Chapter 7 Repairing the Shower Room
The next day, when Shen Zhixia woke up, it was already early in the morning, and Huo Chenzhou had already gone to work.
She got up to wash up and saw something on the table: a huge enamel basin facing down.
She opened the enamel basin, which contained a bowl of porridge and two steamed buns, both still warm.
Huo Chenzhou got up so early to cook porridge?
After finishing her meal, Shen Zhixia glanced at the room again, deciding that she still needed to buy some things. Since she was going to stay here permanently, she certainly couldn't make herself suffer.
However, she didn't go out all morning.
She is pregnant, but not far along in her pregnancy, and still quite slender. However, she should not overexert herself, such as lifting heavy objects. If she wants to buy anything else, she should discuss it with Huo Chenzhou first.
After Huo Chenzhou got off work, he and a man came over carrying several bamboo poles.
A woman was following behind them; she was the same woman who had spoken up for her last time.
The woman had two rosy cheeks from the high altitude. She was dressed in a gray cloth dress and had a loud voice: "Commander Huo's wife, you are really beautiful. We heard that you are going to build a shower room in the yard, so we came to help."
She pointed to the short, stout man behind her: "This is my child's father, Wang Jianhua. He is the company commander here. My name is Zhang Weihong."
Shen Zhixia readily agreed, saying, "Sister Zhang, thank you for your help this time."
“If you have any trouble, we live right next door. Neighbors should help each other out. If you ever need anything, just come to me,” Zhang Weihong said, patting her chest.
Shen Zhixia smiled and said, "Then thank you, sister-in-law."
Huo Chenzhou and Wang Jianhua helped build the shower room. Shen Zhixia couldn't help and could only watch from the side. Zhang Weihong, on the other hand, was very quick and efficient, and she directed the work from the side.
Seeing how familiar she looked, Shen Zhixia asked curiously, "Sister Zhang, you seem to know this place so well, does your yard also have a shower room?"
Zhang Weihong shook her head: "I didn't do it, but many families in the military dependents' compound have also installed shower rooms. I went to help them, so I know how to do it."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but say, "Actually, I still prefer taking a bath in a public bathhouse. It's so nice to help each other scrub our backs. When the bathhouse opens next week, you must come, and I'll scrub your back for you."
"I'm not bragging, but I'm really good at scrubbing people in the bath. Everyone says I'm good at it."
Shen Zhixia: "..."
Thank you, but no need.
She thought to herself, but smiled and subtly changed the subject: "Dr. Liu said I'm pregnant and need to pay more attention to personal hygiene, so I thought about building a shower room in the yard."
Zhang Weihong immediately slapped her forehead: "Look at my memory! I almost forgot you're pregnant. You look like a completely different person, not pregnant at all. You're just like an unmarried girl."
She stared at Shen Zhixia and said, "You, a young lady from the city, are different from us. Your clothes are really stylish."
Shen Zhixia was wearing a light purple cheongsam today. Her stomach was still relatively flat, and the well-tailored cheongsam showed off her curves perfectly, making her look like a noble swan.
Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, exuding a gentle beauty.
The people in the military camp dressed very simply and practically, with clothes made mostly of coarse cotton and a few of fine cotton.
Moreover, the colors are very limited, mainly blue, gray, and grass green, with very few patterns or designs. After all, in a while, those brightly colored clothes will be considered bourgeois aesthetics.
Shen Zhixia actually wanted to wear other clothes, but she found that the original owner only brought a cheongsam, so she had no other choice.
Therefore, she didn't go out at all today, feeling that the original owner's clothes were too flashy. Now that Zhang Weihong was distinguishing her from the people here, this was not a good thing.
She immediately said seriously, "Sister Zhang, the clothes I'm wearing are no different from yours, just different styles. The purpose of clothes is to cover the body and keep warm, they are the same."
She said earnestly, "I used to live in the city, and many people around me wore this kind of clothing. This style was popular, so I just bought this kind of clothing too. That's called 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' Now that I'm here with the army, I think your clothes are quite nice, and I plan to make some clothes like yours in the future."
Zhang Weihong looked at her dusty clothes and hesitated for a moment: "You want to wear clothes like mine?"
She hadn't thought there was anything wrong with her clothes before, but after seeing how elegantly Shen Zhixia dressed, she felt that Shen Zhixia must look down on such coarse clothes.
Shen Zhixia touched her clothes and nodded, saying, "Your clothes are so nice. They look very sturdy and won't tear. I'm pregnant now, so it's not suitable for me to wear silk clothes like this anymore. I'm planning to buy some clothes like yours, as they are durable."
Zhang Weihong was delighted to hear this and, without thinking too much about it, she smiled and said, "You're absolutely right. Don't underestimate this dress of mine just because it's not very stylish. It's really durable. I made this dress five years ago, and it's still in perfect condition, just like new."
Shen Zhixia said, "I wanted to buy clothes like yours, but I've only just arrived at the military camp and I'm not familiar with many places, so I haven't bought many things yet."
Zhang Weihong said enthusiastically, "What's wrong with buying clothes? There's a service store nearby where you can buy things, but they don't have ready-made clothes right now, only fabric, and there aren't many colors available."
Huo Chenzhou had a large stack of cloth coupons, none of which he had ever used. His army would issue uniforms, and he had several sets to wear in rotation.
She had enough cloth coupons, but if she only bought cloth, she wouldn't be able to make clothes; she wanted to buy ready-made garments.
Zhang Weihong added, "If you want to buy ready-made clothes, you can go to the supply and marketing cooperative in the county town. It's a bit far, but I can go with you."
Shen Zhixia smiled sweetly: "Won't it bother you to come with me?"
"I originally wanted to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things as well."
Before long, the "shower room" was set up. The shower room in the yard was built on a foundation of several bamboo poles, and the outside was enclosed by a canvas to create a space of about 3 square meters. It was about 2 meters high and the top was covered with thatch to prevent rain.
The ground was also paved with broken bricks to prevent slipping, and some shallow ditches of 10 centimeters were dug around the perimeter as drainage ditches to prevent water from soaking the foundation.
Shen Zhixia was satisfied with the simple shower room. She invited the two of them to have dinner at home, but Zhang Weihong declined: "No need, my husband and I ate at the cafeteria today."
With that, Zhang Weihong and Wang Jianhua left.
As the two opened the door to leave, they encountered a young girl wearing patched clothes, carrying a basin of water containing half-washed dirty clothes, her hands appearing red from the cold.
She glanced timidly at Huo Chenzhou, bit her lip, and said, "Commander Huo, my wooden basin is broken. If my mother sees it, she will definitely scold me. Can you help me fix it?"
Shen Zhixia frowned, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. There were clearly four people here, but this girl completely ignored them and spoke to Huo Chenzhou.
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