As if suddenly remembering something, Wang Jianguo shut his mouth.
Indeed, in a few days, a family would be sent down to their Wang Family Village.
His eldest son, who was in the military, had even called him specifically, urging him to discreetly look after them.
Wang Family Village was famously the poorest village in Yong'an Town.
Wang Jianguo had been racking his brain these past couple of days over where to house the newcomers.
Now that Shen Nanchu was renting the place for that very family, Wang Jianguo decided not to press the matter further.
"Alright."
"The rent for this house is two yuan a month."
That would be twenty-four yuan a year.
Twenty-four yuan was nothing compared to Shen Nanchu's savings.
Without hesitation, Shen Nanchu pulled out twenty-four ten-yuan bills.
"Here’s a hundred and twenty yuan—I’ll rent it for ten years in advance."
Strike while the iron was hot.
No matter how long the Pei Family stayed in Wang Family Village, Shen Nanchu wanted to secure the house’s usage rights outright.
She didn’t want to put effort into fixing up the place only to have someone else covet it later.
Human nature was something no one could predict.
Seeing so many ten-yuan bills, Wang Jianguo was momentarily stunned.
Truth be told, even as the village head, his pockets were emptier than his face.
He couldn’t have pulled out that much money even if he tried.
Poverty was to blame.
Sigh!
With this sum, they finally had enough for the summer fertilizer.
"Comrade Shen, do you need help repairing the house?"
Wang Jianguo was a thorough man.
"Spring planting’s just wrapped up, and there’s not much work in the village right now. If you need, I can arrange for some villagers to lend a hand."
The question struck a chord with Shen Nanchu.
"Really?"
"I was just wondering how to find help!"
This Wang Jianguo seemed like a decent village head.
Shen Nanchu decided to test him further, furrowing her brows again.
"Village Head, I think there’s one more thing I might need your help with."
"I know nothing about house repairs, so I’d like to trouble you to oversee the work."
Wang Jianguo had thought it was something major, but this was a small favor.
"Sure, no problem."
Shen Nanchu lowered her voice.
"Village Head, there’s just one issue—I can’t cook."
In these times, hiring villagers didn’t involve wages—it was all about providing meals and mutual aid. You help me today, I help you tomorrow.
Shen Nanchu had presented Wang Jianguo with a dilemma.
Given that she’d just solved the village’s fertilizer problem, Wang Jianguo gritted his teeth.
"If it comes to it, my wife can help with the cooking."
"That doesn’t seem right," Shen Nanchu said, her eyes brimming with amusement. "Aunt Lan is already busy enough. Cooking for so many people would exhaust her."
Wang Jianguo didn’t want his wife overworked either, but he couldn’t think of a better solution.
Seeing her chance, Shen Nanchu lowered her voice again.
"Village Head, I have an idea—wonder if it’ll work?"
"What is it?" Wang Jianguo was out of ideas himself.
"I was thinking of giving each villager thirty cents a day as thanks. As for meals, they can handle those at home."
Shen Nanchu watched Wang Jianguo’s reaction carefully.
Without hesitation, Wang Jianguo nodded.
"Fine. I’ll make sure the villagers work quickly for you."
Earning extra money was good for them.
As for whether it broke any rules—if Wang Jianguo didn’t talk, Shen Nanchu didn’t talk, and the villagers didn’t talk, who’d know?
This was exactly the straightforward response Shen Nanchu had hoped for.
This village head knew how to bend the rules when needed. He was reliable.
Wang Xiumei had witnessed two unbelievable transactions today.
Everything she’d seen and heard had completely upended her worldview.
She’d never imagined things could be handled this way.
Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.
"Little Shen, do you need someone to make furniture for you?"
"If you do, well… what do you think of my dad?"
This was her first time volunteering someone, and the bashful Wang Xiumei flushed bright red.
"Sister Wang, really?"
Shen Nanchu had been worrying about finding a carpenter!
"Mm, I just need to talk to my dad."
Wang Xiumei was confident she could persuade her father.
Earning extra money was always good.
Wang Jianguo thought the same.
"The village has some lumber set aside for new school desks and chairs. But with so few kids attending, we don’t need them yet."
"Comrade Shen, if you want it, I can let you have it. Just name a fair price."
Shen Nanchu loved this kind of one-stop service.
"No problem."
Wang Jianguo: "My brother-in-law works at a tile factory. He can get slightly flawed tiles. Comrade Shen, I’ll arrange it for you."
Wang Xiumei: "I’m good at sewing. I can make the bedsheets and curtains for you."
Wang Jianguo: "We have a bicycle at home. If you need to go to the county supply and marketing coop, just borrow it."
Wang Xiumei: "I’m strong—I’ll take you there."
……
Shen Nanchu mused that having money really made the world go round.
With the housing sorted, the next issue was work assignments.
Work was unavoidable.
But how she went about it? That was the real question.
After all, Shen Nanchu wasn’t joining the labor force to earn work points—she was there to make trouble.
……
At the village’s central threshing ground,
everyone gathered before starting the day’s work.
Jiang Shuyi, Song Qingyang, and the others trailed behind the older educated youths, dark circles under their eyes.
None of them had brought mosquito nets or any other anti-mosquito measures.
They’d nearly been carried off by the bloodsuckers.
Their necks, arms, and legs were covered in red bites.
Jiang Shuyi scratched her arm while brainstorming solutions.
In her past life in the northwest, mosquitoes were rare, so she’d overlooked this when coming to Wang Family Village.
How could she face Pei Zhengnian covered in these welts?
Li Mei was itching just as badly.
She had it worse than Jiang Shuyi—mosquito bites dotted not just her limbs but her face too.
Still, the thought of Shen Nanchu suffering the same fate gave her vicious satisfaction.
Let’s see how that little vixen seduces anyone with a face full of bumps.
"Did you hear? A new educated youth arrived yesterday—stunningly beautiful."
"I heard she’s prettier than those magazine models."
"No, more like a movie star!"
"Wang Tiezhu, have you even seen a movie?"
"Hahaha…"
The villagers chattered away.
Li Mei didn’t need to guess—they were obviously talking about Shen Nanchu.
Hmph!
Just wait till you see her puffy face!
Just as Li Mei was lost in her gloating, the crowd erupted.
From their elevated position, Jiang Shuyi, Li Mei, and Song Qingyang’s group immediately spotted the center of attention—Shen Nanchu.
Today, Shen Nanchu wore a red cotton peter pan collar blouse that made her snow-white skin glow. Her hair was pulled up in a neat bun, showcasing her delicate features in full.
For the first time ever, Wang Family Village fell into awed silence during assembly, everyone quietly admiring Shen Nanchu’s beauty.
Good gracious!
They’d lived their whole lives without seeing such a gorgeous woman!
