Yang Chuxia hadn’t walked far from her house when she ran into the village’s Auntie Li.
"Xiaxia, wait for me!"
"Auntie Li," Yang Chuxia turned her head and looked at the panting Auntie Li, asking, "Is there something Auntie Li needs from me?"
Auntie Li wiped the sweat from her forehead and glanced at the wooden bucket in Yang Chuxia’s hand before chuckling, "I heard your family is going to build a house?"
Yang Chuxia nodded, "Yes, I am on my way to bring the uncles some tea." She padded the wooden bucket in her hand. It was impossible to keep the house construction a secret, and everyone in the village knew about it when Yang Dayong went to find help early in the morning.
"It’s good to build a house. Living separately means less noise," Auntie Li said, then with a little doubt in her heart, she asked, "Xiaxia, what kind of work does your father do in town? Are they hiring? Can he introduce Uncle Li from my family to work with him? Your family is building a new house, and Auntie Li’s children are all grown up, so their house needs to be renovated too. It’s just that money is a bit tight."
Well, Auntie Li must have stopped her to find out how her family could afford to build a house.
She had already heard that Uncle Li from Auntie Li’s family had better jobs in town than anyone else, and they were not short of money at all.
"Auntie Li is joking, what kind of good job could my father have? Isn’t he just carrying loads in town, earning two or three dimes a day? As for the money for building the house, we had to borrow it, and we don’t even know when we will be able to repay it." Yang Chuxia sighed as she spoke.
Although Auntie Li didn’t quite believe that the money was borrowed, she didn’t ask further.
Thinking about the rumors from town, she asked again, "Xiaxia, have you been going to town frequently lately?"
"Yes, we often have things to buy for the house, and with the construction happening soon, I always need to buy some groceries."
Yang Chuxia didn’t know what Auntie Li wanted to say, but she still told the truth seeing how mysterious Auntie Li looked.
"Oh my," Auntie Li exclaimed when she heard that Xiaxia often went to town, "Xiaxia, you must not go to town anymore, especially during this period."
"Why?" Yang Chuxia looked puzzled at the anxious Auntie Li.
"You child, what else could it be if not for some bad things happening?" Auntie Li whispered, "I am telling you, I heard that many girls have gone missing in town lately, all unaccounted for. I guess they must have either been kidnapped, or sold to some unsavory places, or kept to be sea-women next year."
"Really?" Yang Chuxia couldn’t quite believe it. She had been going to town every day for the past few days and had never heard of such a thing.
"Of course! Why would Auntie Li lie to you? And what’s the point of lying about something ?" Seeing that she didn’t believe her, Auntie Li became unhappy, thinking that her good intentions were not being accepted.
Yang Chuxia touched her nose and nodded, "Okay, I understand. Thank you for reminding me, Auntie Li. If there’s anything else that needs to be done in the future, I’ll have my father go to town instead."
"Yes, it’s always better for girls to be cautious." Saying this, Auntie Li waved her hand and continued, "Alright, I won’t keep you from delivering water. I’m going to have a chat with your Aunt Caixia. Caixia has several daughters, and two of them sell vegetables in town every day. I have to remind her family."