To Lin Ying's surprise, the forest farm's vehicle hadn't arrived yet, but the commune's horse-drawn carriage had arrived first.
Lin Ying hurried over to greet Wu Bo and the others.
Wu Bo said, "Well, after we got back last night, we were all discussing how to get your house built this year. It just so happens that we had ordered bricks and tiles from someone who doesn't need them right now, so we decided to just send them over to you!"
And this, cement, lime, sand, and gravel. There's no cart big enough to carry it all; it'll probably take several more trips.
Lin Ying, who had been holding back her tears, finally couldn't hold back anymore.
“Secretary Wu, you don’t need to do this.” She receives a salary every month; there’s really no need for everyone to do this.
Wu Bo retorted, “Why not? If it weren’t for you, that corrupt former secretary wouldn’t have fallen from power. If it weren’t for you, Director Yang wouldn’t have been removed from his post either. Most importantly, whether it’s the tiles, the bricks, or the cement, you provided the formula for every single one. Now, every household in the village is able to go hungry, and that’s all thanks to you.”
Ordinary people are honest people; they know who treats them well.
Zhang Shanlin, standing to the side, said, "That's even better. With these things, we won't have to worry about the house being sturdy. We have two trucks here. We can also borrow two more when the forest farm delivers timber. Let's estimate how much material this house will need and get it all done in one go."
Secretary Wu said, "Okay, no problem! It's all agreed, you'll have to use it first!"
Lin Ying replied, "I won't talk about the military; I know they definitely won't take it. But I must pay for the materials from the commune!"
Seeing what Wu Bo was about to say, Lin Ying quickly stopped him:
“Secretary Wu, please let me finish. I’ve lived in this village and I’m grateful for everyone’s care. I also want to do something for everyone. I’m not giving this money for materials to distance myself from everyone, but because I really feel bad about it. These things were all accumulated and prepared by everyone through hard work. I can’t accept them for nothing. Besides, I have a salary and the ability to pay for it. Please consider it as fulfilling my wish. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease living in this house.”
Looking at Lin Ying's determined eyes, Wu Bo knew that she had made up her mind, so he sighed and said, "Lin Ying, you are too stubborn. You have done so much for the village, and everyone is willing to build you a house. But since you insist, the commune will charge you according to the cost price of the materials. Consider it a special 'purchase' for your contribution to the collective."
Lin Ying nodded slightly. Although she still felt a little guilty, she knew that this was the biggest concession that Secretary Wu could make.
According to the plan, Wang Shan arranged for people to start digging the foundation, while Zhang Shanlin was in charge of transporting the goods.
Wu Bo was in charge of coordinating the materials.
For a moment, there was nothing Lin Ying needed to do.
She thought for a moment and asked Haoyu for help. They built two large stoves out of stones in front of the tent.
They set up the cutting board outside and started boiling water for everyone.
They didn't bring bowls and chopsticks when they arrived. Just as Lin Ying was thinking of asking the village chief for help, the village chief also came over with a group of people.
Lin Ying never imagined that so many people would come one day.
Thinking back to when she was in the army, apart from a few military wives who came to help on the day the roof beam was raised, she built everything else herself.
Therefore, Lin Ying had already figured out how she would build the house step by step and was prepared for a long-term battle.
However, she never imagined that such a day would come.
It was at this moment that Lin Ying realized that her life had undergone a tremendous change. Before, she had lived a life of utter despair, but now, she was receiving help from so many people.
At that moment, Lin Ying realized that, at any time, monetary relationships are the least reliable. And only monetary relationships can make the feelings between people very weak.
Just like her, when she was little, the neighbors would protect her, but she didn't have the habit of giving people money. Back then, everyone felt sorry for her, and the aunties in the neighborhood would give her some food they had at home.
Later, Lin Ying started using money to appease people, and the once warm neighborly relationships gradually soured. The pure care in people's eyes when they accepted money was gone, replaced by politeness and distance. She had thought money could buy everything and give her more "confidence" in this world, but she never expected that in the process, she would personally erode those precious feelings little by little.
Looking at the villagers who came to help build the houses with such sincerity and enthusiasm, Lin Ying felt a mix of guilt and emotion. She secretly vowed that she would treat everyone with care and cherish this friendship that was free from any monetary gain.
The village chief led his men over and said to Lin Ying with a smile, "Little Lin, we heard you were building a house, how could we not come to help? Everyone in the village should support each other, big or small, right?" Everyone nodded in agreement, their eyes full of sincerity and enthusiasm.
When the village chief heard that Lin Ying needed bowls and chopsticks, he immediately told everyone to collect them from each household.
Soon, a basket of bowls and chopsticks was delivered.
With the ingredients ready, Lin Ying immediately set up a large pot and started cooking. Lin Ying was never a stingy person. She took out all the meat stored in the earthenware pots at home.
With so many people making noodles, it would be impossible to keep up, so Lin Ying gave Wu Bo some money and coupons, asking him to come back next time to buy some dried noodles.
Because there were only a limited number of bowls and chopsticks, Lin Ying had to have everyone eat in shifts.
So I prepared a big pot of braised meat early on. I also cooked all the noodles I had at home for everyone to eat.
After the villagers finished eating and bought more noodles, Lin Ying prepared a second batch of braised meat. She then started serving it to the second group of people.
Then came the third wave, and the transport team could only eat whenever they had a spare moment.
It could be said that building a house once completely emptied Lin Ying's family's food supply.
But everyone is really amazing, especially these engineering soldiers, who can build houses with ease.
Lin Ying never expected that the house would be built in just one day.
All we need to do is come back tomorrow to raise the roof beam, and everything will be finished.
They had originally planned to set up a stove for them, but Lin Ying refused.
Zhang Shanlin knew that Lin Ying probably had some kind of plan. When building the house, she dug up the land and changed the road. Lin Ying was never the kind of person who would compromise herself.
Since Lin Ying doesn't need their help, then she really doesn't need it.
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