Chapter 23 Hand in your passbook

When Xu Huaian’s parents heard that they planned to build additional rooms, they felt a little uneasy. When they had built the new house originally, Zhang Lanxiang had deliberately made each room spacious, hoping the whole family could live together happily and closely.

Shi Qingqian noticed their hesitation and explained, “Uncle, Aunt, it’s not like you think that after we get married, we’re moving out. We’re just planning to build a few more rooms extending outward from the exterior wall. I have a lot of things, and this room really can’t hold everything. I’m thinking of opening a small door from the current room directly into the new rooms, so we can move between them without going outside—just like before.”

Zhang Lanxiang, a bit dazed, seemed to understand her idea. Building a few additional rooms along the outer wall was indeed a good solution. She thought for a moment and said, “Qingqian, your idea isn’t bad. This way, it solves the storage problem without moving too far away.”

Xu Huaian’s father nodded in agreement. “Yes, that works. Huaian, go talk to your second uncle and see if he can allocate the land.”

Xu Huaian replied, “Okay, I’ll go now.” Before leaving, Shi Qingqian handed him a small bag of White Rabbit candies. “You can’t go to the elders’ house empty-handed.”

After Xu Huaian left, Zhang Lanxiang led Shi Qingqian back to the room.

“Qingqian, when you told your aunt you wanted to build a few rooms to move out, were you thinking of being the eldest daughter-in-law?”

Shi Qingqian smiled and spoke candidly: “Aunt, you can see that I don’t get along with my eldest sister-in-law. One reason I want to build the rooms outside the wall is because of my stuff—it won’t fit in one room. The other reason is indeed because of my sister-in-law. My personality is like this: if someone shows me respect, I respect them back; if someone wrongs me, I repay it tenfold. I don’t tolerate anything.”

Zhang Lanxiang sighed slightly. “Qingqian, your sister-in-law does have her flaws, but we’re family. We should still try to get along. Your idea makes sense—there’s no reason to tolerate someone bullying you without responding. Building the new rooms is a good plan; everyone will be more comfortable. Once Huaian comes back, see what your second uncle says. If he approves the land, we can start building right away. Sorry to trouble you.”

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Soon, Xu Huaian returned. Shi Qingqian asked, “So, did he approve it?”

Xu Huaian nodded. “Of course. Our three brothers have already split the family property. Technically, we can request another plot of land. Even after marriage, it’s just the two of us, so normally we could only get 80 square meters. But since we’re building, I decided to go all out and paid to expand the plot to 200 square meters.”

Shi Qingqian hesitated. “Are you sure this is okay? Don’t cause trouble for your second uncle.”

Xu Huaian reassured her, “It’s within the regulations. Besides, this land was unused anyway—it couldn’t grow crops.”

Hearing his explanation, Shi Qingqian relaxed. “Then quickly give the money to your uncle so we can start clearing the land tomorrow.”

“Come with me,” Xu Huaian said, leading her into the room. He pulled out two bankbooks from his pocket. “This is my salary and bonuses from over ten years in the army. I’ll leave it all with you from now on.”

“Really giving it to me?” Shi Qingqian raised an eyebrow.

Xu Huaian looked at her gently. “Yes, even my future salary will be yours.”

Shi Qingqian opened the two bankbooks. One was the salary account, totaling 10,082 yuan. The other was the bonus account, totaling 9,783.19 yuan. Altogether, over 19,800 yuan—a considerable sum for 1975.

Shi Qingqian was impressed. “Wow, how did you save so much?”

“I ate at the army canteen and wore a uniform. Besides sending 20 yuan home to my parents every month, I had little else to spend it on. So it all accumulated,” he explained.

Shi Qingqian admired him. “Impressive.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips along the corner of his mouth.

The sudden gesture stunned Xu Huaian, and his face flushed red. “Qingqian…” His voice was husky as he gently held her hand.

In his ear, Shi Qingqian whispered, “This is a reward for turning over your salary. Keep it up.”

Just as Xu Huaian was about to respond, Shi Qingqian leapt away like a nimble little deer, her face wearing a mischievous smile. “The money’s in my bag. You figure out how long you need it and deliver it to your uncle. We still have a lot to do.”

Xu Huaian could only smile helplessly, thinking how eager he was for their wedding day, wondering where she would try to run then.

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Xu Huaian acted quickly. After getting the land approved, he immediately brought his second uncle and village officials to mark the boundaries. They cleared the weeds overnight, and the next day, he went to town to buy green bricks, tiles, cement, and other materials. He also hired more than ten construction workers and found another ten or so villagers to help with moving materials. The Xu family’s new plot was bustling with activity, with Xu Huaian running back and forth.

Shi Qingqian didn’t idle either. She did light tasks, brought water, cooked green bean soup in the heat, or rode to town to buy meat, vegetables, and fruit. The wages were good, and meals were plentiful with meat every day; the rice wasn’t watered down like in other households. Because of this, the workers were diligent.

At this time, the one who regretted it most was Li Guifang. Her own brothers helped without pay, so she tried hard to block Xu Huaiguo from helping next door, throwing tantrums and crying. Xu Huaiguo, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of outsiders, sneaked away to help. Being the eldest brother, he couldn’t just watch.

Knowing that Shi Qingqian provided good meals for the workers, Li Guifang secretly cursed her as foolish for wasting so much grain and money on outsiders. But when it was mealtime, she shamelessly came to eat. Shi Qingqian promptly drove her out. She had spent money on the rice and vegetables; no ungrateful person could eat them. Li Guifang stomped in anger and cursed, but Shi Qingqian ignored her, continuing to serve the workers.

This scene repeated several times. Eventually, with all the workers watching, Li Guifang had no face to return. She only brought her younger brother along. As long as he didn’t eat excessively or take more than his share, Shi Qingqian tolerated him out of respect for Xu Huaiguo and their parents.