Zhang Xuemei was stunned by her father-in-law's words. By the time she came to her senses, he had already hung up, so she had to call back.
Fortunately, Old Man Xu hadn't left yet, so Zhang Xuemei quickly asked, "Dad, what did you mean just now? What are my older brother and the others doing in Tianshui City? Aren't they supposed to be helping people build houses at home?"
Old Xu quickly recounted the story to Zhang Xuemei, shaking his head smugly, "I was thinking if the village doesn't work, we can go to the city. It's good that you're here too, so we'll have a place to stay."
"..." Zhang Xuemei was speechless. She didn't understand her father-in-law's logic. There was no work to be done in the village, but there was work to be done in the city?
However, she still explained in a gentle tone, "Dad, please tell my eldest and second brothers not to rush. I'll go back and discuss this with Minghan first, to see if there are any suitable jobs for them, and then we'll have them come over. Otherwise, they'll just be sitting there, right?"
Old Xu nodded. "That makes sense. Here's what you do: you tell your third brother if there are any bricklayer jobs in Tianshui City. Your eldest and second brothers can go and do them too. Hurry up, we're waiting!"
Zhang Xuemei rolled her eyes. This father-in-law was always trying to cause her trouble. Of course, it wasn't that she didn't want to help, but where was she supposed to find a job related to bricklaying in such a short time? And quickly too? All he did was talk the talk.
Thinking this to herself, she still replied politely, "Okay, I'll do it as soon as possible. I'll call you when I have any news."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Xuemei let out a deep breath. Okay, work has come.
Zhou Nianmei from the village was also waiting for her father-in-law's reply. As soon as she saw him come out from the doorway, she rushed forward and asked, "How did it go? What did Minghan and Xuemei say?"
Old Xu raised his head and said, "Just wait, it will be soon. Stay home and relax."
Zhou Nianmei and Chen Fengjuan exchanged a glance. How could they be so skeptical? It's already done? If they had known, they wouldn't have hesitated for so long.
That night, Zhang Xuemei stayed up all night and waited until 12:30 before Xu Minghan finally arrived.
"Why aren't you asleep yet? Is there something you want to tell me?" Xu Minghan saw his wife come out as soon as he entered the house, and she looked like she hadn't slept at all.
"Okay, go wash your face and brush your teeth first. I'll go back to my room and wait for you." Zhang Xuemei nodded. She was already back, so there was no rush.
Xu Minghan didn't dawdle; he quickly washed his face and feet and went back to his room. Before turning off the light, he took a special look at his youngest daughter, who was sleeping soundly on her back. He couldn't help but smile happily. It's so good to be able to watch her grow up in this lifetime.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and turn off the light and get into bed. I have something to tell you," Zhang Xuemei urged him when she saw that he was still not turning off the light.
"I'll turn off the lights right away. It makes me happy to see Linlin sleeping so soundly."
"This little girl is such a good sleeper; she won't even wake up when there's thunder."
As Zhang Xuemei spoke, she reached out and touched her youngest daughter's hand, only feeling relieved when she felt it was warm.
It's easy to catch a cold during seasonal changes. Afraid that her child would catch a cold, she specially borrowed a piece of cloth and Aunt Xu's sewing machine to make two sleeping bags, so that even if Linlin kicks off the blankets, she won't be afraid.
"Isn't this great? It saves so much trouble!"
“I didn’t say anything, you almost forgot. I wanted to tell you that Dad called during the day and said that my eldest and second eldest brothers are also coming to Tianshui City.”
"What are they doing here? Is something wrong at home?" In the darkness, Xu Minghan turned to his wife beside him and asked.
"Oh dear, Dad said that my older brother and his family don't have any work around the village, so they're wondering if they could come to Tianshui City to find some work related to bricklaying. They were supposed to come tomorrow, but I persuaded them not to. Now that they're here, there's nowhere for them to stay. I told them I'd discuss it with you tonight and then get back to you. What do you think we should do about this?"
Zhang Xuemei was truly at her wit's end. She didn't know anyone in the construction industry, so how could she find jobs for her older brother and the others?
Xu Minghan pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Who knows, it might actually work."
"What do you mean, 'can it or not'? What are you talking about?" Zhang Xuemei heard her husband say something about whether it was okay or not, so she reached out and touched him.
“I was thinking of telling you this later, but since my older brother and the others want to come to Tianshui City to find work, I think we should buy another house? I’ve already found one, right next to the Eleventh Primary School, a key primary school! The building was only recently built, on the 8th floor, with an elevator, and it’s much bigger than where we live now, 120 square meters!”
"How did things escalate from my brother's situation to talking about buying a house?"
Zhang Xuemei also sat up. "But buying another one is also an option. This apartment is on the first floor, which is convenient, but it's too damp. It feels wet everywhere when it rains, and it's not comfortable to live in."
Seeing that his wife didn't object, Xu Minghan carefully explained his thoughts to her.
“Here’s what I’m thinking: look, let’s buy the house first, and then let my eldest brother and the others do the renovations. That way, my eldest and second brothers will have jobs, and we can rest assured, right?”
“But,” Zhang Xuemei hesitated, “my eldest and second eldest brothers probably don’t know as much about interior design as they did in our past lives, right? Will this work?”
The house, of course, needs to be decorated to my liking since I'm living there myself. It's not that she doesn't trust her brother-in-law and his family, it's just that she's a little worried.
"What's the big deal? We'll just wander over there every now and then anyway, so feel free to voice any opinions you have!"
I've looked around; a lot of houses in that area aren't renovated yet. We'll tell my older brothers what we want them to renovate in advance, and ask them to do as much as they can for us. I reckon a lot of people will come to see it, which will build up our reputation, and then we won't have to worry about them not having work.
Xu Minghan thought this was a win-win idea. He was really clever; he solved his older brothers' job problems and found himself a reliable construction team. It was great.
Zhang Xuemei also thought the idea was good, but there was still one problem that couldn't be solved: they had nowhere to stay!
"How about we let them sleep on the floor in Mingjiang's room? Two people can sleep on the bed, and one person can sleep on the floor?"
Xu Minghan could only think of this solution. He could either rent a place to live, or he could rent a place to live. It wasn't that he was unwilling to spend the money, but his older brother and the others would definitely not be willing to pay for it themselves. They were reluctant to pay for it, so this was the only option.
"..." Zhang Xuemei was speechless. Although she didn't want so many people to live in her house, this was the best solution for the time being.
"How about we go see the house tomorrow morning? If we think it's suitable, we can make a purchase right away. But the price will definitely be much higher. I asked about it a few days ago, and it's 125,800."
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