Chapter 117: Competitiveness
Like Tang Luwu, in a simple work shed, a young man was writing stroke by stroke under an oil lamp.
There was a big bed in the shed. There were wooden boards underneath, dry grass in the middle that did not attract mosquitoes, and a mattress on the top.
Several men were fast asleep on it, lying side by side, each with his own blanket.
One of them was awakened by the urge to urinate. He sat up slowly, and was about to get out of bed when he was startled by the serious figure.
"Brother Ze, you haven't slept yet?" Jiang Qibin yawned and said, "Why are you working so hard?"
"You go to sleep, I'll practice for a while." Song Ruize looked serious and didn't stop writing.
Jiang Qibin came back from the toilet and approached Song Ruize's simple wooden table. He saw a large stack of papers full of words next to it.
"Brother Ze, did you write all of this today? Oh my God, there are so many things to worry about during the day, and I still have to write for two hours at night."
Song Ruize continued to write, and his wrist never relaxed while talking to Jiang Qibin, and every word was written with his most seriousness.
“I started late and had to study longer than others to catch up.”
Jiang Qibin was also learning to read and write, but compared with Song Ruize, who was studying at the same time, his handwriting was like that of a weak child, while Song Ruize's handwriting was very neat.
Both were taught by Jiang Qingnan, and both started learning these past few days, but the results were very different.
"Brother Ze, don't write for too long. We still have to go shopping tomorrow. The things we want to buy this time are only available in the provincial capital, so we have to go to the provincial capital."
"Yeah. Got it."
Half an hour later, Song Ruize put down the last stroke and looked out the window.
The whole dam is so quiet, unlike the daytime when there are thousands of people working and it is so noisy. In such a quiet environment, people's thoughts are always changing.
The figure of Qin Huiyin appeared in his mind.
Is she sleeping soundly now?
What is she doing these days?
Does she...really regard him as a brother?
Song Ruize didn't know what family affection was like. He lost his mother when he was born, and was considered unlucky by the villagers. He had no playmates, and no one showed kindness to him. Hunter Song was a man of few words. Although he didn't treat his life harshly, he didn't show much concern for him. From childhood to adulthood, this was the first time someone approached him so enthusiastically.
He thought of Tang Yichen again.
Tang Yichen was dressed like a scholar, gentle, polite, and refined, like the breeze and the bright moon. There was a faint scent of ink on his body, and he looked clean.
What about him? He had lived with wild animals since he was young, and his body had been stained with the smell of blood since he could hold a knife. Now, in this dam, he was covered in the stench of sweat.
If one had to choose between him and Tang Yichen to be the older brother, he would definitely choose Tang Yichen instead of him.
Song Ruize understood that if he didn't want to be hurt, abandoned, or deceived, it would be best to stop here. However, he seemed reluctant to push it away.
On the second day, Song Ruize took Jiang Qibin and Chen Yong to go purchasing, leaving Jiang Qingnan, Tang Erzhu and Zhou Jinyuan to guard the purchasing room.
They were going to the provincial capital this time, and they could get a horse-drawn carriage by applying at the dam head. Since they didn't know how to drive a horse-drawn carriage, they were assigned a special driver.
"Brother Ze, this is a carriage. This is my first time riding in a carriage." Jiang Qibin lifted the curtain, looked outside, and said excitedly, "We are going to the provincial capital. I have never been to the provincial capital. Brother Ze, have you been there? Our county town is so big, so luxurious, and so beautiful. How much bigger, more luxurious, and more beautiful must the provincial capital be?"
Chen Yong said honestly: "This is my first time riding in a carriage too."
Song Ruize looked calm, with no ups and downs in his expression. However, he was just a teenager after all, how could he be really calm and composed? His eyes were also full of curiosity.
Song Ruize rushed to the provincial capital early in the morning, refreshing his life map. At the same time, Qin Huiyin was working with two couples, Song Tieniu and Zhang Jieba, to make sauces.
With the help of four people, the work that was originally impossible to finish became very easy.
Li Taohua and Tang Dafu went to see the village chief, bought Aunt Yu's house next door, and registered a new residential land.
Li Taohua and Tang Dafu completed the formalities and handed the house building matter over to the village chief's son. When they came back, it was as if they were walking on cotton and they seemed to be floating.
They were about to push the door open when Wang opened it, glared at her fiercely, and then turned around like a Sichuan opera face-changing to look at Tang Mingkui behind her.
"Son, your employer is still short of people. Since you can send Mingxiu to work there, why not send mom in to work there too? At least you can earn more money."
"Mom, the boss has plenty of people. Even Mingxiu's quota was added by me because of my connections. Please don't make things difficult for me. You can enjoy yourself at home. Mingxiu and I will bring the money back for you in the future."
"That's fine!" Wang said in a shrill voice, "My son has made great progress. I can enjoy a peaceful life in the future, unlike some people who don't even have a son."
How could Li Taohua tolerate such a bad temper? Just when she was about to roll up her sleeves and go to fight, she was pulled into the room by Tang Dafu.
"Why are you pulling me? I'm going to rip her mouth off."
"There's still meat stewing in the pot. Yin is busy all the time and may not be able to take care of it. We have to go check the fire quickly."
"Yeah, forget it. Our time is so precious. There's no need to waste it on a barking dog."
Tang Mingkui looked at Li Taohua's figure and said, "Mom, you are alone at home, don't cause trouble, don't provoke them."
"Are you afraid of Li Taohua too?" Wang said disappointedly.
"A country woman is short-sighted. What's the point of arguing with her?" Tang Mingkui said calmly, "When I make money, I'll take you to live in the city. Won't you live better than them?"
"Son, I listen to you. You have to come back often to see me. I'm alone at home now, and no one is with me." After Wang said that, she looked at Tang Mingxiu who was looking contemptuous, pinched her arm and said, "You silly girl, you are following your brother now, so be smart and listen to your brother's arrangements."
"It hurts...it hurts...I know..." Tang Mingxiu dodged and hid behind Tang Mingkui.
"Son, that man doesn't want to take responsibility. The thing in your sister's belly..."
"Don't worry, I have plans." Tang Mingkui said, "Now that my belly is big, it would be life-threatening if I have an abortion. I have no choice but to give birth to the baby."
"How can she help you with work like this?" Wang said with disdain, "If I had known earlier, I would have let her go out with you to make money, so that she wouldn't be embarrassed at home."
"She wasn't suitable before, but now..." Tang Mingkui said, "Let's go first."
Tang Mingxiu hurriedly followed Tang Mingkui and left without looking back. At this moment, she was like a swallow eager to fly into the sky, but she didn't know that this was the beginning of stepping into the abyss.
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