Housewarming

It was completely dark when Xu Tangmian closed her eyes. Hearing rustling sounds in the courtyard, she put on her coat and got out of bed.

It's October now; you can still wear short sleeves during the day, but the autumn wind can get quite chilly at night. She couldn't see anything in the room, but not wanting Yu Chunsheng to realize she was up, she didn't turn on the light.

Pushing open the door, the previously pitch-black sky seemed to have been artificially brightened, making it appear as if it were daytime even in the darkness.

The autumn insects chirped and the leaves rustled. Xu Tangmian stepped out of the small courtyard that Yu Chunsheng had just built and saw a figure carrying several water bags on his back walking forward on the ridge of the field in the distance, with a flashlight sticking out and swaying.

She wanted to follow him to take a look, but considering that he had already walked quite a distance and that she was unfamiliar with the area, she decided it was best not to wander around at night and turned back.

Xu Tangmian was a light sleeper, and Yu Chunsheng finally returned around three or four in the morning.

The supply and marketing cooperative starts work at eight o'clock, so Yu Chunsheng has to leave home at seven o'clock. Including washing up, it takes at least ten minutes, so he has to be woken up at six forty or fifty.

He can only sleep for less than four hours.

Although she hadn't known Yu Chunsheng for long, no one is without feelings. Thinking about what Yu Chunsheng had been busy with all day and what kind of work he would face tomorrow, Xu Tangmian still felt sorry for him for a second.

Her school was a 20-minute walk from home, but thinking of Yu Chunsheng, who was exhausted after a long day, Xu Tangmian still got up as soon as she heard the rooster crow.

After quickly and quietly washing up, she took out a few yuan from the cabinet and spent half an hour going back and forth, buying a few steamed buns and making a bowl of soy milk on her way to school.

He took out his pocket watch and saw that it was just past six o'clock.

She put the breakfast back in the pot, covered it, and put it on the stove. After reading for a while, she estimated that it was about time, so she went to the living room and shook Yu Chunsheng awake.

Before being shaken awake, I couldn't help but glance at the small tent he had set up.

It turns out that it's true that men raise the flag in the morning.

Xu Tangmian blushed and pulled the blanket that had fallen to the ground back up to cover him, making sure to cover his private parts before shaking his shoulder. "Yu Chunsheng, if you don't get up, you'll be late!"

Yu Chunsheng subconsciously turned around, pulling the blanket over his head to cover himself. But the next second, he suddenly sat up, and upon finding Xu Tangmian by the bedside, grabbed the blanket and covered his upper body, asking urgently, "What are you doing here?"

Xu Tangmian flipped open her pocket watch. "It's almost seven o'clock. If you don't get up soon, you'll be late." She paused and then added, "Don't worry, you're innocent."

He suppressed a laugh and left the scene.

She stood at the door for a while, lost in thought, and then saw Yu Chunsheng, all dressed, pushing his bicycle out.

"Wait a minute!" She quickly went back to the kitchen, wrapped the buns in the pot with newspaper, stuffed them into his bag in the car, and handed him an enamel mug: "Drink the soy milk first."

Yu Chunsheng was somewhat surprised, "You bought it?"

"Otherwise, it fell from the sky, didn't it?" Xu Tangmian rolled her eyes.

"Have you eaten?" he asked again.

"I saved a steamed bun for myself. Aren't you in a hurry to get to work? Hurry up and go," Xu Tangmian urged.

Yu Chunsheng handed the teacup back to her, saying, "Can one steamed bun fill you up? You can have this soy milk."

"Oh, I don't want to drink it, I don't like it." Xu Tangmian picked up the teacup and poured it into his mouth. A few streams of soy milk leaked from the corners of Yu Chunsheng's mouth, and he could only swallow them and then grab her wrist.

Anyway, it was just forcing him to drink, not choking him to death, so Xu Tangmian decided to stop while she was ahead and pushed her hand forward to indicate that he should hold it himself.

