Chapter 241

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

After returning from Sun Yuqing's house, Chai Mi went straight home.

By the time she got home, Wang Huirong had already left, so Chai Mi was much more relieved, spared from plenty of gossip.

Inside the house, Su Wan was coaxing the child on one side while stitching shoe soles on the other.

Speaking of stitching shoe soles, this was a technical job, and explaining it would take a long time, so I won't go into detail; anyway, it's just a way of making shoes by hand.

Chai Mi wore shoes made from shoe soles stitched at home when she was young, but after growing up a bit, Su Wan and Chai Youqing felt that once the child grew up, wearing such awkward shoes didn't look good, so they stopped making them for her.

However, apart from Chai Mi, the rest of the family still wore these handmade shoes made at home. These shoes generally had soft soles, were wear-resistant, and most importantly, were cheap.

"Mom, why are you stitching shoe soles in this hot summer? Don't we still have more than ten pairs at home?" Chai Mi asked, not quite understanding. "Even if you make more, they can't be worn, and no one can wear multiple pairs at once. No matter how many pairs you stitch, it's useless."

Su Wan just smiled: "I made them for your little sister."

Chai Mi was stunned: This child is only a month old and doesn't need shoes yet... I remember when I was young, I didn't wear shoes until I was at least two or three years old.

"Isn't it too early?"

"It's not like I have nothing to do; staying around is just staying around. All day long, besides coaxing the child, it's coaxing the child, really boring. I'm afraid to do anything else because Chai Xin might move around and I wouldn't see her, so I just stitch shoe soles." Su Wan said while looking at the child, her face full of indulgence: "Look at your little sister, how handsome she is, her skin is also whiter now. In the first few days after she was born, she was still dark as pitch, and you called her Xiao Hei Dan."

Chai Mi scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Afterwards she simply went to wash her hands, and after asking around she found out that her diligent-to-the-point-of-absurd father Chai Youqing had already gone to the fields early, preparing to dig a well.

"Mom, you say my dad is really..."

He really has something wrong with his head... but it can't be said. Chai Mi went to her eldest aunt's place this morning, and Liu San hasn't come over yet this while; Chai Youqing himself is so eager to go dig a well...

The problem is, this job isn't something one person can do alone!

So what is he going to do alone!

However, Chai Mi couldn't say anything else, after all Chai Youqing really wanted to work, he just couldn't.

"Doesn't he know to wait for people? What is he going to do alone? Can he go down by himself?"

The well has already been dug four or five meters deep; at first they could use an iron hoe to throw the dirt out, but now at this height, they must use a windlass. The problem is, Chai Mi who would turn the windlass hasn't gone, and Liu San hasn't come either, so it's very awkward.

"Then he's just anxious." Su Wan defended Chai Youqing.

"If he's anxious, wouldn't he have dug the well earlier? It's not like it's only been raining for a day or two; hasn't he thought about it earlier?" Chai Mi wasn't very fond of this "pretending to be anxious" attitude: "Half a month ago, he had nothing to do, why wasn't he anxious then? Wasn't there drought half a month ago? Really, what's the point of pretending to be anxious."

And Chai Mi had sent Liu San to buy electrical wire, so Liu San couldn't come back for now, making Chai Youqing a bit redundant.

"My cousin asked me to arrange buying electrical wire. Later I'll go ask around in a bit to see if anyone can go down the well, I'll hire two people. My sister-in-law and my cousin, those two, did just that much work, and ended up completely sunburned. One's face was peeling, the other was red all over. Can't use those two anymore; if I use them again, I estimate they'd collapse from exhaustion." Chai Mi said with a smile: "Those two are only okay for odd jobs usually; neither of them is as tough as Song Qiushui."

"They got sunburned, is it serious?"

"It's nothing." Chai Mi casually asked: "Then what did Wang Huirong say later?"

Su Wan's expression was calm, and she didn't even stop the work in her hands: "She said nothing; after you left, she left too. Your dad and I don't have money either... no money, what would she borrow. But that Dajun still made a face, saying something like: Don't bully the young and poor..."

Chai Mi laughed hahaha: "Damn! This guy, still saying don't bully the young and poor; tomorrow I'll just bully him, let's see if he still chatters. Still saying don't bully the young and poor; in a couple years it'll be don't bully the middle-aged and poor, in another couple years it'll be don't bully the old and poor. Shouting that slogan, what's the point. Seventeen or eighteen-year-old young men, not doing a bit of work all day, and still saying don't bully the young and poor, really funny. If he's ever earned a single cent, I'll count him as a man."

