Chapter 132: Sharing the Profits

Qu Cungen finally understood that he and his brother-in-law shared a similar fate. Fortunately, his younger sister-in-law had a good temperament, unlike his own wife, who could be quite formidable. However, being formidable also had its advantages. It meant not being taken advantage of. It was good to have such strong women at home. He had also heard about his younger sister-in-law’s experiences and the bullying she had endured. It seemed that having a good temperament wasn’t always a good thing, especially in the countryside.

“Qianqian, come here and let your uncle take a look,” Qu Cungen beckoned to her.

Wang Qian almost burst out laughing at the sight of her uncle. Her aunt was really tough. She didn’t leave any face for her own husband. Her uncle seemed like an honest person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been scratched up by her aunt.

“Uncle, are you hungry? I see that Aunt  has prepared some hot food for you. It’ll be ready soon,” Wang Qian said.

Qu Cungen nodded with a smile. “Yes, Qianqian, you’ve grown taller and gained some weight. It seems that splitting from the family was a good idea. You all look much better now than before.”

Zhang Hua brought the hot meal to the table. “How’s everything at home? Are my chickens, ducks, and geese okay?” she asked, still concerned. Qu Cungen grinned and said, “Everything’s fine. I got up in the middle of the night and took care of all the animals. None of them froze to death. I was worried that you wouldn’t let it go if something had happened.”

Qu Cungen had no appetite in the morning, and he hadn’t slept well the night before. Seeing the hot soup and rice brought to the table, he realized how hungry he was and didn’t hold back, quickly finishing everything on the table.

“Take your time eating. There’s more in the pot,” Zhang Hua said, feeling concerned.

“Hehe, it’s enough for me. Let’s head home later. We can have a warm meal with the kids at noon,” Qu Cungen said.

Zhang Hua packed up and then went to the stove to warm up her husband’s padded trousers and outer pants. Afterward, she told her sister that they were ready to leave.

“Sister, don’t argue with your husband when you get back. If you have any strength, use it outside. Your husband doesn’t have any faults. He just cares about his reputation. He usually listens to you at home, but he wants to show off in front of his siblings. As long as it doesn’t affect your family’s interests, give him that face. Marriage is about give and take,” Zhang Lan advised.

Zhang Hua glanced at Zhang Lan and said, “Little sister, is this the same quiet and reserved you from before? Now you’re speaking such profound truths.”

She looked at her sister in disbelief, and Zhang Lan felt a bit uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

“Sister, look at what you’re saying. I’ve learned a lot from taking care of so many people at home. I can say as much as anyone else,” Zhang Lan replied.

Speaking of the people at home, Zhang Hua became serious. “Little sister, I’m not just saying this as your older sister. Why have you let so many freeloaders into your home? Food isn’t free. Besides, you have to serve them well. Are you being naive? There’s only so much food. When it runs out, don’t blame me for not warning you. When you have time, send them away. Keeping them at home without doing anything is a waste. You’re being too generous.”

Zhang Lan didn’t want to explain the reasons to her sister, so she just said, “Sister, I understand. I have it under control. You should hurry back home. I’ll get some things for my two nephews so they won’t forget their little aunt.”

She grabbed some snacks that had been sent by the eldest son of the Zuo family and took them back to Zhang Hua.

After seeing off Qu Cungen and his wife, Hao Lianchun came over from the neighboring room to chat with the couple while knitting.

At that moment, Zhao Xia came to visit. “Aunt, are your chickens okay? Several of ours froze to death. Many families in our village are facing the same situation,” she said.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan sighed inwardly, realizing the value of having elderly people at home. Otherwise, the animals she raised would have suffered the same fate.

“Zhao Xia, our animals are fine. Uncle Wu had us put the chickens, ducks, and geese in the barn last night. But if some of yours have died, at least it will improve your family’s meals. It’s better than letting them go to waste when no one wants to eat them,” Zhang Lan replied.

Zhao Xia couldn’t help but salivate at the thought of eating chicken. “That’s right. It’s a shame to waste them. But it’s also frustrating that we don’t have enough to eat. That rascal from our family even gave two to his father. He didn’t even consider that we haven’t had any meat for almost half a year. It makes me so angry,” she said.

The people on the kang knew that Zhao Xia had a good appetite. Wang Zhenhe chuckled and said, “Zhao Xia, you should eat all of them at home so that he won’t give them away everywhere. This way, you can have a satisfying meal.”

Zhao Xia smiled and said, “Uncle, you’re right. That’s exactly what I was thinking. But I have to save one to eat for the New Year. I don’t want that rascal from our family to see it.”

Zhao Xia’s humorous remarks lightened the mood, and the couple joined in the banter. Suddenly, Liu Hui rushed in, panting, “Auntie, the team is distributing bonuses this afternoon. Oh, Zhao Xia, you’re here too. I won’t have to go to your house. Don’t forget to go and collect the money. I need to inform others. You all have a lot to do.”