"Thank you." Yu Chunsheng's amber eyes lingered on her for a few seconds before looking away. He finished his soy milk in a few gulps, handed her the teacup, and said, "Leave it there and I'll wash it when I get back tonight. I have to leave now. We'll talk when I get back."

"Don't forget my thing!" Xu Tangmian reminded him again.

——

After finishing her meal, Xu Tangmian washed the teacup and put it back, then slowly walked towards the school.

I got up really early today and yawned several times on the way.

Thinking about getting a letter of introduction, when she passed by the school gate, she was no longer as aloof as before, but instead, for the first time, she took the initiative to greet several teachers.

The teachers in the office were all middle-aged, in their thirties, forties, and fifties, and there was really nothing in common with them. Only one female teacher, who looked about her age, had a serious and unapproachable demeanor.

Xu Tangmian wanted to inquire about the letter of introduction. After hesitating for a while, she walked towards a forty-year-old female teacher in the office who seemed quite approachable. She was talking to a student.

Just as he was about to speak, "smack!" The female teacher slammed her hand on the workbook on the table and shouted in a shrill voice, "Speak! Why didn't you hand in your homework? Don't tell me you didn't bring it; you used that excuse a few days ago."

Xu Tangmian, standing behind her, trembled in fright, shrank back to her original position, only to see the usually stern young female teacher covering her mouth and chuckling.

Xu Tangmian approached quietly and tapped her desk twice with her fingers. "What is Teacher Li laughing at? Tell us so we can all laugh together."

Teacher Li looked up, blinked her innocent-looking big eyes, and said in a serious tone, "No, I just laugh when I want to."

Xu Tangmian glanced around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, beckoned them with her finger, "Let's talk outside."

Teacher Li suddenly put on a stern face and shrank back a little. "I just thought you were quite cute just now, I didn't mean anything else."

Xu Tangmian chuckled to herself. Was she really that scary?

"I have something I want to ask you, but it's not convenient here." She walked towards the office exit, but when she turned back and didn't see anyone following her, she stamped her foot and said, "I really do have something to ask! In public, do you think I'd hit you?"

Teacher Li raised an eyebrow. "That's true."

The two stood in the corridor, and Xu Tangmian spoke first: "I remember Teacher Li isn't a local, is she?"

Teacher Li nodded. "My family is from Hebei."

Xu Tangmian hissed, "So, every time you go home to buy a ticket, do you need a letter of introduction?"

"Yes," Teacher Li said, looking puzzled. "Why are you asking this?"

"I want to visit my relatives, but I don't know how to get a car or who to ask to do it."

Teacher Li smiled and said, "Is that all?" She pointed to the next room and said, "You need to go to the principal, write an application explaining the situation, and he will stamp it for you; then take the application to the township government and find Wang Wenshu to issue you a letter of introduction for travel; finally, take the letter of introduction to the county public security bureau and find the household registration department to exchange it for their letter of introduction. With this letter of introduction, you can buy a train ticket."

Xu Tangmian: "..."

Is it really that hard to buy a train ticket?

Seeing her hesitant expression, Teacher Li added, "Does it seem complicated? Actually, it's not too bad. The principal is quite easy to talk to. If you have fewer classes one day, just let him know, and you won't need to ask for leave. All the procedures can be completed in one day."

"Okay, thank you." Xu Tangmian smiled and said, "I'll treat you to dinner another day."

It was just a polite remark, but to her surprise, Teacher Li replied seriously, "Which day?"

Xu Tangmian: "..."

She licked her lips, unsure how to respond.

"Oh." Teacher Li lowered her head and smiled bitterly. "Just being polite, huh? I really thought someone would invite me to dinner. I've been here for a year now, and I'm bored to death every day. I want to watch a movie but can't find anyone, I want to watch TV but there's no TV, I'm so bored I'm practically turning into mold."

Xu Tangmian was deeply moved, perhaps because of the feeling of "being fellow sufferers," which made her feel even more favorably toward this young woman. She smiled and said, "Why are you being so polite? I've been a bit busy these past few days. Once I've finished my business, I'll invite you to town to see a movie and have dinner."

"Really?" Teacher Li held up her little finger. "Pinky promise."

