Returning to '97, creating a new life

"I need to discuss something with you and your second aunt."

"Huh?" Sun Mingyi glanced at his nephew in surprise, and his wife Xu Meilan, who was standing next to him, was also taken aback.

"It's nothing, Second Uncle. You can continue playing. I just wanted to let you know."

Everyone present recognized that the person in question was Xu Meilan.

Although the Sun family was just an ordinary small family in the city, the fact that everyone in the family was a worker meant they were not poor at all. It was just that Sun Xiuyun had some difficulty raising her child alone.

Over the years, relatives have introduced many potential partners to my mother, hoping she would take another step forward. It was my mother's stubborn insistence on providing her children with an environment free from mistreatment that led to their financial difficulties.

Working in a factory isn't easy either. Not everyone in your family is worldly-wise and sophisticated, but they're not that different either; at least they've seen pigs run.

Xu Kai subtly elevated Sun Mingyi's status within the family by first informing his uncle beforehand, even though he had business with his aunt. This small child was enough to make them take notice.

This also piqued their interest in Xu Kai's "affair," causing them to pause their wall-building activity. Sun Mingyi lit a cigarette, smiled, and turned to his nephew: "Xiao Kai, what's up?"

Xu Meilan looked at Xu Kai curiously, waiting for him to continue.

Facing a room full of stares, Xu Kai wasn't intimidated and said frankly, "A while ago, I had someone ambush someone for that matter, and my second uncle and aunt also found someone. Although it was resolved in the end, I thought I should treat Uncle Xu to a meal. So, I came to ask my second uncle and aunt when would be a convenient day?"

In the fight, Xu Kai's hook was perfectly aimed, putting him in an invincible position. However, with such a major incident at home, the relatives, adhering to old-fashioned views, all thought that having connections in high places would make things easier.

Xu Meilan's second aunt's distant cousin was a police officer at that "station." Although he wasn't directly handling the matter and wasn't on duty that day, he was prepared to come and help after a phone call. Yun Sheng used his connections to make arrangements, and Officer Wang Jianshe, who handled the matter at the time, was experienced and handled it properly. Xu Kai also received the best possible value.

Even without the help of this uncle, who is nominally the correct person to address, the person did eventually go to the hospital, so there was a sense of obligation involved.

Normally, this favor should be owed to the second uncle and aunt. Sun Xiuyun is a single mother and Xu Kai is a child. Even if Xu Meilan's family complained that your family could cause trouble, Sun Xiuyun's family later prepared a large feast to smooth things over. The couple never thought that asking for help would require them to repay the favor.

Yesterday, Xu Kai had dinner with Yun Sheng and gave up on the idea of ​​asking him to recommend a suitable candidate, at least until he couldn't manage it himself. It was unnecessary; it would only lower his own standing, and the effect wouldn't necessarily be good.

He had considered the relationship with his second aunt, but he hadn't figured out how to proceed. This morning, while lying at home, he realized that without understanding profit sharing, it would be difficult to have any good opportunities at this stage.

Of course, this profit wasn't because he was reluctant to share it with that Uncle Xu; it was because Xu Kai considered that he didn't have the time or a suitable candidate, so he decided to add a small partner to share the profits.

Sun Mingyi frowned: "You child, why are you thinking so much at such a young age? They're all family."

Xu Meilan chimed in, "That's right, they're real relatives, there's no need for all this complicated stuff."

Xu Kai beamed, "I actually feel a bit embarrassed. Since we're real relatives, there's no question of being impolite for not inviting us in advance. How about tonight..."

It directly avoids the question of whether or not it should be asked, and provides sufficient psychological cues to indicate when or not to ask, so that the question of whether or not to ask is no longer being discussed.

Xu Kai had considered his second aunt's slight materialism and his second uncle's slight vanity.

Asking for favors often involves asking for favors from a lowly person, and with such a convoluted relationship, it's no wonder my second aunt complains when she gets back.

Xu Kai showed great sincerity, which pleased Sun Mingyi and made Xu Meilan feel at ease. With Xu Kai's sincerity and repeated insistence, Xu Meilan went to the alley entrance to make a phone call. Her cousin, Xu Dalong, who was also her great-uncle, happened to be resting at home.

Xu Kai invited everyone to come along, and no one was so oblivious to such an invitation. In the end, a mahjong table was cleared, and his eldest uncle Sun Mingren and third uncle Sun Mingli accompanied them. Sun Xiuyun was a little apprehensive and didn't know how to act as the "host." But when they arrived at the restaurant and saw her son bustling around like a host, she felt a little more at ease, sat down, and ordered her favorite dish, sweet and sour pork.

"Big brother, third brother, older sister."

People who live close by are close relatives, and this is the case with Xu Meilan and Xu Dalong. They visit each other frequently, especially at weddings and funerals, where they treat each other like true relatives. They are also familiar with Sun Mingren and Sun Mingli, and they run into each other once or twice a year at weddings and funerals, where they greet each other warmly.

"Sis, why are you being so polite?" After exchanging pleasantries with Sun Xiuyun, Xu Dalong turned to his sister, "Sis, brother-in-law, why don't you two stop them? We're all close relatives; isn't this just being formal?"

The host was polite and courteous, but the host greeted them warmly with smiles, and the atmosphere immediately became pleasant.

"Uncle Long." Only then did Xu Kai step forward to greet him.

"Hey, you're Xiao Kai? Wow, this big guy must be over ten." Xu Dalong accepted the invitation knowing what was going on, and he was bound to be enthusiastic towards this junior, but he treated Sun Xiuyun as the host.

