Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 212

Although Zhao Tiesheng signed the document and affixed his seal, he did not sign it.

In this era, there are no second-generation ID cards or similar proof of identity; one relies entirely on a seal to prove their identity.

But he still asked with some unease, "Big Goose, doing it this way... it'll cost an extra two hundred yuan. This isn't how we live..."

Zhao Da'e frowned, looking at Zhao Tiesheng with obvious impatience: "You know you should spend an extra two hundred? Then you can just pay in cash..."

"We don't have any cash at home..." Zhao Tiesheng said somewhat embarrassedly. His family was practically penniless. Even if they did have some, it was only a small amount, held by Zhao Tingxu.

"What are you talking about if you don't have money?" Zhao Da'e said unhappily. "If you don't have money, just sign the papers. Do you expect me to wait until you earn money before building a house? That would take forever. Besides, from now on, we'll be completely separate. I'm going to build a new house in the backyard, and you..."

Zhao Da'e glared at Zhao Tiesheng and said, "You can't go either. You can just stay in this warehouse."

Zhao Tiesheng remained silent.

After Zhao Da'e finished speaking, he felt a little reluctant and turned back to Zhao Tiesheng, saying, "Get to work. In the next couple of days, get some sand and level the ground. If you don't have sand, some stone powder will do. Level the ground first, then we'll pile up the bricks later. The New Year is just around the corner, and after the Lantern Festival, we'll start work. Once the ground is leveled, figure out where to put the crushed material, where to put the blower, and where to put the sieved material."

I finished this in half a day, then called an electrician to get the electricity connected. If you don't understand something, don't try to be a hero; your skills are really insufficient. But if you're prone to arguing, just ask my third uncle. He knows a little about everything.

“I’m not going to ask him…why would I ask him?” Zhao Tiesheng muttered.

Zhao Da'e frowned: "Dad, you always have this problem. There's always a follow-up. I told you to ask, so just ask. My third uncle is more meticulous in his work. Don't let his drinking every day fool you; he can find a good way to do anything that doesn't require physical labor."

Zhao Tiesheng remained silent.

Zhao Da'e found communication difficult, so he left.

Dinner was still necessary. After eating, Zhao Da'e lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and watched Zhou Chunwen embroider.

Yes, embroidering flowers on a handkerchief.

It looks like a peony, or a rose.

Zhao Da'e squinted, picked up a few drunken dates and ate them, then asked, "Big sister, what's going on? Did you see a handsome young man? Are you going to give him some kind of token of your affection?"

Zhou Chunwen paused, stopped the needle, and looked at Zhao Da'e blankly: "No. What young man? Where is there a young man? Besides, Da'e, can you stop having such wild thoughts all the time? I'm sixteen, almost seventeen, but don't you even know the law..."

Ahem. Let me give you a brief overview of the marriage law. The legal marriage age is 22 for men and 20 for women.

"Tch." Zhao Da'e scoffed. "Your older brother is only nineteen. I reckon he'll be married by the end of the year. Is he of legal age?"

Zhou Chunwen: "Uh...no. My older brother's situation is...a special case."

"Special circumstances, huh? Your eldest brother is the oldest in the whole village to have gotten married late, isn't he?" Zhao Da'e scoffed. "I don't think any of the men in the village who have gotten married are over twenty. This marriage law isn't really suitable for you guys."

“Alright, alright, my older brother got married late. But he still got married earlier than your father,” Zhou Chunwen said sarcastically.

Zhao Da'e: "..."

Zhao Da'e's parents did indeed marry relatively late, though their circumstances were quite different. However, Zhou Chunwen's words left Zhao Da'e speechless.

Instead of lying down, Zhao Da'e sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) with his legs crossed, picked up a handful of melon seeds, and started cracking them open.

Pooh……

Zhou Chunwen frowned as he looked at Zhao Dage, who was spitting out sunflower seed shells: "Dage, you'll sweep the floor yourself in a bit."

"Okay then." Although Zhao Da'e agreed, she still didn't know how to sweep the floor.

"Sister, I swindled tens of thousands of bricks today. I'll have to go haul bricks again another day."

"Huh?" Zhou Chunwen looked at Zhao Dage: "You're going to build a house by hauling bricks? In the dead of winter, you're going to build a house?"

“Cover it in spring.”

"Where's the money?"

"It all depends on credit..."

Zhou Chunwen gave a thumbs up: "Big Goose, you did a great job! I have to admire you. My family built our house entirely on borrowed money, and your family built your house entirely on credit! We two sisters feel like we're in the same boat."

Zhao Da'e chuckled: "Hey, didn't I say that it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat. Besides, Zhao Tiesheng will still be there."

"Isn't that still your famine?" Zhou Chunwen asked, frowning.

"That's different. What does the famine my father caused have to do with me, Zhao Da'e? I don't acknowledge it anyway. Besides, it's not that I won't pay it back, I'll pay it back a few years later. I'll pay it back when money is worth less."

Upon hearing Zhao Da'e's suggestion, Zhou Chunwen was intrigued: "Oh my god... Da'e, that's a great idea! I'll also encourage my dad to buy some things on credit."

