Reborn in a small mountain village in 1991

Chapter 125 Taking Mother and Sister on Their First Car Ride

After leaving Cheng Runshu's house, Xu Chunsheng drove along the road, lost in thought.

Currently, the pig farm is operating normally, and the winery is also barely managing to supply supplies through its own small workshop. However, the two most important things are still stuck here.

First, the winery has not yet started construction; second, even if the fruit wine reaches the required quantity, it still needs more than two months of aging.

He knew that these businesses could be established sooner or later by taking advantage of the opportunity to encourage the development of individual businesses, but the obvious procedures and the time required for brewing were all things that could not be rushed. He had a lot of ideas, but he could only wait.

Not long ago, the region abolished grain coupons. Next year, the whole country will abolish grain coupons, and there will be no more unified purchase and sale. Farmers and individual businesses can buy and sell grain coupons freely.

The winery industry will see a boom at that time, which is one of the reasons why Xu Chunsheng is in a hurry to build the winery. If he wants to seize the market, he can't just rely on his own small workshop.

Furthermore, when the Sanjiang Economic Development Zone officially starts attracting investment next spring, Xu Chunsheng, lacking connections, can only choose to temporarily move his village's collective workshop into the Sanjiang Economic Development Zone.

Furthermore, small food/fruit wine factories that settle in the Sanjiang Economic Development Zone are required to have fixed assets of no less than 2 yuan, including funds for equipment, cellars, and factory construction.

However, this only applies to the rules for obtaining state-owned land within the park, not to the city-wide regulations for building factories.

Therefore, a small winery can be built in the village first to accumulate fixed assets, develop sales channels, pay taxes and keep receipts, and prepare all the materials required for entering the Economic Development Zone.

Once the investment promotion begins, Xu Chunsheng will have an existing production and sales base, and as it's a fruit wine processing project supported by government policies, the land acquisition and approval process will be smooth.

many.

The village's small winery can only serve as a temporary measure, with only two or three acres of land approved. It certainly won't be able to develop in the future and ultimately won't be able to support large-scale bottling and long-term operations. Once the new factory in Sanjiang is built, the winery's focus will be shifted there.

As for the village's small winery, it can continue to develop and be left to the eldest sister as a source of security for her after marriage.

In addition, Xu Chunsheng also has some plans regarding the ingredients for fruit wine. If it works out, it will be a contribution to his hometown.

After thinking things through, Xu Chunsheng felt much more at ease.

"I'm back. There's a parent-teacher meeting at Sanwa's school tomorrow at noon. Are you going, Mom and Dad? I'm planning to pick up the money left over from selling the pigs while I'm there."

After returning home, Xu Chunsheng asked his parents, who were sitting under the eaves peeling sweet potatoes, what they were doing.

"I won't go. Let your mom and sister go with you. They can go out and see what's going on."

Mr. Xu carefully washed the sweet potatoes in the basin, speaking without looking up.

Xu's mother looked up at Xu Chunsheng and said, "Tell your sister to go with you." She then nudged her husband lightly with her knee, adding, "Besides, I'm so old, what's the point of all this excitement? And if I go, who's going to cook for you and your younger sister tomorrow?"

Mr. Xu kept his head down and mumbled, "I cooked it myself. Just go when I call you. We didn't have time to go to the second child's parent-teacher conference last semester, but you can go this semester since you have more free time."

Xu Chunsheng left his parents there to discuss things, and went inside to find his bankbook. The 20,000 yuan from selling Ophiopogon japonicus, plus the 10,000 yuan loan, had all been spent on repairing the pig farm and installing electrical wires. Now he only had 13,000 yuan left, plus the money from selling the pigs, leaving him with a little over 20,000 yuan.

A portion of this money should be set aside for emergencies and to buy grain, while the rest should be used to purchase professional brewing equipment, as money is needed for everything.

Xu Chunsheng closed the folded book, stuffed it into the corner of the wardrobe, and sighed, "Why does it seem like even someone with ten thousand yuan is poor?"

The next morning, Xu Chunsheng, his mother, and his eldest sister got up early to prepare to take a car to the county town for Xu's third brother's parent-teacher conference.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Xu Yaomei earnestly instructed them, "Mom, older sister, older brother, you must bring Third Brother back."

The eldest sister looked away guiltily, not looking at Xu Yaomei. Xu's mother felt a little sad and was about to say that she wouldn't go.

Xu Chunsheng interrupted him, "Yes! We'll definitely bring him back and not let him stay at the school."

