The twelfth day of the eleventh month.
As dawn broke, preparations were already underway in front of the study.
The men carried bamboo down the mountain with heavy humming, sawing it into sections. These were to be set on fire later to make a loud bang when they exploded – firecrackers, after all, for a festive touch!
Wealthy families in the city could afford special firecrackers, but farmers couldn't afford them and were reluctant to buy them either. However, fish and shrimp had their own ways of getting firecrackers, and bamboo was just as good.
The women dug a pit and piled up stones to make a stove, then placed a large iron pot on top and lit a fire inside, where the firewood crackled and popped.
They brought in large basins of prepared vegetables, drew water from the well in buckets, and brought out bowls and chopsticks to wash.
Aunt Li, who had just drawn water from her own well, shook her arms and sighed, "If only there were a well in front of this school, we wouldn't have to fetch water from so far away to cook. It would save so much effort."
“There aren’t many wells in our village. If there were one in front of the school, the people living in the front wouldn’t have to go to the back to fetch water. And if there were fewer people at the well in the back, we wouldn’t have to queue. Aunt Li’s suggestion is great!” Zhang Hui agreed while washing the dishes.
Sun Jinhua was also among the people helping out. Every household in the village had to send someone to help. She was responsible for tasks that didn't involve oil or food, such as washing dishes. When she heard about digging a well in front of the school, her mind immediately started working.
Her house is at the entrance of the village, closest to the village gate! Naturally, it's close to the school. If a well were dug in front of the school, wouldn't her family be the biggest beneficiary?
She quickly stated her opinion: "Okay, okay, I agree to dig a well!"
"Sigh, digging a well is expensive, isn't it? When we have more money in the future, maybe every household will be willing to dig a well in front of their own door for their own water use. Right now, even digging a public well probably wouldn't be cheap," Aunt Zhang sighed.
The villagers are living a better life, but digging a well costs two or three taels of silver. Who would be willing to spend that much?
There is plenty of water in front of the village, so people can wash clothes in the lake, river, or pond. It's just a matter of walking a little further. Drinking water is fetched from the well, and no one is willing to spend an extra two or three taels of silver to dig another well.
The bookstore might be dug in the future, but not now. For one thing, we can't find anyone to dig a well.
Sun Jinhua was displeased upon hearing this and muttered, "Who said there's no money? I've heard that our village has public funds now. What's wrong with using them to dig a well?"
That money was meant for the villagers to spend, for the good of the village. What's the point of keeping it if not spending it?
Aunt Li rolled her eyes at Sun Jinhua, but instead of refuting her, she went along with it and said, "Yes, yes, of course we have to spend money. It's inconvenient to use water, so we'll dig a well. It's also inconvenient to cook. I think we'll need to build a stove! There are quite a few people in our village, so I reckon we'll need at least three big pots to make it manageable."
But just building a stove won't do; we need a kitchen to shelter us from the wind and rain, right? Would building another kitchen be feasible?
The kitchen is also made of bricks and tiles, clean and sturdy. The amount of silver we have with the old village chief is about right. Even if it's not enough, it doesn't matter. We're all from the same village; what's wrong with contributing a little silver for the good of the village?
The thought that not only would she not have money to eat banquets in the future, but she would also have to pay out of her own pocket made Sun Jinhua's face turn as black as the bottom of a pot.
Having enough to eat is the most important thing. If there's no food, what's the point of building a stove or a kitchen?
The others held back their laughter and remained silent.
That silver was earned by the men of the village at great personal risk. They can use it wherever they want. If Sun Jinhua only cared about her own water convenience, she could have spent the money to dig a well instead of scheming for the silver that belonged to the village head!
A well might be dug later, but it could be funded by each household in the village contributing some money, without using public funds.
Sun Jinhua gave a cold snort, feeling that these women were doing it on purpose. They lived at the back of the village and couldn't enjoy the well, so they were making all sorts of obstructions.
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