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Xu Li pulled the plug, which made the two sisters quite unhappy. He clapped his hands and said, "You two should head to the cafeteria to prepare for dinner. I'm taking someone out; our village's bus has broken down outside, and we need to go get it."
As soon as the sisters heard this, they quickly urged their husbands to get busy. They tidied up the house and then went to the front bedroom to change clothes. Xiong Da and Xiong Er were fast asleep, leaving only four large Siberian cats curled up on the sofa, bored.
Seeing their owner about to leave, Xiao Bai led the other two sisters out as well, while only Dahua remained, still resting with its eyes closed. The all-inclusive lifestyle had made Dahua's figure quite plump, and it was becoming increasingly reluctant to move.
Creaking and clattering sounds filled the air as Andreev removed the wrench and shook the newly installed winch on the armored vehicle with satisfaction. He nodded in approval and tapped the side of the vehicle before sitting down in the co-driver's seat. "It's done."
Xu Li nodded and pressed on the gas pedal, driving out of the village. The others had already left in their vehicles to pick up the children, so he wasn't in a hurry. "It seems we should consider getting a new bus; otherwise, what will we do if this happens again?"
Andreev lit a cigarette for Xu Li. "How about this: each household can contribute a bit of money to buy a decent one? That old bus was originally a hand-me-down; it's impressive that it has lasted this long!"
"How much could a bus possibly cost?" Xu Li shrugged dismissively. "Having our own bus would be great; we could pick up kids every week for a couple of days. Plus, with more children going to preschool in our village, we definitely need a bigger bus. I wonder if Shayef can drive."
Andreev pondered for a moment. "How about this: if Shayef can drive, let him continue; if not, we can have Peter's eldest take over. That kid drives buses in Irkutsk; there's not much difference between a bus and a passenger van. We can all chip in from our households to pay him!"
That sounds feasible; we'll ask about it when we get back.
He brushed off some ash from his cigarette. "If Peter's eldest can drive the bus, let's get a smaller one for Shayef to use. The nearest market is quite far from our village, so having a bus running back and forth every day would make travel easier for us."
"We can't let you bear all the costs," Andreev insisted, shaking his head firmly. "This is a matter that affects our entire village. Every family has children who need to go to school or people who need transportation for shopping. So everyone should contribute; we can't expect you to cover everything—it's just not right!"
Xu Li shrugged and fell silent. Soon, he encountered the returning convoy. Valery parked beside him and approached the driver's side. "Petrov is staying with the bus; it seems there's an issue with the engine."
"Is the child okay?" Xu Li asked.
Seeing Valery shake his head, he continued driving until he reached the old bus that was stuck on its side. He turned around and backed up to detach the hook from the winch, pulling the old bus back toward the village.
Although nearly three hours had passed by then, laughter and chatter filled the cafeteria. The children were on break for two days, so they could make as much noise as they wanted tonight. The little ones were having a blast, darting from table to table grabbing food and running around the cafeteria.
The adults enjoyed their food and drinks, raising their glasses frequently in cheers. Xu Li held his cigarette in one hand while standing up with his wine glass raised high. The elders of the village also stood up with their glasses of juice, looking toward their respected village chief with admiration.
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