Chapter 39: Wang Zhuzi

  Not far from the entrance, Qiu Ye found Zhu Zhi Ge's home and pushed open the courtyard door. Although Wang Zhuzi was a bit silly, he was very capable and could eat bitterness. He had cleaned up the courtyard very neatly, and the small place of only 30 or 40 square meters was well-organized. In the direction of the house, several ridges of vegetables were planted on the right side of the courtyard. The cucumbers had already grown to the size of a palm, and the persimmons were as big as a fist. Qiu Ye saw the fresh vegetables she hadn't seen for a long time and swallowed back her saliva. She comforted herself that her own family also had them, and there were more than Zhu Zhi Ge's. When the vegetables were ripe, she could eat them to her heart's content every day.

  Qiu Ye quickly shifted his gaze away from those underage little guys, can't molest underage vegetables, right?

  To the left of the courtyard is a lychee tree, which has also started to bear fruit. Seeing the green lychees, Qiu Ye's saliva flowed again, but this time it wasn't because he was hungry, but because they were sour.

  She hastened her pace and rushed to the door, knocking on it with a "dang dang dang" sound while shouting: "Zhùzi ge, are you home?"

  Qiu Ye had just put down his hand from knocking on the door when he heard the sound of slippers shuffling inside, and then the door was suddenly pushed open from the inside. Qiu Ye was extremely relieved that he had been prepared in advance, otherwise this sudden movement would have definitely hit him right on the nose, and he might have fallen straight down three thousand feet, leaving behind two streams of nasal blood. How could he still show his face in front of Zhuo Ge then? After all, he was going to be his boss in the future.

  Just as Qiu Ye was secretly rejoicing, the person inside saw a little girl covering her nose and staring blankly. He thought he had just hit this child and hurried forward, grabbing Qiu Ye's hand that was covering her nose, and loudly said: "How is it, how is it? Are you hurt? Brother Zhu will take you to the infirmary."

  Qiu Ye was startled awake by the sudden grab, and upon looking up at the big guy holding him, it turned out to be Zhu Zi Ge, whom he had been searching for all day. Before he could get a good look, he hastily said: "I'm fine, I'm fine, you didn't hit me just now, let go quickly."

  Wang Zhuzi's strength was great, and he also had no control over his force. As soon as he grabbed Qiu Ye, Qiu Ye couldn't bear it. His current small body could not withstand such a powerful grasp, and his wrist would definitely be bruised for several days.

  "Oh, oh, it's nothing. Xiaoye, why are you standing outside the door for no reason?" Wang Zhuzi asked in a dull tone.

  Wang Zhuzi is a bit silly, but he has a good memory. He can remember the names of all the children around his age, like Qiu Ye.

  "Zhuzi brother, I'm here to ask for your help. Let's go inside and talk." Qiu Ye quickly stated her purpose for today, there was no need to be polite with him, especially since they were separated by a courtyard, and two old women were over there, glaring at them with the intention of listening in on their gossip. She could already imagine the two women perking up their ears.

  So after Qiu Ye finished speaking, she took the initiative to pull Wang Zhuo's hand and walked towards the house. If someone saw it, they would have thought that Wang Zhuo was a guest in this home, which belonged to Qiu Ye.

  Qiu Ye stepped into the house and observed that it was very simple, with only two rooms. The first room he entered was a living room and also served as a kitchen. In the corner, there was still an old-fashioned stove, on top of which sat a large iron pot. Next to it was a four-legged table that didn't look very sturdy, holding a set of liquefied gas stoves, with a small iron pot and a steamer on top. It seemed that Zhu Zi Ge hadn't used the stove for a while, but Qiu Ye wondered if it still worked.

  To the left of the main room, there was another small house. Upon entering, she saw a long earthen kang with a worn-out quilt on top, which made her feel a pang in her heart. Zhuzi Ge lived alone, and the quilt was so tattered that the cotton stuffing was exposed, yet no one had mended it for him. She secretly decided that from now on, she must not mistreat Zhuzi Ge anymore, letting him earn more money and save up his wife's dowry over the next two years, so that when it came time to take a daughter-in-law, they would have enough.

  The house was also empty, except for a kang, on which stood a large cabinet, and nothing else.

