Chapter 299: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 299: Facing the Choice Again, Insisting on Building a House in the Old Home

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Li Xiulan was mixing cement and sand, carrying the mixed cement and sand in two grey buckets to the workers.

At this moment, Wang Zhanggen walked over.

"Just now Zhang Zhongtian said he bought a house for his son in the county town and asked me to help with the renovation; do you think we should take this job?"

Wang Zhanggen told Li Xiulan exactly these words.

Li Xiulan slightly furrowed her brow:

"Wasn't it said that after finishing the New Rural Construction project, we'd start building our own new house? Where would we find time to do work for others?"

Wang Zhanggen actually wasn't too keen on taking this job either, most importantly because running back and forth between the village and the county town every day was exhausting.

Although the rural bus now runs, the bus from the village to the county town takes at least forty or fifty minutes per trip, riding the bus is tiring, and sometimes there's no seat so you have to stand the whole way.

"He's the Village Committee Secretary, we should give him some face."

Wang Zhanggen said these words, then added:

"Our house can actually be built a bit later."

Hearing this, Li Xiulan immediately became unhappy.

"Delayed until when? Next year or the year after? Don't you know our situation? If we want Dashan and Erhai to marry and have children early, we must build the new house as soon as possible, otherwise even if they bring a partner back, the match will fall through because of our shabby house!"

Wang Zhanggen had a dark face and couldn't speak.

Because he knew Li Xiulan's words were very reasonable.

And he hoped even more than Li Xiulan that his two sons would marry early and have children early, so he could hold a big fat grandson.

At this time, Li Xiulan said again:

"Why don't we just buy a house in the county town and not build a new house at home? Then if you want to take Zhang Zhongtian's job, I won't stop you."

Wang Zhanggen was not too willing:

"House prices in the county town are frighteningly expensive, and even if we bought a house, no one would live in it for a while—wouldn't that be a waste?"

Actually Li Xiulan wasn't willing to buy a house in the county town either; she also felt it wasn't worth it.

She proposed this condition only to make Wang Zhanggen back down.

This trick indeed worked, and Wang Zhanggen finally backed down.

"I'm embarrassed to refuse Zhang Zhongtian; you go tell him!"

Wang Zhanggen threw out this sentence, then turned around and continued working.

Li Xiulan looked at him with a disdainful gaze:

"What's there to be embarrassed about saying? I'll go say it!"

After speaking, she put down the grey bucket, went to the nearby water tap to wash the cement dust off her hands and feet, and immediately went to Zhang Zhongtian's home.

Zhang Zhongtian's villa was really big—a three-story villa covering nearly two hundred square meters, with a huge courtyard outside enclosed by a red brick wall.

Speaking of which, this villa was originally contracted by Li Xiulan and Wang Zhanggen, and it was from this job that their lives gradually began to improve.

The villa's main gate was open; Li Xiulan walked in, and the dogs in the courtyard started barking.

A woman holding a child came out of the first-floor hall.

She was Zhang Zhongtian's daughter-in-law, Li Xiaohe.

Last year Zhang Zhongtian's son Zhang Zhiqiang had just married Li Xiaohe; Li Xiaohe was already pregnant then, and now Li Xiaohe had given birth to the child.

Her husband Zhang Zhiqiang is now working away, and Li Xiaohe stayed in Shanggou Village to take care of the child.

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, is something the matter?"

Li Xiaohe had already adapted to life in Shanggou Village and knew many people in the village.

Usually, with nothing to do while minding the child, she would wander around the village.

Actually it was quite leisurely; her parents-in-law didn't let her work in the fields, she only needed to mind the child.

It's just that there aren't many entertainment activities in the countryside, there are few young people, her husband isn't home, and sometimes she felt terribly lonely and desolate.

"I'm looking for your father-in-law; is he here?"

Li Xiulan said with a smile.

"He's at the Village Committee Office!"

Li Xiaohe replied.

Li Xiulan looked at the child in Li Xiaohe's arms and couldn't help but feel fond, so she chatted a few extra words:

"This child is really cute; how many months old was he when he was born?"

Li Xiaohe answered with a smile: "Five months."

"What's his name again?"

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, I told you at the full moon banquet—his name is Zhang Jiajun."

"Oh oh, Jiajun, look at my memory, I'm really getting old!" Li Xiulan laughed.

Li Xiaohe said with a smile:

"You like children so much, hurry up and have your son have one!"

Li Xiulan sighed:

"I'd like to, but this can't be forced; let it happen naturally!"

After chatting with Li Xiaohe for quite a while, Li Xiulan then turned and went to the Village Committee Office to find Zhang Zhongtian.

In this vast villa courtyard, only Li Xiaohe remained, alone with an infant who could not yet speak.

When bored, she could only play on her phone to kill time.

Fortunately, mobile communications are highly developed now, unlike before when phones could only make calls.

Today's phones can not only make calls, but also socialize and play games.

Li Xiaohe didn't like playing games; she loved scrolling Weibo, loved using QQ, loved using WeChat.

When bored, she would also pick up a few bottles in WeChat's Drift Bottle feature, find someone to chat with, and relieve her boredom.

Li Xiulan arrived at the Village Committee Office, only to see Zhang Zhongtian bent over his desk processing some routine work.

She knocked on the door.

"Secretary Zhang, I've come to discuss a matter with you."

Zhang Zhongtian looked up and saw it was Li Xiulan.

He took off his reading glasses and hurriedly poured tea to welcome her:

"Xiulan, you're here, sit down and have some tea!"

Then he asked:

"Did Changgen tell you about my County Town house needing renovation?"

Li Xiulan said:

"He did, that's why I'm here to discuss this very matter."

Zhang Zhongtian said:

"I suggest you also buy a house in the County Town. In this day and age, building a new house in the rural area isn't cost-effective, because ultimately you'll still have to buy a house in the city."

Zhang Zhongtian said this because if Li Xiulan and Wang Zhanggen bought a house in the County Town, they wouldn't need to build a new house at home, and not building at home would naturally free up time to help renovate his County Town house.

Li Xiulan, however, said:

"Secretary Zhang, we still feel building a new house at home is better, just like your villa here — so imposing, and comfortable to live in. County Town houses aren't good to live in, and you have to pay property fees and such; even if you don't live there it costs money. It's truly not as cost-effective as building at our hometown."

Hearing this, Zhang Zhongtian's brows furrowed slightly.

By the time Li Xiulan said this, he could already guess the outcome the two in-laws had discussed.

So he sighed:

"Alright then, I was just casually offering a suggestion; the final decision is still yours to make."

Li Xiulan spoke up:

"Secretary Zhang, it's not that we don't want to contract your project, but we truly have no choice. We plan to finish the New Rural Construction project, then start building our own new house."

Zhang Zhongtian didn't say anything further, but said:

"Fine, then I'll find another construction team to do it."

A forced melon isn't sweet; he didn't want to make things difficult for Wang Zhanggen and Li Xiulan either — this kind of thing requires mutual willingness.

Since the couple wasn't willing to take this project, let someone else take it; there are plenty of people doing masonry and renovation these days.