Just as Liu Hui had come in a hurry, she left in a rush. Upon hearing about the bonuses, everyone’s mouths were practically watering.

Wang Zhenhe couldn’t sit still and quickly went to the neighboring room to inform the elderly men. They had also participated in the work and were entitled to year-end wages.

“Uncles, good news. Let’s go to the team this afternoon to collect our money. It’s been a hard year, and we finally get to see some returns,” he said.

Upon hearing that they could collect their money, the elderly men were overjoyed. Some of them weren’t even receiving financial support from their families, and now they were living alone. Fortunately, they were at the Wang family’s house. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to say how they would have spent the New Year.

“All right, I’ve been waiting for this. This time, we can finally collect our wages, hehe. Just thinking about it makes me happy,” an elderly man surnamed Zhou said.

The entire village, which had been gloomy due to the heavy snow, was now filled with joy from the bonuses. Everyone was smiling and laughing, feeling elated. Having money meant they could buy more things, and they seemed to be walking on air.

After lunch, Wang Qian eagerly urged everyone to go and collect their money. The elderly men and Wang Zhenhe went out excitedly, while Hao Lianchun went to the neighboring room for a nap. Only the mother and daughter were left in the house. Wang Qian remembered that she hadn’t given her mother the money from the previous sale and the items she had bought. She took out less than six yuan and handed it to Zhang Lan. Then she took out the toilet paper, soap, and hand cream she had bought and gave them to her mother.

“Mom, this is from the sale I made yesterday. I didn’t bring it out while Aunt was here. Try the hand cream. If it’s not good, I’ll get another one,” Wang Qian said.

Holding the items her daughter had bought, Zhang Lan was filled with mixed emotions. Her young daughter was already considering her. “Silly girl, why are you so thoughtful? It makes me feel sorry for you.”

Zhang Lan had a special bond with her daughter in this family. Her youngest daughter didn’t seem like a child, but more like a friend. They discussed everything together, and when Zhang Lan couldn’t make a decision, she would seek her daughter’s opinion. They also shared a common secret. Therefore, Wang Qian held a special place in her heart.

Seeing her mother’s touched expression, Wang Qian smiled and said, “Mom, we have good days ahead of us. Don’t be moved now. Save it for when we have more to be moved about.”

With her daughter’s playful banter, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but smile. “You little rascal, you’re quite the talker. Alright, Mom will put this away. I’m feeling happy just thinking about it. The food shortage is a bit less, and I feel a bit more at ease. Otherwise, I’d always be worried,” she said.

Wang Qian understood that nowadays, people would do their best to repay borrowed money, unlike in later times when borrowers became the ones in control. She hoped that the borrowed money would be repaid soon. Times and attitudes had changed, but the gap in human behavior had widened.

“We’re back,” Wang Zhenhe led a group of elderly men into the house, all of them beaming with smiles.

Wang Qian quickly got up and asked, “Dad, how much did our family get?” This was her main concern. She had no idea how much the production team had earned, so she couldn’t estimate how much their family would receive.

Wang Zhenhe lifted his daughter up and asked, “Guess?”

Seeing her father’s joyful expression, she guessed that it was more than last year, but she had no memory of how much they had received last year.

Zhang Lan playfully hit her husband and said, “You’re something else. How can a child so young guess? Just tell us how much it is.”

“One hundred and fifty-nine yuan and fifty-two cents. How about that? It’s a lot more than last year, isn’t it?” he said.

The number surprised Zhang Lan, “Zhenhe, is this for real?” she asked, still somewhat incredulous.

Wang Zhenhe shook his head, “Look, even you don’t believe it. The other members were also in disbelief. But once the money is in your hands, you can’t help but believe it. Originally, it wasn’t this much. I included the subsidy for my work in waste collection. But this year, the production value we carried was more than last year, and the elders also received their share.”

Zhang Lan turned to Wu Changyong and asked, “Uncle, did you really receive money? That’s great. I was worried you might be in debt.”

Wang Zhenhe added, “That’s right. This year, some families owe money to the production team. There are more mouths to feed and fewer people working.”

The elders wanted to give the money to Zhang Lan, but the couple refused. After a year of hard work, they couldn’t accept it. They decided to keep the money as their own pocket money.

Old Zhou, sitting on the kang, mentioned the money distribution, “Niece-in-law, you didn’t go, so you wouldn’t know. I saw your mother-in-law’s eyes almost popping out of her head, staring at the money in Zhenhe’s hands without blinking. I was afraid she’d rob him on the way.”

Zhang Lan understood the situation. Every year, the bonuses were handed over to her mother-in-law. The couple hardly ever saw any pocket money throughout the year. All the money they earned was held by her mother-in-law. With the family’s separation this year, they wouldn’t receive that money anymore. It wasn’t that they were greedy, but it didn’t match her mother-in-law’s character to not be tempted by the money.