The turmoil in the nursery came to a temporary end. With the children going to school and the adults going to work, Jianshu's life returned to peace.

Since they had already decided to have a child, Jianshu changed his previous laziness and picked up exercise again after neglecting it for a long time.

She also persuaded Gu Mingjing to quit smoking and drinking, not to stay up late, and to go to bed early and get up early, commonly known as - preparing for pregnancy.

Gu Mingjing let her do what she wanted. It was similar to his usual habits anyway. He also cooperated when he heard that it would be better for the child.

The days passed by as I was preparing for pregnancy on Jianshu's daily schedule, and the new year was about to come.

Everyone in the family compound has started to stock up on New Year's supplies for their families. Whether or not they can have a prosperous New Year depends on the preparations made before the New Year.

Living in the same housing complex, they secretly showed some competitive spirit, especially the children. They would be too embarrassed to complain when other families ate pure white flour and meat dumplings, while theirs only had vegetarian fillings. They would also be too embarrassed to complain when other families ate fish and meat, while theirs only had meat broth.

A child who has been embarrassed will not think about anything else but go home and throw a tantrum, rolling on the ground and crying. But as an adult, will it feel better if others compare their family to others?

The meaning of the New Year has always been different in the hearts of Chinese people. Even housewives who are very frugal on weekdays will do their best to make sure the whole family has a good meal during the New Year.

During the Chinese New Year, the supplies in the supply and marketing cooperative department store will be much more abundant, and there will be more rare items.

So every weekend, the women would call a few friends and go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things. Those who were more informed would also notify their relatives and friends in advance to prepare.

Last year, Wu Xiufang took Jianshu with her and squeezed with the crowds to buy all kinds of rare things, and she always came back with a lot of stuff.

Jianshu misses the memory of squeezing out from the crowd, holding the things he bought in a mess, and smiling at each other outside the crowd.

This year, Wu Xiufang went to work, and there were fewer sources of information. Jianshu took the initiative to shoulder the responsibility. He got up early every day and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to ensure that he was the first to grab good things. In his spare time, he would get close to the salesperson and ask for information.

When Wu Xiufang was resting, the two of them went to the department store in the city together and bought whatever they liked.

Now that Wu Xiufang has a job, she feels more confident spending money, which allows Jianshu to have no worries and feel much more at ease.

Sometimes when I meet acquaintances in the family compound, I will talk to them about what good things they have. After thanking the person who received the news, I will rush to queue up.

For a moment, the entire family compound became busy, and even the severe cold of late winter could not affect the lively atmosphere.

Compared to others, Jianshu is even busier.

After all, most people just keep the gifts at home, but she has to send New Year gifts to other families in addition to her own.

Friends and relatives in Beijing, as well as Gu's father, elder brother Gu and his wife, a group of relatives from the Gu family, her parents' old comrades, and Gu Mingjing's comrades from his years in the army...

Just counting them gave her a headache. Ever since she got married and joined the army, the amount of gifts she had to prepare had doubled. With a little for each family, it added up to a massive workload. It could be said that her busiest time of the year was the month before the Lunar New Year.

This busyness is necessary, and relationships need to be maintained. Although it feels very troublesome to pay New Year's greetings every year in later generations, and you give me gifts and I give them back, this is the etiquette, and it has been like this since ancient times.

If we really want to save all of this, then even the deepest feelings will slowly fade away, given the current traffic. What everyone is after is not something, but this friendship.

So Jianshu would occasionally complain, but never said he wouldn't sit.

While she was busy, everything was almost ready. One day when Gu Mingjing was resting, the two of them rode their bicycles to the city to send all the things out.

After the last package was sent out, Jian Shu couldn't help but pat his waist and breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally it's done."

"Thank you for your hard work, my wife!" Comrade Gu Mingjing felt a little guilty. He had been too busy recently and had not been able to help much, so he hurried forward to help massage her back.

"Hehe, I'm glad you got it!" Jian Shu tilted his neck and instructed, "A little to the right, yes, right there, use more strength."

“Is this strength okay?”

"Can."

Jianshu lay on the bed, feeling the soreness coming from his body, and remembered something, "By the way, can you rest next week? It's almost time to go to the big market, can you come with me? If not, I'll go with Sister Xiufang."

She had been looking forward to this big market before the New Year for a long time, and it was finally here. She heard that there would be not only goods for sale, but also food, and she would definitely like to try some of it.

"Next week? Sure. I don't have much to do during this period, so taking a day off is no problem." Gu Mingjing nodded in agreement. He had just finished a busy period, and the New Year was about to come, so he could finally relax for a while.

"Okay, then I'll tell my sister-in-law that I won't go with her." Jian Shu also wanted to go with Gu Mingjing. Although they could see each other every day, they hadn't gone shopping and playing together for a long time.

Besides, this is a good opportunity to confess to him.

It wasn't easy to keep it a secret, especially after having a child. She really didn't want to raise a child like most people of this generation.

It would be fine if she didn't have the conditions, but she couldn't stand having to compromise herself because of various concerns even if she had the conditions.

If there is space that cannot be used, what is the point of having it?

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