Thank you Mido, thank you Yin'er!
Zhang Shouyi only came over after his hair had dried while he was sitting in the courtyard.
He took the initiative to sit at the table and said, "Hongmei, I brought enough food. You and Dad don't need to be stingy."
Zhang Hongmei: I'm better off without your dad.
Are you free tomorrow?
"Brother Zhang, I have an exam at school tomorrow. You and Uncle Zhang can go and take a look yourself."
"You trust us?"
"I believe Uncle Zhang." This unexpected statement means you don't believe me.
Zhang Shouyi was speechless. Could they possibly continue their conversation peacefully?
“Hongmei, I’ll just tell you what’s wrong. Don’t worry, the house is safe. My dad and Xiaoshun are outside, and there’s no one around.”
"Okay, Brother Zhang, just tell me." Anyway, you're the one borrowing money from me, so I'm the boss now.
“I’ll use this money for Hongmei first. Don’t worry, I’ll give you all my fixed assets as collateral. When I pay you back, you can have cash, gold bars, or anything else you like.”
"Fixed assets?"
“Yes. I’ve mortgaged three five-courtyard houses, three four-courtyard houses, and four three-courtyard houses in the capital to you. Of course, that’s not enough. I also have a large number of jade artifacts, raw stones, and ancient books and paintings, all of which I will give to you.”
Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, "If you give me all of these, I have nowhere to put them. But if history goes the same way, then it's really safer for me."
"I actually trust Brother Zhang." Zhang Hongmei was just being polite, but she was afraid that this shameless guy would take advantage of her, so she stopped after saying that.
Zhang Shouyi was as shrewd as he was; how could he not understand Zhang Hongmei's thoughts?
"Also, I will give you interest every year. It's hard to say exactly, but it will be at least one-thousandth."
"That's a good idea. Then I'll be a landlady, and I'll have food to eat even if I'm just lying down."
"Now that you can eat while lying down, how could I let you go hungry?"
"I don't rely on anyone else."
Zhang Shouyi also realized that what he said was somewhat ambiguous, so he stopped.
"Since you're taking the exam tomorrow, let's wait a few days before settling accounts and I'll go back to prepare to move it. I'll also send you all the collateral."
"Okay, don't worry, I will take good care of the ancient books and paintings." Zhang Hongmei could tell that Zhang Shouyi was a book lover, so she wouldn't be stingy with this assurance.
"That's great, I feel relieved to have it with you."
Zhang Hongmei: How will you thank your sister then?
"That's settled then. You should get some rest too. I'll take you to school tomorrow morning."
"Thanks! What do you want to eat for breakfast tomorrow?" Zhang Hongmei said, then felt like slapping herself for her loose tongue.
Seeing her annoyed expression, Zhang Shouyi suppressed a laugh and said, "No need, I'll treat you to breakfast out tomorrow."
"That won't do. What will my Uncle Zhang eat tomorrow? Let's eat at home. I'll make it myself."
Zhang Shouyi finally understood why his father liked Zhang Hongmei. He smiled, waved, and went back.
I saw his father sitting at the front door, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, looking very relaxed.
"Dad, let's go back and rest. I'll go back tomorrow."
Zhang Xingguo looked at Zhang Shouyi with a puzzled expression and called out to Wang Xiaoshun, who was in the distance, to go home.
"Why are you going back tomorrow?" Zhang Xingguo asked, puzzled.
“I’m going back to prepare some things; this time my son has nothing left.”
"What happened?"
“I mortgaged all the properties under my name to Hongmei, as well as all the jade artifacts, ancient books, and calligraphy and paintings. I went back this time to prepare these things.”
"Okay, how about you transfer the house to Hongmei?"
"You're not my biological father, you're hers, right? Why are you siding with her so much?"
Zhang Xingguo gave an awkward smile, and the two of them went to sleep.
Zhang Hongmei, on the other hand, was working diligently in the space. She had just finished harvesting the corn and had cut down all the stalks. Looking at the stalks that were taking up almost half the ground, she really didn't know what to do.
I once thought about putting it in a cave, but I always felt it wasn't safe. What if someone found a cave full of straw instead of treasure? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
While it's unlikely that they'd directly suspect him, it still puts the surrounding villagers in danger.
I'll just wander around the mountains sometime and find a natural cave to put these things in.
Looking at the piles of corn, I'm worried about how to get them out.
Let's wait and plant it first. It's not too late to plant it once we've figured out a way.
Lying in bed after my shower, I was still thinking about it. Should I cooperate with Zhang Shouyi? But how would I explain the source?
Or should we sell them to the villagers at a low price? But how do we transport them over?
It's so frustrating! I worry about not having food, and I worry about having food too.
The next day, Zhang Hongmei got up early and made pancakes, fried eggs, millet and mung bean porridge, shredded pickled vegetables, and cucumber salad.
I really don't like eating old cucumbers, but Er Ya scolded me for ages after seeing me picking young cucumbers last time, so I'll just have to put up with it for the sake of peace and quiet.
Liu Erya arrived just as the meal was finished. She knew Zhang Hongmei was going to school for an exam today, so the two of them walked together.
"Sister Er Ya, have a pancake." As he spoke, he picked up a pancake, added a piece of egg with his chopsticks, rolled it up, and handed it to Liu Er Ya.
Liu Erya no longer refused as before; after all, what's one more problem than another? Besides, she was genuinely craving the glistening white flour pancakes.
At this moment, Zhang Xingguo and the other two also came over. Zhang Hongmei served Er Ya another bowl of porridge, and the group sat in the courtyard to eat.
"Uncle Zhang, I'm going to take an exam today. I've prepared your meal, so please remember to take it with you, along with cucumbers and water."
"Okay, don't worry about going to school. I'm an adult, how could I not take care of myself?" Zhang Xingguo complained, but his face beamed with joy.
After finishing their meal, Zhang Shouyi told the two of them, "Come with me in the car."
Zhang Hongmei couldn't be happier; who would want to walk in the sweltering heat?
Today, Liu Daya sneaked out and happened to see her sister get into Zhang Shouyi's car. She was so angry that she cursed, "How dare you go up to your own brother-in-law? You're shameless!"
Now that none of my girlfriends are talking to me anymore, and it's too hot outside, I had no choice but to go home dejectedly.
Just outside the village, they ran into Zhu Zi and invited him to ride with them to school.
Upon arriving in the village, the two got off the bus and went into the school. The exam went quite smoothly, but seeing how thin and bony Zhang Hongmei's classmates were, while her complexion was rosy, it all seemed rather incongruous.
Now there are only ten students left in the class, and Zhang Hongmei is the only female student left. The teacher on the stage is also listless. There's no other way; every family is short of food.
After finishing the exam, Zhang Hongmei wondered how she could help the three kind teachers and the principal who had been so kind to her.
I wonder how Li Juying is doing now? I'll sneak out to check on her later and bring her some corn so she can husk it herself.
After finishing the exam, I packed up my belongings and slipped out of the school to the township government compound, going straight into the Women's Federation office.
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