After finishing her meal, Zhuang Zhimeng packed up the remaining steamed buns and gave two to the old man who pulled the oxcart.
"Grandpa, thank you for your help! Here are two steamed buns for you. Thank you for watching our package." Zhuang Zhimeng handed the steamed buns to the old man.
"No trouble at all! How could I accept such precious grain from you?" the old man quickly declined.
"Sir, please accept it! It's not good for people to see us passing it around like this." Zhuang Zhimeng quickly persuaded him, and Jiang Yanxia and Su Mengmeng also came to help persuade him.
The old man saw that the children all wanted him to accept the food, so he had no choice but to. He carefully put it away, not wanting to eat it himself, but to take it back for his grandson. Zhuang Zhimeng saw this but didn't say anything.
"You young educated youths are really great. From now on, just call me Uncle An! If you want to go to town, just come find me, and I'll take you there," Uncle An said sincerely to the three of them.
The oxcart doesn't go to town every day, only twice a week. With Uncle An's promise, it will be much more convenient for them to come to town, so making an exception for them isn't out of the question.
When it was time to go back, the old ladies and aunties were astonished to see the enormous package in front of the oxcart.
"Whose package is this? It's so big! How much stuff is in it?"
Zhuang Zhimeng silently raised her hand, while the older women pursed their lips, yet still felt it was reasonable.
Look at what Zhuang, the educated youth, is wearing—it's made of polyester, which isn't cheap. You can tell she must have been pampered at home. She's also quite pretty and delicate; you can tell she's never suffered any hardship.
The older women looked at what each other had bought, exchanged a few words, and then fell silent; they were all tired.
Back in the village, Zhuang Zhimeng picked up the package and the things she had bought at the supply and marketing cooperative that day, holding them in her left and right hands.
The older women were shocked and gained a clearer understanding of Zhuang Zhimeng's strength.
Shi Hongye has returned. Because she didn't want to spend money eating at a state-run restaurant, she didn't stay in town for long.
Seeing the large package Zhuang Zhimeng brought in, she was filled with intense jealousy. Since Zhuang Zhimeng had just spoken to her that morning, she was too embarrassed to approach Zhuang Zhimeng again, fearing she'd be beaten. She could only watch longingly, wishing she could snatch it and claim it for herself!
Zhuang Zhimeng didn't open the package. She was moving in a few days, so she could open it then.
He placed it on the bed and turned his head to meet Shi Hongye's gaze. His eyes immediately shot over. Shi Hongye didn't know why, but when she met Zhuang Zhimeng's sharp eyes, she didn't dare to look directly at her and guiltily looked away.
Zhuang Zhimeng couldn't be bothered with her. If things got really bad, she could just beat her up and she'd behave.
Zhuang Zhimeng and Jiang Yanxia put their things down and left the educated youth settlement. Jiang Yanxia also had a package, but neither of them opened it.
Su Mengmeng was already waiting outside, and the three of them went to the brigade headquarters together.
The brigade leader stamped the written document with the official seal of the Anyang brigade and had them sign it.
The three men saw the contents and, finding them to be as agreed, signed their names. Each of them then gave the team leader 50 yuan.
"Let's go take a look at the land we approved for your residential buildings." After saying that, the team leader led them outside.
Upon arriving at the site, they saw that the plot of land was quite large, and all three were very satisfied.
"Thank you for your help, Uncle. We are all quite satisfied," Zhuang Zhimeng said on behalf of the group.
"Alright, you can go to work as usual tomorrow. I'll have some villagers help you build the houses, and we'll pay you after they're finished. Tell us your requirements now, so you don't complain after the houses are built," the team leader said.
"Uncle, I'd like to add another bathroom," Zhuang Zhimeng quickly suggested.
"Uncle, we can all build the same kind of house, and add a bathroom to each one," Su Mengmeng chimed in.
The captain looked at Jiang Yanxia, who quickly nodded, "Same."
"Do you want a kang (heated brick bed) or just a wooden board as a bed? If you want a kang, we'll build one for you. In Northeast China, kangs are the norm. In winter, the firewood used for cooking heats the kang, making it quite warm. If we install a heated wall, everything will be fine," the brigade leader suggested.
"We need a kang (heated brick bed), thank you Uncle Baogen for your help." The three thanked the brigade leader.
"Okay, it's no trouble at all, it's a piece of cake. I'll finish it for you in two days." The brigade leader was really afraid that they would make troublesome requests. In the past, some educated youth would ask for this or that, and what should have been finished in two days would have taken five days.
After finishing his business, the captain waved and walked away with his hands behind his back.
"That's great! In a few days we'll be able to live in our own house! Ah! Life is so wonderful! Zhimeng, don't you think so?" Jiang Yanxia jumped up and down, holding Zhuang Zhimeng's hand.
Zhuang Zhimeng sensed Jiang Yanxia's happiness and smiled contentedly herself. Yes, life is wonderful, and there's hope for the future!
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