Chapter 1749 1751 [Hard Times]
“Master Ning, if you think two thousand yuan is too small, we can discuss it again.” Ma Saner said quickly.
“Get lost! If you keep nagging, I will destroy you.” Xiang Nan said coldly.
?When Ma San''er saw this, he didn''t dare to pester him any more, so he quickly stood up and left.
“Come back!” Xiang Nan shouted again, “Take your beef away, don’t stink up my house.”
?Ma Saner quickly wrapped the beef and walked out with a frown on his face.
Xiang Nan closed the door and continued to eat his wild vegetable porridge.
?Although he is poor and in great need of money, he is unwilling to make money. Otherwise, he would become a pickpocket himself. With his skills, he could steal one or two thousand a day.
…
?The fact that Ma Saner was sternly rejected by Xiang Nan and kicked out of the house soon spread in the public.
??Although those stubborn people don''t understand Xiang Nan''s approach, he is obviously so poor that he drinks wild vegetable porridge, why are he so pretentious? But that doesn''t stop them from respecting Xiang Nan.
?Those who are stubborn also know that they are guilty of wrongdoing. Fighting and teasing girls are not things that good people do. Therefore, Xiang Nan''s ability to keep his integrity is very rare in their opinion.
“This Ning Wei is really a character!”
“He’s not old, he’s ambitious, he’s a good man.”
“This guy named Ning is quite a character. Okay, let’s not attack Fuxing Road from now on.”
?The brothers on the road spread the word of mouth and admired Xiang Nan a little.
…
Another month later, Xiang Nan came back from the post office.
He now sends a sum of money to his brother every month, including food stamps and ten yuan.
Because Ning Yong wrote that it was really hard in northern Shaanxi.
They were a group of ten educated youths who were assigned to Shichuan Village in Jingbian, next to the Mu Us Desert. There are flying sand and rocks every day, blocking out the sky and the sun, and there are only a few sunny days throughout the year.
Because of the lack of water resources and barren land, food production is extremely low. In addition, the climate in northern Shaanxi is cold, and crops only ripen once a year. This is different from two crops a year in North China and three crops a year in South China. Therefore, it has become a routine for people in the village to go out to beg for food every year.
The rations they, the educated youths, received after being distributed were only sixty kilograms per person. There are still six months to the autumn harvest, nearly 180 days.
?With such a small amount of food for such a long time, even if you save on eating, you won''t be able to survive. What''s more, they are farming, which requires high-intensity labor. They need to eat more to replenish their physical strength, otherwise they will be starved to death.
Therefore, they have only been there for a month, and each person has been allocated sixty kilograms of food, but they are already almost exhausted. Fortunately, Xiang Nansai gave him money, food stamps, and some relief when he arrived, otherwise he would have starved.
?However, although life was hard, Ning Yong and others also learned to enjoy the hardship.
?For example, Zhong Yuemin learned to sing Xintianyou from an old man in northern Shaanxi, Zheng Tong picked up a book that had been abandoned for several years, Ning Yong started an affair with a female educated youth, and so on. It can be regarded as adding a little embellishment to the monotonous, boring and boring life.
?In the letter, Ning Yong also told Xiang Nan not to fight or be a stubborn leader, but to learn more knowledge and culture.
He was fooling around before, thinking he was more powerful. Only after I went to the countryside did I realize that it was all bullshit. No matter how famous you are in Sijiucheng, no matter how powerful you are, you can''t exchange it for a steamed bun in northern Shaanxi.
?Although Ning Yong didn''t mention sending money in his letter, Xiang Nan could still see his eldest brother''s dilemma. If he didn''t send any money, he would really beg for food. As for the ten yuan and twenty kilograms of food stamps, not to mention that it would solve his food crisis, it would at least allow him to survive for a few days without getting into trouble due to hunger.
As for Xiang Nan, the remaining money is barely enough to spend.
After all, he is still a child and his appetite is limited. Moreover, he can also fish and hunt birds, so he cannot stay hungry.
?For example, he just used pebbles to kill five sparrows. He is very accurate with his hidden weapons. He can hit wherever he points within ten steps. He is even more powerful than a sharpshooter.???…
I was walking home when I met Director Wang.
“Director Wang, hello~” Xiang Nan took the initiative to say hello.
??His parents are now being quarantined and under investigation, and the supervisor is Director Wang. Xiang Nan naturally didn''t dare to neglect.
?Although Director Wang was teased by Zhong Yuemin, Yuan Jun, and Zheng Tong in turns in the play, he actually has a good nature and is not the kind of person who bullies others and specializes in teasing them.
It’s just that his views are a bit extreme. He really thinks that those who were quarantined for review are at fault, so he is stricter with them.
But Director Wang’s attitude towards Xiang Nan’s [children who can be educated] is quite good.
"Xiao Ningwei, we are hunting birds again. You must know that sparrows are beneficial and eat insects." Director Wang saw him carrying a bunch of sparrows and said seriously.
"Yes, I listen to you and won''t fight again." Xiang Nan nodded.
"Well, that''s right." Director Wang nodded, "We have to listen to the chairman. If he says he won''t allow sparrows to be shot, we won''t shoot sparrows."
“Yes, always remember what the chairman said, I’ve written it down.” Xiang Nan nodded.
“Well, by the way, your parents have been reviewed and found not guilty and have just been released home.” Director Wang added.
"Ah?! Why didn''t you tell me earlier?" Xiang Nan was speechless.
If you don’t talk about such a big thing first, why bother talking about hunting birds? There is nothing serious left.
??There was no time to complain about Director Wang, so Xiang Nan ran back.
…
“Dad, Mom…” Xiang Nan shouted happily when he saw his parents after returning home.
Ning Weiguo and Qi Aihong have aged a lot after not seeing each other for more than a year.
Ning Weiguo is only forty years old. Logically speaking, he is in the prime of life, but his hair is half a hundred years old. The whole person looks like someone who would believe that he is in his fifties or sixties.
Qi Aihong could also tell that she was getting older. There were crow''s feet at the corners of her eyes, she was very thin, and her face was droopy. He looked listless.
"Mom, Dad, I miss you so much." Xiang Nan rushed forward and said.
Ning Weiguo and Qi Aihong were also very happy to see their son. The couple hugged the child and cried loudly.
We haven’t seen each other for more than a year, and we were almost separated by life and death forever. Looking back now, it feels like a nightmare.
"Mom and dad, stop crying. You are all hungry. I will cook for you." Xiang Nan then advised.
“You can cook now?” Qi Aihong asked in surprise.
"Of course, these days, I cook by myself." Xiang Nan smiled, and then lit the stove to cook. The only rice at home was steamed, then the pickled fish was stewed, and the sparrows were also grilled.
Ning Weiguo and Qi Aihong were a little shocked when they saw their son doing these tasks with such deft hands and feet.
They are both battalion-level cadres. Their combined monthly salary is as much as two hundred yuan, which is certainly enough. Therefore, the two brothers Ning Yong and Ning Wei have never suffered much since they were young, so naturally they cannot cook.
Unexpectedly, the two of them were somewhat pleased that their son had become so capable after just over a year in prison.
(End of this chapter)