“That won’t do. My uncle and your village accountant got into a fight… You can’t do it.” Zhao Da’e spread his hands, indicating his helplessness.

Zhou Chunwen also sighed.

This is true.

A few days ago, Zhou Yuren had a fight with Accountant Yao. Although Zhao Da'e didn't say anything, Zhou Chunwen knew that Zhao Da'e and Zhou Tianfu had gone to take revenge on Accountant Yao.

Accountant Yao isn't stupid; she just didn't catch those two...

However, this debt will still be attributed to Zhou Yuren. It can only be said that as long as Accountant Yao doesn't step down, nothing good, like being flogged, will ever come to Zhou Yuren's family.

Although Accountant Yao probably won't retaliate against Zhou Yuren, he might not retaliate openly, but he might cause some trouble behind the scenes.

Even if they don't cause trouble, would people think of Zhou Yuren when they have good things to do?

That is impossible.

"By the way, why are you embroidering, sister? Are you imitating those old women?" Zhao Da'e asked.

Zhou Chunwen suddenly seemed a bit off: ? ? ?

What do you mean by "imitating those old women"? Cousin, I'm a woman too, okay...

“I have nothing to do. My mom said that a woman should do some needlework, maybe she can find a sewing machine factory to make clothes and earn some money…”

"Alright. I thought you were planning to abandon the darkness and come to the light, and were going to do some embroidery for the young man." Zhao Da'e was finally relieved.

Zhao Da'e has no plans to get married in this lifetime, of course, she's too young right now...

However, Zhou Chunwen, being her best friend, cannot get married.

Although Zhou Chunwen was only sixteen or seventeen years old, in that era, many girls in Northeast China got married at the same age.

Take Old Ma's daughter, Ma Huaihua, for example; she's also seventeen. She's two years younger than Zhou Tianfu.

If it works out, we'll get married after the New Year.

She's still a young girl, or even a little girl.

This is unimaginable in later generations, but in this era, getting married at this age was a very common thing.

So, since Zhou Chunwen didn't have much education, getting married was probably a natural progression for her.

Even though Zhou Chunwen objected, Zhao Da'e knew that she couldn't persuade Zhou Yuren, nor could she withstand Cheng Jinxi's nagging.

Zhao Da'e couldn't bear the hardship of marriage, so she wanted to drag Zhou Chunwen down with her.

After a while, Zhou Chunwen stopped embroidering and went to bed on the kang (a heated brick bed).

The next day, Zhao Da'e didn't get up early, and Cheng Jinxi didn't wait for her to eat.

It was Zhou Chunwen who kindly made her an egg pancake after Zhao Da'e woke up.

It must be said that Zhou Chunwen's cooking is indeed delicious. Her dishes are also very tasty.

This is something I deeply understand... well, I didn't learn it from Cheng Jinxi anyway.

Aunt Cheng Jinxi, who is also known as Zhao Da'e, cooks food that's practically like pig slop. Firstly, the conditions are limited, and secondly, it's genuinely unpalatable.

Zhao Da'e's mother, Cheng Jinxiang, wasn't a great cook, but Zhao Da'e still enjoyed eating her food. The most notable characteristic of her cooking was that it was ridiculously overcooked.

Zhao Da'e particularly likes things that are overcooked or very well-done.

Foreigners like to eat things cooked to medium-rare or medium-well, but Zhao Da'e prefers them well-done.

Of course, everyone's tastes are different.

The dishes in Northeast China are mostly common home-style dishes like potatoes, cabbage, radishes, and eggplants, which are cooked to perfection and have more flavor.

I ate an egg pancake and drank a cup of tea.

Zhao Da'e then picked up his toothbrush and went to brush his teeth.

“Hiss…Hey goose, everyone brushes their teeth before eating, why are you always so different?” Zhou Chunwen asked.

Is it illegal?

Zhou Chunwen stood there stunned, then silently gave a thumbs-down: "If hitting someone wasn't illegal, my sister and I would have gone in with red knives and come out with green knives long ago."

"Hey hey hey."

"What are you going to do later?"

“To supervise my dad and my third uncle while they work,” Zhao Da’e said.

After brushing his teeth and getting dressed, Zhao Da'e returned to the old house.

Right now, Zhao Tiesheng and Zhao Tiegang are arguing over how to level the ground.

Zhao Da'e leaned over, but he only heard bits and pieces of what was going on.

Zhao Tiesheng believes that since it is winter now and the ground is frozen, it will definitely sink next spring, so laying the ground at this time is pure nonsense.

Zhao Tiegang, however, believed that since Zhao Dage had said he wanted to work, then the two of them should do some work. As for sinking the goose next spring, that could be discussed later…

“No… this ground will definitely sink,” Zhao Da’e said. “I mean, why don’t you two dig a foundation for it?”

"It's frozen, we can't dig it up," Zhao Tiesheng explained.