Chai Dajun is the treasure of the Chai family; he's the best choice for Chai Zhongxiao to continue the family line. He's been spoiled and pampered since childhood, living a life of luxury, doing no work at all, yet wanting to make a big splash.

Actually, in this era, many boys of seventeen or eighteen are already married and have children.

That's why in many rural areas in the Northern Region, after sons marry and have children, some still live with their parents. Because they marry too young, they're too young; a child of seventeen or eighteen, even if married, is still a child. They basically have no ability to support a family.

Although there's an old saying: Children of poor families grow up early.

But it only applies to some small matters. Teenagers going out to work, no one wants them.

"Sigh... Chai Mi, you say this..." Su Wan hesitated.

"Enough. I'm going to hire people." Chai Mi didn't want to hear Su Wan's spiel; most likely it was just misplaced compassion again, saying things like Chai Youde's family is also pitiful.

Chai Mi isn't used to hearing such talk.

The compassion of women.

Leaving aside past grudges, just a few days ago when Su Wan was in the hospital without money, where was that group's compassion?

Hmph.

Chai Mi didn't kick them when they were down only because she's been busy lately; if she had time, she would have trampled them long ago. Would it be their turn to come borrow money?

Coming out of the house, she just happened to run into the neighbor Liu Chunren and Ni Shi.

"Ai yo, Second Master and Second Lady are out for a stroll."

"Chai Mi..." Liu Chunren has always had a gentle attitude, the type who is very principled and minds his own business.

Actually, that is indeed the case.

By common logic, during those several times the old house was turned upside down, Liu Chunren didn't go watch the excitement.

So, a few days ago when several people watching the excitement were caught, he definitely wasn't among them...

"Right, Second Master, do you know anyone who digs wells? I want to hire two people." Chai Mi asked casually.

"I don't know any. But it seems... a few days ago when my nephew came over, he said something about well diggers in another village, and he seems to know them... Do you want me to ask him for you?"

"Mm, then I'll trouble Second Master to make a trip. If he knows them, help me find out where they live, I'll go look for them." Chai Mi said.

Liu Chunren took Ni Shi's hand, and after Chai Mi came over, Liu Chunren put Ni Shi's hand into Chai Mi's hand, then left.

Ni Shi was mentioned before; her eyes have cataracts plus glaucoma plus presbyopia, anyway she has many ailments, and her visible range is basically less than one meter.

It's precisely because Ni Shi is like this that Liu Chunren holds her hand wherever he goes out.

"Chai Mi, is your mom at home? What is she busy with? Haven't seen her out recently."

After Ni Shi asked this, Chai Mi thought for a moment, then shouted toward the yard: "Mom, come out and play with the child for a while. My Second Aunt wants to see you..."

Su Wan heard the call and really came out holding the child; afterwards, the several people sat in the shade by the door and started chatting.

They were all just trivial family matters.

After chatting for a while, Chai Mi suddenly asked, "Where's Xiu'er?"

"Xiu'er, I don't know either. She probably went out to play; anyway, she can't get lost." Su Wan said, "Recently she seems to have started playing with a few kids from up there. She often goes... either catching mazhen, or catching maleng."

(The former is locusts, the latter is dragonflies.)

"Heh, she's mastered this chicken-chasing, dog-driving business without any teaching, a self-taught talent." Chai Mi felt a kind of decadent sensation — she had originally intended to properly educate her into a talent, but in a moment of inattention, she had turned out useless.

"Then..."

"One of these days I'll send her to school." Chai Mi said puffed up with anger, "Everyone's busier than the next; who has the time to watch her every day?"

Chai Mi felt it would still be better to send Chai Xiu to study; with a teacher managing her, it would be much more peace of mind.

Actually, Chai Mi knew Chai Xiu's head — she was truly clever; Chai Xiu really had a photographic memory.

It's just that Chai Xiu generally didn't apply it to the right places.

Ask her some trivial little thing and Chai Xiu could clearly remember which day it happened, even down to the specific hour. Ask her eight times seven, and she wouldn't know...

She only knew seven times eight...

It was just infuriating.

Chai Mi wasn't too worried about Chai Xiu getting lost; after all, the village was only this big, Chai Xiu remembered every household — with that kind of cleverness, she fundamentally couldn't get lost.

And Chai Xiu herself had run all the way to her maternal aunt's home that far and nothing happened; going out to play with a few kids, she was even less likely to get lost.