The reason was that last night, Xu Yaomei heard that the three of them were going to the county town for her third brother's parent-teacher conference, so she wanted to go with them.

At first, her older sister patiently explained to her, "If you don't go to school tomorrow, you won't be able to keep up with your classmates, and that will definitely damage your image as a good student."

Xu Yaomei heard this, but she was unwilling and still insisted on going.

Xu Chunsheng told a lie: "We're not going out to play. Your third brother has a parent-teacher conference tomorrow. If we don't go, the school will detain him and you won't see him again."

After such a nonsensical scare, Xu Yaomei sniffled and cried, begging them to bring Xu Sandi back.

That's why the eldest sister looked guilty.

Mr. Xu held his daughter in his arms and watched the three of them leave in the car. Since the weather turned cold, a tarpaulin had been put over the outside of the truck bed. Although it didn't keep them very warm, it did block the cold wind and prevent them from getting stiff from sitting inside.

Only after the car left the courtyard, turned onto the main road, and disappeared from sight did Mr. Xu hug his youngest daughter and gently pat her back: "Little sister, let's go back. Dad will fry you some eggs. They'll be back this afternoon."

"Then Third Brother will come back too, right?"

"Yes, I will come back."

Xu Chunsheng still took the earliest bus, but unlike before, this time his older sister accompanied their mother, and he was no longer alone, staring blankly out the window, lost in thought.

Xu's mother and Xu Chunhua have lived on that hillside for so many years, and they have never ridden in a bus like this in their lives.

Xu Chunsheng bought three tickets to the county town from the ticket seller: "To the county town, for three people."

The ticket seller handed them the tickets, and the two hurriedly followed Xu Chunsheng onto the bus. Xu Chunsheng arranged for them to sit together, while he sat in the seat behind them.

The car door slammed shut, and the car started moving, wobbling slightly.

Xu's mother gripped her eldest sister's hand tightly, leaned back in her seat, and touched the car body with her other hand, her eyes slightly turning as she surveyed everything inside the vehicle.

She had seen this kind of vehicle many times in town, but had never gotten on it before. The windows, handrails, and seats inside all seemed new to her.

The older sister, however, never suppressed her curiosity. Her eyes quickly scanned the inside of the car, and she couldn't help but look out the window.

As the car moved, the trees, bamboo, fields, and houses along the roadside gradually receded into the distance.

She instinctively squeezed her mother's hand back, and pointed out the window with her other finger: "Mom, look, it's similar to what we saw when we were in the tricycle, but it's warmer than the tricycle."

Following the direction her daughter was pointing, Xu's mother looked out, her earlier awkwardness disappearing. She patted her daughter's hand and said, "It's the same. I imagine those cars feel about the same to ride in."

As soon as they finished speaking, the car wheel rolled over a pothole and lurched forward, causing the two of them to fall forward. Startled, they immediately braced themselves against the seats in front of them.

"Hahaha."

Both of them laughed, and Xu's mother said to her daughter, "The road is still just as bad, so sit tight and hold on firmly to the handrail."

After saying that, she turned to Xu Chunsheng and said, "When we get to the county town, walk slowly. The place is too big. If you get separated, it will be..."

It's not good for us to get together.

After the initial excitement wore off during the three-hour drive, the eldest sister couldn't stop feeling carsick and had to squint her eyes to avoid looking outside. Gradually, she leaned on her mother's shoulder and fell asleep.

Xu's mother would glance out the window every now and then, and then gently stroke her daughter's head to make her more comfortable while sleeping.

"Master, stop! There's a dam below the bridge."

After calling out, Xu Chunsheng reached out and patted his sister's shoulder: "Sis, wake up, we're almost there."

A moment later, the ticket seller's voice came from ahead: "We're almost at the bridge. Those who want to get off, please come out first."

The three squeezed through the aisle to the car door and got off one by one after the car came to a complete stop.

When the eldest sister got out of the car, her face was a little pale. She opened her water bottle and took a big gulp of water to suppress her discomfort. She urged, "Where is Sanwa's school? Let's go quickly. Didn't they say the parent-teacher meeting starts after school in the morning? School should be over by now."

Xu Chunsheng bought a few "sour juicy candies" and a box of sponge cakes from a roadside shop, and casually asked about the time: "Boss, how much time has it been?"

As a "stop" where people frequently take the bus, the owner often places several benches outside his shop for people to rest.

He handed the candy to his sister sitting on the bench: "How are you feeling? Have something sour to calm your nerves. It's still early, only a little past 10 o'clock, you can rest here for a while."

