Chapter 415 Favor

Chapter 415: Favors and Family Ties

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

The Wang family didn’t have many relatives, and Li Yulan had hardly any family left. They'd already made all their necessary family visits.

The first to get antsy were Wang Yongshun and his wife, who wanted to return to City A as soon as possible. The earlier they went back, the sooner they could start earning money again.

Su An was sitting by the stove, toasting mochi cakes with iron tongs when Su Ping strode in.

"An An, An An, Big Uncle and Little Uncle want you to come over. They're at Granny's place."

Su An looked up. "What’s the matter?"

Su Ping grinned. "I don’t know. I was playing cards with Jian Bing and the others, and they told me to call you over."

"Alright, I’ll head over soon."

Su Ping gazed hungrily at the mochi cakes on Su An’s tongs and didn’t move. "I’ll wait for you."

Su An smiled. "Want some?"

Su Ping shook his head. "For An An."

"Let’s share it. You break it—I’m afraid it’s too hot. Hurry, it’s about to burn."

Su Ping quickly picked up the rice cake from the tongs, tossing it between his hands while blowing on it.

"Hoo! Hoo! So hot," he said, tearing the cake apart.

"Here, An An, not hot anymore. Nice and soft now."

Su An glanced at it—her brother had given her most of the nicely toasted part, keeping the slightly burnt portion for himself.

"This is too much for me. Tear it again, and throw away the burnt part."

"Okay~"

The siblings walked together to Wang Yongzheng’s house, where Jian Bing and the other kids immediately waved at Su Ping.

"Ping Ping, took you long enough!"

Su Ping beamed like an overgrown kid. "Coming, coming!"

Li Yulan watched Su Ping with adoration in her eyes.

Wang Yongzheng and Wang Yongshun were sitting around the table. When they saw Su An, they quickly pulled out a bench for her.

"What’s up, uncles?"

Wang Yongzheng looked worried. "An An, ever since we came back, folks keep coming by, all trying to fish for information about what we do outside and how much we earn."

"Quite a few even want to tag along with us. I haven’t agreed to any of them, but Granny and the kids are still in the village. We usually rely on Uncle’s family to look after them, so it's putting me in a tough spot."

Su An had expected this. Uncle’s family had three sons—the youngest had gotten married last year—and now there were three grandchildren, with two more on the way. For 1993, their family was considered well-off, but money was still tight.

Li Yulan listened quietly nearby.

She got along well with Zhang Sheju. During their last tea gathering, Zhang Sheju had dropped some hints, but Li Yulan knew not to make any promises. These things were for the younger generation to decide. She was old now—her job was to stay out of the way, not to butt in.

Su An lowered her head and thought for a moment. "Turn down the other requests. Uncle, you should go to Great-Uncle’s house later and tell them we can take Auntie Cuihong out this time. Once Auntie Cuihong settles down outside, if she wants to bring anyone else out, that’ll be her own business."

"Also," Su An glanced at her two uncles.

"I’ve decided to tear down and rebuild our house—two stories. I’ll contract the work to Uncle Zhangyi, so don’t worry about turning others down. No need to fear offending anyone."

Wang Yongshun and Wang Yongzheng quickly understood her reasoning.

Wang Zhangyi had three brothers, and his two sisters were married in neighboring villages. His family had five or six children over fifteen years old, making them the most influential household in the Wang clan.

That was why, back when Su An and Chen Dong were cornered at the educated youth dormitory, Wang Zhangyi had dared to thrash Chen Dong mercilessly.

Wang Yongzheng looked at Su An and asked, "Since we’re building the house and contracting it to Zhangyi, does it even matter whether we take Sister Cuihong or not?"

Su An peeled a peanut. "Bring her along. She’ll be helpful. Grandma, Auntie, and Xiu Yun will still be in the village. With all of us gone, there won’t be anyone reliable left at home. If anything happens, we’ll still need the villagers to look after them."

"I’ve been thinking about this since last year. My mom’s stall is too exhausting—I want to get her a proper shop. Shuangshuang and I have our own things to do and can’t spare time to help her anymore."

"My brother has a proper job too, and it’s too much for my mom to handle alone. Rather than hiring strangers, it’s better to bring someone from the village—it’ll build some goodwill."

"Besides, Auntie Cuihong gets along well with my mom, and she’s hardworking and efficient. She’d be a good companion for her."

Wang Yongzheng nodded. "Alright, I’ll go tell them now."

After Wang Yongzheng left, Su An took her grandmother’s hand. "Grandma, this afternoon, you can chat with Granny Sheju (Zhang Sheju) and casually mention that we weren’t planning to take anyone from the village out—it’s chaotic outside right now. Jobs in the factories aren’t inheritable anymore, and many educated youths are unemployed, drifting around with no direction."

"But because you’re grateful for how Great-Uncle’s family has helped you and Auntie all this time, you persuaded us to take Auntie Cuihong out as a way to repay their kindness."

"Of course, we’re not just taking her out irresponsibly. We’re securing her a job and a salary—at least fifty yuan a month, with possible raises later."

"This job originally belonged to a friend of mine, but you convinced us to give it to Auntie Cuihong instead. For now, we don’t have the capacity to take anyone else out—even if they followed, there’d be no guaranteed work."

"The city isn’t like the countryside. Food, clothes, shelter—even a sip of water costs money."

Li Yulan was no fool. She immediately grasped Su An’s meaning.

The kids’ goodwill was theirs to give, but she, Zhang Shuangshuang, and the grandchildren were the ones staying in the village. By having her drop this hint, Su An was ensuring she’d earn goodwill from Zhang Sheju and her husband.

The Wang and Chen families had such a bitter feud, and with only women and children left at home, rejecting so many probing villagers might invite trouble.

But with Wang Lihua, the current village head of Jiushisan, and Wang Zhangyi’s powerful family watching over them, no one would dare stir up trouble.

On the sixth day of the new year, Liu Cuihong arrived early at Wang Yongzheng’s house, lugging a big bundle and looking nervous.

Her husband, Wang Damin—Wang Lihua’s eldest son—waited nearby with an ox-drawn cart, ready to take his wife and the Wang family to town.

As for Wang Zhangyi, Su An left him 1,600 yuan (a substantial sum at the time) to purchase materials for the construction.

In the countryside at that time, most houses were built with handmade bricks. The main expenses were labor, along with cement, sand, wood, doors, windows, and the like.

Su An had negotiated a fixed-price contract with Wang Zhangyi: a 117-square-meter main house, two stories, plus a row of utility rooms, a wall, and a stone-paved courtyard. The interior would have whitewashed walls and cement floors.

She offered a high price but had strict requirements, even providing Wang Zhangyi with a blueprint—a house modeled after a small garden villa from later years.