latelenovela Chapter 123 Payday
Chapter 123 Payday
The mountain peaks are layered and varied in height, like a huge ink painting slowly unfolding between heaven and earth.
Li Liangping rolled up his trousers, carried a hoe, and returned from the fields.
"Ryohei, are you done with the work?"
"Ah."
Li Liangping was honest and kind-hearted. He greeted people along the way as he walked towards the dilapidated house at the entrance of the village.
The villagers smiled broadly, but as soon as Li Liangping left, they started whispering among themselves.
"Why haven't I seen his wife for so long?"
"She said her family owned a shop in the city, and she went there to help out."
"Hiss, help? Could it be that they see Li Liangping's family is too poor and are preventing their daughter from coming back?"
"Isn't it?"
"Li Liangping is really stupid! He went to his father-in-law's house last month, and when he came back, he went crazy, picking up leaves and digging up mud everywhere, saying it was for composting?"
The woman went home, and I don't even know to go and keep watch over her...
I heard his father-in-law only has one daughter? If she doesn't come back, he'll have nowhere to turn to cry.
Li Liangping was well aware that the villagers were waiting to see him make a fool of himself, but he was confident that his Qiu'er was not that kind of person!
His family is poor, but it's not like they just became poor today.
"Liangping, don't listen to what the villagers are saying!"
We all know Qiu'er's personality; she has a sharp tongue but a kind heart.
Even though our family was so poor back then, she never complained.
She went to work in the city to earn money for her children's schooling, hoping they would have a bright future.
If it weren't for my father-in-law's good fortune, how could we have had such a good opportunity?
"Others want to go but can't, so we have to stay home and take good care of the three kids. We can't hold Qiu'er back, understand?" Mother Li said earnestly.
Since the rumors in the village started to spread, Li's mother would take every opportunity to talk to her son about it, fearing that he might change his mind and cause trouble for his wife.
Li Liangping smiled sheepishly and nodded vigorously: "Mom, I know!"
Qiu'er told me that once she earns money, her three children can go to school in the city and receive a better education.
Who knows, they might become as successful as their cousins Pear and Peach in the future.
"Qiu'er can earn money, so I'll take good care of the household and not cause her any trouble."
Li's mother smiled with relief: "That's more like it! The weather is getting colder and colder. I wonder if Qiu'er brought any warm clothes..."
Thinking it over, Li's mother took out her sewing basket and hurried to finish her work.
Inside the basket was a brand-new, thick coat, but judging from its pattern, it couldn't possibly be something Li's mother, who was her age, would wear.
It is said that a son-in-law is like half a son, and the same goes for a daughter-in-law.
Li's mother had given birth to many children in her life, but only Li Liangping survived.
Her family has no able-bodied workers and is poor.
Ke Hua and Qiu and Hua Yuansheng didn't mind, and even always gave their families money.
Therefore, she was very grateful.
Suddenly, a figure blocked the light in front of Li's mother's eyes, followed by Hua and Qiu's loud voices.
"Mom, I'm back! Li Liangping, come help me with my things, I'm exhausted."
Li's mother was overjoyed, but then startled.
She quickly put down her needlework, went to the cupboard in the room, took out a brand new cup, and poured water into it: "Qiu'er, why are you back at this time?"
Li Liangping threw the hoe in his hand to the ground and ran over.
Hua and Qiu shoved the things into their husband's arms and took the cup from their mother-in-law's hand: "We're on holiday! Oh, a new cup?"
Li's mother smiled and said, "Liangping happened to run into a vendor in the county and bought some things."
She couldn't bear to use the brand-new cup, so she put it in the cupboard, waiting for her daughter-in-law to come back so she could use it.
Hua and Qiu nodded: "We need to buy cups. The bowls at home are chipped, making it inconvenient to drink water."
Li's mother looked Hua and Qiu up and down, and after confirming that they seemed to be in good health, she nodded with a smile: "Yes!"
Hua and Qiu gulped down a large glass of water, casually wiped their mouths with the back of their hands, and turned to close the door.
Seeing her daughter-in-law about to unpack the package, Li's mother hurried to the kitchen: "Are you hungry? I'll cook you two poached eggs to tide you over."
"Mom, don't go yet. I've eaten and I'm not hungry."
Hua and Qiu grabbed Li's mother's arm: "Lizi bought a lot of things, come and take a look."
Li's mother was surprised: "You bought the pears?"
"Yes, she said we've been working hard for a month without rest, and she insisted that we take a day off to go home and visit our families."
"Hey, these are all what she prepared yesterday and sent to us this morning. She said... she said they're employee benefits."
Li's mother carefully observed her daughter-in-law's expression. Seeing that she genuinely wanted her to see it together, she stopped avoiding it.
