Chapter 45: The Argument Triggered by the Thermos

Secretary Yang couldn’t help exclaiming inwardly: Good heavens, that female comrade was actually right about everything!

It seemed she truly had some real skills.

Whether it was a major overhaul or an engine replacement for the tractor, this was a big matter for Taolin Village. It was something he couldn’t decide on by himself.

Secretary Yang inquired about the cost of replacing parts versus the engine replacement.

The engine cost was astronomical, and it wasn’t even worth considering.

The cost of replacing parts was much cheaper, but there was a downside: it wouldn’t last more than six months.

Looking at it from that perspective, the money would essentially be wasted in half a year.

“I need to go back and talk to the village head, then we’ll have a meeting with the key members of the village. I’ll get back to you later today.”

Xiao Wang nodded, not insisting. After all, the price was indeed too high and required careful consideration.

However, he still reminded him, “Secretary Yang, you need to decide soon. I heard that our factory recently got an order from the south, and after the New Year, we’ll be really busy. By then, we might not be able to send anyone to your village for repairs.”

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yang couldn’t sit still any longer and immediately went to find the village head.

In recent years, Taolin Village had been developing quite well, frequently appearing in front of the leaders.

Ever since they’d purchased a secondhand tractor from an agricultural forest station, they’d become the envy of neighboring villages.

The tractor not only saved them labor but also gave them more free time. Even when they went into town, they felt much more prestigious compared to the other villages.

Now that the tractor had broken down, every village official was distressed.

Especially when they heard the price Secretary Yang quoted, it caused a collective headache.

The accountant frowned. “If we replace the engine of the tractor, the village will be out of money. But even replacing the parts isn’t cheap, and it’ll break down again in a few months. This money would be wasted.”

“We can’t just leave it. People from the village can walk to town, but we can’t do spring plowing and autumn harvesting without the tractor next year.”

When everyone suddenly fell silent, Secretary Yang hesitated. “There’s something I’m not sure if I should tell you.”

“What is it?”

Secretary Yang told them about meeting Qiu Yinuo today. Everyone looked at him with disbelief. He chuckled awkwardly. “I didn’t believe it either, but today Xiao Wang from the tractor factory came by, and what he said was exactly the same as what that woman had told me. Xiao Wang even asked me how I knew so much about it.”

“She can really fix it?”

“It seems so.”

The village head then asked in detail about what had happened that morning. Upon hearing that one of their own villagers had been ungrateful, not getting angry even when they questioned her in front of her, his opinion of Qiu Yinuo immediately increased.

The village head believed that only someone truly skilled would remain so humble.

Village Head: “Secretary Yang, I’d like to meet this comrade.”

Everyone was stunned. “Village head, you don’t mean you want her to come fix our tractor, do you?”

Before the village head could speak, others immediately began waving their hands in rejection. “That’s not possible! If we men can’t even figure it out, how could a woman possibly fix it? Just being able to diagnose the problem doesn’t mean she can fix it. This doesn’t seem reliable at all.”

“I think these women should stay at home to take care of children and elderly people, not showing off out here. Maybe she knows a little, but don’t let her fool us.”

“Exactly! She probably just got lucky. Village head, you can’t take this seriously!”

The village head ignored their protests and asked, “So, what do we do? Do we not fix it, or spend a large sum and still only get another six months out of it? I doubt it’ll even last through next year’s autumn harvest.”

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

“I’m just going to talk to her, not immediately ask her to repair it,” the village head added.

“Alright, go talk to her first. If she really has the skills, then we’ll accept it. Worst case, we’ll treat it like a desperate attempt. Maybe there’ll be a miracle.”

“Let’s leave it at that for now. Tomorrow my wife’s family is hosting a wedding banquet. After I return, I’ll go talk to her the day after tomorrow.”

…

The next morning, Cheng Hongying brought in the workers to help.

Qiu Yinuo raised an eyebrow, “So, how does this compare to my aunt and my little aunt’s work ethic?”

Cheng Hongying gave her a look, “Yes, yes, you’re the clever one. When they complain I didn’t find them, you go charge in first.”

“No problem.” Qiu Yinuo was excellent at dealing with complaints, especially from her aunt and little aunt who always took advantage.

They had prepared the menu the night before, and today, they gathered all the ingredients and even started making the dishes that could be prepared in advance.

Aunt Hehua and Jiawang’s mother were hardworking people, and they kept busy until dinner.

To express her gratitude, Qiu Yinuo generously served them both two full bowls of meat.

Cheng Hongying watched with a sense of guilt and, once they had left, muttered, “You’re too generous, two bowls of meat is too much.”

“They worked hard, and you don’t want to give them a bit more? You and my aunt and little aunt are all the same,” Qiu Yinuo replied.

“I’m just saying. Why do you always argue with me?”

“I’m just casually saying, why take me seriously?”

Cheng Hongying sighed deeply and patted her chest to calm herself.

She was lucky her son-in-law passed away early, otherwise, she might have been driven crazy by this brat.

How had she not realized how irritating this girl could be?

He Ziqing quietly shrank into the corner and cleaned the kitchen, feeling like one of Qiu Yinuo’s interactions with her aunt was like her taking some bitter medicine.

She didn’t dare to interrupt and just tried to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

Cheng Hongying waved her hand irritably, “Alright, you’re no use in the kitchen. Go back and feed the babies. We’ll clean up here, seeing you just annoys me.”

Qiu Yinuo shrugged, “You better boil some more water, I’ll make the formula for the baby later.”

“Making formula doesn’t need that much water, why boil so much?”

“Don’t you know? I bought a thermos.”

“A thermos?” Cheng Hongying took a deep breath. She had helped tidy up yesterday and hadn’t seen a thermos. How had it suddenly appeared? “Do you know how expensive that thing is?”

Hearing about the thermos, He Ziqing also froze. They had bought so many things the day before, she couldn’t remember whose bag the thermos had ended up in. She hadn’t realized how well Qiu Yinuo had hidden it.

“It’s expensive, but it’s a necessity. Do you want to not buy it?”

“A necessity? Does not having a thermos make my two grandsons miss a meal? You’re just wasting money because you don’t know how to spend it. As the kids grow up, you’ll need to spend more, and if you don’t save now, what happens when I have to raise your kids for you? I’ll tell you, dream on, I’m not helping.”

Qiu Yinuo didn’t want to argue, “I already bought it, so either you use it, or I’ll give it to my aunt tomorrow. She’ll praise me for being beautiful and kind-hearted.”

At the mention of this, Cheng Hongying nearly exploded. “Why should we give it to her?”

“You said it was useless, right?”

“…” How can a mother not beat her child for a day?