Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

"Didn't you go to the Liu family to deliver dried salted fish? Where did you pick up these three stones from?"

"Hey~ don't put everything on top of the closet, why do you bring all sorts of things into the house?"

Zhou Yuqin was furious; the top of the wardrobe was covered with things that Li Xiangdong had put there.

She told Li Xiangdong to drink the dirty-looking bottle of wine as soon as possible, but Li Xiangdong not only refused to drink it, but also insisted on keeping it for decades so he could sell it to buy a house for his grandson.

She was completely stunned when she heard that...

Later, Li Xiangdong brought back three plates and two bottles, claiming they were antiques. He put them on top of the wardrobe and forbade anyone to touch or use them, and they had accumulated a layer of dust over time.

However, these things still had some use value, so she tolerated them. But what use were three broken stones?

"Why are you collecting stones at home? Are you saving them up to build a house?"

"Ok?"

Li Xiangdong tiptoed to place the three pieces of jade scraps, then turned to look at the fuming Zhou Yuqin, and really wanted to give her a thumbs up!

He built a house out of jade scraps. His wife is quite something; she's a role model for women in the new era under the reform and opening-up policy. She's even more daring than him!

"Why are you staring at me? Tell me honestly, why are you picking up stones at home?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down."

Li Xiangdong gestured for silence, nudged Zhou Yuqin to sit on the kang (heated brick bed), and then mysteriously walked to the doorway, lifted the curtain, and peeked into the courtyard.

“Those three stones are not ordinary stones; they are scraps of jadeite that I picked up from the waste pit of a jade factory in Beijing.”

Li Xiangdong, who had already sat down next to Zhou Yuqin, was interrupted by Zhou Yuqin before he could finish speaking.

Why did you pick this up?

"Don't interrupt, listen to me."

Seeing her husband's serious expression, Zhou Yuqin's curiosity was piqued.

"Okay, okay, hurry up and tell me."

"Ahem~ There's a reason I picked up these three stones. On my way back from the Liu family, I stopped by a wise man to ask him to enlighten me."

"With the guidance of an expert, I made a special trip to the jade factory in Beijing and picked out these three stones from the waste pit."

Li Xiangdong felt that if he didn't get a proper explanation for the three pieces of jade scraps he brought back, Zhou Yuqin might really throw them away.

He intended to keep these things as a secret stash, so he didn't plan to tell Zhou Yuqin the truth.

Besides, even if Zhou Yuqin told the truth, she wouldn't believe it!

This is waste material that even a state-owned, top-tier jade factory in China wouldn't want, and it's thrown away like garbage.

He said it would be valuable decades later, and Zhou Yuqin would definitely think he was crazy after hearing that!

"A master? You secretly went to have your fortune told? What did they say? And how did it get involved with stones?"

When Zhou Yuqin heard that the stone was picked up under the guidance of an expert, she stopped talking about it as a worthless stone and started asking questions one after another.

Seeing that she had taken the bait, Li Xiangdong suppressed a laugh and continued to ramble on.

"It's nothing, just asking an expert to take a look at the feng shui of our house. The reason it's related to stones is because stones symbolize good fortune and stability, and have the effect of warding off evil spirits."

"Bringing stones into the home brings good fortune. Also, even waste materials from jade factories, no matter how wasteful, are still jade. Jade is a good thing; placing it in the house can attract good fortune and bring blessings to the home."

"The expert also said that if we have a lot of space at home, we can use these scraps to build a flower bed in the yard. This will bring us even more good fortune. Do you understand now?"

"Ah."

As Zhou Yuqin listened, she nodded, and then asked, "Forget about the flower bed, we don't have room for it. But those three stones, you can put them anywhere in the house. Why are you putting them on top of the wardrobe?"

Li Xiangdong, who had just given Zhou Yuqin a heads-up, slapped his thigh in feigned anger.

"Don't say things carelessly. There are specific rules for everything, like the location and height. These were all specially instructed by an expert. The only place in our room that meets the requirements is the top of the wardrobe. If I don't put it there, where else can I put it?"

Zhou Yuqin was clearly fooled. She grew up in the countryside and although feudal superstitions had been eradicated since the founding of the People's Republic of China, many people still believed in them.

"Where does the master live? Tell me the address, and I'll take Mom there again to have her fortune told for the children in the family."

"Uh~"

After brainstorming, Li Xiangdong waved his hand and said, "A fortune teller charges five yuan a day. Are you willing to pay that?"

"How much?!"

Zhou Yuqin lost her temper and gave Li Xiangdong a good beating.

Although the punch hurt a little when it landed on him, Li Xiangdong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that Zhou Yuqin, being a money-grubber, would lose all interest in finding that non-existent fortune teller after hearing about the five yuan.

"What kind of expert can tell fortunes for five yuan? Have you been scammed?"

Zhou Yuqin released her grip on Li Xiangdong's arm. "By the way, you just said you were looking at the feng shui of the house. Who doesn't come to the door to have their feng shui checked? You idiot! You've definitely been scammed!"

Zhou Yuqin felt increasingly uneasy, so she pulled Li Xiangdong and walked outside.

"What are you doing?"

"Let's go get the money back! It wasn't five cents, it was five dollars!"

"Stop joking, they didn't lie to me."

Li Xiangdong calmed Zhou Yuqin down until she calmed down.

“I already said he’s a master, so he must be capable. I just drew a rough map of our house on paper and explained the location of the house, and the master understood it at a glance.”

“I know I spent a lot of money this time. Don’t worry, I won’t go there again. You can’t go and cause trouble. If word gets out, the police will definitely come after me.”

"You~you~you!"

Zhou Yuqin clenched her fist and punched Li Xiangdong hard before turning around and walking out of the house.

"Whoo~"

Li Xiangdong let out a long sigh, feeling very tired.

He picked up his teacup, poured himself a cup of water, sat down at the table to moisten his throat, and thought back to whether there were any loopholes in what he had just said.

"Dad~"

Li Xiaozhu, who was playing in the yard, walked towards Li Xiangdong after entering the house.

"Tell a story~ Fight the Japanese devils~"

Li Xiangdong picked up Li Xiaozhu and kissed her on the cheek. "Want to hear the story of fighting the Japanese devils?"

"Mmmmm~"

Li Xiaozhu nodded, and Li Xiangdong said happily, "Your grandma is the best at telling these kinds of stories. If you want to hear one, ask your grandma to tell you."

"I won't go~ Grandma will hit me~"

Li Xiaozhu still remembers being beaten up last night, and hasn't been to the main room since she woke up this morning.

"Okay, Dad will tell you."

Li Xiangdong talked for a whole day, and it wasn't until after 3 p.m. that he was finally relieved after his third visit.

"Hou San, what brings you here?"

"I'll bring you something fun."

Hou San chuckled and pulled a tiny cat from his coat pocket...

P.S.: Here's the third update! Please urge me to update more and support me with your love!