9: Chapter 8: The Joy of Being a Sucker 9: Chapter 8: The Joy of Being a Sucker In the village, craftsn such as carpenters and bamboo workers don’t have to do fieldwork.
Thus, Lin Nianhe and Wang Shui easily found Second Uncle Li.
When they arrived, Second Uncle Li was fixing a chair with a broken leg.
“Second Uncle Li, we are newly-arrived Educated Youths and want to have so furniture made,” Lin Nianhe said as she entered, familiar as if visiting a neighbor.
“Uh-huh,” Second Uncle Li nodded, “What do you need?”
Lin Nianhe nudged Wang Shui, signaling her to speak first.
Wang Shui said, “I need two wooden basins, and also a kang table.
There’s no hurry for the kang table; as long as it’s done before winter starts.”
Their room wasn’t as lacking as Lin Nianhe’s – it wouldn’t matter if the kang table ca a bit later.
Second Uncle Li, without lifting his head, said, “These are just trinkets; half a day is enough.”
Lin Nianhe touched her nose: “I need quite a bit more, so I’ll trouble you to asure the dinsions.”
Second Uncle Li put down his work and looked at her, “What do you want?”
“I need a writing desk and chairs, a kang cabinet, wardrobe, and kitchen cabinet, and I also need a kang table.”
Second Uncle Li never imagined that he could land such a big job from the Educated Youth.
The things she asked for were so many that even ordinary families don’t get that much when they prepare dowries.
He reminded, “Girl, in a few years you’ll be back in the city, and you can’t take all this stuff with you.”
Lin Nianhe smiled naively, “I know, but how could I live without these things, right?”
As for whether she could take them with her…
that depended on whether she wanted to.
If she decided to, she would take even the house in the backyard, including its foundation!
Lin Nianhe knew well that if there had been a better option, her parents would not have let her co to the countryside.
Therefore, she didn’t harbor any illusions about returning to the city early.
Once college entrance exams were reinstated, she planned to naturally leave by getting into university.
There were still more than two years left, and she didn’t want to wrong herself.
Moreover, the money spent on the furniture didn’t concern her; she was very confident—thanks to Apple!
Seeing Lin Nianhe’s casual deanor, Second Uncle Li thought to himself that city kids just don’t know how to live, but he picked up his asuring tape honestly and followed them at a distance to the Educated Youth Corps.
The older Educated Youths had gone to work, leaving only Lin Nianhe and Wang Shui awake.
The Educated Youth Corps was serene and very quiet.
Second Uncle Li followed them to the backyard, and the mont he entered the room, he was absolutely astonished.
Well, this little bastard sure had a lot of stuff!
No wonder she was making such a lavish request.
Lin Nianhe and Wang Shui didn’t enter the room, they communicated with Second Uncle Li through the window.
“Yes, put the wardrobe against the wall, and the writing desk under the window,” Lin Nianhe said with a naive smile.
“The light is good there.”
Second Uncle Li was dissatisfied with her directions, “Aside from under the window, where else could you put it here?”
Lin Nianhe: “…”
His question made it sound like it was her fault for the place being so small!
Second Uncle Li quickly noted down the asurents, then stood in the open space, hands behind his back, and extended three fingers to Lin Nianhe, “You don’t have to worry about the wood, but I need this amount.”
Determined to maintain her rich city girl persona, Lin Nianhe didn’t even haggle and nodded, “Okay, please wait, I’ll get the money for you.”
She didn’t want to be taken advantage of, but if she didn’t establish her rich city girl persona firmly, she wouldn’t be able to spend the money she earned from her “Apple Bank” later.
Keeping a purse full of money while living a miserly life?
That wasn’t her style.
Lin Nianhe took out three banknotes and directly handed them to Second Uncle Li, just like the foolish daughter of a landlord’s house.
Second Uncle Li’s mouth twitched slightly; he felt that if he had asked for fifty just then, this silly brat would have agreed.
Taking one banknote, Second Uncle Li said, “I’ll take these first, and you can give the rest when it’s done.”
“Sure,” Lin Nianhe replied.
“Uncle, please take the trouble.
I don’t have anything here, so life is very inconvenient.”
“Mm, there’s not much work recently.
I’ll finish the girl’s basins, then I’ll start on your order,” Second Uncle Li pondered, “Let’s make the desks and cabinets first.
The wardrobe can wait.”
“Sure thing, I’ll follow your advice.”
Second Uncle Li watched Lin Nianhe’s naive smile, hesitated for a mont, but still said, “The scrap wood should be enough to piece together two wooden basins, consider them a bonus from .”
He felt like he had deceived a little bastard, sending two basins to make ands.
“Hehe, thank you, uncle.
You’ve gone through a lot of trouble.”
Second Uncle Li grunted with an “Mhm”: “Once they’re ready, I’ll bring them to you.”
Second Uncle Li was about to leave when Wang Shui suddenly rembered she hadn’t paid him yet.
She quickly stopped him and went back into the house to get the money.
Standing in the front yard, Lin Nianhe casually asked, “Uncle, do you know where I can buy a large water jar?”
