Chapter 953: Chapter 826: Refusing Again Is Just Playing Hard to Get

In the courtyard, Mr. Zhang listened to the kids chat and glanced at his composed eldest grandson sitting quietly, smiling with satisfaction, "Are you planning to return to the village soon?"

"Yeah, I’m planning to take my siblings up the mountain to gather some herbs."

Mr. Zhang warned him with concern, "Don’t go too far."

"Alright." Xi Zi glanced over at everyone and softly asked, "Grandpa, if you really don’t want to do it, why don’t you go to Beijing with Grandma? You have the perfect excuse."

Mr. Zhang shook his head with a smile, "The street committee is showing respect to our family. Refusing once is courteous, but refusing twice is playing hard to get. Besides, wearing the red armband is quite impressive."

"This job isn’t exhausting, sometimes you can even help out the neighbors. Although it’s a temporary job, there’s still a salary. There’s another point, have you noticed it?"

Xi Zi looked at him in confusion.

Mr. Zhang proudly whispered, "Compared to those retired old timers, I am still young. Having things to do won’t make people think I’m idle all day."

Xi Zi grinned. He might not have understood this in the past, but after seeing more in the provincial city, he naturally understood what indulgence means. However, he still had some concerns at heart, "Could it make people envious?"

Mr. Zhang had naturally thought about this, he chuckled, "Grandma Wang had everyone elect me. What do you think they’d be envious of? I actually didn’t even want the salary, according to what your uncle said it’s considered volunteer work. But Grandma Wang said if I don’t take the salary, the other temporary workers would have opinions."

"That’s good then." Xi Zi breathed a sigh of relief, "Grandpa, the backyard matters in the village can be left to a few of us."

It’s quite a bit of money that can be made, Mr. Zhang quickly declined, "Your uncle’s yard should wait until your grandmother and I return. Those beans still need your grandmother to handle, the whole family loves them."

Zhang Meili who was nearby just heard this, and laughed, "Dad, I’ve already sent quite a bit, don’t let Xiao Wu get sick of them."

"Not afraid of having too much stuff, your younger brother has a wide circle, it’s great to have gifts for his many friends."

Zhang Meili remembered her mom saying how many friends visited her family when the twins were born and nodded knowingly. She thought maybe she should buy some other things to send over.

In the big city, these local specialties are expensive, and Xiao Wu’s couple are generous, certainly not skimping on gift exchanges throughout the year. Though Xiao Wu wrote in the letter about their salaries, feeding two kids with infant formula costs a lot.

"I wonder if Xiao Wu received the package?" Zhang Meili worriedly furrowed her brows, "Is it really okay for our family not to visit when the kids turn one year old?"

"Xiao Wu said they don’t throw birthday parties for a one-year-old in the city, if he holds one and people send gifts, it could easily be used against him." Mr. Zhang felt sorry for his grandson too, "If he hadn’t said he needed to attend military school training for three months right away, and Jiao Jiao needed to work, I would have made them come back to the village."

"Sigh... they’re even worse off than us common folk, huh."

"Don’t say that, your brother and his family are just ordinary folk." Mr. Zhang doesn’t want his eldest daughter to say things that might spread indiscriminately.

Zhang Meili patted her mouth, laughed, and changed the subject, "I heard five educated youths came to our village, right? Dad, have you seen them?"

Talking about those five young folks, Mr. Zhang couldn’t help but laugh, "How could I not see them? Your captain uncle is worried to death, he used to find excuses to reject them, but this time they’re really here."

"What’s there to worry about? Just work together with everyone."

As Zhang Meili spoke, several others listening to their conversation laughed out loud.

"What are they laughing at? That’s the truth. Once there’s a start, there’ll surely be more educated youths coming later. If we don’t set the rules now, things will be chaotic in the future."

Zhang the Second laughed, "Sis, you haven’t returned to the village to see. This time there are three men and two women, none of them can pick up a hoe. With busy farming season upon us, do you think the captain uncle isn’t worried?"

Xi Zi added, "They’re very thin, probably didn’t live well in the city either. Compared with people in our village, they just look paler."

"Oh my, did ancestors come visiting?" Zhang Meili was about to worry for the old captain. If they don’t earn enough work points to fill their stomachs, what would they do?

Suddenly, she thought of something, "Where are they living now?"

Zhang the Second knew his sister would ask this, so he smiled, "Isn’t there a yard at the team? They’ve divided two rooms for them. But I’ve already suggested to the captain uncle to seize this opportunity to apply to the commune for more bricks and tiles to build a few rooms."

"The team truly has a lot of good stuff, and the captain uncle has this intention. If it can’t be approved, they might have to build a few adobe houses."

Zhang Meili breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Didn’t the captain uncle ask to borrow your house?"

"That old couple moved things from Xiao Wu’s place last time, with this matter, the captain uncle is too embarrassed to ask. Our good uncle was even thinking of having those two girls live in my house."

Beside him, Mr. Zhang got so mad at his son’s indiscreet words that he raised his long pipe and knocked it against him, humorously scolding, "No respect, huh!"

Zhang the Second was lightly tapped by his dad, knowing he wasn’t angry, he cheekily continued, "Sis, do you know how I refused?"

Zhang Meili rolled her eyes at him for being so secretive, she felt like smacking him!

"I said, Uncle, I come back every few days, and what if one day, in the dark, I mistake one of the girls for my own wife, wouldn’t you be setting me up?"

Zhang Meili immediately slapped him, "You dare?"

"Oh my, it’s just a joke! Those two girls aren’t as good-looking as my wife, why would I fancy them? Only those young fellows find people from the city special."

Lin Juhua looked at him plaintively, "So you mean it’d be okay if they were pretty!"

Alright, Zhang the Second realized he misspoke. He immediately sat upright and replied, "How could that be? Wine ages better, and a wife is dearer with age."

The whole family teased him after listening.

Zhang the Second cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject, "The five on our team are the good ones. I’ve heard the educated youths next team over are nothing but trouble."

Mr. Zhang nodded in agreement, "No wonder your captain uncle is a shrewd man. He said at the time that he went over and immediately liked these five, it wasn’t in vain that he put in so much effort."

He then warned uneasily, "You and Brother Guo Fu, when you return to the village, be sure not to have contact with those two girls. City folks, especially the young girls who’ve studied a few years, have high standards and tricky minds."

Zhang the Second and Zhang Guofu exchanged glances and smiled, responding in unison. As if city girls wouldn’t be exhausted to the bone during a busy farming season in the village.

After staying two or three years here, how are they different from village girls? 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Besides, if they wanted to find a woman, was there a need to shame themselves by returning to their hometown? Once an issue of lifestyle arose, there’d be no future, there’s no need for Dad to instruct them, they’re well aware.

Mother Zhang sighed and said, "These kids have it tough too. Young and they’ve come from the city to this remote place, their parents must feel terribly worried. There’s one girl who’s as skinny as our Jiao Jiao."