After saying that, Xu Chunsheng added, "I'll go over there and buy two more fruits to take to school."

Xu Chunsheng didn't explicitly say who the fruit was for, but his family knew perfectly well that it was for Teacher Li.

Teacher Li used to take extra care of her own children, so whenever Xu San Di came home, his family would occasionally ask him to bring some of their own fruit or other things for Teacher Li. They were all their own things, so they wouldn't burden Teacher Li.

After Xu Chunsheng returned with his purchases, he overheard his mother chatting with the shopkeeper: "My third child is also a testament to his own hard work. He got first place in the town's exam and was specially recruited to study here. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the chance to come to the county town."

"Haha, that must be because your eldest sister taught them well. Just looking at your two children, they don't look like children from the mountains at all."

Since the family's financial situation improved, Xu Changshang would buy new clothes for his family every few days. The old clothes that he couldn't bear to throw away, full of patches, were either used by Xu Chunsheng to make dog kennels or recycled into mops for the pig farm.

It is said that clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse. The boss saw that none of the three men's clothes and shoes had been mended or even frayed, and their casual movements showed no concern for getting their clothes dirty.

I knew they weren't ordinary people. Even if they came from the mountains, their family must be quite well-off.

After resting for a while, the eldest sister had recovered, and the three of them said goodbye to the boss and headed towards the school with their things.

The No. 1 Middle School of the County.

The eldest sister linked arms with her mother, and the two of them stared at the words "Jiangju No. 1 Middle School" for a long time, just like when Xu Chunsheng first stood at the school gate.

The sign above the gate reads "Jiangxian No.1 Middle School" in six large characters, neat and eye-catching.

"Even the entrance is so big, hundreds of times more impressive than our village primary school. The village school doesn't even have a decent nameplate."

"

By this time, people had started entering the school one after another, and the three people who had been standing at the gate were being secretly observed.

They didn't know that this was the first time Xu's mother and eldest sister had "seen the world," and they just thought they were visiting. No one looked down on them because of what they said.

Xu Chunsheng said calmly, "There will be more in the future, and it will definitely get better and better. Let's go in first. Before it's time, I'll show you around the school."

Xu Chunsheng, along with his mother and sister, explained their purpose to the gatekeeper. Today was the day for the second-year junior high school students to have their parent-teacher meeting, and there were many people coming and going. The gatekeeper asked a few simple questions, took out the class roster, had Xu Chunsheng and his sister sign it, and then let them in.

"This is the building where Sanwa goes to school; his classroom is over there."

Xu Chunsheng led his group to the teaching building first. The three of them stood at the foot of the building, and he pointed to a classroom on the second floor, introducing it to them.

There were already quite a few parents standing in the upstairs corridor, and the noise filled the entire teaching building, affecting the children's learning in the classroom. Sitting in the classroom, they couldn't help but turn their heads to look out the window.

The older sister looked up at the somewhat dilapidated school building, her eyes unfocused. She longed to see the actual classrooms: "Aren't we going up now? There are already quite a few people up there."

Xu Chunsheng shook his head: "It's not time for get out of class to end yet. Someone will definitely come to kick us out later."

Sure enough, as soon as Xu Chunsheng finished speaking, a teacher led the group to each classroom, one by one, saying, "Those attending the parent-teacher meeting, please wait outside the school building. How can the children inside concentrate on their lessons when you're talking so loudly?"

Before anyone arrived, Xu Chunsheng took the two of them to wander around elsewhere.

The playground was right next to the teaching building. The two looked at the flat cement playground with curiosity: "This playground is so big, even bigger than the one in front of the brigade. It can probably dry several thousand kilograms of corn at once."

"Pshaw, drying corn."

A sneer came from behind the three. The man, dressed in a respectable jacket, spoke with a slightly disdainful tone: "This is a place where students train. You don't even know which country they're from?"

Xu's mother moved her lips slightly, as if to offer a few words of explanation, but she didn't know where to begin.

The older sister glared angrily at the newcomer: "You think you know everything? You don't eat, do you? People don't live on food or dirt, you'll starve to death!"

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The man stepped forward and said, "You're quite the talker. You're just a country bumpkin. When you see a nice place, all you talk about is drying corn. You can only come and take a look."

Xu Chunsheng stepped forward and shielded his mother and sister behind him, staring coldly at the man.

Before he could even speak, a woman walked over and tugged at his sleeve: "Come on, why are you telling them all this? We're going to give a speech later. Our son got second place in the whole grade, which makes us very proud."