After returning from Little Haizi, Li Junfeng went to the East Room in the Front Courtyard.
His wife, Dong Xiaojuan, was sitting in the courtyard resting. Seeing him return with no one behind him, she asked quietly:
"Didn't you say we were coming here to make money, and the work was easy? From what I've seen today, it doesn't seem all that great. There are too few people here. It's not lively at all..."
Li Junfeng had not yet told his wife what Li Jianguo had said. Hearing her complain, he felt resentful too, but he couldn't say that to her. He could only say:
"That's how Northern Xinjiang is. There aren't many people. Fewer people means it's easier to make money. If it were like back home, with too many people and too little land, how would we make any money? Don't think so much. Just rest up here."
To be honest, life here was certainly better than back home. The vegetable garden was large, and Dong Xiaojuan had already slipped inside and secretly picked a baby cucumber to eat.
It had tasted very good.
"Let me tell you, those things we talked about before might not work out. I'll have to work here for Uncle," Li Junfeng said, deciding after some thought to tell her. "But that's good too. We won't have to be apart. This is a decent place to stay, and they've got bedding and everything ready. It's even better than what we use at home."
"Why?" Dong Xiaojuan was puzzled.
"I asked around just now. The mountains are too dangerous to go into, and catching fish to sell won't work either. There aren't many fish left in Little Haizi now, and they're hard to catch. Besides, there's some risk involved. I might not make any