Reborn in 80: Starting with hunting in the mountains to get rich

Chapter 171 The Social Relationships with the Old Man's Family

Li Changqing, a cousin of Li Ju'an, planned to go south to do business.

He was handsome with delicate features. Like Lu Jinyang, he had a scholarly air about him, but he was also more effeminate than Lu Jinyang, and his way of speaking was quite endearing.

During the meal, the old lady was afraid that the old man's slap would land on her son, Li Changqing, so she kept talking and eating without stopping.

"The village has been divided up, and our few acres of irrigated land are in a very good location. Why don't we hire a master craftsman and his apprentice to build the new house with blue bricks?"

The old lady planned a new house with three rooms. The main materials used were adobe bricks and blue bricks. The area about 1.2 meters below the windowsill was made of blue bricks, while the area above the windowsill was 80% adobe bricks.

She also asked her sister-in-law, Erniang, how she planned to build the new house. As it turned out, Erniang was very frugal and asked someone to buy the timber from the production team's livestock shed at a low price, and built it together with the adobe bricks.

She was delighted to hear her second aunt say that. In the 1980s, almost all houses were made of adobe, and ordinary families lived in adobe houses. Only a very small number of wealthy families with tens of thousands of yuan would use blue bricks in their new houses, and even then, they would use bricks from top to bottom.

The older woman and the second woman naturally knew the advantages of a house built "from one brick to the top." People were truly envious of those who could live in such a house.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The old man called to his wife to open the door.

When the old woman opened the door, she was surprised to find that the person standing at the door was Li Ju'an, with several hunting dogs following at his feet.

Li Ju'an, carrying two bags of fresh meat, looked at them with a smile and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, it's almost the end of the year. Mom asked me to bring some New Year's goods. I'll cook them in a big pot later, whatever I want, to add some oil and flavor."

Red deer have a lot of lean meat; the only fatty part is a thin layer of fat, about the thickness of parchment, on their belly. They don't have as much fat as wild boar, but they do have a fair amount of lean meat.

He tightened the leash and placed it behind him. Several dogs tried to rush in front of him, but they immediately behaved themselves after he glared at them.

The old man was genuinely surprised that Li Ju'an would show up carrying so many bags of meat. The old woman exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, why are you carrying so much stuff?"

Li Ju'an stood at the door, just smiling: "We're all relatives, no need for formalities. These are all from the mountain, we'll keep them for ourselves."

His cheerful attitude made the old lady rub her hands together a little embarrassed: "Your mother and your sister are doing well lately, aren't they?"

"It's all good, everything is fine."

"It's so cold outside, come inside quickly, child."

Li Changqing was taken aback when he saw Li Ju'an carrying so many things, and was startled by this sudden turn of events.

The old man said, "What's wrong, Ju'an? You brought so much meat; we can't possibly finish it all."

Looking at the surprised old man and his surprised cousin, Li Ju'an laughed and said, "When the old man and woman build a new house in the village, we relatives should visit each other more often. We should hurry up and show our appreciation."

Hearing this, the old man felt relieved: "Come in quickly, sit down and have a meal together."

That's how relationships with relatives are; small grudges left unresolved can turn into deep-seated hatred, leading to two families never speaking to each other again. In this life, Li Ju'an stays in the village, protecting his mother and sister, ensuring that his relatives don't seize the family's land.

But he also had to consider his sister Li Xiao, as well as the social interactions with his future wife and children. He couldn't afford to fall out with his relatives; he still had to maintain the proper social ties.

As the year draws to a close, every household in the village hosts a "reunion dinner." It's incredibly lively; almost every family is either eating at the dinner or on their way to one.

So Li Ju'an also brought five or six catties of venison, saying, "Grandpa, Changqing, this venison needs to be cooled in cold water first, and then stewed."

He entered the room, where several dogs were squatting and waiting at the door.

The old man laughed and scolded, "This little rascal is quite sentimental; he still remembers the old man."

He then took out his treasured plum wine, made by soaking green plums in baijiu (Chinese white liquor). It tasted sweet and sour, very refreshing, and didn't burn the throat.

Li Ju'an looked at the items with great interest, picked up his wine glass, and drank the toast.

After a few rounds of drinks, the old man started talking more and more, his words becoming slurred: "It's a favor that you think of me. Now that we live closer, and the new house is built, our two families can visit each other more often. I know I was wrong before. If you want to join the commune, just say so, and I'll pull some strings to get you in, so you can have a stable job."

The old woman and Li Changqing remained silent, exchanging a glance. The old woman secretly glared at Li Changqing, cursing him for being useless. She had found him a job, but he only worked there for a few days and then refused to take it; the old man wanted to give it to Li Ju'an instead.

Seeing that the old man had stopped putting on airs and even swore, Li Ju'an laughed and said, "No need, old man. I'm used to being wild in the mountains. I can't stand working at the commune every day. It's too restrictive."

Li Changqing shut his mouth and ate his meal without uttering a sound. He truly didn't know what to eat, as he kept listening to his parents praising Li Ju'an.

Fueled by alcohol, the old man called out to his wife and laughed loudly, "I'm not afraid Ju'an will laugh at me for telling this story. You used to make me so angry that my liver and stomach would hurt. You never did anything productive, just joked around all day, and you didn't go to school. You really drove me crazy. Your father was bedridden and couldn't get out of bed, so I had to be the bad guy and beat you with a broom. But being the bad guy didn't feel good either."

Li Ju'an nodded with a smile and replied, "My cousin is much more reliable than me."

When the old man heard him mention Li Changqing, he glared at him, his eyes wide like copper bells, and slammed his fist on the table, shouting, "Don't even mention him, he's just like that. This kid even told me he was going south to do business. Can you believe it? He doesn't even want a job. I don't know what possessed him, but he insisted on going south."

Li Ju'an was taken aback. "Going with whom?"

"Zhang Yingnian".

Li Ju'an's heart trembled, and his eyes were filled with complex emotions.

In his previous life, he followed Zhang Yingnian south to do business. The business flourished, and he indulged in a life of extravagance and debauchery, losing himself in human greed and desire. In the end, he treated Zhang Yingnian as a brother, but after the goods were delivered, due to an unequal distribution of profits, Zhang Yingnian betrayed him and reported him. His family business, which he had built up over many years, was confiscated, and he lost everything.

He treats people like brothers, and his brothers use him as a stepping stone.

He immediately frowned and said, "Don't laugh at me, but Zhang Yingnian is unreliable. He's a real jerk. You should know that."

He offered his advice with good intentions, but Li Changqing thought he was just being sarcastic and felt uncomfortable seeing that he had a way to go south, so he retorted with his words.

Li Changqing sneered and spoke bluntly: "Ju'an, you should just go into the mountains and hunt. How much can you accomplish in a year? Let's go south with Zhang Yingnian. Brother Zhang is the one who's going to do big things. When we get the benefits, he can even share some with me. When I return to the village as a millionaire, I'll build a two-story house and all the villagers will take a second look when they pass by."

Li Ju'an sighed inwardly and shook his head.

Kind words won't work; Li Changqing will regret it to the core.