An auntie nearby chimed in, "This matter concerns the interests of every household. We can’t just sit back and ignore it. The other day, Chu Zhiqing warned us not to seek her out if something happens again. What if someone falls ill or gets injured at home one day? We would be at a total loss."
"That’s true," someone agreed. "We should all raise this issue with the cadres later. It would be best if we could get Chu Zhiqing to return to work at the village health clinic."
Yunyi, who had walked some distance, was unaware of their thoughts.
She had just crossed the Nanhe and was heading towards the kiln factory.
There, she saw a grandfather and his grandson herding a flock of sheep. Yunyi didn’t say anything but simply nodded to them.
The young boy was about to shout a greeting when the old man beside him stopped him. "Don’t shout. We can’t bring trouble to our benefactor. From now on, pretend we don’t recognize her when we see her, understand?"
Upon hearing his grandfather’s words, the boy’s eyes filled with sadness as he whispered, "Grandfather, I understand."
Although they spoke very softly, Yunyi still heard them. Her heart ached a bit.
Before long, people would gradually return to their previous circles. Perhaps they, too, could leave this place soon and not have to live anymore. The thought brought her some relief.
After finding the manager at the kiln factory, she selected several jars of different sizes and a few small urns, then paid for them.
Since she bought a lot, the kiln factory arranged for someone to deliver them using a flatbed cart.
Back home, she washed all the jars and urns and set them out to dry before locking the door and heading to Carpenter Yin’s house.
In the Yin family’s courtyard, Yunyi saw the mother-in-law and daughters-in-law busy drying vegetables. "Auntie, busy?" she called out.
Carpenter Yin’s wife turned and saw Yunyi. "Chu Zhiqing, you’re here! Is there something you need?"
Yunyi smiled as she walked into the yard. "Auntie, I wanted to ask Uncle Yin if he has any dried scrap wood or offcuts."
Just as she finished speaking, Carpenter Yin emerged from the shed. "What are you planning to do with those?"
Hearing the question, Yunyi replied with a slight smile, "I’m thinking of carving an object."
No one in the yard had expected Yunyi to say that, and their eyes filled with curiosity.
Carpenter Yin asked with a laugh, "Chu Zhiqing, you know how to carve too?"
Yunyi smiled faintly. "My carving skills aren’t great, but I do enjoy it."
Hearing Yunyi’s words, Carpenter Yin chuckled and pointed towards a corner of the shed. "Go look through that pile there and see if you find anything you like."
Yunyi didn’t stand on ceremony. "Then I’ll help myself."
Carpenter Yin gestured for her to go ahead, but he followed her. He was curious to see what kind of wood Yunyi would select.
Yunyi went over and rummaged through a large pile for some time. She picked out several pieces of red pine wood and a piece of basswood. She even unearthed a basswood root from underneath and set it aside as well.
Seeing she had gathered a sizable amount, she felt a little embarrassed to continue. "Uncle Yin, these should be enough. How much are they?"
Carpenter Yin glanced over. "They’re just useless scraps and offcuts. You can have them to play around with; no need to pay."
Yunyi knew he was just being polite and couldn’t possibly accept them for free. "That won’t do. I can’t just take them without paying. Please name a price. Besides, I’ll have to trouble you to help me deliver them, Uncle Yin."
Carpenter Yin glanced at his wife in the yard, then back at Yunyi’s determined expression that showed she wouldn’t take them for free. "Well, how about you give fifty cents then?"
Yunyi looked at the materials she had picked out and was about to speak.
Just then, she heard Carpenter Yin’s wife say, "They couldn’t have been used for anything else anyway. Fifty cents is fine."
Since Carpenter Yin’s wife had spoken, Yunyi thanked them and promptly paid the money.
Carpenter Yin called out to his son, "Qiangzi, get a pushcart and deliver these offcuts to Chu Zhiqing’s house."
Watching Qiangzi load the wood onto the cart, Yunyi exchanged a few pleasantries with the people in the yard before following the cart out.
As she left, Carpenter Yin’s wife commented, "This Chu Zhiqing certainly knows quite a few things."
Carpenter Yin watched Yunyi walk away. "She’s a capable person."
A car entered the village, and the local children chased after it, shouting excitedly, "Oh, the metal shell is here! The metal shell is here!" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel·fire.net
The car drove straight to the village committee office before stopping. Three people got out.
Immediately, quite a few villagers gathered around. "Who are these people, and what are they here for?"