“Shoe edges white, what’s with that? Our shoe edges are quite white… Oh!”
Li Mengjiao looked down. The beige sports shoes on her feet were already stained with yellow mud. This pair of shoes was newly changed before leaving home this morning. Li Mengjiao swore the shoes were still clean when she got off the car.
This look made Li Mengjiao come to her senses.
“Shoe edges so white, doesn’t that mean he never steps in mud?”
In the countryside, “never steps in mud” three words could equate to “never works”. The pond-digging villagers really did not badmouth Deng Juan’s brother. Though this kid lived in the countryside, his family indeed pampered him quite a bit.
If he does not work, so be it. His family is willing to pamper, outsiders cannot interfere.
The bigger issue is, in the last semester of senior three, only scoring over two hundred points. Tuition and living expenses are all money Deng Juan sends home. This score does not live up to Deng Juan’s efforts!
Seeing Li Mengjiao understood, Wen Ying watched Deng Juan’s brother walk towards the village entrance. The pond-digging villagers chuckled coldly. “Definitely going to the town internet cafe again. Online gaming every day, no wonder only that little score.”
Li Mengjiao heard, her fists clenched even tighter.
Going online costs money. Not studying seriously is one thing, but spending Deng Juan’s salary in internet cafes. Li Mengjiao extremely wanted to hammer someone!
Wen Ying and Qin Jiao blocked Heroine Li one left one right. “Cannot hit people!”
“Who do you want to hit?”
A voice came from behind, but it was Wang Shuang.
Years of childhood sweethearts, Wang Shuang understood Li Mengjiao too well. Seeing her little face red, fists clenched, this was being angered badly!
Just falling behind a bit, this fool got bullied by villagers?
Wang Shuang rolled up his sleeves and asked again. “Who do you want to hit?”
His eyes quickly scanned around, wanting to find who bullied Li Mengjiao.
Wen Ying had a headache. “Mengjiao doesn’t want to hit anyone. Wang Shuang, don’t add chaos!”
“I want… Alright, I don’t want.”
Once Wen Ying got serious, Li Mengjiao was still a bit intimidated, reluctantly changed her words.
Qin Jiao laughed. “Mouth saying don’t want to hit, then loosen your fists.”
Wang Shuang looked at the three, increasingly confused. “What happened to you? On the car I wanted to ask, what secret can’t I know?”
For this, Wang Shuang had conflict with Li Mengjiao on the car, but after his dad Wang Jun’s guidance, Wang Shuang’s anger had long dissipated.
Only wrong given names, no wrong nicknames. Quarrelling with Li the fool was purely self-torment.
But concealing before was fine. Now Wang Shuang formally asked, if Wen Ying three still concealed, Wang Shuang’s glass heart would really shatter to bits.
Wen Ying briefly explained the matter in a few words. Wang Shuang indeed could not empathise. “Just for this? Money is in Deng Juan’s hands. If she doesn’t want to give, others can’t force rob!”
If dislikes studying, then don’t study.
Go out work two years, would know how hard earning money is.
If Deng Juan does not want to send money home, Wang Shuang felt many ways.
Before still afraid Deng family find Rong City to make trouble. Now Deng Juan works in capital, change phone number, Deng family want contact also no way!
But if Deng Juan herself wants to give money, delaying year-end bonus useless. “Shrimp King” cannot always owe employees’ year-end. This money sooner or later to Deng Juan’s hands. Taken early or late no difference. Wang Shuang looked at Deng family’s crooked house muttering. “Salary plus year-end bonus, don’t know if enough for Deng family to build a storied house.”
This question touched Wen Ying’s knowledge blind spot.
She knew buying house in Rong City costs how much, even understood first-tier cities like Modu, capital housing prices. But building house in countryside specifically costs how much, Wen Ying really not too clear. This is why Xie Qian advised her to see personally. These life details not all written in books.
Good that on site someone could answer Wen Ying’s doubt.
The pond-digging villagers saw, these city kids curious about everything.
“Build house? That depends on what kind of house, also which year built.”
Saying pointed to own house direction. “See, that’s my house, 1990 built storied house, used prefabricated slabs for floors, lime coated outer walls, then cost over five thousand.”
1990, spending over five thousand to build house already expensive.
Then even Chen Ru and Wen Dongrong wages still low, countryside even fewer money-making ways. Over ten years ago building such small two-storey, in village first-class glory!
Even to build storied house borrowed from all relatives, repaid many years to clear. But house built, beam-raising joy and pride, pond-digging villager still unforgettable.
Such emotion infected Wen Ying. She sincerely said. “Your house after over ten years still looks very pretty!”
Lime smeared outer walls weathered changed colour yellowish, roof black tiles also lost former brightness. Years left marks on this small building. Wall side nearly man-high cactus tree very lush. Years’ marks are life’s breath. This family kept the house so clean.
“Oh, pretty what, all old. We built house only few thousand. To 2000 build such house at least forty fifty thousand. Now even more expensive, labour and material costs rose a lot!”
Villager counted on fingers for Wen Ying.
Before used lime wall, later outer walls paste tiles decorate.
Now build house more expensive, particular families paste tiles on indoor floors.
Wen Ying simply took out carried notebook, noted villagers’ details one by one. She squatted roadside chatting and noting with villagers. Li Mengjiao did not know what to do, whispered. “We not here to inquire Deng Juan sister’s family matters? Wen Ying asks these for what?”
Qin Jiao helpless. “How are you so silly? You think anyone writing books can earn as much as Wen Ying? Without life experience, writers cannot write good works.”
Actually not only Wen Ying, Qin Jiao also wanted to chat with villagers.
Villagers willing follow Deng Shangwei raise fish, any want raise crayfish?
With “Shrimp King” development speed, wild crayfish basically eliminated from raw material supply chain.
Wild crayfish supply unstable, crayfish growth water quality no guarantee, some crayfish may have heavy metal excess hidden danger. Qin Jiao actually not too understand why so many like eating wild. Take Qin Jiao most familiar crayfish, grown in stinky ditches crayfish no matter how cooked have earthy smell.
Still large-scale farming good!
Procurement supply stable, received crayfish cleaner, cooked less earthy smell, no heavy metal excess hidden danger.
In capital, “Shrimp King” uses Hubei province farmed shrimp.
In Rong City, wild crayfish and other provinces farmed shrimp half each.
Hubei people can farm crayfish, Sichuan people why cannot. This village no matter how remote, transport cost impossible higher than other provinces!
Seeing Wen Ying squat like old farmer on field ridge chatting, Qin Jiao hesitated.
This posture a bit inelegant.
But Wen Ying can squat, why she cannot?
Field ridge quite high, not squat to talk with pond-digging villagers, would have condescending arrogance.
So Qin Jiao also squatted.
Wang Shuang & Li Mengjiao: …!
