In the afternoon, Yang Yuelan was busy kneading dough and chopping filling in the kitchen. She had just received her ten yuan salary and was very happy, even humming a little tune.
When Xu Qingning woke up from her afternoon nap, she wanted to help roll out the dough, but Yang Yuelan was in a good mood and her voice was full of laughter: "No need for you, I can finish this little bit of work quickly, you should go back to your room and rest."
Yang Yuelan knew that her daughter-in-law also had a job, and sitting and drawing every day was quite tiring.
She never has to do any housework.
Xu Qingning went back to her room and drew two pictures, but then she didn't want to draw anymore. She took a small stool and came out to watch Zhao Futang make a mud stove.
Zhao Futang was methodical in his work. He brought back a pile of soil from outside, picked out the small stones, mixed the mud with his hands, and started making a mud stove by measuring it in a small plastic basin.
A wire was wrapped around the clay body, and then the wire was covered with mud. Four legs were also made, which were also fixed with wire.
After working for more than an hour, a round and sturdy little mud stove was finished, with a small chimney made of sheet metal on one side.
"Dad, you're amazing!" Xu Qingning exclaimed sincerely. "You can't buy this little mud stove, how did you come up with it?"
“We only have one big pot in the kitchen, which is inconvenient for cooking. I see we have a small iron pot at home, which can be placed on this small clay stove. We can cook porridge or stir-fry vegetables without needing the big pot.” Zhao Futang said with interest to his daughter-in-law, who was engrossed in the pot. “In our hometown, almost every household has one. They use it in the yard during the summer.”
"It looks pretty good." Xu Qingning thought this kind of small clay stove was very practical. It didn't take up much space; all you needed was a small iron pot, which was very convenient.
“It really is quite beautiful.” Yang Yuelan also came over to look. “Make another one. In a few days, I’ll go buy an iron pot. It will be useful for boiling water for the child’s bath and other things.”
“Okay, I’ll go out and find some more soil tomorrow and make another one.” Zhao Futang readily agreed, gesturing with his hand, “Make a bigger one, specifically for boiling water.”
"Mom, Dad is such a talented man, the mud stove he made is so beautiful." Xu Qingning gave Zhao Futang plenty of emotional support. "Don't even mention two, ten wouldn't be too many."
Zhao Futang smiled and moved the finished mud stove aside to dry: "After drying it for a day tomorrow, it will be ready to use."
“Your dad can also do carpentry. I told him yesterday that I asked him to make a small bed for the child, since he doesn’t have much to do right now.” Yang Yuelan said, then reminded Zhao Futang, “Take it seriously and hurry up and make the small bed for us, so I can make some bedding for it sooner.”
"Don't worry, it won't be a problem." Zhao Futang cleaned up the floor and squatted down to wash his hands.
When Xu Qingning heard that Zhao Futang could also do carpentry, her eyes lit up and she quickly said, "Dad, can I draw a pattern for a small bed and you make it according to it?"
She trusted Zhao Futang's craftsmanship, but she didn't know if the designs he made would suit her taste.
Since that's the case, we might as well do as she says from the beginning.
“Sure, as long as you have a drawing.” Zhao Futang was surprised that Xu Qingning could draw, and nodded. “You can make whatever you want.”
"Okay, I'll start drawing it tomorrow." Xu Qingning already had a general idea of the crib in her mind, and she was looking forward to it.
Wang Cuifen returned from outside with a small stool and saw the family chatting and laughing, which made her feel even more sorry for them.
It's a pity that the whole family is still in the dark, unaware that Zhao Jingyu has gotten into trouble.
It's better not to know.
If we found out, that would truly be the end of the world.
Thinking of this, Wang Cuifen went up to Yang Yuelan and greeted her: "What's making you so happy? Are you having guests?"
"Yaqiang and Dawei are coming over tonight, so I made some dumplings," Yang Yuelan said with a smile, wiping her hands. "There aren't many vegetables available this season, so I used some dried green beans."
"Soak dried green beans, they're great for making dumplings, haha!" Wang Cuifen didn't chat with her much, glanced at Zhao Futang, and quickly went back into the house.
In her eyes, news about Zhao Jingyu was like a bomb in their house, ready to explode at any moment.
