Help others? It's better to help yourself - Chapter 46
As they reached the village entrance, they saw Accountant Wang waiting there.
The three of them quickly got off the bus and greeted him. Shen He handed over a cigarette and asked, “Uncle Wang, have all the educated youth arrived?”
Accountant Wang took the cigarette but didn’t smoke it, hanging it behind his ear. “Not yet. There are many of them, so they’ll be slow. They should be here soon, though—just a matter of a few minutes between you all.”
Shen He pulled over Xu Jianshe and patted his shoulder. “This is my brother-in-law, Xu Jianshe. Jianshe, this is Uncle Wang, the village accountant.”
Xu Jianshe quickly replied, “Hello, Uncle Wang. Please take care of me from now on.”
Shen He added, “Uncle Wang, we’ll chat later. We need to get settled in now, it’ll be even more difficult once the others arrive.”
“Go ahead, go ahead. If you’re missing anything, just come find me,” Uncle Wang replied.
It was now work time, so the three of them quickly moved the things into the newly rented house while the crowd was still small. They paid the cart driver three dimes and thanked him again.
They walked around the yard to inspect it. The 2-meter high wall surrounded the area. The main house had two rooms, one inside and one outside, a kitchen, a firewood shed, a toilet, and a newly built 2×2 meter kang (heated bed).
Xu Jing’an took out a stack of newspapers and a bottle of glue from her bag, directing the others to glue the entire wall next to the kang with the newspapers. Then, they spread a layer of newspapers on the kang, placed a new straw mat, and covered it with bedding. Two large wooden boxes were placed at the end of the kang. With this arrangement, the kang immediately seemed much smaller.
The grain jars were placed on the inner side of the room against the wall, while the table and chairs were placed in the outer room. The thermos and tea jar were put on the table. The water jar, water buckets, and pickle jars were placed in the kitchen. Shen He went to find someone to collect firewood, and Xu Jianshe went to fetch water.
Xu Jing’an took out a small piece of pork skin from her bag to help start the fire. Then she boiled a kettle of water and filled the thermos.
She placed the bowls, chopsticks, kitchen knife, and cutting board next to the stove. Several large and small baskets and wooden basins were placed in the corner of the kitchen.
After Xu Jianshe returned with the water, he gave Xu Jing’an the money for the items they bought, the cost of the house repairs, food expenses, and travel expenses. Since her husband had been running errands and helping others, Xu Jianshe gave an extra 50 yuan.
As expected, when his third sister took the money and counted it, the look in her eyes softened.
It took five trips to fill the water jar. It wasn’t that the jar was particularly large, but rather that Xu Jianshe had never fetched water before.
After filling the jar, he had spilled a fair amount of water along the way. By the time he returned, there was only about half a bucket left! And that was with him being especially careful while walking.
Just fetching the water alone had nearly drained Xu Jianshe’s energy.
After finishing with the water, Xu Jianshe didn’t dare to rest. There were still plenty of things left to organize.
Once the water started boiling, Xu Jing’an poured some into a tea jar for herself and Shen He. Then, she moved a small stool over, sipping her tea while enjoying the breeze.
Xu Jianshe, on the other hand, was running around like a whirlwind. He didn’t dare look at his third sister even once.
What? Ask his third sister for help?
He’d never say such a thing. That was something that could never come out of Xu Jianshe’s mouth!
Xu Jianshe was busy unpacking, organizing the seasonal clothes, quilts, flashlight, milk powder, sugar blocks, and other miscellaneous items. He carefully placed everything in order, then put the money and tickets inside. After thinking for a moment, he grabbed a few pieces of candy and put them in his pocket before locking up the two large boxes.
He placed several pounds of white flour, cornmeal, and noodles into the grain jar and secured the lid. Then he went to the kitchen to organize the spices and cookware.
Xu Jing’an helped by going out to trade for a large basket of vegetables and twenty eggs. She placed the eggs into a small basket filled with wheat straw.
At this time, Shen He also led the workers to fill the firewood shed. After seeing off the villagers, the three of them finally sat down to rest.
“Can you start a fire and cook?” Xu Jing’an asked Xu Jianshe.
“I can,” Xu Jianshe replied. “Mom taught me how to do it at home.”
Xu Jing’an looked gently at her younger brother, feeling no particular emotion. “I can only help you this far. If you need anything else later, you’ll have to figure it out yourself. After meeting with the village head, you’ll sign the lease agreement. Remember to have them stamp it with the official seal.”
“The relationship is already established, so there shouldn’t be anyone trying to take advantage of you. If your brother-in-law stays around too long, it might seem like he’s using his influence. This is Cao Village, so unless it’s absolutely necessary, it’s best to make good relations. Do you understand?” Xu Jing’an explained the reasoning.
Xu Jianshe, who was 20 years old—just one year younger than Xu Jing’an—understood perfectly. He quickly responded, “I understand, Third Sister.”
Just then, a commotion was heard outside, and Xu Jing’an guessed that it was time to leave. “Shall we go out and see if the other young intellectuals have arrived?”
Shen He agreed, “Alright, let’s quickly meet with the village chief. Jianshe, go ahead and sign the rental agreement. Also, check how to get the village’s grain and subsidies. You should meet the other young intellectuals too, so you’re not too unfamiliar with them. Even though you’re not living together, it’s still good to get along as regular neighbors.”
Xu Jianshe nodded obediently, “Sister, Brother-in-law, I understand.” He knew it was important to neither be too close nor too distant.
The group went out and headed straight for the village office. The village head was now called the “team leader.”
Cao Zhenlin, who had been busy all morning, had just sat down to drink some water when he heard a knock on the door. Cao, the team leader, assumed that the young intellectuals had come to him with another matter. Why young intellectuals? Well, in the village, who else knocks before entering?
“Come in.” When the door opened, Shen He stepped in, and Cao stood up with a smile. “Shen He has arrived! This must be the young intellectual Xu, right?”
Shen He walked up and shook his hand. “Team Leader Cao, thank you for your help. This is the child I mentioned to you. We live far away, so we really appreciate your extra effort.”
“Don’t worry, I understand!” Team Leader Cao said kindly, looking at the new young man.
“I still have work here, so I can’t stay long. If you need anything, just contact me.”
“Ah, don’t worry. The transportation here is not convenient. I’ll have Old Liu take you by ox cart.”
Xu Jing’an and Shen He repeatedly thanked the team leader before leaving in the ox cart.
After seeing off his sister and brother-in-law, Xu Jianshe quickly went to the village party branch to sign the rental agreement. It stipulated that the house would only be rented to him for two years.
He paid 10 yuan for the rent, received the stamped agreement, and also got the food subsidy — 30 pounds of sweet potatoes and 20 pounds of cornmeal.
Once Xu Jianshe had everything settled, he ate a bit, took a nap, and then headed to the young intellectuals’ camp.
Around 4 PM that afternoon, the group of young intellectuals finally arrived. When Xu Jianshe went to meet them, there was already a lot of complaining inside. Within ten minutes, the female intellectuals started arguing, and soon, they were physically fighting.
This unusual “meeting ceremony” between the new and old young intellectuals really opened Xu Jianshe’s eyes. His third sister was right — moving out was a great idea.
He couldn’t stand the noise in such a lively place!
Seeing that things were not going well, Xu Jianshe quickly slipped away, deciding to keep his distance from them in the future.