Like a child… Xu Tangmian extended her little finger and hooked it with hers. Just as she was about to go to the principal's office, she was stopped by her.

"Is there anything else?"

Teacher Li then asked, "What have you been busy with these past few days? Do you need my help? By the way, didn't you used to live at school? Why did you come in from outside today?"

Xu Tangmian: "...You knew I came in from outside? You're paying attention to me?"

Teacher Li smiled and said, "You used to live here, and the vice principal would ask you to handle everything. Today, he suddenly asked me if I planned to live on campus, and I knew he was looking for the next unlucky one."

"Oh, I see." Xu Tangmian didn't take it seriously. "I've found a place to stay."

"Congratulations!" Teacher Li clasped his hands and shook them twice. "So you were busy moving. You didn't even tell everyone about such a big event as moving to a new house. We chipped in to buy you some firecrackers."

...

"You're too kind," Xu Tangmian said with a forced smile. "The house is simple, there's nothing to celebrate." Then, she caught a glimpse of the principal leaving his office with a bag, and quickly added, "Let's talk another day, another day!"

"Principal! Principal!" Xu Tangmian rushed over and stopped him.

"Teacher Xu?" Principal Ding adjusted his glasses. "Is there something you need?"

"Something's up! Something's up!" Xu Tangmian asked, noticing his bag, "Principal, are you going out?"

“Yes, winter is coming soon, and the windows in several of our classrooms have been broken and haven’t been replaced yet. I want to go upstairs again and see if we can replace them with new windows before the temperature drops, so the children won’t have to block the windows with old newspapers in the winter.”

This is a good thing. Xu Tangmian hesitated for a moment and then said, "Then you go first. This matter is not urgent. We'll talk about it when you come back."

"Okay." The principal patted her on the shoulder. "Work hard."

Xu Tangmian nodded and went back to her office to grade assignments. She waited until the end of the workday, but the principal still hadn't returned.

The curriculum in rural primary schools is relatively simple. There are four classes in the morning, ending at 11:30 a.m.; and two classes in the afternoon, ending at 3:30 p.m.

Before, she would go back to her dormitory after school to read books, write lesson plans, plant flowers and weed. Now that she's suddenly not living here anymore, she doesn't know what to do when she gets home.

It was not yet four o'clock when she got home, and the sun had not yet set. Xu Tangmian went around the house and found that she had rice, flour, and cooking oil, but had not bought any vegetables. So she took some money and went to the market.

Although the countryside is not as bustling as the city, spring has already arrived. In the large open space in front of the school, students have just been dismissed, and people are gradually coming over pushing their carts.

People bring their surplus eggs from their hens, vegetables from their fields that are about to rot if not eaten soon, and freshly ripened fruit to sell here. No ration coupons are required.

Xu Tangmian stood in front of the egg stall for a while, clutching a few coins, somewhat tempted.

If we can't afford meat and vegetables, we can buy a few more eggs. Yu Chunsheng shouldn't have any objections, right?

She bought about ten eggs, a block of tofu, two tomatoes, and a bunch of chives, and happily went home. Looking at the time, it was only a little past five o'clock; Yu Chunsheng wouldn't be back for almost an hour.

A row of children were fishing in the stream behind the kitchen. Xu Tangmian found it amusing and leaned out of the kitchen window to watch them. After some time, she heard the sound of a bell and knew that Yu Chunsheng had returned. She specially brought the groceries she had bought to "ask for praise and reward".

But when he went outside, he found a group of people coming, and Yu Chunsheng slowly walked out behind them, pushing his cart.

Before Xu Tangmian could ask, one of them stepped forward and said, "This must be your sister-in-law, she's really pretty."

Xu Tangmian was unaware of the situation and subconsciously tried to give Yu Chunsheng a look, but his gaze was fixed on the courtyard.

Following his gaze, Xu Tangmian saw a bamboo pole swaying faintly in the distance, and then a person ran in, covering their ears.

"Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!"

Xu Tangmian was so frightened that she covered her ears.

Who is this?! Someone's actually setting off firecrackers!