She couldn't bear to watch such a tragic scene.
Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei got off work a little late, and the two of them brought several dishes from the cafeteria and also brought a bottle of wine for Zhao Futang.
The weather in early September was neither too hot nor too cold.
Zhao Futang set up the dining table in the yard, saying he wanted to have a good drink with the two of them. Before he arrived, these two young men had helped the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law a lot, and he wanted to thank them properly.
Yang Yuelan didn't want Zhao Futang to drink, but she didn't want to stop him, so she reminded him, "Just have one drink."
Zhao Futang agreed and poured full glasses for Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei as well: "Jingyu isn't home, let's have a drink together, the three of us. I hope he comes back soon."
"Thank you, Uncle. My brother will be back soon." The two men raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.
“Sister-in-law, my brother will definitely call back as soon as he reaches the shore, so don’t worry,” Wang Yaqiang said to Xu Qingning. “I’ll come and get you when he calls.”
"Okay." Xu Qingning nodded and smiled, "I'm sorry to have worried you all these days."
"It's good that my brother is alright," Wang Yaqiang said with a smile. "It's just that there are too many rumors circulating outside. No matter how we explain, they don't believe us. In fact, the more we explain, the worse it gets. Let them say what they want!"
"People can say whatever they want, it's none of our business." Xu Qingning knew that the rumors outside were rampant, with all sorts of things being said. "Anyway, we already know the truth, so let them say whatever they want."
There wasn't much entertainment in those days. There were no cell phones or televisions. Occasionally, a movie would be shown, and it felt like celebrating the New Year.
When people have nothing to do, they grab onto any news and talk about it for days on end. Add to that their own imaginations, and all sorts of rumors emerge.
The best way to deal with rumors is to ignore them.
Anyway, once Zhao Jingyu and the others return, all the rumors will be dispelled without a trace.
Zhao Futang and Liu Dawei were talking about the meat processing plant.
Liu Dawei said that many educated youth have recently returned to the city, and job openings are very tight. He only managed to get this one. He also said that if other factories recruit workers, he will keep an eye out and try to get Zhao Jingwu back to the city as soon as possible.
Zhao Futang thanked him repeatedly and clinked glasses with him: "Our second son's job is something our eldest son can keep an eye on. We can't let you worry about these things all the time."
Liu Dawei said he would wait for an opportunity.
When the opportunity comes, the job will come.
Yang Yuelan cooked dumplings for Xu Qingning first, telling her to eat them first. The men were going to drink, so the dumplings would be cooked later, otherwise they would get cold.
After Xu Qingning finished her meal, she chatted with them for a while and then went back to her room to rest. Yang Yuelan saw that they had drunk enough, so she went to cook dumplings for them.
Zhao Futang then told Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei about the matter of returning to their hometown: "I was worried that something might happen to Jingyu's situation, and that Jingyu's wife might not be able to handle it, so I was planning to take them back to our hometown. I talked to her about it today, and she said she didn't want to go back. You two know her well, so please help persuade her."
Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei were immediately troubled upon hearing this.
Xu Qingning is a very opinionated person; how could she possibly listen to them? Besides, they completely believed that Xu Qingning would persuade them to go back to their hometown...
After a moment of silence, Wang Yaqiang spoke up: "Uncle, if your sister-in-law doesn't want to go back, then she shouldn't. She still has work here and can't leave. Don't worry, those rumors won't affect her."
Actually, they felt that Zhao Futang was overthinking it.
They knew very well who Xu Qingning was. She dared to challenge their boss, so why would she be afraid of those rumors?
Besides, they firmly support their sister-in-law, and no one can force her to do something she doesn't want to do.
Zhao Futang chuckled awkwardly upon hearing this and didn't bring it up again.
If Xu Qingning really doesn't want to go back to his hometown, then he can stay a few more days and wait until things become clearer before making any decisions.
That night, Xu Jianguo and Jiang Yumei were also talking about Zhao Jingyu. Seeing that Jiang Yumei was quite sympathetic towards Xu Qingning, Xu Jianguo tentatively suggested, "Why don't we bring Qingning back to stay for a while?"
Thank you, Master Muyan, for the monthly tickets and for the generous donations, Wan Tong.
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First update.
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