Qi Yuegui opened her mouth, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say.
Last night, her husband had explained to her in detail on the kang why they couldn’t accept Educated Youth Tian’s jar of oil.
But now, here she was, smiling warmly, acting like she was family, which left Qi Yuegui feeling quite troubled.
Most importantly, regarding the fabric and cotton for her eldest grandson, she truly couldn’t bring herself to refuse.
“Oh, right! When I came back the day before yesterday, my aunt packed me some milk powder. She still treats me like a little kid!
I thought I’d give it to my nephew too, let him have something sweet.”
Just as Qi Yuegui was wrestling with her conscience, Tian Baozhu pulled out her trump card.
Milk powder—the kind only city kids got to eat.
This time, she really couldn’t find it in her heart to refuse.
“Educated Youth Tian, you’re far too kind!”
She took a deep breath. Oh well, she thought, the girl was just a young woman. What advantage could she possibly be trying to take from their family?
After just two days of interaction, Qi Yuegui could already tell that this girl was generous with her things.
If she were to marry in her family as a daughter-in-law, that definitely wouldn’t work—she wasn’t the frugal type suited for that.
Accepting the cotton fabric and the milk powder, Qi Yuegui wasted no time. She spread a clean mat on the table and laid out the fabric.
First, she measured against Tian Baozhu’s shoulders and sleeves with her hands, then she started cutting the fabric with her scissors.
She quickly cut out the pieces and began threading a needle to sew them together.
Tian Baozhu watched, dazzled, not understanding how Aunt Yuegui could figure out her measurements just by gesturing with her hands a few times.
But feeling too shy to ask, she could only focus intently on Qi Yuegui’s hands, observing exactly how the clothes were being sewn.
Around midday, Secretary Liu returned to find Tian Baozhu.
“Educated Youth Tian, the roof is completely fixed.
The carpenter I brought back yesterday worked on it until dark to get it done.
And that front gate, it’s been installed for you too.
If you’re worried about security, you can go to town and buy a lock for it.
Why don’t you come take a look first? If anything isn’t right, we can get it fixed while everyone’s still here.”
Actually, in the village, most families didn’t lock their front gates.
If anything, they might lock their room doors. When stepping out, they’d just pull the main gate shut.
At night, they’d secure it with a wooden bolt from the inside; they had no need for padlocks.
So Secretary Liu merely mentioned it; whether to buy a lock or not was entirely up to Tian Baozhu.
“Ah, Uncle Liu, thank you so much!”
Tian Baozhu beamed with gratitude and quickly followed him towards her house.
Sure enough, a wooden door had been installed in the once-empty gate frame.
She stepped forward to inspect it; the door was quite sturdy.
The roof tiles were also all in place, including those over the room where she slept.
“These two rooms are still a bit damp. You’d better burn a fire for a couple of days to drive out the moisture.”
Upon entering was the kitchen. The stove’s flue was connected to the kang in the main room.
As long as she lit a fire, the kang in the main living area would heat up as well.
The kang in the room where Tian Baozhu slept, however, needed to be fired separately. Originally, the flues were connected.
But to redo that connection, they’d have to tear down the wall of her room and rebuild it. It would take a long time, and besides, Tian Baozhu would have no place to stay in the meantime.
For now, the place is livable, just a bit more inconvenient.
The woodshed has also been divided into two sections. The outer part is for storing firewood, while the inner part is a long, narrow space just big enough to hold two manure buckets. When the buckets are full, they can be carried out directly to fertilize the fields.
However, the manure buckets themselves had to be purchased.
Secretary Liu told Tian Baozhu that wooden buckets, basins, manure buckets, and the like could be made by the village carpenter for a small labor fee.
When Tian Baozhu heard Secretary Liu mention manure buckets, she felt incredibly grateful that her space had a bathroom.
Whether it was the pit toilet with a buried vat at Secretary Liu’s house or the manure buckets he suggested she buy, neither was something she could accept.
The thought was too unpleasant; she couldn’t bear to imagine it.
The surrounding courtyard wall had also been built high. It looked noticeably taller than when Tian Baozhu had returned the day before yesterday, standing nearly three meters high.
It had to be said, the meal she provided yesterday had made a significant contribution.
As for the well, the fallen leaves inside had been cleaned out.
“Educated Youth Tian, if you plan to drink water from this well, I’d recommend pumping it dry first and digging out the silt.
Also, regarding the stove in the kitchen, once you’re free and have bought a wok, I’ll find someone to help you seal it properly.”
Tian Baozhu already had plans for the well, but she had already spent quite a bit of money fixing up the house and didn’t want to make such a big production out of it.
As for the iron wok, she needed a ration coupon. She would have to figure that out in the county town in a few days.
For now, she wasn’t in a hurry to cook.
So she nodded and said to Secretary Liu, “Thank you, Uncle Liu. This place isn’t too far from the river anyway.
For drinking and daily use, I’ll just carry water from the river for now.”
“Alright, since there aren’t any issues, let’s settle the accounts.
You gave me fifty yuan earlier. Here’s the leftover eight yuan and thirty-five cents. The rest was all spent on materials.
I didn’t expect the materials to cost that much. So, after discussing it with the village accountant, we’ll consider this remaining eight-plus yuan as your rent for the year.”
After saying this, Secretary Liu’s face flushed a bit with embarrassment.
After all, with fifty yuan, one could almost build a new house in the village. What need was there for rent?
Tian Baozhu didn’t mind. After all, policies would change next year, and who knew if she would even continue living in the village.
“Sounds good, I’ll go with what Uncle Liu says.
By the way, could I trouble Uncle Dazhu to chop some firewood for me?
If I go into the mountains alone, the most I can gather is some dry branches for kindling.”
The others, seeing that Educated Youth Tian had nodded and said it was fine, had gradually started to leave, leaving only Liu Dazhu and Liu Shengbao behind to wrap things up.
Now hearing what Educated Youth Tian said, they were first stunned, then overjoyed.
Firewood—just cutting a few trees in the mountains could yield a large pile. They were going to gather firewood for their own winter needs anyway. Earning a bit of money while doing so, why not?
Liu Dazhu quickly nodded in agreement, saying he’d deliver some in the afternoon so Educated Youth Tian could use it for now.
With that, he left with Liu Shengbao.
Liu Shengbao followed behind Uncle Dazhu, feeling envious. His own family was also in dire need of money!
“What’s there to envy? After we deliver to Educated Youth Tian this afternoon, you’ll come with me into the mountains to chop firewood.”
Liu Dazhu glanced sideways at Liu Shengbao and said.
“Thank you, Uncle.”
Liu Shengbao, who had been looking a bit dejected, immediately perked up upon hearing this, expressing his gratitude repeatedly.
“Alright, as long as you work hard and stop making your mother worry, that’s better than any thanks.”
Liu Dazhu sighed inwardly. He and Shengbao’s father had been close friends, and they were from the same clan besides.
Shengbao’s father had died young, leaving behind a widow and an orphan. He would help as much as he could.
He just couldn’t let his own wife, the shrew, know about it.
Otherwise, she would surely start overthinking things again.