jdhmnovel Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Of course, there are places where you can earn more. For example, the brick factories in Dongtaizi Village and Dongchilichi. The work there is more tiring, and the wages are based on piecework. Pushing a cart of bricks earns you 30 cents, and pushing a cart of brick blanks earns you 40 cents. The kiln workers earn 700 yuan a month. You can earn more there, but it's hard work.
So when Zhao Da'e said Zhou Chunwen earns ten yuan a day, it's basically the highest and most respectable job he can get at his age. And frankly, Shi Zhihui could tell at a glance that Zhou Chunwen wasn't very old, only about fifteen or sixteen. For someone his age to earn money, it's clear he comes from a good family…
Zhao Da'e had no idea that Shi Zhihui had so many thoughts in her mind. She enthusiastically led Shi Zhihui inside: "Fourth Aunt, it's so cold. Come in, come in."
Then he instructed Zhou Chunwen: "Eldest sister, go boil some water and brew some of that bag of good tea I brought back from the city, the one with the Jin Jun Mei leaves, for Fourth Aunt so she can also taste the good stuff from the city."
Zhao Da'e wasn't joking. In those days, in remote villages like Dongtaizi, the tea people drank was mostly tea dust—the lowest grade, the kind that tasted bad and left you with a mouthful of tea dust. But rural people weren't picky; drinking tea was just a way to relieve fatigue. Some were lucky to have any tea at all, and many families couldn't even afford to drink real tea leaves, preferring to drink cold water, even in winter. So, the Jin Jun Mei that Zhao Da'e mentioned was indeed an extremely rare and high-quality tea.
After all, the North is not a tea-producing region, and being able to drink good tea is not something that a group of rural people can experience at this time; it is something that is generally only available in the city.
Moreover, in this era, many city dwellers gave gifts that were mostly cigarettes, alcohol, or tea. This shows that tea, especially good tea, was extremely scarce in this era.
Upon hearing Zhao Da'e's words, Shi Zhihui instantly felt that she had received an extremely high-level reception, and her mood improved even more.
"Just from the name, you can tell that stuff is expensive. I'll just drink plain water. Getting tea and stuff like that is too extravagant."
"Fourth Aunt, look at what you're saying. We're guests, after all. We country folk don't have much to offer our guests. This is your first time visiting, and if we don't treat you well, outsiders will laugh at us. Besides, it's just ordinary food, don't make a fuss about it."
Upon hearing this, Shi Zhihui happily replied, "Then I'll trouble you to spend the money."
Zhou Chunwen obediently went to boil water and make tea.
Shi Zhihui also went into the inner room.
“Relative, please sit on the kang (heated brick bed). It’s too hot at the head of the kang, please sit inside,” Zhou Yuren said politely.
Shi Zhihui didn't refuse and went straight onto the kang (heated brick bed). She touched the headboard and said with a smile, "Oh my, this kang is so hot! Brother, you have plenty of firewood."
In the countryside, there's nothing fancy or luxurious. If you visit someone's home and their kang (heated brick bed) is warm in winter, it actually indicates that the family is doing well. When Shi Zhihui visited, the Zhou family ate mutton buns, and their clothes were all clean and new. Especially Zhao Da'e's clothes—those were made of windproof fabric, the kind only city people wear. As for their accommodation, the Zhou family lived in a four-room bungalow, only four or five years old, which was not only spacious but also large.
This spacious house is one that many people cannot afford to build even after a lifetime of hard work. Many families, even if they build a new house, only have three rooms and the area is not large. Zhou Yuren's house is large and spacious with excellent lighting.
After considering all aspects, Shi Zhihui concluded that the Zhou family was a wealthy and capable family.