Xu Ping felt a little regretful, but her family really couldn't do without her at the moment. Two years passed like this, and her younger sister Xu An went to a nearby primary school for children of migrant workers. She finally had more time than before.
In the morning, after the whole family finished breakfast, some went to work, some went to school, and some set up stalls, Xu Ping tied two-year-old Xu Fufu on his back and "explored" the nearby streets and alleys.
She has always been good at hands-on work. When she first arrived here two years ago, the beds in her home could not accommodate so many people. Xu's father asked the landlord to provide them with another bed, but the landlord refused.
It was when Xu Ping was strolling in the village that he picked up a dirty old bed board. After cleaning it, he used bricks as support legs and connected it with the two original beds in the house to form a large bunk bed, which improved living conditions.
Because of this, she discovered that in this urban village where every household makes their living by renting out their houses, the population is moving very fast, and old items abandoned by people who have moved can often be seen on the streets and alleys.
From wardrobes and beds, old bedding and rags to pots and pans, trash cans, and even cats and dogs abandoned by bad owners, such "good" things would never be thrown away casually if they were in their hometown.
So she picked up some of them, washed them, and sold them to newcomers to the village, gradually saving some money. During this period, she also rented a metal storage room from the landlord for 50 yuan a month to store these "second-hand" items.
The money for the family’s meals and snacks for her younger siblings was all paid from this money. By the time she was 20 years old, she had saved tens of thousands of yuan.
Because she remembered that when she just left her hometown, her second aunt stuffed a hundred yuan in her hand and quietly told her to "be more careful in everything and go to school", she never told her parents about the deposit, but applied for a card and deposited the money in the bank.
In the past few years, sisters Xu Ping and Xu An have also obtained household registration. Thanks to the census, the Xu family only paid a small fine this time.
Xu Daming and Liu Xiaocui knew that their daughter was weird and often picked up some "junk". They told her several times, but she didn't listen. However, they no longer had to pay for the family's groceries, and the housework was never delayed. Moreover, the eldest daughter often bought snacks for the two younger children, so they no longer objected to their daughter becoming a rag king.
Besides, who would have thought that picking up scraps occasionally could save so much money? They also thought that after paying the rent for the tin house and buying groceries and snacks on a daily basis, there shouldn't be much left.
As for Xu Daming and Liu Xiaocui, they had been drifting in Beijing for so many years, but they had not bought a house and had not saved any money. All their busy work turned out to be in vain.
By the time Xu An entered junior high school and Xu Fufu had already started the second grade of elementary school, Xu Ping suddenly became even more idle. At that time, there was a waste recycling station opened by an Anyang person in the village, and since then, there was almost no good stuff to be found nearby.
Xu Ping wanted to find a job, but she didn't even have a junior high school education, so she could only follow Liu Xiaocui to do cleaning and housekeeping. She was young and had no future. The housekeeping company would also take a commission, and even this job was very unstable.
One day, she went to a retired cadre's home to do housekeeping service, but was molested by the old man in the house. She slapped the old rogue in the face and ran away before finishing the work. The old rogue complained to the housekeeping company first and called to complain about her, saying that she had stolen one of his watches and beat up her employer when he found out.
The housekeeping company immediately wanted to help the indignant employer call the police, but the old rogue's attitude suddenly withered: "Forget it, forget it. She's still a young girl. Young people make mistakes occasionally. She should be forgiven. Just ask her to come to my house and apologize to me, and I won't pursue this matter."
The housekeeping company asked Xu Ping to go over and find out what was going on. Her face turned red, but she refused to say anything.
After the people in the company told her the customer's complaint and demands, her cheeks turned red and she turned around and ran away from the company, but she picked up a bamboo pole on the way and went straight to the old gangster's house.
When the old rogue heard her knocking on the door, he thought she was here to apologize, so he proudly opened the door and raised his chin to ridicule her, but he was suddenly hit on the legs and arms by the bamboo stick in her hand. He screamed and dodged, and was hit all over his body.
A neighbor heard the noise and called the police for him. When the police arrived and understood the situation, the old gangster was shocked. He endured the pain all over his body and the scars on his face and said that they were just joking and there was no need to trouble the police.
The police asked Xu Ping again. Xu Ping had endured it again and again. After she vented her anger, the courage in her heart suddenly disappeared along with her anger, and she did not explain.
After the police left, Xu Ping angrily spat at the old gangster and cursed, "Shameless!"
The old rogue was extremely nervous. He even felt that his neighbors were watching the excitement with cold eyes. From then on, he became worried. Not long after, he sold the house and returned to his hometown.
At the age of 21, Xu Ping lost her job. She didn't tell anyone about the old gangster's sexual harassment. After staying at home for a month, she couldn't stand it anymore. The landlord's youngest son just bought a small truck and needed someone to help load and unload the goods. She took the opportunity to recommend herself while the landlord was washing the car at the door.
He looked her up and down in astonishment, shook his head and refused, "No, no, you can't."
Xu Ping: "Why can't I do it? What's so difficult about loading and unloading? I'm as strong as you!" After saying that, she saw 60 cm square cement bricks placed at the door. She rolled up her sleeves, picked up one of them with great haste, and walked around the truck without stumbling before putting the brick back in its place.
The landlord's youngest son was delighted. "Okay, then you can try. I haven't found anyone suitable right now anyway. After I wash my car, I'll go to Nanhua Market to pick up a truckload of rice for someone. 50 kilograms per bag. They'll take care of loading the truck, and we'll deliver it to the destination and move it to the store. I'll give you two yuan per bag. Do you want to do it?"
Xu Ping: “Done!”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
