220 renovation
Guan Yuehe participated in the negotiation working group for joining the WTO, and was so busy every day that her speed of learning new foreign languages was forced to slow down.
However, she is not in a hurry to learn a new foreign language. She is too busy with work to learn it now, but she can continue learning it after she retires.
When she got busy, she visited Ginkgo Hutong less often. Lin Yiku wasn't one to join in the fun, and Lin Ting, who loved gossip the most, usually lived at school and only came home on weekends. As a result, the family missed out on a lot of news from the hutong.
It was only when Jiang Guiying brought over the fried meatballs that she learned about the recent major events.
"Our whole area is going to be redeveloped?" Guan Yuehe asked in surprise.
The city has been carrying out renovations for many years, and the neighbors in the alley have been hoping for it every year. Just when there was news of relocation, everyone agreed to continue living together, and now there's news of renovations again?!
Jiang Guiying spread her hands, "They say they're going to renovate the sewers and fix all those messy electrical wires. They also say there will be centralized heating from now on. The news from the street office is that they'll start construction in the spring."
Jiang Guiying sighed, "If everything is renovated, will our area still be vacated? Your father and I were planning to live in an apartment building, and look at the mess this has made..."
Why is everyone looking forward to being relocated to apartment buildings? It's because the bungalows in the hutongs are small and inconvenient.
Not only do I have to run to empty the chamber pot every morning, but if I happen to run into some really inconsiderate person who dumps the waste into the alleyway ditch, the smell... ugh...
But if the sewer system is renovated, each household can install a toilet, and there will be centralized heating in the future, some families who don't have a housing shortage might not be willing to move.
The relocation can only be completed if everyone in the entire courtyard agrees to move out. If someone is determined not to leave, then there's nothing that can be done.
“That’s great! Aren’t you just envious of how other people’s apartment buildings have central heating?” Guan Yuehe said, “You’re all saying that you’re old and frail, and that living in an apartment building means you have to climb stairs every day, which is so inconvenient.”
"Oh, that makes sense!" Jiang Guiying slapped her thigh.
Many people are relocated to buildings without elevators after their relocation. If they are assigned to the seventh or eighth floor, they are really doomed!
"In my opinion, it's more convenient here."
"That's what patriotism says too."
Guan Yuehe knew what was going on. His hair salon was nearby, but it had moved. It would be too much trouble for him to travel all that way to open the shop every day. No one would be happy to do that.
Speaking of the shop, things have gotten a little awkward at home because of it.
Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying stopped working and rented the barbershop to Guan Aiguo, arranging for the former apprentice to be the shop manager and two other employees. Guan Aiguo also opened a more upscale barbershop outside.
The original agricultural and sideline products store was rented to Guan Weiguo and has now been converted into a fruit store.
The rent for both shops was paid to the elderly couple.
Guan Jianguo and his wife were somewhat dissatisfied with this matter. Although they didn't say it out loud, Guan Yuehe could guess it.
The eldest brother and sister-in-law must feel that the family shop was given to the other two brothers, and they didn't get anything in return.
However, Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying also spoke up, saying that after they all left, they would sell the shop and split the profits equally among the siblings. They even had Guan Yuehua draw up a receipt to avoid future arguments.
Guan Yuehe thought this was a good idea.
She has no shortage of money or houses now. She hopes that the two old people will live to be a hundred years old. She often jokes with them, saying, "You two are considered old relics. You have witnessed our country's development from nothing to something, from poverty to prosperity. In the future, you can go to the children's school and tell the children about the history of our country."
However, even though her parents said they would divide it equally among them, she wouldn't give up her share.
That said, splitting the shop equally is still a long way off. After Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying took a break, they went to the park every day to practice Tai Chi and exercise. Last month, they even helped the police catch a thief.
After chatting for a while, Jiang Guiying reminded her to eat the fried meatballs while they were still hot, then strolled back to Ginkgo Alley with her hands behind her back.
Before long, the news of the relocation of Yinxing Hutong was forgotten, and everyone was preparing for the Spring Festival.
Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku are both very busy people. Now that they both have weekends off, Guan Yuehe may not even be able to get a proper rest on the weekend.
Lin Ting was put in charge of all the preparations for the New Year at home.
