Chapter 61
"I'm planning to ask around these next couple of days to see if any of my fellow villagers have any vacant houses. I'm planning to rent one," Zhou Jiani said. "It'll be more convenient for work."
She said it was for the convenience of work, but Yu Wanxia and Sun Ping both guessed that she probably didn't want to live with Liu Ailing.
Sun Ping had just witnessed what happened between Zhou Jiani and Liu Ailing, and she knew she was upset. She felt a little sorry for her, "If you don't move in, the money you paid for the educated youth center won't be refunded, right?"
I definitely won’t refund it, otherwise it will be difficult to manage.
Even if Zhou Jiani were to return the money, she wouldn't dare take it. The Qianjin Brigade would follow the higher-ups' call for detailed information on resettlement expenses for educated youth and display it publicly on a regular basis. If anyone saw that some of the housing funds went to her personally, it would inevitably lead to controversy. After all, there will always be people who disagree with everything, and excessive discussion could have a negative impact, which would be counterproductive.
Yu Wanxia was also tempted after hearing this. If she could rent a house, she could cook her own meals, which would definitely be better than living in a dormitory.
"It's convenient to live alone, but I have to ask my cousin for his opinion, otherwise I'm afraid he'll nag me to death."
Sun Ping didn't want to spend the extra money, but the thought of having to separate from them if they both lived alone made her feel a little uncomfortable. She puffed out her cheeks and tried to persuade Zhou Jiani, "There's really no need to waste money like this. Just pretend Liu Ailing doesn't exist. Or maybe we can find someone to mediate and let her live with the old educated youths while we move into the new house."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "What does it have to do with Liu Ailing? I'm just considering the convenience of work."
Yu Wanxia poked Sun Ping and thought to herself, what's wrong with this girl's brain? Even if she knew that Jiani was doing this for that annoying Liu Ailing, she didn't say it herself, so why did she have to point it out?
If this gets out, what will people outside say about Jiani?
Sun Ping also realized that she had said the wrong thing and apologized, "I was just overthinking it."
In the afternoon, Zhou Jiani went for a walk in the village. She didn't ask for directions directly, but just walked around. She did see a dilapidated yard, but it was so dilapidated that the wall had collapsed.
I didn't go to Yan and strolled back. As soon as I entered the door, I saw Qiu Zeming sitting on a mat in the yard talking to Zhang Kaishan. Next to him were two large bulging woven bags, a military green handbag, and a flat woven bag.
Zhang Kaishan saw Zhou Jiani coming back and said, "Comrade Xiao Zhou, Comrade Qiu is here to see you. Please talk."
He stood up and slowly went back to the house.
Zhou Jiani sat down and said with a smile, "Is everything going well in the county?"
"It went smoothly. Brother-in-law Qianjin will come back in a couple of days to see the weaving products in our village!" Qiu Zeming said with a smile, "I heard you want to find a house in the village?"
Yu Wanxia was definitely looking for Bai Haoyang, and Qiu Zeming definitely couldn’t hide it from him.
I didn't expect this girl to be so positive.
"I did plan to do that. I'm worried that my busy work schedule and the need to study by lamplight at night will disturb the rest of the other educated youth." Zhou Jiani said seriously, "In order not to disturb everyone, I decided to live alone."
"Well, Comrade Xiao Zhou has been working diligently and diligently. Thank you for your hard work." Qiu Zeming nodded in agreement, a smile in his eyes. "There are several empty houses in the village. They are quite dilapidated. The walls have collapsed to varying degrees, and the doors and windows need repairs. They are uninhabitable. I contacted the team leader to see if the housing construction costs in our resettlement fee can be used to repair the house we rent. Unfortunately, they refused. I'm afraid it won't be approved after the application."
"But the captain promised to give me more money when we make mud bricks to build the greenhouse, so that I can use it to repair the courtyard wall. But I have to pay for doors and windows myself."
Zhou Jiani nodded. She could accept paying the money, but she was worried that the owner would have something to do with it after the repairs were completed.
"Only one unit needs to be considered. The village has the right to dispose of the other, so there's no need to worry about that. If that unit weren't a bit far from the village committee, we'd be turning it into a processing workshop," Qiu Zeming said with a smile. "As for the possibility of the owner changing his mind... Captain Zhang said that if I decide to rent a fellow villager's house, he'll talk to the owner and sign an agreement. They can't refuse to rent the house until it's repaired. Or they can just agree that if the house can't be reclaimed within a few years, the owner will have to pay for the repairs if they breach the contract."
Of course, they don’t live there for free. Because the house is being renovated, the rent will be lower in the first year and then raised in the second year.
Qiu Zeming did not mention that the house was not a separate one. He thought that Zhou Jiani wanted to move out because she wanted to start her own business instead of living with her fellow villagers.
Zhou Jiani exclaimed in admiration: "Have you three already planned to rent a house?"
She looked at it so carefully and even discussed the follow-up issues with the team. It seems that there is really no ready-made and particularly good courtyard in the village. I guess Qiu Zeming and his team had already seen the one she saw today.
Yes, in my previous life, after I moved to the educated youth site, I seemed to hear someone say that the three people who came from the capital did not move here and went to live with their fellow villagers.
But Yu Wanxia did not follow them. Instead, she lived in the educated youth camp and went there from time to time to prepare special meals.
Qiu Zeming did not deny it and said, "Put down your things and I'll take you to see the house."
"OK!"
There is ready-made information, and they also help to discuss follow-up issues. It is really worry-free. You are a fool not to follow up.
