"Here's what we'll do, Captain Chen. Why don't you find a few people to come over and help me fix the house on Sunday? I don't have much money, so here's twenty yuan for a drink with you guys. Just think of me as your own sister, helping out with something that's family-related." Qin Xiaoyu was quite the smooth talker. She was pretty, spoke softly, and was considerate. No man could refuse her. Captain Chen hesitated before taking the money.
"It's settled then, Brother Chen, please help the girl out." Qin Xiaoyu quickly made it a done deal upon seeing the situation.
Qin Xiaoyu had planned to give him twenty yuan. Based on the wages at the time, each of them earned about three yuan a day. With the twenty yuan, it was his job to find a few more people. After all, it was a holiday, so why not earn some pocket money?
Captain Chen agreed and immediately got to work, giving Qin Xiaoyu a bill. Qin Xiaoyu took it and saw that it involved cement and sand, which she would have to arrange herself. She was tempted to spend some more money to have an easier life, but she didn't dare to flaunt her wealth. People's hearts are unpredictable, so it was better to keep a low profile.
The sand was easy to find; there was road construction nearby, and the sand had been piled up into small hills. Qin Xiaoyu found two bags and pushed them back on her bicycle. She had to buy the cement, but luckily the cement seller was kind and delivered it to her.
She started tidying up things early in the morning, which aroused the curiosity of the Tang family. In the end, Grandma Hanhan couldn't help but come over and ask.
"I need to repair the house. It's leaking so badly that we can't get through the winter."
"Oh my, you think you're so capable? Wenzhi never mentioned repairing the house when he was alive, and you, a woman, have already done it!" Grandma Hanhan exploded upon hearing this.
"When Wenzhi was alive, he didn't fix it, leaving his wife and children to suffer from the cold. He was incompetent. Now that he's gone, if I don't fix it, what will happen to the children?" Qin Xiaoyu didn't say anything nice, her words choking Hanhan's grandmother into the house, where she continued to curse through the window.
"It's true, if you don't discipline someone for three days, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles." Wenzhi's older brother happened to come in from outside. Hearing his sister-in-law talking back to their mother, he held back for a long time before squeezing out a sentence that almost made Qin Xiaoyu laugh out loud. So, this is how the phrase is used?
"Big brother is learned, he can even use fancy words now. Take better care of your nephew. He's a fatherless child. As his uncle, don't do anything useless."
The eldest brother-in-law ran faster than a rabbit, and was scolded by his sister-in-law as soon as he entered the door. Needless to say, he was embarrassed.
It's almost the weekend, and Qin Xiaoyu has got everything ready. Captain Chen is quite attentive; he came to familiarize himself with the place the day before and gave her some pointers on what preparations to make.
Qin Xiaoyu barely slept that night. She sorted out the things in the house, piled up the things she didn't need, and put the things she needed in the middle of the yard. She checked the weather forecast and it was supposed to be sunny, but she was still worried about rain, so she wrapped everything in plastic sheeting. The house was empty, so she could only work.
Early Sunday morning, Captain Chen arrived with three people, which meant fewer people meant more money to be shared. Qin Xiaoyu didn't care; as long as the work could be finished, it didn't matter if only one person came. She planned to cook them a bowl of cold noodles with some egg sauce for lunch.
The house was built with cheap materials to save money, and seven years later, many things were no longer usable. Captain Chen and his team complained as they worked. Fortunately, they were all experienced and had brought some materials with them, so they repaired it little by little, and it gradually took shape. The neighbors, hearing the commotion, came to see what was going on. The Tang family all stayed inside, except for Qin Xiaoyu and Hanhan, who kept coming in and out to serve tea and water.
"This family is really hopeless. They don't care about their own daughter-in-law or grandson. The widow and her child have to build their own house. It's pitiful!" Captain Chen's voice was loud, and his words carried far from the house. Grandma Hanhan was so ashamed that she dared not go out.
It was already dark when they finally finished. One of the workers, being kind-hearted, saw that Qin Xiaoyu was truly pitiful and ran out to buy some whitewash, then painted the wall for her as well. Qin Xiaoyu thanked them profusely and insisted on giving them ten yuan when she saw them off.
"Take it back, sister, you've had a tough time. Let me know if you ever need anything." Captain Chen refused to accept it no matter what, and the other workers also kept saying no.
"You've all worked so hard today. Please accept this money; it's just a small token of my appreciation. You must all be exhausted. Let's go have a drink. I feel bad for not letting you rest even on a Sunday." Qin Xiaoyu insisted repeatedly before Captain Chen finally accepted the money.
Back home, Qin Xiaoyu was worried again. She had originally planned to move in that night, but now she had to move everything again to paint the walls, and she couldn't move anything until the walls were dry. What was she going to do?
She stood in the yard for a while, gathering her breath. She had no choice but to sleep there. She moved the broken desk out, turned it upside down, laid a mattress on it, and put her little sister on it so she could lie down comfortably.
Seeing that the stars were out, she figured it wouldn't rain, so she spread out the tarpaulin on the ground, laid out the blankets, sat down, and reached out to beckon Hanhan to come to her, holding her in her arms. The two of them would spend the night like that. The ground was still chilly, and even the blankets made it cold after a while, so she held Hanhan to keep her warm.
Whoosh!
Someone on the roof is smashing things.
Then came an old voice: "What sins has the Tang family committed! Letting their grandson sleep in the open air, why doesn't God take me away? I can't bear to see this, I can't bear to see this!"
The lights in several rooms were off, but now they were all lit up, and soon the old lady came running out from the upper room.
"Why are you sleeping here? I told you, why bother with all this fuss and repairs? Just tidy up and go inside to sleep."
"No need, I'm not going," Qin Xiaoyu said coldly.
"Come in, we're all enemies!" Grandma Hanhan opened the door, put on her clothes, and said irritably without even looking in Qin Xiaoyu's direction.
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