In the stone house at the end of the village, Grandpa Lin called people from every household.
The house was crowded with villagers; some were standing, some were squatting, and some were leaning against the wall, all with a look of fatigue and worry on their faces.
Grandpa Lin had a kind face. Although he was over sixty years old, he was still very energetic. He held a steelyard weight and was weighing the grain brought by each household, stone by stone.
His movements were so skillful that he could easily grab a portion of grain with a single hand.
"Although Village Chief Wang said we can stay in the stone house temporarily, it's only temporary, not a long-term solution. We need to make plans as soon as possible," Grandpa Lin said earnestly to the villagers around him while busy with his work.
His voice was not loud, but every word was clear.
Upon hearing this, someone in the crowd couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, you are a man of great experience and wisdom. Do you know how much money it would cost to build a decent house in Peach Blossom Village?"
The one asking the question was Li Laosan from the village. His family was large, and their stone house was cramped. He longed for a house of his own.
Grandpa Lin put down the scales, thought for a moment, and replied, "I asked my second son to inquire in the village. If we don't care about using better materials, the total cost, including labor and materials, will be about twenty taels of silver."
Upon hearing this, several soft sighs rippled through the crowd.
Some people, whose finances were not in good hands, couldn't help but let out a long sigh;
Some breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly realized that their actions seemed somewhat inappropriate, so they quickly composed themselves and put on a worried look.
Twenty taels of silver was a huge sum of money for these villagers who had just fled from disaster.
---
The Cui family.
“Our family has enough money, but in my opinion, no one in the village seems to be able to come up with so much money all at once. I’m thinking we might as well stay here for a while and start planning to build a house when the time is right,” Qin said slowly as she ate her food.
She paused briefly, then continued, "Also, our Erlang's education is a big deal, and we need to set aside funds for that! Things are different now than before, so you'd better remember this: no matter who asks us for money, we absolutely cannot agree!"
The Cui family was a very wealthy family when they lived in Stone Village, but now that they have settled in Peach Garden Village, none of them are well-off.
Qin dared not be the first to speak out. What if another family borrowed money from her? How would she survive in the future?
Although Qin Shi said she was discussing it with Cui Yuanshan, she had already made up her mind and was just trying to persuade Cui Yuanshan.
"Don't worry, I've always helped out in the past whenever I could, and now that our family is in need of money, I certainly won't do anything foolish."
After saying this, Cui Yuanshan fell silent.
On the other hand, Chen Chunhua had a completely different mindset.
She wasn't worried at all about anyone coming to her house to borrow money, because her family's situation wasn't much better.
Before fleeing the disaster, the family's money was barely enough to get by. Later, in order to escape the disaster, even the tuition fees that they had saved for their son to go to school were all spent.
These days, it's already difficult enough to maintain a daily life, let alone build a house.
Chen Chunhua was someone who couldn't keep things to herself, and that night she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Wang Degui understood his wife's worries, so early the next morning, he took his son Wang Chengwu to Grandpa Lin's house to find a solution.
In the days that followed, Wang Degui and Wang Chengwu left early and returned late, always looking disheveled and dirty when they came home each night.
His clothes were covered in dust and sweat, and even the soles of his shoes were worn thin.
Wang Xiuxiu saw this and felt a little uncomfortable.
"Father, elder brother, wash your face."
When Wang Xiuxiu saw the two return, she brought them a basin of water.
"Father, where have you been? Why are you all so tired every day?"
Wang Degui wiped his face, glanced at the towel in Wang Xiuxiu's hand, and dodged away, only shaking the water off his hands.
“Your brother and I went to the dock to move goods. It was tiring, but the pay was pretty good. We need to hurry up and save money so we can build the house as soon as possible.”
Hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu felt a pang of sadness and even had the urge to do something for her family.
She bit her lip and said softly, "Father, elder brother, please don't overwork yourselves. Your health is the most important thing."
Wang Chengwu, the eldest brother, patted Wang Xiuxiu on the shoulder, which was unusual for him. He smiled and said in a relaxed manner, "It's okay. What kind of hardship haven't we farmers endured? This little bit of work is nothing. Once we save enough money and build a new house, life will be better."
Before dawn the next day, Wang Degui and Wang Chengwu quietly got up and went out in the dark.
