Chapter 125: Sarcastic

As her daughter chattered in her arms about collecting scrap, Zhang Lan didn’t quite understand where the scrap iron was collected from. However, she understood when her daughter asked another question.

“Mom, where do they dump the waste slag from the steel pipe factory?”

The scraps she had seen in the ditch today were only a small part. She felt that a large factory should have more waste slag, but she didn’t know where they disposed of it.

Zhang Lan might not know about other things, but she did know about the waste slag. Wang Zhenhe had told her that the steel pipe factory dumped the waste slag in the woods, which was quite a nuisance.

Holding her daughter tightly, she said, “Silly girl, even if you’re collecting scrap iron, you shouldn’t do it for so long. What if you catch a cold? Mom knows about that place. I’ll go with you to collect it tomorrow.” Since it could be sold for money, Zhang Lan couldn’t let her daughter go alone. Besides, she didn’t have much to do at home.

When the mother and daughter returned home, the whole family was waiting for them to have dinner. Wang Qian felt a bit embarrassed and said to the elderly men, “Grandpas, I’m really sorry. I got addicted to collecting scrap and lost track of time. I’m sorry for making you worry.”

Wu Changyong jokingly said with a smile, “Qianqian, did you have any gains today? Did you make any money?”

Wang Qian gestured with her hand, indicating the numbers three and four. She then took out the money she had earned today from her pocket to show everyone. The sight of the few coins on the kang also made Wu Changyong and the other elderly men feel impressed. Although the money wasn’t much in their eyes, the fact that a seven-year-old child had already started planning for the family had a profound impact on several people who were still in a period of uncertainty.

“Old Wu, we’ll take a day off tomorrow and go collect scrap with Qianqian to save money for the Lunar New Year,” Zuo Zhanshan declared with a wave of his hand.

“Mom, you should save this money for now. I’ll buy you some candy with the money I earn tomorrow,” Wang Qian said to her mother and siblings.

Mingyuan’s eyes lit up when he heard about making money. “Sister, we have a day off tomorrow. We’ll also go to collect scrap.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Lan finished preparing the meal and brought it to the table. Wang Qian was truly hungry. She enjoyed a bowl of millet porridge with some pickled radish, and it was incredibly delicious. Zhang Lan looked at her daughter with concern. “Qianqian, take your time eating. There’s more in the pot.”

Hao Lianchun added some pickled vegetables to her bowl. “Qianqian, don’t rush. Be careful not to choke.”

After finishing a bowl of porridge, Wang Qian finally felt satisfied. “Grandma, you don’t know how happy I was to see that scrap iron. It’s all money. I was so focused on collecting that I didn’t realize I was getting tired, and then I noticed it was getting late.”

“Qianqian, if you’re hungry, you should go home. The scrap iron isn’t going anywhere, and it’s really uncomfortable to be hungry,” Zuo He earnestly advised, setting down his bowl.

“Okay, I understand, Zuo He. I won’t do this next time. Money is endless, but my health is the most important,” Wang Qian replied.

The adults at the table couldn’t help but smile at the conversation between the two children. They were impressed by their maturity.

Despite being children, they were quite insightful, even considering the importance of protecting their health.

The next morning, Zhang Lan and the others headed to the pile of scrap iron in the woods after breakfast, while Wang Qian led Zuo He and the other younger children to collect the scrap iron in the ditch in front of the steel pipe factory.

Although the siblings were young, they were quite nimble. After filling a basket, Wang Qian and Mingcheng were responsible for selling the scrap, while the others continued to collect.

By noon, they had earned quite a few coins. Wang Qian had promised to buy candy for the others, so she led Zuo He and the others to the food area to buy unwrapped candies with pointed ends. Although they were not packaged, the taste was just as sweet, and they could buy a large bag for just two coins.

After wrapping the candies in paper, each of them had one, and the rest were entrusted to her older sister, Wang Xuan, for safekeeping.

The five siblings enjoyed the sweet candies, and Mingcheng and the others had satisfied smiles on their faces.

“Brother, after school, we can also go to collect scrap. They often dump waste slag there, so there must be a lot of iron inside,” Mingyuan said, having tasted the sweetness of earning money and being able to buy candy.

As they walked, they heard the loudspeaker on the mountaintop.

Wang Qian didn’t understand most of what was said, but she caught the last part: “Dig deep holes, store up grain, and don’t seek hegemony.”

Zuo He furrowed his brow upon hearing this. “Digging holes? Does that mean we’ll have to work again?”

Wang Qian was surprised that the little guy had understood. “Zuo He, I think this work is probably for men. We don’t have the strength for it.”

Zuo He shook his head. “I meant, will the grandpas have to do the digging? I’m worried they won’t be able to handle the physical labor.”

Zuo He’s concerned expression made Wang Qian feel embarrassed. How had she not thought of this?

