小工一天的工钱是八块钱，张雨和他的小弟每天都能见到钱，他们白天干活，傍晚拿到工钱就去饭店搓一顿，吃光用光。
把日光族的本质彻底发扬光大。
虽然挣点钱都吃光了，不过工地这么重的活他们坚持下来了，也算有一丁丁优点。
October arrived quickly. Lin Xiazhu's two houses had just finished the first floor and the floor slabs were poured. Construction on the second floor had begun, but there would definitely be a few days off for National Day.
After receiving their wages, Zhang Yu and his friends prepared to go to the county town to have some fun. Recently, they had handed over the task of collecting recyclables to two of their younger brothers, and the income was decent. However, no matter how much money they earned, they were destined to have it all spent.
A group of teenagers, at the age when they are growing, can eat a lot. If they get together, they can eat a whole pig at each meal, leaving not a single hair behind.
"You earn a little money every day and then eat it all up, not leaving a single penny. Don't you ever think about what you'll do in the future?" Lin Xiazhu couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to give her some pointers.
Zhang Yu: "We lived like this for several years. Our family was poor and we had many children. We often didn't have enough to eat. Even if our family would buy meat every ten days or half a month, we could only taste a little meat. We never had the chance to have a proper meal of meat."
He said that they used to be so hungry that their stomachs were practically sticking to their backs. Even if they could eat their fill, they still craved meat. Now that they could finally earn money to eat meat, why should they be so hard on themselves?
"Don't you give money to your families? Don't you want to build a new house or get married?" Lin Xiazhu said.
"Why rush to build a house? I'm only seventeen now, Zhang Shengli and the others are fourteen or fifteen, the youngest is only thirteen. The most important thing right now is to get myself strong. Good health is the most important thing. We can think about building a new house in three to five years."
We'll definitely save enough money to get married before we're 25. We're still young, why think so much? Isn't that just creating unnecessary trouble for ourselves?
Lin Xiazhu: "..." She was speechless and had no rebuttal. It actually sounded quite reasonable.
If it weren't for the fact that they had known each other and that this guy was always bothering her, Lin Xiazhu would have really wanted to let them fend for themselves. However, considering her actual age, there was no need to lower herself to the level of these kids; she would lend a hand if she could.
She did her best. Whether Zhang Yu and the others listened or not was beyond her control. She wasn't a saint; she couldn't help them like a mother hen.
“Zhang Yu, you’re about to turn 18. You’re their leader. Your thoughts and decisions will play a crucial role in what kind of life they will lead in the future. Opportunities will be missed if you don’t seize them. A life without a plan is just a mess… Have you ever thought that unlimited extravagance will become a habit?”
It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. These people haven't even formed their values yet. If they continue to indulge themselves like this, they'll probably go further and further astray, and then it will be too late to save them.
"Think it over carefully. If you can't change these bad habits, don't come talking to me after the house is built. I'll pretend I don't know you." Lin Xiazhu didn't want a bunch of good-for-nothings with no sense of reason as friends.
"Just because we eat a lot, you look down on us?" Zhang Yu asked incredulously.
“How much do you eat? You’re like an idiot who empties the granary and poops in the latrine. You say you’re only teenagers and not even half-grown children. Look at yourselves, you’re all fat and big-eared, tall and strong. You could fill a coffin if you lay down there. And you still dare to call yourselves children.”
Lin Xiazhu rattled off the insults that the village elders often used to curse at Zhang Yu. Cough, don't think it's going too far; Lin Xiazhu was just copying other people's words. When Zhang Yu and his gang were stealing things, an old lady cursed them in the same way.
See, Zhang Yu was used to hearing this and wasn't particularly shocked by these words. The only thing that bothered her was that Lin Xiazhu herself had said them.
"No, you're a model student, first in the whole grade, and you even skipped a grade. You're an educated person, can't you be a little more civilized?"
"Think those words are offensive? Don't they sound familiar? I have more..." Lin Xiazhu rattled off a string of insults, a half-smile playing on her lips. "Aren't these your catchphrases? All you do is eat and hurl insults. Don't you guys often argue with people?"
"A bunch of grown men are acting like women, aren't they ashamed?"
Zhang Yu: "..." He was furious. He had always thought that he and his brothers were living a carefree and delicious life, but Lin Xiazhu made it sound so unbearable.
How could a rebellious teenager be persuaded so easily? Zhang Yu was so angry that his face turned red and he shouted, "Don't look down on us! Just because you have money doesn't mean you can be so great! You think we're working for you and that you look down on us? If you keep this up, we're breaking up!"
I was so angry I almost laughed. Honest advice is hard to swallow, and good intentions are taken for granted. She's just being nosy.
"Fine, let's break up then. Whoever admits defeat is a coward." Lin Xiazhu sneered with a sullen face.
She has a round, fair face and her eyes are like two big, black grapes. Her overall image is soft and cute. However, despite her childlike face, she always pretends to be profound, speaks in an old-fashioned way, and occasionally lets out a cold laugh.
Ugh, that's creepy.
"We won't help you build a house anymore. You'd better figure it out yourself," Zhang Yu shouted angrily.
"Don't flatter yourselves. I paid you for your work. You learned bricklaying from my uncle, and now that you've graduated, you're turning your backs on me. I look down on you. Take it or leave it. With money, I'm not afraid of not being able to hire more people." You brat, you deserve to be scolded. You can't be spoiled.
They had a fight, and the two fell out, completely offending each other.
For the next few months, Zhang Yu and his brothers really stopped coming to help build the house. Lin Shanfu couldn't find any laborers, so he brought his wife Zhao Yinxiu over. Zhao Yinxiu was used to farm work and could do manual labor as well.
However, with so many fewer people, the construction progress slowed down.
Since she was now renting Zhang Yu's house, Lin Xiazhu was considering whether to move out and just stay at the hotel instead. Everyone could squeeze in, and his house could be crammed in for a few months.
During this period, Zhang Yu probably didn't want to meet her. She didn't go home once, nor did she stay at the scrap yard. She went to the county town every day. No one knew where she slept every night, whether under a bridge or in a pavilion.
Zhang Yu's mother was worried, afraid that something had happened to him. She wanted to find him, but she didn't know where to look. He used to like to run around, but no matter how far he went, he would always come back to stay at night. What was he thinking of staying out all night now?
After thinking about it for two days, Lin Xiazhu actually moved her family into the shop. The clothing store had curtains installed, and a bed was placed behind the curtains. The snack shop was more spacious, so she and Lin Chacha went back to Linjia Village to cut some wood and had it sawn into planks.
Then they nailed a small compartment out with wooden planks, which could fit two beds side by side. There was no extra space besides where people could stand.
Zhang Yu's mother didn't know why Lin Xiazhu wanted to move out. Lin Xiazhu only said that she wanted to save money by building a new house.
No rent?
No way. If they don't want to pay rent, she has to move out. Anyway, she doesn't want to pay rent anymore, and she doesn't want to live in someone else's place for free. So what if they're being distant? They're going to move into the shop to live.
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