"He's sixteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning)."

"I know about you, you're amazing. When your little brother gets a bit older, you, as the older brother, should teach him how to play basketball. My aunt and I have such bad genes, we're not likely to produce a high school prodigy..."

"Then Uncle Long, you have to feed my little brother well from a young age. Milk, goat milk, beef, eggs, you have to make sure he has plenty. He's tall, which is a natural advantage in basketball."

Xu Dalong was taken aback by Xu Kai's response, then burst into laughter: "Of course, all my salary goes into feeding this kid."

Xu Kai smiled but didn't reply, secretly pleased that he was short of money.

After sitting for a while, drinking some tea, smoking a cigarette, and chatting while waiting for the food to be served, Xu Dalong realized that the eldest sister of the Sun family (Sun Xiuyun) was just a figurehead, a complete tool. The real host today was this teenage boy, Xu Kai.

My eldest uncle, second uncle, third uncle, and Xu Dalong each smoked a pack of Red Guobin cigarettes. Ten yuan was an excessive amount for the three uncles' daily smoking habits.

Two bottles of locally produced Daqu liquor, not expensive, and nicely packaged, are presentable on this "family banquet" table.

Eight dishes, six meat and two vegetable—a perfectly reasonable standard. But in Xu Dalong's eyes, it brought a new layer of scrutiny to Xu Kai. He recalled the words of Wang Jianshe, a senior colleague at the institute. During a drink and chat, Wang Jianshe had mentioned, "That kid from your relative's family is quite something..."

Xu Dalong didn't take this "unusual" thing seriously. It stemmed from Sun Xiuyun. Everyone in the Sun family's circle of relatives knew her. She was an honest person, the kind of person who wouldn't say a word even if you hit her three times. She was usually invisible and had no presence in any situation.

Given her personality, being a single mother without a husband, and her income, it's understandable that Sun Xiuyun is looked down upon. And what kind of children can she raise?

Upon meeting Xu Kai today, amidst the clinking of glasses at the dinner table, Xu Dalong began to pay attention to him. Although he didn't drink baijiu, he opened a bottle of beer and took the initiative to offer a toast on behalf of his mother as the host. Throughout the meal, he occasionally led the conversation without overstepping his bounds or acting arrogantly, yet he still left a deep impression on everyone. His three uncles were quite surprised by their nephew's performance. If their younger sister had been in charge of organizing this meal, they would have relied entirely on their three older brothers to entertain the guests.

"Uncle Long, leave your pager number."

We ate for two hours, one bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and one bottle of beer each, and then the meal ended.

Xu Kai stepped forward to help Xu Dalong up. The ground was a bit slippery, and he had drunk half a jin of liquor. The latter squinted, gave his pager number, hailed a taxi, and shook hands with Xu Kai before getting in. Everything was understood without words.

Everyone enjoyed the meal, but they all had a lot of questions. Xu Kai didn't explain, but when they got home, Sun Xiuyun asked again: the cigarettes, alcohol, and dishes cost over two hundred yuan. This was far beyond what she could express her gratitude for. In her understanding, she didn't think that the other party had actually helped her with such a small matter, so why should she have to treat him to a meal?

"Mom, I want to start a small business and I need Uncle Long's help. But I can't just hire someone when I need him."

Sun Xiuyun didn't understand and pressed for an explanation. Xu Kai couldn't explain it to his mother. He sighed inwardly, thinking it was because of his age. If he were two or three years older, given his mother's personality, he would have already taken care of the family. But now? He still had to rely on his "achievements". Once his small business was on track, his mother would probably stop treating him like a child in the family.

………………

Two days later, Xu Kai paged Xu Dalong, who called back and they made an appointment to have dinner together two days later when Xu Dalong was off duty.

Eating alone.

Regarding Xu Kai's incident during the fight, where he threw down a lot of cash from his backpack and shouted that the other party was trying to rob him, Xu Dalong hadn't taken it seriously before. However, after dinner on Sunday, he had a detailed chat with his senior colleague Wang Jianshe during a smoke break at work the next day.

"That kid's a sly one. Don't treat him like a child; he's got a sharp mind."

Therefore, when faced with Xu Kai's invitation this time, Xu Dalong showed respect to the other party as an adult. The way he spoke to him was no longer that of an elder to a junior. He did not say "I am the uncle, I am treating you" and gladly accepted the fact that the other party wanted to treat him.

Xu Kai had completed the preliminary preparations over the past few days and checked them one last time before sitting down at the same table with Xu Dalong.

They randomly picked a barbecue restaurant, a small table in a corner. People who know each other would feel more relaxed in such an environment. There was a bottle of baijiu and two glasses. Xu Kai poured himself a glass as well.

"Uncle Long, I'll be frank with someone who understands, whether it's right or wrong. You're my elder, so you won't take offense..."

Xu Dalong tossed him a cigarette, tilted his head, looked at Xu Kai who leaned over to light it for him, and took a drag: "If you keep talking like that, this meal is on me."

I'm the elder, so this meal is on me.

Xu Kai lit a cigarette for himself, sat down, and said with a smile, "Uncle Long, my family is struggling financially. My mom is the only one earning a fixed salary. I'm going to high school soon, and there are more expenses, so I was thinking of earning some extra money. Before, I went to a small commodity wholesale market and bought things like hair clips, hair ties, and nail polish to sell at a stall near the school. But now it's the dead of winter, and it's not suitable to be out there, plus it would interfere with my classes. So I was thinking of finding something more stable..."