Grandma Sun knew that the eggs had just been taken by Zhao Ran from Old Mrs. Yang’s chicken coop, so she didn’t stand on ceremony. “Alright, I’ll take these then.”
Only after seeing Grandma Sun accept the eggs did Zhao Ran state her purpose for coming. “Grandma, I see Brother Sun pulls water for your home with the water cart every morning. How about I pay Brother Sun ten yuan each month to also fetch two vats of water for my house?”
In this era, there was no running water in the village. Every household had to fetch water from the well at the village entrance or the one under the big locust tree in the center of the village. Grandma Sun’s family had a flatbed cart and had somehow acquired an iron tank made from a gasoline drum, which was much easier than the original owner having to carry water with a shoulder pole every day.
Hearing Zhao Ran’s words, Grandma Sun immediately thought to herself: two vats of water would only take about two trips, not much time at all, and they could earn ten yuan a month. Naturally, she was pleased, since money didn’t just fall from the sky at home.
But she still said, “What are you talking about? It’s just a few buckets of water. How could I take your money for that?”
Zhao Ran didn’t care whether she genuinely refused or was just being polite. She smiled and said, “That’s not the way to look at it. Everyone knows it’s more comfortable to sit and rest. Besides, Brother Sun could be earning money doing something else with that time. And this isn’t just for a day or two—even brothers keep clear accounts. If you think it’s okay, please ask Brother Sun and see if he’s willing.”
Grandma Sun quickly replied, “Alright then, I’ll ask your brother what he thinks. Whether he agrees or not, I’ll let you know.”
Zhao Ran nodded. “Good. I’ll wait here. If he agrees, I’ll have to trouble Brother Sun to deliver the water today. Right now, there isn’t a single drop left at home.”
Seeing this, Grandma Sun hurriedly said, “Alright, you wait.”
Not long after Grandma Sun went inside, Sun Yongtian came out pushing the flatbed cart. Seeing Zhao Ran standing at the door, he grinned and said:
“Sis, my mother already told me. Ten yuan a month, and I deliver two vats of water to your house every day, right?”
“Right. If you think it’s suitable, I can give you a month’s pay in advance.”
Hearing Zhao Ran’s straightforwardness, Sun Yongtian smiled even more happily. “No rush. Let me fetch the water first, and we can talk afterward.”
With that, Sun Yongtian went to fetch water. Zhao Ran simply opened the main gate and went to the kitchen, using a brush and the little water left in the vat to scrub it clean.
Afterward, she went over to Old Mrs. Yang’s side.
As soon as Zhao Ran approached Old Mrs. Yang’s place, she saw the old woman emerge from somewhere and hurriedly block the chicken coop, as if afraid Zhao Ran would set her sights on the chickens again.
Zhao Ran ignored her and walked straight toward Old Mrs. Yang’s kitchen.
This startled the old woman so much her voice cracked. “What else do you want? Are you trying to kill me?”
Zhao Ran still didn’t respond. Instead, she walked over to the water vat, cleaned it out as well, and only then said:
“I’ve paid Sun Yongtian ten yuan to deliver two vats of water to the house every day for a month. I’ll have him deliver one tank to this side.
Don’t worry, this money comes from the four hundred yuan I took from you, so you don’t need to feel awkward about using his water.”
Additionally, if you really want to keep those chickens, you should gather some grass and buy some wheat bran to feed them yourself. Don’t think you’ll have another chance to steal grain from my side. It’s not that you can’t steal it—after all, I can’t watch the house every day.
Rather, you’d better be prepared for the consequences if you do steal grain.
From now on, go directly to your son for all your needs, including this window. Your son is such a good man—let’s see if he’ll take care of his own mother.”
With that, Zhao Ran didn’t bother to look at Old Mrs. Yang’s expression and walked away.
Not long after, Sun Yongtian arrived pulling a cart of water.
After watching Sun Yongtian fill her water vat, Zhao Ran said, “Brother Sun, do you know carpentry? I mean, the window over at Old Mrs. Yang’s place—do you think you could patch it up? I’ll give you ten yuan to fix it.”
Sun Yongtian glanced at the window and said, “Ah, it’s just a matter of nailing a few wooden strips. If I charged money for this, my mother would probably beat me with a stick. I’ll fix it after I finish fetching water for your mother-in-law.”
Zhao Ran smiled and said, “Thank you, Brother Sun.”
Sun Yongtian grinned and then added, “Well, sister-in-law, here’s the thing. There are too many people fetching water in the morning, and the line takes a long time. Usually, I don’t have free time during the day like today. Would it be all right if I came earlier in the morning to fetch water for you from now on?”
As he spoke, Sun Yongtian felt uncertain. After all, the work wasn’t heavy, and the pay was already quite generous. If she disagreed, he wouldn’t argue, but he worried that Zhao Ran might take offense at his suggestion and replace him.
In these times, finding work wasn’t easy, so people tended to be extra cautious.
To his surprise, Zhao Ran thought for a moment and asked, “Around what time?”
Sun Yongtian estimated, “In summer, around five in the morning. In winter, a bit later, around six.”
Zhao Ran considered the timing and felt it wasn’t very suitable. It was too early—not only would it invite gossip, but she also couldn’t get up that early.
Thinking about the pile of clothes, bedsheets, and quilt covers at home, she said, “How about this, Brother Sun? Could you ask your wife if she’d mind taking on laundry work? I’ll also pay ten yuan a month for that. Summer clothes would need washing daily, and bedsheets and quilt covers once a month.
I’ll leave the dirty clothes outside every morning and give your wife a spare key to the house. That way, she can do the laundry here while you fetch water, and it’ll avoid any unnecessary talk. If you can’t decide, please talk to your wife and ask her opinion.”
Hearing this, Sun Yongtian quickly said, “Then I’ll go discuss it with my wife first.” With that, he hurried home.
Soon after, Sun Yongtian returned with his wife, Ma Xuehua.
Both of them were smiling, clearly interested in Zhao Ran’s proposal. Zhao Ran got straight to the point: “As you can see, I only have one water vat at home. It’s barely enough for drinking and washing up, with little left over. For laundry, Brother Sun would need to bring an extra bucket of water.”
Hearing this, the couple quickly replied, “No problem, no problem.”
Zhao Ran didn’t stand on ceremony either, directly paying both of them first, and even adding an extra five yuan: “I haven’t been home these past few days, and the house is a complete mess. Originally, I planned to clean it up myself, but I just had surgery and can’t handle this kind of work for a while.
I’m sorry to trouble Brother Sun and sister-in-law today. If these things at home aren’t washed, I won’t have anything clean to change into.”
Hearing she could earn an extra five yuan, Ma Xuehua immediately patted her chest and promised: “We’ll definitely get everything washed for you today.”