As long as she didn't cause someone else's kid to get lost, it was fine.

"Xiu'er should start school too... it's just that summer vacation starts right now, only a few days left; next semester I'll send her to study." Su Wan tentatively said, "I see Xiu'er's brain is capable enough; going to school should work."

Su Wan couldn't decide on any big or small matter in her own home; before she watched Chai Youqing's face, now she listens to Chai Mi's orders...

Of course, Su Wan herself was also a person without much opinion.

She studied very little, married very early, knew few principles, and even didn't recognize many characters.

She had already done her utmost within the world she could understand, knowing that studying is useful — that was already quite good.

"I even want to send her for tutoring, let her stay home all day with nothing to do. I'll look into this; in a couple days when I'm free, I'll find someone to tutor her, and when school starts just send her straight to third grade."

"Ah... Xiu'er, she hasn't even attended preschool yet?" Su Wan asked in a daze.

"Right, your Xiu'er has studied before too, how come she's going straight to third grade? Will she be able to keep up with the lessons?" Ni Shi was also very puzzled.

"Let's try in a couple days; Xiu'er's age is too old, next year she'll be eight; not putting her in third grade would be hard to justify. If she goes to preschool, she'll be two or three years older than the other kids; then she'll probably not study properly again. Better to send her to third grade; if she doesn't understand, then she'll naturally study hard on her own."

Chai Mi knew Chai Xiu; Chai Xiu had that clever streak. If sent to preschool, she'd just go to play. Better to give her some pressure directly; she'd still learn a bit more. And her age really was a bit old; in this era, children generally started first grade at five or six, but Chai Xiu was already seven; by rights she should go to second or third grade. And Chai Mi also felt Chai Xiu keeping up with lessons was no problem; Chai Xiu wasn't the kind of player who doesn't even know what one plus one equals.

Of course, a very key point is that this era's elementary curriculum is relatively simple. Completely none of those messy things; all especially basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, reciting some poems, picture-based composition, learning some basic nature and PE. It can be said only two main subjects are language and math, and both of those Chai Xiu already knew long ago.

"What if she can't keep up with lessons then?" Su Wan said somewhat worriedly.

"Oh my, then just don't let her eat." Chai Mi answered simply and crudely. "Starve her a few meals, she'll know everything. Mom, I'm telling you, if you starve her three meals now, she could recite the Three Hundred Tang Poems backwards."

"Our family doesn't have Three Hundred Tang Poems either..."

"One of these days I'll go into the city and buy her a copy..."

Just as they were speaking, Liu Chunren came up from below.

Arriving at Chai Mi's doorway, he also came over to chat with Ni Shi, holding a paper slip in hand, handed it to Chai Mi: "A few people in Dadao Village are digging wells; they seem to be contractors, fifty yuan per meter. This is their place; it's my nephew's great-uncle... a Tu Lao Liang."

"Second Granduncle handles affairs reliably." Chai Mi couldn't help but praise.

Liu Chunren always handled matters seriously and meticulously; ask him to inquire about something, and people would take out little notebooks and record clearly whose house, how to get there.

Chai Mi took the slip, then borrowed Liu Chunren's bicycle, and went to Dadao Village.

Arriving at Dadao Village, asking around, she really found that person who claimed to know well-digging; exchanged a few pleasantries, then got straight to the point.

After a few sentences, Chai Mi felt the price was a bit high, but her family's well — the easy parts were already dug; the rest was all hard to dig, and at most only another ten-odd meters, estimated to be enough.

So it was settled.

That person indeed was as Liu Chunren said, a big bald head, but not very old. Around here bald heads are generally called Tu Lao Liang; although there's not much derogatory meaning, it's absolutely not a complimentary term either.

But Chai Mi really forgot to ask what his surname was; anyway, Tu Lao Liang and Chai Mi agreed on the price, then decided to find a helper, and planned to go to Sanjiacun.

Chai Mi just returned early.

Arriving home, she returned the bicycle.

Chai Mi felt a bit melancholy; day after day, still having to borrow a bicycle, it was very vexing. She only then remembered her own bicycle — last time she had said to let Song Qiushui drive the tractor to repair it, but forgot to pick it up.

Running around everywhere like this, without any transport, was somewhat hard to bear. Besides, her family's bicycle really couldn't be repaired anymore. In a couple days, she really must buy a bicycle.

Thinking of this, Chai Mi slapped her forehead: Song Qiushui hasn't even delivered the cement yet, this rice bucket...