Although Lin Ting is an only child, Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku never considered implementing a policy of spoiling her.
He didn't hide anything, big or small, from Lin Ting, and when he had free time, he would teach Lin Ting how to cook and how to buy household items.
Lin Ting glanced at the list and the money in his hand, and he immediately understood the situation.
He stuffed the list and money into the inside pocket of his coat and dashed out the door like a gust of wind.
"Grandpa, have we bought any New Year's goods yet?"
"Look, your grandma and maternal grandma are getting ready to go to the market to buy some later."
What a coincidence! Lin Ting immediately joined the group of elderly men and women in Ginkgo Hutong who were shopping for New Year's goods, and followed a group of old men and women through the crowd.
"Old Fang, your Lin Tingzhen is so sensible. Even though Yuehe and Yiku are busy, she still knows to come and buy New Year's goods. Oh, she even knows how to bargain!"
Aunt Fang smiled and said, "It's Yuehe's choice."
The old neighbors agreed. When Yuehe used to work in the garment factory, her job was easy, and she ran a very successful business. Many adults in the alley didn't know how to manage a household as well as she did.
Lin Ting's eagerness to join the queue was exactly the same as Yue He's!
Lin Ting spent three days running around with her grandma and maternal grandma, finally managing to buy all the New Year's goods on the list, and then she quickly went off to do her own thing.
"Hey..." Jiang Guiying clicked her tongue before she could call out to her.
Yao Yao, who had run back from outside, looked around but couldn't find anyone. "Grandma, where's my sister?"
"I wonder where he's run off to again." He's always on the go, is there some nail growing on his bench?
Frustrated at not catching anyone, Yao Yao stomped her feet. "Big liar! Lin Ting is a big liar! She said she'd take me ice skating!"
The big liar Lin Ting didn't hear a thing.
Once winter vacation started, Lin Ting was like a monkey released from its cage. Every few days, she would call her friends to go to Shichahai. Several times, in order to get rid of her tagalong Yao Yao, she promised to take Yao Yao to play, but Yao Yao could never find her.
Grandpa Lin was reading the newspaper behind the window of the convenience store when he heard his eldest granddaughter running out. He quickly called out, "Lin Ting, your grandma wants you to come over for lunch."
"I'm going to my aunt's house for dinner!"
Knowing that his eldest granddaughter hadn't gone ice skating again, but had gone to her aunt's place, Grandpa Lin didn't bother with it anymore. He then went back to remind his wife to put out less rice.
The eldest granddaughter is still growing and is almost as tall as Yuehe now. She eats more in one meal than the two of them combined. Her husband is afraid that she won't have enough to eat, so if she finishes her food at one meal, he will put in more rice for the next meal. Lin Ting scrapes the rice out of the pot every time, and the amount of rice put into the pot is always increased.
This kid's appetite is like a bottomless pit.
Meanwhile, Gu Mannian heard from Gu Yu that Lin Ting was coming over for dinner, so he cooked twice the usual amount of rice. After looking through the meat in the refrigerator, he finally decided to go out and buy some more vegetables.
Just as I reached the factory gate, I saw Lin Ting running towards me.
"Uncle, is my sister at home or in the auditorium?"
"In the auditorium." Gu Mannian casually asked her what she wanted to eat for lunch.
"Anything is fine. Uncle's cooking is delicious. Thank you for cooking, Uncle."
Gu Mannian shook his head with amusement. "Don't let Lin Ting's mischievousness fool you, she's got a sweet tongue."
Yuehua is easily swayed by Lin Ting's charms, and every time she is coaxed into not being able to keep a straight face.
—
Lin Ting, familiar with the place, jogged to the auditorium of the garment factory and immediately spotted Gu Yu in the middle of the first row.
Gu Yu had excellent grades since childhood, and was the kind of "other people's child" that parents would talk about. She became the top scorer in the college entrance examination and entered Peking University, becoming an alumnus of her mother's school. She often called her mother "Senior Sister Guan" at home, which was a source of amusement for her.
This kid has good grades and some artistic talent; he's often the host of school arts performances.
After entering university, I taught myself guitar and formed a band with some friends.
