Chapter 94 Li Li visits a job office
The next day, Gu Yin slept until noon, which was unusual for her. When she woke up, everyone had finished lunch, and her family members were nowhere to be found, not even Gu Shu and the other two.
Gu Yin heated up the dishes, ate them, and then sat in the courtyard to cool off. She took out her phone and started updating her novel, even uploading her saved drafts. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Is anyone home?
"Yes, come in!" Gu Yin put down her phone and looked up at the door.
Hearing the sound, Li Li pushed open the door and entered. Seeing Gu Yin in the yard, he didn't close the door and said somewhat apologetically, "Gu Yin is here. Are Uncle Gu and Second Uncle Gu home?"
Gu Yin pointed to the stool next to her: "Sit down. They're not here. I got up and didn't see them. Is there anything you need them for? You can tell me, and I'll pass it on later."
Li Li limped in, sat down on a stool, and scratched his head: "Well, I'm not going to school anymore. I was thinking of going to G Province to work with the villagers this month, but my grandma is old and I'm worried about leaving her alone at home. But someone like me, who is blind and lame, will have a hard time finding a factory to hire me if I don't have someone I know. So I consulted the village chief, and he told me to come and find your uncle and your father."
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't see in one eye, Li Li would actually be quite good-looking, a rather handsome boy. Yes, handsome, unlike Gu Shu, who was big and burly.
Gu Yin thought for a moment. Her construction site wasn't finished yet, and it wasn't convenient for Li Li to go there. So, the only option was the shop in town. It just so happened that Li Mengxin and Li Xiang had to go to the city to help out from time to time recently. When they weren't home, Gu Shu and the old lady would go over to help. If Li Li went to help, Gu Shu could come back to study, and she could also go to help out during the summer vacation. This way, the old lady wouldn't have to go back and forth so much.
“My family runs a two-dollar store in town, you’ve probably heard about it. We’ve been quite busy lately, but if you don’t mind, you can come and help out. We open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. because it’s summer and it gets dark quite late. There’s a house in the back where you can stay, or you can go home. You can eat on the street or cook your own meals in the back house. The salary is 500 yuan a month, plus 200 yuan for food. I’ll be staying there for the summer. What do you think?”
That's great! He said he could earn over 2,000 a month in G province, but it's far away. Staying in town means he can come back to see his grandma every night and earn 700! He doesn't need much money. 700 a month is about 8,000 a year. He received the compensation before, and his family isn't short of money. He just wants to find a job so he can have a secure future. He knows that living off his savings will eventually lead to financial ruin!
Li Li stood up excitedly: "I'm fine with it! Really! I think it's great! Can you take charge of the household? After all, the town is very close, and the work isn't tiring. What if your family members don't find jobs?"
Gu Yin was afraid he would think she was pitying him, so she smiled and said, "My family does need someone to help out. Before you came, we were planning to have my brother and me go out to look after the shop together. But you know my brother, he got into the city school. The students in the city are very good. He's not smart, so he has to start early and use the summer vacation to study in advance. So your arrival is a great help to him! I can make the decision, don't worry!"
Seeing that she didn't force him, Li Li also remembered that Gu Shu had indeed been admitted to a school in the city. He had even gone to the city to buy books last week, and Gu Shu had mentioned it when Li Li greeted him that morning.
"When can I start work? I'm available anytime!"
"Is tomorrow okay? But you can't tell anyone you're working. If someone asks, just say you're helping a relative. If people in the village ask, just say you're learning how to open a shop so you can open your own one later. Since you're still a minor, we can't hire anyone else. You'll have one day off a week, and you can take whichever day you want, just tell me the day before!"
Li Li nodded seriously: "Okay, I understand. I'll go there tomorrow morning!"
Gu Yin got up, went inside, and took a key, handing it to him: "This is the key to the shop. I was worried that if I was late, you wouldn't be able to get in, so I'm giving you a spare."
Li Li extended both hands to accept it: "I will definitely keep it safe! Well, you go ahead with your work, I'll go home and tell my grandma this good news!"
Gu Yin nodded and saw the person out.
When her family returned home that evening, Gu Yin told them what had happened, and both the old lady and Gu Shu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Li Li is great! This child has always been obedient since he was little, that's good! It's good that Ashu and I don't have to go anymore, the road there is terrible, my old back can hardly take it anymore!" Today Gu Shu rode his bike to give her a ride, and she could hardly stand it after just two round trips. She would rather walk, but walking takes too much time.
Gu Shu nodded. He had seen Li Mingxuan on the street today, and the other man looked at him in surprise, his eyes seeming to say, "How do you still have time to watch the shop? Why don't you hurry up and study!" There was a hint of reproach in his eyes, which made him say that he would only help out for one day and continue studying tomorrow! Li Li would start helping out tomorrow, so he wouldn't have to get up early.
"His bicycle is an old-fashioned 28-inch model. It's too much trouble for him to ride it because of his leg problems. Let him ride mine later! Anyway, we won't use the bike at home!"
Gu Yin nodded: "Then I'll have him come pick it up tomorrow morning."
After dinner, Li Li and his grandmother came to visit.
The old lady was holding two live fish that were still jumping around, each of which looked to weigh about five pounds, and a bag of White Rabbit candy.
"I originally asked Ali to bring it over this morning, but he said it felt like he was putting pressure on me, and he didn't think that was right. I couldn't argue with him, so I went along with it. At noon, he went back and said, 'Come help out at your shop tomorrow, and you'll get 700 yuan a month!' Sister, I won't say much more about how grateful I am. Ali caught this fish at the reservoir last night with the village chief! I've kept it in the water, and it's still jumping around—it's so fresh! Ali bought this candy in town this morning for the kids. I heard the kids all love White Rabbit candy!"
Grandma Gu didn't refuse and took it. That's how it is in the village. If someone helps you, they'll bring you something as a token of their gratitude. If you don't accept it, they won't feel at ease. Anyway, it's not money. I'll just put some more meat in town later so Li Li can eat more.
Seeing her accept it, Old Mrs. Li smiled even more happily: "I'll have to trouble you to take good care of my son Ali from now on. If he does anything wrong, just discipline him! Don't worry about me!"
Li Li nodded in agreement.
After chatting for a while, seeing that Gu Le had yawned, Li Li and Grandma got up to say goodbye.
"Li Li, you can ride this bike to town from now on. Anyway, no one will use it at home, and it will rust if it's not ridden for a long time!" Gu Shu said as he pushed the bike out the door.
"I'll just get my car!"
"Just use mine, trust me. If you ride your bike, you'll be exhausted in two days. The roads are too bad! I won't take you anymore. Grandma Li, be careful on the road!" After saying that, she closed the door before Li Li could refuse again.
Grandma Li patted Li Li's hand: "Push it away. We must remember the kindness others have shown us, not be cunning, and do things conscientiously! And don't reach for anything good you see. If it's not ours, don't touch a single grain of rice, understand?"
Li Li pushed the cart: "I know, Grandma, don't worry! I'll do a good job!"
The two had only taken a few steps when the streetlights outside the Gu family's house came on, making the originally dark road clearly visible.
Looking at the lights that shone far into the distance, Li Li felt as if he were seeing his own life reflected in them. Even though there had been darkness, the future was still bright, as long as he worked hard!
"Grandma, there are still more good people than bad in this world."
"Of course!"
The lamplight cast long shadows of the two people, and the sounds of the car crashing into rocks and the occasional barking of dogs in the village added a touch of joy to the quiet night.
Half an hour after the two walked away, Gu Yin turned off the streetlights.
The family members all went back to their rooms to rest.
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