Chapter 59 How about you become my grandson-in-law

"Of course I like Ningning, but it's not certain she feels the same way about me," Zhang Tiejun said with a touch of self-deprecation.

"You don't need to worry about that. Ningning was raised by my own hands, and I know her mind. I'll talk to her when the time is right... I'm about to go up a generation in the family tree, and thinking about it this way, time really does fly," Zhao Youde said, stuffing a small piece of corn bread into his mouth, his bearded, aged face suddenly glowing with a rare vitality.

"Grandpa, I'm coming over to clear away the leftovers. Little Dunzi hasn't eaten yet."

As the two men were talking, Zhao Ningning walked over with a deeply blushing face, her flushed cheeks looking just like freshly picked red apples in an orchard.

Clearly, Zhao Ningning had overheard every word of the conversation between Zhang Tiejun and Zhao Youde.

"My dear granddaughter, I was just chatting with Tiejun for a bit, and there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Zhao Youde chuckled.

Although Zhao Ningning felt a secret yearning and had reached the age for marriage, such a blatant topic was still difficult for her to broach. She replied with a coy huff, "Grandpa, is your leg better already? You're getting up there in years, yet your mouth still has no filter."

"My granddaughter is all grown up!" Zhao Youde laughed heartily.

"I'm not talking to you anymore. I need to hurry and pack these up to feed Little Dunzi." Zhao Ningning snatched up the plates from the table and turned on her heel to leave. Before departing, she didn't forget to cast a sidelong glance at Zhao Youde, while her eyes lingered on Zhang Tiejun with a gaze as alluring as silken threads.

"Look at that, just look at that. There's the gap between us. Ningning, this is your fault now. I'm your grandfather, at least, and you have to disrespect me like this? The least you could do is leave me a bite," Zhao Youde pleaded.

"The doctor said you shouldn't eat triggering foods lately. Mutton gives you acid reflux, so you'd better eat less of it," Zhao Ningning said, pulling two cans out from her tunic.

Zhang Tiejun recognized them at a glance as canned goods left over from the Liberation War era.

Back then, the Kuomintang reactionaries, supported by the Americans, had been trapped in several major cities, unable to step outside day after day. As time dragged on, many began to harbor thoughts of rebellion.

Adhering to the principle of "front-line troops in a tight spot, rear-line troops eating tight," many high-ranking officers at the time began trafficking massive quantities of military supplies. This decadent and corrupt atmosphere of hedonism quickly trickled down to mid-level officers and frontline soldiers. Although these lower- and middle-ranking officers and soldiers lacked major authority, they were forced out of self-preservation to start trading their rations.

It truly mirrored the ancient poem: The swallows that once flew in the halls of the Wang and Xie families now fly into the homes of ordinary people.

Those well-preserved American canned goods quickly swept through ordinary households in the Guandong Mountains. While they weren't worth much back then, amidst the current poverty, such US-made canned goods had become hard currency.

Especially the canned fruits that kept well, which served as an exceptional source of vitamins for many people.

Compared to canned fruit for vitamins, these rather plain-looking canned baked beans provided a massive amount of protein.

"Canned baked beans are hard currency. Where did you get these?" Zhang Tiejun asked.

"The commune gave them to me in exchange for tanning a few large drum skins."

On the mention of this topic, Zhao Youde quickly opened up. "I won't brag about other things, but when it comes to the craft of tanning fur, within a radius of three hundred kilometers, if this old man claims to be second, absolutely no one dares to claim first. Take that wolf skin you got last time, for instance. Though it was stripped out fairly neatly, it was still just a raw pelt. If I were to process it just a little bit, its market value would double."

"It looks like I should have kowtowed to become your apprentice on the spot back then," Zhang Tiejun said, popping a small piece of mutton into his mouth.

"That wouldn't have happened anyway," Zhao Youde consoled. "Do you think just because you saved my life once, I would teach you?"

"Listen to yourself. Is an old man's life worth less than a piece of fur?" Zhang Tiejun retorted.

"You lad have good marksmanship, a good character, a nimble brain, and plenty of guts. Being an ordinary hunter is already more than enough for you," Zhao Youde praised before shifting his tone. "Having said that, if a hunter only knows the basic work of hunting for his entire life, he is destined to remain an ordinary hunter forever without much prospects. You must take the initiative and strive upwards."

"What do you mean by that, Elder?" Zhang Tiejun instantly grew interested.

Seeing Zhao Youde sitting upright before him, eyes closed and as steady as Mount Tai, Zhang Tiejun immediately caught on. Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled back his chair, dropped to his knees on the floor, and began performing the traditional kowtow ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows.

"Hahaha, you really catch on fast, kid."

After watching Zhang Tiejun complete the solemn ritual, Zhao Youde immediately reached down to help him up. "That's right, you lad are now a qualified hunter. But if you want to advance further and scale new heights, you must learn how to tan leather. Yet tanning leather is an old hunter's closely guarded trade secret; it isn't something that can be casually passed on to just anyone. Forget about saving my life once—even if you saved my life ten times, without kowtowing to become my apprentice, you wouldn't get a single half-word out of my mouth. If this were recorded in ancient history books, you would be my closing disciple!"

Hearing Zhao Youde's so heartfelt words, Zhang Tiejun was exceedingly pleased. "Then with Master present, please accept this disciple's bow!"

"All right, stop being such a slick-talker. If you call me Master, I truly won't accept it. But if you call me Grandpa, I'd take it quite comfortably."

Now that Zhao Youde had spoken to this extent, Zhang Tiejun naturally understood what he meant. This wasn't taking on an apprentice at all; it was clearly treating him as his future granddaughter's husband!

"Grandpa, I..."

Before Zhang Tiejun could explain, Zhao Youde hastily waved his hand. "Enough, enough. Us old folks don't meddle too much in the affairs of you young people, lest you say I've got too much time on my hands. But you lad need to remember one thing: I'm entrusting my granddaughter to you. Treat her well. If she's unhappy, even if I die and turn into a vengeful spirit, I'll come looking for you."

"I know. It's the New Year, aren't you afraid of scaring me with talk like that?" Zhang Tiejun said, scratching his head.

"You're acting naive again. With guts as big as yours, would you be scared of something like that?" Zhao Youde continued. "Once spring arrives, head up into the mountains and get some pelts. I've seen the hides you've prepared; honestly, in my eyes, they barely scrape past as passing grade. All right, don't stay here keeping me company anymore. Go see Ningning, and then head home. Today is only the second day of the New Year—don't wander around outside all the time. I've got a few more cans of American goods here for you to take back to your family, consider it a small token from me."