Yan Daqiang took a sip of water and said, "Uncle Village Chief, don't worry. The new greenhouse plastic film costs one yuan per mu, and we also need industrial vouchers. Our Mushroom Village doesn't have the conditions for that yet, so I asked them to look for those discarded plastic films that the army used a few years ago."
We'll mobilize the rural women to see if we can piece it together. If we can, that would be great. In the next couple of days, have someone from the village gather some bamboo or something. I've drawn a diagram and written down some methods for you; think about it and try to get it done.”
The village chief was thrilled. The village was short of funds, so anything was acceptable as long as it didn't cost money. Looking at the blueprints in his hand, he thought they were beautifully drawn, making it easy to understand how to do it, and even included many important notes. He believed that as long as they followed the instructions, there shouldn't be any problems. He added, "The Yan family is truly admirable; all their children, except for their second son, are excellent."
Speaking of the second son, Yan Erqiang, along with his wife and children, was waiting for his family to pick him up at the train station with bags in his hands. When their train arrived, it was just as Yan Daqiang had finished making a phone call and was wandering around town with Yan Xiaoqiang.
Yan Daqiang had no idea that Yan Erqiang was coming back today, and Yan Xiaoqiang had long forgotten that Yan Erqiang was coming back today. The two of them were preoccupied with how to ride their bicycles well the whole way. When they got home, they hadn’t even exchanged a few words before Yan Daqiang had to draw and write something, and he also had to take Dongnan to chop firewood.
Xuemei and Cuihua were busy cooking and boiling water, while Grandma Yan and Yan Xiaonan were busy organizing the things their eldest son had brought back. As for Beinan and Xinan, they took Zhongnan out to find wild food. Only Dongnan remembered, because he was the one who took the letter and read it. But to ask him to pick up people? Heh, that would be giving them too much face. He still remembers what happened last year very clearly.
Yan Erqiang waited at the station for nearly an hour and felt that no one from home would come to pick him up this year. He was very depressed. His wife, Cai Min, dared not cause trouble this time. Last year, when she went back home, she found a hole burned in her pants. She was so angry that she threw a tantrum at Yan Erqiang. As a result, Yan Erqiang tore the pants to shreds and burned them on the coal stove.
Cai Min was so angry that she ran back to her parents' home. She originally wanted to wait for Yan Erqiang to be unable to hold back and beg her to come back, but she didn't see him for more than half a month. Even when she met him at the factory, he acted as if he didn't recognize her. Cai Min was so angry that she rolled her eyes.
Payday arrived, but I didn't receive a single penny. When I went to the finance department to ask, I found out that Yan Erqiang had taken my salary. I was so angry that I rushed home, only to find the father and his two sons eating big fish and meat and enjoying themselves to the fullest. They were living a very comfortable life.
He wanted to overturn the table, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. In fact, he didn't dare to. He couldn't stop Yan Erqiang when he went crazy. So he said to Yan Erqiang in a nice tone, "You took my salary without telling me. Now I'm a laughing stock in the finance department."
Yan Erqiang snorted: "I told you back in our hometown that I would collect your salary and I would keep the money at home."
Cai Min thought for a moment and said, "Then give me twenty yuan."
Yan Xiaoqiang laughed: "You only make eighteen yuan a month, and you're asking me for twenty? Are you out of your mind?"
Cai Min got anxious: "Does eating, drinking, and using the toilet at home cost nothing? Does lunch and public transportation at work cost nothing? And don't give my parents any money for their retirement?"
Yan Xiaoqiang took out a monthly bus pass and handed it to Cai Min: "I've bought your bus fare and lunch tickets. Take as much as you want. I've paid for the child's tuition and lunch. As for your parents, I'm sorry, I'm not supporting them anymore. So, I'm not supporting my own mother, but going to support yours? That's unreasonable."
“We’ve raised them for so many years, and you’re saying you’re not going to raise them anymore? That won’t do,” Cai Min said anxiously.
“You said you’ve raised them for so many years, your parents have retirement pensions, the government supports them, why should I support them? My mother has nothing. From today onwards, I will send her retirement money every month. You don’t want to, do you? Then get out of here, we’re getting a divorce.”
Seeing Yan Erqiang's unyielding attitude, Cai Min knew she was completely out of options, so she lowered her voice and said, "Then you have to give me some pocket money. I can't be penniless."
Yan Erqiang sneered: "I used to be penniless, and I even had to borrow money from my colleagues when I needed it urgently. If I could manage, why can't you? Also, if I find out that you've taken food and drinks from home back to your parents' house, don't blame me for slapping you."
Cai Min agreed verbally, picked up her rice bowl, and started eating rice and meat, but in her heart she was thinking of a crooked idea. Two weeks later, she took the twenty catties of rice and three catties of oil that Yan Erqiang had just bought back to her parents' home. Because her parents had not given her the pension money for this month, Cai Min's parents gave her a hard time, and her younger sister and brother-in-law also looked disgusted.
Feeling she couldn't stay any longer, she slunk home. As soon as she got home, she sensed something was wrong. The two children saw her, grabbed their schoolbags, and went into their room, locking the door tightly. Seeing their actions, Cai Min felt uneasy.
Yan Erqiang pointed to the kitchen and asked, "Where are the twenty catties of rice and three catties of oil I bought yesterday?"
Cai Min said hesitantly, "I sent it to my parents."
"Have you eaten yet?" Yan Erqiang asked again.
Cai Min thought Yan Erqiang was concerned about her, so she angrily said, "They kicked me out because they think I didn't give them money for their retirement."
Yan Erqiang smiled, took Cai Min's hand and said, "Come on, let's go eat."
Cai Min was a little unsure of Yan Erqiang's approach, so she pointed to the children's room and asked, "Where are the children?"
Yan Erqiang didn't say anything, and led Cai Min towards her parents' home. The Cai family was having dinner. Today, their eldest daughter had brought rice, and they had cooked a big pot of it. They hadn't eaten rice in a long time, and they were eating mostly coarse grains, which made their throats sore.
There was a knock on the door. Cai Min's mother asked who it was, and Yan Erqiang said loudly, "It's me, Yan Erqiang, open the door."
Cai Min's mother was startled. She glanced at her husband and saw him nod. She ran to open the door, and Yan Erqiang went in. He looked at the food on the table and said with a smile, "It's better to be lucky than early. Everyone's eating. Cai Min, go get two bowls. Let's sit down and eat too."
Before Cai Min could move, her sister Cai Jie said sarcastically, "They haven't even given us our pension this month, and you still have the nerve to eat?"
Yan Erqiang looked at Cai Jie and asked, "Did you give it to them? How much did you give them?"
Cai Jie fell silent. He and his wife not only ate and used their parents' money, but they had never given them any money for their retirement, not even for their own meals.
Yan Erqiang glanced at Cai Min and shouted, "Why aren't you getting the rice? What are you standing there for?"
Cai Min quickly served two bowls of rice, handed one to Yan Erqiang, and then sat down and began to wolf down her food.
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