Wang Ailing knew Jiang Xinyu had something to do, so she didn't stay, nor did she eat together in the cafeteria, and went home.
Jiang Xinyu returned home, took out a bowl of pickled vegetables, and sat at the dining table in the main room to drink porridge.
There were still tea eggs in the space, but she couldn't eat them now. The door wasn't closed; she didn't know when someone might come in.
Imagining herself enjoying her favorite delicacies, she pretended to eat delicious food. Otherwise, she feared she might actually gag.
After finishing the meal, no one came over. She didn't wait any longer, as there wasn't much water left in the water tank, she hurried to fetch water. With the nationwide drought, getting water was already fortunate.
Carrying a shoulder pole out, she didn't lock the door. It's an act of defending against gentlemen but not against thieves.
Zhang Yanhong finished her work and hurried to the Jiang Family. Seeing the door ajar and hearing no response when she called out, she thought Xinyu might have gone out briefly, so she decided to wait outside.
After a while she finally saw Jiang Xinyu wobbling with a shoulder pole coming over.
"Auntie, sorry about that, please come in."
"It's alright, Xinyu, your small frame must take five or six trips to fill this tank, right?"
"Not just that, it actually takes ten trips. Luckily, our house is close to the water well. Auntie, please come inside."
"Xinyu, I'll be straightforward, regarding your desire to sell the job, how much do you want to sell it for?"
Jiang Xinyu sat down on the edge of the kang, "Auntie, I won't say much else, just about the job, Kong Mengjie has already offered a year's salary, and for the remaining three years, she'll pay five yuan a month.
My idea is to try to sell it for more money."
Zhang Yanhong frowned, "Xinyu, not many people can afford that amount."
Jiang Xinyu spread her hands, "I have no choice, I really need the money."
"So, if someone else offers the same amount, does the job still go to Kong Mengjie?"
"Exactly, it has to be more because Kong Mengjie was the first to suggest buying the job."
This sentence carried a lot of information, and Zhang Yanhong immediately understood its meaning.
"Xinyu, how about this, I'll go home to discuss, if I give you the remaining one hundred and eighty in one go? Would that be more advantageous than Kong Mengjie's offer?"
"Yes, that's even better."
After seeing Zhang Yanhong off, three more people came to inquire about the job, and after hearing the price, they all left without saying much.
Jiang Xinyu knew this outcome; in this village, only the Kong and Qian Families have the capability for this.
She glanced up at the sun; it was almost noon, and she decided to go collect firewood.
She went to the small valley she visited yesterday, waved the machete continuously for two hours, then stored everything in the space and carried leaves home.
From afar, she saw a pile of branches and even a dead tree at her doorstep.
Arriving at the door, the neighbor's gate opened. "Xinyu, this was sent to you by Qian Qingxin."
"Thank you, Auntie." After nodding, she opened the door and entered the yard.
She quickly started carrying everything into the yard piece by piece. Taking advantage of this, she also took out the branches from her space, which was much more than yesterday.
For dinner, she took her bowl to the cafeteria.
Now she had become a focal point; whenever she walked into the cafeteria, everyone would look at her.
Lining up in the back for food, today's dinner was switched to sweet potato flour dumpling soup. It looked dark, but it was definitely tastier than vegetable porridge, though a bit watery. There was nothing to complain about.
Wang Ailing arrived later than her today, so Jiang Xinyu waited for her after finishing.
The two returned to the Jiang Family, sitting at the table drinking soup. "Sis, the day after tomorrow I'm going to the county. Are you going?"
Wang Ailing shook her head, "I'm not going, I still need to go for proof."
"Do you need anything? I can bring it back for you."
"We're low on matches at home. Could you help me buy a pound of kerosene? I'll bring the bottle over to you tomorrow."
"Sure."
"Xinyu, how's the job situation going?"
"Well, only the Kong and Qian Families have the capability. The Qian Family will probably back out, but Kong Mengjie is really fixated on the job."
"Xinyu, this isn't a good situation; you've offended both families."
Jiang Xinyu laughed carelessly, "Sis, unless I give this job away free, that would mean only one family doesn't hate me, but either way, I'd offend someone. Might as well offend both.
Besides, these are things out in the open, it's better than behind-the-scenes dealings."
"Xinyu, you've really changed a lot."
"Environment makes people progress."
"Alright, I'm leaving now." Wang Ailing went home.
Jiang Xinyu boiled water, took a bath, and went to sleep.
That night she dreamt of a plot. It was all about Kong Mengjie and the male lead's torturous romance.
Upon waking, Jiang Xinyu opened her eyes, feeling shocked that she could sense the details of the protagonist's life. She wondered if this was a depiction from the book. Lying for a while, she had to get up, as she needed to go to the mountain today, and couldn't be late.
After washing up in the yard, she suddenly glanced at the roof, thinking about what would happen if it snows—wouldn't the roof collapse?
This worry scared Jiang Xinyu; she glanced at the neighbor's house, the roof similar to her own.
She heard voices next door. Jiang Xinyu shouted.
"Auntie, I'm coming over to ask my uncle something."
"Come on, I'll open the door for you."
Jiang Xinyu shared her concerns with Liu Manquan and his wife next door. "Uncle, can the roof withstand it?"
"Well, ours was renovated last year; it can endure this year. Just make sure to clean off the snow regularly.
Your roof has been there for years; let's go up and take a look."
Liu Manquan examined it carefully. "Xinyu, this roof indeed needs reinforcing."
"Uncle, can I ask you to help with the roof? I'll give you five yuan once it's finished, okay?"
"No need to pay."
"Uncle, that wouldn't be right. You're still working, taking time to fix my roof would cost you work hours, I wouldn't feel at ease."
They negotiated and decided to fix the roof today, so Jiang Xinyu wouldn't go to collect firewood.
Liu Manquan also checked out the firewood shed. "This shed needs reinforcing too, we can finish it all in a day. Let's eat first, then I'll get to work."
"Uncle, do I need to prepare any materials?"
"No need, we have thatched grass at home; I'll have your aunt mix mud."
Jiang Xinyu brought back food. After she finished eating, Wang Ailing arrived, knowing the roof needed fixing; she quickly ran home. She brought back a large piece of tar paper, which wasn't enough for the roof, but could cover the firewood shed.
Jiang Xinyu wanted to help, but the aunt from Liu Manquan's family refused her. So she stayed in the house to tidy up.
She found the little girl's textbooks, looked them over; they were quite simple. Surprisingly, she found a diary.
It contained the little girl's emotional experiences. Jiang Xinyu found it quite interesting; the thoughts were so naive, dreaming about living in the city, it was somewhat unrealistic.