Chapter 16

“Little girl, don’t rush. We’ll talk about those things after you’ve moved out. Besides, building a house doesn’t happen overnight. Where will you stay during this time? Why don’t you come stay at my house?”

“Uncle Captain, no need to trouble you. Isn’t there an empty storage room in the village committee? I’ll stay there for a while. I’ll move out when my house is built. I can pay for it so you won’t be in a difficult position, Uncle Captain.”

“Okay.”

The Captain said, “Uncle, Auntie, what do you say about the little girl’s requests? Do you agree or not? If you agree, I’ll go write the document for severing ties. You can sign it.”

Xia Lao and Old lady He looked at each other. Xia Lao nodded. He knew he couldn’t push the little girl too hard. What if she really did something reckless? They would be left with nothing. Anyway, a month would pass quickly. If the deadbeat couldn’t come up with the money by then, they wouldn’t blame her.

The Captain said, “Uncle, Auntie, since you both agree, I’ll go write the document. Once you sign it, you can’t go back on your word.”

Old lady He said, “We won’t go back on our word. We just hope that the damn girl will give us the money. Otherwise, I won’t be happy.”

Xia Yunxuan said, “Don’t worry. You’ll get your money. I just hope you stick to the agreement. I don’t want to have to argue with you again.”

The Captain quickly wrote the agreement, four copies in total. One for Xia Lao’s family, one for Xia Yunxuan, one for the team office, and one to be registered at the police station so Xia Yunxuan could live independently.

The Captain was afraid that Xia Lao’s family didn’t know how to read and would go back on their word, so he read the agreement out loud in front of everyone. After confirming that everything was correct, Xia Lao’s family, Xia Yunxuan, and the Captain signed the documents.

Xia Dahai and Gao Meihua refused to sign, but Xia Lao glared at them, and they reluctantly signed.

Xia Yunrou’s was the happiest. The deadbeat was finally moving out. Now, all the good things would be hers. She wondered if the deadbeat would starve to death after being so tough and moving out.

After signing the documents, Old lady He said, “Damn girl, since you’ve done this, move out immediately. Now that we’ve signed the document to sever ties, we have no relationship. I don’t want you to stay here.”

“Auntie, you don’t have to be so cruel. You might need the little girl’s help one day. At least let her pack a couple of changes of clothes,” the Captain said.

“Humph, I’d rather starve to death than ask her for help. Since she’s so tough and wants to move out, she can only take two changes of clothes. She can’t take a single thread.”

Xia Yunxuan said, “Uncle Captain, no need. Since we’re breaking ties, let’s do it cleanly. It’ll save us from trouble later. I’ll go to town and borrow some money from my classmate. Uncle Captain, don’t worry. This little obstacle won’t stop me.”

The Captain felt helpless when he heard Xia Yunxuan’s words. But he thought about it. With his aunt’s temper, they would probably argue later. It was better to break ties cleanly.

The Captain said, “Since your classmate is willing to lend you money, you need to repay her as soon as you have the money. Remember her kindness.”

“We’re farmers who work the land. We can’t be ungrateful,” Xia Yunxuan said. “Uncle Captain, I know. I won’t forget those who are kind to me. And I certainly won’t forget those who are unkind to me.”

“Little girl, come with me to the team office first. Clean up that storage room. Where will you sleep tonight?”

“Okay, Uncle Captain. I know. I’ll go clean up the room first. Then I’ll go to town to find my classmate. Maybe I’ll stay at her place tonight. So, Uncle Captain, don’t worry. My classmate is a very good person.”

Xia Lao’s family watched as Xia Yunxuan left with the Captain. After they were gone, Gao Meihua said, “Mom, when the deadbeat gives you the money, can I have some too?”

Old lady He was the most stingy. She yelled, “You’re dreaming! You wouldn’t let the little girl call you ‘mom’ before. Now you want money? There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

Gao Meihua said meekly, “I didn’t want to have to feed another mouth. Besides, our family was so poor. There wasn’t enough food to feed a little girl.”

Old lady He snorted. “You haven’t thought about a lot of things. I know your little tricks. You like to take advantage of people, but you don’t want to pay anything.”

