Yeya suddenly realized and excitedly said, "That's right, the old lady seems to be a maid in the villa, she must know the situation in the villa."
Ma Yunfei and Ye Ya followed the old woman.
After walking for about two miles, we came to a mountain valley where there were a few houses.
The old woman walked into a thatched hut.
Ma Yunfei and Ye Ya followed.
Ma Yunfei asked from the doorway of the thatched hut, "Is anyone home?"
He asked several times, and an old man came out.
The old man asked, "Who are you looking for?"
Ma Yunfei said, "Grandpa, we are city people and would like to buy a few free-range chickens. I wonder if you sell your chickens?"
Ma Yunfei saw a group of hens near the thatched hut and used this as an excuse.
The old man replied, "I don't have many chickens. I need to keep them to lay eggs so I can take them to the market to exchange for oil and salt."
"Sir, do you have any eggs?"
"Oh dear! I'm so sorry, it was market day yesterday, and I took two baskets of eggs to the market to sell."
Ma Yunfei asked, "Grandpa, how much are your eggs?"
“One cent each. My eggs are big and fresh. Look at my hens, they’re all free-range. I know you city folks like to eat free-range eggs.”
"Sir, we'd like to ask for a drink of water."
The old man said, "The house is dirty and messy, so you two can sit in the yard and I'll scoop out a ladle of water for you."
Ma Yunfei and Ye Ya sat on a wooden bench in the courtyard. After a while, the old man brought a ladle of water and handed it to Ma Yunfei.
Ma Yunfei took a sip, handed the water ladle to Ye Ya, and exclaimed, "This water tastes sweet! It's delicious!"
"This water is spring water. There's a spring not far from here, and we all drink spring water. I've heard that this water is nutritious."
"Grandpa, yes, the spring water contains various minerals, which are very good for your health. Living in this mountain is much happier than living in the city."
The old man sighed and said, "Our mountain village is nothing like the city. In the city, there are tall buildings where you can stay sheltered from the wind and rain, and you don't have to worry about strong winds. But we live in this thatched hut. Whenever it rains heavily, the house leaks. And if a strong wind blows, we have to use stones to weigh down the thatch on the roof, otherwise the roof will be blown away."
Ma Yunfei asked, "Grandpa, why are you all alone?"
“We, the two of us, only have one daughter. She got married 30 years ago. She comes back to visit us occasionally. Otherwise, it’s just the two of us.”
Ma Yunfei then asked, "Grandpa, how many acres of land do you and your wife farm?"
“We have three acres of land in the valley where we grow some vegetables and corn. We can’t eat it all ourselves, so we take it to the market to sell.”
"Sir, where is your wife?"
"Oh, she's making lunch inside. You two haven't eaten either, have you? Just grab a bite here. But we only have simple food at home."
Ma Yunfei took out a hundred yuan from his pocket, handed it to the old man, and said, "Grandpa, we came all the way to the mountains to buy some free-range chickens and eggs. If you don't mind, we'll have lunch here. Please accept this money."
The old man waved his hand and said, "A meal like this isn't worth much money."
"Sir, this is a small token of our appreciation. Please accept it."
Ma Yunfei wanted to get closer to the old man so he could ask the old woman about the situation in her villa.
The old man accepted the money and said happily, "Young man, you seem quite generous. Are you a boss in the city?"
"Grandpa, I work in a factory."
The old man said doubtfully, "Young man, you don't look like a worker, you must be a cadre, right?"
"Yes, he's a junior cadre, equivalent to the team leader of your production team."
The old man laughed and said, "Speaking of the team leader, I think of the old people's commune. Back then, when everyone worked together, no one wanted to work hard. They would slack off whenever they could. To be honest, I was a production team leader for more than 20 years."
“Grandpa, I can tell at a glance that you are no ordinary person.”
The old man chuckled and said, "Being a production team leader isn't easy. You have to be good at farm work, and you also have to understand human relationships. There are so many tedious things to do. Look at all my white hair; it's all from being a production team leader."
Ma Yunfei asked, "Grandpa, what does your wife do?"
“My wife is about ten years younger than me, and she’s only in her early fifties. Two years ago, a very wealthy man who lived in a villa nearby came to buy eggs and took a liking to my wife. He asked her to clean the villa and gave her sixty yuan a month.”
"Oh, there are villas around here?"
"Yes, about two miles away, there is a villa. It was built by a high-ranking official before liberation, and later it was bought by a rich man."
Ma Yunfei quickly asked, "Is there a very wealthy man living in this villa?"
"I heard that this tycoon also owns a villa in the city. He usually lives in the city, but occasionally he will come to this villa to stay for a few days."
"Sir, your wife is only responsible for cleaning the villa? Does this wealthy man also hire someone to cook for him?"
"Hehe... Normally, when that tycoon doesn't come, my wife is only responsible for cleaning. If the tycoon comes to stay for a few days, my wife also has to cook for them. But it's just a few people's meals, so it's not a big deal."
"Sir, can your wife cook? I've heard that those rich people are very picky eaters, they like the best food and drink, and they're not easy to please."
"Hehe... That rich couple, just like you two, came to buy free-range eggs, had lunch here, and found it particularly delicious. That's when they took a liking to my wife and invited her to work as a nanny in the villa."
"Oh, I see."
Ma Yunfei was very pleased. It seemed that this old lady had been working in the villa for more than two years and must be very familiar with the situation there. As long as she was willing to speak, he could find out everything.
About half an hour later, the old lady finished cooking lunch and brought it to the yard, placing it on a wooden table.
The old lady smiled at Ma Yunfei and Ye Ya.
Ma Yunfei quickly greeted her, "Auntie, we've come here to buy free-range chickens and eggs. We're sorry to bother you."
The old lady smiled again.
The old man explained, "My wife is deaf and mute; she was born that way."
"Ah! The old lady is deaf and mute?!"
Ma Yunfei was greatly disappointed, feeling as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water in the dead of winter.
I thought I could learn about the villa from the old lady, but I didn't expect that she was deaf and mute, unable to hear or speak.
"The old lady is deaf and mute, so... how does she usually communicate with the rich man?"
The old man explained, "Although my wife is deaf and mute, her father was a primary school teacher. He taught her to read from a young age. Even though my wife has never been to school, she can recognize more than a thousand characters. She has no problem reading books and newspapers."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
