Back to 1979: Sending the Educated Youth’s Wife Back to the City

Chapter 107: Uncle Night Watch
After everyone walked around, Liu Qingfeng came back with a bucket of water. He said there was a river nearby, quite close. So everyone went to work separately.

Lin Yan scooped some water into the pot and boiled it.

So many people were working in the hot weather. They were sweating profusely, so tea must be supplied. She took out the coarse tea stalks from the stall, mainly to quench thirst. The tea bowls were also ready.

Geng Shan went to borrow a ladder from a nearby family, and would be in charge of picking up tiles. He had learned to be a bricklayer when he went to the countryside. Not only could he pick up tiles, but he could also repair the stove. Fang Mingche had chosen him for this reason. He didn't have to hire someone else.

Lin Yan told him that if the other party refused to lend the money because he was a stranger, he could say that he rented the empty yard and took it over to use for a while and return it after he was done. In addition, if the other party had eggs or vegetables at home, he could buy some back.

It is impossible to carry something as heavy as a ladder by yourself.

Farmers are too lazy to walk too far to sell these things at the market, so if someone comes to their home to buy them, it can be considered as a favor.

Geng Shan nodded and took the one yuan from Lin Yan, "Okay, I understand."

Zhu Dahai and Liu Qingfeng, two regular workers, led the other four people to weed. The land was indeed too dry, so more water was needed. Pulling it out by force was too laborious and would slow down efficiency.

For such a large area, one bucket of water is obviously not enough. However, we should remove the weeds one by one. Try to remove the roots, otherwise it will grow again soon.

Six strong men worked together and it was quick. They paid two dollars a day, which was quite generous.

Lin Yan will be in charge of logistics today, and Fang Mingche will definitely not want her to do physical work.

At the same time, she is actually a supervisor. When the work is over in the evening, she is also responsible for paying the workers. Seven workers, 14 yuan a day. Judging from the situation, it is estimated that they cannot finish the work in one day. They have to come again tomorrow!

After the water boiled, she took Yanyan inside again. This time she held a notebook and a pen in her hands. She had to write down how many old furniture she needed to buy. This yard was completely empty, so she had to fill up at least one entrance first.

You also need to buy a scale. Nowadays, not many people have scales. Even if someone has one, it is not easy to borrow it every day. A platform scale and a beam scale are necessary.

If people are needed to ride tricycles on the streets to collect waste in the future, one more tricycle will be needed.

In addition, someone needs to be on duty here at night. Even if it is scrap copper, waste paper, or broken glass, they all have to be bought with money. If someone steals it, they can sell it for money. Each time they ship out goods, they have to wait until they have accumulated a certain amount, and then they have to put it here.

Mingche said to invite people from the village. All of them are outsiders in this village, and they have to create some employment opportunities for the village. That way, people will be very exclusive. Only by having reliable people from the village to watch over the night can we ensure that things will not be lost.

While everyone was working, someone from the village came over.

Zhu Dahai recognized him, having seen him yesterday. Xiao Fang signed the contract with this old man.

So he called out, "Secretary Qu, our teacher Lin has gone inside. If you have anything to say, wait for her to come out and talk to her."

Xiao Fang greeted them and told them not to call her the boss lady.

"Okay, do your thing."

The other party was smoking a pipe. Seeing these people hoeing the land in an orderly manner, they were indeed sent to the countryside as educated youth.

Lin Yan estimated that the water in the pot was about to boil, so she took Yan Yan out. Seeing an old man wandering around the first entrance, she looked at Zhu Dahai.

Zhu Dahai stopped what he was doing, "Secretary Qu, this is Teacher Lin. She is a college student!"

When Lin Yan heard this, she was shocked and wondered, "I haven't even received the admission letter yet, and you've already classified me as a college student?"

She smiled and said, "Hello, Secretary Qu. We are all educated youth who have returned to the city. We rent this place to open a scrap yard." Secretary Qu nodded, "Yes, I know. Xiao Fang who came yesterday said that we are opening a scrap yard. This is yours."

"He is my love."

Secretary Qu nodded and said, "I have found the night watchman you are looking for. I will ask him to come over soon."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

Secretary Qu waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. You rent this place and it will generate income for the village. You can also hire villagers to guard the night and pay them a salary."

Lin Yan poured the water from the kettle into the teapot, turned over a bowl covered with a white towel and poured tea for Secretary Qu.

"Secretary Qu, drink some water. I'll leave it here for you."

"Okay, thank you." Secretary Qu nodded.

This was originally an ancestral hall. Later, the village used it as a warehouse for a while. Later, it caught fire, and now there are traces of fire on the wall in the backyard. After the fire, it gradually became abandoned. It needs to be cleaned up before it can be used.

However, the young man surnamed Fang said that he rented the machine just to collect waste and didn't need to do any cleaning.

After a while, the night watchman who was looking for him came. He was in his forties, with a square face, tall and looked a bit serious.

"Well, your wife said it's best to find a veteran, but the most important thing is character. Although Lao Xia is not a veteran, I can guarantee his character. He will stay here tonight, so you can rest assured."

Before Lin Yan left, Fang Mingche said that he would accept anyone introduced by the branch secretary as long as they were not outrageous.

She brought over the dried tea and said, "Uncle Xia, the store will open on the 8th. We will only need to keep watch on the 8th. You will live in the warehouse then. I will buy a bed for you later, and you can just bring your own bed covers and quilts."

Uncle Xia nodded, and then said, "Can I come a few days earlier? Just start paying your salary from the 8th."

This job is good for him. He can just come here to sleep at night, which basically does not affect his work during the day.

However, the branch secretary called him here mainly because of his family's special circumstances.

Uncle Xia's wife and son went on a boat trip last month. The boat capsized and everyone on the boat was washed away, leaving only him and his young daughter-in-law at home.

The old man and his daughter-in-law living under the same roof will definitely cause gossips in the long run. But the daughter-in-law can't go back to her parents' home either. She doesn't have a parents' home, she was picked up by Aunt Xia when she was fleeing from famine. Remarriage is not something that can be done just like that.

So for more than half a month, Uncle Xia has been sleeping at his cousin's house. But living in someone else's house, even if it's a cousin's house, is not good for a long time.

Lin Yan had heard the secretary talk about this situation before the people arrived. She nodded and said, "No problem. But the beds will be ready in two days before we buy them all."

"I can overcome this myself." It's so hot, just sleep on the floor.

He had thought about this house before. But it was collective property, so he couldn't live there for free. Other villagers would have objections. There was a third courtyard, so who wouldn't want to live there? So when the secretary heard about the night watch job, he immediately thought of him.

"The salary is what the Party Secretary said, 18 yuan a month. But if something is lost, you have to compensate according to the proportion."

Otherwise, if the villagers collude, they, the outsiders, will have no way to deal with it. Mingche said that veterans should be given priority because they have received military education and are better in every way.

(End of this chapter)