Zhang Guihua, upon hearing this, boasted out of habit, "That’s right. Changhai has been working night shifts recently, and there’s overtime pay too. The transport company never lets them work for nothing. The factory provides good food, the people are nice, and the leadership even assigned him a separate dormitory, which is also an apartment building. But Changhai finds the dormitory too small, so he didn’t want to live there, and instead, he went out and bought his own house."
Some envious people took the chance to inquire, "Auntie, I’ve heard that buying a house in the city costs at least two or three hundred yuan. Brother Changhai has only been a worker for a few months; how could he have earned so much money?"
Zhang Guihua responded, "It’s because last time Director Zhou came over to deliver a thank-you gift, he insisted on giving us some money, and we couldn’t even refuse if we wanted to. No wonder people say good deeds pay off. One really must do more good deeds."
Grandma Diao, who never got along with Zhang Guihua and couldn’t stand her smugness, asked with a sneer, "Guihua, your eldest son has become a city dweller now, why doesn’t he take you and your husband to the town to enjoy life?"
"Why didn’t he mention it! It’s us, the old couple; we don’t want to go. Nowhere is as good as our Stone Bridge Village," Zhang Guihua replied with her chin lifted and eyes slanted, her expression oozing smugness.
"Sister-in-law, why can’t you see the light? It’s much better to enjoy life in the city, better than working the fields at home," someone advised.
Zhang Guihua feigned a sigh and said, "Ah, I’m old now, and I like staying in this familiar place. I don’t like going to that unfamiliar city. Besides, it’s wonderful to chat with you, my old sisters."
The villagers listening found it very reasonable, "You’re right, they say it’s hard to leave one’s native land. No matter how good it is outside, it can’t compare to the place that raised us."
As Zhang Guihua chatted with a few other older folks, some of the village’s young people took the initiative to say, "Aunt Guihua, I’ll come help Uncle Changhai move tomorrow, too."
Many others also wanted to take this opportunity to see what kind of house Jiang Changhai had bought.
However, Jiang Dashan didn’t want to trouble the villagers and politely declined, "No need, the eldest son’s family doesn’t have too much stuff, and we can handle it ourselves. Tomorrow when we move, we’ll just borrow a tractor from the village chief’s house. It’s rare to have this time off; you all should rest well at home."
Everyone in the room, being tactful, didn’t press the issue after Jiang Dashan’s refusal.
Amidst laughter and chatter, they spent the afternoon weaving, finishing all the brooms, baskets, and pot brushes, and only when it was time for dinner did they each return home.
The next afternoon, the Jiang family members took leave to prepare to go back to help move.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, make sure you’ve packed everything that needs to be moved; don’t forget anything," Zhang Guihua nattered, worried.
"Everything’s packed; just these things here," she replied.
Su Wanyu pointed to a few bags of clothes placed on the kang bed; they had already bought everything else new.
Zhang Guihua suddenly widened her eyes, displeased, "Aren’t you taking the quilts and mattresses? And what about the tables and stools? You don’t want those either? What will you use over there?"
She thought the eldest daughter-in-law was too pampered; surely she wouldn’t be able to manage the family well in the future!
So Jiang Changhai said, "Mom, we bought new ones in town; we’re not taking these."
"What?! You bought all new ones!" exclaimed the old lady, her eyes growing even wider, and started scolding with a darkened face, "You two really don’t know how to live! We have all this stuff at home; why spend the money on new ones? The way you spend, the eldest’s twenty yuan might as well be a ghost!"