At the coal briquette supply point in the county town, a long line stretched to the intersection, huddled together, discussing what was missing at home and what had been missing from the supply point that day.

Father Zhang sat in the carriage, listening to the city folk's conversation, his back straight. It seemed his family lived about the same as the city folk. He felt secretly pleased. Then he looked at his new clothes, then at the long line of people, and he could count the unpatched ones on his hands.

Zhang Chunming, the eldest son-in-law of the Zhang family, was waiting in line. After finally receiving over 300 kilograms of coal briquettes, the two of them boarded a horse-drawn carriage and headed straight for their newly purchased yard. The transfer had just taken place yesterday, and the previous landlord had also left. Zhang Meili was already packing her things. Seeing her father approach, she quickly brought them some hot water.

"Dad, this military coat is really thick. It happens to be what your son-in-law wears on the night shift. You should have one too, right? Xiaowu must have prepared one for you. Chunming and the others all have them. So let me guess, that's not five, right?

My goodness, Jiaojiao's mother is really generous. This is something you can't buy. You don't have to worry about your son anymore. I heard from Uncle Chen that our Xiaowu will come to the county to work. Is it true? Then should I start looking for a house? "

Father Zhang finished drinking the water and put down the cup. After listening to his daughter's suggestion, he thought about it and said, "Don't worry for now. Let's see what he says when we come back this time. If there is no change, we will go to the county town.

Keep your search hidden from others and don't let anyone know. They're not in a hurry. If they really want to go to the county town, they'll have to wait until the weather warms up. February or March at the earliest. You can look around first, preferably one near you, with a newer yard. If it's too shabby, they won't like it. And it should be quiet. Don't be so nosy with your neighbors.

The price is no problem; they already have the money. I'm betting his mother-in-law gave him quite a bit this time. Besides, Jiaojiao rents out her courtyard in Beijing to the government for 50 yuan a month. You can figure out how much that's earned over the years. So take your time looking. It just has to suit your taste."

Zhang Meili opened her mouth wide, stunned for a moment, and then cried out, "Oh my god, he's a real golden boy. Our Xiaowu is rich now. No wonder Uncle Chen said that even the county town couldn't keep him. I was wondering why he said those words without any context."

Father Zhang looked at her with disdain. She was such a loser, yelling, "Golden Baby, I'm not a golden baby anymore. Stop yelling, it's too rude. Be more low-key."

Haha, your father, I won’t tell you some things, you will find out later. You are the dumbest and stupidest among the five children in the family. Don’t you see where Xiaowu is now and who he is with? "

After that, he ignored his silly daughter and said to his eldest son-in-law with a smile: "Chunming, I'm leaving. Do you have any words for your parents? And the greenhouse should be ready as soon as possible, so you can move in soon. This house is a good buy, it's quite big and the location is good. Just tell us when the date is set."

Zhang Chunming nodded after hearing this. "Dad, why don't you eat and go? Meili will go make a bowl of noodles for Dad to eat and take him back. It's so cold sitting in this carriage when it's moving."

"No, my family is building a yard today, and we need to entertain people who come. I'll leave first."

Zhang Chunming was about to say that his brother-in-law was planning to move to the county town, so there was no need to build another one in the village. But then he thought about what his father had said: his father-in-law was a low-key person, but secretly, he had a lot of money. After marrying two daughters-in-law, only a few years later, he personally offered a betrothal gift of 800 yuan for the younger one. Thinking about that 800 yuan, and then considering his monthly salary, he finally didn't say anything to dissuade him.

Watching his father-in-law drive off in his carriage from afar, Zhang Chunming returned home and looked at the spacious courtyard. He felt elated. He was now a well-off family. If he worked harder and paid off his debts, his life would be easy.

Looking at his daughter-in-law laughing foolishly, he shook his head secretly. His father-in-law was right. This is just a silly girl. Look, she is still laughing foolishly. He knew from the beginning that his brother-in-law was capable. Even if he didn't have a pampered family, he would still be able to make a name for himself. Didn't he see that the old man of his brother-in-law's family often dragged him to visit those officials' homes.

Father Zhang drove his carriage back to the village. Just then, the stove had been installed in the small living room of the west wing. Father Zhang changed into old clothes and came out to see that the coal briquettes had already been unloaded and placed under the eaves outside the room without him having to do anything.

Looking at the eaves, he went back to the warehouse to find some tools and carefully prepared it to ensure that it would not get wet by rain or snow and would not freeze in the winter. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He wondered if he could leave the west wing to Xizi after the second and fifth brothers moved out, hoping that his eldest grandson would be as successful as his uncle in the future.

After the stove was lit and the newly bought kettle was put on, Zhou Jiao could not help swallowing her saliva as if she saw the hot and fragrant braised pork, chicken stewed with mushrooms, spicy wild rabbit meat, and pickled fish.

Lin Lishan found it both funny and sad to see her greedy look, and secretly planned to drive around and look for some food to nourish her. After the confinement period, it would be like a woman being reborn again.

After a conversation between mother and daughter last night, Lin Lishan finally had a clear idea of ​​what was going on with her daughter.

From the smallest things, it was clear that she was meant to live in the city. She was cold-hearted, and she couldn't hide her pride. She felt out of place in the countryside, unaccustomed to rural hygiene, unaccustomed to women's gossip, unaccustomed to socializing with strangers, and unaccustomed to simple meals.

I like to make a cup of tea in my spare time, filling the room with the fragrance of tea, and savor it carefully in an exquisite teacup; I like to read and appreciate books quietly in a room full of books; I like to put delicious cakes on exquisite plates in my spare time and savor them carefully with a few good friends, and have a pleasant conversation. I am a literati at heart.

Her daughter inherited her pursuit of a refined life and even her mysophobia.

Lin Lishan touched her little head and said, "I'll wait until you fall asleep with Ping'an. Mom will drive out to find some food to nourish you. Tell me what you like to eat."

Zhou Jiao thought about it and shook her head. "Forget it. You just arrived here and you don't know anyone here. You can't find anything good on the street these days. Wait until Xiaowu comes back, he will know how to deal with it. There are still some things you brought back at home these days, but they won't use them given their temperament. Eat them first."

"Then I'll go out and take a look. You don't need tickets in the countryside, so give me some extra money and I can buy a few old hens to make soup for you. It's also good to prepare some eggs while it's cold. You can throw a few eggs in the pot when you have time, and peel them when you want to eat them.

I just happen to have some donkey hide gelatin today, so I'll make some for you. "Your grandma's stuff is finally coming in handy." Lin Lishan ran in and out excitedly, bringing out donkey hide gelatin, red dates, walnuts, brown sugar, and more, busily preparing to stew some for her daughter as a dessert.

Zhou Jiao held Ping'an in her arms and fed him milk, thinking that she had to wait for Zhang Guoqing to come back before she could move the things in the space out. Thinking of those delicious foods, she felt secretly happy, as she had finally said goodbye to the steamed buns.

After changing the diaper, he looked at his son, then at his busy mother, and hummed a little tune.