CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41: THAT BLUE-BRICK TILED HOUSE BELONGS TO JIANG XINGYE

Xu Qinghuan meant that she was going to the team leader’s house to handle this matter. If the sisters didn’t have this plan, they didn’t need to go with her.

At this moment, night fell.

Yu Xiaomin shook her head, "Qinghuan, we are friends. I understand that you don’t want to live in the educated youth dormitory. I support you going to find the team leader, but you can’t stop me from accompanying you."

The night is so dark, and Qinghuan is so beautiful, like a peach blossom picked from the wall in March. How could she feel at ease not accompanying her!

Qiao Xinyu was also very moved, hugged Xu Qinghuan’s shoulders, "Actually, I don’t want to live in the educated youth dormitory anymore. If you can get a place to live, I’ll definitely move out with you."

Yu Xiaomin said, "Then I’ll stay in the educated youth dormitory and be your inside person. If anything happens here, I can inform you both in time."

The three of them walked for about seven or eight minutes and arrived at the team leader’s house.

In those days, every household had no electricity and used kerosene lamps at home, which were not cheap, three and a half cents per pound. For rural areas, a good production team, with ten work points per day, could only earn five to six cents.

Poor production teams, with ten work points per day, might only be worth two to three cents.

At this moment, the sun still had afterglow, so the team leader’s house naturally didn’t light any lamps.

If you were separated by a courtyard, people generally wouldn’t knock because knocking wouldn’t be heard. Most relied on shouting.

"Is the team leader home?" Qiao Xinyu raised her voice.

"At home, come in. Oh, it’s Educated Youth Xu and Educated Youth Qiao. Is this educated youth also new?" The team leader’s wife didn’t quite recognize Yu Xiaomin.

"Aunty, my name is Yu Xiaomin." Yu Xiaomin was a bit shy, following behind Xu Qinghuan and the others, a bit timid.

"Come in quickly!"

The three entered the upper room. The team leader was sitting on the north kang, got up, offered them seats, and asked, "Not quite used to being here, are you?"

Yu Xiaomin shrank behind Xu Qinghuan, and Xu Qinghuan smiled, "It’s okay, I think it’s quite good!"

This was a life she had never experienced before. If not for travel through time, she would not have dreamed that one day she would come to this mountainous countryside and live a life of rising with the sun and resting with its setting.

The pace is as slow as drawing an ancient erhu, with a soft, distant, and lingering melody.

For Xu Qinghuan, in her previous life, she thought about retiring early and living the life she wanted in a place where no one knew her. In fact, no matter where she hid, she couldn’t feel as truly free as she does now.

At this moment, Xu Qinghuan realized that this might be a gift from heaven.

In this era where the pace is slow and letters are distant, she could truly feel she was living rather than just rushing through life.

So, "Quite good" is Xu Qinghuan’s true feeling.

However, the team leader’s couple laughed, naturally not believing these words.

Xu Qinghuan put the gifts she brought on the table. In the end, she took out another jar of malted milk essence, a pack of sugar, and a pack of cigarettes, equivalent to gifts from the three of them.

"What is this for?" The team leader’s wife truly didn’t want these things, "Child, if you have something to say, just say it. Why bring such expensive gifts?"

Only then did Xu Qinghuan say, "Team leader, we are new here, there are many places we will need your and aunty’s guidance in the future. If we don’t do well, please treat us like your children and help us improve."

The team leader nodded, "That’s what I should do. Take these things back. If you have anything to say, I will definitely handle it for you if I can."

Xu Qinghuan said, "At the educated youth dormitory, the two educated youths who came with me this time, Lu Nianying and Kong Lijuan, both have some grievances with me, and we are not suitable to live together."

The team leader frowned, but he didn’t immediately refute, instead, he nodded again.

Xu Qinghuan said, "To avoid unnecessary conflicts and trouble for the production team, I want to move out. Of course, I’m not asking the production team to build a house for me for free. I’m wondering if there’s an empty house in the team to rent. I can pay, and if not, I’m willing to pay to build one."

The team leader’s wife eyed Xu Qinghuan’s clothes intentionally, "Child, whether renting or building a house, it costs a lot."

Qiao Xinyu said nearby, "Aunty, it’s okay. If she moves, I’ll move with Educated Youth Xu. I’ll help with the rent money, or I can also help pay if it comes to building."

The team leader’s wife exchanged glances with the team leader, "That’s not very appropriate, is it?"

Xu Qinghuan smiled, "Aunty, Xinyu is just joking. I have money. Before going to the countryside, someone compensated me with a sum of money."

The team leader pondered for a moment, "The team has an empty house, made of bricks and tiles, but it’s private, not the team’s. I’ll help you ask if he’s willing to rent it to you."

Once he said that, the team leader’s wife knew which one it was, she was a bit worried, "That house is a bit far from the team and at the foot of the mountain, it might not be safe."

The team leader then said to Qiao Xinyu, "It’s that smaller brick and tile house. Educated Youth Qiao knows where it is. Do you dare to live there?"

Xu Qinghuan also knew where it was, she thought it was fine, at least there was a neighbor nearby with high combat capability, so Xu Qinghuan wasn’t afraid, "I also know where it is, I think it’s okay. There’s another row of houses in front of it."

She used her eyes to inquire of Qiao Xinyu.

"I also think it’s okay, there’s a row in front of it, just a threshing ground’s distance away, you can hear it if you shout."

The houses here are arranged in rows, although scattered, at least three to five families form a row, except for the one they wanted to rent.

The front and back are a threshing ground apart, a straight-line distance of thirty to forty meters, used for drying grains.

The team leader said, "Then I’ll help you ask later. As for rent, two yuan a month. What do you think?"

Xu Qinghuan and Qiao Xinyu exchanged a glance, both nodded, they could afford a yuan each per month.

After finishing the discussion, the three left quickly. The team leader’s wife wanted to return the gift to Xu Qinghuan, but she naturally didn’t want it. As they pulled back and forth, she suddenly clutched her stomach. The team leader’s wife was startled, and in that moment, Xu Qinghuan jumped up and ran away.

The team leader’s wife realized she had been fooled, she was both angry and amused, "This child is a clever one."

The team leader was also a bit helpless, "Keep it, just look after them more in the future!"

The team leader called out to his youngest son, "Go ask Xiao Wu if he’s willing to rent out that house. He’s not living in it, it’s always empty, and after a long time, the house will rot. Might as well rent it out, get two yuan a month."

The team leader and his wife had four sons and two daughters. The eldest daughter was already married, and the two eldest sons were also married. The third son had an engagement planned early on and wanted to marry his new bride, but they never received news from that end.

The fourth son was twenty years old this year and was also of marrying age.

The youngest was a daughter, eighteen years old.

Jiang Xingye was the fifth among the Jiang Family males.

While the conversation was happening in the upper room, the second daughter-in-law was always listening by the door. At this time, she hurriedly came out, "Dad, how can Xiao Wu’s house be rented out? Who will collect the rent? The third and fourth brothers are also about to get married. If it’s rented out, where will they live in the future?"