“It should be a decent profit.” Zhang Shaoquan was pleased too.
He opened the WeChat group for bricklayers and laborers. “Yingzi wants the main structure of the house done in half a month. We can’t do it with just the few of us—I need to find more people.”
His wife said, “Alright, go ahead and find them.”
There was no shortage of workers in the village. As soon as Zhang Shaoquan posted in the group, plenty of people responded.
[Need six bricklayers and four laborers. Location: Baiyintala Village. Lunch provided. Work starts the day after tomorrow.]
……….
Over on Song Ying’s side, “Sister Mi, go get some rest. You’ve been on the road for hours.”
Mi Duo nodded. “Okay.”
Song Ying led her to the room. Their house had been decorated about ten years ago, so it wasn’t new, but her grandparents were clean people, so the cabinets, floors, and walls were all spotless.
“Sister Mi, get some sleep first. I’ll stew some lamb ribs for you tonight.” Song Ying pulled the curtains shut with a smile.
Mi Duo smiled back. “Sounds good.” She took off her shoes and climbed onto the heated bed. “There’s a little kitten here too?”
Song Ying said, “Grandpa picked it up last year.”
Mi Duo said, “I’ll hold it while I sleep.”
She loved cats and dogs, but because of work, she was always traveling, so she never got one.
Song Ying said, “Huahua, don’t bite Sister, okay?”
“Meow~”
The cat her grandpa had picked up was a tabby, and she was pregnant now. Once she gave birth, Song Ying would take her to get spayed.
Song Ying wasn’t sleepy, but she was a bit hungry. She went to the kitchen to eat something, then lay on the sofa playing with her phone. She had a friend in the banner town—a good friend from high school.
Her name was Jiang Siyu.
Tomorrow she was going to the banner town, so she contacted her to see about meeting up for a meal or something.
The two chatted for a while, and Jiang Siyu said regretfully,
“You said you were coming back but didn’t tell me in advance. If I’d known, I would’ve saved my vacation days. I’ve used up all my days off this month.”
Song Ying said, “Then next month. I’m not leaving anyway, so no rush.”
“Next month works too.”
They chatted a bit more, then Jiang Siyu asked, “Song Ying, do you want to keep a dog?”
Song Ying said, “Why? Yeah, I’d keep one. I actually really like cats and dogs.”
Done deal. On the other end, Jiang Siyu slapped her thigh. “Here’s the thing—I’ve got an Alaskan Malamute at home, about three months old. I’ll give it to you.”
“Huh? Why are you giving it to me?” Alaskans weren’t cheap.
Jiang Siyu said, “It’s a long story. This dog was a birthday gift I gave my boyfriend. We broke up a month ago…”
Okay, Song Ying understood. The dog was originally a birthday gift for her boyfriend, but he cheated—chatting up other people—so they split.
Naturally, the dog stayed with her.
Jiang Siyu said, “I never really liked keeping pets anyway. I’ll give it to you now. Come pick it up tomorrow.”
Song Ying said, “Alright, alright. How much is the Alaskan worth? I’ll transfer you something.”
“No need, no need. Consider it a gift from me.”
Keeping a dog was a hassle, and Jiang Siyu would be too embarrassed to take money from a good friend.
At two in the afternoon.
Song Guozheng woke up from his nap and was about to take the sheep out. Song Ying said,
“Grandpa, a friend of mine is giving me a dog. You can bring it along when you herd the sheep from now on.”
Song Guozheng perked up with interest. “What kind of dog?”
Song Ying showed him on her phone. Song Guozheng looked at it. “Isn’t that an Alaskan Malamute? A sled dog.”
Song Ying was surprised. “Grandpa, you know what an Alaskan is?”
Song Guozheng said, “How dare you look down on your old man? Not only do I know Alaskan Malamutes, I also know Huskies, Teddy Poodles, Samoyeds, Dobermans, Chow Chows… and Maybachs.”
Chen Shuqin, who was listening nearby, said, “A Maybach is a car!”
Song Guozheng said, “That’s what I meant—a car.”
Chen Shuqin said irritably, “People are talking about dogs, and you’re talking about cars.”
Song Guozheng ignored his wife and said to Song Ying, “Yingzi, I heard that for herding sheep, you need a Border Collie. Border Collies are the real herding experts.”
Song Ying said, “Then Grandpa, I’ll buy you a Border Collie.”
Song Guozheng nodded. “Alright.” That was exactly what he wanted to hear.
The next day.
At seven o’clock, Zhang Shaoquan came looking for her.
“Yingzi, are we taking your car or mine?”
Song Ying said, “Let’s take mine, Uncle Zhang. Once we get on the main road, you drive, and I’ll drive on the village roads.”