“I know,” Zhao Da’e said. “Didn’t I tell you? Just make sure the dimensions are right, how big it should be, and where to put what. Then you guys dig the pit where you’re going to put the grinder. After the grinder grinds the grain, you have to continue, right? When you continue, can’t you use a big vat? Then it won’t involve freezing or not freezing!”

“Large vats are expensive; stones or bricks are better and more sturdy,” Zhao Tiesheng argued.

"Okay. Dad, you go dig the hole." Zhao Da'e said impatiently, "You're in charge of digging the hole, don't worry about anything else. Third Uncle, you're in charge of measuring the dimensions and where to dig. Neither of you should argue. I'll buy a few big vats in a few days, the thick kind. They won't break easily. I'll line them with soil and bricks, and then add some cement or something. It shouldn't be a problem."

Zhao Tiesheng wanted to say something more, but Zhao Da'e just left, leaving behind a sentence before he left: "Both of you should do your jobs properly. Don't argue about how to do things right all the time. Get to work first, and we'll talk about it later if you make a mistake."

Afterwards, Zhao Dage went to Zhao Tingming's house and gave him the IOU that Zhao Tiesheng had signed the day before.

Now that the agreement has been signed and the IOU has been written, it's time to get ready to haul the bricks.

"Forty thousand red bricks, Big Goose, you'd better find a tractor."

“Yes, my uncle Zhang Ruifeng has a tractor,” Zhao Da’e said.

Moreover, this tractor was bought several years ago, and it was purchased with money borrowed from my hometown.

The conflict in the Zhao family stemmed from this money issue.

The money Zhao Da'e's parents earned from farming was initially lent to Zhao Da'e's aunt, Zhao Chunni, by Zhao Tingxu. The couple admitted to it, but said they had paid it back the year before last.

Later, Zhao Dage and Wang Guixiang got into a fight.

Zhao Da'e wasn't quite sure if he had paid it back, but he had probably paid back more than half of it. At most, Zhao Tingxu had sponsored a few thousand yuan when Zhao Chunni and her husband bought the tractor.

Whether or not this money should be sponsored is hard to say.

However, one thing is certain: Zhao Da'e knows that his aunt is a very honest person, and his uncle is also an honest man. They have no bad intentions.

In other words, even though he sponsored some money, Zhao Da'e, after his rebirth, didn't really want to pursue the matter any further.

In Zhao Da'e's memory, Zhao Tingxu must have given him four or seven thousand yuan. Even if he had that money now, he couldn't accept it.

but……

We can't just give it away for free.

Once Zhao Da'e had the idea of ​​hauling bricks, he decided to have his uncle help with the work.

Zhang Ruifeng makes a living by driving a tractor to haul bricks or stones.

It costs two cents to haul a red brick.

That means a brick that originally cost 12 cents would cost 14 cents when it arrived at your home.

Or they could use a donkey cart to pull it themselves.

Old Zhao's family had nothing but a cow that was about to give birth. Cows in their late stages of pregnancy can't work. Besides, Zhao Da'e couldn't bear to part with it.

Since we have nothing at home, we can't very well go out and borrow a donkey cart or an oxcart.

This thing can be used for other jobs; someone might borrow it.

How do I borrow bricks?

One brick weighs five jin (2.5 kg), so two hundred bricks would weigh a thousand jin (2000 kg). A donkey cart can only carry two or three hundred bricks. If you were to haul bricks like that, you'd have to make over two hundred cartloads.

Even if you drive ten trucks a day, it will take more than twenty days to complete the task.

Since this road is impassable, the only option is to hire a tractor.

Zhang Ruifeng is a good candidate.

Zhao Dage didn't plan to pay the 800 yuan wage; he figured he'd try to recoup what he could.

Zhao Tingming wrote a note for Zhao Dage, and then all that was left was to go to the brick factory and talk to the factory manager.

Zhao Da'e returned shortly afterward, and it was Zhao Laosan who had to take charge of getting his aunt to use a tractor to haul bricks.

Zhao Tiesheng wasn't well-liked by Zhao Tingxu, but Zhao Laosan was.

Zhao Tiegang may not be good at anything else, but he's good at causing trouble. Besides, he's the youngest in the family, and the old couple dotes on him. With Zhao Da'e's mother going back to her parents' home, Zhao Tingxu dislikes Zhao Tiesheng even more.

If Zhao Tiesheng were to speak to him, Zhao Tingxu would definitely stop Zhao Da'e's aunt from doing any work, and then everything would be ruined.

But Zhao Da'e knew that having his third uncle, Zhao Tiegang, handle the negotiation would guarantee success. Besides, the blame for not paying would fall squarely on Zhao Laosan. A win-win situation…

Kill two birds with one stone.

Moreover, if asked about it later, he knew that he hadn't been paid after finishing the work. Even though they were siblings, Zhao Da'e knew that his aunt wouldn't dare to make things difficult for Zhao Tiegang.

Who isn't afraid that Zhao Tiegang might get drunk and want to die?

Zhao Tiegang is not a coward, but he is not often sober. When he is really drunk, he feels that the world is dark and no one dares to mess with him.