Chapter 95 Peanuts
"Why mention wages? The people living in the front and back yards all get along very well. There's not much to do in the winter, so it will only take a day at most to build it for you."
Brother Liu laughed heartily, indicating that this was no trouble at all.
I immediately shook my head: "No, no, no, even close brothers should keep clear accounts. The wages must be paid. We'll go to the base center to get some more bricks later."
"Why are you building bricks at the base? Several families in our town were building houses when the extreme cold hit, and the bricks are still piled up there now."
"Oh, no one took it?"
I had never noticed before whether there were piles of bricks in the town.
"Now there are so few people living to the same age, and so many houses, but nobody really uses the bricks."
Brother Liu thought for a moment and continued, "Perhaps it will become more sought after in the future, but right now the extreme cold has just ended, and everyone is busy farming to solve the problem of food and clothing."
“That makes sense. It’s really time for me to reinforce the courtyard wall now.”
Hearing that there are free bricks to use, it's a really good decision to start building the courtyard wall in winter.
It's a pity, though, because I specifically changed the bricks when I built the pigsty.
“Yeah, let’s just find a few people and move it. You have a truck to take it home. The bricks at the base still need to be replaced, why waste money on that?”
My older brother is really kind; he always thinks of me.
"Brother Liu, could you help me figure out how to pay my wages? I've already taken eggs and rice."
"Everyone knows each other, so just give them whatever you want. Even if you don't give them anything, they can still help out in the winter when there's not much to do."
The older brother scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed to say how much he would be paid.
"How many people should we hire?"
I can decide on the wages myself, but I need to see how many people there are first.
“Three people are enough to build a courtyard wall, but they still need to carry bricks, so four people will do. Four people are enough.”
My older brother thought about it for a while and gave me the exact quantity.
"Then let's give each person 25 jin of rice and half a box of eggs. I took 100 jin of rice and two boxes of eggs, which is easy to divide among four people, hehe."
If there are only 4 people, this should be enough.
"That's enough, that's enough. Rice is so precious these days, and most people can't even afford eggs. Giving me something so valuable is way too much."
When I heard that it was enough, I felt relieved. My chickens lay so many eggs every day that I can't even eat them all.
“Let’s talk another day. Let’s go build the wall now. The sooner it’s built, the sooner you’ll be safe.”
Brother Liu got up to leave as he spoke.
"Oh, there's still time. Go and call for help first. I'll chat with the girl for a bit longer."
Seeing her brother-in-law about to leave in such a hurry, Sister Liu spoke up to stop him.
Brother Liu hummed in agreement, then turned and went out to call for help.
Only Aunt Liu and I were left in the house.
"Aunt Liu, may I see those two puppies?"
I carefully chose my words and made a request: I wanted to see the two little ones, as I hadn't seen them since arriving and was feeling a little uneasy.
"Okay, okay, oh dear, I had almost forgotten about it if you hadn't mentioned it."
When Aunt Liu heard me say I wanted to see the dog, she pulled me outside.
"It's not at my house, it's at Old Wang's house. His house is warmer than mine, so the dog won't suffer there."
As we walked into the house across the street, Aunt Liu explained to me.
As soon as the heavy cotton curtain was lifted, two dogs rolled out like little balls of flesh.
But they didn't come for me; they came for Aunt Liu.
The two puppies rubbed against Liu's legs, their tails wagging and leaving afterimages.
"Hey, you two, stop fooling around! Come and see who's here."
Aunt Liu stopped the two puppies and forced their heads toward me.
The two dogs were overjoyed when they looked up and saw me.
I crouched down, and they both rushed over.
Yes, I've grown up and gotten fatter; my belly is as big as a ball.
I touched their plump bodies and realized they were eating really well.
Each dog was wearing a close-fitting little sweater, which looked rather comical.
However, it's immediately obvious that it has indeed received great affection from its owner.
That puts my mind at ease.
Is the owner of this house not home?
I cuddled with the dog for a while, but still didn't see anyone come out of the house.
"Oh, Old Wang's family went to work at the base, so the door is open. We don't have any outsiders coming here."
As Aunt Liu watched the dog cuddling with me, she explained.
After a while, I stood up. These two little guys were doing well, so I had nothing to worry about.
He said to Aunt Liu, "Let's go back, Aunt Liu."
"Aren't you going to enjoy it for a little while longer? It's been so long, you must have missed it!"
"Haha, just look, you guys take really good care of the dog."
We chatted as we walked back.
As we approached the door, Aunt Liu pulled me toward the kitchen, talking as we walked.
"It's not easy for a young girl like you to live alone. I'll get you something nice to eat."
As he spoke, he pulled out a crumpled plastic bag, which was filled to the brim with peanuts, the peanuts still covered in dirt.
"These peanuts are from our own garden. You probably don't have them. Most people don't have these kinds of seeds. Take some home and fry them. They're not only delicious, but they're also good for your health."
I did overlook peanut seeds when I was stocking up, so I don't have any crushed peanuts to add to my cooking.
But beyond the joy of having peanuts, there was even more emotion.
"Sister Liu talks incessantly, just like my mother used to. In the morning, she would nag me to study hard before I went to school, and she would even give me milk."
Tears welled up in my eyes and streamed down my face.
"Why are you crying again, you little rascal? You can't keep crying like this, it's bad luck if you cry every day."
Aunt Liu took out her cotton sleeve to wipe my tears, and then handed me a large bag of peanuts in their shells.
"Thank you, Aunt Liu. Can these peanuts be planted?"
"Sure, you can keep some. They can be planted next spring. If you want to plant them, I'll plant some more for you."
As she spoke, she bent down, wanting to give me more.
"That's enough, that's enough."
I quickly tried to stop them.
The sound of several men talking could be heard outside; it seemed Brother Liu had returned with the help he had found.
I looked up at the door, my eyes still wet. I was afraid someone would notice, and I felt a little embarrassed.
Besides Brother Liu, he also contacted Taozi, the brother who used to help me build the chicken coop, and another person I didn't recognize.
“You know Taozi and my brother. This is Lao Wang, he’s capable and reliable.”
"Hello, Brother Wang."
I smiled and nodded at the man I didn't know. I could only call Brother Liu's brother Second Brother.
"I'll call you Brother Liu from now on."
Although it didn't sound very nice, I really didn't know what else to call him, so I said it like that to the man who was helping me build the chicken coop.
"Okay, okay, hahaha."
Brother Liu agreed immediately, but the group burst into laughter, as if they all found the name Brother Liu a bit funny.
Taozi looked at me without saying anything, but he was clearly quite happy.
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