Chapter 132: Sister Jiang is Jealous

Chapter 132: Sister Jiang is Jealous

The next day, Jiang Dehu rode Uncle Jiu's slightly worn Forever bicycle back to Mountain Pond Village.

Learning to ride a bicycle was easy, and Jiang Dehu had mastered it long ago. His production team had bicycles, and when the whole village started learning, he naturally joined in.

As Jiang Dehu arrived, his younger brother Jiang Defeng was sitting at the door, basking in the sun with his nephew in his arms. Seeing his second brother return on a bicycle, Jiang Defeng asked in surprise, "Second brother, why are you back?"

Jiang Dehu parked the bike and smiled. "I came back to take care of something."

Jiang Defeng stood up, still holding his nephew, and walked over to inspect the bicycle. "Brother, what brand is this? Is it from Sister-in-law's Uncle?"

"It's a Forever bicycle, and yes, it belongs to Sister-in-law's Ucle," Jiang Dehu replied. He then reached out to his youngest son, saying, "Come here, let Daddy hold you."

The little boy, only seven or eight months old, couldn't speak yet. Perhaps because Jiang Dehu hadn't held him often, the child didn't recognize him and ignored his outstretched arms.

Hearing the commotion, Jiang's father, mother, and sister-in-law all came out.

Jiang's mother asked, "Ah Hu, why are you back?"

Jiang Dehu explained, "Dafang's Uncle Jiu wants to raise some puppies. Didn't Uncle Sixteen's dog have a litter of five last year? I came back to ask if I can take a few of them."

Father Jiang nodded. "Of course! Your Uncle Sixteen was just worrying about what to do with those puppies the other day."

In that era, local dogs were easy to raise and would eat almost anything, including feces. However, when there were too many, most families couldn't afford to keep them. This was why Uncle Sixteen was concerned about the puppies.

Jiang Dehu smiled. "Then I'll go talk to Uncle Sixteen first. If he doesn't want to keep any of the five, I'll take them all to Dafang's husband. His family is well-off, so raising a few dogs won't be a problem."

Jiang's mother then asked, "Ah Hu, now that you're helping out, has her husband told you how much he'll pay you each month?"

At this, Mrs. Jiang perked up, eager to hear the answer.

Last year, after attending her cousin's wedding banquet, Mrs. Jiang had shared some news with her sister-in-law, saying she planned to arrange for her son Ah Hu to work on Lychee Mountain after the New Year. The sister-in-law had been envious at the time, as finding a steady job in those days was no easy feat.

But what she envied was just the beginning. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, after visiting relatives, she returned to the news that her sister-in-law was paying ten yuan a month for Jiang Defeng to help care for the children. Then, the couple had gone together to work on Lychee Mountain.

This news left Mrs. Jiang feeling bitter. She had been jealous of just one person having a job, and now both had steady work, which made her even more envious.

Now, hearing her mother-in-law ask about Jiang Dehu's wages, Mrs. Jiang listened intently, hoping the pay wasn't too high, so she could feel a little better.

Jiang Dehu, prepared for this question, smiled and said, " Uncle Jiu is paying us 20 yuan a month."

Before returning, Jiang Dehu had discussed this with his wife. They decided to downplay their income to avoid arousing jealousy and unnecessary trouble.

Even with the reduced figure, his parents, sister, and sister-in-law were stunned.

Father Jiang exclaimed, "To pay you such a high salary, Mr. Dafang is truly generous!"

In those days, 20 yuan a month was a significant sum. Many people working in commercial grain jobs earned only a dozen yuan a month when starting out.

"Alright, I won't say more. I'll go talk to Uncle Sixteen about the puppies now," Jiang Dehu said.

"Go ahead. They're paying you and your wife so well; you should do this small favor for them," Father Jiang urged.

After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, students returned to school.

Deng Shirong took out 30 yuan and handed it to his second son, saying, "Yunheng, there's only one semester left. I won't say much, but I hope you'll be the first college student from Thatchfield Village."

Deng Yunheng took the money and nodded firmly. "Dad, I won't let you down."

Seeing his second son's confidence, Deng Shirong felt a surge of hope. He then handed 20 yuan to his third son, Deng Yunsong, and said, "Yunsong, you need to work hard too. Your goal this year is to be first in your class. I believe you can do it."

During the winter break, Deng Yunsong had sought advice from his second brother, consolidating his knowledge and previewing new material. He felt his grades would improve significantly this semester, and topping the class seemed within reach.

After all, while he hadn't received rewards from his father before, his grades had always been among the best in his class since starting junior high.

Deng Yunsong nodded confidently. "Dad, just wait and see. By the end of this semester, I'll definitely be first in the class."

"I believe in you," Deng Shirong said, full of confidence in his third son, who had proven himself in his previous life.

He then handed 10 yuan each to his youngest daughter and two youngest sons, saying to them one by one:

"Azhu, I don't expect too much from you. Just aim to pass your exams. Xiaohua, I hope you can earn a reward from me this semester. Xiaoheng, keep working hard. As long as you don't fall behind, you're winning."

Deng Yunzhu took the money and responded weakly, "Yeah."

Compared to her high-achieving brothers, she, a struggling student who barely passed, naturally felt overshadowed.

Deng Yunhua took the money and echoed, "Yeah."

His academic performance was average. He had worked hard the previous year, but studying required talent. Without it, hard work didn't always pay off. If not for his father's financial rewards, Deng Yunhua wouldn't have achieved his current results.

Deng Yunheng took the money with a smile. "Dad, I understand!"

He was the only one among his siblings to receive rewards from their father, twice in a row. This filled him with pride and motivated him to aim for a third reward.

After encouraging his school-going children, Deng Shirong turned to his eldest daughter and daughter-in-law, who were studying at home. "Ah Zhen, Ah Ping, although you don't have exams like them, you still need to study hard. The knowledge you gain will be useful in the future."

Zhang Xiuping quickly responded, "I know, Dad!"

Deng Yunzhen also nodded, indicating she understood.

(End of Chapter)