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The man's proposal was quite good, saving him a lot of materials, as well as corresponding time and labor.
"This is the price we agreed upon beforehand," Xu Li said, pushing a stack of bright red Rubles towards the man. After taking a look, the man grinned widely and shook hands with Xu Li. "Makarov, you are really straightforward. Do you have any work lined up for next year?"
Next year, we plan to build a Cattle Shed and sheep pens in other areas of the ranch. The man nodded, waiting for Xu Li to finish counting the money. "Sherif, do you have any projects coming up?"
The man shook his head. "Not at the moment; I haven't taken on any big jobs. The others are just renovations and small factory repairs. Do you have any work available?"
"Well, I need to extend the Low Fence on my ranch quite far. If you have any extra hands, could you lend them to me? I can also rent some tools from you. I'll cover the workers' wages and provide an additional fee for equipment wear and tear."
"Sounds good!"
After they shook hands, Xu Li escorted him out of the yard. Once the man drove away, Xu Weihua and Xu Weixia came running over in their little shorts, each hugging one of his legs. Their sun-kissed faces looked up at him eagerly.
"Dad, Nikola and I want to go to town!" Xu Weihua exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah! Mom said next week is our birthday! I want to ride the Ferris wheel! I want hamburgers! I want to buy lots of toys!" Xu Weixia chimed in.
"Can we go after you're done with your work?"
He picked up the two chubby boys and kissed their cheeks. "Dad is really busy right now; how about next month?"
"I don't want to wait!"
"Me neither!"
The two little ones began to fuss. Xu Li couldn't bear to scold his own children and was about to continue persuading them when Andrei returned with a large Axe over his shoulder for dinner. "Your mom and I are here at home; you can take Anna and the others to town for a few days without any problem."
Natasha was putting tools away in the storage shed. After washing her hands and face by the sink, she picked up Xu Weixia and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "You little rascal, always causing trouble."
Meanwhile, Little Guy stuck his tongue out at Grandma and made a funny face before kicking his chubby legs down to the ground. He pulled his big brother back inside to complain to their mother because in their memories, Dad always listened to Mom!
However, this time their plan didn't work out as expected because their mothers had also received some scolding from Grandma. They could only sit quietly on the sofa in an orderly manner—two adults and two children sitting in a row with their heads bowed, afraid to look at Natasha, who stood with her hands on her hips.
Seeing their wet nurse and little brothers being wronged, Xiong Da and Xiong Er wanted to shout out in their defense. But Natasha took off her slippers without hesitation and gave both of them a good smack until they lay on the ground covering their heads in silence.
Andrei and Xu Li chuckled as they went out to the dining table set up in the yard to drink and smoke while discussing their upcoming plans. After all, winter was just around the corner—less than two months away—and they needed to hurry!
Uncle Andrei, Brother Makarov...
Bafra, with her baby face and slightly plump figure, cheerfully walked into the yard and plopped down next to Xu Li without hesitation, grabbing a piece of pepper-salted rib to munch on. "This is delicious! What's going on?"
Andrei took a sip of his drink and looked at Bafra with a cheerful smile. While eating, he said, "After I got discharged from the army, I couldn't find a decent job and have been wandering around aimlessly. I just called my dad to ask for some money, but he scolded me for quite a while. He's in a bad mood right now, so I came here to avoid getting yelled at."
"That kid is bound to get into trouble. He's gotten too wild out there and probably won't come back to live a stable life. Tell Popov not to indulge him; if he runs out of money, he shouldn't just come home asking for more. With just those few cows you have, how long do you think he can last?"
Andrei waved his hand dismissively and then patted the little girl's head. "What about you? What are your plans for the future?"
Bafra tilted her head and thought for a long time before shaking it with a pout, her eyes filled with confusion. "I don't know. Maybe I could go work as a nurse in a big city hospital."
"Why go to some big city? Our village is just fine!"
Xu Li exhaled a puff of smoke. "You should focus on your studies and learn some first aid knowledge along with how to handle common illnesses. After you graduate, you can stay in the village, and I'll help you set up a health station."
"That way, if someone in our village has a headache or fever, they won’t have to drive over an hour to the health station in the neighboring town. What do you think?"
"Will I get paid?"
"Hahaha, little money-grubber! Of course you will! You'll be an employee on my farm."
