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墨書 Inktalez
At that time, we were all part of a community, eating and working together, gradually settling down and making this place our home.
Andrei sighed with some nostalgia: "Later, our great Motherland collapsed. Some brothers returned to their hometowns, and those who remained dwindled in number. The younger generation no longer wanted to stay in the village; they yearned for the bustling cities and eventually left one after another."
Fortunately, I still had some connections from before. The boss was assigned to the police station after serving in the army, and the others each found their own way of living. My biggest worry was Old Liu; that rascal went off with a girl to Novosibirsk, and I had no idea how he was faring there.
Xu Li lit a cigarette for him and poured some wine: "Well, everyone who could come from the village has already come yesterday."
"Huh?" He widened his eyes at Andrei. "Is it true that there are now fewer than thirty people left in our village?"
Andrei nodded, then shook his head: "By the end of the year, some might move back to live here. I heard from Youan that his eldest son lost everything in business this year. If he can't pay off his debts, he'll have no choice but to return to farming."
"And Vasily's youngest daughter—her husband drinks and gambles, and he's gotten into trouble. He's racked up a mountain of debt behind her back; if things go south, they might have to sell their house. I guess they'll come back to the village for a while."
Natasha and the others said nothing, simply lowering their heads to eat noodles. Xu Li raised his glass and clinked it with Father-in-law's: "So this ranch now belongs to our village as shared property?"
"Yeah," Andrei exhaled a puff of smoke. "Even though it's shared property, everyone knows how many cows, pigs, and sheep each family has. Our village now has only eleven households left, mostly old couples at home who can't eat much. By the end of the year, we'll sell a batch of cattle and sheep; everyone will share the money. They'll probably give it to their children since living conditions aren't great these days."
Xu Li nodded but didn't speak further. The group continued with their dinner until Xu Li finished and wiped his mouth: "Dad, do you think if I don't report to school when it opens in the second half of the year, someone will check on me? I've already paid my tuition in advance."
Andrei squinted slightly: "Don't worry; Ivan will take care of it later. Remember this, kid: if you have money and connections here, it'll save you a lot of trouble. If someone is being stubborn with you, just go find Lao San; he'll handle it."
"Huh? Isn't Brother Three running a small supermarket?"
Xu Li's surprised expression made Natasha laugh: "You really believe him when he says it's a small supermarket? The most successful person in our family isn't the police chief or Doctor Lao Si; it's Lao San running a mall in Bratsk because his brother-in-law is the deputy mayor there."
"I can't figure out one thing: with Brother Three having that connection, why didn't he find a sister-in-law in Bratsk but chose me instead?"
Natasha said nothing but smiled at him. Andrei took a bite of smoked sausage: "It's because my father spent several years in Huaxia. After he returned home and had me, he often talked about your people from Huaxia."
"You are simple and kind; those were the words my father used most often. Two months ago, Ivan ran into Old Anton at the police station and helped him with some matters. He mentioned you; Natasha and I know Old Anton well since we've lived together for decades."
"He's sharp-eyed and can read people well. After being together for over a year, he had no bad impressions of you. Later on, the boss got in touch with Old Five and had them pull up your health check from last year; we were satisfied with everything about you. So naturally, you appeared in my family."
"Old Anton—thank you! You're quite something!"
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