"Ah, alright, here's the letter of introduction...
And the certificate they issued for me, as well as the one the county issued after I arrived.
It's all here, please take a look. Everything is accounted for!"
Ding Yun spoke as she walked into the house, rummaging through her backpack. By the time she finished speaking, the pile of items had been handed over to the village head.
These items were all legitimate.
Therefore, the village head naturally had no issues. After reviewing the relevant certificates and the letter of introduction, he agreed to help Ding Yun with the matter of joining the work in the village. However, there were some things he needed to clarify beforehand:
"The documents are in order. You can join our village's work. However, there are a few things I need to tell you upfront.
People who have come to join the work here before usually arrive either before or after the busy farming season. Whether before or after, they would harvest and submit their grain shortly after arriving.
So, it was easier for us to let them have grain on credit.
But your timing is neither early nor late. We can still offer you grain on credit, to be repaid with work points later. However, we're mostly out of fine grains, only coarse grains are left.
Please don't mind this. There's nothing we can do about it if you do.
As for the work to earn points, there's no place that's short of people right now. I'll have to discuss it with others.
Besides these...
Where you'll live is also a problem. The houses provided by the village for you young people from the city are already a bit cramped. How about this, I'll take you there later to see if we can squeeze out some more space for you!
If it's really not possible...
We'll definitely find a place for you to stay."
"Village head, if these are the only concerns, I don't think you need to worry too much. I've brought my own grain, and if it's not enough, I have ways to get more.
As for work and earning points, I'm not in a hurry.
I won't starve for a year or a half, and if necessary, I can ask my family for help. So, you don't need to offend anyone for me. It's fine even if I'm assigned work with low points, it will be easier for me.
As for a place to live...
If it's too crowded, could you please ask if any family is willing to sell their house, or if there are any dilapidated houses in the village that can be repaired and lived in?
I can exchange for it. Whether it's for grain, a bicycle, or money, I can get it!"
This was no joke. If she had no ability, then so be it. But with ability and means, why should she suffer? So, Ding Yun immediately said this with great generosity.
She fully projected an image of someone who wasn't short of money.
It had to be said, her words truly shocked Village Head Wang. Whether it was the fact that she brought her own grain or her bold declaration that she could easily get a bicycle.
It made Village Head Wang look at her with new eyes.
So, he paused for a moment before asking with a hint of excitement, "Are you serious?
You're not just talking big, are you..."
"Of course, I am.
So, do you have any ideas now, or are there any houses in the village that are suitable for an exchange?"
If it were just a matter of sharing a room, Ding Yun wouldn't mind. But hearing the village head, it seemed that those from the city who were joining the work were not sharing rooms, but sleeping on communal pallets.
This was something she found hard to adapt to.
And it would be inconvenient for doing anything.
So, while Ding Yun was formally replying to the village head, she was actually reiterating her desire to exchange for a house and not sleep with the other city youth.
The village head clearly understood Ding Yun's intention.
So, he immediately began to ponder if there was any place in their village suitable for an exchange with Ding Yun.
After a moment of silence, he looked up and said:
"There certainly is, but I'm not sure if you'll be satisfied. My family has extra rooms.
It was originally for my third son to get married.
We specifically built a new room for him.
Who knew he married a city girl and doesn't come back, only returning during festivals. It's better to exchange it with you than for the eldest and second sons' families to keep eyeing it.
I'll take you to see it later.
It's not far from here.
But I need to make something clear. My house is a brick house, and it cost quite a bit of money back then.
If you want to exchange, it definitely won't be cheap.
You need to be mentally prepared."
"Oh, no problem, no problem, I can afford it.
Why don't we go take a look now? That way, I won't have to move again after temporarily staying somewhere. If there are no issues, we can finalize the matter on the spot after we see it. It's not dark yet.
I'll pack up a bit and then move in."
Although Village Head Wang hadn't expected Ding Yun to be so straightforward, people who were straightforward were always likable.
So, he immediately agreed and stood up to lead the way for Ding Yun.
Those few people who were eavesdropping outside the window were now amazed. Look at them, people from the big city, wealthy and confident when speaking to the village head. They were direct about exchanging houses without a hint of nervousness about not having enough money.
After their exclamations, they naturally continued to follow. Since they had nothing else to do, following might even allow them to witness a transaction happening on the spot, which they could then brag about.
Bragging about having seen the world.
Under the guidance of the village head, the two of them, with several little followers trailing behind, soon arrived at the side of the house that the village head had mentioned, which was reportedly newly built not long ago.
The house wasn't particularly beautiful, but it was in line with the era's style. It was definitely not dilapidated in the village, and even had a subtle modern feel. Instead of the cheaper red bricks used nowadays, it was built with more expensive blue bricks.
The area wasn't large, with only two bedrooms and a living room.
But it was more than enough for one person to live in.
At this point, the village head began to explain:
"Because this house was originally prepared for my third son and his wife, we considered that they might not be good at cooking. My house is not far away, so they could always come to my place to eat.
So, we didn't prepare a place for them to cook. Of course, there was also the reason of lacking funds at the time. And since they don't live here anymore, there was no need to build one.
Oh, and by the way, this house is made entirely of blue bricks.
Each brick cost several cents.
It's absolutely sturdy."
"There are a total of three rooms in the house, two bedrooms and a living room. The main idea was that if they had children, an extra bedroom would give the child more space.
So the child wouldn't have to squeeze in with their parents when they grew up.
If you're living alone, the other bedroom on the side can be used specifically for storing things, making your living space more spacious. To put it bluntly, the house I'm living in now isn't as good as this one. If my third son hadn't given me all his savings, our family wouldn't have had the money to build such a house.
Uh, let's not talk about that.
Just tell me if you like it!"
In fact, even without Ding Yun's arrival, the village head had long considered selling the house. This was because his third son had paid at least half the cost for it. Now that his third son wasn't living here and had moved to the city, although he had initially said the house was for them to use in their old age as compensation for not being able to care for them, they felt it was unnecessary.
They felt that doing so would put their third son at a disadvantage. They always felt that while their third son had a salary in the city, everything there also cost money. And with a new child recently born, there would be even more expenses.
In addition, the fact that his other two sons and their wives were coveting this house was also a major reason for him to sell it. Once sold, they would stop vying for it.
The money and goods from the sale could be used to subsidize his youngest son,
so he wouldn't suffer a loss.
However, when the house was built, to make his youngest son's wedding more spectacular, they had used a lot of good materials and spent a lot of money. The cost of this blue-brick tile house alone was nearly a thousand yuan. Very few families in the village could afford it, and those who could, might not be willing to spend that much money. That's why it hadn't been sold yet.
Until Ding Yun arrived.
It was then that the village head saw some hope of selling it.