Chapter 38: Finally Going to Build a House

Li You returned home and saw the courtyard gate wide open, and there were quite a number of people walking around inside. Ox carts and horse carts were coming in and out, some carrying soil and some carrying water. It turned out that his father had already found people to help make adobe bricks. Judging from the fact that the whole yard was filled with drying adobe bricks, it was obvious that the construction had been going on for quite a while. After Li You tied the big red mule, unloaded the cart, greeted everyone, and then went back into the house. Then Li You found the jar that contained sugar from the house, and then carried out a thermos of boiled water and a stack of big bowls. "Uncles and uncles, take a break and have some sugar water!" Subsequently, he started making sugar water on the stone millstone under the eaves. Even though it was already 1980, materials were still very scarce. White sugar could be sold for 1.2 yuan per catty at the supply and marketing cooperative. The most important thing was that this thing was still purchased by ticket. A family didn't have much sugar ticket in a year, so this thing was really a good thing in the eyes of the commune members. Hearing that there was sugar water to drink, all the commune members who were helping stopped and came over to get bowls one after another! Li You wasn't stingy either. There were two big spoons of white sugar in each bowl. When boiling hot water was poured in, the sweet taste came up all at once! During this break, the men got together and started chatting! "Brother Shankui, life really passes by so fast. In the blink of an eye, Youwa is also going to build a house and marry a wife!" "Who said it wasn't? A few years ago, I still saw that kid running around the street in split pants, and now he has become a big guy!" "Hahaha, Youwa has been naughty since he was a child. My small orchard at home has been spoiled by him a lot!" "What's yours? Two years ago in my family's..." Everyone was talking about Li You's embarrassing things one after another, and Li You felt really embarrassed listening to it. But he couldn't say a word of rebuttal at all, after all, they didn't wrong him. Not to mention the things when he was a child. Since he went to school, he has been the child king in the village, leading a group of younger brothers to spoil this family today and that family tomorrow. It could be said that as long as there were families with "specialties" in the village, none of them had not been spoiled by him. In recent years, it has become even worse, from petty mischief to stealing chickens and dogs. When this was mentioned by others, he was too embarrassed to stay at home. Thinking of having something to say to Tang Ying, Li You immediately said to Li Shankui, "Dad, I'm going to the educated youth spot. You guys go ahead and be busy!" After saying that, Li You took the things he bought for Tang Ying from the county town and rode his bicycle straight to the educated youth spot! These days belonged to the slack season in agriculture, and the production tasks of the team were also relatively simple, that is, cutting pigweed and cleaning the irrigation canal, so everyone got off work relatively early. When Li You arrived, most of the educated youth had already returned and were chatting and bragging in the shade of the trees in twos and threes. It was already June 1980, and most of the educated youth with connections or abilities had returned to the city. Either their family members found jobs for them, or they simply got into college directly. Those who remained here were either those without connections or those without abilities. This group of people was the most hopeless group among all the educated youth and could only slowly endure the time and wait for opportunities. Therefore, in Li You's eyes, these people seemed extremely decadent! And these people also looked down on Li You. Looking at him riding his bicycle whistling past them, someone immediately said sourly, "Just a hooligan, what's there to be proud of!" Immediately someone echoed, "That's right, a bumpkin. Just one bicycle makes him so cocky, what a virtue!" "Why do you all care about him? Do you think what Brother Xu said will work? Can those mushrooms really be sold for money?" "It's estimated to be possible. Didn't Xu Hong say that he had already found a way to sell? We picked so many mushrooms in the afternoon. At least dozens of yuan can be sold!" "Dozens of yuan? Can there be that much?" "Hehe, do you know how much daily wages that hooligan gives to those muddy monkey children in the village? Say it and it will scare you to death. The highest can be five yuan!" "Oh my god, five yuan a day, then in a month it won't be able to get 150 yuan..." . .....

Li You didn't pay attention to these people. He directly drove the car to the female educated youth's dormitory. As soon as he came over, he saw Zhang Xinyao washing clothes outside. After seeing Li You, Zhang Xinyao immediately shouted into the room, "Xiao Ying, your man has come to look for you!" Hearing Zhang Xinyao directly call himself Tang Ying's man, Li You was immediately happy in his heart. This woman can get along with, she is a decent person. Tang Ying in the room was tidying up. Like those educated youth like them, and the ordinary members of the village, they rush to work every morning, and generally don't rest at noon. Only when they come back at night do they have time to tidy up. Hearing Zhang Xinyao's words, Tang Ying knew that it was Li You who had come, and immediately walked out of the room. Sure enough, she saw Li You standing not far away with a bicycle, presumably waiting for her. Tang Ying has now resigned herself to her fate. She has lost her innocence. Although she has received a transfer order to return to the city, she dare not go home. Since Li You is willing to be responsible, and he has really improved during this period, she should also give him a chance and give herself a chance. "Wait a moment, I'll come right away!" After saying that, Tang Ying immediately went back to the room, changed into a clean dress and came out. After coming to Li You's front, Tang Ying looked at him and said, "Why do you have time to come over? Didn't you go to the back mountain to pick up those children?" Tang Ying also knew that Li You led the children in the village to pick wild goods during this period. Anyway, with internal spies like Li Na, Li You basically has no secrets in front of Tang Ying, unless even Li Na herself doesn't know. "No need to pick up. There are Dongzi and Shi Tou and a few of them leading, and it's not a big problem!" Then Li You took a small net bag from the handlebars and handed it to Tang Ying's front and said, "This is for you!" "Sandals?" Through the net bag, Tang Ying saw that what was contained inside was actually a pair of plastic sandals, light yellow in color, with some metal ornaments on it, looking very beautiful. "Well, I saw it at the supply and marketing cooperative today and thought it would definitely look good on you, so I bought it!" Tang Ying hesitated a little, but still took it. "You don't earn money easily. Don't be so wasteful in the future!" Li You smiled and said, "Buying things for my own wife, how can it be considered wasteful!" Hearing Li You call his wife one after another, Tang Ying's face suddenly turned extremely red and whispered, "Speak softer, we haven't gotten married yet!" "That's a matter of sooner or later!" Then Li You said again, "By the way, I came here today and there is another thing to discuss with you. No, it should be to ask for your opinion!" "What...what thing?" Seeing that Li You said so solemnly, Tang Ying asked nervously. "The family is going to build a new house. I want to ask what kind of house you want and what are the requirements for the layout?" Li You said. "Eh, why suddenly want to build a house?" Tang Ying asked in surprise. "It's not that I'm planning to marry you in. I'm worried that using the old house as the wedding room for you would be a bit aggrieved, so I built it!" As soon as the words fell, Tang Ying was heard to say, "It's not aggrieved. Isn't it like this in these years?" "I don't care what other people's families are like, but since I have this ability, I can't aggrieve you!" Li You said seriously. Tang Ying's heart trembled suddenly and whispered, "Actually, you don't have to do this!" "I said I would hold a grand wedding for you and marry you in a glorious manner. I, Li You, keep my word!" "Well! Thank you!" "Hurry up and talk. What are your requirements for the house? I can go back and plan?" Li You said. "Can you make a place for me to take a bath? You also know that it is really too inconvenient for our female comrades to take a bath!" "No problem, I will design a bathroom!" "Also, can the kitchen be made a little bigger!" "Well, it's better to be bigger!" "That's about it!" "Okay, I'll go back and design carefully according to your requirements. This is our first house and must make you satisfied!" Then Li You talked with Tang Ying for a while longer, until it was almost dark, and then reluctantly left the educated youth spot!