Chapter 20

Han Guofu saw Li Dong with a look of shock, scared, right? Young people, they just blurt out whatever comes to mind. You should work hard and earn your work points, and during your free time, make adobe bricks, pull stones, and sift sand. Don’t engage in impractical things.

"I’m actually underestimating it."

"Here, we haven’t even counted the stones for the foundation or the wood for the frame, otherwise, it would be at least seven or eight hundred."

At most, it’s only seven or eight hundred, Li Dong thought to himself, amazed at how cheap it is to build a house now. Han Guofu, seeing the change in Li Dong’s expression, nodded in satisfaction. Scared, right? Young people, they just blurt out whatever comes to mind. You should be more practical. Fix up your adobe house and find a capable wife.

Launching rockets and flying planes, these things, in the past few years, these scoundrels have done plenty. I know the situation well. The higher the satellite or rocket, the harder it falls. This isn’t something Han Guofu said; it’s what the county magistrate said. What a good county magistrate, how did he end up being criticized?

I won’t think about it. This is something we commoners shouldn’t get involved in. Living a good life is what matters. "Work hard at fetching water, and when you have free time, go to the mountain to get some usable wood."

"Can you get wood from the mountain?"

"What, are you planning to buy wood from the commune?"

Han Guofu glanced at Li Dong. You silly boy, the trees on the mountain belong to the public, the collective, but who would really fuss over a few trees cut down for building a house?

Now, there are fewer militia patrols. Han Guofu plans to find out when there are no patrols and take a few people to help Li Dong get the wood.

This will save another sum of money. With the stones, sand, and adobe bricks you make yourself, as long as Li Dong is willing to work, these materials won’t cost much. Just give some work points and a meal when everyone helps build the house.

These days, helping is one thing, but no one has much extra food. Going out to work definitely delays going to the fields, and the work points are usually paid by the owner of the house being built. However, Han Guofu can be the guarantor, and Li Dong can pay back the work points next year.

Han Guofu gave a lot of advice, but Li Dong didn’t take much of it in. The stones and wood are free, so it’s just the cost of work points, food, and drink, and the money for bricks, tiles, and cement. Five hundred yuan should be enough for the labor costs.

Is five hundred yuan hard to earn? Of course, it is. In this era, a regular farmer, like Han Guofu with a large family and many laborers, can only earn two or three hundred yuan a year, and sometimes they have to buy food.

On average, the annual income of the Han Zhuang production team is less than three digits, mostly just twenty or thirty yuan, and even a small fraction of families only have a few yuan a year. This is already considered a good production team. More than half of the production teams across the country end up in debt after a year of work.

Han Zhuang is one of the few production teams in Lishan Commune that can barely avoid hunger. Now, nearly three hundred million farmers are underfed. Five hundred yuan is a significant amount for farmers, not to mention astronomical for families with assets of only thirty or fifty yuan.

But Li Dong is different. Coming from the 21st century, compared to the house prices of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions, five hundred yuan to build three brick and tile rooms is incredibly cheap.

"Uncle Guofu, when can we get the wood, and where can we buy the stones?"

Li Dong looked excited, imagining his new brick and tile house, warm in winter and cool in summer, without having to share space with rats. The floor will be covered with cement, which rats can’t gnaw through. The windows will have glass, making it both beautiful and bright.

The door will be made of good wood, unlike the current one that’s half-rotten. And there won’t be a threshold, no need for that.

"What do you mean?"

Han Guofu was confused. Why is this kid so excited? Didn’t I explain it clearly? He’s even planning to buy stones. Who doesn’t go to the stream or the foot of the mountain to pick up stones, or even go into the mountain to cut and carry them down?

This kid wants to buy stones. Is he so rich that he’s burning money? It seems my earlier lesson wasn’t profound enough. This young man hasn’t realized his mistake, and that’s not good.

"Five hundred, five hundred."

Li Dong ran off with a bucket of water, leaving Han Guofu standing in the field, puzzled. A gust of wind blew off his hat. "Oh, this kid, he didn’t listen at all."

Slapping his thigh, Han Guofu chased after his hat. This straw hat is a good thing. As for Li Dong, who needs more education, Han Guofu plans to find a time after work to educate him properly.

Li Dong smiled all afternoon, not feeling tired from fetching water. Five hundred yuan, at seven yuan per shirt, a hundred shirts could earn five hundred yuan.

So cheap, he thought. He thought bricks and tiles would cost thousands, but it’s only a few hundred. Li Dong was happy all afternoon, and even Han Weijun had to admit, this kid is a good laborer.

But as soon as he turned around, Li Dong ran to Han Guohong to change his job. No way, he thought, he would never fetch water again in his life. He almost died from exhaustion in the afternoon, and after the excitement wore off, his whole body ached, and his shoulders were numb.

Li Dong blamed himself. How could five hundred yuan make him so excited and forget himself? This is embarrassing for a 21st-century man.

