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Chapter 43
Director Ning: “…This is a formal job, and the price fluctuates around 600, depending on the situation. Let’s settle on 600, and I’ll give you 800. How about that?”
He didn’t want to fuss. After all, his family could afford 800, and his niece could earn it back in at most three years of work.
Or he could arrange for his niece to be transferred from a workshop worker to an office position.
Ning Shu replied, “Jobs are scarce now due to the policy of sending people to rural areas. It’s even harder to find work than before. The price won’t go below 600. If we encounter someone in urgent need willing to pay more, it might go up by another hundred. I’m not greedy. Let’s set it at 650 as the market price, and you give me 850. How about that?”
Ning Shu knew that 800 wasn’t his bottom line when she heard him say it. So, she unreservedly added another 50.
Director Ning thought that a girl would be too shy to bargain. It seemed he had misunderstood.
Someone who would inquire about exam results because of their name, then propose selling a job to the director, couldn’t be easily embarrassed.
He didn’t want to argue with her. After all, 600 was the previous price. Given the current situation, it was reasonable to mention a slight increase for someone in urgent need of a job.
“Alright, 850 it is.”
Ning Shu extended her hand and smiled. “Then, Director Ning, let’s have a pleasant cooperation.”
Director Ning really didn’t want to shake hands. “Pleasant cooperation. Prepare your documents and come to the factory in three days to report. My niece will be there too, and I’ll take you both to complete the formalities.”
Ning Shu nodded. “Okay.”
After the negotiation with Director Ning, Ning Shu rode her bike home. She was very happy at the thought of earning 850 yuan.
She decided to celebrate tonight. So, as she neared the brigade, she found a secluded spot at the foot of a mountain, opened an app, and checked if there was anything she could use to celebrate.
When she opened the app, she suddenly remembered that she hadn’t checked today’s five products.
She had rushed to the written test this morning and had plenty of time, so she had forgotten to check the app.
Today’s five products are:
After looking at them, Ning Shu bought 10 bottles of Red Bean Small Rounds, which could be eaten for breakfast.
She also bought five packages of Creamy Walnuts, as peeling small walnuts in the sun was very pleasant.
Finally, she bought one package of Handmade Xiaolongbao, which contained 10 pieces, for breakfast tomorrow.
Unfortunately, there was no fish or meat available. The app sometimes didn’t have the best selection.
She had already picked up all the products she had ordered, so there was no fish or meat left.
However, her eyes lingered on the durian. She had never had the chance to eat it before.
It was only four o’clock, so it wouldn’t be a problem to eat durian before going home, right?
So, Ning Shu took out the durian. It wasn’t a large durian. After peeling it, although it only had five segments, it weighed about a pound.
Ning Shu liked durian very much, and since she hadn’t had it in a long time, she finished the durian in just 15 minutes.
Durian is something that gets tastier the more you eat it.
She smelled the lingering scent of durian, which hadn’t dissipated yet.
But it didn’t matter; if someone passed by, they would think they smelled something unpleasant.
As for the durian husk, she dug a hole and buried it.
Having enjoyed the durian alone, Ning Shu returned home in a wonderful mood. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to share it with the children, but she wasn’t sure if there would be any durian left at this time, so for safety’s sake, she decided to eat it herself.
Ning Shu’s mood was great when she returned home, but after she arrived, she felt like giving “those little troublemakers” a meal of bamboo shoots and fried pork.
As Ning Shu rode her bike home, the three children playing saw their mother returning and happily ran up to her, wanting to give her a hug.
Then…Erbao covered his nose and took a few steps back. “Mom, did you step on poop? It smells bad.”
Ning Shu: “…”
Yibao also came to Ning Shu, supporting the San Bao. His clean eyebrows furrowed, and his small face looked serious as he stared at his mother.
His gaze finally stopped at her feet, wanting to see if his mother had stepped on poop.
Sanbao also copied Erbao, covering his nose. His childish voice was unpleasant at this moment.
“Mom, stinky, stinky.”
Ning Shu looked at the three of them standing in a row. “You’re mistaken.”
