Chapter 23: Ranran’s Hard-Earned Fee Is Priceless

Zhong Qingfeng quickly carried over two full buckets of water. "Educated Youth Wen, which room is yours?"

"The last one. You can just leave them here; I’ll carry them myself. Here is a dime for you." Wen Lin handed him a ten-cent bill.

"Let me take them over for you. There is a separate stove next to the cave dwelling you're staying in; I’ll see what else you might need." Seeing the money in Wen Lin's hand, Zhong Qingfeng’s eyes brightened even more. If this educated youth needed firewood, he could earn some more money.

"Brother Qingfeng, you’ve earned money so quickly! Which educated youth wants to ride on the back of my bicycle?" Qu Chengyuan rode up in a rush. He was the village chief’s youngest son, a second-year junior high student in town who usually rode his bike to school. Occasionally, he would tag along with Zhong Qingfeng to earn some pocket money—even helping his mother buy soy sauce would result in him inflating the cost by two cents.

"These two. Pick one to carry, and I’ll catch up with you later," Zhong Qingfeng said, glancing back before heading toward the final cave dwelling.

"Comrade, I’m lighter than him, why don't you take me?" Xiao Zhiyu, seeing that Qu Chengyuan was about the same size as his uncle, spoke up proactively.

"Alrighty! Get on and sit tight before I start," Qu Chengyuan said thoughtfully. He was experienced, having carried other educated youths before. Some female students didn't know how to get on, so he had made it a habit to wait for the passenger to be settled before moving.

"Start riding first, then I’ll get on; that way, it will be easier for you." Xiao Zhiyu was a naturally kind person.

"Hehe, Comrade, you’re a really good person!" Qu Chengyuan laughed. The two boys, similar in age, set off happily.

Zhong Qingfeng followed Wen Lin into the cave. Ye Siran had already finished cleaning, making the space feel very cozy. On the large, wide kang, a bright green bedsheet was already laid out, with two brightly colored quilts placed side by side. The cave had a dirt floor and mud-brick walls, so it could only be wiped clean with a dry cloth; no water was needed.

"Ranan, you’re amazing! You’ve made our cave look so warm and inviting." Wen Lin’s voice choked with emotion. She had intended to do some heavy lifting, but after lingering outside with Xia Tiantian for so long, she hadn't expected Ye Siran to have transformed the cave so beautifully.

Zhong Qingfeng stood at the entrance, not daring to step inside. He had never seen anyone make a cave dwelling look so luxurious. He looked up at the soot-stained Ye Siran and saw her gazing at him with clear, bright eyes. He suddenly felt nervous. "Comrade... right, I’ve left the water at the door. I have things to attend to, so I’ll go now. I’ll have someone bring you firewood later."

"Thank you, Comrade. Please weigh the firewood yourselves, and we will pay you for it."

Ye Siran’s voice flowed like a clear spring, gentle as a breeze brushing against Zhong Qingfeng’s heart, causing him to blurt out, "I don’t want money."

"You charged a dime just to carry two buckets of water, but you don't want money for helping us with firewood?" Wen Lin asked, disbelieving.

"I really don't. That dime covered the firewood." Zhong Qingfeng turned and ran. He had already tucked the dime from Wen Lin into his pocket, so he could afford to skip charging for the wood. Once money went into his pocket, there was no way he would ever take it out again.

As he ran out, he saw Qu Chenggang. "Brother Gang, let’s go."

"Qingfeng, can you carry Educated Youth Xia?"

"No, I’ve already taken his money," Zhong Qingfeng said firmly, pointing at the bespectacled young man. "Let’s go, Brother Yuan and the others are already far ahead." With that, he rode off with the young man.

"Comrade Qu, could you find someone else to carry Tiantian, please?" Jian Yueshi asked softly.

"Our village only has three bicycles in total. How about you let one of them sit on the front crossbar?" Qu Chenggang asked awkwardly.

"In your dreams! Your thoughts are so dirty, you hooligan!" Xia Tiantian shouted angrily.

Seeing the ugly expression on Qu Chenggang’s face, Jian Yueshi scolded, "Tiantian, why would you say that to Comrade Qu? You go finish cleaning the cave, I’ll go buy things by myself."

"Shishi, be careful of him. Fine, I’ll stay and clean," Xia Tiantian said, her tone sour. She didn't have much money on her, and back in the city, she had always survived by sucking up to Jian Yueshi. Although Jian Yueshi lived with a stepmother, her maternal grandparents both had salaries. Xia Tiantian knew that if she went, she would just be carrying things and definitely wouldn't be buying anything herself; she wouldn't touch her own savings unless absolutely necessary.

Qu Chenggang wanted to say that if they didn't trust him, they shouldn't go, but seeing Jian Yueshi on the verge of tears, he kept his mouth shut.

Back at the cave, Wen Lin was about to say something sentimental when Ye Siran said, "Wen Lin, what do you think of my arrangement? How much do you think this labor is worth?"

Wen Lin paused for a moment before bursting into a smile. "Ranan’s hard work is priceless, but since we’re good friends, let’s call it ten yuan!"

"Ten yuan is a bit much. Since you said my work is priceless, let’s split the difference—just give me five yuan."

Wen Lin promptly pulled out five yuan and handed it to Ye Siran, moved. "Ranan, you're so good. I’m going to boil some water for you to bathe."

"Let's go together." Ye Siran was worried Wen Lin wouldn't know how to use the mud-brick stove. In truth, she didn't know how either, but she had learned in her past life. Back then, she had used it to teach her daughter about the hardships of the past, learning to cook with firewood in a cave; her daughter, however, hadn't learned anything and only complained.

"Ranan, you're truly the best." Wen Lin held Ye Siran’s hand, and the two walked happily toward the stove. "Ranan, what do we do since we don't have coal briquettes? I don't know how to do anything. If I didn't have you, would I starve to death?"

"How could that be? Don't you have money? If you have money, you can just pay others to do things for you," Ye Siran consoled her softly. She had no firewood in her spatial dimension, though she did have plenty of coal briquettes. However, since no one in Gaotang Village burned coal yet, she hadn't brought any out.

"Educated Youth Wen, my Qingfeng said you needed firewood?" An elderly voice sounded from outside the cave.

"Yes, yes, we need to buy firewood!" Wen Lin called out, and Ye Siran stepped outside. She immediately saw an old woman in her sixties, trembling as she carried a bundle of dry grass on her back. Ye Siran was startled, fearing the woman might hurt herself. "Granny, please, stop walking."

Though spoiled, Wen Lin was kind-hearted. Seeing this, she ran over and helped steady the old woman. "Granny, how much for this hay?"

"My Qingfeng said it’s free."

"That won't do. I’ll give you fifty cents." Wen Lin pulled out a stack of bills and picked out five ten-cent notes to hand to the old woman. It wasn't that she had intended to pull out those specific denominations, but that was just what her hand had grasped. Her mother had prepared her pocket money in stacks of one hundred bills each: ten-cent, twenty-cent, and fifty-cent denominations, as well as one, two, and five-yuan bills. There were no one-cent or two-cent notes, and only ten five-cent notes, because her mother said small change took up too much space. With a stack of one-hundred ten-yuan bills, she really wasn't short on cash.

Grandma Zhong tried to refuse, but Wen Lin insisted on shoving a handful of White Rabbit Creamy Candies into her hands. Frightened and overwhelmed, the old woman hurried away, clutching the money and the candies.