Chapter 49: The Wealthy Lady Liang Chengcheng
The logistics truck departed from the town and arrived just after 1:00 PM.
The villagers followed along once again to watch the excitement, though this time, there was a heavier trace of scrutiny in their eyes.
“Hey, tell me, did Old Lady Lu leave some money for Xiaxia? She’s only been back for a few days, right? A truckload came the other day, and another truckload arrived today.”
Auntie Lu and the others grew displeased upon hearing this. “Didn’t we already tell you? The stuff last time was from a lottery prize!”
“Then what is this today?”
Today’s cargo truck wasn’t covered up tightly like the last one; the names of the appliances and furniture were printed clearly right on the cardboard boxes.
“A refrigerator, a washing machine… that must have cost a fortune!” someone said sourly.
A sharp-tongued sister-in-law couldn’t hold back and snapped, “Does your house not have a washing machine? Or does your house lack a refrigerator? Getting sour over a washing machine that costs a few hundred yuan… if you’re so capable, go throw your own washing machine away and see if your wife allows it!”
“Calling a single washing machine and a refrigerator a fortune… anyone who knows better will think you’re just being bitter, but those who don’t might assume Secretary Hu’s poverty alleviation projects over the years were all for nothing! To think the village produced a miserable, penniless cynic like you!”
The person who spoke the sour words slunk back into the crowd like a beaten dog.
Too dangerous, too dangerous. The women of Lu’an Village were fierce, every single one of them.
Fangfang tugged on Hu Ming and Little Hu the Sixth. “Come on, let’s go help!”
Little Hu the Sixth happened to be free this afternoon. He gave his mother a quick heads-up, then rode his tricycle into the mountains with Fangfang and Hu Ming on board.
When they entered the mountain estate, Jian Xingxia was busy directing the delivery workers to place the furniture and appliances in their designated spots.
“Put the bed in this room. Yes, the wardrobe and the sofa go there too. As for the rattan chairs, just leave them in the main hall so they’re easy to move outside.”
“The washing machine… install it next to the small parlor, since there’s water and electricity here. Put the refrigerator in the small parlor too. The water heater? Install it in the bathroom, yes, yes, the one outside.”
The previously bought secondhand washing machine had been placed in the outdoor bathroom.
Houses in the village were spacious, and the bathroom itself spanned over a dozen square meters. It had plenty of room not only for a washing machine but could even be partitioned into a two-room suite.
Thinking it over, Jian Xingxia felt this setup was quite nice. In the future, she and Liang Chengcheng would use the new washing machine, while she could let the temporary workers take a bath or wash their clothes during their “shifts.”
It wasn’t that she was being overly fastidious, but she got the sense that these ancient people who came to work rarely bathed.
Lin Sanniang was considered the most cleanly among them, but because she had just recovered from a severe cold, she didn’t dare take a proper bath lightly and could only wipe herself down with a cloth dipped in hot water.
As for Dahei and Old Man Xu, they didn’t even need to be mentioned.
Not to boast about herself, but it was purely due to her high level of personal tolerance that she hadn’t pinched her nose while receiving the two of them.
When the delivery workers called to say they were entering the village, Jian Xingxia had dispatched Dahei into the mountains to gather chestnuts.
Taking a stroll through the mountains made it impossible to stay clean.
While she was arranging things, Fangfang ran inside and nudged Jian Xingxia. “Sister Xiaxia, did you buy all of this?”
Jian Xingxia gave a helpless smile. “How could I afford it! It’s my college classmate. She’s coming to stay for a while, and since she isn’t used to the mountain environment, she bought some things in advance and had them shipped here.”
Hu Ming ran over and sat on one of the rattan chairs, rocking back and forth. “My grandpa has one of these too.”
While Little Hu the Sixth helped the workers move and install the items, Jian Xingxia asked him, “Do you have time later? Help me borrow a tricycle again. I need to go to town to buy some things.”
With Liang Chengcheng coming, some items could be purchased online, but things like toothbrushes, towels, washbasins, and food and drinks wouldn’t arrive in time through online shopping.
Little Hu the Sixth nodded. “Sure, I’ll head over to Hu Ming’s house in a bit.”
Hearing this from the side, Hu Ming quickly chimed in, “No need to go over, my grandma rode the tricycle here.”
Huh?
There were too many people coming to the old house to watch the excitement, so Jian Xingxia hadn’t noticed for a moment.
