“Alright then, Brigade Leader—so it’s settled. You’ll gather a few people to clear the site and dig the foundation. I’ll do my best to get the bricks.”
“Sure, sure—leave it to me. But…”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Brigade Leader. Wages and a midday meal are taken care of.
Wages are 10 cents a day—same as when other families build—and I’ll provide lunch. It won’t be anything fancy, but it’ll be food.”
Lin Xiaohe stepped in before her aunt could speak—she couldn’t rely on Second Aunt for everything.
Lin Xia looked at her niece with pride. With a kid this capable, Third Brother’s family would be okay.
The brigade leader also looked at the girl with surprise—she handled things like an adult.
A good one, she was.
“Alright, that’s about it. If anything comes up, I can talk with this little girl—she’s sharp and reliable, no worse than any grown-up.”
The brigade leader was clearly pleased.
After a few more words, Lin Xia took the girl and left.
“Let’s go see Uncle Deshan—ask him to be the foreman.”
They headed to Wu Xiang’s house.
Passing by the neighbor’s gate, neither of them threw a glance—but they were stopped anyway.
“Lao Er, no matter what, your parents raised you. You’ve come back so many times and never once stepped through the door—what kind of behavior is that?”
Lin Xia glared at her eldest brother. Before she could speak, a cold laugh escaped her.
“You know damn well why I don’t go in. I wouldn’t dare—that house is full of monsters.”
“What kind of talk is that? Who in the house has ever wronged you? Don’t they all treat you like a queen?”
“Treat me like a queen, or treat what I bring back like a queen? You know the truth.
Back when my sister-in-law and her kids, and Third Brother’s family were all there, at least they’d get a bite when I brought things. Now they’re all gone—why would I bring things back to feed the dogs?”
Lin Xia remembered how hard she’d fought to go to school—and how much she despised that house.
She’d had to throw away all dignity back then.
“Oh, so you still remember you have a home? I thought you’d forgotten what our family name even is!”
Qian Sancao rushed out at the noise, her eyes burning with rage.
She was boiling with fury.
“We fed you and sent you to school, and what did we get? An ungrateful wolf. You’ve never given a penny to this family since you started working.
After you married, you never once helped the family. How did we end up raising such a heartless creature?”
All these years, she’d been nothing but nice, trying to get a job for Old Fourth from this girl.
But no matter how much she took, whenever it came to the job, she’d clam up.
Nowadays, she wouldn’t even step through the door. The old woman had been bottling up resentment for ages—and now it all came pouring out.
Lin Xia couldn’t be bothered to respond.
She grabbed her niece and walked straight into the next house. “Brother Deshan, Sister-in-law—got a minute to talk?”
“Little Xia, you’re back! Come in, come in—let me get you some water.”
“Don’t bother, Sister-in-law—I came to ask Brother Deshan for a favor. I’ll be heading off soon—it’s getting late, and the roads are rough in the dark.”
“Sure—just say the word. If we can help, we won’t hesitate.”
“The ancestral hall isn’t really a place to live—there’s not even a proper stove, just a couple of stones you stack together. The beds are just wooden planks. I was thinking we should get the house built. I’ll front the money for now, and my third brother can pay me back slowly once he’s better.
But I’ve just had a baby and can’t be here every day to oversee things—there are only two kids at home. Brother Deshan is a great builder—I was hoping he could work on it and keep an eye on the job.”
“That’s wonderful! No need for formalities—when family builds a house, how could Deshan and I not help?”
Wu Xiang was beaming. “That’s great! Will there be meals? If so, I’ll come help cook.”
“Yes, meals are included.” Lin Xiaohe nodded, but she had a dilemma—how was she going to get coarse grain?
Coarse grain was more expensive than fine grain over there.
Bringing coarse grain back wouldn’t be cost-effective, but if she fed everyone fine grain, word would spread through the village in no time.
Then forget building the house—they’d have the commune leadership down their necks.
After leaving Wu Xiang’s house, Lin Xiaohe was still brooding.
“What’s on your mind, so deep in thought?” Lin Xia rubbed the girl’s head.
“I’m thinking about how to trade fine grain for coarse grain—I don’t know where to go.”
“That’s easy—leave it to me. I’ll bring some over tomorrow.”
Tomorrow, after her husband got off work, she’d come back with him—that way she wouldn’t have to travel home alone in the dark.
She was a bit scared to go alone.
“Good. Oh, Second Aunt—I’ve got some things at home you can take today and trade for coarse grain. For the meals, I’ll mix fine and coarse grain together.
As for how to explain it to everyone, that’s up to you. No one will take a kid seriously.”
Lin Xia nodded. “Alright—no need to go into detail. Just say I’ve got connections to get grain.”
“Thanks, Second Aunt.”
“Don’t be silly, kid.”
“I’ll head back now—if I don’t leave soon, it’ll be dark.”
“Okay, Second Aunt—ride safe. I tied some things to the back of your bike—it’s a bit heavy, so take it slow and don’t fall.”
“Alright, alright—I’m a grown-up, I know how to take care of myself. Don’t worry about me. I’m off.”
She caught a whiff of a rich, meaty smell—seems like they really were doing well.
That put her at ease.
She pedaled the bike as fast as she could.
There was good stuff on that bike—she couldn’t afford to dawdle. If someone snatched it on the road, she’d be devastated.
Cai Juhua saw her daughter-in-law drenched in sweat and pressed, “What happened to you?”
“Nothing, nothing—picked up some good stuff and was worried about getting robbed, so I biked a little faster.”
Lin Xia gulped down two cups of water before catching her breath.
“Mom, hurry and unwrap it—we don’t want the meat to spoil.”
The old lady got excited too, and started sorting through the goods. The more she saw, the more stunned she became—not just prime fatty meat, but white, gleaming sugar!!
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