Volume 1, Chapter 8: A Second Confrontation with Liu Guihua

After the others had left, Aunt Chunxing emerged from the house. She had heard Yu Nian'an’s return earlier but had been unable to step away from the stove where a fire was roaring.

Gazing at the money in her husband’s hands, she frowned. "Didn't you give all this money to Nian'an? Why did you bring it back?"

Yu Jianping quickly explained, "The girl wants to dig a well in her courtyard, and this money is for that purpose."

Aunt Chunxing was even more perplexed. They were all rural folks; the production team already had a well, and one could simply carry water home. Why waste money on such a thing? She was about to go find Yu Nian'an to talk her out of it when her husband stopped her.

"Enough. I’ve already tried to persuade her, but that girl has a mind of her own. Don’t go lecturing her; it’s not our money she’s spending anyway."

"Hey, old man, I’m just now realizing you’ve got a cold heart! That girl has no parents; that doesn't mean we should let her be taken advantage of!"

With that, Aunt Chunxing swung a hand at Yu Jianping, causing him to scramble away in a hurry. The couple argued in the yard over the money, while the instigator remained blissfully unaware.

Yu Nian'an was busy calculating her remaining funds. After renovations for the small courtyard, she still needed to set aside a portion to purchase household necessities. While she still had a fair amount, it would eventually run out. Relying solely on the work points earned from farming would hardly be a sustainable way to live. She realized she would have to find another way to make money.

Finding a job was out of the question. In this era, every position was already filled, and getting hired required strong personal connections. Yu Nian'an understood her own status all too well; that path was a dead end. That left only entrepreneurship. As for what to do, she had no leads just yet. She decided to go home first; opportunities often appeared when least expected. Since her finances were currently stable, there was no need to rush.

Whatever the old couple discussed, by noon the next day, Uncle Jianping had arrived at Yu Nian'an’s home with a cart full of stones. The courtyard gate was half-broken and difficult to operate, and since the wall needed to be torn down and rebuilt anyway, Yu Nian'an simply pushed over the wooden fence to let the ox cart in.

Two young men came along with him, presumably the helpers he had recruited. Yu Nian'an pointed to the open space in the yard. "Uncle, the yard is spacious; you can unload them wherever you like." She moved to help unload the stones, but Yu Jianping stopped her.

"Girl, we’ll handle this work. You’ve already paid us, so just sit tight."

The two young men nodded in agreement. They were Aunt Chunxing’s nephews. Now that the busy farming season had passed and the field work was largely done, only one person from each household was needed. The couple had decided the night before to have their own kin help out, which would significantly save Yu Nian'an on labor costs. Besides, they were family, and providing a meal for them was no trouble at all. Most importantly, since both men were married with children, they were the most appropriate choices to avoid causing any gossip about Yu Nian'an. The girl had a mind of her own, and since they couldn't talk her out of it, they would do what they could to support her.

Yu Nian'an hadn't expected Aunt Chunxing to think so much of her just because she wanted to dig a well. Seeing them get to work, she went into the kitchen to boil a kettle of hot water for them. There was nothing in the house; she couldn't even offer them a bit of sugar to sweeten their mouths.

While she boiled the water, the outer wooden fence was pushed down, leaving piles of wood scattered about. Seeing this, Yu Nian'an went over and began carrying the wood into the kitchen, trip by trip. It could be used as firewood; it shouldn't go to waste.

Since it was the lunch break and her house was on the edge of the village, away from the others, no one yet knew she was renovating her yard. However, just before work resumed in the afternoon, some educated youths passing by noticed the pile of stones and the two mounds of yellow clay in the middle of the yard, and curiosity got the better of them.

One of the older youths looked at the scene and asked, "Comrade, are you building a house?"

As the question was asked, everyone cast curious glances at her. Yu Nian'an felt a wave of helplessness. Considering the era and fearing they might overthink it, she had to step forward and explain, "Not at all, just rebuilding the courtyard wall. It was made of wood before and was falling apart."

"I see." These older youths had seen the previous state of her home, and indeed, that row of tied-together sticks was in dire need of replacement. Satisfied, they didn't say anything more and moved along after a short look.

Once they were gone, Yu Nian'an realized it was almost time to head to the fields. Since she lived alone, she still had to work, so she left the rest of the tasks to Uncle Jianping.

As she stepped out of the courtyard, she saw three people walking slowly ahead of her. One of them had a familiar figure—it was the educated youth she had saved. Seeing the people next to him, she realized they were likely his friends. Because of his good looks, Yu Nian'an felt a flicker of interest, but she didn't want to get involved with the other youths, so she slowed her pace to keep her distance.

When she reached the fields, Aunt Chunxing spotted her from afar and waved her over. "Nian'an, how is it? Are your uncle and the others doing a good job?"

Yu Nian'an nodded. "Uncle is very efficient. In just this half-day, they’ve already cleared out the old wall."

"That’s for sure. Let me tell you, those two are my nephews. Don't think I’m just favoring my own; they’ve worked with your uncle many times before—they’re experienced hands."

So that was it. She had noticed how the three worked in perfect rhythm, clearly divided in their tasks. They had been a team all along.

"Don't you worry, Nian'an. I guarantee they’ll have everything sorted out in two or three days!" Aunt Chunxing promised, patting her chest.

Yu Nian'an’s eyes lit up. "That would be wonderful."

Nearby, Liu Guihua watched the two chatting animatedly. She had witnessed this scene for several days now. After being rebuffed by the girl last time and becoming a laughingstock for Aunt Chunxing, she had been harboring a grudge. She couldn't help but interject, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, Chunxing, you spend all day chatting with a little girl; what’s so interesting? Why don't you share it so we can all have a listen?"

By now, everyone else had gathered. Seeing that Liu Guihua was clearly looking for trouble, they stopped working to watch the spectacle.

Yu Nian'an’s smile didn't fade. She gave Aunt Chunxing a reassuring look, then turned to Liu Guihua, mimicking her tone: "We were just talking about when we’ll finally get to drink the wedding wine at your house."

Liu Guihua was stunned for a moment before retorting, "What nonsense are you spouting? What wedding wine would my house be hosting?"

"Why, the one between your daughter and your nephew, of course. What, you haven't brought it up yet? I thought you had already made up your mind last time." Yu Nian'an covered her mouth, feigning surprise.

Now it was Liu Guihua’s turn to be the spectacle. If she denied it in front of everyone, it would imply her nephew wasn't as good a match as she claimed. But if she didn't deny it, her daughter would become the subject of gossip. Her face turned bright red, and with a heavy "phooey" aimed at the two of them, she fled in defeat.

Aunt Chunxing secretly gave her a thumbs-up.