  Qiu Ye casually put on her slippers and got onto the kang, only to find it was icy cold. "Zhu Zi Ge, why didn't you heat up the kang?"

  Wang Zhuzi asked dully: "Xiaoye, you're cold, hurry up and get into bed, I'll heat the kang for you."

  Wang Zhuzi didn't consider Qiu Ye an outsider at all, and thought she was cold. He took a look at her small frame, not a bit of fat on her body, how could she withstand the cold? It's better to hurry up and warm up the kang for her.

  "No, Zhuzi Ge, I'm not cold. I was just looking at you sleeping on such a thin quilt and not burning the kang, so I asked if you were cold at night." Qiu Ye hastily called out to the person who was about to go out to fetch firewood.

  "It's not cold, it's already July, who still uses a kang, besides I'm physically strong, nothing's wrong." Wang Zhuzi stopped in his tracks when Qiu Ye said he wasn't cold, as if this body of his would ever feel cold.

  Qiu Ye only then remembered that it was already July, and she was wearing short sleeves, how could she still ask someone to burn the kang? She felt a bit embarrassed for not knowing this everyday knowledge, so she hurriedly covered up with a cough, patted the kang beside her, and asked Wang Zhuzi to come over and sit.

  Wang Zhuzi obediently took off his shoes and sat down beside Qiu Ye, looking at her thin figure, still not at ease, he pulled over his own worn cotton quilt and covered her with it.

  Qiu Ye knew that Zhu Zi Ge was this kind of person, if he thought he was cold, then don't let him turn around, he would always remember, so Qiu Ye didn't struggle either. Anyway, the house had some shade, she wrapped herself in a broken cotton-padded jacket and started discussing serious matters with Zhu Zi Ge.

  "Zhu Zi Ge, I came to find you for help today." Qiu Ye went straight to the point, with someone like Zhu Zi Ge, beating around the bush was useless.

  "Alright." Wang Zhuzi replied succinctly, without even knowing what Qiu Ye wanted him to help with, he agreed in one breath.

  Qiu Ye was so angry and amused at the same time, saying: "Zhu Zi Ge, let me tell you, it's like this..."

  Then Qiu Ye simply said that she was doing business and wanted Zhu Zhi Ge to help her deliver goods, as she couldn't carry such a large bucket of eggs with her small build.

  Qiu Ye also said that he would be paid 20 yuan per month, which is only temporary. If business is good in the future, his salary will increase.

  Wang Zhuzi scratched his head anxiously and said: "Xiaoye, Brother Zhuzi can help you, but I don't want any money."

  Wang Zhuzi looked at the little person in front of him, really not having a working appearance, and indeed needed his help. However, he couldn't take her money, Xiaoye was like a little sister to him, how could he take her money?

  Oh no, Qiu Ye forgot that Wang Zhu is a bit silly. He clearly distinguishes between helping and working. Helping means just helping without asking for money. Since he said let him help from the beginning, he classified delivering goods as helping, so he didn't want any money.

  "Zhu Zi Ge, I want to be the boss. Once September comes and I start school, I won't have time anymore. If you don't take my money, how can I trust you with such a big business? So you must take the money, or else I'll worry. Or do you think you'll be the boss in the future?" Qiu Ye looked at the foolish giant in front of her with a suspicious expression.

  Wang Zhuzi heard Qiu Ye say this, shaking his head like a rattle drum, and waving his big hands vigorously, saying: "I won't be the boss, Little Ye, you be the boss."

  "That's right, besides, your future work is not just making tea eggs at home, but also responsible for delivering goods every day, which are all physically demanding tasks. If you don't get paid, when the time comes and there's no money to eat, and you've eaten all my tea eggs, what then? So you should still take the money, and fill your belly every day, that way you won't be thinking about my tea eggs." Qiu Ye deliberately said it as if she was afraid that Zhu Zhi Ge would steal her tea eggs, knowing that he would accept the money to put her at ease.

  Qiu Ye had just entered the house and knew that he was still lying at home now, in order to move less and eat less.

  Wang Zhuzi's face showed a hint of struggle, but Qiu Ye directly made the decision for him, "It's settled then, what I say goes."

  Qiu Ye was so overbearing that Wang Zhuzi yielded, actually he is just an obedient child, if there is someone to lead him correctly, then he can do anything. Now Qiu Ye is that leader.

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