Zhuoyue Garment Factory is holding a cultural performance for the Spring Festival this year. The director of the labor union approached Gu Mannian and asked Gu Yu, as an outstanding representative of the factory's children, to also put on a performance.
So, Gu Yu contacted her friends and planned to "show off her skills" at the factory's cultural performance.
Lin Ting just came here to join in the fun.
"Who are you?" The person on the stage looked at Lin Ting, who had barged in.
Gu Yu turned around and hurriedly beckoned Lin Ting to come forward, "My sister."
Everyone else knew Gu Yu's family situation very well and knew she was an only child. This suddenly appearing younger sister must be from a relative's family.
"You two look alike," the classmate said after a careful look.
“Her mother is my aunt, of course she looks like her.”
Lin Ting quietly straightened up, pouting and suppressing a laugh. She was a full half a head taller than her sister standing next to her!
Gu Yu couldn't see through her little scheme and reached out to pinch her.
Lin Ting was so much better when she was little—chubby, squishy, and short and stocky.
—
As soon as Lin got home, he gulped down a lot of water, saying that he had been busy performing a show all day and was very tired.
Guan Yuehe knows her daughter very well. She has a natural talent for sports and brings home mostly certificates from sports competitions. There's a whole row of gold medals from various school and city sports meets hanging on the wall.
However, Lin Ting has virtually no artistic talent.
That's not quite right either; Lin Ting used up all her artistic talent during the year and a half she spent in the Yuhong Class.
"Your sister is rehearsing for a show, what can you do to help? Are you going to play a tree stump again?"
Lin Ting chuckled a few times, then mysteriously leaned close to her ear and said, "There's an older brother who wants to pursue my sister, so I need to keep an eye on them."
Huh? Chasing Grain Rain?
Guan Yuehe paused for a few seconds, then quickly realized that Gu Yu was already a 22-year-old young woman, and it was normal for her to be dating at that age. It was even more normal for her to have suitors.
Back in the day, there were so many guys chasing after her.
"What's there to watch?" Guan Yuehe habitually rubbed the back of her head. "Don't ruin your sister's relationship."
“My sister definitely doesn’t like him.” Lin Ting snorted. “My sister said that the guys who are chasing her are too immature, and some of them are just after my aunt and have no good intentions. My sister wants me to be her bodyguard.”
No wonder.
Back when she was just a worker in a small state-owned factory, many people wanted to date her because she was allocated a house.
Gu Yu's circumstances are far superior. Her mother is now the vice president of the court, her father is the deputy director of the Zhuoyue Garment Factory, and she herself is a student at Peking University. No wonder Gu Mannian kept grumbling to them, saying he was afraid Gu Yu would fall for someone of bad character.
In her opinion, Gu Yu isn't stupid; she definitely wouldn't be interested in someone inferior. It's just that her fighting skills are a bit lacking.
When Gu Yu was little, she looked chubby and strong, so I thought she would grow up to be strong too. But she grew up to look more and more like her older sister. She was quick-witted, but not very strong. By the time Lin Ting was in sixth grade, she had already caught up with Gu Yu in height.
If you're good at punching, you won't be afraid of any monsters or demons bothering you; just keep throwing punches.
Are we rehearsing tomorrow?
"Tomorrow is gone, I'm going ice skating tomorrow."
After being busy for half a month, Guan Yuehe was finally able to give herself a break.
Early in the morning, he caught Lin Ting, who was about to go ice skating, and insisted on taking her with him to buy the New Year's goods they needed.
As soon as I stepped out, I ran into Yao Yao and Xiao Yu, who were rushing over in a huff. The two are not related by blood, but they have been raised together since they were little. From preschool to elementary and middle school, they have always been in the same class and their relationship is even better than that of biological sisters.
The two of them started complaining as soon as they saw Guan Yuehe.
"Aunt/Mother-in-law, Lin Ting is a big liar!"
After hearing the whole story, Guan Yuehe made a decision: "Let's go buy New Year's goods first, and Lin Ting will take you out to play this afternoon."
Logically speaking, Yao Yao and Xiao Yu are both middle school students and should have their own group of friends to hang out with, so why do they have to ask Lin Ting for help?
Little Fish: "My sister is amazing."
When they go out with them, they can act like bullies and not worry about being bothered by hooligans.
Guan Yuehe: "......"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
