Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Since Xu Bei left, Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan haven't had much free time.

The house has been uninhabited for a while, so there's a lot of work to be done meticulously.

The fact that the stove and furnace were always burning helped to dispel some of the desolate feeling.

While the mother and daughter were tidying up in the kitchen, they heard someone entering the yard.

When Xu Juan saw Xu Li pushing her bicycle into the yard through the small window, and Xu Bei pulling a sled loaded with a lot of things and the secondhand car back, Xu Juan excitedly shouted, "Oh, my brother's back! My sister came too! How did she find out so quickly!"

Zhao Fengying sighed, "Then your brother probably went to her workplace to look for her, otherwise how would he know?"

Then, the two of them put down the rag and the small shovel, and went out of the house one after the other.

When Xu Li saw her mother, tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision. "Mom! Are you alright? Little sister, how are you?"

Seeing her eldest daughter like this, with tears still in her voice, Zhao Fengying felt particularly bad. She forced a smile and said, "Mom is fine."

Xu Juan quickly replied, "Sister, I'm fine too."

But as she finished speaking, she pursed her lips and burst into tears.

Xu Bei didn't want to see his closest relatives, his mother and sisters, cry, so he deliberately spoke up, "Don't rush to cry, hurry up and move your things inside. Also, my sister did something satisfying, but I haven't told you yet."

Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan's attention was indeed diverted. They both rubbed their eyes and asked in unison, "What's so satisfying?" "Sister, what did you do?"

Xu Li immediately stopped crying and laughed, "I slapped Xu Dahong across the face and punched her chest, she screamed in pain!"

Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan had also fought with Xu Dahong before, but they weren't as fierce as Xu Li; they just pulled each other's hair and used the support back and forth.

"Wow, my eldest daughter is amazing!"

"Yeah, sis, you're such a good fighter!"

Influenced by this news that made them feel relieved just by hearing it, the mother and her two children forgot about their sadness and tears. While packing their things, they talked about more of what had happened and the details.

This is exactly what Xu Beile was looking forward to.

Soon, the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room was filled with bedding, pillows, and a curtain to block out the light, adding a touch of life and warmth.

The kitchen has been filled with many pots, pans, and other cooking utensils, as well as a small grease jar.

Zhao Fengying stroked the edge of the small jar, her feelings a mix of emotions, and asked, "You two brought this all along, and your father didn't stop you?"

Xu Bei said matter-of-factly, "Does he even have the nerve to stop us? Given what he's done, we're being generous by not emptying the place!"

Xu Li immediately chimed in, "My brother is right. If we had any shame, we wouldn't stop them. Besides, this lard is pork fat that Wenliang and I bought. Mom, you worked so hard to get it. We didn't take the half-eaten lard left in that canned food jar."

Xu Juan couldn't help but chime in, "That half-eaten lard, if you use it sparingly, it's still quite a lot. My sister and brother are really generous."

Zhao Fengying was amused by the united front of her three children and said with some relief, "I only realized today that each of you is incredibly capable. With you all around, no one can bully me."

Seeing his mother smile, Xu Bei's mood lifted a little. He put down the small axe he was using to chop pine needles and said, "That's for sure. Mom, so don't worry, just stay here for now. After I sell the stools, maybe we'll have a chance to buy a house of our own."

Although Zhao Fengying knew that this prospect was a bit difficult to achieve, she was still very happy. "That's great. It's best to have your own house someday, so you won't be kicked out."

However, even if there are public housing units available for sale now, they cost several hundred yuan. How many stools would you have to sell to earn that commission?

Xu Bei said confidently, "Not only do we have stools, but we also have tables. I plan to develop more customers like that guy I know who deals in wooden products. It's only a matter of time before I earn a few hundred yuan."

The mother and her two daughters all knew that Xu Bei had met someone who dealt in wooden products, and that he would charge at least fifty yuan for a stool. They were filled with envy and anticipation.

"My son is really amazing. He sells one person's worth of goods in several days."

"Yes, my brother is really capable to find someone like that. My mom and I can only rely on introductions from acquaintances."

Xu Li had previously learned from Xu Bei about the carpenter's plan to add tables for sale, and said somewhat nervously, "I just don't know what those tables will look like, or whether they'll sell well."

"Let's all wait patiently. We'll know once it's finished in a few days."

Xu Bei glanced at the panel information that had been brought up again. The reputation value column was already 73500, just over 20,000 short of 100,000.

Once the reputation points are full, the second automated production line will be unlocked, which is no longer a long way off.

At the current sales rate, it should be within a few days.

Then, Zhao Fengying used lard to season the two large iron pots that had already been derusted and cleaned.

Sisters Xu Li and Xu Juan were responsible for helping out.

Xu Bei put his coat, hat, and gloves back on, then rode his bicycle away from his new residence.

Because Dahei and Song Guodong would come to his house almost every day after dinner to deliver money and pick up a stool, he wanted to take advantage of the early hour to inform them about the change of location.

Although there's an old saying that family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, Xu Bei believes that they should be aired when necessary.

Especially since they are two trustworthy friends, it's okay to talk about it.

Xu Bei first rode his bicycle to the grain depot, which was closer to his current residence.

We were told that Big Black had already left work.

He had no choice but to swerve his bicycle and continue straight to the lumberyard to find Song Guodong.

The timber yard of Beishan Forestry Bureau covers a large area.

The red pine logs transported from various forest farms were piled up into many small hills, with some of the thick trunks still bearing fresh saw marks and emitting the fragrance of pine resin.

On the site, some workers wearing bulky cotton coats and dog-skin hats were busy organizing the logs.

They used thick steel cables to lasso the logs, chanting slogans as they hoisted the logs, several meters long, into place amidst the roar of the winch.

On the other side, the loaders carrying the large logs each carried a thick lever on their shoulders, with iron hooks hanging at both ends, which hooked the red pine logs that were half a meter in diameter.

They chanted rhythmically, taking neat, measured steps as they moved forward, stepping over the sloping ramps to load the goods onto the train cars.

Xu Bei knew that once the train was loaded with timber, it would be sent to all parts of the country to support national construction.

He recalled seeing an article that calculated that if the timber contributed by Lindu over the past few decades were loaded onto trains and lined up one after another, it could stretch all the way from here to Sanya. If it were lined up tree by tree, it could travel from the Earth to the Moon and back several times.

pity……

"Da Bei, what brings you here?"

Song Guodong was among the people standing around outside. He recognized the person looking around as his good friend, so he quickly came over.