Qiu Zeming brought the two bags of rags into the house, along with two big fat carps and some other things he had brought for her.
Zhou Jiani unfolded the woolen material and took a look at it. It was light gray, a color that was also very popular in later generations.
It feels pretty good to the touch, I'll make some clothes out of it.
She turned around and counted the money with Qiu Zeming.
Qiu Zeming said that the carp was a gift from her by her brother-in-law Qianjin as a thank you, so she didn't need to pay.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Thank you for the favor you helped me with last time."
Otherwise, you won’t be able to eat fish.
As for woolen materials, Qiu Zeming said that there is no need to give cloth coupons, just pay according to the purchase price.
Zhou Jiani said, "Such rare material really doesn't require a ticket? Don't put it in yourself."
Qiu Zeming smiled: "You have to trust my relationship."
He sighed inwardly, wondering when Comrade Xiao Zhou would stop being so serious with him.
Zhou Jiani didn't argue about the matter anymore and handed the money over. Qiu Zeming paused before taking it.
She came out and said to Zhang Kaishan across the shed: "Brother Zhang, my sister-in-law came back and told her to cook less dishes in the evening. When I come back, we will stew fish."
"Oh, okay!"
The two went out to see the yard.
Those empty yards were not close to Huihui's home, but were located in the northwest of the village.
After turning a few alleys, Qiu Zeming pointed ahead and said, "That's Uncle Sheng Manliang's house. The courtyard I'm talking about belongs to the village right behind his house. It belonged to an old bachelor in the village. He owed the village money, so after he died, the house was confiscated."
The gate to the courtyard was broken, and anyone could crawl in where the wall had collapsed. Standing outside the wall, one could see the scene inside. The doors and windows were all broken, and it was quite difficult to clean up.
It’s not much better than the one Zhou Jiani watched in the afternoon.
"The other places are similar," Qiu Zeming said with a helpless smile. "None of the empty houses with their own doors and courtyards are complete."
Unless he lives with fellow villagers and finds a spacious room, Comrade Xiao Zhou obviously does not plan to do so.
He pointed in another direction: "If you're sure you want to rent, let's rent the two units across the street together. I'll take you to see this one..."
The degree of dilapidation is about the same.
Qiu Zeming said, "The main repairs are on the courtyard walls, doors, and windows. I've checked every room inside. All we need to do is seal up the rat holes. Every room has a kang (kang), but no furniture. As for cupboards... there are only small closets on the wall."
Zhou Jiani said with a firm look: "Rent!"
It's diagonally across the street, not far away, so even if she lives alone, she wouldn't be that scared.
"Then I'll go talk to the village, and you can go again when the contract is signed."
Zhou Jiani nodded.
Qiu Zeming smiled and said, "Yu Wanxia also wanted to move out. When she went to talk to Bai Haoyang about it, she was afraid her brother wouldn't agree, so she brought you along. Did she say she had already discussed it with you?"
Zhou Jiani smiled brightly. Even if we hadn't discussed it yet, it was now discussed. She said seriously, "Yes, we have discussed it."
It would be best to have a companion, as she would still feel a little uneasy if she lived alone. A list of self-defense items just flashed through her mind, and she was thinking of asking the group to buy them.
But it’s better to buy some in case of emergency.
Qiu Zeming nodded. It was indeed safer for two women to live together than for one. He continued, "There are carpenters in the village for things like doors and windows. They can also repair the courtyard gate and door frames. You can also order furniture directly from the village carpenters. Bai Haoyang and the others have already asked, and the price is not high. After we sign the contract, let's go take a look together..."
Qiu Zeming and his team had done thorough preparations, and Zhou Jiani felt that they had saved her a lot of trouble. She felt like she was just following along and getting a bargain. She said with a smile, "Comrade Qiu, I'll treat you to dinner when the house is ready. I'll invite Comrades Bai Haoyang and Wang Qianjin."
Qiu Zeming nodded and said seriously, "Okay, Comrade Xiao Zhou is so busy, so don't worry about the yard. They can't eat that meal for free. The weeds in both yards will be theirs. Then level the ground and fill and compact the rat holes in the house."
Comrade Xiao Zhou only needs to be responsible for one meal.
The arrangements are clear.
Bai Haoyang and Wang Qianjin: ...
Zhou Jiani narrowed her eyes and smiled.
When she got home, Zhao Mei had already returned. She had just cleaned the fish and saw her come in. She asked, "Jia Ni, how do you eat this fish?"
"Stew it and stick a circle of pancakes along the edge of the pot. I'll cook the fish, and sister-in-law, go mix some cornmeal and stick it on later."
Zhou Jiani rolled up her sleeves and started working. She was generous with the ingredients and even added a few pieces of rock sugar to make a sugar color.
After Sun Ping and Yu Wanxia entered the room, they smelled the smell and rushed to the kitchen.
"Is that the fish that Brother Qianjin's brother-in-law brought? My cousin said they will steam it in the evening and asked me to go and eat it. Jiani, I have to try it before I go. It smells so delicious." Yu Wanxia took a deep breath of the fish fragrance in the air and swallowed her saliva.
In addition to the fish, there was also fried loofah with eggs and spinach with garlic, cooked by Zhou Jiani.
Porridge or cornmeal porridge.
When the fish was served, Yu Wanxia smelled the aroma and said decisively, "Jia Ni, wait for me. I'll go over there and scoop half a fish over. We can still eat it at home."
He turned around and ran away.
Oh my god, this is the first time I know Jiani’s cooking skills are so good, it smells so delicious!!
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