."

Xu Bei then inquired about the sales situation, "Sis, how much did you order this time? Are you just keeping it all and not putting it in the house?"

Xu Li smiled and gestured with her two fists, "Exactly twenty. Oh, and I'll give you yesterday's money later."

With money about to flow into his pocket, Xu Bei was naturally overjoyed and praised her generously, "Sister, you're really capable."