"Change jobs, didn’t you do well fetching water today?"

Han Guohong was puzzled, looking at Li Dong. What’s wrong? Fetching water is twelve work points, while digging sweet potatoes is only eight, a significant difference. "Uncle Guohong, look, my shoulders are swollen. I can’t do it, I’m not lazy, I just can’t."

The others rolled their eyes. Everyone had to endure this. Han Guohong looked at him. "It’s nothing, rest for a night, and you’ll be fine. After a few days, you’ll get used to it, and your skin will toughen up."

"No way."

Li Dong refused. He feared he wouldn’t survive until his skin toughened up. He really couldn’t fetch water. Han Guohong tried to persuade him, but Li Dong was firm, even threatening to go collect pig grass.

This made the others look at Li Dong with disdain. Collecting pig grass is a job for women, the elderly, and children, not for a grown man. Han Guohong, seeing Li Dong’s stubbornness, sighed.

Indeed, I overestimated him. I thought this kid had changed, that he was motivated to marry a wife. But it seems I was wrong. This kid is lazy at heart and couldn’t last a day. What can I do? There’s no other young man in the village as lazy as him.

Han Guohong said, "Alright, I’ll talk to Uncle Guofu. You’ll join the sweet potato digging group tomorrow."

"Great, thank you, Uncle Guohong. I won’t talk to Uncle Guofu about it." Saying this, Li Dong ran home to eat. He was exhausted and wanted a good meal. As for talking to Han Guofu about changing jobs, forget it. He didn’t want to face Han Guofu’s criticism.

Li Dong isn’t stupid. Why touch that sore spot? It’s better to talk to the more lenient Han Guohong. Han Guohong tidied up, counted the tools, and went to Han Guofu’s house.

"What did you say?"

"Li Dong doesn’t want to fetch water anymore, and it’s only been one day?"

Han Guofu stood up. "This kid, why didn’t he tell me? Weijun, did he tell you?"

"No, I thought he did well today. I thought he had changed." Han Weijun was surprised. Li Dong worked well all afternoon, didn’t slack off, and was quite enthusiastic. He even told him to take a break, thinking the motivation to marry a wife had changed Li Dong.

It turns out, I overestimated him. He never intended to continue. Han Weijun was a bit angry. This rascal.

Han Guofu was even more furious. This rascal, he thought he had reformed, but it turns out, he couldn’t last a day. "If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten. This kid came to me in the afternoon, saying he wanted to build a brick and tile house. I thought he might really do it."

"What? Him? No offense, but how can you believe his lies? A brick and tile house isn’t something an ordinary person can build, and he’s lazy. How could he build a brick and tile house?" Han Guofu’s second son, a hard worker, but a bit straightforward, said.

"Actually, he talked to me about it too. He asked about buying stones, hiring people, where to get window glass, door frames, and cement, and if he needed tickets." Han Weijun slapped his forehead. "I thought he was just asking casually, but it seems he’s really planning to build a brick and tile house."

"Brother, do you believe him? A brick and tile house costs at least five or six hundred. Does he have the money?" Han Weijiang sneered. Who would like such a lazy person?

Han Guohong had a different opinion. "Brother Guofu, do you think he might borrow money from relatives in the city?"

"Right, how could I forget that? This kid might really do it."

"But how? Who would lend so much money to a lazy person? Even if they help out of family ties, it’s usually just thirty or fifty yuan. This is several hundred, and city people don’t have that much money either."

Han Weijiang was right. It’s not easy for city people to come up with several hundred yuan. That’s enough to buy the three major items, the high-end wedding package in the city.

"You’re right. This kid might be planning something shady. Come, Guohong, go ring the bell, gather the production team leaders and elders, and let’s go to Li Dong’s house."

Han Guofu stood up. This kid is lazy, but he’s smart. We can’t let him go down the wrong path. We need to gather everyone and educate him, not to be unrealistic, not to engage in shady deals, but to work hard, earn work points, marry a wife, and raise children.

Li Dong was puzzled. He had just made some big buns and put them on the cutting board when Han Guofu and a dozen others came in, all with serious faces and notebooks. Li Dong was a bit scared.

"Uncle Guofu, have you eaten?"

Seeing the big buns on Li Dong’s cutting board, the aroma of egg and chive filling, and a plate of sliced meat from a can, Han Guofu and the others exchanged glances. This level of indulgence, if it continues, he won’t just fail to build a house or marry a wife; he might starve to death.

It seems a thorough education on hard work, frugality, and perseverance is necessary. The first step is to correct Li Dong’s attitude. We need to do his ideological work today. Seeing everyone staring at him, Li Dong couldn’t even eat his bun.

What’s going on? Li Dong felt something was wrong. This looks like it’s aimed at him. Could it be that his speculative activities were exposed? No, that should involve Liu Dehua, not him.