"You owe thousands now, and we can't help much. A piece of land with no one on it isn't worth your effort.
If you're afraid of gossip, just pay ten yuan, and I'll speak to the Party Secretary."
"Thank you, Uncle Village Chief."
"Don't be so polite. By the way, come to my house for a meal sometime. You've helped my family so much, I have to treat you."
"That's not necessary. I'll need your help finding people to build the house tomorrow! Once my house is built, your whole family is invited to the housewarming."
"We'll definitely be there to liven things up."
"..."
After chatting with the village chief, Zhang Liunian went home.
Pushing the door open, he found his daughter already asleep and his wife finishing up a new garment.
"Liunian, come try it on quickly, see if it fits," Jiang Qingqing said, holding out the clothes for him as soon as she saw her husband return.
Zhang Liunian took them and immediately stripped down to his underwear.
Jiang Qingqing's face flushed and her heart raced, her fingers trembling as she tried not to look.
Zhang Liunian put on the new clothes and then noticed his wife was staring at the floor, not at him.
He stepped forward, lifted her chin, and met her gaze. "Qingqing, didn't you say you wanted to see if my new clothes fit? How will you know if you don't look?"
Zhang Liunian's words made Jiang Qingqing's cheeks burn even redder. Her eyes quickly scanned Zhang Liunian from head to toe before she whispered, "They fit perfectly, no need to look further."
Zhang Liunian wasn't satisfied. He placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her around. "Really?"
Jiang Qingqing looked at Zhang Liunian in the blue Tang suit and felt he was becoming more handsome and imposing, making it difficult to look directly at him.
When she first fell in love with him, she knew Zhang Liunian was handsome. Now, with a change of clothes, he looked even more dashing, making him appear like a noble son of a prominent family, incomparably distinguished.
"You look so handsome like this, I'm worried someone might throw themselves at you when you go out," Jiang Qingqing murmured, lost in admiration for her husband, her thoughts slipping out unconsciously.
Zhang Liunian paused at her words, then scooped her into his arms. "What are you afraid of? I'm yours, and no one can take me away."
I'm yours, yours...
Jiang Qingqing's ears were filled with only this sentence, and she could neither hear nor see anything else.
It wasn't until a wet sensation on her earlobe that she snapped back to reality.
"Ah!" What was he doing? Why was he biting her ear? How embarrassing!
Jiang Qingqing hugged her ear, her big eyes blinking incessantly, a mixture of panic and shyness. This small expression was truly breathtaking.
Zhang Liunian's blood boiled at the sight, almost unable to resist unleashing his desires.
Fortunately, at the crucial moment, he controlled his impulse.
Lying on the bed, Zhang Liunian held his wife as they fell asleep, his large hand gently stroking her hair.
"Qingqing, I just spoke with Aunt Cuihua. She'll be here tomorrow to help us, so you don't need to get up early. Sleep in and rest well.
As for the construction crew, the village chief mentioned a few reliable people. He'll call them over tomorrow, and you can pick ten."
"Oh, and Uncle Zhao asked us to increase the quota again today. I even recognized him as a sworn uncle, so I need to send him some braised meat tomorrow."
Listening to Zhang Liunian's rambling, Jiang Qingqing felt immensely satisfied and happy.
Another quota increase meant they would be earning more money tomorrow.
And recognizing a sworn uncle meant sending some meat as a gesture of goodwill.
"We should all visit Uncle's family another day," Jiang Qingqing suddenly said.
Zhang Liunian softly hummed in agreement and then continued chatting for a while before they drifted off to sleep.
The next day, as soon as Zhang Liunian finished his morning exercises, shrimp catchers Zhang Li and Zhang Liusha arrived.
Seeing Zhang Liunian's vigorous movements, the two felt a sense of admiration.
"Brother Liunian, what were you practicing just now? We've never seen you do that before," Zhang Liusha asked.
Which young man didn't have a dream of being a hero or practicing martial arts?
Now, witnessing someone they used to consider inferior to themselves practice such good skills without a word, Zhang Liusha felt a mix of complex emotions.
There was admiration, a touch of jealousy, but mostly curiosity and interest.
"I've known how for a long time, I just rarely practiced in front of others," Zhang Liunian said, holding the shrimp-catching equipment and feigning an air of mystery.
Zhang Liusha didn't see through the facade and believed him completely. "Those moves of yours look very powerful. It would be great if you could teach me a move or two."
"I can teach you a trick or two when I have time," Zhang Liunian said. Hearing them express interest in learning, he suddenly had the idea of taking on a few disciples, as he might be away from home frequently in the future.
However, this was just an idea; Zhang Liunian didn't have the time for it now.
The three chatted as they headed to Daming Lake, ready to get to work.
Just then, Old Pothead emerged from a small hut. Seeing that Zhang Liunian had brought helpers, he approached them with a hint of sarcasm. "Are these two your helpers?"
Old Pothead had also heard about the edible insects yesterday and had even personally cooked two to verify.
Honestly, they tasted alright, just a bit troublesome to eat.
But the fact that they were edible was enough!
In these times when every household struggled to get enough to eat, if crayfish could be eaten, no one would go hungry.
But Zhang Liunian had deceived him, knowing that crayfish were edible and not telling him, secretly signing a contract with him, making him feel immensely grateful to Zhang Liunian, thinking he was helping him work and was a good comrade.
He hadn't realized that the man already knew crayfish were edible and was using this opportunity to catch and sell them for profit.
He heard that Zhang Liunian had earned enough to pay off the village's debts.
How could he have cleared the debts in such a short time?
It was clear that crayfish were a business with no initial cost, a guaranteed profit.
The more Old Pothead thought about it, the angrier he became, his beard bristling with rage.
Zhang Liunian noticed his indignation and offered him two packs of cigarettes with a smile. "Yes, they'll be helping me catch crayfish from now on. I hope you can look after them."
Old Pothead glanced at the cigarettes but didn't take them. "Hmph, what do you want me to look after? You're capable enough on your own.
You didn't even tell me crayfish were edible, yet you made me feel grateful, thinking you were doing me a favor. How did I not notice your slyness before?"
He knew the truth and was angry.
It was understandable. Old Pothead had guarded Daming Lake for so long, how many crayfish had he destroyed without ever knowing they were edible?
If they had been edible, their family's lives would have been much better, at least they wouldn't have starved.
But now, he knew crayfish were edible, yet they belonged to Zhang Liunian, and he couldn't do anything about it. Naturally, the more he thought, the angrier he became.
"Don't be angry, Old Pothead. It's not entirely my fault. I only knew they were edible after personally testing them. If I had told you right away, you wouldn't have believed me either!" Zhang Liunian placed the cigarettes in Old Pothead's hand and tried to placate him with kind words.
His words made Old Pothead fall silent. It was true, if Zhang Liunian had immediately said crayfish were edible when they first met, he wouldn't have believed him.
Because someone had actually died eating these things.
Alas, in the end, it was his lack of good fortune and foresight, not being able to do what Zhang Liunian did, selling crayfish to city dwellers.
Even if he had known earlier, he would have only eaten them to fill his stomach, not had the courage to become a self-employed businessman.
In those times, not everyone dared to be a self-employed entrepreneur. Farmers, scholars, artisans, and merchants – self-employed individuals were looked down upon by farmers and city dwellers alike.