Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 41

Zhao Tingliang took one look and refused: "No, no, I've already eaten breakfast. It's quite expensive, you can keep it."

"Eat up, I bought this for you, otherwise it will get cold. My great-uncle dragged me out here, and I don't have much to offer in return, but I should at least have some fried dough sticks with me."

Hearing Zhao Da'e say that, Zhao Tingliang began to wolf down his food.

Zhao Da'e continued back to the market, going straight to the innermost part. Inside, there were stalls selling cloth and shoes.

At this time, most people made their own clothes at home. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a sewing machine in the three essential wedding attire for northerners.

However, Zhao Da'e's family didn't have a sewing machine. The one they did have was in her third aunt's room, so it was practically useless. In the past, Cheng Jinxiang would make clothes herself by cutting and sewing with scissors. Sometimes the size was too big or too small, but they were still wearable.

Although Zhao Da'e bought Cheng Jinxiang a cotton-padded coat when she was in the county town, there weren't many good clothes at home. They couldn't keep wearing the same clothes all the time, and the younger sister also had very few clothes. Children need a lot of clothes to change into. So Zhao Da'e bought twenty yuan worth of red lining cloth, intending to go home and make some more suitable little clothes for the younger sister.

Seeing that the shopping was almost done, Zhao Da'e carried the large and small bags back to find Zhao Tingliang. Then, they took a horse-drawn carriage and strolled back to the village.

Zhao Tingliang's cement was not sold on credit; the other party said that Dongtaizi Village was too indebted and they were unwilling to extend credit.

Zhao Tingliang sighed, "I don't know what they did, but our village's collective pigsty went bankrupt. More than twenty cows were lost. The greenhouses they built lost money. The whole brick factory wasn't making any money either, there was famine everywhere. There's even a coal mine above our village, and it's losing money too. Sometimes I just wonder, how can the village lose money even when it's mining coal itself?"

Zhao Da'e thought for a moment: "Labor costs have gone up. Before, we worked for cents, which meant we worked for free, and we'd get some rice and flour for the New Year. Now we get paid to work, several yuan a day. The production equipment is outdated, and people don't work hard, so there's no way to make a living."

The carriage continued on its way and soon returned to the village. Zhao Dage carried a large pile of bags and packages. Zhao Tingliang helped unload the bags, and Zhao Dage called for help, but no one came out. Finally, his grandfather, Zhao Tingxu, came out and helped carry them into the house.

When Zhao Da'e's mother, Cheng Jinxiang, saw how much stuff he had bought, she complained, "Da'e, tell me the truth, where did you get so much money? This is over a hundred yuan worth of stuff. When I got married, I couldn't even afford twenty yuan worth of fabric, and you, you've bought so much all at once. And those vermicelli noodles, is that something our family can afford?"

Zhao Da'e thought about it for a moment and didn't deny it, saying that Cheng Jinxiang should recover first.

Then Zhao Da'e looked at his little sister, Xiao Juanzi, who was more than ten days old. He felt that Xiao Juanzi was starting to look human, at least she wasn't so dark anymore.

Zhao Da'e pinched Xiao Juanzi's cheeks with his hands; they felt soft and cuddly, quite amusing.

The happiest time for a person is probably when they know nothing. At that moment, knowing nothing and simply eating and sleeping is the greatest happiness.

Once you realize it, you start to feel uncomfortable.

In the afternoon, Zhao Da'e started lighting the stove, making the room warmer, but in the end, he didn't let his father, Zhao Tiesheng, come over to stay.

That night, Zhao Da'e went straight to sleep, but his mind was preoccupied with how to make money.

Making money can't be delayed for too long, otherwise the little money I have will eventually run out. Besides, it's almost Chinese New Year, and the village will probably ask Grandpa Zhao Tingxu for the money he paid for the hospital stay, which could easily lead to a fight.