I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 40 Doing a Favor

"Ring ring—"

The crisp sound of a bicycle bell rang out. Xiao Cui, who was home on the weekend, was squatting in the yard, holding a whip made of cloth strips, watching over the house while tending to her ground bull.

Upon hearing the sound, she looked up abruptly, her eyes lighting up.

"Dad, Uncle, you're back?"

Zhang Beichuan, who had just gotten off the back of the bicycle, watched the little girl run over in a flash and nodded with a smile.

Zhang Dequan propped up the bicycle and picked up the little girl in his arms.

"Where are your mom and sister?"

The little girl giggled, "Mom and my older sister went to exchange jobs for Uncle Sun's family. They're harvesting rice in Chen Shuitian."

"Really?" Zhang Dequan turned to look at Zhang Beichuan. "Then our return was quite opportune."

In rural areas these days, it's common to exchange workers when there are family matters to attend to or during busy harvest seasons.

Your family helps his family, and after you finish helping his family, his family comes to help your family. This way, things can be done in the shortest amount of time.

Zhang Beichuan responded, took out the canned fruit he had bought from his basket, and grabbed a large handful of White Rabbit candies and put them in his pocket.

"Come on, take the can of food and take your uncle to find your mother and sisters, and share it with them."

The little girl took the can of food and said in a clear, crisp voice.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Zhang Beichuan smiled and gently patted her head, "You don't need to be so polite with your uncle."

"Alright, let's put the things inside and go take a look together." Zhang Dequan walked ahead happily, carrying the little girl in his arms.

Before long, the three of them arrived at Chen Shuitian.

Seven or eight people were working hard in the field, cutting rice, threshing, and carrying rice stalks, creating a bustling scene.

"Hey, Dequan and Xiaochuan are back?" A barefoot man carrying a load of rice said, wiping his sweat with a towel.

Zhang Dequan, who was walking in front, glanced at the person who came, put the little girl down, took out a pack of economy cigarettes from his pocket, and handed one over.

"Just got home, Lao Sun, have a cigarette."

Old Sun accepted it with a smile, and Zhang Beichuan nodded to him before continuing forward with the little girl.

Zhang Xiaoli and Xiaoju, sisters who were bending over to cut rice, heard the voices of several people and looked up to see their father and uncle.

The two excitedly called out to Lan Xiuying, who was working hard to thresh grain into the mixing bucket.

"Mom, Dad and Uncle are back!"

Lan Xiuying paused slightly in her movements, turned her head to look at the ridge of the field, and saw her brother-in-law leading Cuicui towards them, while her husband was chatting and smoking with Lao Sun behind them.

"Xiao Chuan?" she said, putting down the rice she was holding and walking towards the edge of the field.

"Sister-in-law, are you busy?" Zhang Beichuan said, then saw his mother and the two girls running hurriedly towards the edge of the field, stumbling along the muddy path. He reminded them, "Slow down, you two, don't fall."

"Big sister, second sister, Uncle gave us some canned fruit to share with Mom," the little girl said happily, holding up a can of yellow peaches.

The villagers who were busy threshing grain in the fields all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Zhang Beichuan, while glancing enviously at Lan Xiuying and Zhang Dequan.

Recently, the news has spread throughout the village.

Zhang Beichuan started a business in the county and even took his third brother to the county town to help.

Lan Xiuying glared at the little girl, annoyed by her deliberately loud voice.

With so many people, are we just going to let everyone watch without giving them a single penny?

A jar of canned yellow peaches, how many slices are there in total?

"All you do is eat, eat, eat! You have no manners at all. Did you even thank your uncle before you started eating?"

The little girl had no idea her mother would suddenly get angry. Her hand, which was handing the can of food to her older sister, hung in mid-air as she looked at her mother with a pitiful expression.

"Thank you."

Zhang Beichuan naturally saw through his grandmother's thoughts and said with a smile.

"Sister-in-law, let them eat it, and share some with everyone. If it's not enough, I also brought some milk candy, could you help distribute it to everyone?"

Lan Xiuying looked at the milk candy he took out of his pocket, and then at the Sun family, all of whom were staring at her.

I feel a bit helpless. Once I'm done with my busy schedule, I'll have to ask my brother-in-law what he thinks. Should I find someone to date?

In her view, Zhang Beichuan was unmarried and acted like a child.

No matter how much money he has, given his spending habits, it will all disappear like sand being washed away by water.

Old Zhang's parents are both deceased, and Zhang Beichuan gets along well with his family. As his sister-in-law, having been through similar experiences, she has to worry about him.

