Chapter 242: Rebirth in the Nineties: The Overbearing Flower, Chapter 243: In Principle, It's Not Allowed

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Chai Mi had no choice but to make a trip to Song Qiushui's House, and as Chai Mi had expected, Eldest Miss Song still hadn't woken up.

Chai Mi checked the time; it was past eight... It was perfectly normal that Eldest Miss Song hadn't woken up.

Chai Mi glanced over; the cement was still on the vehicle, covered with a small piece of plastic sheeting on top. Obviously, Song Qingshan was afraid of rain or something and hadn't delivered it yet.

Chai Mi said a few words to Song Qingshan, telling him to just deliver it, since she would use it today anyway.

Song Qingshan didn't object and went over.

Chai Mi then intended to enter the house, but those few puppies, one by one, blocked Chai Mi and wouldn't let her in.

Ni Shi was busy watching the dogs, but Song Qiushui had raised four dogs, and it was a bit much to handle.

"Ah... they're fighting. Those dogs will be taken out tomorrow and all shot within half an hour." Song Qiushui cursed from inside the house: "These few wasteful playthings, barking nonstop every midnight and three more, keeping me from sleeping."

Chai Mi entered the house, and Song Qiushui still hadn't finished getting dressed.

"Wasn't that dog something you arranged to raise? I'm telling you, it's fine to raise one dog, why raise four? With too many, they have nothing to do and can only fight."

"Don't mention it." Song Qiushui's face was full of worry: "Yesterday, my mom threw the remaining two bones to them. Those guys were busy all night, never idle, always snatching at each other."

Chai Mi couldn't help but laugh.

Dogs were indeed like that, especially fond of bones, always wanting to claim them as their own; even if there were many bones, they would probably still fight over them.

"Get up, it's past eight already. I had your dad deliver the cement to me. I'm thinking of buying a bicycle; doing all this running around is too exhausting. I've been especially busy these past two days, so I'm thinking of buying a bicycle today."

"Don't buy a bicycle; that thing is outdated. Nowadays, even marriages don't require bicycles; they want motorcycles instead. What era is this? In my opinion, you should just buy a motorcycle; that thing is fast." Song Qiushui analyzed: "And afterward, you still need to open a shop at Jin Zhangzi's place. If you're going back and forth, a bicycle just won't do; a motorcycle is more convenient. By then, even if you go into the city or something, it'll work, right?"

Chai Mi thought about it and felt Song Qiushui actually made some sense.

"When Da Zhi comes out, doesn't he deal in motorcycles? Get a brand new one, a foreign brand, and riding it out will be impressive." Song Qiushui got excited as she spoke: "By then, we two will go out and play all over the south and north. I'll bring you, you bring the money, ride a motorcycle, and travel around the world. Isn't there something about traveling around China? By then we'll go—grasslands, seaside, Grand Canyon, barren mountains and wild ridges, Luan Zang Gang, we'll go everywhere..."

"Fine." Chai Mi said with a smile: "But with just that little money of mine, it definitely won't be enough; how much gas money would that take? You get up first; whether to buy a motorcycle is another matter. My family really needs a bicycle, otherwise my dad has to ride a bicycle too. Just buy one; bicycles aren't very expensive now. Buy one. Hurry up and get ready, I'll wait for you outside."

After saying this, Chai Mi went out.

Song Qiushui pouted and started getting dressed.

Floral shirt, jeans, big sunglasses, small leather shoes...

The Spiritual Little Sister Song Qiushui came out...

"Hey hey hey, don't put on sunglasses yet; you haven't washed your face? What sunglasses are you wearing?" Chai Mi said, frowning.

"No one's looking... Besides, I have a good foundation. Even if the Village Belle of this village doesn't wash her face for ten days, others would still say I'm beautiful enough to topple cities and kingdoms. Don't believe me? Ask my mom?" Song Qiushui said, turning to ask Ni Shi: "Mom, am I good-looking?"

Ni Shi looked blank, and after a while she came to her senses: "Of course you're good-looking; my daughter is the best-looking. Within ten li and eight xiang, Qiu Shui's looks are the best; she's handsome and speaks well..."

Ni Shi was really not good with words and didn't know how to praise better, so she said: "Let's just put it this way: my daughter is the best-looking in the whole world."

Song Qiushui spread her hands: "Chai Mi, you hear that. This isn't me praising myself; this is what others say."

Chai Mi almost gave a cold laugh: same soup, different medicine; still praising herself.

"Fine, you're the most beautiful; even the Widow Huang in our village isn't as beautiful as you. One of these days you might as well call yourself Song Meili..."

