Yes, Grandma Wu stretched her back. This hard floor, even with a mattress on it, is still hard. But that's secondary; the main problem is the dampness.

When I woke up the next day, I felt damp all over, which was really uncomfortable.

Huang Xiaoqiang and Gu Qing went to work early this morning and haven't returned yet.

Grandma Wu looked at the cart full of things and, after Huang Xiaofu unloaded them, asked her to go to Zhou the carpenter's yard to move more things. They had only done part of it, and there was still some that couldn't fit, so they pushed it in his yard.

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaofu immediately pushed the cart away.

Looking at the furniture in the yard, Grandma Wu stroked her chin and decided to assemble the bed first.

Four beds were made in total, and there were plenty of rooms available, so each person had their own room.

Zhou the carpenter's beds weren't just rigidly defined; they could be assembled.

It can be a single bed or a bunk bed.

That's a good point.

Grandma Wu thought of the two brothers, who were already adults, and gave each of them a room with a bed.

Since Gu Qing was a girl, it wasn't appropriate for her to live in the same courtyard as the two brothers, so he let her live with him in the main room.

There are three rooms: the middle one is the living room, and the two side rooms are habitable.

One person per room, just right.

By the time Huang Xiaofu brought all the things back in his car, Old Mrs. Wu had already assembled all the furniture.

The living room has a large round table with five stools.

Before I could even look at the others, Grandma Wu ordered me to assemble the remaining furniture.

Four large cabinets were used to store clothes.

There are also two single dressing tables.

Then there are the kitchen utensils.

By the time the two finished their work, Huang Xiaoqiang and Gu Qing had already returned.

Looking at his newly renovated home, Huang Xiaoqiang's eyes widened. Was this still the empty house he left in the morning?

Gu Qing paused for a moment, then held the food she had prepared in front of Old Mrs. Wu. "This is lunch, Aunt Wu. This big round table will come in handy."

Huang Xiaoqiang touched the smooth, waxed tabletop; there wasn't a single splinter. It was really nice.

"Where are the bowls and chopsticks? I'll go find them. The Party Secretary's wife specially prepared extra for us today."

Grandma Wu sighed, "Just rinse the bowls and chopsticks."

"That's right, that's right, I've been busy all morning and I'm starving."

Huang Xiaofu urged Huang Xiaoqiang, "You have no idea, I've been with Mom all day, I haven't had a single free moment."

“We’re not having an easy time either, do you think it’s just you?”

Huang Xiaoqiang glanced at him and said, "I was directly assigned to weeding in the fields. I'm really destined to be inextricably linked with grass."

Grandma Wu looked at Gu Qing and said, "As for you, the village secretary, they probably won't assign you any heavy work, right?"

After all, given Gu Qing's small stature, she not only couldn't handle heavy manual labor, but she would probably only cause trouble.

Gu Qing smiled shyly, "I'll just follow behind and pick up the weeds they cut and put them on the ridges of the fields."

That's good.

Gou Cuifen's cooking skills are quite good; she makes a simple cabbage and potato stew that smells delicious.

It's full of broth, and dipping dark-colored steamed buns in it is absolutely delicious.

Grandma Wu picked up her chopsticks, paused, got up, went inside, and took out the pickled vegetables she had brought from home.

"Okay, let's eat this together."

Gu Qing stared at it with her big, bright eyes; it looked delicious.

I was about to reach out and grab it when I realized the table was too big and my arms were too short.

Just as she was about to take back her chopsticks after biting her lip, a hand appeared in front of her and put a full chopstickful of pickled vegetables into her bowl.

Grandma Wu's eyes darted between the two of them without leaving a trace. Just as she was about to look away, she caught sight of Huang Xiaofu wolfing down his food like a starving ghost, and her lips twitched.

Ever since he gave up on Miao Fengying, Huang Xiaofu has been completely out of touch with reality, only interested in food.

Such a large yard can't be cleaned up in just one morning.

Huang Xiaoqiang and Gu Qing went back to their room to rest for a while at noon. When they left in the afternoon, Grandma Wu gave Huang Xiaoqiang a straw hat she had brought from home and also gave him a pair of rubber gloves.

He took the water bottle from Huang Xiaofu and put it into Huang Xiaoqiang's hand.

The series of actions made Huang Xiaofu's eyes ache.

I should have known he went to the countryside too.

Huang Xiaoqiang felt a warm glow in his heart and gave Grandma Wu a big, silly smile.

"Work hard and try to get full work points!"

"Don't worry, Mom, I won't let you down. Besides, I didn't grow up to be this tall and strong for nothing."

Grandma Wu's lips twitched. Uh, well, that's not what she meant.

She didn't care about losing face; it couldn't put food on the table. What she wanted was to earn enough work points so that at the end of the year, in addition to the grain that everyone else in the commune ate, her family could also get a larger share.

Even if you don't earn enough work points, you can still eat in the cafeteria.

But in a few years, this communal dining system will be abolished, and every household will start their own stove. When there is no food at home, where will we get food?

We can't just sit around and live off our savings.

Watching the two fully armed men leave, Huang Xiaofu wanted to sneak back to sleep for a while, but was stopped by Old Lady Wu and taken to the backyard.

While cleaning, I discovered a complete set of stone table and stone benches.

It's a good idea to move to the front yard. The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and it's too hot to eat inside. It would be nice to eat outside in the evening when the breeze is cool.

These are impossible to move; they're all solid stones.

The thought had barely formed when she watched as Old Lady Wu's feet sank, her arms outstretched, and she picked up the stone table, walking step by step toward the front yard.

"Move out the remaining stone benches."

Huang Xiaofu lowered his eyes, stared at the heavy stone bench, and swallowed hard.

Thank goodness, at least it's much smaller now.

That's the only way I can comfort myself.

The afternoon flew by, and when Huang Xiaoqiang returned, the house was even more tidy.

It's really starting to feel like a home.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast a soft glow across the entire courtyard. Grandma Wu and her family sat at the stone table eating their meal. Huang Xiaoqiang looked puzzled; he hadn't seen the stone table when he left, so how did it appear when he returned?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Huang Xiaofu looking exhausted and was filled with questions.

During their meal, Gou Cuifen leaned over the gate and called out again, "Mingxia! Sister Mingxia!"

He had just shouted twice when he noticed Old Mrs. Wu sitting in the yard eating, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face.

Grandma Wu wiped her mouth and stood up. "Sister Cuifen? What brings you here? Is something the matter?"

"Have you eaten? Why don't you come in and have something to eat?"

A barrage of questions made Gou Cuifen laugh out loud. "Yes, yes, you ate it. Did you eat what I made?"

"What is that?"

"Hey, look at me, I'm here to tell you that you and your son are going to work tomorrow."

It's a little embarrassing to admit, since they've only been here a few days and my own place isn't even fully tidied up yet.

But the old women in the village couldn't stand it. They gossiped and said the village was supporting idlers. They said if this continued, everyone should just sit down and eat their fill.