Suddenly, she remembered the girl who had told her about Miss Lu when she came back from the county town last time, and she decided to find a suitable opportunity to ask her about it.

"Sister-in-law Zhou, Da Hu, Er Hu... Come on, Xiao Chuan brought some canned food and candy, let's all have a taste."

Upon hearing that there was candy and canned fruit to eat, the two boys from the Sun family ran faster than rabbits.

Seeing her two sons' eager expressions, Zhou Xia felt a little embarrassed and declined, saying, "No need, no need, you can eat."

This left Sun Dahu and Erhu, the two boys, awkwardly scratching their toes, unsure whether to move forward or backward.

Lan Xiuying looked at the two of them with a big laugh, then glanced at Zhou Xia.

"It's nothing, it's just a small token of Xiao Chuan's appreciation, come and eat."

To say that Zhou Xia really didn't want to eat it would be a lie. People only buy a couple of cans of canned yellow peaches to give as gifts when visiting relatives during the Chinese New Year.

"Oh dear, I can't accept this..."

Lan Xiuying waved her hand, "Come on, have a taste, don't stand on ceremony."

Seeing their mother nod, Sun Dahu and Erhu moved forward a few more steps.

"Aren't you going to thank Aunt Lan?" Zhou Xia, who was walking behind, led the two little girls toward the edge of the field.

"Thank you, Aunt Lan."

"You're welcome. If you want to thank someone, you should thank your Uncle Xiao Chuan."

"Thank you, Uncle Xiaochuan."

Zhang Beichuan felt very uncomfortable looking at the two fourteen or fifteen-year-old boys calling him uncle. How could he be such an old man?

But he still said, "It's okay, eat."

In those days of scarcity, a can of food or a few pieces of candy was enough to make people happy for a long time.

After a tiring morning, Zhou Xia ate a piece of canned yellow peach and instantly felt less hungry. She glanced at Zhang Beichuan curiously.

"Xiao Chuan, I heard from your sister-in-law that you're doing very well in business in the county town."

After she finished speaking, seeing that Zhang Beichuan only nodded politely and did not intend to continue the conversation, she looked at Lan Xiuying.

"It's all thanks to Xiuying's good fortune; she's finally out of those tough times."

"Sigh..." Lan Xiuying sighed, "Yes, it's all thanks to Xiao Chuan taking care of his brother, otherwise, we don't know when this would end."

As Zhang Beichuan listened, he watched his mother and her two daughters enjoying their sweet soup, gulping it down from their jars.

"Big Tiger, Second Tiger, would you like a drink?"

Da Hu and Er Hu swallowed hard as they looked at the jar Xiao Li handed them.

"Thank you, but no need. We just ate peaches and candy, we're not hungry. You guys drink."

Zhang Beichuan glanced at the two young men, then at Zhang Dequan, who was chatting happily with Lao Sun, as well as Lan Xiuying and Zhou Xia, and immediately had an idea.

If grandparents want their time in the team to be easier, having money is one thing, but they also need to manage their relationships with everyone.

Generally, if two families are willing to exchange jobs, their relationship is not too bad.

Since we'll need to find a source of eels anyway, we might as well hand over the profits from buying eels to the Sun family first.

To do someone a favor and solidify the relationship between the two families, so that they can look out for each other in the future.

"Sister-in-law Zhou, are Da Hu and Er Hu still in school?"

Hearing Zhang Beichuan's words, Zhou Xia, who was chatting and laughing with Lan Xiuying, paused.

"These two kids aren't cut out for it. They couldn't continue after finishing the first semester of fifth grade."

"Oh... so they just help out at home usually? They haven't thought about learning a trade?"

Zhou Xia was a little embarrassed, wondering why Zhang Beichuan had suddenly brought this up.

As the old saying goes, even in a drought, a skilled craftsman will not starve.

The two children are fourteen or fifteen years old, and she, as their mother, has also considered this matter. However, these days, when learning a trade, not only do you not receive a salary until you graduate, but you also have to give gifts to the master.

The Sun family is considered one of the poorer families in Shihe Village. They have so many children to support, where would they get the money?

"Don't laugh at me, but I do want to, but I don't have the money to find a master."

Zhang Beichuan nodded slightly, "Oh, that just so happens that I have a job here that's perfect for them."

"What kind of work is it?" Zhou Xia immediately perked up.

"Help me catch some eels. I'll pay you 2 cents a pound. Just deliver them to my sister-in-law's house on time."

"What? Eels are only 2 cents a pound?"

Not only was Zhou Xia speechless with surprise, but Lan Xiuying, who was listening nearby, also stared wide-eyed, her face full of disbelief.