Chapter 1078

Three years for 400 yuan averages out to 11 yuan a month. Although this salary isn't high, in this era, it's certainly not very low either.

The main thing is that in Wang An's view, Huang Li's physique wouldn't allow her to do much work; at most, she could cook, wash clothes, or do some housework and cleaning—that would probably be quite an achievement.

Moreover, Wang An had to provide Huang Li with three meals a day, including buying the clothes she would wear over these three years, so overall, this treatment was already quite good.

But to put it bluntly, Huang Li's job was equivalent to a nanny or a servant in later generations.

Of course, this was also the best arrangement Wang An could think of. Otherwise, where would he put such a young girl who was as thin as a bamboo pole?

After Wang An finished speaking, Huang Baoguo's face stopped looking mournful, and Huang Li also raised her head, her face tear-stained and sobbing continuously.

Even Huang Li's mother, who was eavesdropping at the door of the dugout, raised her hand and wiped her face with her patched sleeve. Only Huang Zhong looked at Huang Li, who was squatting on the ground, not knowing what he was thinking.

After a while, Huang Baoguo said with a face full of shame:

"Young Master Little An—no, Brother Little An, you said I..."

Wang An looked at Huang Baoguo without speaking, instead pushing the money in his hand forward a bit more.

Huang Baoguo slowly extended his trembling hand, but said:

"Brother Little An, don't worry. Your niece has done all kinds of work since she was a child. She definitely won't be lazy at your house. If she dares to be lazy, you... you just beat her. Beat her hard... I definitely won't have anything to say about it."

After stuttering for a long time, Huang Baoguo suddenly stopped his hand from reaching for the money and asked very hesitantly:

"Brother Little An, it's just... regarding your niece's meals... can you also... just... let her eat her fill? What do you think about this?"

After Huang Baoguo finished speaking, he looked at Wang An with pleading eyes.

Although Wang An's face was gloomy and his two big eyes were revealing a fierce light, this time, Huang Baoguo didn't retreat but stood firm against the pressure Wang An was emitting.

If one looked down, one could see Huang Baoguo's legs trembling non-stop.

But it had to be said that these displaced people were always most concerned about the problem of eating.

Whether it was Huang Baoguo telling Wang An he wanted to find work or Huang Li saying she wanted to work, the only condition was that meals had to be provided.

From this, one could see that in the hearts of these people, the problem of eating was even more important than the salary. One could also see how starved these people were; the only thing they cared about every day was whether they could get a meal if they worked.

Just when Huang Baoguo was about to collapse, Wang An said with a speechless face:

"What the hell are you thinking? If she works at my house, do you think I'd mistreat her? Meals and lodging provided, and I'll get her two sets of clothes a year. Is that enough? Is there anything else you're worried about?"

Hearing Wang An say this, Huang Baoguo took the 400 yuan without hesitation, saying nice things:

"Nothing else, nothing else. With your niece following you, I'm definitely at ease. Young Master Little An, you truly have a Bodhisattva's heart."

Wang An ignored the fact that Huang Baoguo kept calling him "Young Master" and looked down at Huang Li:

"Niece, do you have any thoughts? Is this arrangement by your Little Uncle okay?"

Huang Li nodded frantically and said:

"Little Uncle, I have no thoughts. I listen to Little Uncle."

It was clear that Huang Li really had no thoughts and was very satisfied with Wang An's arrangement.

After all, having meals and lodging provided and getting 11 yuan a month was already a very good job for Huang Li.

Although this money had all been taken away by Huang Baoguo, for Huang Li at this moment, as long as she wasn't forced to marry that old man, she was probably willing to do anything.

Wang An glanced at Huang Baoguo, then at Huang Li's mother and Huang Zhong, and said to Huang Li:

"Niece, do you want to come with me now? Or do you want to stay at home for a few days before coming to work at my house?"

Before Huang Li could speak, Huang Baoguo said to her with some reluctance:

"Don't stay. There's nothing good about this broken home. Just go with your Little Uncle. At the very least, you'll get a full meal. Work hard at your Little Uncle's house, don't lose face for your father and mother..."

Just like that, Huang Baoguo rambled on for a long time.

Huang Li's mother also walked up and joined Huang Baoguo in rambling.

While rambling, the couple wiped away tears. Of course, Huang Li was also wiping away tears.

It was clear that Huang Baoguo and his wife were actually quite good to Huang Li, but reality was too cruel, which led to the practice of marrying Huang Li off to an old man for money.

After a while, Huang Zhong also walked over, crying like a sissy and calling out "Big Sister" to Huang Li.

Finally, Wang An couldn't stand it anymore and said impatiently:

"Alright, stop this damn act. It's only ten-plus li away. If you miss the child, just go to my house and see her. Besides, my niece isn't sold to my house; she's not forbidden from coming back. What's the point of you acting like this?"

In Wang An's view, Huang Li going to his house was just to work. If she missed home, she could go back for a day or two—there was no problem with that. Even if she wanted to stay home for a long time, it didn't matter to Wang An.

Anyway, Wang An believed that with Huang Li's physical condition, she couldn't do much work anyway.

And the 400 yuan Wang An paid was just to buy the right to speak, because only then could Huang Li follow her own ideas and choose to marry out, rather than being forced to marry.

Although marriage freedom had long been advocated, in fact, the marriages of the vast majority of people in this era were still arranged by their parents, and arranged marriages were even more severe in remote mountain villages.

Wang An bought the right to speak at a premium. If Huang Baoguo and the others dared to arrange Huang Li's marriage again, Wang An wouldn't mind letting Huang Baoguo disappear from this world directly.

Just a displaced person—if he died, he died; no one would care.

Wang An's scolding immediately left Huang Baoguo and his wife standing there in a daze. Huang Li's mother said with an unbelievable face:

"Young Master Little An, that... are you saying that Big Girl can come home to see us?"

Huang Li's mother spoke with a thick Yuzhou accent, which was very different from the Northeast dialect. However, the difference between Yuzhou dialect and Mandarin wasn't particularly large, and Wang An, having traveled north and south in his previous life, understood it perfectly.

Wang An said with a matter-of-fact expression:

"Of course. Kaoshan Settlement isn't far from here, just ten-plus li. If you have nothing to do, just go over and stroll around. If she has nothing to do, she can stay home for two days. Isn't that a good thing? What are you crying about?"

Thanks to "Emperor of the Great Empire" for the tip, thank you, thank you, thank you very much!

Wishing you, big brother, a happy and fulfilling life, and smooth sailing in your wealth!