Another thing is that I want to move out of that cowshed as soon as possible, so I don't have to live with Li Qiang, that bloodsucker, anymore, otherwise I won't even know how I died.
Apart from Ye Chenming and his sister, who were focused on finishing the work, the other three had their own thoughts and their movements slowed down.
Ye Chenming keenly sensed the strangeness of the three people and quickly told Ye Chen'er to be on high alert and not to stray too far from him. Ye Chen'er glanced at them and sighed helplessly, wondering when this kind of life would end.
Two days later, all the garbage was cleaned up. On a dark and windy night, the old bachelor took a shovel and dug out a box from his own land. He hurriedly returned to his temporary residence and, by the dim light of a kerosene lamp, opened the box.
Inside the box were two gleaming gold bracelets and a vintage gold hairpin. The old bachelor was overjoyed. He had learned some things while he was in prison: there were people in the town who bought these kinds of things, and the prices were quite fair.
The gold in the box was clearly all antique, especially the large green bead on the hairpin. I wonder what it was made of; it must have been a very valuable item.
The old bachelor hid the bracelet and hairpin in the inside pocket of his clothes, planning to go to town the next day to see if he could sell them for a good price.
He took leave under the pretext of going to town to see if there was any rice or grain to buy, and headed straight for the town. Along the way, he secretly inquired and searched, and finally a person who seemed to be in charge came out.
The old bachelor followed the man into a room and asked him what he wanted to exchange. Looking into the man's shrewd eyes, the old bachelor felt nervous and took out a gold bracelet from his pocket and handed it over.
"This is something my mother left me for when I got married. I'm so poor I can't even afford to eat, so I'm thinking of exchanging this for some money, grain, or noodles. Could you help me exchange it?" The old bachelor realized the danger and had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.
"Just a bracelet, nothing else," the man said, glancing sideways at the old bachelor.
"That's good, this was my grandma's dowry. She managed to hide it, but it still got broken in my hands," the old bachelor said cleverly.
The man suppressed his urge to search her, weighed the bracelet in his hand, and waved his hand: "Bring me fifty catties of cornmeal."
Someone came in, left a sack, and left. The old bachelor felt a little reluctant. Such a big gold bracelet was being exchanged for only fifty catties of cornmeal. It was such a loss, especially since the bracelet was an antique.
The man then pulled out five yuan and said, "That's all. Do you want to exchange it or not?"
The man's gaze toward the old bachelor began to turn fierce. The old bachelor's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly nodded, bowing and scraping, saying, "There's no food left at home, of course we'll exchange it."
After putting down five yuan and carrying fifty jin of cornmeal, the old bachelor left. The man waved again, and a figure walked out from the side, following the old bachelor at a distance.
Li Qiang and his sister, along with Ye Chenming and his sister, stood in front of the village chief: "Village chief, we really don't know how to build houses. Why don't you find someone who knows how to build them to teach us? Otherwise, we really don't know how."
The village chief waved his hand: "You just need to clean up that piece of land, you don't need to worry about the rest."
Village Chief Ma still found Yan Xiaoqiang and a few others to renovate Widow Zhang's house until it was habitable. As for the work points, they were simply deducted from the old bachelor's account. If it wasn't enough this year, they would continue to deduct it next year until it was all gone.
Yan Xiaoqiang was truly skilled at house repairs. In just two or three days, he had the house all neat and tidy. Ye Chenming and his sister watched carefully and learned diligently how to unclog the kang (heated brick bed), how to add a roof, and how to repair the wooden windows. They learned everything quite well.
Ye Chenming, in particular, already had some knowledge of machinery and construction, and now he had the opportunity to put it into practice. He followed Yan Xiaoqiang closely and learned the ropes very well.
It was only at this point that Yan Xiaoqiang gained a certain understanding of Ye Chenming. Although he admired Ye Chenming's intelligence and hard work, he thought that if Ye Chenming tried to scheme against his daughter, he should get as far away as possible.
The old bachelor was furious when he saw that the village chief had actually asked Yan Xiaoqiang to help repair his house. He wanted to vent his anger but dared not, so he could only express his anger with his eyes. Yan Xiaoqiang, of course, felt this gaze, gave him a cold smile, and raised his fist threateningly, the meaning of which was very clear.
The old bachelor hated Yan Xiaoqiang to the core. If it weren't for the large amount of grain that Yan Xiaoqiang's family had to tempt him, he would never have stolen the grain and gotten caught.
What's the use of being hateful? He's no match for Yan Xiaoqiang. Seeing the other's fist, he involuntarily shrank back. Li Qiang saw all of this and couldn't help but start to be wary of the Yan family. The men of the Yan family are tough nuts to crack.
The house has been renovated and the old bachelor has started a normal life, but he is particularly enthusiastic about criticizing Li Qiang and Li Ping every day. He throws away every piece of mud that should be thrown and curses every word that should be cursed, which makes the two of them very annoyed and they don't understand what the old bachelor is trying to do.
Li Qiang finally couldn't hold back any longer and secretly went to the old bachelor's house. Looking at the old bachelor, he asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"
The old bachelor had been waiting for this. He looked at Li Qiang with a mocking gaze, as if he were looking at a lamb about to be slaughtered. Li Qiang was furious, but his status prevented him from losing his temper now, so he could only wait quietly.
"I'm currently missing a wife. Your sister would be a good match, but you two are bad elements. It would be too much of a loss for me to marry you. How about you compensate me a little, and I'll reluctantly agree?" the old bachelor said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Li Qiang was so angry he almost vomited blood. This was completely different from what he had imagined. In this way, not only would he not get her, but he would also have to give her a younger sister. How could this be allowed?
"I don't care whether you need a wife or not, but if you want my sister, you have to give me a dowry. Otherwise, I'd rather die than let you have your way."
Seeing Li Qiang's tough stance, the old bachelor knew his hopes had been dashed, so he decided to try a different approach. He drove Li Qiang away and began to devise a new plan.
The next day at noon, the old bachelor brought a bucket of cold water and poured it directly on Li Qiang. Li Qiang's teeth were chattering from the cold, but there was nothing he could do but endure it, because of his bad social status.
Back at the cowshed, Li Qiang ordered Li Ping to find a way to coax the old bachelor, or else get out of the house. Li Ping nodded, but in her heart she hated Li Qiang to death.
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