“No,” Erbao protested, trying to defend himself. “Sanbao’s poop smells like this too. When he used to poop in his pants, I smelled it when I changed him. It’s just as stinky.”
When Sanbao heard Erbao say he smelled bad, he was very unhappy.
“I’m not stinky, I’m not.” As he spoke, he took off his pants, as if he wanted to smell them.
Yi Bao quickly grabbed San Bao and said, “That’s right, San Bao is not smelly, he’s the most fragrant.”
“Really?” San Bao looked at Yi Bao, and his round eyes, comforted, sparkled like stars.
“Really,” Yi Bao almost raised his hand to swear.
So, San Bao kicked Erbao hard and said, ” Erbao is bad.”
Erbao chuckled, “Then come and hit me.”
San Bao, with his short legs, tried to hit him. Lin Sanbao also had a temper. But Erbao ran away as soon as he could, not waiting for him to come and hit him.
San Bao, seeing Erbao run, chased after him more vigorously, “Erbao is bad, hit Erbao, hit …”
Yi Bao watched, worried that San Bao might trip.
Ning Shu shook her head as she pushed her bicycle into the kitchen, with the sounds of the three children playing mixed together behind her.
Naughty Erbao, silly San Bao, and well-behaved Yi Bao. Ning Shu smiled, thinking that after getting the 850 yuan, plus the 1500 yuan bonus, she could buy a house in the county town, and then the three children could eat grain rations with her.
The imagination was beautiful, but dinner was not so good.
Because there weren’t many vegetables, just cabbage and pumpkin, Ning Shu didn’t have much appetite.
She simply made cabbage porridge, paired with steamed beef sauce, and had a simple meal.
“Old Third Daughter-in-law… Old Third Daughter-in-law…”
Not long after dinner, the mother and her three children were walking in the yard to aid digestion when Lin’s mother arrived.
“Grandma…” The three children were particularly happy to see Lin’s mother, welcoming her with joy.
“Mother?” Ning Shu was also curious about Lin’s mother’s visit.
Lin’s mother patted the heads of the children and asked Ning Shu, “Did Zhenxing come to invite you to his wedding? Zhenxing is getting married to Qin Zhiqing on November 8th.”
Speaking of this, Ning Shu also had something to ask Lin’s mother, “Yes, how much should we give as a gift?”
“I came for this matter.”
Lin’s mother said, “Back when Guodong and his two brothers got married, Zhenxing’s family hadn’t split yet, so we gave one gift, and everyone came together to celebrate. But now that Zhenxing is getting married, we have already split, so we need to give a gift, and you should too.”
Ning Shu nodded, “I know about this.”
Lin’s mother’s mouth twitched. She knew nothing. Last year, when Lin Zhenzhong got married, she didn’t give a gift.
She said the old house had given a gift, so now it was natural to give one back. At the time, Lin’s mother felt so ashamed, she wished that the third son hadn’t married Ning Shu.
In the end, she had to secretly make up for the gift, but Lin Zhenzhong’s family didn’t accept it.
Even now, thinking about it, she still felt embarrassed.
But fortunately, her daughter-in-law was now sensible.
Seeing Lin’s mother’s awkward expression, Ning Shu was puzzled.
She naturally didn’t remember the original owner’s actions when Lin Zhenzhong got married.
Although she had the original memories, there were still things she had to think about herself.
If no one mentioned it, she wouldn’t think about it on her own.
“Now that you know, I feel relieved. We will give 50 cents as a gift, so you can give 20 cents.” Lin’s mother reminded again.
“Okay.” Ning Shu nodded.
“Then I’ll leave. Don’t forget, you need to give 20 cents as a gift.” As Lin’s mother walked out of the yard, she turned back to remind Ning Shu.
“I got it.” Ning Shu replied. She was not the original owner, so why would she do such a bizarre thing?
Watching Lin’s mother’s back, Ning Shu remembered the incident with Lin Xiaojing at the garment factory.
However, she didn’t mention it. As for whether Lin Xiaojing would mention it, she didn’t know. Even if she did, it wasn’t her concern.