“Zuo He, it’s okay. I don’t think the leaders in your grandpas’ teams will let them go. Think about it, grandpas have to write reports and attend political classes every day. They don’t have time for that kind of work. Besides, they’re getting older and don’t have much strength. The production team is even worried about them eating too much. Just put your mind at ease,” Mingcheng reassured Zuo He as they walked. In truth, he wasn’t entirely sure himself, but he didn’t want the elderly men to go. They had classes to teach every day, and they wouldn’t have the energy for that if they went out to work.

At this moment, Wang Qian was grateful that her father wasn’t at home. Otherwise, he would have had to go and dig holes too. The five of them returned home, each lost in their own thoughts.

Zhang Lan had prepared lunch and was waiting for them. In the morning, the adults had found a lot of scrap iron in the pile of waste slag and had earned around ten yuan. Mingcheng handed over the money they had earned, and also mentioned the candy purchase.

Zhang Lan took out five two-fen coins and gave one to each of them. “This is your pocket money.”

It was the first time the Wang children had pocket money, and they all solemnly put it into their underwear pockets.

Zuo He excitedly showed his pocket money to Hao Lianchun. Seeing the children’s joy over having pocket money, Zhang Lan and the others were also happy, but at the same time, they felt a tinge of sadness.

Wang Xuan distributed the candies brought back to each of the adults. They had never lacked good things to eat before, but the candies given by the children were especially sweet, and it touched their hearts.

After lunch, the production team began to compile a list of people who would be digging holes, and the children were excited to find out that the elderly men were not included in the list.

Zuo He finally smiled that afternoon, as he realized that Zhang Lan, as the only adult at home, was not on the list. The siblings were relieved and happily went to pursue their money-making ventures.

Zhang Lan had to go dancing in the afternoon, which was a task that had to be completed. Therefore, she had to leave the task of collecting scrap iron to the elderly men.

In the courtyard of the production team, the usual members were still there, dancing to the music as usual. However, the women’s attention was more focused on Zhang Lan’s sister-in-law, Han Cui, today. She was wearing a new peach-colored sweater with a high collar that extended outside her padded jacket, catching everyone’s eye from a distance.

During the break, the women loved to gossip and show off. Han Cui was the center of attention today, and as a woman, her vanity was greatly satisfied. Wang Juan was a bit annoyed by her sister-in-law’s arrogant attitude. What was there to show off about just wearing a sweater?

Wang Juan casually remarked, “I heard someone bought yarn for my sister-in-law too.”

Upon hearing that her sister-in-law had received yarn, Han Cui felt uncomfortable, whether it was true or not. She looked at Wang Juan with a disdainful expression, but there was something else in her eyes that others couldn’t understand. “Can her family afford it?”

Zhang Lan, who was resting nearby, overheard this. To be honest, she felt a bit uncomfortable after hearing those words. Although her sister-in-law was usually sharp-tongued, the words clearly showed disdain for their family. They were poor, so why couldn’t others give her sister-in-law yarn? Despite feeling uneasy, Zhang Lan didn’t say anything and pretended not to have heard it.

Some things are best left in one’s heart. It’s not worth getting upset over people like that.

Wang Juan inadvertently saw her third sister-in-law in the crowd and quietly approached her, asking carefully, “Did you hear what she said just now? Don’t take it to heart. She’s just that kind of person, and you’ve already known her for more than a day or two.”

Zhang Lan knew that Wang Juan was trying to comfort her and forced a bitter smile. “It’s okay, sister-in-law. I’ll just let it go.”

Her words sounded light and breezy, and no one could tell what Zhang Lan was really thinking. It wasn’t until she returned home after dancing that she took a deep breath.

The children came back a little later than her, and when she saw them covered in dust, she hurriedly helped Hao Lianchun bathe the little ones. When the elderly men returned, they were also in a sorry state, covered in dirt. Hao Lianchun quickly used a broom to brush off the dirt from each of them.

“Why do you all look like you’ve just crawled out of a refugee camp? You’re almost as dirty as archaeological relics. Hurry up and take a bath, and then we’ll have dinner later,” she scolded.

Wu Changyong teased Zuo Zhanshan, “Old Zuo, I’ve found that it’s not so bad when the wife isn’t around. I have one less person nagging in my ear all day. Hao Lianchun, you weren’t like this before. How come you’ve become more naggy as you’ve gotten older?” With that, he quickly ran into the bathing room.

The others laughed at his words. Hao Lianchun was both amused and annoyed as she retorted to Wu Changyong’s back, “You old Wu, talking behind my back. If you have the guts, don’t come to this bathhouse later. I’ll show you who’s boss.”

After saying this, she quickly went inside to find clean clothes for her husband. Zuo Zhanshan also helped Wu Changyong take the clean clothes inside.