Xia Wan could guess that none of them wanted to live in that storage room, but that made things convenient for her. If she wanted to move in, she could just find someone to clean it up for a few dollars!
"Yes, our room was too cramped, so we were thinking of having one person move out so the big room would be more spacious! If everyone gets a good night's rest, they'll be more energetic when they go to work!"
Liu Hongya had overcome her initial embarrassment and was now speaking with the collective in mind! Her tone was cautious, as if she was worried that Liu Hongya might disagree with the lottery!
Xia Wan nodded: "Okay, I understand!"
"Xia, you can cook then. Our meal is ready! You can use this firewood for now, and we can gather more later." Liu Hongya pointed to where the firewood was, gave a dry laugh, and left.
"Okay, thank you, Sister Ya!"
Xia Wan was too lazy to cook, so she just boiled water to wash up and went straight back to her room.
She still had some peach shortbread and cookies in her bag, so she ate some as dinner!
After finishing her meal, Liu Hongya went straight back to her room to draw lots to decide who would move to the storage room.
They looked tense. No one wanted to move to the storage room. Not only would they have to waste money repairing the doors and windows, but there was no stove there, and they would freeze to death in the winter!
However, while they didn't want to go, some others did. Xia Wan stopped Liu Hongya from taking out paper and pen.
"No need for the lottery, I'll move to that room!"
It's just a matter of spending some money to repair the doors and windows. Before going to the countryside, he swindled the Qiao family out of a sum of money. He brought so much money to the countryside just so he could live a better life here, right?
Now that I have the opportunity to have my own private space to rest, that would be the best!
Liu Hongya looked up, thinking that Xia Wan hadn't seen clearly and didn't know the specifics of the room, so she explained, "Xia Wan, the doors and windows of that room are broken. If you move in, you'll have to fix everything yourself! And there's no stove there, so it'll be cold in winter!"
Xia Wan nodded, indicating that she knew about the room: "Thank you, Sister Ya. I know what's going on inside. I'll find someone to fix it!"
Liu Hongya was relatively fair. Whether she was worried that Liu Hongya would change her mind and cause trouble later, or she was genuinely trying to be helpful, Liu Hongya appreciated the favor.
"Oh, Sister Ya, don't worry about it. Since Xia, the educated youth, is willing to go and stay there, then let her stay! Isn't it better to have a room by herself than to squeeze in with us?"
Zhang Wenwen made a few sarcastic remarks, but when she met Xia Wan's gaze, she couldn't help but shrink back!
Xia Wan gave her a cold look: "Since you like it so much, why don't you go and stay there?"
"I...I won't stay here." Zhang Wenwen lowered her head and muttered softly.
"Anyone who thinks I'm taking advantage of living alone in the storage room can speak up. Then you can go live there and pay someone to fix it yourselves!" Xia Wan sized up the people in the room, pausing between each sentence: "But if I fix it and you try to take it back, don't blame me for taking action!"
Stared at by her sharp gaze, no one dared to speak. Of course, they didn't want to live there; not only would they have to pay for repairs, but they'd also suffer from the cold in winter. What better place than a large house!
"Don't worry, Xia Zhiqing, your willingness to move in has already solved a huge problem for us. No matter what happens in the future, we will not fight with you for that room!" Liu Hongya assured her.
Xia Wan nodded indifferently, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Okay, I trust Sister Ya as the person in charge. If anyone wants to go to the house I paid to repair in the future, they can just give me the money they spent. It's not something we can't discuss!"
The others just pursed their lips without any objection, but Li Zhenzhen's eyes flickered slightly, as if she was plotting something!
“Okay, then let’s wait until the storage room is ready before Xia Zhiqing moves in. We’ll squeeze in for the next few days.” Liu Hongya smiled.
She felt that Xia Zhiqing wasn't difficult to get along with, and that the previous fight was probably because Zhang Wenwen and Huang Qiujie had started the trouble.
Everything was arranged, and after a long day, they had nothing to talk about, so they all lay down to rest!
The next morning, Xia Wan got up, tidied herself up, and went straight to Grandma Wu's house.
They probably knew I was coming, so they opened the door in advance.
"Good morning, Third Grandma! You're up so early!" Xia Wan greeted cheerfully.
"I'm getting old and don't get much sleep, so it's good to get up early and tidy up!" The old man waved his broom with great energy, preparing to sweep the yard.
Her steps were steady, showing no signs of age. Her hands, though wrinkled, were still strong, gripping the broom tightly.
Xia Wan couldn't help but gasp. How could this person be over seventy years old?
"Let me do it, let me do it, Third Grandma, you rest for a while!" Xia Wan put down the grain and reached out to take the broom from Third Grandma's hand!
The old man looked up and saw Xia Wan, a kind smile spreading across his face: "No need, no need, I can sweep the yard! A person can't just sit around all day doing nothing, or their bones will rust!"
Xia Wan couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she didn't insist: "Alright, here's the food I brought. You can see where to put it later! I'll go fetch some water first!"
She said something and then left with the bucket! She had already walked around the village yesterday and knew where the well was.
Coincidentally, Bai Jian from the educated youth compound was also at the well preparing to draw water, and was somewhat surprised to see Xia Wan carrying a bucket to draw water.
"Xia Zhiqing, what's going on?"
Xia Wan nodded to him and explained simply, "I'm eating with my fellow villagers now, and I won't be eating at the educated youth compound anymore."
Xia Wan then remembered that she hadn't told anyone in the educated youth compound about eating with her fellow villagers.
But that doesn't matter, since I said yesterday that I would be firing alone!
"You can do that?" Bai Jian's eyes lit up. They could team up with fellow villagers? It seems that not all the villagers rejected them, the educated youth.
He had wanted to break up with those educated youth for a long time, but unfortunately neither he nor his brother knew how to cook, so he had no choice but to continue living with them.
Seeing his eyes light up instantly and his face full of hope as he looked at her, Xia Wan found it amusing: "As long as both parties agree, it's fine!"
"So, Xia, whose family are you sharing meals with?" Bai Jian approached Xia Wan and asked slyly, "How much is a meal? Could you ask for me and my brother too?"
Xia Wan thought for a moment before replying, "There's only an old woman and her grandson in that family. I'll ask around for you, but I'm not sure if they'd be willing."
Bai Jian nodded happily, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a handful of White Rabbit candies: "Okay, okay, whether it works or not, I'll thank Xia Zhiqing and treat you to some White Rabbit candies."
Xia Wan gave him a complicated look, then took one piece from the candy: "...Thank you for the candy."
"Hehe, don't be shy, take them all and eat them, I still have some!" Bai Jian grinned, showing his big white teeth, looking like a complete idiot!
Xia Wan wondered to herself, "In the book, Bai Jian and his brother always ate and lived with the educated youth. Could it be because they didn't know they could share meals with the villagers?"
No wonder the two characters described in the book hated the educated youth in the settlement so much, yet they ultimately didn't leave on their own!
These two are truly talented!
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