Xu Li laughed heartily and handed her a large piece of roasted meat. "Try my cooking."
"Thank you, Brother Makarov!" The little girl didn't hold back and happily enjoyed the roasted meat. She accepted the juice Xu Li poured for her and noticed Andrei getting up to head back inside. Immediately, she leaned closer to Xu Li and shyly asked, "Brother Makarov, do you have Aleksey's phone number?"
"Aleksey? Valery's eldest son?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
The little girl shyly nudged him. "I don't want others to hear and laugh at me."
"What do you see in that kid? He’s such a quiet one."
"Don't give him nicknames like that!"
Bafra pouted slightly, feeling embarrassed as she said, "But he's good-looking! He's tall and strong, around my age. I think he's really nice; he works hard and will definitely make a good husband in the future!"
"What you just said won't sit well with your brother."
Xu Li patted his chest, which was getting darker by the day, shaking it playfully from side to side. "You know what? Your Brother Makarov was once the handsome young man of Hongqi Village too; he’s way better than Aleksey!"
"Just stop it already!" The little girl rolled her eyes at him.
She took another bite of roasted meat and added, "Look at your chest and then at that scar on your face—it's hideous!"
"You wound me, little wolf!"
Xu Li laughed heartily as he playfully ruffled her hair. Ignoring his food and drink, he stood up and pulled her outside. "Come on! I'll take you out on a date; Xiao Nianqing needs to be brave!"
"I hate you! I'm not going!"
After breaking free from Xu Li's grasp, the little girl ran back to his house to chat with Anna and Eva, while also teasing her chubby nephews. Xu Li grinned and made his way to Valery's house.
Pushkin was drinking with Valery, while Aleksey and the other younger ones obediently ate their meals. When Natalia saw Xu Li arrive, she quickly stood up to let him sit down and brought him a glass and a plate with cutlery. "Makarov, try my cooking!"
"Alright!"
Xu Li didn't hold back, picking up a fork to stab a piece of roasted chicken leg. He took a bite and chewed while giving her a thumbs up. He then raised the glass filled with wine that Valery had poured for him and toasted with the two older men.
As he continued eating the chicken leg, he stared intently at Aleksey, making him feel uneasy. "I didn't do anything wrong; why are you looking at me like that?"
"Don't you know to call me Uncle?"
Xu Li chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him. "You little rascal, managing to charm Bafra without making a sound!"
Valery, who had just taken a sip of wine, suddenly sprayed it all over the floor as he looked at Xu Li in disbelief, then glanced at his own dazed son. "Oh, my Aleksey is all grown up now?"
"Get out of here with that nonsense!"
Pushkin shot a reproachful glance at his son while Natalia sat beside Xu Li, shaking his impressive arm. "Tell your sister-in-law what’s going on."
"Bafra just came to my house looking for Aleksey's phone number and even praised my nephew for being good-looking!"
Xu Li laughed heartily as he speared another piece of food. "You should be more proactive! Bafra is a great girl—good looks, nice figure, cheerful personality. She’s more than enough for you."
"She's studying at the health school right now. I plan to open a health station in our village after she graduates so that our elderly and children won’t have to go to the next town for treatment when they have minor ailments."
"Winter is coming soon, and there isn’t much work on the ranch. You should rent a place in the city to accompany Bafra while she studies, cook for her, and once she graduates, you two can get married and live happily in the village."
"Stop thinking about unnecessary things! Bafra is such a good girl; don’t let someone else snatch her away from you. By then, you won’t even have a place to cry!"
Pushkin and Valery exchanged glances, thinking Makarov made a good point. That girl had grown up before their eyes; it would indeed be unfair for her to be paired with someone else instead of their Aleksey!
"That’s settled then!"
Valery slapped the table and looked at the dazed Aleksey. "In a few days, I’ll give you some money. You can go with Bafra to Bratsk; it doesn’t matter if you’re home or not."
Aleksey felt somewhat embarrassed. "Isn’t it too early?"
"Too early? You useless little brat!"
Pushkin patted Xu Li’s large arm. "When Makarov was your age, he dared to wrestle with brown bears and already had children! Why aren’t you stepping up? Your grandmother and I want grandchildren too!"
"After dinner, come over to my house; Bafra is there. You two can chat more since you're from the same village. Staying cooped up at home all day isn’t good."
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