But in three days, she had to go through the formalities, so she needed to get an introduction letter from the brigade leader tomorrow.
Turning around, Ning Shu saw the three children playing together again, and she didn’t know what they were playing. She really didn’t understand the joy of children like this.
“Qingqing, have you eaten dinner?” A voice came from behind again. It was the carpenter with his son, pushing a cart with wooden racks and other things on it.
Ning Shu’s eyes lit up. “I’ve eaten, Uncle. Are these things all ready?”
The carpenter replied, “If it wasn’t for the busy autumn harvest, it would have been done earlier. Where should I move these wooden frames? And these two pairs of wooden boards?”
Ning Shu said, “Move them to this room.” It was the empty room, fortunately.
Except for the cloth dyed yesterday, there was nothing else in it. Ning Shu took out the dyed cloth and put it outside the kitchen door to air out, leaving the room empty.
“Mom, what’s this for?” The three children stopped playing and stared curiously at the carpenter and his helpers.
The Erbao followed them in and out.
“This is going to be your study room,” Ning Shu answered. She didn’t know how big other people’s rooms were, but theirs was big enough.
After setting up the wooden frames and creating a study area, there was still half the space left, which could be used for a leisure area.
Ning Shu had a plan in mind. The leisure area could be surrounded by short wooden fences, which would also make it easier for Sanbao to hold onto while learning to walk.
Then, thick grass mats could be laid inside. Since there was no foam, they could only use grass mats.
In summer and autumn, they could use grass mats, and in spring and winter, they could use carpets with cotton inside.
They could also make a small low table so the children could eat while playing inside.
With the 850 yuan about to be received, Ning Shu was very generous in her design.
“Mom, what’s the study room for?” Erbao endless questions came again.
“The study room is for you to read and play,” Ning Shu said as she watched the carpenter set up the wooden frames. “Uncle, there’s still half of the space outside. I think we can arrange it like this…” Ning Shu explained the design of the leisure area.
The carpenter said, “Then I’ll just need to make half-package-shaped short wooden fences. They need to be thick to be stable.”
Ning Shu said, “You can decide on these things. I only have one request: the short wooden fences should be smooth and without sharp edges. Otherwise, it’s dangerous if a child falls and hits them.”
The carpenter said, “No problem. We’ll make them thicker and smoother. They’ll be like work-shaped wooden fences.”
After they reached an agreement, the carpenter and his helpers left.
Erbao said, “Mom, I don’t like reading. I’m a big kid now, and big kids don’t like reading.”
Ning Shu pinched his little ear. “Who told you big kids don’t like reading?”
“Haowen and the others don’t like it,” Erbao said confidently, providing witnesses. “They often say they hate going to school and don’t want to go. Going to school is just about reading, so I don’t like it either.”
“Well, you don’t have to read then,” Ning Shu agreed readily.
“Really?” Erbao thought his mom was great.
Haowen and the others said if they didn’t read or go to school, they would be beaten by their aunt, but his mom wouldn’t do that. Erbao decided to show off tomorrow.
Ning Shu said, “Really.”
She then saw Yibao and Sanbao looking at the wooden frames and said, ” Yibao, Sanbao, get some water and wipe the wooden frames. You wipe the lower rows, and I’ll wipe the upper ones.”
There were three sides to the wooden frames, all against the wall—two sides and the back, all fixed to the wall.
This area was going to be the study corner, with grass mats and a low table where the three children could read.
“Okay.”
“Got it.” Yibao immediately went to get the water.
Ning Shu, Yibao and Sanbao got busy.
Sanbao didn’t know how to wipe the wooden frames, so he squatted down to wring the cloth for his brother.
Of course, if you didn’t count the water stains on the floor, Sanbao was still very capable.
Erbao felt uncomfortable watching them so busy, but he quickly ignored it, rolled up his sleeves, and started wiping with Yibao.
After wiping the wooden frames, Ning Shu used a dry cloth to absorb the water on them and let them air out overnight.
The next morning, she would surprise the children by putting four children’s books from the scrap station on them.
As for the building blocks, they would need to be painted tomorrow and then placed on the frames!