Jiang Ci raised her eyebrows imperceptibly. "Do you think I'd get this kind of job?"
The captain smiled somewhat awkwardly. "Why isn't it your turn? You've been doing quite well these past few days. If you can keep it up, you can do any kind of work."
Jiang Ci then asked, "Tell me, what kind of job is it?"
The captain touched his nose. "Delivering food to an old man."
After saying that, he turned his gaze away.
"Delivering meals to the elderly?"
The brigade leader nodded. "This old man... has some issues with his class background. He's been locked up in the cowshed for a long time. He doesn't have many years left to live. He can't cook for himself, and the higher-ups can't let him starve to death, so they let our Shanding Brigade take on the job of delivering food to him."
“The last person who delivered food to him passed away. I thought you were also an educated youth, and it must be very hard for you to do these heavy and tiring jobs. So would you be willing to deliver food to that old man? I can give you full work points.”
Upon hearing the words "cowshed," Jiang Ci immediately resolved to refuse.
Those who get involved with the cowshed rarely have a good ending. Jiang Ci isn't some chosen one; if she were to force her way in, she might just be taken away for interrogation.
But she didn't refuse directly. For some reason, she thought of Shen Conghe, whom she had met at the bookstore yesterday and who had been taken away by the red armband.
“Team leader, you know my family does need work points. We still owe the production team ration coupons. I should agree to your request because we still owe a lot of work points. But this is not something I can decide on my own. I need to go back and discuss it with my husband.”
It was already a surprise that the captain didn't listen to her outright refusal.
Nobody wants to get involved in the cowshed area.
"Think it over carefully." The captain looked around and lowered his voice. "Don't worry, if you're willing to do this job, I... I'll try my best to keep you safe!"
This is the best guarantee the battalion commander can offer.
Jiang Ci nodded.
After harvesting wheat all morning, Jiang Ci walked home, her back aching.
The brigade leader did take the matter of building a wall around his house to heart. When Jiang Ci arrived home, he saw a bamboo tree at the door and Zhou Mingli talking to someone, seemingly calculating how many bricks and materials were needed to build the wall.
They also need to build a gate, which will be another expense.
Jiang Ci listened for a while. The person who came was the production team's accountant. He said that it would cost about forty yuan worth of bricks. The main gate was made of better materials and was also larger than the doors used inside the house. It would cost seven yuan plus a receipt.
That adds up to forty-seven yuan.
Their total assets are just over four hundred. Yesterday, they bought some things and received fifteen yuan for a door brick. After adding and subtracting, they have spent almost two hundred yuan in just two days.
With her assets halved, even Jiang Ci, who isn't known for being stingy, felt she had spent too much.
These were necessary expenses, so Jiang Ci didn't mind them. However, her desire to make money and stockpile food intensified.
If we could get the tickets for the perimeter wall and the main gate in advance, it would definitely reduce a lot of the pressure.
Jiang Ci sat aside, pondering. Zhou Mingli finished speaking with the production team's accountant, watched the accountant leave, and then returned to Jiang Ci's side.
Although she was wearing a hat, she still got quite sunburned; her arms were red and had some scratches.
Zhou Mingli asked her, "Would you like some mung bean soup? It'll help cool you down in the summer heat."
"Where did you get the mung beans?"
"Sister-in-law Yu gave me only half a bowl."
Zhou Mingli poured her some water. "Go inside first, take a shower and change your clothes. I'll get you some mung bean soup."
Jiang Ci stood up, supporting her back, feeling as if her whole body was about to fall apart, and slowly walked into the house step by step.
After Zhou Mingli poured the water, Jiang Ci took a bath, changed into clean clothes, and her hair was still dripping wet. As soon as she came out, she drank a large bowl of mung bean soup.
"Don't push yourself. Even if we still owe the brigade leader, don't overwork yourself." Zhou Mingli noticed that her exposed arms and neck were still red after her shower. He touched them with the back of his hand and knew that she had sunburn.
Zhou Mingli frowned deeply. "It's sunburned."
"It's alright, I'll just put on some face cream later," Jiang Ci said nonchalantly. "Where are Zhou Yang and Zhou Miao?"
“Dazhu and Erzhu are off today, they’re playing outside with Dazhu and Erzhu,” Zhou Mingli replied, then went to sweep all the bamboo leaves and twigs in front of the door together.
Jiang Ci thought for a moment and said to Zhou Mingli, "Before I came back, the brigade leader asked me to deliver food to the old people in the cowshed."
Zhou Mingli frowned deeply. "What's going on?"
Jiang Ci then repeated what the brigade leader had said.
She was too tired to speak, and Zhou Mingli remained silent as well.
After a long pause, Zhou Mingli suddenly asked, "Why did he suddenly ask you to do this job?"
Jiang Ci remained silent, sitting under the shade of a tree and leaning against the trunk, then said, "It was probably Xia Lei's suggestion, right?"
"We saw Xia Lei at the brigade leader's house yesterday morning, didn't we?"
Zhou Mingli responded softly, pulled the bamboo over, and used the borrowed sickle to cut it into thin strips. "He's probably retaliating against you. The original owner of this body wanted to steal his woman's letter of introduction to return to the city. We even had a dispute with them the day before yesterday. He won't let it go."
"Most of the people who went to the cowshed to deliver food to that old man were sent to the far northwest. He wanted to take advantage of that to get rid of you as well."
At this point, Zhou Mingli paused and said, "Today when I went up the mountain to cut bamboo, I saw the woman with red sleeves escorting people to the cowshed."
The shadows of the trees swayed, and dappled light shone through the gaps onto Jiang Ci's face, making her expression seem unreal. "Is it the one we saw on the street yesterday?"
Zhou Mingli shook his head. "I didn't see it clearly."
Sunlight streamed into Jiang Ci's eyes, and she squinted, turning her head to look at Zhou Mingli. "Do you remember when that group completely collapsed?"
Zhou Mingli pondered for a moment, "This year, in October."
Upon hearing this answer, Jiang Ci laughed, her tone light and cheerful, "You're more quick-witted than me, Zhou Mingli."
“If it were just that old man alone in the cowshed, it would indeed be very dangerous for me to go there. But if there’s a second person there, it’s a different story.” Jiang Ci smiled like a cunning fox. “Besides, the situation is chaotic this year. Who knows if someone will still be watching that old man all the time?”
Zhou Mingli was reluctant for her to take the risk, saying, "It's very dangerous."
“You can’t do business if you’re always looking back and forth.” Jiang Ci held up three fingers. “All or nothing.”
Before Zhou Mingli could say anything more, Jiang Ci stood up and drawled, "I'm so hungry, Zhou Mingli. What are we having for lunch today?"
"Don't change the subject, Jiang Ci. We're partners now, you can't ignore what I'm saying," Zhou Mingli said sternly. "Stewed eel."
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to myself. I'll go talk to the captain this afternoon." Jiang Ci walked out. "I'm going to call Zhou Miao and Zhou Yang back for dinner. They're starving."
"Jiang-ci ...
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