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. You can’t have all the good things. Gao Meihua said, “Mom, if you won’t give me any, you should at least give some to Dabao. He’s your grandson. He needs to carry on the family line. We’ll rely on him to support us in our old age.”

Old lady He said, “We’ll talk about that later. You haven’t eaten yet. Hurry up and cook something. We have to go to work soon. You have no common sense.”

“Really, you’re useless except for giving birth to a grandson. Gao Meihua was tired of hearing these words. Her mother-in-law always criticized her.

Gao Meihua muttered to herself. It was all that deadbeat’s fault. She had dared to knock over their lunch. She should have taken advantage of her unconsciousness and given her a good beating. That way, she wouldn’t have become a different person when she woke up.

Gao Meihua shuddered as she thought about it. The little girl had changed after waking up from the river. Had she encountered something unclean?

The deadbeat had never been so bold before. She dared to hit them and fight back. She even dared to break off ties. The more Gao Meihua thought about it, the more scared she became.

Seeing Gao Meihua still standing there, Old lady He yelled, “Are you dead? You still haven’t cooked? You don’t need to eat, do you? I don’t know why I married you. Our Xia family is cursed.”

Gao Meihua was thinking about whether Xia Yunxuan had encountered something unclean. She didn’t hear her mother-in-law scolding her.

Meanwhile, Xia Yunxuan followed the Captain to the village storage room. The Captain called his wife and Xia Yunxuan to help clean up. The room wasn’t big, so they finished quickly.

The Captain’s wife, Hu Guiqin, said, “Little girl, this place is empty. How will you sleep tonight? Your grandma is really cruel. She didn’t even give you any blankets or food.”

Xia Yunxuan said, “Auntie, it’s okay. I’ll go find my classmate later. Her family is rich. I’ll borrow some money from her. I’ll bring pots, pans, blankets, and everything else back. Don’t worry about me. I’ve left that family of bloodsuckers. Maybe I’ll be better off.”

“Auntie is just worried that your classmate won’t lend you money. Besides, you’ll have to repay it later. What will you use to repay her? How will you live on your own? That family is really cruel.”

“Little girl, if you build a house that’s too big and you live alone, not to mention others, your own grandma will probably come and cause trouble.”

“Uncle Captain, I’ve thought about that too. I’ll build a storage room to store some small things. I can put some firewood in there.”

“I’ll also build a kitchen and a toilet. Make two sleeping platforms for me. The rooms can be bigger. What do you think, Uncle Captain?”

“Uncle Captain, I also want to hire someone to dig a well. I don’t want to carry water. I don’t mind spending a little more money.”

The Captain said, “You’re such a lazy girl. You don’t know that hiring someone to dig a well costs a lot of money. It’s fine to build the house the way you said.”

“Uncle Captain, since I’m building a house, I might as well do it all at once. You’re spending so much money. How much did your classmate lend you? What will you do if you can’t repay her? You’re so extravagant. You don’t know how to save money.”

“Hee hee, Uncle Captain, don’t worry. I’ve already thought about that. I’ll definitely have the money to repay her. No one will come to the team office.”

“I’m going to pick up the educated youths tomorrow morning. After I come back, we’ll find someone to build your house. What do you think? Uncle Captain, don’t we have enough educated youths in our village? Why are they coming again?”

The Captain sighed and shook his pipe. “You don’t know. This time, there are eight more. I don’t know what the higher-ups are thinking. We don’t have enough grain to feed all these people. Look at those educated youths. They can’t lift anything or carry anything. The work points they earn probably aren’t enough to feed themselves.”

“They’re so fussy and look down on us farmers. If they look down on us, why do they have to come to the countryside? If they look down on us, why do they have to eat the grain we grow?”

Xia Yunxuan said, “Uncle Captain, this is the higher-ups’ arrangement. You’re just the village Captain. What can you do? Who wants those people to come and cause trouble every day? Uncle Captain, since so many are coming this time, there must be a lot of female educated youths. You’re going to have a headache.”

The Captain said, “This time, there are four men and four women. Anyway, once they’re here, they need to work hard. If anyone dares to cause trouble in the village, I’ll send them back. I’m getting more and more annoyed with those educated youths.”