“Alright.”
Song Ying asked Mi Duo, “Sister Mi, are you going to the town?”
Mi Duo waved her hand. “You two go ahead. I’ll go with Grandma to check out the homestead.”
“Okay, I’ll bring you something tasty when I get back.”
Mi Duo smiled. This young lady was really something.
Song Ying hadn’t eaten breakfast. She planned to get steamed buns in town. As she backed the car out of the garage, Zhang Shaoquan clicked his tongue in admiration. “This car looks great. Sharp.”
Song Ying said, “I bought it because of how it looks too.”
“How much was it? Loan or cash?” Zhang Shaoquan asked.
Song Ying laughed. “Around two hundred twenty thousand. Loan—I used the cash to build the house.”
“Alright, we’ll just pay off the loan slowly.”
When they reached the village entrance, Song Ying got out and let Zhang Shaoquan take the wheel.
Their village wasn’t far from the town—about half an hour’s drive. The two of them first went to the brick factory to order bricks, then to the building materials market to order cement and other construction supplies. After that, there wasn’t much else to do.
Song Ying said, “Uncle, let’s grab something to eat first. I’m hungry.”
Zhang Shaoquan said, “You didn’t eat breakfast, kid? Why didn’t you say so earlier? What do you want to eat?”
Song Ying said, “Steamed buns.”
So the two of them went to a steamed bun shop and ate. Zhang Shaoquan asked, “Where to next? Head home or look around?”
Song Ying said, “Let’s go to the pet store. Grandpa wants a Border Collie.”
“For herding sheep?”
“Yeah.”
Zhang Shaoquan said, “Alright, let’s go.”
When they arrived at the pet store, Song Ying had planned to buy just one Border Collie, but the puppies were all too adorable. She ended up buying a Border Collie, a German Shepherd, and a Siberian Forest Cat.
The kitten was especially cute.
Because she bought three pets, the store clerk threw in some free cat and dog food.
Song Ying figured the pet food would do for now. Once she got home, she’d do proper research on what the cats and dogs should eat daily—besides kibble, how much meat and vegetables they needed—and she’d order from online. She’d seen online that people who kept cats and dogs fed them meat and eggs in addition to regular pet food.
Zhang Shaoquan said, “Keeping this many cats and dogs—just the food alone must cost a pretty penny.”
Song Ying said, “I definitely won’t just feed them kibble.” She’d give them meat too.
Zhang Shaoquan said, “Right, give them some proper food.”
Song Ying nodded. “Uncle Zhang, let’s go to Darhan Grand Hotel. I want to visit my friend.”
Her friend worked there as a manager.
On the way, Song Ying called Jiang Siyu. Jiang Siyu said,
“Alright, come on over. I’ll wait for you at the entrance.”
When they arrived at the hotel entrance, they picked up Jiang Siyu and headed to her house. Jiang Siyu said, “Nice car you’ve got here. Looks impressive.”
Song Ying said, “When are you getting one yourself?”
Jiang Siyu shook her head. “Can’t buy one this year. I’m still paying off my mortgage and don’t have any savings. Maybe next year.”
That girl was quite capable, though. Even though houses in their banner weren’t expensive—a little over three hundred thousand could get one—after renovations, it would still cost around five hundred thousand.
Jiang Siyu had bought an apartment, putting down half as a down payment of one hundred fifty thousand, with a one hundred fifty thousand loan over three years. She’d be able to pay it off next year.
“Arf~ arf~”
A sound came from the trunk.
Jiang Siyu was startled. “What’s that sound?”
Song Ying said, “I bought two dogs and a cat.”
Jiang Siyu was surprised. “Why did you buy so many cats and dogs?”
Song Ying said, “My grandpa wanted a Border Collie to herd sheep. I originally planned to just buy a Border Collie, but then I thought the German Shepherd looked nice too, and the little kitten was also adorable… so I bought them all.”
Jiang Siyu said, “I’m done with you.”
The two arrived home, and Jiang Siyu handed her the Alaskan Malamute. “Yingzi, let me give you a cat too.”
“The cat that good-for-nothing guy picked up—it seems to be a purebred, a Siamese cat. Take it as well.”
Her scumbag ex-boyfriend had picked up the cat but didn’t take responsibility for it, and when they broke up, he didn’t take it with him, leaving it all to her.
Jiang Siyu shoved a little kitten into Song Ying’s hands and said,
“Anyway, whether you raise one or two or three, it’s all the same.”
“Oh, and here’s cat food and dog food—enough to last them half a year. I bought it when it was on sale.”
The cat food and dog food together added up to thirty bags. That girl had been stockpiling for months.
“There’s also cat litter, dog litter, and these bowls and dishes. Take them all too.”