"Old sister, we still have quite a bit of unused funds from the approved loan. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Yang Yufen and Aunt Wang sat together on a tree stump, eating their meal.
"What is it?"
Aunt Wang turned to look at Yang Yufen.
"I want to build dormitories. Managing our orchard will require quite a few hands in the future. Instead of hiring new people, the ones we have now are already hardworking and reliable. Director Zhou mentioned before that this area could be used for construction."
"I was just about to bring this up too, but I was afraid you might think the investment is too big. These men are retired soldiers—even with their disabilities, they still have that unyielding spirit. Honestly, having them tend to our orchard is almost a waste of their abilities. If not for the injuries they got from the war, they could excel anywhere."
Aunt Wang wholeheartedly agreed. These men might seem ordinary now, but if anything were to happen, their connections were solid. They just didn’t want to burden the country.
"The loan we received is more than enough—enough to build dormitories, a chicken coop too. The eggs can sustain us, and within six months, we can start selling them. The chicken manure can fertilize the fruit trees—it’s a win-win."
As Aunt Wang spoke, Yang Yufen’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Yes, yes! With people living here, raising chickens would be perfect. They can keep an eye on things, and we’ll have water too. We could even dig a fish pond—store water for irrigation during droughts and raise fish the rest of the time."
"This land is vast. We could plant some vegetables too—more than we could ever eat."
The two elderly women pointed at the land at the foot of the mountain, meticulously planning.
"Say, with more people, do you think we could apply for additional land leases?"
Yang Yufen suddenly voiced the idea, and Aunt Wang looked at her in pleasant surprise.
"It’s such a shame you never got to study, Yufen. Do you realize how forward-thinking you’ve become? You’re considering things with such foresight now. I think it’s feasible. Once the chicken farm is built, we can order chicks from the agricultural academy. I heard they’ve been developing a fast-growing breed of white-feathered chickens."
"Did my godson mention that? I haven’t been to the agricultural academy lately, so I haven’t had a chance to talk to the kids there. I had no idea."
The two women’s conversation quickly shifted from construction to selecting chicken breeds.
"These white-feathered chickens grow fast—they’re meat birds, meant for consumption. They’ll help diversify people’s dinner tables. We could build two chicken coops—one for egg-laying hens and another for meat chickens. With so many hands, labor won’t be an issue."
"Sounds good. I just wonder if we can get the heating system extended here too. That way, the dormitories and the chicken coops would stay warm through winter. We wouldn’t have to wait till next year."
Yang Yufen brought up the issue of winter.
"We should be able to apply for it. We’re not far from the agricultural academy. The question is how much it’ll cost. Let’s go talk to Director Zhao right away—he’ll definitely help us figure it out. We need to get the dormitories built first, or else when winter comes, these men will have to leave for two months, and who knows what’ll happen then."
Yang Yufen nodded in agreement. Over the past few days, they’d both noticed more than one person asking if they could stay in wooden sheds to guard the mountain during winter.
But how could a wooden shed withstand winter? For men like them, the cold would only worsen their joint and bone pains.
The two elderly women hopped onto their tricycle, kicking up dust as they sped toward the agricultural academy’s office building.
"What brings you two here? Is something wrong? Do you need help with anything?"
Deputy Director Zhao was organizing documents, preparing to submit them.
"We’re here to apply for building employee dormitories. We need to know how to get the paperwork done."
Aunt Wang took the lead in explaining.
"What? Employee dormitories? Aunties, you’ve just cleared the big trees from that mountainous land—you haven’t even started planting fruit trees yet. Now you want to build dormitories?"
Even their agricultural academy still had young professors crammed into student dormitories.
"An orchard isn’t something you plant for just a day or two. With enough hands now, once the dormitories are built, the workers can settle in and focus on their tasks without worry. So of course we have to build them!"
After discussing it thoroughly, Yang Yufen and Aunt Wang spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Well, that’s true in principle, but… this will cost a lot of money. Are you two sure?"
The two women answered without hesitation, "Absolutely. So, can you help us with the paperwork or not?"
"Of course, of course. I can handle the paperwork, but you’ll still need to find people to do the actual construction."
Deputy Director Zhao also thought this was a good idea. Once built, the dormitories wouldn’t go anywhere—if the lease wasn’t renewed, they’d still belong to the agricultural academy.
"I know who to ask for that."
Yang Yufen immediately thought of the fellow villagers from her hometown who’d come to the capital for construction work.
"Good. With that settled, let’s get the paperwork done first, then we’ll order bricks from the factory."
Aunt Wang made the decision with a clap. The two women were in complete agreement, and Deputy Director Zhao went to retrieve the application forms.
With their usual energy, Yang Yufen borrowed the academy’s office phone to call her son, Shen Xianjun, hoping to ask about the situation. Unexpectedly, Hu Jun happened to be there.
"Auntie, it’s Hu Jun. What did you need Xianjun for? I can pass along the message."
"Nothing major, just something urgent. I need to find people to build houses. Some folks from the countryside came to the capital for construction work, and Xianjun helped them find jobs. I wanted to ask him about it."
Yang Yufen didn’t hide anything from Hu Jun.
"Build houses? Auntie, where are you planning to build?"
"Dormitories for the orchard workers, and a chicken coop too. We’ll need quite a few hands."
"Auntie, here’s the thing—Xianjun’s been assigned a task and can’t get away right now. Let me come by tonight and discuss it with you in detail. So, you’re planning to turn all these temporary workers into permanent employees?"
Hu Jun pressed for clarification.
"Is that Hu Jun?"
Aunt Wang, hearing the voice, asked Yang Yufen.
"Yes. You talk to him—you can explain it better."
Yang Yufen handed the phone to Aunt Wang.
"The orchard needs steady hands. The people you helped find are all hard workers, so we want to build dormitories to keep them here. It’ll save them the trouble of job-hunting elsewhere—just a place to shelter from wind and rain, so they don’t have to keep moving around."
After confirming that the two women had already filled out the application, Hu Jun hung up and dialed another number.
"Hu Jun said he’ll come talk to us tonight. Should we head back early?"
Aunt Wang sought Yang Yufen’s opinion.
"Sure."
"Dad."
Hu Jun called Dean Hu’s office.
"You’re calling me at this hour?"
"You’re probably the only one in the office right now. I remember when the research institute’s residential quarters were built, they needed blueprints, right? You can’t build a three-story building without proper plans?"
"Yes. What’s this about?"