“Little girl, let’s not talk about those educated youths. You said you had another thing to ask me? What is it? Uncle Captain, I have to go to work tomorrow. I’m alone now. I only need enough for myself. Can you arrange a lighter job for me?”

The Captain said, “Think carefully. Lighter jobs have fewer work points. What will you do if you don’t have enough grain to eat?”

“Uncle Captain, I don’t eat much. I’ve thought about it. Tomorrow, when you go to work, you can manage the farm tools. Give them out in the morning and collect them in the evening and record them. But don’t make any mistakes. If you lose any tools, you’ll have to pay for them. Okay?”

“Uncle Captain, after I give them the tools in the morning, can I do something else? I’ll collect them and record them in the evening when they’re about to finish work. Is that right?”

“You little girl just wants to slack off. You can do whatever you want when it’s not harvest time. But you have to work during the harvest.”

“Okay, Uncle Captain. I’ll listen to your arrangements. Since I don’t have anything else to do, I’ll go now. These things are for you. I hope you don’t dislike them.”

The Captain looked at the many good things Xia Yunxuan had brought. “Little girl, you don’t have any money, and you’re giving me so many good things. Why? You should keep the money for yourself. You don’t know how to save. What will you do when you get married?”

“Hee hee, Uncle Captain, don’t worry. Besides, I can’t come to you empty-handed. It would be disrespectful.”

The Captain said, “Where are you going? Your aunt is making dinner. Stay and have dinner at my house before you go back.”

“Uncle Captain, I came after I had dinner. I didn’t go to work today, so I had dinner early. Don’t worry. I won’t be hungry.”

“Okay, Uncle Captain. Tomorrow, you can help me find more people to build my house. By the way, Uncle Captain, how much is the pay if it doesn’t include meals?”

“It’s 70 cents a day if it doesn’t include meals, and 50 cents if it does. Uncle Captain, you know I don’t have a place to cook, so I won’t include meals. 70 cents a day is fine. Uncle Captain, I want to move into my new house sooner. Can you find more people for me? Ask around the village to see who’s willing to come.”

“Okay, I’ll find people for you tomorrow. Thank you, Uncle Captain. I’ll treat you to a drink when the house is built.”

“You don’t have to treat me. You’re a young girl, and life isn’t easy. You have to do everything yourself. Why did you move out?”

“Uncle Captain, I’m much happier now. That house was hell.”

“Sigh, your mother and grandma don’t know what they’re thinking. You have such good grades, and you’re so obedient. Why do they always cause trouble for you?”

“Uncle Captain, don’t feel sorry for me. I don’t want that kind of family. I’m so happy now that I’m alone.”

“I’m going now, Uncle Captain.” Xia Yunxuan walked outside and greeted Hu Guiqin. “Auntie, I’m leaving. You’ve already made dinner. You don’t have to wait for me to eat.”

“Little girl, you came after you had dinner. You’re not staying for dinner at Auntie’s house. You’re alone now and have nothing. Auntie, don’t worry. I’ve bought everything I need.”

“Okay, I’m relieved. At least you have a place to stay. Hmm, little girl, I’ll go now. Take care. Come to Auntie’s house sometime and we can chat.”

Xia Yunxuan nodded. After she left, Hu Guiqin said to the Captain, “That little girl is so well-behaved. I don’t know what those heartless people are thinking. They don’t want such a good girl.”

The Captain said, “We’ll take care of her at the team. Why are you worrying about her? You know what kind of person Old lady He is. Be careful she doesn’t try to take advantage of you.”

She was known for being stingy and a tough nut to crack. Hu Guiqin said, “I just feel sorry for the little girl. She has such terrible relatives. But speaking of which, have you noticed, dear? This little girl doesn’t look like that family at all.”

“Look at that family. Everyone is ugly. But this little girl is like a fairy. The Captain said, “Don’t say that. We don’t have any evidence. It’s not good if outsiders hear you.”

“You think I’m stupid, Hu Guiqin? Am I the kind of person who gossips everywhere? I’m just chatting with you. Okay, come on, let’s eat. And lock up those good things that the little girl brought.”