Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1060: Shall we get paid?

The little girl held up an apple and looked up at Wang Guifang, saying, "Mom, my baby has grandpa and grandma now."

Wang Guifang nodded and reached out to wipe the apple crumbs off the child's face.

Grandma said, "Tomorrow we'll calculate and pay back the debts we owe. Remember this money; consider it a loan, and we'll pay it back slowly, over a lifetime. At least we can make ends meet, and as long as the girl is doing well, that's all that matters. Just keep everything else in your heart. For your future..."

Wang Guifang frowned slightly: "Mom."

The old lady smacked her lips, but didn't continue, and sighed. After a while, she said, "Once you've acknowledged them as your parents, and the child calls you 'Grandpa' and 'Grandma,' then they're your parents too. Visit them more often during holidays, so people won't say we don't know proper etiquette."

……

The car drove forward against the wind and snow, and the swirling snow mist made it seem as if the car was floating, and from a distance it looked like it was gliding across the snow.

Zhang Bing, leaning against the back of the bicycle seat, discussed with Xiao Wei: "Second Brother, look, isn't that your goddaughter? I only had fifty in my pocket, and I gave it all away. Does that make you look good? How about reimbursing me a little? Half will do."

Xiao Wei's mother said, "Aren't you ashamed? You gave away the money and then went around in circles asking for it back?"

Zhang Bing sat up abruptly, looking out the window, and said, "I'm filled with doubt about my life now. You're always after my fifty yuan, and you don't even want to give it to me, but you give away huge sums of money all at once. I'm penniless every day."

Xiao Wei asked, "So where did you get that fifty from?"

Aunt Wang said, "Yesterday, when I was going out, I saw that Xiao Hui gave me the money. I think it was a few hundred yuan, right? But Xiao Bing didn't dare to take it and just took fifty yuan."

Zhang Bing said, "Is it because I'm afraid to take it? I'm just too lazy to go through the trouble. Let's save some for my brother Xiao Hui."

Xiao Wei's mom slapped Zhang Bing on the head. Xiao Wei said, "Okay, we'll see how you behave. If you do well on your final exams this time, I'll give you your allowance, and I promise my mom won't take it away, okay?"

Xiao Wei's mother glared at him. Xiao Wei said, "Mom, things are different now than before. And this is Fengtian. Which kid doesn't have a few dollars in their pocket? I promise I won't give you more. Xiao Bing, this change is for emergencies. Don't do anything reckless, understand? Don't think you can get away with this."

Zhang Bing asked, "How much? I definitely won't spend it recklessly; I'll buy only useful things."

Xiaowei's mother said, "You're saying that anything useful is just wasting money? What is it?"

Xiao Wei said, "For exams, if you get over 90 in every subject, you get 20 yuan a month—that's the basics. If you rank in the top ten in the class, you get an extra 10 yuan a month; top five get an extra 20 yuan; top three get an extra 50 yuan, okay?"

Zhang Bing frowned and thought for a moment, then asked, "How about we set the base score at eighty?"

Xiao Hong leaned against Aunt Wang and started laughing.

Zhang Bing said, "No, 90 is really high. In subjects like geometry and physics, sometimes even the highest score in the grade doesn't reach 90. You can ask at the school if you don't believe me. Sometimes the teachers there set really difficult questions."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, let's go by ranking then. The minimum is top 15 in the class, okay? Twenty yuan. Everything else remains the same."

Zhang Bing thought for a moment and asked, "So, are there bonuses for holidays? You give your workers millions in annual bonuses, but your own brother doesn't even get two hundred?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "I give bonuses to the workers because they help me make money. What contribution have you made?"

Zhang Bing said, "You're busy outside all day long, and I'm at home taking care of my parents. Does that count as a contribution? Look, I've been in the county town for two days, and I've spent time with my mom and Aunt Wang, haven't I? Did you even spend time with them?"

Xiao Hong nodded: "That makes sense."

Wang Jiwei, who was driving, said, "Zhang Bing's mouth is amazing. He's bound to be successful in the future. He can respond to anything and keep up with everything."

Xiao Wei's mother said, "My three sons, each with their own temper. The eldest is generous, the second is cunning, and this youngest is slippery and good at talking nonsense." She rubbed Zhang Bing's head.

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "How about you work from home from now on, Xiao Bing? I'll pay you a salary, okay?"

Zhang Bing became interested: "How do we send it?"

Xiaowei said, "Not interfering with your studies is the premise. You'll get paid if you help with chores around the house, okay? Sweeping, tidying up, washing dishes, running errands for Mom and Dad, feeding the dog and chickens, etc., are you willing to do them? You can't make Mom and Dad angry, or you'll lose a week's pay for each time you do."

Zhang Bing extended his right hand and clenched his fist: "What are these? I'm not doing it."

Xiao Hong asked, "Why don't you do it? Isn't it good to make money?"

Zhang Bing said, "I'm still a child, I need to study, and I can't let anything else affect my studies."

Xiao Wei's mother said, "Are you afraid of making me angry and having all your work docked for nothing?"

Zhang Bing said helplessly, "It's mainly because of your temper, old man. It's unpredictable and impossible to guard against."

The car turned a corner and entered the village.

In winter, the river and fields blend into one, indistinguishable from each other, a vast expanse of white. The houses look like lumps of steamed buns, covered by heavy snow, with wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys of every household.

The forest on the mountain has lost its branches and leaves, and the tree trunks stand straight on the hillside.

Xiaowei's mother looked outside and said, "Nothing has changed, it's still the same."

Aunt Wang said, "Even if you come back in ten years, it will still be the same. How can things change? It'll just be the same few families and the same few plots of land."

Wang Jiwei asked, "Which way do we get there?"

Xiao Wei pointed ahead and said, "Hey, do you see that house with the cowshed by the gate?"

Xiao Wei's mother looked over and said, "The Lai Zi's family? Aren't you going to your fourth uncle's first?"

Xiao Wei said, "Let's go rescue Lai Zi first. You and my aunt can teach Lai Zi's parents a lesson. What kind of mess is this?"

As Wang Jiwei drove, he said, "Your village isn't very big."

Xiao Wei said, "There are only a few dozen households in total, how big can it be?"

Xiaowei's mother said, "Originally, this was just Xiaowei's family. The others were tenant farmers and such. Later, more and more families came. In 58, when the commune and production brigade were established, many people with different surnames came."

Xiao Hong looked at Xiao Wei and said, "So your family is rich!"

Xiaowei's mother said, "Of course, this whole mountain and land belonged to his family. Later, during the land reform, it was divided up. I even saw the land deeds back then. Back then, they were unreasonable."

Back in the day, Lai Zi's grandfather and uncles were just going to the county to sell some eggs and vegetable scraps. What happened? They didn't steal or rob anyone, and yet they were all gone.

Xiao Hong asked, "So, is my family a later resident or a tenant farmer?"

Aunt Wang said, "We're from out of town. I was already quite grown up when we came."

Xiao Hong asked, "Where did our family originally come from?"

Aunt Wang said, "Back in the city, on the outskirts of the city, there was a blanket ban, and all the unemployed laborers came down to farm. Your grandfather's family and your grandmother's family all came."

You had no choice but to come; your household registration was transferred directly here. If you didn't come, you wouldn't have anything to eat. Later, your father joined the army, and our family finally made it out of poverty.

(End of this chapter)