Looking closely, Grandma Hu Ming had indeed come. She was currently standing in Jian Xingxia’s fields alongside Uncle Lu and Auntie Lu, looking around.
“Ho, Xiaxia really inherited a bit of her maternal grandmother’s capability. I thought university students didn’t know how to do any manual labor, yet in just a few days, she’s gathered and sold chestnuts and even planted the fields.”
Uncle Lu said with a sigh of admiration, “Xiaxia is a diligent child. Every time she goes to town, she never forgets to bring some things back for the village.”
The few of them looked at Jian Xingxia as if she were a junior from their own families, looking thoroughly satisfied.
A short while later, Grandma Hu Ming came over to ask Jian Xingxia.
“Xiaxia, do you still want these cardboard boxes?”
It was unclear whether she wanted to sell them for money or use them to kindle fires.
Jian Xingxia thought about it and said, “The new appliances need to be tested for a few days. If there are any issues, I’ll need the boxes to ship them back to the manufacturer for repairs. Once half a month passes and everything is fine, I’ll bring them over to you.”
Grandma Hu Ming agreed repeatedly, “Ah, alright, that sounds wonderful.”
With this arrangement, Jian Xingxia didn’t have to worry about owing another favor for borrowing the vehicle today.
The logistics workers finished the installation quickly, and the villagers who came to watch the excitement mostly dispersed. Hu Ming and Grandma Hu Ming returned with the other villagers, leaving the vehicle for Jian Xingxia.
Fangfang and Little Hu the Sixth stayed behind to help Jian Xingxia clean up the mess.
The styrofoam and protective film scattered all over the floor were gathered up and stuffed inside the massive refrigerator box.
Around 3:00 PM, the cleanup was nearly finished. After testing the appliances and ensuring there were no issues, Jian Xingxia rode the tricycle to carry Fangfang and Little Hu the Sixth back to the village.
She then continued riding the vehicle toward the town to do her shopping.
Upon reaching the town, Jian Xingxia first went to collect her courier packages.
Afterward, she headed to the supermarket, purchasing new toothbrushes, towels, cups, and slippers, as well as a set of pillows and a summer quilt. She also picked out several basins, buckets, and dustpans that the house lacked. Since they were gathering a lot of chestnuts recently, she bought a few more woven sacks as well.
Her already depleted savings grew even more precarious.
Savings -447, remaining balance: 1,709.
Her savings had fallen below the “2,000” mark once again, but Jian Xingxia couldn’t spare the heart to feel bad.
If she asked Liang Chengcheng about buying so many things, Chengcheng would definitely claim she just wanted to live comfortably. But Jian Xingxia understood well that Chengcheng would only stay for a few days; she was simply using her own comfort as an excuse to subsidize her.
Since the house had a refrigerator now, Jian Xingxia went to the supermarket to buy some meat. Chengcheng had spent so much money, so she couldn’t be stingy either.
Jian Xingxia bought two catties of ribs, two catties of lean pork, and four catties of pork belly. There was no need to buy fish, chicken, or duck at the supermarket, as they were available in the village; free-range chickens and ducks, and mountain-spring fish tasted far better than anything from the supermarket. If anyone in the village slaughtered a pig, buying a few catties of free-roaming mountain pork would taste truly magnificent!
Buying the meat cost another 142 yuan, leaving her balance in critical condition at a mere 1,567 yuan.
Just as she finished running these errands, Liang Chengcheng’s call came through.
“Hey, Xiaxia! I’ve already boarded the car. The driver says we’ll arrive at Jinmen Town in an hour. Can the location pin you sent lead straight to your house?”
Hearing this, Jian Xingxia said, “You’ll be here in an hour? Do you have a lot of luggage? I happen to be buying things in town right now, so how about I pick you up on the electric tricycle instead?”
Back in university, Jian Xingxia had used her small electric scooter to collect courier packages for extra cash, and she would frequently ride with Liang Chengcheng to class. Liang Chengcheng was entirely accustomed to this.
“Sure! Then I’ll have the driver drop me off at Jinmen Town. Send me a location pin, and I’ll let you know once I arrive.”
“Alright, let’s meet at the bus station.”
This would avoid having to navigate through the town. Liang Chengcheng readily agreed.
Jian Xingxia didn’t sit idle during this hour; she waited at the bus station, watching the flow of vehicles.
