Upon hearing his words, Zhang Sumei's face darkened.
With a forced smile, he said, "You don't need to worry about that. Thanks to your Liu family, we won't die."
After saying that, she glanced at him again, then, not wanting to pay any more attention to them, she was about to leave.
"Aunt Zhang, Duofu isn't very good at talking, please don't take it to heart."
"You and Uncle Liu will definitely get better if you take good care of yourselves, so don't worry too much."
Seeing that she was about to leave, Yang Xiaolin immediately smiled and said some nice things.
Zhang Sumei didn't know this young man; judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to be from the countryside.
Now that he's speaking, I think he's quite eloquent, so I haven't given him a hard time.
She glanced at him, sighed, and then said, "It's not that easy to take good care of someone."
She didn't consider that both of them needed to take care of their health, and that there were many expenses involved.
That's why they thought of having the eldest daughter marry into a rural family, so that the land would produce crops and they could eat well.
And those two annoying kids, they insist on going to school. If they didn't go to school, they could easily find some work to bring in some income for the family, right?
As a result, all her plans have fallen through.
"Auntie, the crops in the fields are doing well this year. We've finished our business in the county and need to go home to help out, so we'll be leaving now."
Yang Xiaolin wisely didn't continue the conversation, but instead mentioned it briefly before pulling Liu Duofu away.
Only after they were quite a distance apart did Liu Duofu whisper, "Xiao Lin, why are you being so nice to her?"
Actually, he wanted to say, "Didn't you tell me to say those things? How come you turned out to be the good guy later?"
But then I thought about it again and realized that his brother probably helped them out because he was worried that Aunt Zhang would get angry at them.
He was initially reluctant to say it, but Aunt Zhang's attitude was so condescending.
So he spoke those words with great ease, without feeling embarrassed at all.
Actually, he already knew that Uncle Liu's leg seemed to be crippled, but he didn't say it directly because of his aunt.
As for Aunt Liu, I heard she's not in much better shape either; in any case, she won't be able to do heavy work anymore.
Seeing his reaction, Yang Xiaolin couldn't help but laugh and said, "Their family is going through such a difficult time these days, so it's only right that we treat them better."
"Hmph, you think you're so kind-hearted? Her appearance is just annoying, like I owe her money!"
You may not owe her anything, but your cousin caused her to end up like this; you wouldn't even be willing to die for her.
Yang Xiaolin thought to herself but didn't say it aloud. She just smiled and comforted him a few times.
Liu Duofu was just complaining a couple of times; he wasn't really angry. After all, he wasn't asking anyone to give him a friendly look.
The two talked as they walked to the roadside to wait for the metal truck to take them to the county.
"By the way, Xiaolin, what were you doing in the county? I haven't heard you mention it before."
Today, Yang Xiaolin approached Liu Duofu and asked him to go to town to do some work, but he didn't mention going to the county, so Liu Duofu was quite puzzled.
"Nothing much, just buying some things." Yang Xiaolin smiled, without specifying what he wanted to buy.
Liu Duofu pursed his lips. This kid is always so mysterious!
On the other hand, Zhang Sumei was not in a good mood; she just felt a bit unlucky.
They had just gotten rid of one wretched girl who had harmed their family, and now another one had come along who pierced their heart. It was infuriating just thinking about it.
If it weren't for the young man's good attitude, she would have cursed him out!
However, no one gave her a chance, so she could only keep it to herself.
But now, she's going to ask someone for a favor, so she can't keep a sullen face.
Therefore, she had to try hard to control her emotions.
Pingshan Town is not small; it is the second largest and second most prosperous town in Pingshan County, excluding the town where the county seat is located.
The Liu family's house was quite far from the office, and it took Zhang Sumei half an hour to walk there.
Li Zhicheng from the office had previously bought paoba (a type of steamed rice cake) from Liu's family as a return gift when his child celebrated their one-month birthday.
So he naturally recognized this Comrade Zhang. The town wasn't very big to begin with, and the story of the Liu family had already spread throughout the town.
He was still lamenting the unpredictability of life when this person suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Comrade Zhang, is there something you need?" Li Zhicheng wasn't familiar with the Liu family either; although they knew each other, they didn't exchange pleasantries.
He simply asked with a smile, in a businesslike manner.
Zhang Sumei explained her purpose and asked how much it would cost to drill a well.
Hearing that a simple well would cost more than 70 yuan, Zhang Sumei's face turned green, and she wanted to turn around and leave!
But she can't leave. If she leaves now, she'll be the only one left to fetch water for the family!
"Comrade Li, can't you make the price of this well cheaper?" Zhang Sumei was in a real pain and even resorted to bargaining.
Li Zhicheng laughed, "Comrade Zhang, this isn't a business transaction; the price is already set."
If your family decides to drill, then you need to pay a deposit and register for the next round. Drilling teams are very busy right now.
"Well, we don't have that much money. Can we use something else to pay for it?"
Zhang Sumei knew she had fallen into her old habit, but money shouldn't be spent like that!
The two of them only brought back fifty yuan, but digging a well would cost more than 70 yuan, and she would have to pay out of her own pocket!
The boss's job is still in the works, and it's hard to say whether it will even work out.
The thought of taking money from her felt like a knife to her heart.
But if she could pay with something, she would accept it.
"Uh, well, you can use grain too." Li Zhicheng was taken aback by her question before he realized what she meant.
Nowadays, people usually dig wells in rural villages; it's rare to find people in towns who pay to dig their own wells.
The main problem is that the price is relatively high, and fetching water yourself is not difficult; it's just a matter of physical effort.
These days, not to mention men, even women have a lot of strength.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Sumei's face turned sour, and she began to lament how difficult things were for her family.
Li Zhicheng, a grown man, felt rather awkward listening to a woman's tearful complaints.
"Comrade Zhang, it's working hours now. Get to the point: are we going to drill a well or not?"
So, women are quite a scary creature; thankfully, my wife isn't one to cry easily.
Hearing this, Zhang Sumei felt depressed and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
He gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and nodded, saying, "Let's do it. But Comrade Li, could you arrange for our family to get a spot first?"
You know our family isn't doing well; some are sick, some are disabled, and my poor eldest son is still missing...
As she spoke, she looked like she was about to cry again, which frightened Li Zhicheng, who was afraid she would cry again.
He could only say, "Sister Zhang, please don't cry anymore. I'll try my best to resolve this."
I'll tell your son the exact time when he arrives this afternoon.
But don't get your hopes up too high, after all, it's the busy farming season right now.
The well-drilling team's workers were all handpicked from the grassroots level; after all, who doesn't have some farm work to do?
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