Without asking why, Second Uncle Li thought for a while and then said, “Da He’s family has an unused one, left over from a drought year when they stored water.
If you want it, I can stop by on my way back and ask for you.”
“Okay,” Lin Nianhe didn’t expect it to be resolved so smoothly, “if Uncle Team Leader has one, please trouble him to bring it to .
I’ll trade sothing for it.”
Other than craftsn, private buying and selling couldn’t be explicitly ntioned.
It was said to be trading, but what was being traded for what…
did not need to be explicitly stated.
Second Uncle Li was more reliable than expected.
Lin Nianhe had just spread realgar powder halfway along the base of the wall when Li Xiaoshan arrived with a half-human-high water jar on a handcart, accompanied by Aunt Li.
“Oh, you lass, why don’t you take a rest?
What are you up to here?”
Aunt Li, upon seeing Lin Nianhe, would think of milk candies and brown sugar – her eyes glead as if she was looking at a jar of sweets, very pleasing to the eye.
Lin Nianhe straightened up, and with a cheery smile replied, “It’s the realgar powder my brother brought , I’m sprinkling it to repel insects and ants.”
“That’s really good stuff,” Aunt Li whispered to Lin Nianhe in a corner, quietly saying, “Girl, I won’t cheat you.
This water jar is just sitting unused at ho, you can have it for five yuan.”
Lin Nianhe looked at the solidly made large water jar; even considering its price in her previous life, it wasn’t expensive, so she quickly nodded, “Okay, as you say.”
Aunt Li’s eyes glittered with even greater joy.
Lin Nianhe handed the money to Aunt Li and then whispered, “Auntie, as you’ve also seen, I’m now cooking for myself, and it’s not good to rely on the older educated youths for vegetables.
I’m thinking of starting a plot of land right here in front of my door, just enough for my consumption.
But I’m not yet skilled with farmwork, could you trouble yourself to find soone to help out?
The pay is negotiable.”
Having experienced the incident at noon, Lin Nianhe decided not to ask for Sun Guanghui’s help anymore; not only would she owe him a favor, but it could also attract gossip.
She believed that any villager would be willing to till the ground for five yuan.
If it’s a problem that can be solved with money, there’s no need to owe favors – this truth never changes.
After all, money is easier to earn, but favors are harder to repay.
Aunt Li laughed upon hearing her: “For such a small piece of land, your brother Xiao Shan can get it done in an afternoon, no need for money.
Xiao Shan, go on, bring back the tools from ho and help Educated Youth Lin till the land.”
Li Xiaoshan was the type to bury his head in work; upon hearing Aunt Li’s order, he put down the jar, took the handcart and left.
Aunt Li was generous, but Lin Nianhe couldn’t let soone work for free, and after so persuasion, she managed to stuff another five yuan into Aunt Li’s hands, solidly donning the hat of being a big spender.
Aunt Li, thrilled, brought over so vegetable seeds from her ho and instructed Xiao Shan to plant them for Lin Nianhe, while she herself helped fetch water and scrubbed the water jar till it shone inside and out.
For the sake of Lin Nianhe’s reputation, Aunt Li sat at the doorstep supervising the work for the rest of the afternoon.
Lin Nianhe brought out a bag of sunflower seeds to share and chat with her casually, and by the end of the afternoon, she managed to learn most of what she wanted about Ten Miles Team, while also conveying her own thoughts.
Aunt Li was also very happy to share things Lin Nianhe did not necessarily want to know.
For instance, the village’s troublemaker Zhao Zhuangshi had whistled at a young lady again, Liu Erleng’s eldest daughter had her third daughter and was squeezed back to her parents’ ho during her confinent, and Zhang Family’s Xiao Tiezhu fell into the river on his way to school…
After listening to the gossip, Lin Nianhe recognized almost half of the village’s people.
Not long after Aunt Li left, her young daughter, Li Hehua, with a basket in tow, ca running to give Lin Nianhe a basketful of vegetables.
Li Hehua, just ten years old, was cherished as a late blessing and was raised fair and tender, quite adorable.
Li Hehua spoke softly, blushing just like her brother: “Sister Lin, my mom said your vegetables will take a while to grow, so she asked to bring you so.
She said not to be shy; we have plenty of vegetables at ho, and you can pick whatever you want.”
Lin Nianhe gently pinched her cheek and slipped the remaining sunflower seeds from the afternoon into the girl’s pocket: “Thank Aunt Li for and be careful on your way back.”
Li Hehua nodded obediently but tried to return the seeds: “Mom said I can’t take anything from Sister Lin…”
“If you don’t tell your mom, it’ll be fine.” Lin Nianhe held her hand, smiling, handing her the now-empty basket, “Hurry back for dinner, don’t make Aunt Li worry.”
Li Hehua tilted her head, feeling sothing wasn’t quite right, but unable to pinpoint what it was.
After sending Li Hehua out the gate of the Educated Youth Corps, Lin Nianhe turned back to hear Wang Xue, who was sitting at the kitchen door picking vegetables, say:
“Educated Youth Lin sure has good relationships, even Team Leader’s young daughter is bringing vegetables for you.”
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