When Old Mrs. Chen mentioned building a house with blue bricks and tiles, Old Mr. Chen felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
Back in the day, their family was one of the wealthiest in Nanshan Village. If it weren't for their third son's education, they wouldn't have sold their perfectly good brick house and moved into a thatched hut.
He had long since had enough of the villagers' scorn and ridicule.
The villagers were outwardly flattering and polite, saying things like the third son would be successful in the future, but behind his back they gossiped and whispered that he was just daydreaming.
Why not just live a perfectly good life? Why insist on supporting a scholar? In the end, they've made a complete mess of their lives...
Hearing these gossips, Old Man Chen held a grudge, firmly believing that even if he didn't expect his third son to become a high-ranking official, his family's life would still get better and better.
Now that the opportunity had finally arrived, he was filled with excitement.
"Old woman, you're absolutely right. We can't let that brat outlive us. Three brick houses are too small. If we're going to steal, we should steal a two-story house. Wouldn't that be much more satisfying? But..."
Old Chen paused for a moment, his face showing difficulty. "But where are we going to put all these stolen bricks? If that brat finds out, we'll be in big trouble. With her relentless nature, if she accuses us of theft, we'll be in jail."
Grandma Chen blinked and thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped her thigh. “It’s okay, just go ahead and steal as much as you want. We have plenty of room in our house. As long as we don’t let outsiders in, no one will find out.”
"Yes, yes, that's a good idea. As long as the rumors die down, we can build houses openly and legitimately."
"That's right, but you'll have to be more diligent these days."
"Don't worry, tonight I'll take all those bricks from the pile in front of the door, and I'll try to fill our house with them in ten days or half a month," Old Chen assured him, patting his chest.
Old Mrs. Chen frowned as she listened. "Please, please stop making me angry. Can't you use your brain for once?"
Old Chen looked bewildered. "What did I do to offend you this time?"
"Can you stop digging into the doorway? If you remove all the bricks from that pile of bricks by the door, that brat will come knocking on our door tomorrow."
As the saying goes, "Haste makes waste." To be on the safe side, you have to steal from different piles, a little from one pile and a little from another. Only that way will you avoid being discovered.
"Yes, yes, thank goodness you told me beforehand, otherwise I really wouldn't have thought of these things." Old Chen nodded repeatedly. "I've written them all down. You can just wait to count the bricks at home!"
"Just remember that. Hurry back inside and have some porridge to rest up so you can get moving tonight." Old Mrs. Chen pulled Old Mr. Chen back into the house.
******
Once the matter was resolved, the Luneng team got busy again.
Chen Qingqing knew that Old Man Chen and his wife were utterly despicable, and she had thought they would only start causing trouble when the house was being built.
But I never expected them to be so impatient; they started plotting something bad as soon as they began unloading the bricks.
Fortunately, Wu Baoan arrived in time; otherwise, he would have made the old couple pay for offending her.
With a thought, he stored the prepared insanity poison in his spatial storage, and smiled as he spoke to Wu Baoan.
"Thank you, Uncle Village Head. Thanks to your help, the old couple wouldn't have left so easily."
"Qing girl, don't be so polite. These two old guys are getting more and more foolish as they get older. Don't take it personally with them. After all, you have their blood in your body."
“They’ve never treated me like family, so why should I care about that blood relation?” Chen Qingqing laughed self-deprecatingly.
Wu Baoan shook his head helplessly and sighed, "Qing girl, I know it sounds a bit pretentious to advise you like this, after all, I haven't experienced the pain you've gone through, but I don't want you to become a narrow-minded person, because you can't be happy living in hatred."
“I understand your good intentions. As long as they don’t provoke me, I won’t do anything to them. But if they still try to bully me, I won’t be polite.”
After finishing her sentence, Chen Qingqing smiled faintly and changed the subject, "Uncle Village Head, my house is a bit too big. I want to build the sugar mill as well. Next spring, I'll get everyone in the village to plant sugar beets. Sugar beets don't have to be picky about the soil; they can grow in sandy or dry land. The yield is several times higher than that of crops. I'll be responsible for the unified purchase."
Hearing this, Wu Baoan's eyes filled with smiles. "That's a great idea! Most of the land in our village is barren. Growing sugar beets can be profitable, which would be a great thing for everyone. I support you."
Chen Qingqing understands that cooperation and mutual benefit are the key. Individual strength is ultimately limited. Only by benefiting the entire village can her business grow bigger and stronger.
If only her family becomes richer while the villagers remain poor, she will inevitably become the target of everyone's envy and resentment.
Only when everyone can live a good life can the village atmosphere be harmonious, and only then can her career develop steadily and sustainably.
She comes from the modern world, given a second chance by fate to be reborn here, and should bring about change to this village...
"Alright, when Zheng Zhong comes to deliver sugar beets next time, I'll ask him to bring more sugar beet seeds. I'll have to rely on you to help me mobilize the villagers then."
"Alright, alright, don't worry, Qing girl, I'll take care of it."
Tears welled up in Wu Baoan's eyes as he recounted how someone who had become wealthy did not forget his fellow villagers; how could such kindness not move him?
******
Several days passed, and Old Man Chen, who stayed up all night and worked during the day, figured out Erdanzi's routine. He would seize any opportunity to bring bricks home, and in just a few days, he stole several thousand yuan.
Looking at the blue bricks filling the room, Old Mrs. Chen couldn't stop smiling. She waved to Old Mr. Chen, who had just entered the room, "Old man, come on, sit down and rest for a while, don't tire yourself out."
Old Chen put the blue brick in his hand on the ground, plopped down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and took a few deep breaths. "Old woman, why aren't you asleep yet? Hurry up and get some sleep, or it'll be dawn soon."
"I want to sleep, but looking at this room full of blue bricks makes me so happy that I can't sleep. At this rate, you'll be able to move around the house in less than a month, and we'll have three big brick houses."
“Old woman, you’re right. That’s what I was thinking too, which is why I’ve been working so hard to move bricks into the house. But these past few days I’ve been having a bit of a hard time getting started.”
Old Mrs. Chen felt a pang of heartache. "What happened? Did someone notice that something was missing?"
Old Chen shook his head. "No, it's just that Erdanzi, who keeps watch at night, is more energetic than me. These past few days, he's been like he's been injected with chicken blood, staying up all night and wandering around aimlessly. I have to play hide-and-seek with him."
"I thought something serious had happened, but it's nothing serious." Old Mrs. Chen shook her head and smiled. "Even tigers have their moments of weakness. I don't believe there won't be a chance to strike. Besides, can't you use a roundabout tactic against him?"
......
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