"Yes, Li Shu, we're all family. How could you not think of your elder brother and uncle when such a good opportunity arose? Handing over such a large tract of land to an outsider? It's always better when family is in charge, for peace of mind."
Zhang Chunhua stepped forward to shield Old Mrs. Chen, afraid she might do something to anger Chen Li Shu. If she got upset, this golden job opportunity would slip away.
Chen Bao Zhu was also getting anxious. A salary of thirty yuan a month was nothing to sneeze at. If he had known about this earlier, he should have suppressed his temper.
"I know that Hu Si Er. His character is terrible. You've been away at school for so long, you can't just listen to outsiders. When he was guarding the mountain, he used his position to secretly harvest collective dried goods and sell them."
Chen Man Cang slightly lifted his eyelids. "Someone with a record like that won't genuinely work for you in the future. Listen to me, you should reject this offer now. Your elder brother is home with nothing to do. If you need anything done, just ask him."
Chen Li Shu looked at the entire family, their faces changing faster than flipping a book, and scoffed inwardly, though she feigned a look of difficulty.
"If I can't secure the承包 (chéngbāo - contract) for this mountain, I really must tell them. I can't delay Hu Si Er."
"Why wouldn't you be able to contract it?" Old Mrs. Chen questioned anxiously. "The whole village knows you're contracting the mountain land. Now that your elder brother and uncle are going to work for you, you're saying you can't? How can your heart be so black, you ungrateful wretch?"
Chen Li Shu sneered, "Grandma, are you confused? The contract requires the agreement and signatures of all commune members to be effective. My uncle is delaying his signature, so even if I wanted to use my elder brother, I couldn't."
A flicker of embarrassment immediately crossed the faces of Chen Man Cang and his wife.
Zhang Chunhua quickly interjected, "We're all family, of course, we support you more than others. It's just that your elder brother and uncle have been busy these past few days, and I'm illiterate, fearing I'd be cheated, so I didn't dare to sign. Now that your uncle is free, he'll go sign it right away, no, now!"
What were carts and horses? That was a one-time deal. It was far inferior to Chen Bao Zhu's job. Such a large tract of mountain land, Chen Li Shu, a mere girl, would always depend on her maternal uncles. By then, it would be her Bao Zhu who had the final say.
Hearing Zhang Chunhua's words, Chen Man Cang didn't hesitate. He immediately stood up, put on his hat, and headed for the brigade office.
Watching Chen Man Cang leave, Chen Li Shu revealed a smile. "Aunt, don't worry. After all, we are family. Using outsiders is definitely not as reliable as using our own people. Once the contracting matters are settled, I will inform my elder brother immediately."
With her assurance, Zhang Chunhua, Old Mrs. Chen, and Chen Bao Zhu all showed satisfied smiles, but no one noticed the fleeting coldness in Chen Li Shu's eyes.
...
Ever since her fight with her daughter-in-law, Yue Hong Mei, Widow Liu had fallen ill in anger. For the past two days, she hadn't gone anywhere and had been lying in bed.
At this moment, she lay on the kang with a circle of bruises on her forehead from cupping. Hearing the door open, she thought it was Yue Hong Mei and didn't even lift her eyelids.
"Mom, do you know that the Chen family has played you? I just came down from the card game, and I saw Chen Man Cang go to the brigade office to sign."
Liu Da Bao walked straight to the table and poured himself a glass of water, showing no concern for Widow Liu's condition, not even asking how she was.
"Who? Chen Man Cang went to sign? Are you sure you saw correctly?" Widow Liu turned over and sat up from the kang, looking at Liu Da Bao with disbelief.
She had already coordinated with Zhang Chunhua. Neither of them would sign. Then one would want a horse-drawn cart, and the other would want money. How could they have gone to sign on their own initiative after only a few days?
"How could I be mistaken? That Chen Bao Zhu is such a simpleton, his mouth is as loose as a padded pants waistband. As soon as I asked, he told me everything. That damned Chen Li Shu promised to let him work in the back mountain, for thirty yuan a month! Mom, think about how much that is a year. If you ask me, that Chen Man Cang's wife fooled you. They got the benefits, while our family got nothing in the end."
The more Widow Liu listened, the angrier she became. What a Zhang Chunhua! It was one thing to be a smiling tiger, but now she was scheming against her. They had agreed to deal with Chen Li Shu together, and she had gained a great advantage, arranging her son perfectly.
"Good job, Zhang Chunhua. I usually treated her like a friend and told her everything. Da Bao, don't worry, Mom will go talk to her now. If Chen Bao Zhu can get a job, Mom will arrange one for you too. If it weren't for your prodigal wife messing things up, perhaps you would have been arranged like Chen Bao Zhu now."
As Widow Liu spoke, she put on her clothes, got off the kang, and left without looking back towards Chen Man Cang's house.
Zhang Chunhua and Old Mrs. Chen were at home, speaking very smugly. If they hadn't stubbornly refused to sign, how could they have secured such a good job for Bao Zhu?
As they were talking, the door was pushed open, and Widow Liu entered with a cold expression. As soon as she saw Zhang Chunhua, she said unhappily, "I say, Auntie, you're really inconsiderate. Did you know about the job arrangement long ago? You didn't let slip a single word. I told you everything, yet you still played tricks on me."
The smile on Zhang Chunhua's face faltered when she heard her words. She quickly stepped forward to pull her to sit down. "Da Bao's mother, you've misunderstood me. Bao Zhu's job was only mentioned by Li Shu just now. Before that, I really didn't get any news. You..."
"Bullshit! You're all family, how could you not know? You're fooling ghosts by burning newspapers to the graves! So, you offended everyone, and then you eagerly signed the paper to please that bitch."
Old Mrs. Chen couldn't stand her rude remarks and retorted, "Who are you calling foolish? It was your daughter-in-law who signed the paper, right? We didn't force her to sign. Why are you causing trouble at our house now? You're dozens of years old, and I think you've lived in vain."
"I've lived in vain? If Zhang Chunhua had explained clearly, our Da Bao could have also gotten a job. Would Da Bao's wife have gone to sign then? I know what kind of people your family are. Bah! You're afraid our Da Bao would snatch Bao Zhu's spot, aren't you? You spoke so nicely at first, but in the end, no one in your family lost out, while you treated me like a fool."
"Da Bao's mother, I've told you, I don't know anything. If you think so, then I can't help it." Zhang Chunhua was too lazy to explain and said with a cold expression.
Since Bao Zhu's job was secured, it didn't matter what Liu Widow thought, as their family had already signed.
"Good for you, Zhang Chunhua, you wait for me! If our Da Bao can't get a job, then your Bao Zhu won't get a job either." Widow Liu threw out a harsh threat and turned to leave.