Upon closer inspection, there was a bag of brown sugar, a bag of white sugar, three schoolbags, paper, pens, and notebooks...
"so much?"
I also think it's too much!
But Pear said that these things were all leftover inventory from the store.
Look, for example, this backpack. The picture on it is outdated, and not many people buy it.
Pear told me to bring it back to her three younger cousins, and said not to mind it…
Li's mother said, "How could we complain about such a nice schoolbag? If Xiang Wen, Xiang Wu, and Xiang Xue saw it, they would be overjoyed!"
"Right? That's what I said too! Such a good thing, anyone who complains about it is a dog!"
"And these notebooks and pens, Pear asked me to give them to her cousin..."
Li's mother was a little worried and tentatively asked, "Is business good at the shop?"
"Okay!"
"That……"
Hua and Qiu laughed, "Hey! Mother, you don't know, people in the city love fashion, and they change things so quickly..."
Li's mother couldn't understand much, but she knew the shop was doing well.
He immediately felt relieved.
Hua and Qiu continued taking things out: "This is what my dad bought for his three grandsons, it's called Jumping Frog... This piece of meat, I bought it..."
Looking up, Hua and Qiu met Li Liangping's smiling eyes, and their faces flushed red instantly: "What...what are you doing!"
Li Liangping looked at his wife without blinking and chuckled: "Wife, carrying so many things must be heavy, right?"
"Thank you for your hard work. Next time, just call the village chief's house and I'll come and carry it!"
Hua and Qiu smirked and hummed, "It's enough that you know I've worked hard! Don't you think making phone calls costs money?"
"I'm just worried about you..."
"Feeling sorry for me? Then you can eat all your meat tonight!"
"OK, no problem!"
Li's mother was overjoyed to see that her son and daughter-in-law had a good relationship.
Hua and Qiu pulled out the last package: "These are milk candies that Lizi bought. She said that seven candies are equivalent to a cup of milk. She thinks everyone is too thin, so she made us soak them in water to drink."
Li's mother touched the things piled on the table: "Li Zi has spent money again..."
She needed to think about what pears they had at home that they could use, so that when Qiu'er went to the city, she could have Liangping take them with her.
Relationships between relatives should be reciprocal; if all you do is take, you become a bloodsucker.
"Hey, who says otherwise! But I did my job well, and those who didn't know, didn't say anything..."
Hua and Qiu slapped their foreheads as they spoke: "Look at me! Mom, I got paid!"
Li's mother was all smiles, not even asking how much she had received, just repeatedly saying "good."
Hua and Qiu rummaged through their pockets, pulled out plastic bags, and opened them one by one.
“Last time Pear bought a shop, she didn’t have enough money, so she borrowed 500 yuan, which she has now paid back.”
Li's mother said, "You paid it back so quickly? We're not in a hurry to use the money, why pay it back so soon?"
Hua and Qiu: "I also said I wasn't in a hurry to pay it back, but Li Zi doesn't like owing people money. She said she always thinks about it and can't sleep at night. The shop's business is doing well, so once she makes money, she simply pays it back."
Li's mother was relieved: "As long as it doesn't interfere with the shop's business, that's fine."
Hua and Qiu sneakily approached their mother-in-law: "Mom, guess how much I earned this month?"
Li's mother waved her hand: "I won't guess! Keep your money for yourself."
Hua and Qiu refused: "There are only a few people in our family. What's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine."
Hehe, even though I won't give you the money, you should still keep that in mind.
Li's mother was amused: "Okay, let me guess? 100?"
"wrong!"
After observing her daughter-in-law's expression, Li's mother tentatively asked, "150?"
This is too much!
"wrong!"
Seeing that Li's mother dared not guess further, Hua and Qiu directly revealed the answer: "400!"
"How much?" Li Liangping exclaimed in surprise.
Li's mother slapped him hard on the back and scolded, "Keep your voice down."
Turning to her daughter-in-law, she said, "Qiu'er, how come there's so much? We can't take this much money. Lizi and Taozi still need to go to school... Listen to your mother, give the money back..."
Could it be that the daughter-in-law emptied her in-laws' pockets and took it all home?
Hua and Qiu clutched the money, saying, "I won't pay it back! Li Zi said this is what I earned through a month of hard work!"
Li's mother was anxious.
Li Liangping probed, "How much did Sister Jasmine receive?"
Hua and Qiu smiled proudly: "She doesn't have as many as me, 380."
Li's mother gasped. "Isn't it a loss for Li to pay people wages like this?"
Hua and Qiu said, "Not everyone gets this much salary; the other two new employees only get 75."
Pear said, "The more you work, the more you earn. The more we do, the more we get paid."
After the New Year, when we have a little more money, we'll rent a place in the city and transfer our three children to schools there..."