Listening to their quiet movements, Wang Xiuxiu felt a mix of emotions.
She lifted the covers, quietly walked to the window, and watched their figures gradually disappear into the morning mist.
At the dock, people came and went, and goods were piled up like mountains.
As soon as Wang Degui and Wang Chengwu arrived at their destination, they immediately threw themselves into their busy work.
They carried heavy sacks, making trip after trip between the cargo ships and the warehouses.
The sacks contained both grain and cloth, each one heavy enough to make them unable to straighten their backs.
"Dad, take it easy, don't tire yourself out." Wang Chengwu couldn't help but remind his father when he saw large beads of sweat on his forehead.
Wang Degui waved his hand, panting heavily: "It's okay, I can still manage. We need to hurry up, make more trips, and earn more money."
Wang Chengwu nodded.
By the end of the day, the shoulders of the father and son were red and swollen from being rubbed by the burlap sacks.
As evening fell, they dragged their exhausted bodies home, too weak even to speak.
----
Although Wang Xiuxiu has always harbored resentment towards the Wang family, she has recently noticed that the family seems to have changed somewhat.
Wang Degui and Wang Chengwu leave early and return late every day, so tired that they can't even speak, but they never complain.
Although Chen Chunhua always said that money was important, she would secretly cook a bowl of hot soup for the father and son at night and quietly place it by their bedside.
Even Hong Xiaodong, who was always slacking off, would consciously follow Wang Xiuxiu to the fields to weed without being urged.
This change, like a warm current, quietly melted the frost in Wang Xiuxiu's heart.
She began to realize that, despite the dilapidated state of the home, everyone was working towards a common goal of change.
Regardless of what the future holds, for now, the dream of building a new house acts like an invisible bond, tightly connecting the Wang family.
Wang Xiuxiu gradually felt a pang of guilt.
She felt she shouldn't remain uninvolved.
She did not completely let her guard down around the Wang family.
She still harbored doubts about the Wang family.
But she still wanted to do something, even if it was just a small contribution.
Unable to withdraw the money directly, she could only resort to indirect methods.
Wang Xiuxiu thought of the village chief's daughter.
The girl was about the same age as her and liked to collect delicate little trinkets.
Wang Xiuxiu spent time making several sachets and handkerchiefs, all embroidered with exquisite patterns and specially scented with fragrant flowers, giving them a pleasant aroma.
She took the embroidery to the village chief's house, claiming it was a gift for the village chief's daughter.
The village chief's daughter was immediately captivated by the embroidery and chatted with Wang Xiuxiu for a long time.
Wang Xiuxiu took the opportunity to chat with her about her family situation, mentioning how hard her father and brother worked at the dock.
The village chief's daughter felt sympathy upon hearing this and offered to intercede on her behalf to her father.
A few days later, the village chief indeed found Wang Degui.
The door opened, and Wang Degui looked at the village chief with a puzzled expression.
The village chief cut to the chase and asked, "Degui, I've come to ask if you and your eldest son would be willing to guard the fishpond in our village?"
It turns out that everyone in the village was busy with farm work in their own fields and simply didn't have time to look after the fishpond.
Although the pay wasn't great, it was much easier than the hard and tiring work of unloading cargo at the dock, and you didn't have to worry about wearing yourself out.
Wang Degui did not immediately respond after hearing this; he was still pondering it in his mind.
However, at that moment, Chen Chunhua, who was standing to the side, readily agreed without hesitation: "Thank you, village chief! Don't worry, my family will take this job seriously and do a great job for you!"
You should know that Wang Degui and Wang Chengwu have been working at the docks for days, moving goods from dawn till dusk, so tired that their eyes have sunken in.
Chen Chunhua saw this and was worried that the two pillars of the family would collapse from overwork.
Now that she finally has a job that can both earn money to support her family and is relatively easy, Chen Chunhua doesn't care about building a house anymore. She just hopes that her family can live a peaceful and safe life.
As the atmosphere at home gradually eased, Wang Xiuxiu felt much more relaxed.
She knew that what she was doing was insignificant, but at least it made them suffer less.
Wang Xiuxiu stood in the courtyard, looking at the fishpond under the setting sun, and silently thought: Perhaps, this family is really slowly getting better.
If that's the case, then she's willing to contribute her own strength to this family.
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