This is an old house that has been lived in for thirty or forty years and is made of yellow mud. Although it is warm in winter and cool in summer, it is too dark inside, especially in winter, when the windows are sealed tightly and no light can get in.
In addition, Mrs. Tian is old now and doesn't work much. She just sits on the kang to sew clothes and weave things. She is reluctant to turn on the lights, and any dimmer light is not good for her eyes.
Since she came back, Tian Tian has seen Old Lady Tian wiping away tears several times.
"What you are saying is, how much does it cost to build a house? Besides, our house is fine, why should we build a new one? Aren't all the houses in the brigade like this?" Lin Meiyu said.
She had money in her hands. They had not actually used the small thousand yuan that Old Mrs. Tian had given her before. It had always been in her hands. However, they just couldn't bear to spend it. They always felt that the money would definitely be useful in the future.
"Look, it's so dark inside the house, and you're still making straw mats and hemp ropes inside. How bad is that for your eyes? The house has been here for so many years, and every year you have to patch up the roof with straw. You might as well just build a new one from scratch, with big blue bricks and red tiles on top. It looks bright and solid."
"Besides, what if no one in the team builds it? If no one builds it, we will be the first one to build it. We can't live a good life just because other people in the team are not living a good life, right?"
Tian Tian knew that Lin Meiyu was worried about the money, "Mom, don't worry, I will pay for the house when the time comes."
"You pay?" Lin Meiyu looked at Tian Tian suspiciously, "Where did you get so much money?"
She knew that Tian Tian's school gave money to her, but Tian Tian had to spend that money on food and drink and going out every month, so she could only save a few dollars. The big blue brick and tile house was not cheap, with each blue brick and each red tile. A house would cost at least several thousand dollars, which would be dozens of dollars.
"I didn't study English. When I was in school, teachers often asked me to help others translate. It cost dozens of yuan to translate a manuscript. Now I am a wealthy woman!"
Their school specifically brought in a lot of translation manuscripts for these graduating students to practice. If the translation is good, they will not only pay you, but also extend an olive branch to you.
Several people in their class continued to pursue a career in translation because they accepted the invitation from those people.
Tian Tian didn't want to be a translator because she felt it was too tiring, so she chose to be an English teacher. However, those people who sometimes needed translation would come to Tian Tian.
The price of translating a document is not low. Tian Tian has saved up a small fortune from translation, and has also saved a lot of money from Li Jiuniang's business.
After graduation, Li Jiuniang did not look for a job in another factory, but went into business, reselling things from the south and then selling them in the north.
Now Li Jiuniang resells a wide variety of things, including various electrical appliances and bicycles, but the main thing is clothes.
Li Jiuliang also built a factory, designed a clothing brand, and rented a store in the capital specifically to sell her clothes. He even had one in the place where she went to school.
When Li Jiuniang was planning to build a factory, Tian Tian invested some money in it. Now she is considered a shareholder of Li Jiuniang's clothing brand and receives huge dividends every month.
As for being short of money, Tian Tian really has it, but apart from the money from translation, which she can tell Lin Meiyu, she absolutely cannot tell Lin Meiyu about the money from her business. If Lin Meiyu knows about it, she will be scared to death and will not let Tian Tian do this business.
"Do you really make that much money as a translator?" Lin Meiyu asked curiously at first, and then rejected Tian Tian's idea of paying her. "You should keep the money you earn. When you get married, you will have many other places to spend money. I don't need your money."
"Mom, just take the money. I have enough money for sure. Besides, when I go to work next year, there will be dormitories and canteens there, and it won't cost me much. The money won't grow if you save it here. You might as well renovate the house and make it look more spacious." Tian Tian continued to persuade Lin Meiyu.
"Besides, I'm getting married soon. My brothers and sisters may have children sooner or later. I will definitely have one in the future. There will be more and more people in our family. You see, this old house can't accommodate them at all."
"My sister-in-law and Gu Zhao are from the city. Although they don't dislike our house, there are still many inconveniences in this old house. Why don't we repair the house and build a new toilet? They will be happy to come back and live here, right?"
"Look at how dark this house is in the winter. There's no light at all in the house, and you guys are reluctant to use electric lights. Your eyes will be damaged by then!"
"There's no need to discuss this. It's settled. Let my dad and Gu Zhao go out and find a brick and tile factory and order a batch of bricks and tiles. We'll put them in our yard. After the New Year and spring planting, you can start building the house."
Tian Tian finally made a decision and didn't want to say anything more to Lin Meiyu. She turned around and prepared to go out and bring back a bundle of firewood.
"Wait a minute!" Lin Meiyu quickly grabbed him.
"Sit here!" Lin Meiyu pushed Tian Tian onto the stool. "Why are you spending this money? You're going to get married in the provincial capital, so you and Gu Zhao should have your own house, right? Although they will provide housing to employees, it's so difficult to get one. It's not uncommon for it to be your turn after four or five years. You two should rent a house first, and renting a house is another expense."
"Just listen to what's going on at my mother's place. You don't have to worry about it. You and Tian Yuan don't stay here often anyway. You can only come back to stay for one night during the Chinese New Year. It doesn't matter if your house is a little shabby. You've lived here for so many years. How come you've always lived like this? When your second aunt and her family lived here, no one complained that it was too crowded. Why did your second aunt move out? Do you think the house is too small?"
"Mom! I really can't spend much money there! And I've already discussed with Gu Zhao that we won't move after we get married. We'll just live in Gu Zhao's house. You don't know that Gu Zhao's house is very big, a three-story building, and there are only three people living in it. Gu Zhao's mother even said that there is no one in the house, it's so empty and scary."
"It would be fine if there was no room at home, but he has several bedrooms at home, and none of them are occupied. Why should we move out?"
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