Reborn in the 1980s: I became a stepmother in the 1980s Ⅱ

Part 201 Wear his coat

The village chief's meeting likely involved discussing the repair costs or other expenses that the villagers would need to contribute. After all, there is only one transformer in the village, and such things can be very expensive these days—definitely not something one family could afford on their own.

Si Nian quickly agreed, "Alright, I'll go and see what's going on."

"Give me a moment to change my clothes," she said and hurried back to her room. She discovered that her jackets were quite thin—mostly autumn wear. Considering the cold weather, they wouldn't be sufficient.

She rummaged through her wardrobe and found Zhou Yue Shen's military coat, which was at the top of the closet. It looked very thick and warm. She grabbed it, noticing it had a furry hat attached. Her eyes lit up as she put on the oversized coat and hat. Although it was a bit big, it provided a lot of warmth and blocked out the cold wind.

Not wanting to keep Aunt Zhang waiting, Si Nian quickly finished getting dressed, grabbed a few candies for Shi Tou, and went downstairs. She then headed out with Aunt Zhang toward the village chief's house.

On the way, Si Nian noticed that many people were rushing to the meeting after receiving the news. It seemed everyone knew that when the village chief called a meeting, it was usually to discuss the costs involved in repairing something, like the transformer in this case. The mood was tense and concerned.

When they arrived at the village chief's house, the courtyard was already filled with people. At the front were the village secretary and other prominent figures in the village. The crowd was noisy and seemed to be in a heated discussion.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the village chief called for silence, "Alright, everyone, quiet down. Here's the situation: As you all know, it rained last night, and the transformer was damaged. Since everyone went to bed early, no one noticed until this morning when I asked Xiao Zhou to check it out, and it was already out of commission. The decision from our village committee is that we need to collect contributions from the villagers to replace it with a new one."

"Xiao Zhou?"

Si Nian, who was bundled up warmly at the back, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. She had vaguely heard Zhou Yue Shen getting up early this morning. So that's why he was up—because of this issue.

The crowd fell silent, exchanging glances upon hearing the village chief's announcement.

"Village Chief, how much will it cost?"

"Yeah, everyone's harvest this year has been poor, and we can't spare much money."

"Can we get a credit or pay later?"

Village Chief Huo's face darkened, "What are you dreaming about? You still owe money from the last repair and now you want credit? I'll make it clear: every household in our Happy Village must contribute. If you don't, your household won't get any electricity, and no one should try to take advantage!"

The people who were hesitant about contributing quickly fell silent upon hearing this.

Si Nian observed the village chief. Despite his age, he stood tall and had a commanding presence, clearly maintaining his authority.

"We don't need much from each person. Just one yuan per person, and the rest will be handled by the village committee."

"One yuan per person? With eight people in my family, that's eight yuan!"

"Yeah, with so many mouths to feed, it's a big burden. It's almost New Year's, and if we have to spend money on this, we won't have anything left to celebrate."

"Shouldn't the wealthier families contribute more, and those with fewer resources contribute less?"

"Our family uses less electricity despite having more people,"

"That's right, we all use the same amount of electricity, just two hours a day. Some of us don't even use that much. Why should we have to pay?"

"I remember that the Zhou family uses the most electricity. Their lights are always the brightest!"

"I've seen it too. Even when I go out at night to the outhouse, their lights are still on. Shouldn't the Zhou family contribute more?"

"Where is Zhou Yue Shen? Isn't he willing to pitch in for this?"

People's eyes wandered around, showing their displeasure. It was well known that the Zhou family used the most electricity.

"Isn't that Zhou Yue Shen's wife? Shouldn't she say something? I heard your family has a TV and a refrigerator too!"

Someone pointedly remarked.

Si Nian turned to see it was Zhang Qian's mother.

Zhang Qian's family had the most members, including her son, grandson, and daughter, all living together. The total number of people added up to seven or eight. They had contributed the most in the past.

Just thinking about it made her angry. She had previously tried to win Si Nian over with gifts like eggs and by showing an interest in making pastries, but Si Nian had only given a perfunctory response. Now, she wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by.

Si Nian's family had only five people, but they used the most electricity. Why should her family contribute less than others?

So she sneered, "Maybe it's some people's excessive usage that caused the transformer to burn out. Whoever broke it should pay for it!"

Hearing this, everyone around turned their gaze towards Si Nian, hoping for her response.

Though relations were generally cordial, this wasn't a small amount of money. Most people earned just about thirty yuan a month with their hard work. Unlike the Zhou family, who had a better income, they couldn't afford such an expense easily.

The village's transformer was already old and had been repaired several times before. With the Zhou family's extravagant use of electricity, keeping the lights on late at night, it was possible, as Zhang Qian's mother suggested, that their excessive usage was indeed the cause of the transformer burning out.

Realizing this possibility, everyone began to think that perhaps they shouldn't have to contribute money at all.

Si Nian remained relatively calm. After everyone had spoken, she said, "It rained heavily last night. Given that the transformer is old and poorly maintained, it's likely that it burned out due to water ingress. Of course, if anyone has evidence proving that it was our family's excessive electricity usage that caused it to fail, please present it. I, Si Nian, won't say another word on this matter; we will definitely cover the cost."

"But if it turns out that our family is being falsely accused, what then?"

Zhang Qian's mother snorted disdainfully, "You make it sound so good. The transformer is already burned out; who knows exactly why it happened? You're just making excuses!"

Si Nian looked at her with calm eyes, "Typically, experienced repairmen can identify the cause of damage at a glance. If you, Aunt Zhang, believe it's our problem, then fine. I will personally cover the cost to hire a professional to determine the cause. However—"

"What is it?" Everyone turned to look at Si Nian.

Si Nian, with a half-smile, turned her gaze toward Zhang Qian's mother and said, "However, I have one condition. If the repairman determines that the damage was not due to our family's excessive electricity usage, then the cost of repairing the transformer will be covered by the Zhang family. How does that sound?"

Everyone immediately turned their gaze to Zhang Qian's mother.

Zhang Qian's mother's eyes widened with shock, and she snapped, "What nonsense! Why should I pay? I didn't break it!"

"If it wasn't you who broke it, and it wasn't me either, then Aunt Zhang, on what basis are you asking our family to cover the cost?" Si Nian responded.