Chapter 29 Envisioning the Future

"I'm also worried that someone might come to our door asking to borrow money. We're all neighbors, so what do you think? Should we lend it to them or not? What do you think?"

Shen Zishan gazed at his wife, his eyes filled with tenderness and affection, and said softly, "Okay, wife, I'll listen to you. Whatever decision you like, I'll definitely support you to the end!"

“Alright, in that case, I’ll make the decision. If the village chief and all the villagers are willing to sell this house to me, then I will buy it.”

Ma Aning spoke firmly, indicating that he was determined to complete the deal.

"That house sells for 220 yuan, so we'll have 80 yuan left. We can use that money to buy some daily necessities without attracting too much attention."

Ma Aning said excitedly, a satisfied smile on her face.

Upon hearing this, Shen Zishan nodded repeatedly, indicating his complete agreement: "Yes, you have indeed considered this very thoroughly. Let's proceed with this method!" He was clearly very satisfied with the suggestion.

At this point, Ma Aning continued, "Besides, that house has been uninhabited for a long time. In a few days, I will ask my younger brother and my younger brother to come over and help tidy up the yard."

As she spoke, the lively scene of everyone working together to clean the courtyard came to mind.

At this moment, Shen Zishan showed great patience, listening quietly as Ma Aning described the beautiful blueprint for the future, with a slight smile on his lips and an expectant glint in his eyes.

As Ma Aning spoke, her head began to nod off, and she was almost asleep.

"Wife, come to bed and rest for a bit!" Shen Zishan gently patted the edge of the bed, then moved his body over to give his wife enough space.

"Okay, I am a little sleepy." Ma Aning replied to her husband as she slowly walked towards the bed.

Because she was heavily pregnant, she moved slowly and cautiously.

Pregnant women are indeed prone to fatigue, especially in the sweltering summer. Ma Aning had just lain down in bed when she fell asleep as if by magic.

Shen Zishan turned to the side and quietly gazed at his wife's peaceful sleeping face.

Her high, protruding belly rose and fell gently with her breath, inside which the fruit of their love was growing.

He couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke Ma Aning's belly, finally placing a deep kiss on her forehead.

Feeling Ma Aning's even breathing, Shen Zishan felt very content. He closed his eyes and accompanied her into a sweet dream.

Before she knew it, it was time to get off work. Ma Aning slowly woke up, stretched, and sat up.

She turned to look at her husband, who was already awake and propping his head up as he looked at her, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

“I can’t sleep if I’m lying in bed all day doing nothing,” Shen Zishan replied casually as he helped his wife get up from the mountainside.

Just then, a clear whistle sounded from outside.

Ma Aning knew this was the signal to gather, so she called softly to Shen Zishan, "Brother Shan, I'm leaving. We need to gather at the threshing ground."

After saying that, she carefully supported her round belly and walked slowly towards the door.

Upon arriving at the threshing ground, the villagers gradually gathered together.

Ma Aning found a relatively quiet corner to stand in and patiently waited for the village chief to speak.

Soon, almost everyone had arrived. The village chief cleared his throat and said loudly, "Alright, now that everyone is here, I'd like to tell you all something..."

The villagers were talking loudly below, completely unaware of what was suddenly going to be announced.

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment!" The village chief stood at the front of the crowd and pressed his hands down to signal everyone to quiet down.

Then he cleared his throat and said, "Grandma Sun from our village passed away almost a year ago. During this time, our village has been helping to renovate this house."

"Well, today the Shen family is dividing their assets, and the couple has their eye on this house and wants to put up some money to buy it."

The village chief paused for a moment, then continued, "Our team offered 220 yuan for this house, and they seem quite interested in buying it. After all, the couple is dividing their assets this time and will be building their own house."

"But they also said that we only received 300 yuan in total. The yard still needs some renovations, and we also need to buy some daily necessities for the house."

"So the couple can accept the price of 220, after all, it leaves them with 80 yuan. If it were any higher, they would only have two months left. After that, they don't need to build such a big house, it won't cost much."

“We thought of selling the house to them because one of them was about to have a baby and the other had injured his leg, making it really inconvenient for them to rebuild the house.”

"And everyone knows that if you were to build a new house now, it would cost about the same."

At this point, the village chief paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present, before continuing, "So, I'd like to ask everyone what their thoughts are on this matter? Please feel free to share your opinions."

"If there are no objections, then we'll sell the house to the Shen family, and the proceeds will stay in the team. We can use it to buy fertilizer this year."

After hearing the village chief's words, the villagers, who had been somewhat noisy, immediately quieted down and began to huddle together in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

Those who had been eyeing the house with covetous intent and malicious intent all looked resentful and unwilling.

They were filled with resentment and helplessness, but what could they do? The facts were clear: they were simply short of money and couldn't afford to buy the house.

Moreover, the house cannot be given away for free; even if people don't want to accept it, they have no choice.

At this moment, the village chief cleared his throat and said loudly, "Alright, folks, I won't take up any more of your precious time to go home for dinner."

"If anyone still has different opinions or ideas about this sale, please stand on the other side."

After speaking, the village chief waited quietly for everyone's reaction.

After a long while, no one moved an inch, let alone moved to the other side.

Seeing this, the village chief nodded in satisfaction and then announced loudly, "Since everyone agrees on this decision, I now officially announce that this house will be sold to Mr. and Mrs. Shen Zishan for 220 yuan!"

Finally, the village chief added, "I called everyone here today for this very matter, and it was done with everyone's consent. If anyone raises objections or goes back on their word in the future, don't blame me for being ruthless! I gave you all a chance."

"If anyone has anything else to say, please speak up now. If not, please go home and have dinner!" The village chief stood on the platform and looked down, but still no one offered any opinions.

"Now that everyone is alright, let's call it a day!"

As the village chief spoke, he walked slowly down the path with steady steps.

In no time at all, they had already descended the steps.

Seeing the village chief step down, Ma Aning hurried forward, her face beaming with joy: "Uncle Village Chief, when can I give you the money?" Her eyes revealed a hint of eagerness and anticipation.

Looking at the anxious person in front of him, the village chief couldn't help but smile and said, "You little rascal, you're really impatient! How about this, you come with me."

"Your team leader is probably still at the team headquarters right now. Let's go over there, pay the money, and give you the keys. From now on, the house is yours, and you can move in anytime."

Hearing the village chief's reply, Ma Aning finally felt relieved.

Her face, which was already radiant with joy, was now beaming with an even wider smile.

When Ma Aning went out, she carefully put the money in her pocket, and unexpectedly it came in handy.

The distance from here to the brigade headquarters wasn't too far, so in just 4 minutes, the two of them arrived at their destination.

As the two entered the brigade headquarters together, sure enough, the brigade leader was still there, just as the village chief had predicted.

Upon seeing this, Ma Aning quickly stepped forward and respectfully thanked the two elders, saying, "Uncle Village Chief, Uncle Brigade Leader, thank you so much! We owe you so much for your help this time!"

"Silly girl, we're selling them for money, not giving them away for free. There's no need for thanks," the captain said, as always.