Hearing this, Li's mother felt relieved and instructed, "Although they are relatives, we must know how to be grateful."
Since I'm getting paid this much, I have to be proactive and make sure no one loses money..."
No, when my daughter-in-law goes to the city tonight, I'll make sure she takes some things back for Lizi.
God bless, may the pear shop continue to operate for a long, long time!
Li's mother wasn't the only one praying that the pear shop would stay open for a long time; Hua Yuanqing's family did too.
Looking at the 380 yuan in his daughter-in-law's hand, Hua Yuanqing silently put his hands behind his back and went to his parents' graves again.
That wasn't the end of it. That very evening, after school, Hua Lichu and Hua Yuansheng rode an oxcart back to Huajia Village and paid off all their debts.
Hua Yuansheng has pocket money and is generous in his dealings.
Not only did he buy his older brother a pack of cigarettes and the children in the family toys, but he also brought them a large pork hock.
Hua Yuanqing refused to accept it, but Hua Yuansheng said with a mix of boasting and pride, "Keep it! Pear and Peach insisted on giving me pocket money."
As he spoke, he spread his fingers and made a "5".
Hua Yuanqing was surprised: "How much? Five yuan?"
There are quite a lot!
Hua Yuansheng smiled and said, "What? 5 yuan? 50!"
"50? You're giving me 50 a month? To spend?" Hua Yuanqing's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Hua Yuansheng nodded proudly: "That's right! You mean those two kids too? I eat at home, use things at home, and they buy my clothes. How could I possibly spend so much money?"
But they insisted on giving it to me, saying I could spend it however I wanted…
It has to be said that Hua Yuanqing was jealous.
My brother is only 52, and he's already starting to receive a pension!
He said irritably, "Don't act innocent after getting a good deal! The pears and peaches are a sign of filial piety!"
Hua Yuanqing's face twisted as he watched his two grandsons running around in the yard, doing nothing but silly play.
Hua Yuansheng chuckled: "My pears and peaches are indeed filial!"
Not only are you filial to me, but you're filial to me too! Are those clothes Pear bought for you last time? Do they fit?
Hua Yuanqing patted his clothes and said happily, "Comfortable!"
Yes, having pears and peaches is a blessing for their family!
"Can we talk about this with others?"
"What's not allowed?"
Because they had to go to school and open their shop the next day, after eating, Hua Yuansheng drove the oxcart, carrying the Hua Lichu sisters and Yan Moli back to the city.
Hua Yuanqing stood under the big tree at the village entrance, silently watching their departing figures.
He only walked back into the village with his hands behind his back when he could no longer see anyone.
The villagers, seeing this, couldn't help but inquire.
"Asheng went back to the city again? He's only been back for a short while!"
"Yes, Pear and Peach have to go to school tomorrow, and the shop is busy, so they have to rush back!"
The villagers muttered, "This is really tiring! Running up and down all day without a break. If you ask me, our village is much better..."
Hua Yuanqing flicked the cloth off his clothes.
The villager rolled his eyes: "We know! The Peach and Pear sisters bought it for us."
Ever since the weather turned cool, Hua Yuanqing and his wife have been strolling around in their new clothes, praising the Taozi sisters for being filial and buying them new clothes.
After the two of them boasted about it so much, not only people, but even the mosquitoes in the village probably knew that the clothes that Hua Yuanqing and his wife were wearing were bought for them by the Tao sisters.
Hua Yuanqing chuckled, "My Taozi and Lizi are so filial! They not only buy us clothes, but also give Asheng pocket money. Asheng refused to accept it, but the two sisters insisted on giving it to him..."
At 65 years old, she still has to work in the fields every day to raise her grandson, yet she was met with disbelief from a villager who was being called a freeloader by her son and daughter-in-law. The villager stared wide-eyed and asked, "Pocket money?"
What language is this? Why can't he understand it?
Hua Yuanqing pulled out 10 yuan from his pocket: "Hehe, I have some too!"
Before the villagers could react, Hua Yuanqing hummed a song and went home with his hands behind his back.
Within a day, everyone in the village knew that Hua Yuansheng and Hua Yuanqing were no longer like them; they now had pocket money.
The villagers were green with envy, but there was nothing they could do.
When I got home, I realized that Pear and Peach wouldn't be my granddaughters anymore, but there were still girls in the family who weren't in school yet.
Send them all to school!
When the school reopened the following year, the proportion of girls among the newly enrolled students increased significantly.
The Hua Lichu sisters single-handedly raised the social status of all the girls in the village.
Hua Lichu was completely unaware of this.
On this "harvest" day, good things come in pairs: Zhang Xinran, who had disappeared for nearly half a month, suddenly reappeared.