Widow Huang was a famous beauty in the village; after being widowed, her doorstep was almost trampled flat by suitors.

"That's only natural. The sky is big, the earth is big, I'm the most beautiful... Great Beauty Song Qiushui..." Song Qiushui forgot her words: "Anyway, I don't need to wash my face, right?"

After a fierce internal struggle, Ni Shi still quietly pulled Song Qiushui and said: "Daughter, when you go out, it's better to wash your face... Our good looks don't seem to have anything to do with washing your face, but if you don't comb your hair or wash your face, others will say you're lazy. If this gets around, people will say: 'Oh, that girl from Old Song's family is truly beautiful, but a bit lazy, a big lazy girl...' That wouldn't be good. Wash your face before you go, okay..."

Song Qiushui sighed.

The next second, Ni Shi went back into the room and brought a face basin, took a towel and soap, then brought a wooden stool, put the basin on it, and finally poured in some hot water and cold water to make warm water.

Chai Mi: Being a mom like this, she might as well wash Song Qiushui's face for her...

Hiss—!

It was just too bizarre.

However, Ni Shi and her husband spoiling the child was already bizarre, so Chai Mi wasn't too surprised.

After Song Qiushui washed her face, she washed her hair; by the time her hair dried, nearly half an hour had passed.

Chai Mi waited listlessly: "Qiu Shui, who just said they wouldn't wash their face? Why are you washing your hair? It's almost nine... The people working on my side should have gone by now, and I haven't gone yet..."

"What's the rush?" Song Qiushui acted indifferent: "Isn't your dad there? Why are you rushing? You can't be worried about everything. Look at me; I don't worry about anything, and isn't the house still fine?"

Hearing this, Chai Mi felt a bit more relieved and prayed in her heart that her old man could handle it.

After a while, Song Qiushui finally finished getting ready, and then she remembered: "Oh no, does your dad know you hired people? Don't end up arguing with them."

Chai Mi spread her hands: "Naturally he doesn't know; otherwise I wouldn't be anxious."

Song Qiushui stuck out her tongue: "It's nothing; they won't start fighting. Your dad's temper—if they fight, he'll only be the one getting beaten; it won't involve him beating someone else and getting cheated..."

This successfully made both Chai Mi and Ni Shi laugh.

Indeed, Chai Youqing was a bit of a "wimp"; fighting was indeed unrealistic for him; he was just a pure, honest person.

Afterward, Chai Mi and Song Qiushui pushed their bicycles to the place where Chai Mi's family was digging a well to take a look.

Fortunately, nothing had happened; those few well diggers were sitting there discussing how to do the work.

Chai Youqing had brought the windlass and such; Liu San had also arrived, the wires had been bought, the water pump had been rented, the knife switch had been bought, and even the tape for wrapping wires had been remembered.

Chai Mi saw that nothing was wrong and felt relieved.

It would probably take a while to set up, and besides, the well's depth wasn't enough to use the water pump immediately, so there was no need to worry too much.

Afterward, Chai Mi and Song Qiushui ran to the Xiangli, found a bicycle shop, and bought a bicycle back.

On the way there, Chai Mi took Song Qiushui; on the way back, the two of them pushed it back.

After all, Chai Mi only now realized that Song Qiushui really could eat, and couldn't even ride a bicycle...

It was especially unbearable.

Better not to have called her; Chai Mi walked there herself.

By the time she got home, it was already ten o'clock.

Chai Mi felt a wave of helplessness, but at least the bicycle was bought. She bought a ladies' model, the smaller, more compact kind, a newer one; riding it was quite comfortable.

Of course, mainly it was good-looking.

With the bicycle, she didn't have to run around everywhere; though it cost over three hundred yuan...

Chai Mi actually also felt it was expensive in this era; these three hundred-plus yuan were truly a bit hard to bear, nearly catching up to two months of Chai You Fu's salary.

Of course, Chai You Fu's salary was indeed low to a bizarre degree; everyone knew this.

For well-known reasons, in this era there were actually many teachers who resigned to go into business; this actually had a certain relationship with the excessively low salaries.

Chai Mi arranged for Song Qiushui to help coax the children at home; Chai Xiu had already run off who knows where and hadn't returned yet. In order to handle the noon meal, she could only let Song Qiushui do a bit of work within her ability, freeing up Su Wan so Su Wan could cook.

"Chai Mi, rest assured, coaxing children, this work, I'm an expert at it. Not to mention anything else, my fucking experience is rich; my mother coaxed me until I was eight, when I went out she was still holding me..."

Su Wan: "..."

Chai Mi scratched her head; when this Song Qiushui wasn't speaking human speech, she indeed resembled a person.

