After Rebirth, Minor Character Only Wants to Level Up
Chapter 35 - 034: Pinching Pennies

Chapter 35: 034: Pinching Pennies

The Wang Family was thinking about how to get the Ye Family to agree to Wang Hai becoming a temporary worker, while over at the Ye Family, Ye Ling and her grandmother were also discussing how to earn some money.

After this trip to the city, Old Mrs. Ye realized that relying on her son and daughter-in-law to pay for her eldest granddaughter’s education might not work out, "We have twelve hens and two roosters at home now. When spring comes and they start laying eggs, I’ll hatch some chicks. You should also cut back on food expenses. One egg sells for nine cents, and with eight eggs a day, that’s seventy cents. When the hatched chicks grow up and start laying eggs, we might even save enough for your schooling."

"Grandma, that won’t work. When spring comes, I’ll go with the villagers to the mountains. If we can catch some wild chickens, we can sell them for a few bucks." Ye Ling was also worried about making money.

About ten miles from the village is the river bay, a wild grassland with some small hills and a large river. Usually, when a village wants to gather mushrooms, they’ll go there. They might also catch some wild chickens and similar things.

Old Mrs. Ye disagreed, "No, when the river thaws in spring, what if you fall in? More than a few people have drowned there. Even if we’re eager to make money, we can’t do risky things. Just stay home. When spring comes, I’ll buy some goose eggs and hatch some goslings. We have no one to do the physical labor to earn work points, so we can’t rely on what the brigade distributes. I’ll manage more at home when I’m free."

Furthermore, after rejecting the Wang Family this time, considering the captain, it won’t be easy to get the same work points distributed as before. Old Mrs. Ye had to consider this.

Ye Ling knew Grandma’s worries, yet she felt she couldn’t leverage her own strength, making her anxious. She also had a habit of getting heated and having mouth blisters when anxious. After a few words, she got heated, and by the next morning, small blisters had formed at the corner of her mouth.

Old Mrs. Ye couldn’t help but worry when she saw it, "How did this happen?"

"It’s nothing. I slept on the bed for a few days, and suddenly sleeping on the heated brick bed might have caused it." Ye Ling made an excuse, not wanting to worry her grandma.

Old Mrs. Ye was relieved, "It’s the middle of winter, and everyone has nothing to do. I just heard the captain announce a study session at his place. I’ll go pack up to attend, and you stay home, watch the house, and review your schoolwork."

Whenever there’s nothing to do now, the village organizes ideological lessons or some proletarian ideology stuff. According to Ye Ling, it’s just Captain Wang trying to wield authority out of boredom, thus organizing these activities for no reason.

After sending her grandma out, Ye Ling locked the door from inside and went back to lie on the heated brick bed to read. In the village, not many kids her age were going to school. To be honest, if it weren’t for her father working in a company, given the current conditions, she couldn’t afford to stay in school and would’ve dropped out long ago.

Ye Ling opened the textbook, looking page by page. Initially, it seemed a bit difficult, but after a few repeated readings, she remembered everything. For challenging topics, she would take notes herself. In fact, she didn’t need to look; she still remembered the middle school exam questions from her previous life, so she wasn’t worried about failing the exam.

So, all morning, Ye Ling studied the middle school exam question patterns. After finishing, she lay back on the brick bed, picked up high school exercises, and started on them. The exercises she chose were quite good, with sample questions and solutions. Ye Ling could understand them slowly; after all, living two lifetimes, her mind wasn’t truly just sixteen years old.

Lying on the warm heated brick bed under a blanket while reading, Ye Ling yawned and fell asleep without realizing it, only to be woken by the sound of an argument.

The Ye Family’s layout was a bit different from others. Most families had their heated brick beds next to windows, but the Ye Family’s was against the north wall, with a window dug out above it. In summer, Ye Ling would jump out of this window to go to the toilet when getting up at night.

Ye Ling sat up and moved to the window on the north wall near the backdoor, listening. Because it was winter, the glass was frosted, making it impossible to see who was outside, but she could recognize the voices of Zhang Juanzi and Wang Hai, especially since they mentioned her home. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be quarreling here.

"Anyway, I say no, you go back with me now." Zhang Juanzi’s voice was in disagreement.

Ye Ling didn’t hear the earlier conversation, but Wang Hai’s words afterwards made her understand the issue, "What? I’ll just tell Ye Ling outright not to bother her dad; I don’t want to be a temporary worker. Her dad doesn’t need to pull strings, and I don’t need to do this; isn’t this the best solution for both sides? What’s the point of finding her? Don’t worry, even if my dad finds out it’s my problem, it won’t fall on you."

Wang Hai made his promise, thumping his chest confidently, but Zhang Juanzi didn’t believe him. "Don’t talk empty words here. When your dad shows up, aren’t you just as meek as a mouse in front of a cat? If you’re really not scared of your dad, why haven’t you talked to him about us? You keep it hidden...

Don’t forget, I’m already yours."

After this, Zhang Juanzi’s voice softened, clearly embarrassed by the private matters discussed.

Wang Hai, adept at sweet-talking, said, "Who else would dare take you away? Don’t worry, when the opportunity arises and my dad is in a good mood, I’ll tell him. Besides, you’re still so young, even if we tell him, we can’t get married yet, so no rush."

"Okay, I’ll wait then." Zhang Juanzi knew pushing Wang Hai wouldn’t work and feared annoying him, so she dropped the subject. "Don’t bother going to the Ye Family. I heard the company they work at isn’t easy to get into, even if the Ye Family tries. It might not work out for them, so you don’t have to go, sparing you the trouble with your dad."

In comparison, Zhang Juanzi was more thoughtful than Wang Hai and hit the crucial point.

Wang Hai wasn’t dense either; Zhang Juanzi’s words made sense to him, and he chuckled, "You’re smart. Alright, I’ll listen to you. Worst case, if I really pass, I’ll just hide out for a few days. Once the time passes, there’s nothing they can do with me."

Their voices grew softer, and even the footsteps faded. Ye Ling knew they had left, coldly curling her lip. Wang Hai thought he could just go to that company as he wished?

Not to mention her father’s company; even being a temporary worker now takes a lot of effort. It’s not something you can just do because you want to. You have to pass a physical exam, and sometimes only two spots are available for many applicants, competing fiercely to get in.

However, Zhang Juanzi is smart. No wonder she managed to marry into the Wang Family in her last life. Guess her pregnancy was part of her plan, too?