81: Chapter 80: One Life, Thirty Dollars 81: Chapter 80: One Life, Thirty Dollars Indeed, Wang Hong couldn’t get any money from Mrs.
Miao.
It wasn’t that Wang Hong lacked the ability, but the other party genuinely had none.
The Miao Family’s money had always been going to their eldest son, and this ti their son had set his heart on the factory director’s daughter.
In order to arrange a marriage for him, the Miao Family had even taken out the grandmother’s savings for her own coffin.
Mrs.
Miao was willing to go out of pocket to travel to Ten Miles Team, but not just to ask Miao Hongqi for money.
She knew too well how little Miao Hongqi had, she doubted Miao could even afford the travel expenses.
Her plan was to marry off Miao Hongqi right there and then.
She had already planned how much the dowry would be…
Unexpectedly, her plan fell through because the person involved was gone.
All she had left in her pocket was the money for a train ticket back ho.
Originally, she had plans to extort so money from the commune and the team, but ended up being thrown out by Wang Hong, who was pulling at her hair.
Mrs.
Miao patted her pockets, accepting that her dreams were shattered, and hurried to the train station.
Fortunately, there was a train heading to her ho, and she bought a ticket without hesitation.
She didn’t even ask where Miao Yulan was buried.
As Wang Hong walked back to the clinic from the commune, she was filled with worry all the way.
She had asked the doctor, and it seed that Miao Hongqi’s injury would need about a month to heal.
Though it wasn’t the ti for spring planting or autumn harvest, and one or two people taking leave wouldn’t affect the farm work, Miao Hongqi was without work points and still owed food…
Wang Hong was deeply worried for her.
She walked with her head down, her brow furrowed tightly.
“Aunt Wang!”
Wang Hong recognized the voice and looked up to see Lin Nianhe.
Lin Nianhe was all smiles, waiting for her at the entrance of the clinic.
“Why are you out here?” Wang Hong brightened up as she walked over, “How’s Hongqi?”
“He’s getting an injection,” Lin Nianhe replied, “He fell asleep.”
“Ah… then what about you?”
Lin Nianhe directly asked, “You didn’t get any money, did you?”
“Hmm.” Wang Hong’s head ached with worry, “But I saw her off, I followed sneakily and watched her board the train before I ca back.”
Wang Hong sighed, trying to reassure herself, “From what she implied, she ca here this ti hoping to marry off Hongqi in exchange for a dowry.
Regardless, as long as the person is fine… even if it’s tough for a few years, we’ll get through.”
Wang Hong was confident in saying this, for Miao Hongqi’s hardships were not as severe as what she had endured herself.
She had managed, and she believed Miao Hongqi could too.
Lin Nianhe wasn’t surprised at all.
She took out thirty yuan she had prepared earlier and handed it to Wang Hong: “Just say it’s the compensation for dical expenses.”
The money was specifically old, thick stacks of smaller denomination bills that she had carefully extracted.
Wang Hong looked puzzled at Lin Nianhe, “What do you an by this?”
Lin Nianhe smiled and said, “Well, everyone faces hard tis; if you can help, then help.”
Wang Hong had also considered putting so money towards Miao Hongqi’s expenses.
But her salary barely covered the cost of supporting her three daughters, and it was the critical mont of Wang Xixi’s wedding preparations, where she was gathering a dowry.
She really couldn’t spare any extra money.
Wang Hong looked at the money, hesitating, unsure whether to accept it or not.
Lin Nianhe stuffed the money into her hand, saying, “Aunt Wang, you know as well, if we let Tiechui keep pressing her like this, let alone recover properly, she might drive herself to death…and after all, that is her mother.”
“Thirty yuan for a human life, I think it’s worth it.”
Thirty yuan might not sound like much, but in an era where every grain counted as your life, the weight of that money felt particularly heavy.
Lin Nianhe gave no room for Wang Hong to refuse, tightened her grip on her hand and helped her clutch the money.
As a welloff person with a monthly inco of 2400 yuan, these thirty yuan were truly insignificant to Lin Nianhe.
Consider it the tuition fee for Miao Hongqi’s ‘watering guide’.
That’s how she justified her actions.
She definitely doesn’t have a saintly temperant.