"Can't be bothered to roast you. I started going out to pick up cow dung and such at five or six; you truly enjoyed blessings, still being held at eight. Watch the kids well, don't let them fall..."

"Didn't you say her fate is hard?"

"Hard fate is hard fate, but forcing it hard also easily leads to early death..."

Chai Mi instructed a few more sentences, then went out the door; down below, she happened to run into Sun Yuqing.

Sun Yuqing had already been there a while; he first went to look at Chai Mi's well-digging spot, then found the nearest utility pole and was studying underneath it. Seeing Chai Mi come over, he said: "Aiya, Chai Mi. It's like this, I helped you ask clearly; the electric meter is new now, the supply bureau's meaning is just that you get a proof. That's not hard, go to the village to open one; it's an industrial electricity one, that's cheap. Industrial is half the price per kilowatt-hour compared to our personal household use."

"Hard work, Second Uncle." Chai Mi said, but estimated electricity would be needed this afternoon; getting a proof now was a bit rushed: "Let's supplement that later. I saw they'd dug to five or six meters; dig a bit more, estimate big water will come out, then a water pump will be needed. Second Uncle, can you see if... just connect it up first..."

Sun Yuqing was a bit embarrassed: "In principle, this won't do."

Fortunately, Sun Yuqing didn't have many principles...

"But considering you're anxious to use it, how about this: I'll install the electric meter for you first, afterwards you go to the supply bureau to supplement a proof."

"Okay, how much for the electric meter?"

"I have an old electric meter here, won't let you spend money. The supply bureau says installation must use a new one, but new ones are expensive. I'll fix you up with an old one; the meter has no problems, works the same. Later when you go to the supply bureau, give that Director Lin a pack of cigarettes and it's done. Otherwise this really has a bit of fault..."

Chai Mi readily agreed, and thanked him repeatedly.

Actually Chai Mi knew clearly in her heart; this was just Sun Yuqing fooling her for fun. Whether old or new, theoretically speaking, neither new nor old electric meters would charge money for installation.

But, this was a helpless matter.

Under someone else's eaves, one has to bow one's head.

Who told Sun Yuqing to be an electrician? He relies on this to earn money.

After Chai Mi and Sun Yuqing agreed, Sun Yuqing took the foot pegs, climbed the utility pole, and started installing the electric meter, connecting electricity.

Chai Mi went over to have Liu San pull the wires over: "Big Brother, you go to our place and get two wooden stakes, put them in the middle. Otherwise such a long wire on the ground isn't good either. By the way, have Sun Yuqing tidy up this stuff properly. Remember to get longer ones; find my mother, let her help you find them. Right, tell my mother to cook for ten or so people's meals at noon."

Liu San agreed, then went.

Before long, he came carrying a wooden stake four or five meters long.

Chai Mi froze: No way, he really carried it over...

Chai Mi smiled wryly helplessly: "Big Brother, call my dad to go together, make another trip, need three."

Liu San went to call Chai Youqing, went back to carry wooden stakes.

Fortunately both were quite solid; soon they carried them over.

After the electric meter was connected, they routed the wires; Chai Youqing took an iron shovel and dug a few pits in the ground, buried the wooden stakes, then connected the wires, and went over.

Dug three pits, erected three wooden stakes; the last one reached the well side.

Installed the gate switch, job done.

Chai Mi looked at the time; it was already eleven thirty; those workers were still working away vigorously.

Have to say, this contract work and daily wage work are just different.

Contract work, no need to manage; they just work well themselves.

Chai Mi glanced; they'd already dug to seven or eight meters; the water down there, hua hua flowing.

Tu Lao Liang bare-armed, still working hard; the water nearly reached his neck.

Chai Mi watched and laughed: "Hey, brothers, you're really earning money with no regard for life; in a bit the water will drown you. Come up, it's noon; eat then work. At your speed, tomorrow it'll be finished."

Tu Lao Liang didn't persist either; the other well-diggers shook him up with the windlass.

"I feel we're about to hit the spring eye; this corner... hey, I estimate we'll hit the dragon vein. The water down below is great. Install the water pump this afternoon, then irrigation can proceed."

"Then I'll borrow your auspicious words; dig up our village's dragon vein, let the Village Chief directly stroke to the bottom; later I'll go be Village Chief." Chai Mi joked.

The workers tidied up a bit, then followed Chai Mi home to eat. Like this, even if contract work, the noon meal still has to be provided.

The wires and electric meter over there were also tidied up; Chai Mi also called Sun Yuqing to go home together to eat.

Sun Yuqing didn't decline, and went too.