Lin Cuicui nodded, and Old Li looked at the location of the courtyard.
"When I have some free time in a few days, I'll add another room next door and build a shed over there to cook. That should be enough for us."
Tang Shengkai listened to Old Li's plan and thought it was feasible.
“Okay, I’ll do as Dad says. Let’s fix the roofs of these two rooms in the next couple of days. If we have enough time, Dad and I will build the walls together.”
Old Li shook his head. "No need. The army has only given you three days off. Clean up the roof, and then you can get ready to go to the army."
The weather's warm here, so I'll mix some mud and make some mud bricks first. We'll build the house after they dry; no rush. Let's nail the bed up first and squeeze in for a few days."
Tang Shengkai thought it was a good idea, and for the next three days, the Tang family was busy working on it, and the thatched hut quickly began to look like a home. The weeds in the yard were cleared away.
Every evening, the two sisters-in-law and their spouses would come over to help. Lin Cuicui even asked Sister Miao to find someone to buy them eight sets of bowls, chopsticks, plates, and other necessities.
Several children loitered around his house every day, and Tang Yue knew that some of them were from Aunt Miao and Aunt Ding's family. However, they didn't come in, and Tang Bei and his three siblings hadn't gone out these past few days either, as they had been busy with the adults in their family.
The children don't know each other yet.
To the left of the entrance to the yard, some vegetables adapted to this climate have already been planted; the seeds were given to them by Sister Miao and Sister Ding. Lin Cuicui also gave each of them two handfuls of White Rabbit milk candy these past two days.
Both sisters-in-law were delighted. This milk candy was a precious commodity; they wouldn't normally buy it for themselves. This Lin girl was really generous.
Tang Shengkai asked Li Qingyang to borrow some wooden planks from the village. He also borrowed some tools to smooth the planks of the two beds in his house. Then he nailed two more beds together himself.
Old Li said that when the new house is built, he will build his own kang (heated brick bed), since he has slept on one all his life and is not used to sleeping on a bed. Tang Shengkai did not object.
A large shed was built two meters away under the eaves on the right side of the courtyard, and the stove was placed there.
Old Li said he'd build a house out of the shed when he had time. A chicken coop was built near the gate. Sister Miao said she could check if there were any chicks available for exchange when she went to the market in a few days.
After three busy days, the house finally felt like a home again. They had originally planned to invite his two sisters-in-law and their families over for lunch. However, Tang Shengkai was going to report to the army in the afternoon.
Before Lin Cuicui could go out to borrow vegetables from her two sisters-in-law, she saw a jeep driving towards her house in the distance.
Lin Cuicui was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to stay or leave. After weighing her options, she turned and went home. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she called out, "Third Brother, come out quickly, the army might be here to pick you up."
Upon hearing the sound, Tang Shengkai quickly came out to greet him.
Tang Shengkai was puzzled. Battalion Commander Chang hadn't mentioned coming to pick him up that day, and besides, a lowly soldier like him shouldn't have received that kind of treatment. So who was it?
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