Lin Wan heard Xiao Gu mention that he wanted to save money and open a store one day, so he could have more money to help those children.
Instead of blindly and endlessly helping them. Lin Wan agreed with what Xiao Gu said, so every month, she would give ten yuan to Xiao Gu to help those children in need.
Xiao Gu was very grateful and reassured Lin Wan that he would help watch over the store.
Yesterday, my brother and Brother Li went to the nearby county to promote fruit wine. Xiao Gu was at the store.
These past two days, Lin Wan went out early in the morning with Liang Hongmei to the market to pick out things needed for the bathroom.
They found an old master, and for five yuan, he helped replace the old items in the two bathrooms.
While on the way to the market, Lin Wan passed a large scrap recycling station in the city, where someone was hauling things out on a tricycle.
The scrap recycling station had a period of unprecedented prosperity. Even though it’s open now, there should still be a lot of good stuff, especially in such a big city. Lin Wan suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought that, regardless of what might still be there, she should go inside and hunt for treasures.
"Mom, let’s come here the day after tomorrow. I’ve heard they have a lot of nice cabinets and furniture from the past. Isn’t Mom fond of those styles from the Republican Era? Let’s take a look."
"Weren’t they all collected from wealthy families before? It’s been three or four years since the reform. Are there still any left?"
"Who knows? We’ll find out once we take a look, right?" Maybe we’ll find a bargain.
"Alright, once the bathroom is done, we’ll come and see."
They bought all the necessary things for the bathroom, and the master, along with his apprentice, finished everything in a morning.
Lin Wan thought that with just the two of them at home, they didn’t need two bathrooms, so she dismantled one of them.
The plumber found the job easy and took it for just ten yuan. He also got a second-hand toilet, which, though used, was still seventy percent new, and some families looking to save money would want it.
In just one afternoon, one bathroom was taken apart, and the bricks, concrete blocks, and tiles inside were all cleared out.
The empty space didn’t prompt Lin Wan to fill it with bricks. Instead, she planned to eventually transplant some rose bushes from the front yard there.
There were still staff guarding the scrap recycling station. It was currently run by people assigned by the country, and it wasn’t privately owned, still belonging to the government.
When Lin Wan and Mom arrived, the staff were busy buying old fabrics from a factory.
"Hello, comrade. I’d like to see if there are any old furniture or books." Is that okay?
After Lin Wan said this, the staff member glanced at her without saying anything, so Lin Wan quickly complained, "Comrade, wasting is shameful. We just moved and don’t have the money to buy new furniture. I also have a younger brother who needs to go to school, and we can’t afford the tuition, so I wanted to see if the recycling station had any suitable old furniture. I also hoped to find some porcelain bowls or books. No matter how tough things are, I can’t let my brother be illiterate."
Standing aside, Liang Hongmei found it amusing to hear her daughter "complain." This child, it was unclear who she got it from.
Thinking of this, Liang Hongmei thought of the always reliable Lin Guozhi. The staff member, a middle-aged man with a simple and honest appearance, heard Lin Wan’s words, waved at them, and said, "You can go to the warehouse and look. There’s quite a bit of old furniture, as well as old wood and books. Recycling is a good virtue. You’re welcome to choose, but everything needs to be weighed and paid for."
Lin Wan understood that even scrap belonged to the country, so it needed to be bought.
After a brief chat with the staff, Lin Wan hurriedly took her slightly dazed mother inside.