She’s the sharpest kid around, she couldn’t possibly be into that kind of nonsense.
The first reaction of Miao Hongqi after getting the money was—
“Aunt Wang, don’t try to fool , how could she possibly give money?”
Lin Nianhe felt like laughing a bit, knowing a daughter’s heart like no one else.
Wang Hong rolled her eyes to embolden herself: “What’s wrong?
Isn’t it just repaying dical bills?
And the bench?
Plus, didn’t they say you were dead?
Spending on funeral materials costs money, right?”
Miao Hongqi was stunned for a long while before she suddenly rembered—this is their Won’s Director, there’s nothing she can’t handle.
Miao Hongqi’s eyes grew a bit warm, her hands trembling as she took the money.
The second thing she did was—
She picked out eleven clean bills and gave them back to Lin Nianhe, and also gave Wang Hong 50 cents.
She said: “Nianhe, I’m giving this money back to you, you have to take it.
Aunt Wang, you’ve been giving eggs these past days, I can’t just take from you without giving sothing back.”
Lin Nianhe had given her thirty yuan, exactly calculating that she would want to return the ten yuan she borrowed that day.
Hearing this, she didn’t hesitate and directly took it: “Alright.”
But Wang Hong did not take it.
She rolled her eyes and said, “It’s just three eggs.
What, just got a bit of money and already learning to splurge?”
“No, Aunt Wang, I…”
“Enough, no more nonsense,” Wang Hong waved her hand impatiently, “I need to go back to the team now.
The commune ntioned building a school, I have to go discuss with the team leader which plot of land to use.”
Having said this, Wang Hong briskly walked away.
Actually, this matter didn’t really concern her that much, she specifically ntioned it primarily to remind Lin Nianhe—
They’re planning to build a school in the team, why don’t you move a bit, try to be a teacher!
Listening to her implicit aning, Lin Nianhe pursed her lips and lightly chuckled.
Be a teacher, like Principal Wu?
Lin Nianhe felt that she couldn’t do it.
As soon as Wang Hong got back to the team, she gathered all the villagers and the educated youth to a grain drying yard for a big eting.
The first matter naturally was that the team needed to build a school, which was an important issue but also brought mixed feelings among the villagers.
“Hongzi, why build a school?
Birch Team isn’t far, other kids can go there, why can’t our troubleso kids go?”
“Yeah, Hongzi, building a school will cost so much money.
Where can we get that extra money?”
Wang Hong didn’t let them express too many opinions and said: “We don’t need to spend our money, the commune said soone donated money specifically for building a primary school here.
Besides, what do you an by our kids can make it there?
Didn’t Xiao Tiezhu just fall into the river?
You don’t know the pain until it hits ho, right?”
ntion of Xiao Tiezhu falling into the river silenced those who were opposing.
Li Dahe spoke at the right mont: “We might not have to spend our money, but we need to build it ourselves.
Let’s take advantage of the off-season.
Everyone, n and the youths, should pitch in.
Let’s finish constructing the school before the end of the off-season to save our kids from heading out in the freezing winter.”
Pause.
Then, he spoke again: “Also, don’t complain.
If the kids don’t walk that much distance, couldn’t they collect more pig feed after school?
Couldn’t they help more at ho?
Everything is in front of your eyes, no need to worry unnecessarily.”
The villagers were swayed by the prospect of collecting more pig feed, and their enthusiasm gradually surged; had it not been for the land not yet being marked, they might have started working imdiately.
“Alright, there’s one more thing, everyone please note—”
Wang Hong turned a bit more serious and raised her voice:
“From now on, there is no educated youth nad Miao Yulan in Ten Miles Team, she’s changed her na to Miao Hongqi!
Try to rember to say it several tis these days, be sure not to call the wrong na in the future!”
The villagers were stunned again, soone first said:
“Why call her Hongqi?
Shufen sounds so much prettier.”
“I think Xiao Hua is quite nice.”
“This girl is going to be our Ten Miles Team’s girl now, right?
How about we give her a little nickna, one that sounds affectionate.”
“I think that’s a great idea!”
“…”
At this mont, Miao Hongqi did not know that when she returned to Ten Miles Team, besides “Miao Hongqi”, she would have many, many more nas.
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