The vermilion paint on the courtyard gate was still peeling. Qi Ye didn't touch it. Carrying the bags and packages, he whispered to his grandmother, "Watch your step, be careful."
The courtyard was large, but terribly empty. Apart from a sturdy locust tree and a peach tree that looked rather frail in comparison, there was nothing else.
"This yard is quite big." Grandma looked around and was very satisfied. Shen Fenghua was also very satisfied and gestured to Grandma with a smile, "That's right, Grandma, look, that's the nest we made for Dahuang. We can also fence off a place next to it to raise chickens. That corner over there isn't very useful. We can clean it up and sow some seeds to grow some vegetables."
"Okay, okay, okay."
The house has been cleaned and is very tidy, but of course, the only drawback is that it is still empty.
Qi Ye scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "Grandma, time is a bit tight here. We've only managed to make one table and a few chairs. We're still making the wardrobe, the kang table, and other things. It might take another ten days or half a month."
Grandma was already very satisfied.
"Alright, it's okay. You said yourself that time is tight, so it's good enough that we have a place to stay for now."
No matter where it is, it's always better than a guesthouse.
Grandma sleeps in a room by herself.
Normally, when sleeping on a kang bed, a layer of dry straw is laid under the quilt. Qi Ye is a little more particular, so instead of messy straw, he lays a straw mat woven from straw underneath.
It's a very thick sheet, quite heavy in the hand, and it even smells of straw.
"this……"
"Well," Qi Ye explained, "We were a bit rushed, so this is all we could do."
It was pretty good. Besides the bed sheet, there was also a thin blanket and a thick cotton quilt in the corner of the kang (heated brick bed). It was impossible for Grandma not to be moved when she saw it.
The difference between the handsome young man in front of her and the child she raised is just too great.
"Good boy, it's quite impressive that you've accomplished this in such a short time."
Shen Fenghua took a look around and found that there was no problem staying there at night. The problem was in the kitchen. Apart from two stoves and two pots, the kitchen was so clean and tidy that even mice would feel slippery under their feet.
It's shiny and bright, practically devoid of anything you could want.
Shen Fenghua pondered silently before entering the house. "Grandma, why don't you rest here for a bit? Qi Ye and I are going out to buy some things."
What to buy?
Shen Fenghua shrugged. "Even if a mouse gets into our kitchen, it'll leave me two grains of rice."
Grandma paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, "You little rascal, you're getting more and more mischievous with your words."
Seeing Grandma smile, Shen Fenghua also smiled and said, "Alright, then Qi Ye and I will go out."
"Go."
Shen Fenghua and Qi Ye went out shopping. She had saved up a lot of money over the years while she was single, but she didn't have enough coupons. Also, some coupons had an expiration date, and if she didn't use them within the expiration date, they were just worthless pieces of paper.
Oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were all readily available. When Shen Fenghua saw the large pork bones in the meat stall, he was madly tempted.
Qi Ye noticed this and laboriously moved one hand out, saying, "I'll go see if there's any meat left."
Meat is out of the question. The pork supply in the county town is not much. If you want to eat meat, you either need to have connections to reserve it for you in advance, or you have to get up early and wait in line patiently.
Of course, queuing doesn't guarantee you'll get a turn; many people queue only to find themselves empty-handed.
"We still have pig intestines and thigh bones left, want some?"
Pig intestines are definitely out of the question; they're too filthy, and Shen Fenghua can't clean them, nor is she confident she can make them. "I want thigh bones."
"No ticket needed," the butcher wiped his hands, twisted a hemp rope, and tied the three bones together. "Here, 15 cents."
At least it tasted a bit like meat, and at 15 cents without a fare, it wasn't too expensive.
Having obtained the two large bones, the two hurriedly returned home.
Qi Ye rolled up his sleeves. "We got all these things in a rush yesterday. The pot is here, but we haven't boiled it yet. I'll go boil it now and tidy things up. You go inside and talk to Grandma for a while."
Shen Fenghua nodded, put the things down and went inside. "Wait for me a moment, I'll go in and take a look, and I'll come out right away to help you."
Grandma and the child were already asleep. Shen Fenghua went in to take a look, covered the three of them's stomachs, and then quietly went out.
Before Qi Ye could even light the fire, Shen Fenghua came out. Seeing this, she was very surprised and asked, "Why are you out now?"
Shen Fenghua smiled and said, "They're all asleep, soundly!"
The items were laid out one by one. Dahuang was being fostered at his aunt's house in the military compound. Shen Fenghua felt that since the whole family had moved here, they should hurry up and bring the kitten back. It wasn't right to keep fostering it there.
Qi Ye carefully started cooking, and the two of them would exchange a few words from time to time, creating a sense of peaceful tranquility.
Around eleven o'clock, the mother and her two children got up, and the family of five began to pack their things. Grandma couldn't work, but she didn't intend to be idle either. Shen Fenghua brought over a bunch of green beans, and she would sit in the main room and pick green beans whenever she had free time.
Having not eaten lunch, Shen Fenghua didn't feel anything at first while working, but after a while, she couldn't stand it anymore when she stopped, feeling extremely hungry.
I'm hungry.
Qi Ye glanced at his watch, somewhat apologetically, "It was my oversight; it's almost lunchtime."
There wasn't even time to cook lunch, but Shen Fenghua was filled with excitement at the thought of their bright future. With a wave of her hand, she said, "Let's go out to eat this lunch."
Grandma wasn't the type to spoil the fun. She had money, and as soon as she got home, she gave it to Shen Fenghua and told her to hide it.
Shen Fenghua took a nearby brick and pried it off from under the kang bed. "Grandma, it's hidden here."
With money in hand, she felt at ease. Grandma walked into the state-run restaurant and ordered food with confidence and without any stage fright, saying, "I'll take this."
Pickled fish.
Qi Ye chuckled; the mother and daughter really did have the same taste.
Five people ate three dishes and a soup, each with a bowl of rice. They ate until they were stuffed, and then they had the energy to work in the yard in the afternoon.
Time flew by and it was already five o'clock.
Knock knock knock!
Shen Fenghua opened the door and was greeted by Li Yanran's smile. "I brought my husband and child with me."
"Sister Yanran!"
"You didn't even tell me you were coming back, you silly child," Li Yanran said reproachfully, glancing at Shen Fenghua before peering inside. "Grandma's here too, where is she?"
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